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Bob's Story I was bit by a deer tick on my left thigh just above my knee the first week of June 2005 in Sauk County, WI. I believe the tick had been on me for less than 12 hours since I discovered it in the early afternoon after having been in the woods at 5am. A couple days after the bite a small red circle (about a 1cm) with a lighter colored inside appeared around the bite. The bite seemed a bit infected and it was tender to the touch. I was told by knowledgeable people that the Lyme disease rash was much bigger, that so few ticks carry the bacteria, and that the ticks have to be in you for 48 hours to transmit the disease. The person who convinced me not to worry had a tick borne disease of his own and his young son actually had Lyme disease in the past. I should also tell you that a couple weeks later I found a second tick and like the first it also was on me for less than 12 hours. Unlike the first bite it never looked infected, felt tender nor developed a ring around it.
Once the red circle disappeared a couple days later I didn't
experience any of the symptoms I have read about at such sites as
http://www.lymeinfo.net/lymediseasetreatment.html I woke up at 6am on Sunday with the fever and headache but no chills. By noon the fever seemed to increase and I was experiencing chills outside, in direct sunlight on a 95 F day. I also wasn't able to walk normally due to the muscle and joint pain. I wasn't hobbled, but anyone looking at me would think I had a problem. Sometime that day I entertained the thought that what I thought was the onset of food poisoning might actually be Lyme disease or another disease from the tick bite. At this time I decided it was time to go to the doctor. On the way there, about an hour drive from the park I was at, my headache worsened to point that I was moaning in pain. At the clinic I told the receptionists that I was feeling ill and that I thought it may be due to a tick bite. A nurse took my temperature and blood pressure. My temperature was 101F. The doctor saw me soon after and I described all the symptoms I have related to you, the fact I had been bitten by two deer ticks within the past month (I now know the first bite was longer ago), that a small red ring formed around the first bite, that I had spent the summer working in the woods, and that I rarely get sick. The doctor disagreed with my diagnosis of Lyme disease or any tick borne disease. He suggested I had a "summer fever". We then talked more and during the course of the dialogue I repeated the list of symptoms and risks. This didn't seem to register with him. He stood there with his arms crossed and even in my fevered state of mind I could see that he thought I was wrong, that maybe he thought I was a hypochondriac and, basically, that I was wasting his time. Because of the persistence that a friend and I showed showed he finally got around to telling us that a test for Lyme disease could be done. He didn't suggest it should be done. He left it up to me and my friend to decide. We decided I should have the test. I don't mean to rant but, the nurse comes in to draw my blood and she also seems cold and unfriendly. It seems as if the doctor had left the room and told the nurse something to the effect that there's a person with the flu who wants a test for Lyme disease. Twice in one visit I was made to feel that I was wasting health care professionals’ time with my illness. Today, July 19th I was informed I tested positive for Lyme Disease. They prescribed a 21 day supply of Doxycycline. I don't trust the doctor with my health and am now looking for a competent doctor with experience treating the disease. -Bob
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