Symptoms Of Lyme Flare Up

Risk Factors For Post

Youre at a greater risk for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome if youre infected by the bite of a diseased tick. If the infection progresses to the chronic stage, your symptoms might continue for weeks, months, or even years after the initial tick bite.

You may also be at a higher risk for these long-term symptoms if youre not treated with the recommended antibiotics. However, even people who receive antibiotic therapy are at risk. Because the cause of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome is unknown, theres no way to determine whether it will progress to the chronic stage.

Typically, the symptoms of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome resemble those that occur in earlier stages. People with persistent symptoms often experience lingering episodes of:

• fatigue

Can You Prevent A Lyme Disease Flare

The best way to prevent a Lyme disease flare-up is by avoiding contracting Lyme disease in the first place. This can be done by always taking precautions against ticks and checking for ticks after spending time in wooded areas. Since Lyme disease is incredibly difficult to treat, and many people are often unaware that they even have it until it has had time to wreak havoc across the entire body, its especially important to avoid contracting the infection where possible.

For those who have already contracted and been diagnosed with Lyme disease, getting proper treatment is the best way to deal with, manage, and prevent Lyme flare-ups. Some tips for preventing Lyme disease from flaring up include:

• Identify your triggers by listening to your body
• Reduce stress levels by practicing stress management techniques
• Continue with proper Lyme disease treatment
• Practice good sleep hygiene so you have the best chance at getting good-quality sleep
• Avoid the consumption of sugar and alcohol
• Rest if you dont feel well
• Find a mental health provider that may help you cope with the symptoms of the disease and prevent any mental changes from worsening

Symptoms Of Late Stage Lyme Disease

The CDC reports that late stage Lyme disease may appear days to months after the initial tick bite and may include but are not limited to:

• Severe headaches and neck stiffness
• Additional EM rashes in new places on the body
• Facial palsy, also known as Bells palsy paralysis of one side of the face
• Arthritis or joint pain and swelling, especially of large joints
• Intermittent tendon, muscle, joint, nerve, or bone pain
• Heart palpitations or arrhythmia
• Dizziness or shortness of breath
• Inflammation of the brain or spinal cord
• Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet

As mentioned above, late stage Lyme may also be characterized by the recurrence of early stage symptoms, such as fatigue.

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What A Lyme Disease Flare Is Like For Me

I stink. Or at least my grimy hair does, and were a solid day past anything a little dry shampoo can save. But my eyes must weigh at least a thousand pounds, and my lungs are like cranky little boxes with a waiting line behind them. No matter whose turn it is, they never quite get filled, and so theyre just piled up with one angry customer after another. And dont get me started on my heart. What is his deal today? He woke me up several times throughout the night with the force of his pounding and racing. These folks are not going to be happy about standing up in the shower.

But my hair is grimy. Joints chime in before Ive even firmly planted both feet within the shower stall. They are not having this stepping and bending nonsense. For whatever reason, even the most benign thoughts leave me with a pressing tightness around my chest. And as I remove my hands from washing the back of my hair, I find both of them disguised by the wads of hair that came with them no longer attached to my head. What is going on today? Oh, right.

This is a Lyme disease flare for me.

Awesome, I think, mentally running through all the things that need to be done within the next several days that most certainly will not occur. And I carefully consider which ones I must force myself to do regardless of the cost. These generally center on my kiddos.

Not My First Vaccine Rodeo

The main reason I had no compunction about getting a COVID-19 vaccine is that Ive had other vaccines since I became disabled by Lyme and other tick-borne infections. Ive had several flu shots . Ive had a moderate flare in Lyme and Babesia symptoms after each shot, in addition to flu-like symptoms for two or three days after the shot. Ive gotten vaccinated for Hepatitis A , tDaP, and rabies. For each, the initial reaction was a mild vagal response, not fainting, but feeling lightheaded and nauseated. I didnt realize until later that I have a vagal response to needles. However, I dont avoid them, I just prepare for the reaction. The Tdap hit me pretty hard. It took over a month to get through the Lyme/Babesia flare after that one.

