The Truth About Antibiotic Treatments
Until recently, many doctors in Canada tended to prescribe only one round of antibiotics, irrespective of the stage of infection. However, current research suggests that a single course of antibiotics is often insufficient for treating Lyme disease, especially if the infection has been untreated for several months.
Can Lyme Disease Lay Dormant For 20 Years
Can Lyme disease lay dormant for 20 years? Lyme disease can remain dormant for weeks, months or even years. When symptoms do eventually develop, they can be severe and patients often need aggressive treatment. Intravenous treatment is often required to treat late-stage infection.
Can Lyme disease go undetected for years? If Lyme disease is not diagnosed and treated early, the spirochetes can spread and may go into hiding in different parts of the body. Weeks, months or even years later, patients may develop problems with the brain and nervous system, muscles and joints, heart and circulation, digestion, reproductive system, and skin.
Can Lyme disease last 20 years? If treated, Lyme disease does not last for years. However, for some people, the after-effects of the disease can linger for months and sometimes even years. Alternative medicine providers call this condition Chronic Lyme disease, but this title is simply wrong.
Can Lyme disease be detected 30 years later? No. The tests for Lyme disease detect antibodies made by the immune system to fight off the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. Your immune system continues to make the antibodies for months or years after the infection is gone.
Is Lyme Disease Fatal In Dogs
6. Lyme Disease Can Be Fatal.
Although it does not occur commonly in dogs, Lyme Disease can cause kidney failure and death in severe cases.
The most common sign of Lyme Disease in dogs is arthritis, which causes sudden lameness, pain ands sometimes swelling in one or more joints.
How is canine Lyme disease treated? The clinical signs of Lyme disease are treated with antibiotics, and often the symptoms will resolve within 3 days of therapy. A tetracycline antibiotic called doxycycline is the most common antibiotic that is used to treat Lyme disease.
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New Symptoms Keep Appearing And Disappearing
One classic characteristic of Lyme Disease is that symptoms come and go. Many Lyme patients find that their symptoms flare up in two- to four-week cycles. “You might feel better for a couple weeks and have a week where you just feel lousy,” says Reihman. The periodic disappearance of symptoms can make you start to doubt if you’re even sick, but the symptoms will come back again without proper treatment, so take them seriously, no matter how fleeting they are.
Stage : Late Disseminated Lyme Disease
Stage 3 or late disseminated Lyme disease is the final stage of the disease. A person may enter this stage if they did not receive treatment for Lyme disease in the early stages, or if their symptoms persisted despite treatment. As such, doctors sometimes refer to this stage as chronic or post-treatment Lyme disease .
Stage 3 Lyme disease can occur after an infected tick bites a person.
A person with stage 3 Lyme disease may experience additional symptoms, including:
- severe joint pain and swelling, known as chronic Lyme arthritis
- heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat, due to Lyme carditis
- inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
- mental fogginess
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What Are Lyme Disease Flare Up Symptoms
If you experience a flare-up, that means your Lyme disease symptoms have been dormant for a while, and now they are back. Lyme disease flare-up Symptoms that return can be more intense, and sometimes, new symptoms will appear. As a flare-up begins, symptoms range from mild to severe and may include:
- Fatigue
As flare-ups start to subside, you will notice a significant improvement in your symptoms.
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Do Dogs Recover From Lyme Disease
Lyme disease in dogs is curable, however, this may depend on each case and at what stage of the disease the dog receives treatment during.
In most cases, symptoms will begin to lessen after 3 days of treatment.
When treating Lyme disease, its important to know that this illness is not always curable.
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Chronic Lyme Disease Vs Ptlds
The terms chronic Lyme disease and Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome are sometimes used interchangeably. However, PTLDS is slightly more restrictive, referring to patients who have received treatment for Lyme disease but go on to experience Lyme disease symptoms. It does not include those who received a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis and have developed chronic symptoms of Lyme disease before receiving any kind of treatment.
The CDC defines PTLDS as generalized and/or recurring pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties that last for more than 6 months after treatment. These mirror symptoms associated with chronic Lyme disease, with or without treatment.
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You’re Hypersensitive To Your Environment
Lyme can put your immune system into overdrive, causing intolerance to unpleasant smells, moldy rooms, and chemicals, says Reihman. This can cause exaggerated side effects or allergic reactions to medications. Some people with Lyme also have unusual food allergies like Alpha-gal syndrome, an allergic reaction to red meat. “A lot of people with Lyme struggle with an immune response that is both robust and ineffective, as if it is targeting the wrong things,” says Reihman.
Lyme Disease And Joint Pain: Its Complicated
For starters, Lyme is complicated and every patient responds to the disease differently.
