Lyme in Northern California

[mama2alex]

My husband was bitten by a tick two weeks ago while walking on Sawyer Camp Trail (a paved running/biking trail) in San Mateo. We had the tick tested and it came back positive for borrelia (Lyme Disease). Thankfully, it was not infected with other diseases such as Bartonella, Babesia, etc.

 

For those in Northern CA who might be skeptical that Lyme is a possibility in CA, as we were a year ago, I wanted to post these results. Lyme is definitely here.

 

The Lyme doc put my husband on doxycycline 3 days after he was bitten, just to be safe, and now we're so thankful we took that precaution.

[EAMom]

My husband was bitten by a tick two weeks ago while walking on Sawyer Camp Trail (a paved running/biking trail) in San Mateo. We had the tick tested and it came back positive for borrelia (Lyme Disease). Thankfully, it was not infected with other diseases such as Bartonella, Babesia, etc.

 

For those in Northern CA who might be skeptical that Lyme is a possibility in CA, as we were a year ago, I wanted to post these results. Lyme is definitely here.

 

The Lyme doc put my husband on doxycycline 3 days after he was bitten, just to be safe, and now we're so thankful we took that precaution.

 

where did you get it tested?

[KeithandElizabeth]

Again, I am so glad that you are treating your husband.

 

Just curious for future reference, how did you save and send in the tick? I am curious as to what steps you took because we are heading to a lyme infested area for a week this summer.

 

Thanks,

 

Elizabeth

[mama2alex]

He just plucked it off his leg with his fingers, but I don't think this is the recommended technique. I think you're supposed to use tweezers. He had a little plastic container in his car, so he stuck it in that and sealed it with masking tape when he got home.

 

The next day I drove it down to the Igenex lab, which is in Palo Alto. They will test a tick for borrelia, bartonella, babesia, erlichia, and one other disease I can't remember. It takes 7 - 10 business days.

 

It was expensive - $65 per disease tested - but we're glad we did it. The peace of mind is worth it, since he's taking abx to fight borellia and now we know he doesn't need to be treated for coinfections.

[EAMom]

He just plucked it off his leg with his fingers, but I don't think this is the recommended technique. I think you're supposed to use tweezers. He had a little plastic container in his car, so he stuck it in that and sealed it with masking tape when he got home.

 

The next day I drove it down to the Igenex lab, which is in Palo Alto. They will test a tick for borrelia, bartonella, babesia, erlichia, and one other disease I can't remember. It takes 7 - 10 business days.

 

It was expensive - $65 per disease tested - but we're glad we did it. The peace of mind is worth it, since he's taking abx to fight borellia and now we know he doesn't need to be treated for coinfections.

 

ouch...per disease? Not per tick?

 

How do you know which diseases (in addition to lyme) to test for?

[mama2alex]

He just plucked it off his leg with his fingers, but I don't think this is the recommended technique. I think you're supposed to use tweezers. He had a little plastic container in his car, so he stuck it in that and sealed it with masking tape when he got home.

 

The next day I drove it down to the Igenex lab, which is in Palo Alto. They will test a tick for borrelia, bartonella, babesia, erlichia, and one other disease I can't remember. It takes 7 - 10 business days.

 

It was expensive - $65 per disease tested - but we're glad we did it. The peace of mind is worth it, since he's taking abx to fight borellia and now we know he doesn't need to be treated for coinfections.

 

ouch...per disease? Not per tick?

 

How do you know which diseases (in addition to lyme) to test for?

 

Yes it was $65 per disease, so $325 total, but well worth it for the peace of mind. We could have tested for just borrelia (Lyme Disease), or for that and one or two other co-infections, but we didn't feel comfortable not knowing exactly what diseases it was carrying. Now we know my husband has been exposed to borrelia and not bartonella, erlichiosis, babesia, etc, so we can treat and watch for symptoms accordingly.

 

This was a real eye-opener for him, as he was walking on a paved path and assumed he was safe from ticks. And he was completely shocked at the test results - I guess deep down he still had trouble believing that Lyme really exists in Northern CA, despite what we've gone through with our son. He's planning to share his experience with our cub scout leadership, so that hopefully the boys can start learning about Lyme Disease prevention. This has been glaringly absent in the preparations for the upcoming camping trip. I think most people around here just don't know that its a real risk.