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I've had a fever and other flu-like symptoms on and off since Sunday night, which wasn't getting better. I initially thought it was summer flu or Covid (negative test). Suspiciously, my wife who has a compromised immune system and catches anything going round has no symptoms. So I then suspected either Lyme disease or a reaction to a temporary medication I've just started. The doctor ruled the medication out which left Lyme as the most likely in his view. I did a bike packing trip in the New Forest a few weeks ago. I had 5 or 6 ticks on me during the trip as did my adult son and daughter, who were with me. We checked throughout each day and removed any we found. I haven't had a rash. We all found other ticks for a day or so after we got back.
The "kids" seem fine but are being vigilant. GP was ace. Immediate urgent appointment, took loads of time to explain stuff and did a full examination and tests to rule out anything else. Lyme blood test done, but apparently this early after infection it doesn't always show. If negative they'll do another in 4 weeks. I'm on a course of antibiotics for 3 weeks just in case. Tales of encouragement please. I've other health issues bubbling away, so could do with this getting zapped. Spare me the horror stories please. Not interested in alternative treatments.
Yeah, like lots on here, I have had the same. Your GP sounds good and did what mine did and got the antibiotics going straight away. Fwiw, my son had the same and he felt good in 4 weeks. I took 6 weeks to feel good again and had a follow up Lyme blood test done, but that came back negative. Probably just not being a youth meant I took longer to recover.
Anyway, I hope you feel better soon.
Get well soon OP. Nasty disease if it is Lyme. I know two people from back home in North Yorkshire who have had confirmed tests for it now, all caught from ticks picked up while MTBing. One had a great GP who got them on the antibiotics straight away, the other had to battle to be taken seriously.
We've started to get a few confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (as bad as it sounds 😥) caught from tick bites in my region in Spain, alongside a sharp increase in LD. I lather myself in DEET before every ride now.
I'm in the same position as you OP. Just finished the antibiotics, the side effects of which were grim. Good luck
Bit late now but you need to go careful in New Forest as it is a very high Lyme risk. Lived in New Forest for 25 years and never had one tick and wife has just had one in that time so they can be avoided (although one of the dogs picks them up all the time but he is light coloured and usually catch them while still on outside of fur)
Just look at the maps here and see the red areas --> https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/news/mapping-parts-britain-risk-tick-borne-virus
check for the latest info on lyme. Is 3 weeks of antibiotics enough? Which is the right antibiotic? Your GP sounds good but they are not always up to date
The good news is that if it is caught and treated promptly then its once and done I think - no lingering effects but I am not familiar with latest research. Be aware of snake oil tho - a lot of balderdash on the net about it as well. I found someone recommending coffee enemas. I doubt thats useful unless you like that sort of thing 🙂
check for the latest info on lyme. Is 3 weeks of antibiotics enough? Which is the right antibiotic?
It does seem to be the NHS recommendation. From NICE treatment guidelines March 2024
Adults and children aged 12 years or older — doxycycline 100 mg twice daily (or 200 mg once daily) for 21 days; or amoxicillin 1000 mg three times daily for 21 days; or azithromycin 500 mg daily for 17 days.
I'm on Doxycycline at that dose.
I found someone recommending coffee enemas
I'm a big coffee geek, but I draw the line at firing it up my clackervalve! 😮
Should normally be 21d doxycycline (assuming no contrainidcations).
Does cause a reasonable amount of nausea/vomiting at 200mg daily but CAN be taken with food or milk (unike most other tetracyclines), which might help prevent that. Is also important to follow the label instructions about taking whilst upright with a good slosh of water (you don't want it sticking and burning holes in your gullet!). Increased skin sensitivity to sun (i.e. burning) is also common, though severity is variable - be careful 'til you know which you are. Headaches also quite common
(All ^ that said, it's a pretty benign antibiotic; you'll likely do great on it)
I've no idea if there is still a bug going around in Hampshire, but my better half and I had a 2.5+ week respiratory bug caught in late May.
