Gardening for Old Folks (Adaptative)

[nminusyplusm]

Hey @KettermanHillCoop Lyme disease. Been there had that and survived. I wonder how many folks here on BYC are Lyme survivors?

I've got late stage chronic Lyme and it completely turned my life upside down. I'll bet there's quite a few of us here.

 

[microchick]

Interesting question @lazy gardener. I would imagine that a lot of the problem with symptoms relies on a person's immune system although given that the bacteria that causes Lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi can cause symptoms the same as any bacterial infection can. I know I was quite sick with it for about two years and I was diagnosed fairly quickly, within 6 months of being symptomatic.

On the same thought, there is a high probability of getting false negatives so the incidence of false positives has to be a distinct possibility.

I also have the same problem that you have with suffering after gardening. Last year I had an infection in my SI joint in my left hip/pelvis that caused pain in my left knee. After 2 months of suffering extensive pain in my knee from kneeling and then straightening, I called it quits and gave my garden over to the weeds. It just wasn't worth the pain any longer. My doctor was able to get the pain settled down using injections into the SI joint but my knees will never be the same again.

Gardening is one of my favorite pastimes. Learning how to do it to accommodate my physical abilities has become the new challenge in my life.

@CapricornFarm. It won't hurt to talk to your doctor. They say that most infections occur if the tick is left embedded for more than 24 hours. Also your chance of infection increases if you squeeze the tick and it regurgitates it's stomach contents into your body. BUT. I've read of people who became ill with tick bites that were less than 24 hours old. Myself included. I had the classic bulls eye rash along with a large solid hive ( as big as a luncheon plate ) on my abdomen. I had subsequent solid hive like rashes on my chest and back.

Now I am suspecting as some of the joint pain I am experiencing now is a left over from my Lyme infection. I recently read an article in a medical journal that said that they are finding that many people are showing manifestations of RA after being treated for Lyme and they are wondering now if the BB bacteria isn't setting up some sort of immune response that is causing RA symptoms.

Sigh. Lyme disease. The bug that keeps on giving even after you think it is gone.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I am thinking i need to get tested. The ticks were bad here this past summer.

Keep in mind the tests most docs use are no better than flipping a coin in accuracy.
The CDC gets its info from people aligned with the insurance industry who'd rather deny claims.
2 sites I do recommend:
http://www.ilads.org/
https://www.lymedisease.org

 

[CapricornFarm]

Does anyone know what happens with sweet potatoes if you leave them in the ground over winter? I dug one spot and just got one small one so i was thinking of leaving them there if they will sprout come spring.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Tell us more about Cosy Kotes please.

They are plastic, you fill the sleeves up with water which protects plants from frosts. I am able to plant my tomatoes earlier. I have gotten tomatoes as early as the end of June. Normally around here it's into August before the tomatoes ripen, so it definitely helps.

Hey @KettermanHillCoop Lyme disease. Been there had that and survived. I wonder how many folks here on BYC are Lyme survivors?

Half my dogs have had it, and my husband once. I believe you definitely know you have it by the fever and intense pain that it causes.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Has anyone used milk jugs as cloches over directly seeded tomatoes/peppers or anything else? Last year directly seeding produced the exact same results as starting early indoors, but that might have been because it was just too cold inside my house and no artificial light. Next season might be better now that I have real doors on the house and it's not like living al fresco...

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

Hey @KettermanHillCoop Lyme disease. Been there had that and survived. I wonder how many folks here on BYC are Lyme survivors?

Survivor...eh...I'm unfortunately one of the small percentage of folks diagnosed with CLD (chronic Lyme disease). My initial symptoms mimicked the flu and a flare up of my fibromyalgia so I wasn't diagnosed early for Lyme. Heck, I never thought of Lyme...just thought I had The Crud and a FMS flare up. I never saw a tick, a bite mark or the ever-so-famous bullseye rash. The effects from Lyme can be quite debilitating some days...

 

[CapricornFarm]

Survivor...eh...I'm unfortunately one of the small percentage of folks diagnosed with CLD (chronic Lyme disease). My initial symptoms mimicked the flu and a flare up of my fibromyalgia so I wasn't diagnosed early for Lyme. Heck, I never thought of Lyme...just thought I had The Crud and a FMS flare up. I never saw a tick, a bite mark or the ever-so-famous bullseye rash. The effects from Lyme can be quite debilitating some days...

That is the thing, sometimes you don't even know they are there until it is too late. I probably don't have it but would rather be tested and find out sooner rather than later. I did get a lot of tick bites this year and i do feel crummy.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I just started saving milk jugs for that purpose. I planted late this year and we got very few tomatoes.

Has anyone used milk jugs as cloches over directly seeded tomatoes/peppers or anything else? Last year directly seeding produced the exact same results as starting early indoors, but that might have been because it was just too cold inside my house and no artificial light. Next season might be better now that I have real doors on the house and it's not like living al fresco...

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

That is the thing, sometimes you don't even know they are there until it is too late. I probably don't have it but would rather be tested and find out sooner rather than later. I did get a lot of tick bites this year and i do feel crummy.

Get tested...and make sure they do both tests...ELISA and the Western blot. First one is a screening...the blot confirms the disease.