*I am confirmed Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever...

Boy I tell you this has been one hell of a summer for me, first my home burned to the ground and then I decide to stay on my property camping out style during what became the hottest summer on record.

As if that was not bad enough, a couple weeks ago I decided to have a few drinks and just cut loose a bit as I was feeling just downright out of sync with everything.

For those of you in chat that day and afternoon, I should probably apologize but instead I am going to validate my extreme and wild behavior by saying it was not me it was the RMPF!

The rapid onset of symptoms happened about the same way coming on to the flu does, with weakness, fatigue and lack of appetite as well as stiff neck, sore joints and mussels.

I figured that it was some form of let down after all the trauma of the summer and finally being in our new home.

In a way it was probably good that I drank because no sooner than I began to have some ...fun... I became dizzy and nauseated and headed to bed.

The following morning I woke with a horrible headache, and all of the other usual symptoms of a major hangover.

I stayed in bed for the day, hydrated and just stayed down but the hangover seemed to be getting worse not better. The following day a fever began to set in and I felt that toxic skin crawling sensation just like when you have the flu.

So for the next couple days I laid in bed fighting the fever and flu. By the 3rd day down I was getting worse and not better and it was 9:30 at night when I finally called on my 16 yro to get me to the ER, that something was not right, *(What I did not tell him was that I had been laying in bed arms raised towards the Angels hemlines flowing above me!, and that as blissful as that was at some point I jerked with a start and realized OMG I am dying here!!!*)

On the way into the ER we were stopped by the Police for a taillight issue and low and behold of all times my son in a rush to get me out the door forgot his Temporary Permit license.

Most of the time he would have been busted, but the Cop took one look at me and the shock on her face said it all, she even refused to touch 'my' license even though she had asked for it.

My son said I looked like the night of the zombies and that the Cop was obviously afraid to come near me... she did let him/us go and politely told my son just get your Mom to the ER...

At the ER my nurse turns out to be none other than the wife of the Director of the hospital in Joplin mo. that sustained such damage after the Tornadoes a few months ago. This was such good fortune as she was not only intuitive but also has seen this first hand after the tornadoes ravished Mo.

Seems RMSF was at one time quite rare to be seen in Missouri but has become very common over this past summer. Yet the main reason she diagnosed the Tick Borne Illness in me was that her husband in the days after the tornado, out helping tear down falling walls at the hospital and surrounding area also got bit by one of these sometimes fatal ticks.

My Nurses Husband was not as fortunate as I am because the beginning stages can be very challenging to diagnose and her Husband was a testament to that fact.

One of the reasons I am sharing this info is that I know we have so many members from around the country as well as from other countries that just might begin to see illness which can be deadly if not treated properly and in a timely manner such as what I am suffering from with the rocky Mountain spotted Fever.

Physician Diagnosis There are several aspects of RMSF that make it challenging for healthcare providers to diagnose and treat. The symptoms of RMSF vary from patient to patient and can easily resemble other, more common diseases. Treatment for this disease is most effective at preventing death if started in the first five days of symptoms. Diagnostic tests for this disease, especially tests based on the detection of antibodies, will frequently appear negative in the first 7-10 days of illness. Due to the complexities of this disease and the limitations of currently available diagnostic tests, there is no test available at this time that can provide a conclusive result in time to make important decisions about treatment. For this reason, healthcare providers must use their judgment to treat patients based on clinical suspicion alone.

According to the information shared through the CDC, between my hangover and thoughts of what I was suffering being the common symptoms of the flu, it could have easily gone past the point of curable and into something fatal had I waited or if the ER staff had not been able to use their "Intuition" rather than the typical "Wait and see" scenario all of us have witnessed at one point or another when dealing with the medical profession.

So, thats about it, just bringing a little awareness to how this all went down for me. I would be happy to answer any questions and am hoping that others can help me heal from this with any helpful tips or knowledge.

I do still feel pain in my kidney region, and a bit of weakness after exertion or what was before just my usual routine.

If you want to read more from the CDC and their information:

www.cdc.gov...

reply to post by antar


Antar, thanks for the post - a lot of people are unaware of this...I hope as you indicated that things are getting better and damn good thing you went in when you did.

Growing up in Rocky Mountains, we are always told to wear hats to protect us from the ticks. Maybe we should have been totally covered! At least now you have an exotic "disease" you can impress the ladies with...

CJ

Glad to hear you are OK. Best wishes.

My Mother had that in her youth and they blamed some of her heart problems before her death back in the 1970's on that. In the day she had it (1930's), there was no real treatment. She was lucky to survive.

Where I grew up we learned as children to always check each other for Ticks after any outdoor activity where the ticks were. Every now and then you would hear of somebody contracting that.

Again, glad to hear you are OK. I had no idea it was in that part of the country.

Thank you guys, Blaine, I wonder how your Mom survived if she was not treated with Tetracycline? Supposedly it is the only thing that works and at that it must be taken within a short window of time. I have so much to study before I fully comprehend what this all means for me.

