Preventing and Treating Lyme Disease

Four years ago I contracted Lyme disease and had a year-long battle with it before I was finally cured. Over the course of that year I learned a lot about Lyme disease, and about much of the medical community's ignorance regarding it.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that is not contagious. The most obvious symptom of Lyme disease is a bull's eye rash that can occur either at the site of the tick bite or somewhere else on your body. I developed a bull's eye rash on the back of both my legs. If you develop such a rash anywhere on your body, it is important to see your doctor immediately. Some people who contract the disease never notice a rash, but develop other symptoms. The initial symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for the flu.

The symptoms of Lyme disease vary greatly from patient to patient. My main symptom was extreme fatigue. During the worst few weeks I was sleeping for almost twenty hours each day. Other symptoms you may experience are paralysis of facial nerves, tingling in your arms and legs, confusion or difficulty concentrating, bouts of arthritis, and an irregular heart beat. The symptoms usually get progressively worse if the disease is left untreated.

If you suspect you might have Lyme disease, get tested right away. If you do have it, your doctor will probably put you on a three-week course of antibiotics. It is very important that you have them test you again after you finish the antibiotics. There are two different types of tests that doctors use for Lyme disease. One tests for antibodies and the other tests for the presence of the organisms themselves. Make sure that your doctor uses the one that tests for the organisms or find a doctor that will use that test. My doctor used the one that tested for antibodies and when it came back positive, they told me that it was because the antibodies stay in the body even after the organisms are gone.

It took several months of persisting symptoms before I finally went to another doctor. This was when I realized how important it is to research and find the right doctor before making an appointment. I encourage you to look for a Lyme disease specialist in your area. If you cannot go to a specialist, make sure to find out the doctor's stand on chronic Lyme disease. The next doctor I saw told me that he did not believe that chronic Lyme disease exists and told me I must have depression. He then gave me a very patronizing talk about how difficult depression can be and then charged me for the visit.

I finally found a Lyme disease specialist who told me that chronic Lyme disease does incontrovertibly exist. She tested me and found that the organism was still alive and gave me a six-week course of new antibiotics. I took oral antibiotics, but some people take IV antibiotics. By the end of the six weeks I was feeling better and all my symptoms had cleared up. She tested me again and found that the organism was gone.

Once you are cured of Lyme disease, you can still contract it again. It is important to be very vigilant about prevention. Whenever you spend time outdoors, especially in wooded areas, make sure to use insect repellant. When you go back indoors check your entire body for ticks and if you find any, remove them immediately. If you find a tick on you, consult with your doctor right away, since immediate treatment can sometimes prevent Lyme disease.

Sources:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lyme_disease/article_em.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Lyme/

http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld.html