When Karen Welch, RN, contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite in her yard in Grassy Knob 15 years ago, initially she was prescribed the wrong antibiotic for treatment by a local doctor unfamiliar with Lyme. Later, under the care of a Lyme specialist where she lived in Kansas City, she underwent five years of treatment with antibiotics.
“Most Arkansas doctors do not understand about Lyme and do not know the proper way of treating it,” Welch said. “If you come in with something like a rash, they give you 7-10 days of antibiotics. I went to a physician and was put on 7-10 days of the wrong type of antibiotic that isn’t used to treat Lyme. It took me a long time to make an appointment with a Lyme literate physician.”
Because of the lack of timely treatment, she believes her spirochetes crossed the blood brain barrier to infect parts of her brain. That made the conditions worse and required intensive intervention.
“I was put on IV antibiotics for five weeks,” Welch said. “Two weeks were spent at the doctor’s office and three weeks at home. The physician wanted me to be at the office in case I had any Herx (Jarish-Herxheimer) reaction. This reaction is caused by the dying off of the Lyme spirochete. There are ways to make these reactions more comfortable. After the IV treatments, I took two antibiotics at a time. The physician decided when to change the antibiotics. I was on different types of antibiotics for more than five years.”
Presently, Welch knows of only one Lyme-literate physician in Arkansas, Dr. Torin Gray in Little Rock. She was still living in Kansas City when she had her treatments, and used Lyme savvy physician Dr. Joseph Brewer.
Another difficulty, she said, is there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for Lyme or any of its common co-infections, other tick borne diseases. Her case was complicated by a co-infection with a tick-borne infection called Bartonella, which she was treated for. Other co-infections ticks can carry include babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrichiosis, Morgellons disease, Q fever, tularemia and mycoplasma. There is also a new tick disease called Powassan.
Welch said Lyme disease symptoms are not just fatigue, joint pain, sore and aching muscles and a bull eye rash or another type of rash. She didn’t get a rash at all. She said other symptoms might include chills with or without fever, sweating, severe headache, eyes hurting in sunlight, swollen glands, stomach and digestive problems, a sore throat or cough, and other maladies.
From the benefit of her experience, she highly advises first avoiding tick bites to begin with by being vigilant using tick repellants when outside. And when you are bitten, be sure to use the proper tick removal procedure.
“Researchers have discovered that the spirochetes that cause Lyme and its co-infections are actually found in the tick’s gut, not its mouth,” she said. “It is still important to remove ticks promptly as the ticks can expel bacteria in their saliva, along with the bacteria for other tick-borne diseases. Most recent research states that a tick can give you Lyme’s or other tickborne diseases within three to 24 hours.”
She erred in not using the right tick removal procedure when she received the tick bite that made her ill.
“Do not use a hot match, petroleum jelly, liquid soap, nail polish, nail polish remover, lighter fluid or other chemicals as they may make the tick vomit germs into you,” she said. “Use a tick remover or credit card or something else can slide under the tick. Slide this under the tick and press upward at the mouth until the tick pulls itself out. After removing a tick, disinfect the bite site.”
A tick removal kit is available for $6.50 from the Kansas City Lyme Association, www.lymefight.info/shop or on amazon.com.
The International Lyme Association and the Kansas City Lyme Association recommend the following precautions to avoid tick bites:
- Wear light colored clothes to see the ticks better.
- Wear shoes that cover the feet (no sandals) and socks.
- Wear long pants, tucked into your socks, and a long-sleeved shirt, tucked in.
- Wear a hat or scarf if you pass under trees,
- Spray shoes, clothing and skin with repellent
- Wear repellent when gardening, doing yard work or any activities in the woods or long grass.
- Undress in a shower stall or dry bathtub, so you can see the ticks that drop off.
- Ticks can survive the washing machine and dryer unless dried for an extra hour after the clothes have dried.
- They can also survive a bath or shower.
- Check yourself frequently for ticks. Use a mirror and also feel for ticks. Check underarms, groin, belly button, neck, behind knees, in and behind ears, under hair, and where clothes fit tightly.
Welch said there are several natural insect repellents that can be obtained locally. Flora Roja Apothecary carries a spray that has all organic ingredients called Bugger Off. Fain’s Herbacy carries Cactus juice. There are other natural repellents composed of essential oils. The Eureka Market carries a product called BUZZ-OFF. She also recommends a commercial tick repellent from Avon product called Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus with Vitamin E and Picaridin.
A tick removal kit is available for $6.50 from the Kansas City Lyme Association, www.lymefight.info/shop or on amazon.com.