http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130526/ARTICLES/130529763
It's the season for tick-borne Lyme disease
A tiny bite can have lasting health consequences
Paula Pifer, a single mom who has Lyme disease, holds the compartmentalized case she uses for the homeopathic medication she is taking to combat the disease. Her son, Hunter, 13, right, has had to assume a lot of responsibility as a result of his mom's illness. Lyme disease, which can cause memory loss as well as general weakness of the body, is a bacterial infection that is contracted through the bite of a tick.
Brad McClenny/Staff PhotographerPublished: Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 24, 2013 at 12:06 p.m.
Growing up in Ottawa, Canada, Holly Donohoe was just 10 minutes away from Gatineau Conservation Park, where dealing with ferocious bugs was part of life.
Facts
FYI
Preventing and treating tick bites
■ Wear repellant that is 20 percent DEET.
■ Wear long pants and long sleeves, if possible, and light-colored clothing so ticks are detectable if they get on your clothes.
■ Tuck pants into your socks so ticks don't have a chance to get down to your ankles.
■ Pull long hair back.
■ If you do have ticks on you, remove with a tweezer; if possible, aim for just below the tick's head instead of the body.
■ Look for other ticks in body parts where they could hide: under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, between the legs and behind the knees and hair.
If you are concerned about lyme disease:
Watch for flu-like symptoms to develop within 30 days of the bite. These include headache, fatigue, nausea and joint pain. Also, a “bull's eye” red rash might develop where you've been bitten. If it does, consult a doctor.
■ Wear repellant that is 20 percent DEET.
■ Wear long pants and long sleeves, if possible, and light-colored clothing so ticks are detectable if they get on your clothes.
■ Tuck pants into your socks so ticks don't have a chance to get down to your ankles.
■ Pull long hair back.
■ If you do have ticks on you, remove with a tweezer; if possible, aim for just below the tick's head instead of the body.
■ Look for other ticks in body parts where they could hide: under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, between the legs and behind the knees and hair.
If you are concerned about lyme disease:
Watch for flu-like symptoms to develop within 30 days of the bite. These include headache, fatigue, nausea and joint pain. Also, a “bull's eye” red rash might develop where you've been bitten. If it does, consult a doctor.
A nature lover, Donohoe pursued a career in environmental management, spending years working outdoors. On her off days, she was a kayaking instructor.
So, in 2010, when she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which is transmitted from a tick bite, she had no idea when she might have been bitten — the occasions were countless.
Donohoe had read a little about Lyme disease, but the diagnosis still stunned her.
“For someone who spends all her time in an environmental management setting, I would be the type of person you would expect to be knowledgeable, and I wasn't,” said Donohoe, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Tourism Recreation and Sport Management at UF.
Suddenly, a litany of health problems, including infections, joint pain and memory loss, started to make sense.
“I just thought it was aging,” Donohoe said — even though she was in her early 30s when the symptoms emerged.
The diagnosis relieved her.
“I called my family and was beside myself with happiness because I knew for years that something wasn't right,” she said.
But after a couple of months, the euphoria of having her intuition validated wore off.
“I started to feel the burden of the battle,” she said.
Lyme disease that isn't caught within six months of the tick bite can enter the bloodstream, becoming a chronic condition that causes fatigue, arthritis and cognitive difficulties.
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