tick, マダニ, tique: the aftermath

I had almost forgotten the whole ado about the tick, when I woke up one morning, nine days later, to find that the tick bite was beginning to swell. After searching on the internet, it appeared that I had succumbed to Lyme disease. I had symptoms mentioned on every website: the characteristic reddish "bulls-eye" rash (a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red centre) that was getting larger; a headache; and joint pain. I immediately made an appointment with the dermatologist, who, after questioning me, did not seem to think that I had Lyme disease (due to lack of some other symptoms) but instead, had some other infection. Nonetheless, he gave me a prescription for a three-week course of antibiotics, and the necessary blood tests.

Here is the funny thing about the blood tests: I was to be tested once immediately, and then the second time after my treatment is over. However, because antibodies to the bacteria do not start showing until two or three weeks after infection, even if I had Lyme disease, the first blood test would be negative, since it had only been nine days. Furthermore, the three-week treatment is intended to clear the infection, so the second blood test should be negative as well.

What, then, is the point of the tests?

I guess in cases like this, the precautionary principle prevails, which is a good thing. I must, however, concur with Sandra Steingraber, one of my favourite authors (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/347/): while doctors prefer to err on the side of caution in cases like this, why can't it be the same for environmental diseases that are caused by suspected contributors such as pesticides, solvents and heavy metals? Will I ever live to the day when a government will say, to quote Steingraber, "Look, we don't know if you have been exposed, but we are removing environmental carcinogens from your neighborhood because we want to err on the side of caution"?

Most likely, I will never find out if I had Lyme disease or not. Regardless, I am comforted by the sources I found on the internet, which tell me that if treated early, the disease can be cured 100%, although if left untreated, it can affect the joints, heart and the nervous system.

Thank goodness for that.