Lyme in San Francisco

[illinwithoutacause]

hello,

i am currently undiagnosed, but how many times have folks been told that ticks that carry lyme aren't in your area, thus your symptoms cannot possibly be related to lyme disease?  well, for anyone who has been told that in san francisco, i just read in the _Richmond Review_ that "Lyme Disease is on the rise in San Francisco."

the article states that 5 people so far are known to have contracted lyme disease and co-infections in san francisco."  people have been bitten by lyme infected ticks at crissy field, in the marina district, in a backyard west of twin peaks, in diamond heights, and in golden gate park.

this is an urban environment which goes to show you that it can happen ANYWHERE.  

hope this information is helpful.

best wishes,
binx

[mrs_k75]

I am from San Francisco and I got bitten by a tick  back in 1988 either in Marin or SF county. I was 12 years old and I never knew what the bite was and no one thought to do anything about it. I was also bitten again in 1998 in Montana, again I was told Lymes was not a possibility unless I lived in the east coast. I went 20 years with strange sometime debilitating symptoms and no one could ever give me a real answer. I was not diagnosed with Lymes until last year.

[22dreams]

I've mentioned this on here before. I live in the most-densely populated city in New England, about the 17th most-densely populated in the country, where most people have concrete gardens, chain-link fences and at most have postage-stamp size patches of grass for yards. A concrete jungle.

what do you think the likelihood would be of me, a pet-less person who hadn't been outside the city, would find ticks in my house 2 springs/summers ago? never mind be bitten and infected by one?

well, it happened. and the cascade of neurological symptoms ensued 6 weeks later.
I picked up the ticks by inadvertently brushing against tick-infested bush limbs lining the city sidewalk in front of the building. At least one neighbor has noticed ticks on him and others have unexplained fatigue. Ticks are in backyards and in parks in San Francisco, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan. Leaf litter is an ideal habitat in the Northeastern cities.

However, even LLMDs ask the question "where have you been?" when they look at my address. I have had to do some educating. I'm glad I literally saw THAT particular tick fall off me, engorged, onto the sideboard and had my sister witnessed a few ticks in the house at the time. If not, I wouldn't imagine I'd be that convincing to LLMDs. I still don't know if I succeeded.

My former LLMD was bitten by a tick (and infected) in a smaller city that abuts the western boundary of Boston at a backyard BBQ. She saw the tick.

More often than not we don't see the tick that bit us and city dwellers and their Mds are the least likely to suspect lyme. Urban doctors dismiss it if presented with the notion especially when the bull's eye rash doesn't present(which is common not to have). Ticks carry a host of co-infections with different presentations. I sidewalk diagnosed a colleague's husband with an acute case of babesia when his suburban doctor didn't know what it was (although thought it might be lyme but std lyme meds weren't helping) and a colleague's daughter with lyme who presented without a rash. Both are better or well.

Unfortunately, I've never heard in media in these parts report about ticks, never mind infected ones, being in the city. There is some sort of code of silence or collective denial going on in Massachusetts all around. I guess it would adversely affect tourism or property value in certain key areas.

[wonko]

Thanks for the post, binx.  

Many Lyme patients experience obstacles to diagnosis, including the out-dated opinions on geographic restrictions.  Ticks travel, and so do we.  A fairly recent study out of Yale reported the role of migratory birds and the spread of Lyme, not to mention the country's ongoing suburban encroachment on deer habitats.

When I became obviously ill, I was in an endemic area, yet I still faced a lot of denial and ignorance about Lyme.  (My PCP assured me that a Western blot was not necessary, as it was likely to give a "false positive.")  Sadly, no matter where you are, you are likely to encounter some manifestation of the split medical opinions on Lyme disease.  

In my case, my PCP's skepticism that Lyme could cause such widespread systemic problems delayed me from getting diagnosed, but you are right that for many geography plays a role.

More and more people are coming down ill in urban settings.  I saw a news clip once about a woman in NYC (I think Queens, but the details slip my mind) who got bit and infected while in her tiny yard.  I previously lived in big cities or their surrounding areas along the Eastern seaboard, and plenty of people in those urban areas are getting infected.

I agree that it can happen just about anywhere, and it is easy to miss.  I have no memory of when or how I was bit, adding to how maddening and mysterious this disease can be.

Take care.