BOLO! Its that time of year.

[Mark @ Everlast]

Well guys. A bit off topic for this forum, but since a lot of you guys are in contact with the great outdoors, and especially while welding, you become almost unaware of your surroundings I just wanted to post this here to hopefully help keep some of you from going what I've been going through for the past few years.

Keep a watch out outdoors. Deers are running around. I just found out Saturday that a lot of my health issues over the last few years, with various unexplained symptoms has not been all in my head. I was told that my test for Lyme's disease came back positive. I've had it for some time apparently and the Doctor today told me he felt it was in late stage (stage 3). Not sure how treatable it is at this point. Going on some long term antibiotics...but what I've read, late stage is hit or miss on treatments. Will I die from it? Likely not, but the symptoms can continue for years, or go away or reoccur even if the treatment is initially successful. Deer ticks are tiny. I never saw it, never had a rash or felt a thing. Still trying to figure out when, and where. I've always thought I watched out for this since I've been aware of this possibility due a few people I've known that got it. Even my Dr. said he had contracted it but caught it right away. He has referred me to a rheumatologist, and hopefully they can treat it well and figure out if there are any co-infections that those little bugs carry.

Again, take care of yourselves. Find you a good Tick checker if you can't see your parts that they like to attach themselves to.

Oh, yeah, for those of you looking for a sale, give me a call. No special "special" Black Friday Everlast welder sales lower than what I can offer you now, direct.

 

[monkeyduster]

Mark, so sorry to hear about your health problems. I will pray that the treatments work well for you. Thank you for sharing, as I am sure others, as well as myself will be more careful.
May God bless you

 

[Big Barn]

Best wishes from me too, Mark.

Terry

 

[newbury]

Hang in there.
I got it about 10 or 12 years ago.
One leg swelled, the dumb@$$ doctors totally misdiagnosed it and I eventually checked into the hospital, had heart arrhythmia and almost died. They should have been able to tell because ONLY ONE LEG SWELLED.
After about a month they diagnosed it properly and medicated me. I've since gotten it twice more (confirmed by doctors tests) went on meds immediately and they say I've recovered each time.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Good luck bud. My moms cousins got the Rocky Mountain spotted fever from a tick bite and passed shortly there after from it. Glad you finally figured it out and have a treatment course. Those little pricks can be rough.

Brett

 

[IXLR8]

Mark, Good luck with your recovery. I have been bit several times, called doc and got antibiotics right away, so far have always tested negative. My sister has been bit several times, and has gotten Lyme each time. Last time she called doc right away, took antibiotics for two weeks, still felt lousy, still tested positive. She was on antibiotics for 8 months before symptoms went away. Hopefully it won't take you that long.

 

[bigdeano]

I had Lyme for 20 years. Ended my career and left me allergic to almost everything. I never could get a diagnosis or treatment even when I told multiple doctors exactly what it was. I finally got rid of it with a device called a Doug coil. It's a powerful AC magnetic coil that somehow kills the bacteria. If the antibiotics don't work, give it a try.

Be very careful taking any kind of Penicillin when you have Lyme. It's a known problem now. I took Amoxicillin for an ear infection and it gave me ulcerative colitis. I thought I was going to die. 10 times worse than the Lyme disease. Had it for 14 years. It went away when I got rid of the Lyme disease.

 

[crazyal]

The problem with Lyme's disease is you don't have to get bit by a tick. Just coming in contact with the bacteria is all it takes. Simply petting your dog and if a tick is present yet hasn't engorged themselves to the point where you can easily feel them it's possible to come in contact with the bacteria if your hand passes over an infected tick. So far around my house ticks getting on my dogs is still a pretty rare thing. Lower down in the valley though it's much more common. Hope things work out for you the best they can.

 

[Jeepnford]

As if Lyme disease isn't bad enough now ticks are carrying something that if you're bit you develop a sudden severe allergy to protein. It's about enough to keep you indoors, or at least have a flock of free range chickens in the yard. I hope you get better Mark.

 

[Thomas]

Dang Mark...know were pulling hard for you.