Tick Diseases & Babesiosis

Oct 14, 2009
40
3
Little Egg Harbor
My 80yo mother was recently stricken with some odd symptoms....lethargy, high fevers at night that made her sweat out the bed, disorientation, very low blood pressure, and shakes (more than chills...her whole body shook the hospital bed). When we took her to the ER, I asked that she be tested for Lyme's, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and all other tick borne diseases. They ignored my requests.

To make a long story short...she did have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Babesiosis. I want to talk about the last one. It is relatively new to the area, making it's way from New England. The doctor did not believe it and it is sometimes hard to diagnose, as the little malaria-like critters "hide" when placed on a slide. It can be fatal. Many people need to have their spleen removed if infected.

PLEASE...if you experience fevers that come and go, anemia, and chill-like shaking of the body....DEMAND a test for Babesiosis. It is not supposed to be in NJ, in fact, the Atlantic Co. Board of Health sent my brother a registered letter asking for details in her case. DO NOT let a doctor tell you that Babesia is not in NJ.

On a side note...I asked the Doctor's about parasites, as I had been watching Monsters Inside Me (on A&E Channel)...they brushed that off as "not being REAL" because it was on TV. Funny...last week they had a man on there who also discovered he had Babesiosis!
 
Oct 14, 2009
40
3
Little Egg Harbor
Thanks again Guy! You are keeping an eye on a newbie like me, I see! Those posts were a couple of years old, so I guess I just brought it back into the back of everyone's mind...something to think about if you've had a tick bite and are not feeling well, but can't quite put your finger on the exact symptoms.
 

Sue Gremlin

Piney
Sep 13, 2005
1,277
233
61
Vicksburg, Michigan
Whoa. RMSF AND babesia? That's quite the double whammy right there. RMSF is a very dangerous disease and has a high mortality rate. How is she doing now?

A coworker's son was diagnosed with babesiosis this summer, he thinks he got the tick bite while in Mercer County Park. It's almost impossible to tell the difference between that and malaria while doing diagnostic blood smears, interestingly enough.
 
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