Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hi Pat,

I've had Lymes 4 times and one horse has had it once. So, in my experience you can get Lymes again

I'm glad that the vets are more on the ball about Lymes now. When I first got it they tried to tell me

I had Rheumatoid Arthritis because the Lymes test came up negative. It was a vet tech who told

me that if I was a dog, they'd be treating me for Lymes. I got the antibiotics and within three

days I felt better.

Only once did I have the classic bullseye mark but the symptoms were dramatic and similar.

Lymes is a great pretender and can act like other things such as the start of MS or RA.

We gave my horse IV antibiotics and then we kept him on oral antibiotics for 3 months and

he fully recovered. The general malaise and fatigue and mysterious a little off is no longer

hard for me to notice.

One of Steve Rojack's great 100 milers got Lymes and they said he'd just lay out in the

pasture like he was dead. He came back to do 100's again as did my horse.

I'm happy to report that 8 years after the first episode I don't have RA. But, I do

think I react to almost every tick that I don't find right away. I'm so careful about getting

ticks off early. I understand that they do have to be attached for 8 hours or more to

cause Lymes. In my second case, I can confirm. I was spending a lot of time in NJ and

a lot of time taking ticks off. But, I missed the last one that climbed on board for my 6

hour ride home and didn't find him until the morning. Sure enough about 10 days later,

all my joints hurt and I felt like I could hardly move.

Just my one rat experience. I treat any unexplained lameness or fatigue as Lymes. I

don't bother to test.

Dolores Arste

Author: Conversations with Cadbury
www.zenhorsemanship.com