I REALLY want to feel good, the weather is so cool and refreshing, and there is so much to do right now to prepare for winter, but just going to the store today and taking my second outing since becoming ill has wore me out. I almost fell from weakness going up the stairs to my home and had to call my ex to come bring up the groceries from the car.

Now I do not understand this disease but today or this afternoon I feel a slight fever coming on and my skin is again crawling a bit.

Yesterday I got out with the kids and helped pull weeds, tall 10 footers, lol, I may have over done it on my first time back out into the gardens and property. But I am or have always been strong so I didnt figure some fresh air and a bit of work would hurt.

One thing I will say is that when you are on Tetracycline you are warned not to go into the sun, that it can burn your skin and sometimes leave permanent scarring in the affected area.

Ok, am going to go lay down for a while, but perhaps there will be others who can share info that will help me get healthy again.

One more thing Blaine, did your Mom suffer from any permanent organ damage and I think that is one of the conditions that can happen along with severe arthritis from this, what if I may ask was her cause of death and how long after she was bit? She had children after, did any of you have problems associated w/ her infection?

reply to post by antar


That was so many years ago my memory is vague. She passed due to something else in 1978. I recall her talking about it a couple of times. They blamed some heart damage on it I think and yes she was very lucky to survive. I have no idea what the survival rate was, but I know she said she was a teenager when it occurred.

Life was quite different then without vaccines and antibiotics we have now. Even with me I go back to having known two who died from Polio. I still remember standing in line at a school with the whole town when the first vaccine showed up. I'm just glad folks don't have to go through Whooping Cough, the Measles, the Mumps and all the other crap nearly all children caught then. Whooping Cough nearly killed me. Lasted for way over a month and I still remember gasping for air for days.

Sounds like you should get lots of rest while you heal. Take care of yourself.

reply to post by antar


I am so sorry my friend - but so glad you got help when you needed it.

Please take care and get better! Big hugs, sofi

Wow, a very scary experience, and glad that you are doing alright.

Crazy the amount of damage tiny organisms can do to us, even with all of our emerging advances.

My 6 year old son was recently diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever after spending multiple days and nights at the doctor's offices and emergency rooms.

We're in NC, so I've always known to keep a watch out for ticks and tick bites, but when he became sick, I had no clue that was the cause.

He started off not feeling well, we could tell because he wanted to sleep a lot, but no other symptoms. A day or so after he only wanted to sleep, he developed a high fever overnight. He went from a normal 97.8 to a high 102. I took him to the early morning clinic at his pediatricians, they did a strep test and blood work but came back with nothing. They told me he had a virus and to give him tylenol or motrin for his fever. By the end of the night his fever was up to 103. I took him to the emergency room, they did another strep test and blood work, and claimed he had strep throat. They sent us home with antibiotics, and the usual, drink lots of fluids instructions. The next night his fever shot to 105 degrees. I put him in the bath while I called our friend who is a nurse at his doctor's office. She said to take him back to the ER again.

I took him to Brenner's Emergency room this time, because they are suppose to specialize in children's health and care. After explaining his symptoms (none besides sleepy and a high fever), they did absolutely nothing besides give him more tylenol and tell me that his medicine just hasn't had time to work yet, that he was fine. I was beyond frustrated that they would send me back home with my son running a fever that high, but they told me that he was too old for febrile seizures, so I didn't need to worry. I knew better than that though, so the next day I made him another appointment with his doctor's office.

This time after doing a urine screening, more blood work, and another strep test, the doctor told me that she believed he had rocky mountain spotted fever. She said there was no actual test for it, but that everything else was ruled out.

She called him in a prescription, and within a few days he started feeling better. He never once developed a rash or had any pains. The only symptoms he had was being tired and running an extremely high fever.

We did a lot of research on it after the fact and realized it is not a disease to take lightly, so I am glad you started this thread bringing it some attention. While most people who live in areas that are known for ticks know to look out for bites, it can be very hard to diagnose, even for doctors.

reply to post by itsallamile


Interesting, thank you for your post and reply. It is wonderful to read about other parents who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of a non-diagnosis by the "professionals" when it comes to our children's well being.

It is becoming so clear that we must all work in tandem with healthcare professionals rather than allow them to dictate the outcome of the ever expanding areas which have no real explanations.

I realize that with all of the study you and your Husband did it must have left you both with a much greater appreciation of your son as well as a great deal of respect for your own diligence and intuitive parenting skills.

Like I stated in the Op, it was not until my Motherhood kicked in that I realized I was in deep doodoo and needed to jump and not just lay there and die. I can relate to your sons high fever and what he must have felt like in those days when he was waiting for the right treatment.

Perhaps children can heal faster with less residual affects but I personally felt like I had the worst arthritis in every joint and my neck is still sore from time to time. They say that there can be lasting affects and so I recommend lots of liquids still and for a very long time as your son's health comes back to normal that he refrain from heavy grease and fats as well as limit sugar intake and use everything you know to supplement his mineral levels while paying close attention to anything which could aggravate his liver enzymes.

Take care and u2u me anytime if you want to talk about the healing process.