The point in saying all this is that having a Lyme flare is not the end of the world. Im already disabled from these illnesses. I already have two seasonal flares and other flares after I catch a cold or eat pizza. Some flares are worse than others. I have my list of herbs and my trusty coil machine. If Im still messed up after two weeks and not showing any improvement, then I can call my LLMD for some antibiotics to knock the infections back, before returning to herbs and coiling. I dont experience the vaccine with fear, just mental, physical, and logistical preparation. I have a stack of books to reread and a good attitude. I hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and generally land somewhere in the middle.

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What Is Late Lyme Disease

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is caused by an infection with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacteria is disseminated through tick bites. Infected ticks usually bite small mammals, who do not develop any kind of infection from the bacteria. When humans are exposed to B. Burgdorferi from a tick bite, however, they can develop Lyme disease.

People who work outside or spend time in woodland areas, where there is greater potential for exposure to tick bites, are most at risk of infection.

Lyme disease is a condition which progresses in stages:

Stress And Lyme Disease Flare

Whether its emotional or physical stress or mild or severe, stress is not healthy. Stress has been extensively studied and found to be a significant contributor to inflammation in the body. Stress releases chemicals called cytokines, which help repair damaged areas of the body. When released in high amounts, however, they are not beneficial. The more stressed you are, the more cytokines released, the more inflammation in your body.

Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease. Flare-ups are a sign of increased inflammation in your body, which can move to your joints, muscles, nervous system, and brain.

Because stress can be a trigger for a Lyme flare-up, you must implement stress-reduction activities daily. Try meditation, yoga, massage, exercise, gardening, and any other activity you find relaxing.

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Possible Complications To Watch For With Lyme Disease

Talk to your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about your dogs condition.

• Some dogs who take antibiotics can develop loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Once infected, a dog will always have the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in his or her body. Therefore, relapses are possible, and owners should be on the lookout for unexplained fever, swollen lymph nodes, and/or lameness.
• A small percentage of dogs develop kidney failure as a result of Lyme disease. Clinical signs include vomiting, weight loss, poor appetite, lethargy, increased thirst and urination, and abnormal accumulations of fluid within the body.

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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The Numbers On Chronic Lyme

Because Lyme disease is commonly missed or misdiagnosed, statistics vary on how many Lyme patients go on to experience chronic symptoms. The following research nonetheless paints a basic picture of the problem.

• An estimated 5-20% of patients may have chronic symptoms after getting Lyme disease, according to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
• The treatment failure rate for chronic Lyme disease patients was estimated at 26-50% in 2004, compared to 16-39% for early Lyme patients, according to Lymedisease.org.
• Up to 15-40% of late-stage Lyme patients develop neurological disorders, which are responsible for many common symptoms of chronic Lyme disease.

Experts dont know for sure why some people experience persistent symptoms, even with treatment. However, some believe the Lyme infection may trigger an auto-immune response that manifests in the chronic symptoms detailed below.

How Is Lyme Disease Treated

Because the Lyme spirochete is a bacterium, it can be treated with antibiotics. The antibiotic of choice is doxycycline, followed by amoxicillin, then azithromycin. Treatment lasts for 4 weeks. Occasionally, the initial infection will recur, or the pet will become re-infected by being bitten by another infected tick.

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You Feel Tired And Wired

Lyme never sleeps, which means that people with it often have trouble sleeping as well. It’s common for those with Lyme to report having trouble falling asleep, waking up throughout the night, and waking up earlier than intended. One study in Sleep even found that 100 percent of Lyme patients had sleep issues. Even when they do get lots of sleep, the fatigue caused by Lyme can make people feel like they haven’t slept at all. Yet Lyme’s effects on the adrenal gland and hypothalamus can leave people feeling hyperactive and jittery even as they are sleep-deprived, says Reihman. So, many Lyme patients describe themselves as “tired and wired.”

