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.
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.
Later Signs Of Lyme Disease
What if Lyme disease isnt detected early on? The longer that disease-causing bacteria linger in the body, the more they disseminate, and as these microbes spread to tissues throughout the body, they can trigger a litany of symptoms. CDC says these may include:
- Severe headaches and neck stiffness
- Additional EM rashes. These lesions may pop up on other areas of the body
- A type of facial paralysis known as Bells palsy
- Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling. Knees and other large joints are vulnerable
- Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones
- Nerve pain
- Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
You might have persistent or episodic symptoms, says Dr. Green. Pain that seems to move through the body? Thats common too. The hallmark of late Lyme is migratory joint pain: today my right knee hurts and tomorrow Im limping on my left ankle, and, oh, my third finger of my right hand swelled up, and, oh, my neck has swelled up, she says.
In rare cases, Lyme disease bacteria can enter the tissues of the heart. This complication, called Lyme carditis, can lead to lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, or chest pain.
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What If A Tick Bites My Dog
The more ticks in your region, the likelier it is that your furry pal will bring them home.
Your dog is much more likely to be bitten by a tick than you are. And where Lyme disease is common, up to 25% of dogs have had it at some point.
About 10% of dogs with Lyme disease will get sick. 7-21 days after a tick bite, your dog might seem like theyâre walking on eggshells. They also might have a fever and enlarged lymph nodes. Plus, they might seem tired. Dogs also get antibiotics for Lyme.
What if my dog brings ticks into my home?
Use a tick control product on your pet to prevent Lyme disease. Also, have your dog vaccinated against Lyme.
Check your dogâs whole body each day for bumps. If you notice a swollen area, see if thereâs a tick there. If you find a tick, wear gloves while you use tweezers to separate it from your dog. Then, put it in soapy water or alcohol, or flush it down the toilet.
Use alcohol to clean the spot on your dog where the tick was attached. Keep an eye on that spot, and also on your dog to make sure theyâre behaving normally. If you notice any changes, check with your vet.
Show Sources
John Aucott, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine director, Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center.
CDC.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: âVital Signs: Trends in Reported Vectorborne Disease Cases United States and Territories, 2004-2016.â
American College of Rheumatology.
Achy Stiff Or Swollen Joints
Joint pain and stiffness, often intermittent, are early Lyme symptoms. Your joints may be inflamed, warm to the touch, painful, and swollen. You may have stiffness and limited range of motion in some joints .
Pain may move around. Sometimes your knees may hurt, whereas other times its your neck or your heels. You may also have bursitis . Bursae are the thin cushions between bone and surrounding tissue.
The pain may be severe, and it may be transitory. More than one joint may be affected. Most often the large joints are involved .
People often attribute joint problems to age, genetics, or sports. Lyme should be added to that list, as these statistics indicate:
- One study estimates that 80 percent of people with untreated Lyme have muscle and joint symptoms .
- Fifty percent of people with untreated Lyme have intermittent episodes of arthritis .
- Two-thirds of people have their first episode of joint pain within six months of the infection .
- Use of anti-inflammatory drugs may mask the actual number of people with joint swelling .
Summary:
Joint pain that comes and goes, or moves from joint to joint, could be a sign of Lyme.
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Neck Pain From Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is commonly associated with tick bites and a big circular rash. However, a tick bite does not hurt and many people do not recall being bit or seeing the rash. Further complicating matters, Lyme disease symptoms may start out minor and not become problematic for months or longer.
Lyme disease causes neck pain in more than 30% of cases. Watch:Neck Pain Causes Video
Media reports rarely focus on neck pain with Lyme disease, but some estimates note that it occurs in more than 30% of the cases and is typically one of the earlier symptoms.1 Recognizing Lyme disease early and seeking treatment can make a big difference in the outcome.
Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease
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Overview
Lyme disease is an underreported, under-researched, and often debilitating disease transmitted by spirochete bacteria. The spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, are transmitted by blacklegged deer ticks. Lymes wide range of symptoms mimic those of many other ailments, making it difficult to diagnose .
The blacklegged ticks can also transmit other disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These are known as coinfections . These ticks that transmit Lyme are increasing their geographical spread. As of 2016, they were found in about half the counties in 43 of 50 states in the United States .
