My Children Also Had Health Issues
My children had some health issues as well. The oldest had food allergies, and the baby had been in the womb with her head and feet together, causing her head to be mis-shaped. She wore a helmet for a year to help, but her cranial-facial doctor said it could only be lessened and not fixed.
After helmet therapy, one eye still looked a third smaller than the other because her cheekbone and brow-bone encroached on her eye socket. Her ear looked like it was on an angle on one side. As parents, we were fearful that she could be picked on as she got older.
How Is Lyme Disease Treated
With early-stage Lyme disease, youâll take antibiotics for about 10 days to 3 weeks. The most common ones are amoxicillin, cefuroxime, and doxycycline. The antibiotics will almost always cure your infection. If they donât, you might get other antibiotics either by mouth or as a shot.
If you donât treat your Lyme infection, you might need oral antibiotics for symptoms like weakened face muscles and irregular heartbeat. You may need antibiotics if you have meningitis, inflammation in your brain and spinal cord, or more severe heart problems.
If your Lyme is late stage, the doctor might give you antibiotics either by mouth or as a shot. If it causes arthritis, youâll get arthritis treatment.
Thereâs no therapy for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
Stage : Late Disseminated Lyme Disease
Late disseminated Lyme disease occurs when the infection hasnt been treated in stages 1 and 2. Stage 3 can occur months or years after the tick bite.
This stage is characterized by:
- arthritis of one or more large joints
- brain disorders, such as encephalopathy, which can cause short-term memory loss, difficulty concentrating, mental fogginess, problems with following conversations and sleep disturbance
- numbness in the arms, legs, hands, or feet
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Possible Alternative Treatment For Lyme Disease
- Date:
- University of Oklahoma
- Summary:
- Researchers have described a new antibiotic that appears to have the potential to cure Lyme disease.
As if COVID and RSV weren’t bad enough, incidents of Lyme disease — a potentially serious disease caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted following a bite of an infected deer tick — also are on the rise in the United States.
Lyme disease affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States alone. Humans and animals can be infected with B. burgdorferi following the bite of an infected deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick. About 80% of those who contract the disease will develop a bulls-eye rash around or near the site of the bite anywhere from three to 30 days following the bite.
Although early antibiotic treatment is effective for most patients, some 10-20% of patients continue to suffer from symptoms that may include fatigue, muscle pain and cognitive impairment for over six months after therapy. The significance of this debilitating disease has been recently brought into focus by a set of very similar symptoms in patients with “Long COVID.”
The antibiotics currently used to treat Lyme disease are broad-spectrum with significant effects on the human gut microbiome and the potential for increasing resistance in non-target bacteria, Zgurskaya explained, adding that the team sought to identify a compound acting with a narrower spectrum of activity against B. burgdorferi.
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Distinguishing Between Lyme Disease And Tick
Tick-borne relapsing fever has some similarities to Lyme disease, but they are in fact very distinct diseases that require specific treatment and monitoring by healthcare professionals.
One of the biggest points of similarity between the two diseases is the fact that they are both caused by Borrelia bacteria. However, the genus Borrelia divides into two very distinct groups: Borrelia burgdorferi, one of the primary types of Lyme disease bacteria, and relapsing fever Borrelia, which causes TBRF.
These bacteria are further distinguished by the fact that they are transmitted by different types of ticks. As noted earlier, Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted by either the black-legged tick or the related Western black-legged tick , both of which are part of the hard tick family. Hard ticks all share the distinguishing trait of a hard outer shield or back plate, known as a scutum.
By contrast, relapsing fever Borrelia is transmitted by certain species of soft ticksa different family of ticks that do not have a scutum but instead have more rounded bodies. Soft ticks also prefer a different habitat than hard ticks and feed very quickly, often attaching and falling off hosts in less than an hour. However, recently B. miyamotoi, which falls in the TBRF group, has been found in Lyme endemic areas being transmitted by hard ticks, the same ticks that transmit Lyme.
Image Source:HARD TICKS SOFT TICKS
Additional Resources
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What Should I Do If I Find A Tick On My Child
Don’t panic. First Lyme disease is spread by the black-legged tick, not by the larger and more-common dog tick. The risk of developing Lyme disease after a black-legged tick bite is low, especially if the tick has been attached for a short time.
If you find a tick on your child, remove it using a fine-tipped pair of tweezers. Grasp the body of the tick and pull in an upward motion until the tick comes out. Do not squeeze or twist the ticks body. Take note of the ticks size and color, and how long you think it has been attached to your child.
If your child has been bitten by a black-legged tick that has been attached for more than 24 hours and you are in a Lyme disease endemic area, consult with your pediatrician. In some cases, your child may be prescribed antibiotics to prevent Lyme disease from developing.
The commitment and compassion with which we care for all children and families is matched only by the pioneering spirit of discovery and innovation that drives us to think differently, to find answers, and to build a better tomorrow for children everywhere.
Why It Took So Long To Develop A New Vaccine For Lyme Disease
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In May, an article with the unprepossessing title Detecting Borrelia Spirochetes: A Case Study with Validation Among Autopsy Specimens was published in the medical journal Frontiers in Neurology. The deceased person in question was a sixty-nine-year-old woman who suffered from severe cognitive impairment. Fifteen years before her death she had been treated for Lyme disease, the most prevalent tick-borne illness in the United States, and was thought to have fully recovered. Yet, when her brain and spinal-cord tissue were examined, researchers found intact Borrelia spirochetes, the bacteria responsible for Lyme. If the womans cognitive decline did result from Lyme diseasewhich the paper suggested was a strong possibilitythen it was further evidence that the illness could persist and wreak havoc long after a tick bite, and long after treatment.