Approximately 30,000 new cases of Lyme are diagnosed each year, according to the CDC, and just over one-third of them develop arthritis as a symptom. The most common symptoms beyond the bullseye rash are chills, fatigue, headache/neck stiffness, fever. Painful and swollen jointsespecially in large joints such as the kneeare often considered a late-stage symptom of Lyme, but can appear even days after the tick bite.1-3 Some individuals may find out they have Lyme as a result of chronic joint painwithout ever knowing they had a tick bite.
Ticks rarely carry just one strain of bacteria. They usually deliver several different species of bacteria and parasites in one bite these are called co-infections. Co-infections are one reason Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment can be so complex and difficult.
To investigate why joint pain is a common symptom of Lyme disease, I spoke to Thalia Farshchian, ND, a naturopathic doctor practicing at Medical Options for Wellness, a clinic in Foster City, California. She specializes in treating patients affected by chronic and complex diseases, including Lyme disease.
It is estimated that about 70% of individuals presenting with bullseye rash do not recall a tick bite,” she said. “It is important to note that the absence of a rash does not rule out Lyme Disease as diagnosis, but may be supportive of the diagnosis.”
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What Is Lyme Disease In Dogs
Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which spreads into a dogs bloodstream through the bite of a tick. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria can travel to different parts of the body and cause problems in your dogs organs and joints, as well as overall illness.
While Lyme disease can be carried by many species of ticks, the most common type of tick to transmit the disease is the Deer Tick .
Once a tick attaches itself to a dog, it can take as little as one to two days for it to transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, so prompt removal of ticks is important. Risk of transmission is highest during the spring and fall periods when tick nymphs and adults are actively seeking hosts.
Chronic Lyme Disease Vs Acute And Late Stage Lyme
One reason chronic Lyme disease is harder to detect and treat than Lyme at earlier stages is that chronic Lyme disease symptoms are more wide-ranging and varied. Chronic Lyme disease can cause symptoms of early Lyme disease such as fatigue and muscle aches to recur, but it can also cause new symptoms that affect different parts of the body.
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Is There A Vaccine That Will Protect My Dog From Lyme Disease
A safe and generally effective vaccine is available for protecting dogs against Lyme disease. This vaccine is initially given twice, at two- to four-week intervals.
“Annual revaccination is necessary to maintain immunity.”
Annual revaccination is necessary to maintain immunity. Vaccination against Lyme disease will be determined by your pet’s lifestyle and individual risk assessment. Be sure to discuss any questions you may have regarding the type and frequency of vaccination with your veterinarian.
Chronic Lyme: What Happens When Lyme Goes Untreated
The Lyme community typically uses the term chronic Lyme disease to describe a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that crop up after getting Lyme disease and persist for months to years after infection.
The risk of chronic Lyme increases the longer a Lyme infection goes untreated or undertreated. In other words, patients are more likely to recover fully if their Lyme infection is detected and treated as early as possible after the discovery of a tick bite. This stage is usually marked by symptoms such as fevers, chills, muscle aches, and sometimes rashes.
When left untreated or undertreated, however, Lyme disease can spread throughout the body and affect:
- The central nervous system
- Muscles and joints
As Lymedisease.org points out, these symptoms can evolve, disappear, and reappear at different times.
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Common Misconceptions About Lyme Disease:
1. If a dog tests positive for Lyme disease, it means she has it.
2. Dogs are much more likely than people to become ill from Lyme disease.
3. A dog infected with Lyme disease will tend to start showing symptoms within a month, and sometimes within the first 18 hours.
4. Dogs can transmit Lyme disease to people.
5. Lyme disease strikes only in warm weather.
A lot of times, a dog will test positive for Lyme disease, and her owners get nervous that their pet is sick and needs treatment, but the dog is fine. How can that be?
Its because testing positive for Lyme simply means that antibodies to the illness have been detected in the dogs blood. It does not mean that the animals body is actually being affected by the disease. How can that be?
The fact that a dog can test positive for Lyme disease yet not actually have it in a way that matters has led to a lot of nervous owners, and sometimes, even veterinarians who have over-treated. To clear up the misconceptions, heres what you need to know.
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What Do Lyme Disease Flare
The aforementioned symptoms of a Lyme disease flare-up can feel debilitating. The widespread pain, exhaustion, and general feeling of illness can be difficult to cope with, but there are things you can do to help manage the symptoms and reduce flare-ups. Speak with your doctor to explore further treatment and management options for your Lyme disease.
Featured image by Zohre Nemati on Unsplash
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How To Prevent Lyme Disease In Dogs
Lyme disease is preventable. The best way to avoid contracting Lyme disease is to avoid areas with high concentrations of ticks, like woods and grassy areas. Ticks are most active during the summer and fall, but infections are common during the summer as well as the winter in areas with mild winters. You should always manually check your dog for ticks after going for walks in tick-infested areas.
