Better safe than sorry - tick content
reformedfatty
Posts: 543
Not a mountain biking experience but as it was in the Mendips on trails commonly used for mountain biking I thought I'd relate this..
Went for a wander on Sunday, weather was warm and dry and it'd not rained much recently. Shorts weather for sure, I knew that it was a tick area as I've had them before up there, but I thought it was too dry for them.
Monday + Tuesday I was feeling very tired and achey in the joints with a headache
Tuesday evening I spot the little blighter.. tick hanging onto my knee, fat having fed a lot. I didn't have tweezers on me so couldn't get it then, and by the time I got home it was gone. At this point I'm thinking hmm slightly worrying that I'm not feeling great but probably a coincidence.
Wednesday and Thursday a rash develops.. its not your perfect bulls eye rash as the centre isn't that well defined but it's enough to worry me more.
Today (Friday) I pay a visit to the doctor, feeling a bit like a hypochondriac as the rash doesn't look as bad. Expected to be told not to be paranoid and go away, instead got 2 weeks antibiotics, blood taken and sent off for a test. Crikey.
The point of this story is even if you're not sure, it's worth getting it checked out and you will be taken seriously.
Fingers crossed for a negative result on the blood test!
Went for a wander on Sunday, weather was warm and dry and it'd not rained much recently. Shorts weather for sure, I knew that it was a tick area as I've had them before up there, but I thought it was too dry for them.
Monday + Tuesday I was feeling very tired and achey in the joints with a headache
Tuesday evening I spot the little blighter.. tick hanging onto my knee, fat having fed a lot. I didn't have tweezers on me so couldn't get it then, and by the time I got home it was gone. At this point I'm thinking hmm slightly worrying that I'm not feeling great but probably a coincidence.
Wednesday and Thursday a rash develops.. its not your perfect bulls eye rash as the centre isn't that well defined but it's enough to worry me more.
Today (Friday) I pay a visit to the doctor, feeling a bit like a hypochondriac as the rash doesn't look as bad. Expected to be told not to be paranoid and go away, instead got 2 weeks antibiotics, blood taken and sent off for a test. Crikey.
The point of this story is even if you're not sure, it's worth getting it checked out and you will be taken seriously.
Fingers crossed for a negative result on the blood test!
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Comments
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Thats amazing - you got an appointment with your doctor. Seriously though - good advice and clearly you were aware of what tick borne disease could do....take your pickelf on your holibobs....
jeez :roll:0 -
I hope for your sake the anti-biotics do there trick..
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx
I picked up a tick a few years back on an MTB trail while taking a call of nature in the bushes. Fortunately I got him off before he'd been there too long.
Best of luck.0 -
I took the emergency appointment route with the doctor to get a same day appointment, I did have the usual bizarre NHS experience though. Had my appointment with the doctor, he said you need to have a blood test, it should be either today or Monday.
Went to reception
'Hi, Dr x says I need a blood test'
'ok, can you do a week on Thursday?'
'Umm I can but Dr x said it would probably be today or Monday'
'Oh, ok then well lets see... how about now?'
'Yes that will be fine thank you'
The mind boggles. There must be a requirement in the job description for a doctors receptionist 'can you f*** people about needlessly in their search for medical help?'
Anyway, 2 more days of doxycycline left and I'm feeling a lot better and the rash has gone. Blinding headache though for the duration of the meds, one of the side effects of the antibiotics apparently
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The mind boggles. There must be a requirement in the job description for a doctors receptionist 'can you f*** people about needlessly in their search for medical help?'
Yep - that's the key requirement... They are also screened to make sure they don't have a pleasant manner on the phone and to make you think that everything you ask for is an inconvenience for them.0 -
You have to realise that receptionists are very low in the pecking order of the health service - or would be except for one thing: they have great power as gatekeepers, and they love it.
I've come across receptionists who've cheerfully started discussing confidential test results, attempting triage, or even diagnosis on the phone. Bear in mind that Mrs Bomp is in fact Dr. Bomp, so anything I go to the GP for has been fairly well discussed already.
I find that "please make me an appointment so I can discuss it with a qualified doctor" usually does the trick.0
