Lyme disease shots

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So far, we have little or no Lyme disease in our area, so I haven't paid all that much attention to the vaccinations available against it. Some friends live in a Lyme disease area and are wondering about getting the shots. What do the rest of you know about these shots? Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 18, 2000

Answers

It is a series of shots that are needed for protection. I believe that they are taking over the course of a year, and they are not 100 percent effective in keeping Lyme Disease at bay. Probably only those areas that are in greater danger would be best served by them.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourtownusa.net), April 18, 2000.

They offer some additional protection for those who live in endemic areas (many NEW cases a year), otherwise, the journals say they are not ready for prime time yet.

-- Lesley Chasko (martchas@gateway.net), April 18, 2000.

I recently heard that there are side effects to the Lyme vaccine, that could be serious. I'll try to find the source.

-- Jim (jiminwis@yahoo.com), April 19, 2000.

I read too somewhere that the vaccinations can have some ill side effects. Don't remember where though...

-- Eric Stone (ems@nac.net), April 21, 2000.

Gerbil, are these shots for the people or their animals? We give our dogs these shots once a year, but we protect ourselves with repellant and long sleeves and pants. Lyme's is pretty bad here.

-- Peg (WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), April 21, 2000.


Shots would be for people and for a dog, unless the dog, at least, would do better with some sort of spray? Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 23, 2000.

I don't like to spray our dogs, they either lick it off or leap in the pond first chance they get. Then come to shake off next to us, or better yet, in the house. We have been getting them the shots for 4 years now and there seem to be no side effects. Of course, we don't know about long term. I also give them extra garlic and B vitamins but even with all that they still get a few ticks. Not many bear/deer ticks though (the Lyme's carriers).

-- Peg (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), April 23, 2000.

Is there a repellent for ticks? I have to tell you, my first exposure to ticks was when we moved west several years ago. They terrify me. I can handle black flies, deer flies, mosquitos in any number, but something that BURROWS its head into you? Thank you, no!

Everyone here says that there isn't a repellent, that you just have to be careful to pick them off -- and so far there is no Lyme disease reported here, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

If there is a repellent, someone, please tell me!

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), April 24, 2000.


To-day we just received our last and third Lyme Disease shots. We live in area where they hold support groups for families that have someone with Lyme Disease,(Western NY State). We are outdoor people when we can be, with very large gardens, lots of yard work, aminals, and hunt deer, and we also process our own deer. We are ages, 70 & 65, and belive in preventive medicane, and Lyme shots are one of tthe things you can do in this area.

-- C. Ronna Jordan (ronna@systemresc.com), April 24, 2000.

I used to live in a state that had quite a bit of Lyme ticks, New Hampshire. Taking the shots is not usually recommended unless you are in an area where there is a big problem with Lyme's disease which is primarily the northeast but there are other areas as well. The shots can have side effects so it should be used only by those who are in a high concentration area and who are doing a lot of outside work particularly in the woods. Also, to clarify, the tick that carries the Lyme's disease is the tiny deer tick. It is not the large one that most of us are familiar with. Those larger ones don't normally carry the disease. Of course, then you have to worry about Rocky Mountain spotted fever with them but that disease is not that common. The deer ticks are quite small and you rarely will notice them on you. They also require a population of deer to help the disease through all of it's cycles. If you live in an invested area and don't get the shots, you should be aware of the symptoms. One of the main ones is a rash which includes a bull's eye look to it. But that rash does not always appear. Also, extreme fatique is one of the major symptoms. If you are experiencing fatique symptoms or just strange symptoms they can't diagnose, it is a good idea to have them test you for Lyme's disease. The trick with this disease is to catch it early. If it is in the beginning stages, it is very treatable, but if it has been in the body for months and months, the symptoms can become quite severe particularly from a neurological standpoint even causing strokes and paralysis. If you are feeling lousy and they can't quite figure out what is going on, I highly recommend you request the Lyme's disease test just to rule it out. It is better to be safe that sorry. I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with it and she had had several strokes and was unable to stay on her feet longer than a couple of minutes so was pretty much confined to a wheel chair. Once they discovered the problem, she has been doing much better.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 25, 2000.


Some where in the past I read where vitamin C shots were curing Lymes. The problem was finding a doctor who gives them. Perhaps some one can pick up on this who has taken the "C" treatment. James

-- James (triquest@about.com), April 25, 2000.

A side note - If you find a tick imbedded in your skin, you can apply some liquid Nu-Skin to it and it will release so you can pick it off easily. I have done this many times.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), April 25, 2000.

Tracy, I have both Deep Woods Off and Cutter brands of spray insect repellant. They both say they repel ticks. Just read the labels of whatever you can get in your area. Some of them are only good for flying insects. There must be something you can use.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), April 25, 2000.

Thanks everybody for your inputs. I've been forwarding them to my friends. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 25, 2000.

I would like to share with all what I discoverd by accident or trial and failure, When you remove the tick and as soon as you remove it apply a little or a lot of Hydrogen Peroxide to the area, it neutralizes the stuff that the tick puts in us and eliminates all itching, I have been using this all summer and it has stopped the itch whitch can last for weeks as any bitten person knows. I also read about the vitamin C shots and would like to hear from any who have used them.

-- Wayne Roach (R-WAY@msn.com), September 25, 2000.


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