I’m a veterinarian and we deal with Lyme also, of course. But we have the benefit of really excellent tick-killing medications that can prevent ticks from transmitting their nasty diseases (if people would actually give them reliably, which of course many of them don’t…). But recently a drug rep told me one of the drugs we use in dogs and cats, lotilaner, is in human trials in people, and I was glad to hear it.
My mom just went to urgent care with a tick and got tested. The IgG test was a level 9, so they said she must have had Lyme disease for months or years already. I'm pretty worried, though the only symptoms she seems to have is arthritis and joint pain.
I don’t know the details, and this is not medical advice. Obviously, your mom needs to see someone with longitudinal experience, like her primary care doc, to help her sort this out. I will simply point out that IgG antibody takes at least two weeks to develop and can stay positive for years. Also, in all likelihood, the urgent care ran a screening antibody test and a Western Blot confirmatory test is needed to be sure it’s actually Lyme. Talk to your mom’s doc! There are a lot of nuances and context dependencies for Lyme.
And, I forgot to say, get well soon, Marisa’s mom!
My oldest son got a tick bite on a camping trip in the late 80s. At the time Lyme disease was unknown in Texas. Because of pain in his hip, an orthopedic doctor put him in hospital. Many tests were run, and many different specialists were consulted. They even searched on the Internet, which was not yet available to the public. It could have ended badly, but the ortho doctor kept him on an antibiotic IV because of the high white count. He recovered, though the bacteria destroyed the cartilage in his hip. Eventually he'll need a hip replacement.
I remember my first patient with Lyme. I was a resident and my whole team (and I) totally missed it. It was the early 2000’s so Lyme was still exotic in the MidWest.
Dr. Mary - any tips for a senior with limited mobility, living alone in tick country (southeast US, natural property) who sometimes feels bumps on her scalp and other hard-to-see places that she fears are ticks? Getting in to see a doc each time is not always possible and feels like overkill. This probably sounds silly, but it’s a real concern to me!
Great discussion. I had a friend in SC who was from NYS and she had lime disease which went undetected back 10+ years ago. She was able to control it with medicine and healthy habits but any discussion about it makes me think of her.
It is tough, Cara! You need a tick buddy of some sort. I’m lucky enough that my neighbors and I could exchange “could you look at this?” There might be another person in your social network in a similar situation with whom you could exchange exams. You don’t have to be good friends, necessarily, just someone who might need their bumps examined, too. Someone you know from the library or the dog park .
I don’t know what the rules are everywhere, but at some places, you could get a nurse visit and they could take a look and tell you if it’s a tick or not (at some places, it would be hard to document or bill for so they wouldn’t allow it). The pharmacist at your drugstore might be willing to take a look as well. Obviously, this is only a solution for places like your scalp; you don’t want to be pulling your shirt up at the pharmacy counter!
You can take a picture with your phone camera (if you have that kind of phone) sometimes, but it’s surprisingly hard to do in some body areas.
A similar problem is when a patient who lives alone needs hydrocortisone or similar on their back.
IdentifyUS is a local resource for tick identification and testing. We work directly with consumers and health care professionals to offer fast, expert and confidential information on all types of biting arthropods. If your health provider is sending your tick to a pathology lab to ID and test, it’s likely going through IdentifyUS behind the scenes. You can interface with us directly to offer patients a superior comprehensive report on their tick specimens and associated test results. https://idmybug.com/
The earwax comment made me laugh! Ticks are nasty, vile things.
Informative, Thanks 🙏🏾
Ugh, the thought of ticks gives me the creepy-crawlies. 😖 Thank you for this helpful info!
I’m a veterinarian and we deal with Lyme also, of course. But we have the benefit of really excellent tick-killing medications that can prevent ticks from transmitting their nasty diseases (if people would actually give them reliably, which of course many of them don’t…). But recently a drug rep told me one of the drugs we use in dogs and cats, lotilaner, is in human trials in people, and I was glad to hear it.
I have often wondered about this, Elinor. That is great news!
I understand y’all have an OA shot for dogs. I’m hopeful that one migrates to humans soon, too!
My mom just went to urgent care with a tick and got tested. The IgG test was a level 9, so they said she must have had Lyme disease for months or years already. I'm pretty worried, though the only symptoms she seems to have is arthritis and joint pain.
I don’t know the details, and this is not medical advice. Obviously, your mom needs to see someone with longitudinal experience, like her primary care doc, to help her sort this out. I will simply point out that IgG antibody takes at least two weeks to develop and can stay positive for years. Also, in all likelihood, the urgent care ran a screening antibody test and a Western Blot confirmatory test is needed to be sure it’s actually Lyme. Talk to your mom’s doc! There are a lot of nuances and context dependencies for Lyme.
And, I forgot to say, get well soon, Marisa’s mom!
Okay, thank you! I will do some more research! I was telling her she should go to a specialist with experience in Lyme.
My oldest son got a tick bite on a camping trip in the late 80s. At the time Lyme disease was unknown in Texas. Because of pain in his hip, an orthopedic doctor put him in hospital. Many tests were run, and many different specialists were consulted. They even searched on the Internet, which was not yet available to the public. It could have ended badly, but the ortho doctor kept him on an antibiotic IV because of the high white count. He recovered, though the bacteria destroyed the cartilage in his hip. Eventually he'll need a hip replacement.
I remember my first patient with Lyme. I was a resident and my whole team (and I) totally missed it. It was the early 2000’s so Lyme was still exotic in the MidWest.
Dr. Mary - any tips for a senior with limited mobility, living alone in tick country (southeast US, natural property) who sometimes feels bumps on her scalp and other hard-to-see places that she fears are ticks? Getting in to see a doc each time is not always possible and feels like overkill. This probably sounds silly, but it’s a real concern to me!
Great discussion. I had a friend in SC who was from NYS and she had lime disease which went undetected back 10+ years ago. She was able to control it with medicine and healthy habits but any discussion about it makes me think of her.
It is tough, Cara! You need a tick buddy of some sort. I’m lucky enough that my neighbors and I could exchange “could you look at this?” There might be another person in your social network in a similar situation with whom you could exchange exams. You don’t have to be good friends, necessarily, just someone who might need their bumps examined, too. Someone you know from the library or the dog park .
I don’t know what the rules are everywhere, but at some places, you could get a nurse visit and they could take a look and tell you if it’s a tick or not (at some places, it would be hard to document or bill for so they wouldn’t allow it). The pharmacist at your drugstore might be willing to take a look as well. Obviously, this is only a solution for places like your scalp; you don’t want to be pulling your shirt up at the pharmacy counter!
You can take a picture with your phone camera (if you have that kind of phone) sometimes, but it’s surprisingly hard to do in some body areas.
A similar problem is when a patient who lives alone needs hydrocortisone or similar on their back.
IdentifyUS is a local resource for tick identification and testing. We work directly with consumers and health care professionals to offer fast, expert and confidential information on all types of biting arthropods. If your health provider is sending your tick to a pathology lab to ID and test, it’s likely going through IdentifyUS behind the scenes. You can interface with us directly to offer patients a superior comprehensive report on their tick specimens and associated test results. https://idmybug.com/
Thanks! Locally, we use UNH and I assume they do their own work, but never thought to ask.