Last week, we took my five-year old into the pediatrician because he had a small rash on his back and was complaining of a headache. He had been hiking in the woods the week before and when we got home it looked like he had a few mosquito bites, but that was it.
Fast forward to last Friday when we decided to take him into the doctor since the little spot had gotten larger and he mentioned the headache. The pediatrician didn’t even order blood work. She took one quick look at the area and said: “That’s Lyme Disease.”
At first, I didn’t know what to think. I had Lyme when I was younger, before they knew as much as they know about it now. We used to go to Cuttyhunk in the summer (a small island with a ton of deer!). The deer tick had gotten stuck in my belly button!
I was treated with antibiotics, and I haven’t suffered from any residual effects. The pediatrician said that as long as my oldest takes his 21-day course of amoxicillin, he will not have any lasting effects either.
Thanks God we caught it early! Within a day and a half, the rash was already cleared up! I wanted to share a few tips for preventing Lyme Disease, since it has been rampant on the Cape as of late:
- Perform daily tick checks. Our pediatrician suggested doing this at bath time, which makes perfect sense to me!
- Use DEET (or other repellent) when frequenting areas where ticks are prevalent: woody and grassy areas. If applying a DEET containing product to children, avoid the hands, face, and eyes. If you would rather not apply directly to their skin, apply the DEET to their clothing.
- If you notice a tick, remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers. Chances are low of contracting Lyme Disease, if the tick has been embedded for less than 24 hours.
- Be alert for symptoms of Lyme Disease including fever or the typical Lyme rash (see picture of my son’s to the right).
- Make sure that you treat your pets with tick repellent as well, to prevent them from bringing ticks into your home.
Have you ever dealt with Lyme Disease in your family?
Yep! Two of my children (at different times in their life) had had tickborn illnesses. My most recent was my 12 year old daughter this last spring. They didn’t test for Lyme but said it was a tickborn illnes that could be Lyme disease and is treated as if it is. She was VERY ill. It was scary, her joints were swelling (knees, elbows, wrists) and she felt ill all the time. They put her on 21 days as well, but a much stronger antibiotic and she was not allowed in the sun b/c of it. It took a while for her to get better! It can “come back” if the antibiotics don’t knock it totally out the first time, so I would suggest watching him closely when he finishes them up. If he starts feeling sick, it might still be a reaction from the Lyme disease and they will want to get him on more antibiotics!
I definitely worry about it. Hope your little guy is feeling 100% soon!
That is so scary. Glad you caught it early and thanks for sharing those great tips.
I know so many people who’ve gotten this over the summer! So strange! Glad you caught it early…
What a scary experience. It’s such a mysterious thing, and I’m so relieved you caught it in time. I have a friend who had Lyme and didn’t realize it. It’s an awful, awful thing. My son had a tick on his back when he was five (we saw it puncture his skin!) but we were able to treat it right away.
Oh no. I’m so glad you caught it. I grew up in the woods and so many of my friends had Lymes and some with terrible residual effects. Wishing you lots of love and sending healing prayers.
Yes! I had Lyme Disease in 2009 four months before I got married. It was awful. I thought I had the flu at first, I was so weak and achy, but still came to work. It was painful to walk at times. Finally I went to the doctor and they thought I had mono. After a few more tests they found out it was Lyme. I never had any bite mark or anything, and they guesstimated that I was bitten sometime in February. Weird because it’s winter and I’m hardly ever outside. After taking some medicine for a month I slowly got better. But, now whenever I’m really sick (which thankfully is rare), I get the same pain I had then in my upper thighs. Scary illness, but glad they caught it. And I’m so happy to hear your little guy’s was detected. Hope he gets well soon!
Glad everything worked out okay Courtney! That’s so scary that you didn’t even see a bite mark–that’s what frightens me. People can contract Lyme without ever even knowing it!
As a girl who grew up in the city, ticks creep me out! And we just got a dog so we’re being hyper-vigilant about treating her and checking everyone. So glad you caught it early!
Thank you for sharing these tips as I spend time in the outdoors. I am thankful you caught it early and sending well wishes to your son. Take care!