Getting treated for Lymes, confections etc... and treatment
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Justin O'Keeffe | Apr 29 2024, 10:21pm | I was not going to post this again this year, but here goes! Its great to see that there has been an increased awareness around Lymes but there is still a gap in the knowledge around what to next if bitten, rash vs no rash, ill-equipped GPs, the treatments available, timing, cost etc.. In my own case, I’ve been out of IMRA for the last few years with Lymes. My own symptoms started in 2019 years ago with extreme fatigue The support in the health system in Ireland is very poor, it is ill diagnosed or not accepted as real by GPs. It something that I feel is far more prevalent that we generally think & the implications are quite serious. Myself, I should be back running this summer fingers crossed in some capacity. My observations around Lymes, below, but the bottom line is the Lymes is massively under-reported here and ticks far more prevalent than accepted. 1. Most people do not get a bull's eye rash; you can get Lymes without it 2. Most people do not ever remember being bitten, you can get Lyme’s without it knowing you’ve been bitten 3. Common misdiagnoses by the Irish range from depression, getting old, poor diet, flu, arthritis and back pain. You must mention you spend time in the mountains. 4. The standard Irish Lymes test available through GP is a confirmatory test, meaning if it says you have it then you do. However a negative results does not mean you don’t have it – the false negatives rate is very high. 5. Somewhere around 10% of ticks in Ireland have Lymes in them ( along with all the nasty coinfections). Lymes is not just one type of disease; it is a cocktail of bugs that get injected into your system when you are bitten. 6. Standard best practice treatment for a suspected or potential infection is a 3 week course of doxycycline - you can insist on this if bitten. This is the link to the UK NICE guidelines, and you may have to be very firm in requesting this from a GP: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng95/chapter/Recommendations 7. There is one consultant AFAIK in the country who deals with Lymes , Dr Jack Lambert in the Mater: www.iddoctor.eu 8. Before taking you on as a patient, his practice requires an Irish-positive Lymes test or a test result from a German lab like Armin Labs (https://www.arminlabs.com/en). You must pay for this; these tests are easy to order and very high-tech. 9. Dr Lambert diagnosis based on both the symptoms you appear with and the blood test – it’s a clinical diagnosis based on his experience. Standard treatment is 9-12 months of antibiotics – these have an 80% success rate AFAIK. 11. Pharmaceuticals are just part of the multi year treatment regime; reduced stress, improved diet, herbal remedies, etc. are part of an overall treatment plan, which you have to generate yourself. These work well. TLDR – Lymes is more impactful and widespread that widely accepted. Healthcare coverage is poor. There is a lot of dreadful information out there, people selling stuff and basic voodoo. So, if you have questions about Lymes ( & coinfections) or how to get tested, treatment etc.. please do let me know by pm or ‘0h eight 7 2-3-7 oh eight seven one’ to see if I can point you in the right direction See you in the hills soon! |
| Denis Mc glynn | Apr 29 2024, 10:46pm | Hi Justin Good to hear you are on the way back. It's a horrible disease. Thanks for sharing the information |
| Jason Kehoe | Apr 29 2024, 11:13pm | Thanks Justin, a very informative post and one to reference. Glad to see you getting back to the hills. |
| John Bell | Apr 30 2024, 1:38pm | Hi Justin, thanks very much for the information and helping to increase awareness about ticks and lymes. See you in the hills soon. |
| Ger Power | Jun 27 2024, 2:46pm | I have found a tick after last night's race. So check yourselves. |
