#Lyme disease

[mapsontheweb]

Distribution of ticks infected with Lyme disease in the US

[hellyeahsickaf]

I found an extremely dope disability survival guide for those who are homebound, bedbound, in need of disability accommodations, or would otherwise like resources for how to manage your life as a disabled person. (Link is safe)

It has some great articles and resources and while written by people with ME/CFS, it keeps all disabilities in mind. A lot of it is specific to the USA but even if you're from somewhere else, there are many guides that can still help you. Some really good ones are:

How to live a great disabled life- A guide full of resources to make your life easier and probably the best place to start (including links to some of the below resources). Everything from applying for good quality affordable housing to getting free transportation, affordable medication, how to get enough food stamps, how to get a free phone that doesn't suck, how to find housemates and caregivers, how to be homebound, support groups and Facebook pages (including for specific illnesses), how to help with social change from home, and so many more.

Turning a "no" into a "yes"- A guide on what to say when denied for disability aid/accommodations of many types, particularly over the phone. "Never take no for an answer over the phone. If you have not been turned down in writing, you have not been turned down. Period."

How to be poor in America- A very expansive and helpful guide including things from a directory to find your nearest food bank to resources for getting free home modifications, how to get cheap or free eye and dental care, extremely cheap internet, and financial assistance with vet bills

How to be homebound- This is pretty helpful even if you're not homebound. It includes guides on how to save spoons, getting free and low cost transportation, disability resources in your area, home meals, how to have fun/keep busy while in bed, and a severe bedbound activity master list which includes a link to an audio version of the list on Soundcloud

Master List of Disability Accommodation Letters For Housing- Guides on how to request accommodations and housing as well as your rights, laws, and prewritten sample letters to help you get whatever you need. Includes information on how to request additional bedrooms, stop evictions, request meetings via phone, mail, and email if you can't in person, what you can do if a request is denied, and many other helpful guides

Special Laws to Help Domestic Violence Survivors (Vouchers & Low Income Housing)- Protections, laws, and housing rights for survivors of DV (any gender), and how to get support and protection under the VAWA laws to help you and/or loved ones receive housing and assistance

Dealing With Debt & Disability- Information to assist with debt including student loans, medical debt, how to deal with debt collectors as well as an article with a step by step guide that helped the author cut her overwhelming medical bills by 80%!

There are so many more articles, guides, and tools here that have helped a lot of people. And there are a lot of rights, resources, and protections that people don't know they have and guides that can help you manage your life as a disabled person regardless of income, energy levels, and other factors.

Please boost!

[onenicebugperday]

Eastern black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodidae

Commonly known as the deer tick, this species is a vector for several diseases, most notably Lyme disease. In most cases, the tick must be attached for at least 36 hours to transmit the disease.

Photos 1-3 by allysonv, 4 (for scale) by adeans, 5 (engorged) by duncan10, and 6 (male - all others are female) by sambiology

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON MY BUG POSTS ARE NOT ALLOWED. That includes posts about potentially harmful species. Negative commenters will be blocked.

[madamefortressmommyy]

"You only want a diagnosis for attention."

Yes, medical attention

I am having trouble digesting the fact that i have to explain this to you. I will stomach my disgust to try.

Imagine you got sick. Very sick. Like unable to leave the house let alone keep a job for years sick. Your body is shutting down. you can barely stand long enough to take a shower.

Would you really be okay living the rest of your life like that with no explaination why?

Do i really need to explain to you that i at least deserve an explaination or prognosis for what is happening to my body?

Have you ever been sick? Do you consider yourself to have even basic cognative empathy? Are you okay? Sounds like we both need to get something diagnosed tbh

Remember guys, you have the right (obligation even) to call someone an evil cunt when they say something like this to you. Flip the script. This is not about you having to defend yourself for being sick, it is about them having to defend the horrible thing they just said

[typhlonectes]

Lizards may be protecting people from Lyme disease in the southeastern U.S.

The reptiles make poor hosts for transmitting the infection.

Lyme disease is one of the most devastating tick-borne infections in the United States, affecting more than 300,000 people each year. It's also one of the most mysterious: The creature that spreads it—the black-legged tick—lives throughout the country. Yet the northeastern United States is home to far more cases than anywhere else. Now, researchers have identified an unexpected reason: lizards. Black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), also known as deer ticks, carry corkscrew-shaped bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The ticks pick up the pathogens—spirochetes that belong to the genus Borrelia—when they suck the blood of animals like mice, deer, and lizards. In the next stage of their life cycle, the ticks may latch onto an unlucky human. But every host transmits the microbes differently. Reptiles are worse transmitters than mammals, so ticks that have lived on reptiles are less likely to make people sick. The north-south divide in Lyme cases is a fairly sharp line right along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Researchers have hypothesized that disparity in cases stems from ticks feeding on different hosts in the two regions...

Read more: https://www.science.org/content/article/lizards-may-be-protecting-people-lyme-disease-southeastern-united-states

[psalm40speakstome]

Prayer Request.

That my Grandparents would be well and able to come to Thanksgiving and that my body would hold up with all the new experiences and challenges(and the rest of my family’s would too)

[mindblowingscience]

Researchers have identified a promising new approach to treating persistent neurological symptoms associated with Lyme disease. The method offers hope to patients who suffer from long-term effects of the bacterial infection, even after antibiotic treatment. Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted through tick bites, can lead to a range of symptoms, including those affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems. While antibiotics can effectively clear the infection in most cases, a subset of patients continues to experience symptoms such as memory loss, fatigue, and pain—a condition often referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Principal investigator Geetha Parthasarathy, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center, discovered that fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors, a type of drug previously studied in the context of cancer, can significantly reduce inflammation and cell death in brain and nerve tissue samples infected with Borrelia burgdorferi.

