How Many Times Have You Guys Been Bit?

When I was roughly 6 years old in Florida I often played in the swampland. Came home one time and my Dad removed a tick from my neck as my Mom looked on Anxiously. He had one of those big light magnifiers mounted to his desk. My immediate symptom was comically swollen testicles; that I vividly remember.
Growing up had alot of knee pains and crazy behaviour. Diagnosed with ADD etcetera.
I was always drawn to outdoors so while rollerblading at age 27 I took shelter under a tree grove. Three days later I am beset with a number of symptoms. There is a large bullseye on my upper thigh from the bite which I later learned was a tick bite. Saw specialist was treated for 2 years and felt mostly normal finally.
Then at age 30 got another bullseye while at my job which was outdoors. This one was on my forearm and is still evident today. Went to Doctor treated for a year felt mostly normal.

Then last summer had dozens of ticks on me a number of time but promptly rubbed them off and took thorough scrubbing showers after work. I'm now age 34 and completely hit with most symptoms of chronic lame. It has come on quite strong since just before Christmas.

So I count 3 known bites 2 bullseyes with 1 tick extracted from my nick when I was a kid.

Forgot my original point which was do you guys think some people are immune to lyme? Or does it take a number of bites before it becomes chronic lyme?

Post Edited (Deaconfrost) : 5/15/2011 8:40:44 PM (GMT-6)

Well I was wondering if it takes a number of bites before it becomes a problem. I had a bunch of bites last year but got them off within 24 hrs. I also didn't have a bullseye last year but feel I must of been reinfected due to the severity of my current symptoms.

I've had Lyme symptoms since 1978 or so, and we think that I was bitten just prior to that by a red fire ant in the Ca. desert. No bull's eye rash, no flu-like symptoms. And then the leg pains started, and slowly one after another symptom was added over the years since. 2 LLMD's and 1 LLND agree the ant bite is likely when I got Lyme. I've been bitten numerous times since then by fleas, mosquitos, spiders, biting flies, and who knows what else. So I don't really know how to answer your question.

Well I was just curious. I did not know that other insects are vectors for lyme. Though I believe it. I've been bitten hundreds of times while blading in the metroparks by those darn horseflies. So it would make sense that other biting insects could transmit the bacteria. I had never heard of red ants transmitting lyme. Growing up in Florida those suckers got me pretty bad a couple times.

So it would seem that depending on how good your immune system defends your body at the time of transmission as well as lifestyle seem to be the biggest risk factors. Since I was a kid I've loved the outdoors and physical activity. It sucks that people with an affinity for nature and exercise pretty much will be infected with lyme or a coinfection at some point. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can at this point and nothing is better than personal experiences.