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Am I infected ?
Hello everyone,
Please bear with me through this post. It's not STD-related. I'll try to make it short. Exactly 5 weeks ago I went to Thailand. When I came back I became very concerned that I may have contracted syphilis because I got a sore throat (but no other symptoms indicative of syphilis). Anyway because I was very scared I told a doctor to prescribe me a shot of Ceftriaxone 1g and 28 days of doxycycline to get rid of a possible syphilis infection.I started the medication and after I took a test (RPR) and it was negative and since the sore throat was just an ordinary strep-throat my medications did not treat it. The next day I went to another doctor and got 2 shots of penicillin and azithromycin 250mg/twice a day. I am very paranoid, and I had no symptoms for the syphilis, BUT, I do remember a small tick biting me in 7eleven about 3 weeks ago. I was about to pay when I felt a small bite on my upper arm(shoulder). I remember seeing an insect which was about 3-4mm big. I also remember that its backside was inflated like a blister filled with blood and I just flicked it off. Is this the kind that causes Lyme disease. I've read on the internet that it takes about 36 hours of attachment to get infected. Could it have been there before I flicked it of, since it seemed to be engorged. I remember picking of a small scab the day after that lead to slight bleeding. I never stopped the doxys although the second doctor told me to stop because I had doubts about the syphilis test result, but I never mentioned the tick to her. I have slight heartburn and weakness and slight muscle tremors. I've had doxy for 5 days now and I started the azithromycin last night as well. I've also had the ceftriaxone shot and two consecutive days of penicillin shots after that. Do you think I'm infected ? Thank you for taking the time to read my question.
Please bear with me through this post. It's not STD-related. I'll try to make it short. Exactly 5 weeks ago I went to Thailand. When I came back I became very concerned that I may have contracted syphilis because I got a sore throat (but no other symptoms indicative of syphilis). Anyway because I was very scared I told a doctor to prescribe me a shot of Ceftriaxone 1g and 28 days of doxycycline to get rid of a possible syphilis infection.I started the medication and after I took a test (RPR) and it was negative and since the sore throat was just an ordinary strep-throat my medications did not treat it. The next day I went to another doctor and got 2 shots of penicillin and azithromycin 250mg/twice a day. I am very paranoid, and I had no symptoms for the syphilis, BUT, I do remember a small tick biting me in 7eleven about 3 weeks ago. I was about to pay when I felt a small bite on my upper arm(shoulder). I remember seeing an insect which was about 3-4mm big. I also remember that its backside was inflated like a blister filled with blood and I just flicked it off. Is this the kind that causes Lyme disease. I've read on the internet that it takes about 36 hours of attachment to get infected. Could it have been there before I flicked it of, since it seemed to be engorged. I remember picking of a small scab the day after that lead to slight bleeding. I never stopped the doxys although the second doctor told me to stop because I had doubts about the syphilis test result, but I never mentioned the tick to her. I have slight heartburn and weakness and slight muscle tremors. I've had doxy for 5 days now and I started the azithromycin last night as well. I've also had the ceftriaxone shot and two consecutive days of penicillin shots after that. Do you think I'm infected ? Thank you for taking the time to read my question.
the 24 hrs thing is wrong.
hubby had a tick last year for 5 or 6 hrs.
he got the rash and had lyme.
you are on lots of abx so in my opinion if it was a tick and you were exposed you are on abx so
don't worry so much. you got it early.
hubby had a tick last year for 5 or 6 hrs.
he got the rash and had lyme.
you are on lots of abx so in my opinion if it was a tick and you were exposed you are on abx so
don't worry so much. you got it early.
Thank you ALL for your kind answers.
After posting my question here I did a little research on the net. It seems as though the deer tick has to be latched on for at least 24 for infection to take place. Despite that it seems that Lyme disease seems to be rarer in tropical regions (eg Thailand) especially the more southern cities. When I flicked the insect off I could remember that it was still very much black (and engorged deer ticks become bluish grey). As Ricobord pointed out it may not have even been a tick and I just have to wait a little. I think my chances for Lyme disease are now miniscule. Once again, Thank you everyone.
After posting my question here I did a little research on the net. It seems as though the deer tick has to be latched on for at least 24 for infection to take place. Despite that it seems that Lyme disease seems to be rarer in tropical regions (eg Thailand) especially the more southern cities. When I flicked the insect off I could remember that it was still very much black (and engorged deer ticks become bluish grey). As Ricobord pointed out it may not have even been a tick and I just have to wait a little. I think my chances for Lyme disease are now miniscule. Once again, Thank you everyone.
Doesn't seem there would be much of a chance of infection while on antibiotic treatment.
the bulls eye rash is rarer than you think, I have been re-infected several times and have never had the rash. And I dont know how "rare" it is to infect an exposed shoulder but I recently had 2 bites at the same time, ONE ON EACH SHOULDER. Hopefully though, the antibiotics since taken right away took care of it.
Ticks rarely bite on an exposed shoulder. They tend to look for a more hidden place, if they can get to one. Also, you cannot flick off an embedded tick. You don't even feel the bite. They burrow in and it is rather difficult to remove one. It is really unlikely that the bug that bit you was a tick.
A Lyme bulls eye rash lasts from several days to a month. It grows bigger from the time it first appears.
Of course, there are all kinds of insect borne diseases that you can get from biting flies, mosquitos, and other annoying bugs. I would guess that the antibiotics you have taken so far would have taken care of any bacteria you got from the bug bite.
An exception would be a parasite. If you got a parasitic infection from the bite, the meds you had taken so far might not have treated it. But at this point, you would really need to wait for an illness to appear before a doctor would know what to look for. The heartburn and slight weakness and tremors could easily be side effects from the shots you have received so far. They are pretty powerful meds, and mild side effects are typical.
Just wait for the meds to wear off, and go back to life as usual. If you feel sick at some point then go back to your doctor.
A Lyme bulls eye rash lasts from several days to a month. It grows bigger from the time it first appears.
Of course, there are all kinds of insect borne diseases that you can get from biting flies, mosquitos, and other annoying bugs. I would guess that the antibiotics you have taken so far would have taken care of any bacteria you got from the bug bite.
An exception would be a parasite. If you got a parasitic infection from the bite, the meds you had taken so far might not have treated it. But at this point, you would really need to wait for an illness to appear before a doctor would know what to look for. The heartburn and slight weakness and tremors could easily be side effects from the shots you have received so far. They are pretty powerful meds, and mild side effects are typical.
Just wait for the meds to wear off, and go back to life as usual. If you feel sick at some point then go back to your doctor.
Sorry, we're not doctors, so can't diagnose you. Four antibiotics simultaneously from several different docs? That's pretty complicated.
You need to see a doctor about your concerns. Good luck.
You need to see a doctor about your concerns. Good luck.
One more thing I'd like to add.
Shortly after I flicked it off I remember the the site of the bite rising into a small bump. It remained for a few days (a bit like a mosquito bite) and was fairly itchy. After 2-3 days it subsided. Unfortunately, I can't tell if it was a bulls eye rash or not because the bite occurred on the only tattoo I have, which is on my shoulder.
Shortly after I flicked it off I remember the the site of the bite rising into a small bump. It remained for a few days (a bit like a mosquito bite) and was fairly itchy. After 2-3 days it subsided. Unfortunately, I can't tell if it was a bulls eye rash or not because the bite occurred on the only tattoo I have, which is on my shoulder.
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