Lyme is the fifth most reported of notifiable diseases in the United States, with an estimated 329,000 new cases found annually . Some studies estimate that there are as many as 1 million cases of Lyme in the United States every year .
Most people with Lyme who are treated right away with three weeks of antibiotics have a good prognosis.
But if youre not treated for weeks, months, or even years after infection, Lyme becomes more difficult to treat. Within days of the bite, the bacteria can move to your central nervous system, muscles and joints, eyes, and heart .
Here is a list of 13 common signs and symptoms of Lyme disease.
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Other Digestive Issues That May Be Associated With Lyme Disease
Other digestive signs that give clues there may be an underlying infection like Lyme disease are candida and parasite infections that are difficult to treat. Infection with Borrelia causes immune dysfunction, making it challenging to treat yeast or parasitic infections until Lyme is successfully treated.
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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Chronic Lyme Disease Symptoms
There is currently only one symptom in the medical literature which is defined as being specific to chronic or long-standing Lyme disease infection, Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans.
Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans , is unique to Lyme disease and can occur in people who have been infected with Lyme disease for many years. It occurs particularly on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet it begins with painful inflammation of the skin which lasts months or years, often with bluish red discolouration, and ultimately leads to thinning of the skin like tissue paper .
This symptom can be mistaken for peripheral vascular disorders.
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Your Pain Moves Around Your Body
Another hallmark sign of Lyme is migratory pain â that is, pain that travels from one body part to the other. You might, for example, find that your right knee is hurting one day and your left knee is hurting the next. Common kinds of pain associated with Lyme include joint paint and nerve pains that create shooting or zapping sensations, says Reihman.
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When Should I Call The Doctor
If a tick bites you, call your doctor. Other conditions can cause similar symptoms, so it’s always a good idea to discuss them with your doctor. That way you can get checked and treated, if needed. Call right away if you get a red-ringed rash, lasting flu-like symptoms, joint pain or a swollen joint, or facial paralysis.
Youre Sensitive To Light
Lyme disease can make people extremely sensitive to light, sometimes to the degree that they need to wear sunglassesor even sleep masksindoors. Theyll wear these extremely dense sunglassesalmost as dark as somebody whos a welder would wear, Dr. Liegner says. Its so painful for them to perceive light.
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The Chance Of Getting Lyme Disease
Not all ticks in England carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
But it’s still important to be aware of ticks and to safely remove them as soon as possible, just in case.
Ticks that may cause Lyme disease are found all over the UK, but high-risk places include grassy and wooded areas in southern and northern England and the Scottish Highlands.
Ticks are tiny spider-like creatures that live in woods, areas with long grass, and sometimes in urban parks and gardens. They’re found all over the UK.
Ticks do not jump or fly. They attach to the skin of animals or humans that brush past them.
Once a tick bites into the skin, it feeds on blood for a few days before dropping off.
What Is Lyme Arthritis
Lyme arthritis occurs when Lyme disease bacteria enter joint tissue and cause inflammation. If left untreated, permanent damage to the joint can occur. Lyme arthritis accounts for approximately one out of every four Lyme disease cases reported to CDC. Because of reporting practices, this statistic may overstate the frequency of arthritis among patients seen in routine clinical practice.
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What Are The Treatments For Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. The earlier you are treated, the better it gives you the best chance of fully recovering quickly.
After treatment, some patients may still have pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that lasts more than 6 months. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome . Researchers don’t know why some people have PTLDS. There is no proven treatment for PTLDS long-term antibiotics have not been shown to help. However, there are ways to help with the symptoms of PTLDS. If you have been treated for Lyme disease and still feel unwell, contact your health care provider about how to manage your symptoms. Most people do get better with time. But it can take several months before you feel all better.
Unexplained Pain And Other Sensations
Some people with Lyme may have sharp rib and chest pains that send them to the emergency room, suspecting a heart problem 00090-7/abstract%20″ rel=”nofollow”> 27).
When no problem is found, after the usual testing, the ER diagnosis is noted as an unidentified musculoskeletal cause.
You can also have strange sensations like skin tingling or crawling, or numbness or itchiness 00090-7/abstract%20″ rel=”nofollow”> 27).
