All About Lyme Disease

Lyme’s disease is one of the most well-known disease that is carried by ticks. It is spread by the blacklegged tick and it is most common in the states bordering the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. According to the CDC Virginia is one of the 14 states where 95% of Lyme disease cases are reported. It is important to know the symptoms of Lyme disease so that you can seek treatment for the disease.

Symptoms of Lyme’s Disease

The first sign of Lyme disease is the bull’s eye rash that will appear on your body. It may be around the tick bite, but it can appear anywhere on your body a few days after the tick bite. It can take up to 30 days to appear and it only appears about 80 percent of the time. Other symptoms include fever, chills, tiredness, muscle aches, headache, joint pain and swollen lymph nodes. If you have these symptoms, and you know you were bitten by a tick, you should seek medical care.

Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease

Lyme disease will not clear up on its own, and the symptoms can turn into permanent damage that is difficult to treat. If you do not seek medical attention because you think it is a cold or virus, you may end up with more complications including severe headache and neck stiffness. Arthritis in the larger joints and pain that comes and goes in your muscles, joints and bones. Other symptoms include an irregular hear beat and nerve pain.

Diagnosing Lyme Disease

The doctor may look for the rash to see if you have signs or symptoms of Lyme disease. There is also a blood test that the doctor can complete. This is more likely to be used in cases where the rash is not present and you know that you were bitten by a tick or that you are someone that frequently visits area where you may be more likely to be bitten by a tick.

Treating for Lyme Disease

There is an antibiotic that can treat for Lyme disease. The sooner you get treated, the better the prognosis for a full recovery. If you waited to get treated, you may need to go on the antibiotics more than one time. There are a few antibiotics that your doctor may prescribe based on your medical history. The treatments may take up to three weeks to complete. You may also develop Post treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, which means that you can still be tired and have muscle aches for up to six months afterwards.

Learn about ticks in Virginia and the diseases they cause.

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