We both had severe fatigue that we could feel on top of our long covid, better half was coughing lots as if covid continuous cough, while just like when I've had covid I barely coughed at all. From around day 5 I had multiple instances of feeling like I was getting better, only to wake up next day feeling awful (reminded me of my last known covid in late Sept '22). Nose getting blocked and running lots from around day 7, coughing up phlegm came later and lasted to at least day 21 even though other symptoms had subsided.
Better half got it first, took eight days until I felt I was coming down with it.
I've had it twice. Both times caught early and a 3 week course of Doxy. I felt shit for a couple of weeks but that was likely the antibiotics.
Lesson (mostly) learnt, I apply Smidge to my legs whenever I go riding, running or walking in any sort of grass, bracken etc.
Smidge does seem to make a real difference, or at least I perceive it to.
That's reassuring @scotroutes, thanks. Does smidge do a good job of deterring them?
Edit: @piemonster, you posted as I was typing. Good to know smidge works 👍
smidge seems to. I got ticked recently - on areas I had not applied smidge. On more exposed bits with smidge no bites.
I use Tick Magic to deter them (also works as a midge repellent) as ticks are really bad this year, we can easily pick 30+ off the dogs following our morning walk. One of the local farm workers tried it by applying to one leg and not the other - one leg was clear, the other crawling. Ticks rarely latch immediately, so if you check after your walk you’ll usually find them walking about and you can easily pick them off.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever
I should not have googled that.
After many years riding and walking around the UK I picked up my first ever ticks (5) yesterday after a walk at the south end of Grizedale Forest. Having read this thread I checked myself again and found another 2 that I had missed first time round.
My wife didn't have any; we both had shorts on but the key difference being I had forgotten to put suncream on my legs.
They're fairly strong antibiotics so worth staying out the sun as more prone to burning apparently.
My old employer had a right panic after a bite a few years ago.
Current employer provides tick repellent trousers and wash in sachets.
Just look at the maps here and see the red areas --> https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/news/mapping-parts-britain-risk-tick-borne-virus
Thanks, yes interesting set of maps and distribution patterns there
Mt FIL had the rash from a tick bite after returning from NL to Australia a few weeks ago. Was feeling bad but managed to get the antibiotics and is coming good already. Good luck OP.
read recently that woodland where pheasant are released are 2.5 times more likely to have lyme carrying ticks. Don't know what the link is
All the best of luck with the treatment op.
Now I'm classed as immunosuppressed I'm much more worried about ticks than I used to be.
Can anyone tell me, I can't have penicillin, are there still other antibiotics that can work against Lyme disease?
I've not googled but the ones people mentioned above sounds very penicillin based?
read recently that woodland where pheasant are released are 2.5 times more likely to have lyme carrying ticks. Don't know what the link is
I think Deer ticks are the main culprit?
Every day is a school day - I thought they were all the same beastie but they are not https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tick-species-profiles
Im guessing deer ticks on the birds? Dunno but from that it seems deer ticks can feed on many animals
Headaches also quite common
Slight high jack to the the thread.
That explains it. I did read the side effect of antibiotic but I thought that would not happen to me. I just finished a course of antibiotic due to tooth infection resulted in a root canal treatment. The dentist prescribed a course of antibiotic. I finished the course two weeks ago but after that I started to get severe headache for almost a week. I only recovered three days ago, there is still minor headache but negligible. The headache was so bad I could only sleep and hardly stay awake. It felt like my brain was knocking against my skull ...
Mrs had a classical tick bite that turned into a RAF roundrel after a week or so. She'd been at a deer park (Holkham in Norfolkshire) so no surprise. 3 weeks of antibiotics (taken standing up etc as per what others said). All clear.
I got my 1st one ever earlier this year, in mid Wales. We were camping in fields thst had previously had sheep, so I guess that's how and why. At the time I found a dribble of blood running down my leg after i'd just scratched my leg with my boots, and thought no more of it. Until the next eve when the exact location was burning, swollen and very annoying to the point of not sleeping properly all night.