Other symptoms have to do with cranial nerves.
- Ear-ringing . Tinnitus can be a nuisance, especially at bedtime when it seems to get louder as youre trying to fall asleep. About 10 percent of people with Lyme experience this (
- Hearing loss. One study reported that 15 percent of Lyme patients experienced loss of hearing .
- Jaw pain or toothaches that are not related to actual tooth decay or infection.
Summary:
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What Is Lyme Disease
Dr. Andres Romero, MD, infectious disease specialist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA shares, “Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness, that means a human host acquires the infection after a bite from a tick. It is limited to certain regions in the country, predominantly the New England and mid-Atlantic areas, but cases have been reported in other regions. In order to transmit the infection the tick needs to be attached to the body for 24 hours or more. As expected, a person is more likely to acquire the infection during the summer months when outdoor activities are more common. Hence, if you live in a high incidence area, it is important to check all areas of the body for ticks after any outdoor activities to ensure none is attached.”
Can Lyme Disease Cause Intracranial Hypertension
intracranial pressureLyme disease
. Also to know is, can Lyme cause IIH?
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection that is endemic to multiple areas of the United States. Patients with LD may present with sign and symptoms of intracranial hypertension . MRI obtained in six patients showed contrast enhancement of various cranial nerves.
Additionally, can Lyme cause meningitis? Lyme meningitis symptoms consist of headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and/or fever. While an abnormal spinal tap is very important in confirming a case of neurologic Lyme disease, not all patients with neurologic Lyme disease will have detectable Borrelia burgdorferi in the spinal fluid.
Besides, can Lyme cause Papilledema?
Optic nerve involvement in Lyme disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Papilledema caused by raised intracranial pressure in Lyme meningitis seems mainly to affect children, although some adult cases have been reported.
What is Lyme Neuroborreliosis?
Neuroborreliosis, is a disorder of the central nervous system. A neurological manifestation of Lyme disease, neuroborreliosis is caused by a systemic infection of spirochetes of the genus Borrelia. Symptoms of the disease include erythema migrans and flu-like symptoms.
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You Cant Shake Your Fatigue
The exhaustion that Lyme patients can feel goes beyond sleepiness: You might feel too fatigued to stand up from the couch to go make a cup of soup, says Sandy Barenbaum, a licensed clinical social worker co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parents Survival Guide and psychotherapist for people who have Lyme. If youre tired , you rest, get up, and youre raring to go. A nap could fix it, she says. The fatigue of Lyme is equivalent to the fatigue of congestive heart failure. Lyme disease can keep people from going through normal sleep cycles, adding to the exhaustion, Leventhal says. Here are other common medical reasons you could be tired all the time.
Lyme Disease By The Numbers
300,000. New cases nationwide reported each year
300. Strains of Lyme disease worldwide
100. Strains of Lyme disease in the United States
50. Percentage of times a tick or bull’s-eye rash is found
35 to 50. Percentage of times common blood tests show a false negative
1. Rank of Lyme disease as the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the USA
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What Lyme Disease Feels Like
According to Dr. Romero, “Frequently the initial symptom is a rash at the site of the bite that appears 7-14 days after the exposure. Not specific symptoms are also predominant including fatigue, poor appetite, joint aches and headaches. Some people may develop fever as well. Respiratory symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms are unlikely with this condition. Other more severe symptoms tend to occur several weeks or even months later if the condition goes unrecognized, these include neurological symptoms like facial paralysis, meningitis and heart blockage . Less commonly it could also affect the eyes but this is rare.” 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
Getting A Lyme Disease Diagnosis
One of the biggest difficulties doctors run into when diagnosing Lyme disease is that there is not currently a reliable test available to confirm someone has it. Blood tests are used to detect if antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi are present, which is the bacteria carried by the ticks that cause the disease. However, most tests only check for a small number of the possible strains that can cause an infection, and it can take a couple of weeks for the antibodies to show up on the test.
People also often get receive false negative or positive results, so a negative test result does not necessarily mean you havent been infected. Many people get a bulls-eye rash when bitten by a tick, but not everyone gets this mark or notices it there. For this reason, its essential to see a doctor who has experience treating Lyme disease and understands what symptoms to look for.
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