Lyme Disease Symptoms Also Occur In Other Diseases

Many Lyme symptoms, such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, joint pain, poor sleep, mood problems, muscle pain, and neurological presentations also occur in other diseases. Hence, the symptoms of Lyme disease significantly overlap those of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, ALS, depression and Alzheimers disease. Many Lyme patients report being misdiagnosed with a different condition before being properly diagnosed with Lyme disease.

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What Triggers A Lyme Disease Flare

In some cases, a Lyme disease flare-up can be triggered by outside factors. For people with chronic Lyme disease, each trigger will be different because the body reacts differently to the borrelia bacteria.

Some common triggers for a Lyme disease flare-up can include:

• Emotional stress driven by grief, an accident, or a big life change such as divorce
• Physical stress on the body, such as a surgery or physical injury
• Other types of infections, such as cold or flu
• General exhaustion
• Eating a diet high in processed sugars and alcohol
• For those who menstruate, having a menstrual period could trigger a flare-up
• Not getting enough good-quality sleep
• Changes to routine or travelling
• Treatment changes

While many of these triggers cannot be avoided, some are preventable and can help you reduce the risk of having a Lyme disease flare-up.

Image by Bermix Studio on What does a Lyme disease flare-up feel like?

What Causes Lyme Disease In Dogs

Dogs contract Lyme disease through the bite of infected ticks. These ticks contain the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which is a type of organism known as a spirochete.

Common Causes

There are at least four species of ticks in the world known to carry Lyme disease:

• Ixodes pacificus

• Ixodes ricinus

• Ixodes persulcatus

In the United States, the most common source of transmission is the Deer Tick or Black-Legged Tick, scientifically known as Ixodes pacificus on the West Coast and Ixodes scapularis on the East Coast. In Europe, the Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus ticks carry Lyme disease.

These ticks are tiny, which can make them hard to see or feel on your dog, and all stages of the tick can carry and spread the disease, although adult ticks tend to be the most infectious. It typically takes 24 to 48 hours after attaching to a host for the tick to spread the Lyme-causing bacteria, although transmission of disease can sometimes occur much more rapidly.

Certain areas are more prone to ticks than others. Wooded or grassy areas and areas with large tick populations pose the highest risk of infection. Ticks tend to be most active in the spring and fall when they are actively seeking hosts, which increases the risk of Lyme transmission. However, recent evidence indicates that ticks are also active in winter, as long as the temperature is above freezing.

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How To Reduce A Herx

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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Lyme Disease Symptom Flare Ups & Menstrual Cycle: A Link Between Lyme Flares And Menstrual Symptoms

Transcription of video:Hi! This week is for the ladies, so if you’re not interested in learning about the links between lines have them flare-ups and menstrual cycles then this video is not for you. Go ahead and skip this one. But if you aren’t gonna stick around, a short disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor this work has not been reviewed by a medical doctor and this should not be taken in lieu of medical advice. I am simply sharing my research and experiences with you.

First, just kind of a cliff notes version of what I was dealing with before I got Lyme and then what I’m dealing with after Lyme, and then we’re gonna dive into some of the research and interesting things I found out.

My very first cycle was around 13 or 14 years old and it was extremely painful. I remember vomiting from the pain, not being able to stand upright, and missing days of school. Around age 15, I was told I had endometriosis and put me on birth control pills, which were supposed to give me a more regular period and help me manage those cramps. However, I never really experienced any relief, and for whatever reason, I just continued taking the birth control pills.

So, my period started getting a lot worse, I started getting a lot more fatigue. Which in my mind, I was thinking okay my body’s just recalibrating from getting off these hormones for 15 years, but looking back I’m like, Oh, you know, Lyme could have been messing up all those cycles as well.

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What To Expect At Home

Home care for dogs with Lyme disease is relatively straightforward. Doxycycline is usually given by mouth twice daily for at least 30 days. Improvement in the dogs symptoms should be noted within 24-48 hours. If the dogs condition fails to improve in 72 hours or worsens at any time, call your veterinarian.

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