Back home, Quacks went through the usual 20-questions by phone, then send me to the local pharmacy for someone to check it out, make sure my leg or head hadn't fallen off, and then give me a truck load of antibiotics. Took a good week for it the swelling to calm down, but all OK since.
read recently that woodland where pheasant are released are 2.5 times more likely to have lyme carrying ticks. Don't know what the link is
"Gerroff moi laaaand" is probably the explanation there
@chewkw were you on doxycycline - the effect is not the same for all abx. The leaflet probably told you (if it was a 'cycline antibiotic) to seek medical advice if headache was severe, prolonged and especially if your vision was affected
Until the next eve when the exact location was burning, swollen and very annoying to the point of not sleeping properly all night.
That sounds like a kleg bite.
I had a bout last year. Didn't spot the tick, but spotted the rash, the timing of which aligned with a trip to Aberfoyle (tick Vegas). 3 weeks of antibiotics sorted it out and I seemed to tolerate them ok - bit low-energy, but none of the gastric horror stories you hear of.
I had a bout last year. Didn't spot the tick, but spotted the rash, the timing of which aligned with a trip to Aberfoyle (tick Vegas). 3 weeks of antibiotics sorted it out and I seemed to tolerate them ok - bit low-energy, but none of the gastric horror stories you hear of.
I'll adopt the approach with treatment experiences I do with weather forecasts. Look at several and believe the most favourable. On that basis I believe @arrpee to be the most enlightened club Lyme member to grace this thread so far! 🤞😉
Catching it early seems to be the trick. Any symptoms I had were tough to differentiate from the antibiotics. Hope you're as jammy as I was; my pal had to get "big-gun" antibiotics for a cat bite the other week. Within days, they'd given her nausea, diarrhea and a dose of thrush.
I had a tick bite in Germany in an area with Lyme incidence a few years back. Rash appeared when I arrived back in the UK and the Dr was a bit dubious about prescribing but my mum went a bit 'go back and demand they follow the protocol in Germany for that because that's where the little blighter was'.
Anyway, all ok after antibiotics but can confirm the photosensitivity. We were having a sunnyish summer in the north of England so I was slathered up with sunscreen and wearing long sleeves every day it didn't rain. Unfortunately I didn't reckon that my shirt would ride up when I was shearing the sheep... that was a super ouch crescent of pinkness on my back.
Had doxycycline for (I think) my first trip to a place with a high risk of malaria. The sun thing is real, but does not really help when you are visiting a place in south-east Asia.
Anyway, meant to say that a friend of mine went travelling with his (then GF, now wife) to Mongolia several years back. He's a photographer so, when she got bitten by a tick, he took a picture of it, which was lucky, because she developed Siberian Tick Typhus and spent a while in hospital at the centre for infections diseases. The photo of the tick helped ID what she had.
Catching it early seems to be the trick.
thats my understanding. Early recognition and treatment means long lasting effects are rare
My colleague who lives in the Bournemouth area has had it 4 times now. He's careful but is outdoors a lot. This last time he felt the symptoms and got antibiotics straight away but had probably been a bit late. This time he was knocked out, it's taken 3-4 months of staged return to work. But his fatigue is now better. Like all viral / bacterial fatigue take it really really slowly.
The GP called today. Initial test results are back, which is impressive as he only took the samples yesterday! Quite a few of my bloods are abnormal as is my liver function, which is he says, indicative of an infection and consistent with Lyme although the actual Lyme test was negative. Apparently it often doesn't show this early on a test, so he's re-booked another in 4 weeks time. Apparently the blood test isn't that great full stop. I'd be interested to know if others on here who have had Lyme had a positive blood test for it?
The Doc still seems pretty convinced it's Lyme, but I'm also having another slew of blood tests next week to dig deeper into the liver function, to rule out stuff like hepatitis etc. This is a little concerning tbh!
I'm feeling a little less shit now. Fever and alternating sweating and shivering has stopped and appetite has returned. I don't know if that's the doxycycline kicking in already, or if it was on the wane anyway. I still have a headache, mild nausea and general fatigue and lethargy. Early days. Not for the first time, I find myself extremely grateful for our NHS.
The Doc still seems pretty convinced it's Lyme, but I'm also having another slew of blood tests next week to dig deeper into the liver function, to rule out stuff like hepatitis etc. This is a little concerning tbh!
