Rise Above Lyme Blog

There are many options for keeping ticks off you and out of your yard. Please comment with your favorite if it's not listed! Short on time or energy? A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post. WHAT ILADS RECOMMENDS -Wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck your pants into your socks. -Use a tick repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus. -Treat outdoor clothing and gear with permethrin, which kills ticks on contact. Clothi

If you find a tick, SAVE IT!! Knowing what kind of tick it was, and what it carried, can help you and your doctor. Here are many options. There is a quick-view graphic with the key points at the bottom of this post. FIRST, DON'T WAIT FOR RESULTS ILADS recommends calling your doctor right away after a blacklegged (deer) tick bite. Please don't wait for your tick results to talk with your doctor about treatment. Texas health officials say the same thing: if you have symptom

This post is your quick first-aid guide for the first minutes and hours after a tick bite. For what to ask your doctor about treatment, see my New Tick Bite post: https://www.riseabovelyme.com/post/new-bite "Many people suffer lifelong disability because they followed their doctor's advice to 'watch and wait' for symptoms to develop." ILADS agrees that waiting is risky. By the time symptoms show up, the infection may already be harder to treat. Here is a video I did to

Always fight back calmly, with confidence, by providing education. Some doctors still say a tick has to be attached for 36 to 48 hours before it can pass on Lyme. That leaves people thinking there is no risk if the tick came off sooner, and that is not true. My own experience: one tiny nymph bite, and I had extreme symptoms in under 2 hours. My blood tests later showed RMSF, 2 strains of Babesia, Lyme and Bartonella. There is a quick-view graphic with the key points at the bo

Our pets are family, and ticks don't only bite people. Dogs can get Lyme disease too, and both dogs and cats can carry ticks right into our homes. Here's what to watch for and how to help protect the furry members of your family. Short on time or energy? A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post. TICKS ARE NOT JUST IN THE WOODS -I was bitten by a tick inside a cabin. I hadn't even stepped outside yet. If it can happen to me indoors, it can hap

Doxycycline is one of the most common antibiotics used for Lyme disease, especially right after a tick bite or when a bull's-eye rash shows up. Here's what ILADS recommends, what Lyme literate doctors share, what's known about Babesia, what the research shows about chronic Lyme, and tips for taking it safely. Short on time or energy? A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post. MY EXPERIENCE -Doxycycline was the first antibiotic I was put on, while

Not all ticks are the same, and not all of them carry the same germs. Knowing which tick bit you can help your doctor know what to look for. Save the tick if you can! There is a quick-view graphic with the key points at the bottom of this post. WHAT ILADS SHARES - Lyme is spread by the bite of an infected blacklegged (Ixodes) tick. In the US, that's the blacklegged or deer tick in the Northeast and upper Midwest, and the western blacklegged tick in the West. - The lone st

I had a bullseye rash, and my doctor said it was either ringworm or an "odd" rash and suggested creams. That mistake caused years of unnecessary suffering. Please know this: ILADS considers a Lyme rash, bullseye or not, a sure sign of Lyme in anyone who may have been exposed to ticks where Lyme is found. That means a doctor can diagnose Lyme and start treatment right away, without waiting for blood tests. And many people with Lyme never get a rash or never notice one, so not

This is the post to print and take to your doctor: what ILADS recommends for treatment after a tick bite, plus research to share. For the first steps right after a bite, see How to Handle a Tick Bite: https://www.riseabovelyme.com/post/how-to-handle-a-tick-bite PRINT this for your doctor so you get enough antibiotics. (Always treat the bite!) My personal opinion: even if I had no symptoms and no bull's-eye rash, I would still want 6 to 8 weeks of antibiotics. I'll admit I

PRINT this for your doctor so you get enough antibiotics. (Always treat the bite!) My personal opinion: even if I had no symptoms and no bull's-eye rash, I would still want 6 to 8 weeks of antibiotics. I'll admit I'm a little paranoid, but that comes from what Lyme did to my life and from watching people I love go through it too. Please talk with your doctor about what is right for you. There is a quick-view graphic with the key points at the bottom of this post. PRINT