Date:         Tue, 23 May 2006 22:03:04 -0700
Reply-To:     Kim Springer <kimspringer@RCN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Springer <kimspringer@RCN.COM>
Subject:      Tick warning - LVC
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Sorry folks, but I can't hold myself back on the topic of ticks and Lyme.

My wife has Lyme disease but was misdiagnosed for 4 years as having MS.  We
decided to have a child and she gave it to him, so he has had Lyme.  I got
Lyme too a few years later from hiking in Northern California, and I got
Babesia and Ehrlichia at the same time.

I guess the reason I mention this is that, at least in my life, this is no
laughing matter.  No offence taken at any comments made about Ehrlichiosis
or otherwise, but because this disease is so much more common than any of
you might be able to imagine, I felt obliged to give a short education.
Many of us are outdoor camping folks that like to hike, so be aware:

The most dangerous ticks are the nymphs, they are very very small, like the
"period" graphic on your period key on your computer keyboard.

Lyme is in 48 of 50 states.  I think Michigan and Hawaii are the only odd
ones out, but I can't remember exactly.

They now think that 1/2 of all Chronic Fatigue cases are actually Lyme.

A testing was done recently, in some part of the country, testing in-patient
psychiatric cases, and 1/3rd of them tested positive for Lyme.

Lyme ticks usually carry other "co-infections" such as Babesia, Ehrlichia,
and Bartonella, which can be just as bad as Lyme, and they can block the
ability of some antibiotics from treating Lyme.

The AMA does not accept the notion of Chronic Lyme and of course, neither do
the insurance companies.  Our doctors expect it to be about 10 years before
Lyme and its pervasiveness is "out of the closet".

If you have had a tick bite, in my eyes, you would be crazy to trust anyone
other than a Lyme specialist, as there are several tests that are commonly
used, a few of which are absolutely useless.

If you get the expanding "bulls-eye" rash, you have Lyme, and you should be
treated with not 3, not 4, but I think 12 weeks of heavy antibiotics, and
you should not waste time finding a doctor who will prescribe it.

Lyme and the associated diseases are controversial, so you might think I'm
crazy, but believe me, I know more about Lyme than I ever wanted to know.

If you have further questions, look up the International Lyme and Associated
Disease Society (ILADS) on the web and read.

Sorry to be so severe, but there are lots of people out there suffering from
"they don't know what", who have Lyme or other infections that are literally
taking over their bodies.  Lyme kills.

I think my son is cured, he's doing well now at 3 years of age, my wife is
on the mend, and I'm waiting for the results to see if I'm cured of
Ehrlichia, my last hurdle in this nightmare.

Kim Springer
'89 Tristar 2WD #7



----- Original Message -----
From: "Higginbotham, David A." <dhigginbotham@HAZENANDSAWYER.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:17 AM
Subject: Stealth camping spot and tick warning


I never really thought about it until this past month but a good spot
for relatively hassle free stealth camping might be a hospital parking
lot. I just finished a two week stint living in our bus at the local
hospital where my wife was in ICU after contracting ehrlichiosis from a
tick bite. You can google it but in short it mimics rocky mountain
spotted fever without the spots. She went too long before she saw a
doctor and developed Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Sepsis, in
short very bad mojo for those of us not initiated to medical lingo. A
very traumatic experience indeed but she is home now and on the mend and
I can not fully express how much nicer it is to catch a few hours sleep
in the bus rather than trying to sleep in the chairs in the ICU waiting
room. They would not let me "sleep" in the ICU patient room although I
could "stay" all night. The moral of the story: A) monitor your tick
bites closely and if you get sick within 5-10 days do NOT hesitate to
see a doctor. B) the hospital parking lot is a relatively nice place to
live for short periods of time, albeit under better circumstances than a
sick loved one.

Happy trails,
David and Rene' Higginbotham
82 Westfalia
Silk Hope, NC