Dinnae worry. this is how medicine works. Test for one thing, find something "odd" unrelated or only peripherally related then they have to investigate it.
My recent healthscare journey - I had bowel issues which could be bowel cancer so had to be investigated ( It wasnt, I was just full of shit 🙂 ) But they found Bile duct and liver abnormalities and a cardiac cyst so more investigations for that - both are congenital abnormalities that are often found like this and require no treatment
Apparently the blood test isn't that great full stop. I'd be interested to know if others on here who have had Lyme had a positive blood test for it?
I had a positive blood test the first time. When it came to my second infection I was told that it wasn't worth doing a blood test as it would come back positive due to my first infection. Maybe it's the case that some "marker" is permanent (or long-lasting) after one infection?
...Tales of encouragement please... Spare me the horror stories please... .
Been right there where you are now, about 5 years ago now.
I'd read so much in places like STW about, Ticks and Lyme that I actually felt pretty awful, which is most unlike me... Talss of being fobbed off by the NHS as Lyme isn't a real thing etc.....
But just like you, GP fortunately knew exactly what I was worried about, we talked about mountain biking and how it was such a risk for ticks, worked out when I'd probably been bitten. I got the meds, they are very strong, way stronger than anything I've had previously, fetl grotty till they were done and then completely resolved. Absolutely no issues.
You'll be fine.
@chewkw were you on doxycycline - the effect is not the same for all abx. The leaflet probably told you (if it was a 'cycline antibiotic) to seek medical advice if headache was severe, prolonged and especially if your vision was affected
Sorry for the late reply. Been hectic at work.
It was Amoxicillin 500mg one to be taken 3 times a day. (21 capsules)
About two years, I was also prescribed a course but I didn't get headache.
There’s some information on the Wild Justice website which I pasted an extract from onto a thread about deer on here. Ticks/lyme disease and pheasants are linked.
In the UK, around 47 million common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus 1758) are released each year for recreational shooting (Aebischer 2019). The biomass of pheasants in late summer is estimated to be equivalent to that of all native UK breeding birds combined (Blackburn and Gaston 2021) but the ecological consequences of these releases are still poorly understood (Madden et al. 2023). One potential consequence of pheasant release is the amplification of zoonotic pathogens, in particular Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Johnson et al. 1984; Kurtenbach, Carey, et al. 1998; Kurtenbach, Peacey, et al. 1998). Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most prevalent vector-borne zoonotic disease in the northern hemisphere (Lindgren and Jaenson 2006). Pheasants can harbour hundreds of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus 1758) ticks (Hoodless et al. 2002), the vector of B. burgdorferi s.l., and experimental trials in captivity have demonstrated that pheasants can contract and re-transmit B. burgdorferi s.l. to and from I. ricinus (Craine et al. 1997; Kurtenbach, Carey, et al. 1998; Kurtenbach, Peacey, et al. 1998). However, the impact of pheasant release on tick abundance and Borrelia sp. prevalence in ticks, in ecologically relevant contexts, has not yet been quantified.
A complete cull of Pheasants would help reduce ticks and also bio diversity - my words!
Jesus! Good luck. Lyme is every bit as bad as people say.
Sounds like you've had good treatment.
I picked up a dose of Lyme the week before Christmas. The antibiotics made a mess of christmas, but the test in the new year came back negative.
The aftermath, and the fatigue. Now that is an absolute [insert worst expletive possible here]. I managed to get back to work full time in mid May. I can now ride about 15km gently on my mtb. Recovery is slow, non-linear and unpredictable.
Good luck.
have been riding up on the downs, across fields with sheep and or cattle in, and lots of long grass last week. Strange red rash on my R leg this week, didn't respond to anti-fungal (and no reason to suspect a fungal thing really) and then today feeling really headachy and crap. This morning sent a pic of the rash to the doc with report of where I'd been cycling, and she was straight on the phone to say she was subscribing Doxi. So now I am feeling a bit rubbish cos of the doxi, but hopefully it will knock things on the head. AM having a blood test next week, but had the bulls eye 12 years ago (even if the blood test wasn't positive then either)
So keep an eye out for ticks and rashes everyone.