It was the first time an F.D.A.-licensed vaccine was removed because of a concerted public-opinion campaign, even as the number of infections were rising. People say, Why cant I do for myself what I can do for my dog? Well that, you know, is thanks to the people who brought down LYMErix, Mark Klempner, a professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts and one of the vaccines developers, told me. It was a great disappointment to have worked all those years and feel successful at the end of it, only to see it pulled. It was a tragedy.
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Who Is At Risk For Lyme Disease
Anyone can get a tick bite. But people who spend lots of time outdoors in wooded, grassy areas are at a higher risk. This includes campers, hikers, and people who work in gardens and parks.
Most tick bites happen in the summer months when ticks are most active and people spend more time outdoors. But you can get bitten in the warmer months of early fall, or even late winter if temperatures are unusually high. And if there is a mild winter, ticks may come out earlier than usual.
Lyme Disease Can Be Difficult To Detect And Diagnose
If you have been infected with Lyme disease, symptoms may appear anywhere from three days to a month after being bitten. Early on, symptoms may be flu-like, including fever, chills, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and achy joints and muscles. Some people also develop a rash at the site of the bite or elsewhere on their body.
A bulls-eye-shaped rash is one of the most recognizable signs of Lyme disease, but not everyone develops a rash or one that follows this distinctive pattern. In fact, fewer than 50 percent of people diagnosed with Lyme disease recall having any kind of rash.
If Lyme disease isnt diagnosed and treated early on, it can develop into late-stage or chronic Lyme disease. As the infection has more time to spread to different systems and areas of the body, patients with chronic Lyme disease may experience a wider range of symptoms that are more severe. These can include headache, fatigue, joint pain and swelling, cognitive difficulty, facial drooping , depression, sleep disturbances, heart palpitations or shooting pain, or numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.
Lyme disease is often called the great imitator, because its symptoms closely resemble other conditions and illnesses, including:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression
- Alzheimers Disease
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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
Benefits For My Children Too
The trickle-down effect is real. Both of my children were healed soon after I came home, too. No one even prayed for them. My daughter’s food allergies went away she could eat anything again with no reactions. And a few days after I got home from Georgia, I noticed that my one-year-old looked different. At first, I thought it was just me, but in three weeks, her eyes matched perfectly everything was the way it was originally supposed to be.
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Which Areas Are More Likely To Have It
The tick that causes Lyme disease has been moving from the Northeast and upper Midwest into the Southern and Western U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Cases in California and Florida are on the rise. After a drop between 2017 and 2018, the numbers jumped a little bit in 2019.
But most Lyme cases in 2019 were in 15 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Washington, DC, is also a hotspot.
In 2019, Pennsylvania had the most Lyme infections, with 6,763. New York was next, with 2,847 cases.
In the Southern U.S., where itâs hotter, ticks stay under leaves so they don’t dry out. This means people donât get Lyme from Southern ticks very often because they don’t usually come out to bite.
Even though people only report about 30,000 cases of Lyme infection in the U.S. each year, there are actually around 476,000 a year. The same tick also can spread other diseases, including babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus. Those diseases are also on the rise in the U.S.
Whoâs likeliest to get Lyme disease?
Boys up to age 15 and men between the ages of 40 and 60 are the most likely to get Lyme disease. Thatâs because they tend to play outside and go camping, hunting, and hiking.
Why are there more ticks now than there used to be?
There are several reasons why Lyme is spreading. Some of these are:
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.
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Legal Mandates To Cover Unproven Treatments
The state of Connecticut, meanwhile, enacted a law on June 18, 2009, “to allow a licensed physician to prescribe, administer or dispense long-term antibiotics for a therapeutic purpose to a patient clinically diagnosed with Lyme disease.” The states of Rhode Island, California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Maine, and Iowa have similar laws.
Massachusetts and Rhode Island have laws mandating insurance coverage for long-term antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease when deemed medically necessary by a physician. In 1999 Connecticut had passed a similar, though somewhat more restrictive law.
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:
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Getting Tested For Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed or entirely missed at early stages. As mentioned above, this can allow the disease to develop into more severe and/or chronic Lyme disease down the road. This is why its so important to get an accurate diagnosis as early as possible.
There are a few factors that influence a persons ability to get a reliable diagnosis. One is the timing of the test. Because even the most accurate Lyme disease tests detect antibodies, not the pathogens themselves, its important not to get tested too early after possible exposure. If you test too early with conventional tests, you may not have enough antibodies yet, and the test results could be negative even though you do have an infection. However, there are tests that specialize in early detection IGeneX offers one, the IgXSpot test.
Its also important to recognize that there are at least 18 distinct types of Borrelia that cause Lyme disease, and if your test is only designed to detect one or two types which is unfortunately all too common it will miss infections caused by other types. The most accurate tests for Lyme disease are designed to detect all the different types of Lyme disease bacteria found in North America and Europe.
To learn more about what makes certain types of Lyme disease tests more reliable than others, read IGeneXs blog on the most accurate test for Lyme disease.
Can a tick be tested for disease?
Where Is Lyme Disease Prevalent
LD is spreading slowly along and inland from the upper east coast, as well as in the upper midwest. The mode of spread is not entirely clear and is probably due to a number of factors such as bird migration, mobility of deer and other large mammals, and infected ticks dropping off of pets as people travel around the country. It is also prevalent in northern California and Oregon coast, but there is little evidence of spread.
In order to assess LD risk you should know whether infected deer ticks are active in your area or in places you may visit. The population density and percentage of infected ticks that may transmit LD vary markedly from one region of the country to another. There is even great variation from county to county within a state and from area to area within a county. For example, less than 5% of adult ticks south of Maryland are infected with B. burgdorferi, while up to 50% are infected in hyperendemic areas of the northeast. The tick infection rate in Pacific coastal states is between 2% and 4%.
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