Lyme disease is pretty scary, as symptoms can vary from person to person.
It’s important to be able to identify symptoms in order to treat this disease as soon as
possible.
The earlier you can treat it, the better prognosis you’ll have.
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It’s reported that there are over 300 - thousand new cases of lyme disease discovered each
year.
Since it’s so popular, we think it’s a good idea to learn about the symptoms of Lyme
disease and what you can look out for:
First off, Lyme disease is spread by being bitten by a certain type of tick.
The tick has to be attached to someone for more than 36 hours before it can transmit
the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
We know that ticks are kind of gross, but it’s even worse that they can also carry
the debilitating disease known as Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a spiral shaped bacteria that is carried by the deer tick, who can transmit
it to people.
Unfortunately deer ticks are pretty popular in the United States, and if you’re someone
who enjoys camping or walking through the woods you might come into contact with one
of these black-legged bugs.
The important thing is knowing how to identify the symptoms of potential Lyme disease if
you become ill.
Remember these symptoms can vary from person to person, and can start anywhere from days,
to weeks after someone is bitten.
Here are a few symptoms of Lyme disease you can be on the watch for:
A Rash Usually the first symptom that’ll pop up
if you become ill will be a rash.
Not just any rash, it’s called erythema migrans, or an EM rash.
This will likely expand or might even look like a bull’s eye, whiter towards the middle
with a red ring surrounding.
The rash could develop anywhere from 3 to 30 days after you fall ill and can disappear
after the 4 week mark, even if left untreated.
Unlike other types of rashes, this one won’t be itchy or painful, instead this rash has
been known to expand up to 30 centimetres across and will be warm to the touch.
While a rash doesn’t always occur, it’s one of the most well known symptoms of Lyme
disease occurring on about 70 - 80 percent of people.
On the other hand, this rash could also develop in more than one place one a person’s body
at a time.
It varies person to person.
This rash is often not alone…some other symptoms that can come along soon after the
rash develops are:
Fatigue This is another of the most common symptoms
that’ll surface, but not the only one.
Some early symptoms can also seem like you have the flu.
The difficulty is that feeling tired and the flu-like symptoms can come and go over the
following weeks.
This type of fatigue isn’t the same kind of tired you feel after working out or not
getting enough sleep.
This type of tired is one that takes over your whole body and can be quite dominant
causing you to nap more often, or needing more sleep in general.
Headache or Fever While headache and low grade fever are listed
as some symptoms they’re very unique and don’t always occur in the same way for different
people.
To make things even more difficult, these symptoms can come and go often.
Plus when fever comes along, it’s usually what’s called a low grade fever, so most
don’t think of it as a serious symptom or might not see it as a red flag.
However when accompanied with some of the other, more common symptoms we’ve already
mentioned, it could be something more serious and you should probably get it checked out.
Neurological Problems Usually problems with memory start to occur
later on in the Lyme disease cycle, if at all.
This can range from difficulty concentrating, to issues with your memory.
In any case, it’s not something anyone wants to go through, and can start to take effect
a few weeks, months or in some cases years after someone is infected with Lyme disease.
While some decline in cognitive ability can be caused by something as simple as ageing,
studies published in PUBMED show that about 24% of adults who have been diagnosed with
Lyme disease have difficulty focusing.
Dr. Elizabeth L. Maloney, says that 80% of those who have suffered with Lyme disease
for an extended period of time have reported some form of memory loss.
Difficulty Sleeping, Body Aches and Chills Difficulty sleeping when you’re ill can
be common as is the case when it comes to Lyme disease.
The trouble isn’t quite like when you have insomnia, it’s caused more by either joint
pain or fluctuations in a person’s body temperature like getting the chills, or night
sweats which trying to sleep.
If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night because you were freezing, and can’t
get warm it doesn't make for a restful sleep.
In a 2013 study published by PUBMED about 60 percent of those affected with Lyme disease
reported this type of temperature fluctuation during the night.
Heart Issues Because Lyme disease is a type of bacteria
it can travel and affect many places in the body, including the heart muscle.
Symptoms of Lyme disease affecting the heart muscle include becoming short of breath, feeling
light headed, chest pains and even heart palpitations.
When the heart is infected it can block the electrical signals from one side of the heart
to the other.
Each side of the heart is known as a chamber, and if this happens the heart will beat in
an irregular pattern.
Commonly known as heart block.
The good news is that this type of symptom is pretty rare and according to the Centres
For Disease Control and Prevention about 4-10 percent of those infected with Lyme disease
have reported this type of heart block.
Lyme disease can be a very harmful disease if left untreated and undetected.
Some studies have said that there are almost one million reported cases of Lyme disease
each year in the United States, so knowing some of the possible symptoms is a great way
to protect yourself and those you love from falling ill to this difficult disease.
If diagnosed early antibiotics can help treat this disease and Dr. Stephen Morse says that
early detection can give a more positive prognosis.
you should be careful when out in the woods or camping.
You can use bug repellant or cover up any exposed skin if you’re worried about the
population of ticks in a particular wooded or grassy area.
Since it takes 36 - 48 hours for Lyme disease to take hold, taking proper precautions and
checking yourself, your family or friends for ticks after being in an area that’s
likely to have a higher population of the disease carrying insect can really decrease
your risk.
The CDC also recommends taking a shower after being in a wooded area, or if you suspect
you could have a tick somewhere on your body.
Take precautions if you do find a tick, and don’t remove it with your fingers, instead
head to the doctor, or try using tweez ers and removing the insect.
If you think you may be infected with Lyme disease make sure you always seek out a medical
professional.
Have you ever had a tick bite you before?
What did you do to remove it?
How do you keep yourself safe from ticks and possible Lyme disease?
Do you know someone or have you ever had to battle with Lyme disease?
Let us know in the comments section below your thoughts about this terrible disease.