@susepic best of luck. I'm now nearly a week into my course of Doxycycline. My temperature, headache, nausea and most of the other symptoms started to get better a couple of days into treatment and are now largely gone. I'm left with fatigue and a queasy stomach, the latter probably caused by the doxi. Even the fatigue is easing to the point I was able to go on a short road ride last night when it had cooled a little. I'm being very careful in this heatwave due to the reported increase in sun sensitivity caused by Doxycycline.
I had more blood tests yesterday, my liver function which was poor initially has recovered and a load of tests for other possible infections including hepatitis and HIV! were thankfully all clear! I am have having another Lyme blood test next week. So fingers crossed, I'm on the mend but I've another couple of weeks of antibiotics to get through yet.
If you go in the woods or long grass, cover up, use smidge or similar and give yourself a very thorough check afterwards 👍
Thanks @blokeuptheroad am slathered w SPF50 so hoping I've left no gaps.....wondering if I can be bothered w a blood test as they don't seem that reliable.
Good to hear your timeline, I'll hopefully feel a bit better in a day or so....and might manage an easy road ride
I guess i need to get myself some smidge for the rest of the summer. Ticks such a yawn, but at least no midges down here so can't complain too much
On a lighter note, I've been chatting to my elderly parents and they were asking how I was. My old mum, god bless her, is now convinced I've gone down with a case of "limescale" 🤣
Antibiotx seem to have settled down now, and fluey symptoms have subsided. Rash seems to be resolving as well.
I have just bought me a pair of fetching Decathlon orienteering socks for a tenner. Very dandy...will report back after tomorrow evening's outing..
On a lighter note, I've been chatting to my elderly parents and they were asking how I was. My old mum, god bless her, is now convinced I've gone down with a case of "limescale" 🤣
Here's a prescription for a week's course of Cillit Bang.
Mum was up Screel hill (nr auchencairn/galloway) last Thursday with her mate and they ended up covered in numerous ticks despite spraying themselves beforehand, I picked 16 of the tiniest little buggers off mums legs on Thursday night and found more on Friday.
Red rings started to appear sat/sun so she was at docs earlier and is now on 21 days of doxycycline, bugger.
The amount of ticks in this area and Galloway this year is horrendous, even walking around our local woods gets you covered in the ****ers.
I had my first ticks of the year after a run through an old, overgrown track on Friday morning. I managed to pick 5 off me, over a period of around 36 hours. Now I'm doing the usual monitoring for rash and other symptoms.
Horrible little bastards. I got one doing some strimming in a pals garden!
Absolutely this, i get bitten by klegs/horseflies most years. Have had to have antibiotics a couple of times when they've got infected.Until the next eve when the exact location was burning, swollen and very annoying to the point of not sleeping properly all night.
That sounds like a kleg bite.
As for the ticks, my *first* ever tick bite got me textbook rings/bullseye after about 3 days and a rock hard/burning bite site, no swelling though. Called my GP and didn't even need to speak to the Dr, the nurse just ticked a box and i got 14 days of antibiotics. Ready in 20 minutes.
little bitey f*****s eh? I've just finished a week of co-amoxiclav (after a few days of flucloxacillin which wasn't working) for what I now think was an infected tick bite on the front of my lower leg. A bit of red/soreness the evening after I noticed it, dark patch on skin and swelling getting worse over the next day to the point where I couldn't weight bear when I got up in the night. Pharmacy the next morning (on crutches).
Antibiotx seem to have settled down now, and fluey symptoms have subsided. Rash seems to be resolving as well.
I have just bought me a pair of fetching Decathlon orienteering socks for a tenner. Very dandy...will report back after tomorrow evening's outing..
I hope those socks work for you, however, my pal who got infected a couple of years back wears those tights previously beloved of XC bikers and had one on his thigh in side the tights. Not on for long, he said, but he still got Lyme (including Bells palsy) - seems OK now, though, but as he's a Northerner (like me) its hard to tell