Continue Reading.

[skys-archive]

Apparently my doctor is suspecting fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for me and just? Hasn't mentioned it? It's on my chronic condition statement which I didn't really read that much (stupid decision. Read your paperwork. Especially as a disabled person) and I looked at the picture of the paper I had and I was like oh. Because she said she suspected chronic lyme, (I have active lyme bacteria? Wdym suspected?) chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia

[gayaest]

His symptoms of his Lyme Disease are life-long, as they didn’t find the tick bite fast at all, and it raged on for a long while.

[sentimental-apathy]

Struggling a bit financially. Need help paying bills, paying for my meds, food, and gas. The arthritis and plantar fasciitis is really hindering me today and I'm struggling to get any sleep due to chronic pain. I've also got a rotten tooth that's giving me a lot of grief. I need numbing gel. I'm just having a terrible time in general and If anyone financially well off can spare anything, I'd so really appreciate it. I'm sorry to ask again. But I don't know what else to do.

Paypal

Cash App

Venmo

[contac]

[ahedderick]

Tickborne

I recently got an email from a family member who was looking for info and/or doctor recommendations for lyme disease, because of my son's battle with lyme.

Which made me take a deep, deep breath (I'm frustrated about a lot of things, today, and I don't want to unload on him) and write out a small essay about tickborne illnesses. IlnessES. PLURAL! My son didn't have lyme, he had babesia (also spelled babesiosis.)

I have posted here before, but it bears repeating. There are quite a few tickborne diseases. Anyone who has gotten a tick bite or is frequently outside and at risk for getting bitten should:

Read the CDC website to find what diseases may be in your area of the US (I don't personally have info for other areas of the world)

and check out the various symptoms of those diseases BEFORE even asking a Dr because

Many doctors don't even know this stuff, and you may very much need to do some research on your own before asking for a diagnosis.

[chordsykat]

PSA on Ticks

Guys, I'm gonna get right to it. The other day I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

As most of you may know, I live in a very wooded area, and the little asshole deer ticks have been exceptionally bad, this year. Here in my part of PA, we're also on the verge of a drought, so these idiots are looking for any opportunity they can find to get inside your house where you, your pets, and their next drink can be found.

If. You. Go. Outside. Check. Yourself. For. Ticks.

Every night.

I didn't. And here I am, with these nasty aches and a lymph node the size of a golfball on my leg which, honestly, 0 out of 10 on that guy. But I'm lucky. There's a very good chance I'll recover completely and have no leftover effects. But that's because I caught it early and was lucky enough to have "classic symptoms."

The best medicine for this stuff is prevention. Please take care of yourselves <3

[lifethroughfingertips]

[buggbuzz]

so i got diagnosed with lyme disease a few days ago!! thankfully, we caught it early enough and i'm on a 45-day treatment plan (im lucky i even got diagnosed & perscribed) that the infection is responding very well to (THANK GOD) 💞💞

CHECK FOR TICKS!!!!!! ESPECIALLY if you're in the northeast. lyme disease is really painful and dangerous, and its super common up here!! my whole life we've been good about tick checking but the ONE time we didnt check (we were so exhausted from kayaking and weathering a freak thunderstorm in a tent😭) was the time i got it.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LYME DISEASE BELOW:

- there's more to lyme than a bullseye rash. the rash doesnt always appear, and even if it does it might be in a spot where you won't see it. always check really hairy areas, like your armpits or scalp!!

- lyme ticks usually need about 36 hours to infect you, but dont trust that, get checked out anyways. take the tick's body in with you to the doctor's if you can.

- symptoms can begin anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks post-bite. pay attention to any unexplainable soreness in any joints, especially if there's no way you could've hurt yourself and no bruising!! affected wrists and ankles will feel EXACTLY like serious sprains, i swear on everything. dead giveaways are when multiple different joints are affected, or when you have redness on some of your knuckles.

- NO fever does NOT mean you don't have lyme!! fever and other symptoms beyond joint problems are caused by coinfections, which are common. coinfection symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, emotional instability, paranoia/panic attacks, etc.

- lyme is extremely painful and rapidly gets worse. the longer you wait, the slower and more painful recovery will be. untreated lyme disease can lead to long-term physical disabilities and sickliness, among other problems, for years or even decades. be very proactive about getting antibiotics!!!

[diversityinkidsbooks]

Why Does Mummy Hurt?

Helping Children Cope With The Challenges Of Having A Caregiver With Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, or Autoimmune Disease

The children of people with chronic illness and pain suffer quietly. "Why Does Mommy Hurt?" is a joyful, yet honest, portrayal of family life burdened with chronic illness. This is a delightful story told by a young boy learning to understand and cope with his mother's illness. The story creates natural opportunities for families to talk about both the symptoms of chronic illness, and how they affect family life. Even more importantly, the story puts power into the hands of the children. It also offers a helpful "Tips and Resources" section for parents! This book is appropriate for a wide-variety of illnesses associated with chronic pain, such as: Lupus, Lyme Disease, ME, CFS, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune Disease, and many others.