Lime disease is a bacterial infection that can create a wide range of health issues by those that are infected by it. Lyme disease can affect different people in different ways and impact any organ in the body. For some, they may suffer only joint and muscle aches, while for others, they may experience impacts to their brain and nervous system. It can affect people of all ages and of any race. It can often by difficult to diagnose because it can take on so many forms–and share so many symptoms with other diseases and illnesses.
How Do People Get Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is typically transmitted through the bite of an immature tick. Immature ticks are very small–about the size of a poppy seed–and their bites are painless, so many people do not even realize they have been bitten. If the tick remains attached for a long period of time, the odds of Lyme disease being contracted increases significantly.
A tick must be attached to its host for 36 to 48 hours, so Lyme disease is completely preventable by checking yourself regularly for ticks, particularly after you have been outside or in the woods.
Common Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Some common symptoms of Lyme disease include (but are not limited to):
- Flu-like Illness
- Rash
- Facial Drooping
- Fatique
- Cognitive Impairment
- Joint Pain
- Poor Sleep
- Mood Problems
- Muscle Pain
- And More
Common Misdiagnosis of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease shares many symptoms with other diseases, so it is often misdiagnosed as:
- Chronic Fatigue
- Fibromyalga
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s Disease
- ALS
- Alzheimer’s
- And More
How Do I Know if I Have Lyme Disease?
Since Lyme disease is primarily contracted through tick bites, this means that most new cases of Lyme disease occur during Summer months–a time of year when flu and colds are less common. If you begin to experience the symptoms of the flu or common cold or if you have unusual fatigue or muscle aches, it would be a good idea to get tested for Lyme disease. Unusual rashes are also a good sign that you may have Lyme disease. If you notice any of these symptoms, visit a doctor immediately and request a Lyme disease test.
Lyme Disease Treatment
Lyme disease treatment varies depending on whether you have Early Lyme disease or Late/Chronic Lyme Disease.
Early Lyme Treatment
Doctors are likely to recommend aggressive and longer antibiotic treatment for people that are suspected to have contracted Lyme Disease. They may, for instance, treat high risk tick bites where the tick came from an endemic area, was attached a long time, and was removed improperly. They may treat a Lyme rash for a longer period of time to ensure that the disease does not progress.
Late & Chronic Lyme Treatment
Late / chronic Lyme disease is treated with ongoing antibiotic treatments. No single antibiotic or combination of antibiotics appears to be capable of completely eradicating the infection, and treatment failures or relapses are reported with all current regimens, although they are less common with early aggressive treatment.
Lyme Testing in Montgomery County, MD
If you suspect that you may have Lyme disease, don’t wait–visit Fast Track Urgent Care today for a Lyme test. Our Lyme disease tests are fast, and affordable, putting you on a path to early detection and treatment, which could mean the difference between being successfully healed or developing chronic Lyme disease that may require a lifetime of treatment, discomfort, and persistent health ailments.
