The Deer Tick as The Only Vector?

After four weeks of chills, fever, fatigue, and no appetite, I was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease. (Typically spread by the bite of a deer tick).

However, I traced it back to a black fly that I swatted while he was in the process of drawing blood. (I can easily sense ticks crawling). There was no typical "target" red swelling—just a red swelling on my upper arm that increased in size to the size of a teacup plate. The edges itched a bit, and saw my usual doctor's assistant, having said I think it was Lyme Disease from my Internet searches. No opinion was forthcoming, but the doctor put me on one antibiotic (Keflex), followed later by a second, taken concurrently. Told to go to the ER if it got worse—it did—and that ER doctor correctly diagnosed it as Lyme Disease from blood work, and put me on a third antibiotic. (Doxycycline). I'm feeling much better after a full month of unease. It takes four weeks for Lyme Disease to show up in one's blood.

Now I feel like going sailing!

Black flies give you lyme disease?? I never knew that. I know so many people who have it. It is an epidemic. My dog has it.

WHL wrote:Black flies give you lyme disease??  I never knew that.  I know so many people who have it.  It is an epidemic.  My dog has it.  

It's not unknown, as I've googled it. That I've only seen one deer tick in my whole life—and that the infection was at the same site as the Black Fly bite, leads me to believe there's alternative vectors than deer ticks.