Thursday, December 9, 2010

I've got tick bite fever!

I have found out why I feel so awful and why my lymph glands are so swollen and sore: I have tickbite fever. To be honest, I am relieved although reading up about it now, I realise how dangerous it can be. I have been told I don't have to go to bed so guess I have it mildly but am surprised that the doctor I just saw now didn't tell me not to exercise - asked my biokineticist and she said I cannot - and what it certainly proves is that oncologists, or at least the oncology centre I go to, are brilliant at treating cancer but certainly don't adopt an holistic approach.
They were very quick to tell me they were not one bit worried, great, and I am more than delighted that I don't have cancer but, as the multitude of swollen lymph nodes in my neck was evidence of an infection, I think they should have said that if I start feeling ill, I should see my GP.
Tick bite fever can be bloody serious, for example, and I was prancing around wondering for how long I had to walk around like this.
Anyway, it was The Yoga Man who insisted: don't take your car to the garage today (the front bumper was loose); go to a doctor; your health is more important than your car which did kind of piss me off as I always do prioritise my health more than anything else.
If you don't have cancer, the oncologists don't have time to deal with you. So you need to take action.
But I did listen. Cancelled the garage and then set my alarm for 2pm to see how I felt. I did feel better today than I felt last night. But when a friend at work told me I look terrible (I had also thought my eyes looked funny this morning and I was thinking I should maybe wear some eye-liner), I decided: that's it and phoned the oncology centre.
Joyce, I said to the nurse, I know I am annoying you but I need to ask you two quick things. The left side and the right side of my neck were scanned, but not the back 'cos it was not sore (and remember I had one swelling on one side when I went to the centre on Tuesday where the oncologist then found more lumps and the radiologist even more)....So, I said to Joyce, I now have a large bump on my head which is bloody sore and lots of bumps at the back of my neck. Now is this a problem? Should I be worried that they have not been scanned?
Also, I said, I don't feel good. At all. Should I go see my GP? Yes, she said, maybe you should and then if he is worried at all, he can phone The Tango Man and he will take the call.
So I phoned the doctor who was able to see me straight away. Brilliant. So off I raced and within one minute of being in his rooms, he looked behind my ears and told me I had tick bite fever. Now, I have no idea how I got it. But I am totally relieved that I now know why I have so many swollen lymph glands in my neck area. And I feel good to think that my body is healthy and fighting this infection and that I am not collapsing but am bearing up pretty well.
Of course, now I am worried that a bite on the left side of my body is threatening to my borderline lymphedema, and just to top it all: the bumper of my car came loose, became tangled below my car, I paid a  carguard at the centre where I went to the pharmacy to get the medication R10 to take it off (it took one second) and now it's a crumpled heap on the back seat of my car, which means I not only have to have it attached properly to my car, I have to get a new bumper!
But it sure beats having cancer!!
Oh, read more about tick bite fever in south africa


3 comments:

  1. Is this similar to Lyme disease? We have that here from ticks. I got it while in my second go with chemo. Started spiking very high fevers & got the tell-tale bullseye rash. Big-time antibiotics (for a month) & all was fine.

    But very happy this is the result of a tick & not something worse! Take care & I hope you feel better very soon.

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  2. I think it is the same or similar cos when I googled tick bite fever, Lyme disease came up and it seemed pretty much the same.
    Horrified to hear it took about a month to get better.... but must admit am feeling much better although far from perfect.

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  3. I actually felt better pretty quickly, but the standard treatment was a month of cipro.

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