Administering a monthly tick preventative will also help prevent Lyme disease. Many of these preventatives kill ticks before they have had a chance to attach for 24 hours, reducing the risk of infection. There is also a vaccination that may be recommended for your dog if you regularly frequent high-risk areas. If you live in an area with severe infestations of ticks, you may also want to consider treating your yard, although pesticide treatments carry risks of their own that should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Questions To Ask Your Veterinarian
If your dog has a positive Lyme test but no symptoms of the disease or protein in the urine, ask your veterinarian why he or she is recommending treatment. Experts currently recommend against antibiotic therapy under these circumstances because the dogs immune system is holding the bacteria in check and antibiotics are unable to eliminate the infection.
Dogs who have contracted Lyme disease do not develop prolonged, protective immunity and can be reinfected at a later date. Talk to your veterinarian about how best to prevent future infections. Options include measures to prevent the ticks that carry Lyme disease from biting your dog and Lyme vaccination.
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How Lyme Disease Is Affected By Your Menstrual Cycle
Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. and Europe. Caused by certain species of bacteria, including Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease leads to various short-term and long-term symptoms.
Despite being a common bacterial infection, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose. That is because many Lyme disease symptoms overlap with those of other illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.
Managing the symptoms of Lyme disease can be particularly difficult for women. Fluctuating hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle can lead to sudden flare-ups. Symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and body ache can worsen when a female patient is menstruating.
It is important to keep an eye on various symptoms and seek treatment early on. This article will take a closer look at Lyme disease symptoms and understand their correlation with the female menstrual cycle.
What Is Lyme Disease
Several countries around the world, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, and all 50 states in the US have already reported cases of Lyme. The disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia, and it is spread by ticks. One of the biggest controversies surrounding Lyme is determining whether or not someone has the so-called persistent or chronic Lyme disease. The CDC and most specialists prefer to use a different term, post-treatment Lyme disease .
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Lyme Sci: The Dreaded Jarisch
The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction âoften shortened just to âHerxheimerâ or âherxingââhappens after you start antibiotic treatment for spirochetal infections like syphilis, Lyme disease, and tick-borne relapsing-fever. The reaction was first described in 1895 by Adolf Jarisch, an Austrian dermatologist, and later in 1902 by Karl …
Where Do Ticks Live And How Do They Get On Dogs
Ticks that carry Lyme disease are especially likely to be found in tall grasses, thick brush, marshes, and woods especially where deer populations are high. Ticks do not jump but only crawl and in seeking a host, will latch onto your dog when they pass by.
Lyme disease was named after a high number of cases that occurred in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975, but cases in dogs have been reported in every state in the United States. However, Lyme disease is more common in some geographical locations specifically, the Northeast, upper Midwest, and northern Pacific coast. Dog owners who live or spend time in these areas should be aware of the symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs, as well as the preventative measures available.
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Stage : Early Localized Lyme Disease
Stage 1 or early localized Lyme disease occurs 128 days following a tick bite.
Some people with stage one Lyme disease do not experience any symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they may include the following:
- a skin rash that may or may not resemble a bulls-eye
- flu-like illness, including chills and a fever
- swollen lymph nodes
Treatment For Lyme Disease Flare
There are things you can do to make Lyme disease flare-up symptoms less severe. Working with a Lyme literate doctor is crucial. A Lyme literate doctor is a specialist in Lyme disease. They have spent years studying and treating Lyme and understand it better than a general practitioner. They also know advanced treatments that go beyond antibiotics.
A general practitioner may want to treat each symptom separately. For example, if you feel anxiety and depression, they may wish to prescribe antianxiety or antidepressant medicines. If you have symptoms of insomnia, a doctor may want to prescribe drugs to help you sleep. Not all sleep medicines allow you to get restorative sleep, however.
Medications are often needed for Lyme disease flare-ups. Still, alternative treatments can be administered at the onset, exit, and in between flare-ups to combat debilitating symptoms.
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How You Get Lyme Disease
If a tick bites an animal carrying the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, the tick can become infected. The tick can then transfer the bacteria to a human by biting them.
Ticks can be found in any areas with deep or overgrown plants where they have access to animals to feed on.
They’re common in woodland and moorland areas, but can also be found in gardens or parks.
Ticks don’t jump or fly. They climb on to your clothes or skin if you brush against something they’re on. They then bite into the skin and start to feed on your blood.
Generally, you’re more likely to become infected if the tick is attached to your skin for more than 24 hours. Ticks are very small and their bites are not painful, so you may not realise you have one attached to your skin.