UK Tick Borne Lyme Disease - Awareness

[C_Claycomb]

Saw this article on the BBC today about Lyme Disease in the UK and thought that it was a good time to post on here:

How I was floored by a tick http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36923336

Its particularly timely, I think, since just three weeks ago I was talking to a friend who picked up multiple ticks, including one that attached to him in Surrey, and two weeks ago a colleague at work told me how he had got bitten by a tick in his back garden in Luton :yikes:, which left the typical red bulls eye rash of a Lyme infected bite.

In both cases they had to argue hard with the medical services to get any treatment at all. The former was off travelling and could not afford to risk developing Lyme in some far off country. He was familiar with the appropriate drugs, dosage and duration, so he was able to spot when the doctor fubbed up the prescription and specified only half the necessary number of doses, but even so he only spotted the error when he got to the chemist and the pills were counted out. The latter had the tick still embedded, with the rash, when he went to see the doctor. Fortunately he was from Poland where there is more awareness of Lyme so could not be fobbed off by the NHS suggestion that he go away and see what happens! He later had some cretin who he said was from some sort of central disease control centre for the NHS contact him and tell him that Lyme can only be picked up outside of the UK! If so, that is someone who needs to be sacked.:twak:

So, be careful out there, and don't assume that even today a person in the NHS will be informed about Lyme, what to look for and how to treat it.

 

[Leshy]

That's insane, that twit does need to get the sack.
We all know how nasty it is and how common it is year after year.
My mate got bitten last week, he had nothing attached to the bite so he left it and thought it must have been a mozzy or something...
Sure enough turns up on Monday to work with the bullseye rash and feeling a bit iffy...
Straight to the GP , on the antibiotics now and waiting on results...
It's incredible that there still so much confusion and so little awareness when it comes to these nasties...
Thanks for the post and link

 

[Janne]

You can not fire a person because of one mistake/lack of knowledge in one tiny area.
If we did, we would all be unemployed!

NHS need to issue guidelines.

 

[mrcharly]

You can not fire a person because of one mistake/lack of knowledge in one tiny area.
If we did, we would all be unemployed!

NHS need to issue guidelines.

NHS have, see here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

The medical people mentioned above were ignorant and being very stupid.

 

[Leshy]

That's a fair point Janne, but this particular person stated he worked for the centre for disease control, and I'm sure if you did his job , you would arm yourself with some knowledge about the disease in question before calling someone to give them advice...
Especially if this person's life is potentially threatened by the disease in question.
Just my opinion.
I do agree that the NHS need to issue guidelines and clearly need to train staff with adequate and updated information on this particular subject...

 

[Leshy]

Yep, in the end it always comes down to that ... Money!
Root of all evil as far as I am concerned...

On another note , and a little off topic but it has to be said!
The NHS is brilliant , period!
The concept itself is amazing, doesnt matter if your poor or rich , you will be treated regardless.
Unlike our bros over the pond, and most of the world, that need insurance and money to get treated.

The NHS saved my little boy's life twice, first at birth ( complications) and then again at 7 months old when he somehow managed to contract septicemia.
On the second occasion I had to sternly ask for second opinion as the nurse on duty dismissed the symptoms and sent us home... (Human error again...)

But I put my foot down ( politely ) and asked for a paediatric doctor for second opinion.
The response was swift and they saved my son in the nick of time.

Always been treated like royalty at NHS hospitals , despite us being working class and the staff being overworked and underpaid ... But that's a different story.

Just wanted to say that , as this incident with Lyme disease mentioned in the OP is not a reflection on the NHS but in fact human error and misconstrued knowledge from this individual.


Regards

 

[sausage100uk]

People always seem forget that even if you can afford private healthcare any emegencies will be dealt with by the nhs as theres no money in emergency medicine.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

 

[MountainGhost]

Living in the highlands I deal with ticks a lot. Fortunately the GP's up here are very clued up and will provide emergency single dose antibiotic treatment if you report within 24 hrs of being bitten, even in the absence of symptoms.

I wear tights all year round, cooling compression tights under light-weight trousers in the summer. I hand wash my tights and while damp apply Saltadin (Smidge) to the material from ankle to above the knee and the waist band (I've removed more ticks from the waist-line than anywhere else). I also apply Saltadin to the skin regularly. While out in the woods I try to check myself every 24 hrs. This means EVERY inch of skin. They can be very hard to feel but once you've picked one the size of a full-stop from your nether regions you develop a keen sense and it's not so difficult to recognise them.

I also make sure my canine companion is treated with Advantix throughout the year. And as I used to travel abroad regularly I carry single doses of broad spectrum antibiotics in my FAK.

So far, Lymes free according to my last test in January this year. Definitely something to keep on top of if your out and about in the woods.

 

[riffler]

From the NHS website

"Pull steadily away from the skin without twisting or crushing the tick."

I carry the O'Tom tick remover, which works on a twist basis and is highly recommended.
Any views to the contrary from members?

 

[Drain Bamaged]

I too carry a couple of the O'Tom removers (two sizes) and they work well and easily but in truth I think I have probably removed ten times as many using a small 'nick' made in my fishing license which is basically a thin plastic card similar though thinner than a credit card.

D.B.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Chaps. As some of you will see, there are a number of posts which have been hidden. I regret my remark about an ill informed member of the NHS as being the catalyst for going off topic, but I was willing to let things go along since it was all civil and I learned quite a bit from some of the posts about the US and European systems. Thank you Santaman2000.

However, another Mod thought that the thread needed cleaning up, got part way through and was let down by the system permissions...some IT thing or other. While we have a little behind the scenes confab the posts will stay hidden. I thought about locking the thread "closed under construction", but I am trusting that no one will kick off if its left open. In the meantime, please keep on the topic of TICKS and LYME rather than discussing the pros and cons of various methods of providing health care to the populous

Thanks again chaps.

 

[ferretracer]

From the NHS website

"Pull steadily away from the skin without twisting or crushing the tick."

I carry the O'Tom tick remover, which works on a twist basis and is highly recommended.
Any views to the contrary from members?

Another vote for the o-tom tick remover(after trying different pullers), ive been lucky enough not to have to use it on myself, but removed a fair few ticks of me ferrets of over the years when ive been working them mainly.

 

[bivouac]

three weeks ago I was talking to a friend who picked up multiple ticks, including one that attached to him in Surrey, and two weeks ago a colleague at work told me how he had got bitten by a tick in his back garden in Luton

I've just been talking to a young lady who was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease despite not having recently left the environs of Cheltenham Spa. The diagnosis was based purely on the appearance of the bulls-eye rash with no other symptoms being present and the treatment was a course of strong antibiotics. As Cheltenham is not on the list of Lyme hotspots it is possible that is was over-reaction or misdiagnosis, but the doctor told her he had seen an identical case only the previous day and cases are rising year on year even locally to Cheltenham. I think an increased awareness of Lymes perhaps means there is more likelyhood of being taken seriously by the NHS when you display symptoms and also there is not necessarily an assumption that a tick carrying Lyme disease will not be present even in such an unlikely place as a back garden in Cheltenham Spa.