Comments on: Does My Daughter Have Lyme Disease?

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:45:00 +0000

Well I didn't know to save them at the time but from memory and descriptions on the internet, they could have been deer ticks. The internet (love it and hate it!) also tells me that N.CA has become a "hot spot" in the last decade or two. We were in Marin county just outside of San Francisco, staying in a suburban neighborhood up against a fairly wooded area and saw deer a couple of times. The moms I know in the area did not have a lot of experience with ticks, though a couple of them said they had found a tick on their kids in the past. The one I found on my 18 month old was engorged behind his ear (so had been there a while) but the one on my 7-year-old was flat and pretty small. I was feeling fine to just watch the site and for symptoms but then 3 weeks after I found the engorged one, my 18 month old had a low-grade fever for a day (but was acting normal). Took him to the doc here in Hawaii (we were home by then) and said better to do the antibiotics to be safe (also tested negative at that point). No rash. Ok so felt fine and moved on but three days later my husband comes down with flu symptoms (fever, sore muscles, headache, chills). He also says he had what he thought was an infected mosquito bite under his arm a couple weeks earlier on the trip. So I that's when I start my obsessive googling!!! And nearly send myself into adrenal fatigue from the stress. My husband took antibiotics too. But I am still torn about my 7 year old. He is fine, no symptoms, no rash. I think I'll wait 6-8 weeks from our return home and do a blood test…….but in the meantime I need to stop reading Lymenet and ILADS forums. I have to remember that their reality is not my reality. Oh parenting can be so full of overwhelming worry. I know just what you mean about looking at your sweet child, so full of life and promise and being unable to stop yourself from imagining her with a chronic debilitating disease and how that would just ruin you……I've been feeling the same way.So it could all be a coincidence and my husband had the flu and the baby had a mild illness (that is what I am hoping). Or we did get exposed to Lyme and hopefully took care of it!Thanks for your responses. It is therapeutic to chat with someone in a similar position 🙂

By: Stacy

Stacy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:59:23 +0000

You're welcome, Megan. What kind of ticks were they? I'm not sure if Lyme Disease has been found in No. California. Remember that it's very rare, and it's carried by only certain types of ticks. Did your kids get the rash?

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:13:36 +0000

Thank you Stacy! I'm so glad she's doing well. The silver lining is I found your very interesting blog because of it! We live in Hawaii where there is no Lyme to speak of but were vacationing in Northern California when I found the ticks. So it is a new threat to me and I know that is intensifying my fears. I'll check in from time to time. Megan

By: Stacy

Stacy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:17:30 +0000

MeganYes, the community is a scary place. It's very unlikely Grace has it, but it still could be. Her test came back negative initially (but that could be false because was fairly early), and she did the round of antibiotics, so that's all we can do. She's been absolutely fine, and the rational side of me doesn't think she ever had it. It was a wood tick, not a deer tick. But still.Yes, I worry about every ache or pain she has, or is tired. It's impossible not to. Just know that as long as you've done the antibiotics, you've done all you can, and more than likely your boys are fine. Keep me posted!Stacy

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:00:18 +0000

Hi!I just found your blog while frantically googling about Lyme disease after a tick scare with my two boys! I could have written a lot of what you wrote. I keep swinging back and forth from being reassured that they probably didn't get Lyme and if they did the antibiotics will do the trick. BUT oh my word the Lyme community on the internet is freaking me out!! I thought I'd write to you to see where you are now with the whole thing. Is everyone healthy and happy? Are you still worrying every time she says she's tired or complains of an ache or pain like I am afraid I'm going to do? Kids must get bitted by ticks all the time. Why is this hitting me so hard?All my best,Worried mama Megan

By: Stacy

Stacy — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:08:17 +0000

Kaz:I can't imagine having seven doctors in the family. Not sure if that would be a blessing or a curse. Thanks for the advice – I really appreciate it. And your story with the OB made me LOL. Melanie:I know there is, and I'm the queen of second guessing. I've gotten better, but this deal has thrown me for a loop. Thanks for the update. I keep thinking there's no way it could be Lyme, but then I Google and see all sorts of pictures and stories that make me think it is. Then you hear that as long as she got meds she'll be fine. But then there are stories that argue that. So frustrating and scary. I actually updated the post with a picture of the rash … it's a bit more red than the pic shows, but you get the point.

By: Melanie_McCullough

Melanie_McCullough — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:50:01 +0000

My heart is breaking for you right now. There's always the second guessing that comes with every decision we make. At the time, it seems like a good choice, but then something happens, and we wonder if we gave it enough thought. If we considered all the possibilities. But we all know that is nearly impossible to do.And the thing is, kids need freedom. Scary as it is. We can't wrap them in a bubble and protect them from everything. There's no cure for the worry. The only comfort I can cling to is that everything that happens, happens for a reason. Keep us up to date. Let us know as soon as the Mayo test comes back negative. It will. You'll see.

By: Kaz Augustin

Kaz Augustin — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:32:30 +0000

Oh Stacy, I feel for you. I have seven doctors in the family and they all have the compassion of pet rocks. Actually less, because at least you can pretend that the pet rock is saying something sympathetic to you, while the doctors just want to talk about patient throughput, how much tax they're paying (poor darlings) and when their Mercedes will be out of the shop. And do they hate being questioned! Morons. I call them all "body mechanics" now, which is a bit of an insult as I've known some excellent (car) mechanics. LOLAs for being a parent…yeah, I know what you mean. Thankfully, it's hubby who's the worrier, which at least gives me something to react against. But I worry too. There's no way to thwart it. Just take one day at a time. Fingers crossed over the Mayo results.PS Our first child was born in the US and I remember getting into huge arguments with the otherwise nice Ob/Gyn. When I proved correct (hey, it's a gift), I was told I came out of anaesthetic, looked the doctor in the face, said, "I told you so" then went under again. It seems the entire surgical room cracked up and it went around the hospital. Premmie son was born okay and is now growing like a weed.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:37:43 +0000

Thanks. She's going in for a follow up with the Peds doc, and the nurse just told me they see this a lot and even if Lyme, antibodies will work. Still scary though!

By: Raising Marshmallows

Raising Marshmallows — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:34:16 +0000

And that is the hardest part of being a parent. Knowing that we can't possibly protect them from everything. I hope the results come back in your daughters favor, hang in there!Nikki