I'd heard of Lyme Disease, but it wasn't something I really thought much about as I walked the woods of Eastern Ontario, a pastime I had enjoyed all my life. Then, one day I found a tick embedded in beneath my knee cap about 36 hours after a walk. I removed it and took it to my doctor's office with me. My doctor promised me few ticks carry Lyme, but sent it off for testing "just in case." The test results, which came in about four days later, were positive for Lyme, so I was put on antibiotics. By then, however, I was quite ill, as though I had the flu, including painful joints, gastric problems, balance problems and pretty severe headaches. The antibiotics stopped the disease but I am left with what is termed antibiotic-resistant arthritis. It affects my hands and feet and my knees, especially the knee where the bug bit me. My message is: Wear bug repellent of some sort when you're out and about. Lyme is a disease that was neglected for ages, because the general population, including doctors, didn't recognize its symptoms. I often wonder what else might be lurking in the saliva of insects? We don't know. All sorts of horrible diseases passed about by those little creatures. Insect repellent probably isn't the healthest stuff to be wearing but used judiciously I think it's the lesser of two evils. It just might save your life.
I'd heard of Lyme Disease, but it wasn't something I really thought much about as I walked the woods of Eastern Ontario, a pastime I had enjoyed all my life. Then, one day I found a tick embedded in beneath my knee cap about 36 hours after a walk. I removed it and took it to my doctor's office with me. My doctor promised me few ticks carry Lyme, but sent it off for testing "just in case." The test results, which came in about four days later, were positive for Lyme, so I was put on antibiotics. By then, however, I was quite ill, as though I had the flu, including painful joints, gastric problems, balance problems and pretty severe headaches. The antibiotics stopped the disease but I am left with what is termed antibiotic-resistant arthritis. It affects my hands and feet and my knees, especially the knee where the bug bit me. My message is: Wear bug repellent of some sort when you're out and about. Lyme is a disease that was neglected for ages, because the general population, including doctors, didn't recognize its symptoms. I often wonder what else might be lurking in the saliva of insects? We don't know. All sorts of horrible diseases passed about by those little creatures. Insect repellent probably isn't the healthest stuff to be wearing but used judiciously I think it's the lesser of two evils. It just might save your life.