Lyme disease is frequently misdiagnosed for other illnesses, as it can mimic many other illnesses. For this Lyme is called “The Great Imitator”. Often patients are misdiagnosed as having an autoimmune disease or a number of other illnesses.
Lyme disease is known as The Great Imitator, as it can mimic many different illnesses. It can affect any organ in the body, and cause over 150 symptoms. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, food sensitivity, joint problems, night sweats, chills, fever, nerve tremors, migraine headaches, feeling numbness and tingling in hands and feet.
Meningitis, MS, ALS, Alzheimer’s, Autism, ADHD, Parkinson’s, and Dystonia should all be considered as possible Lyme. It can mirror any neurological, cardiac, psychiatric, and arthritic multisystem disorder.
Borrelia burgdorferi takes three different forms to evade the immune system and
antibiotics. The three forms are the spiral shape spirochete that has a cell wall, the cell wall deficient form, and the cyst form.
IGeneX Lab is the most highly recommended lab for detecting tick-borne infections.
After a bite of an infected tick, Borrelia bacteria enter your bloodstream. Borrelia microbes clear the bloodstream quickly and penetrate deeply into the tissues. The bacterium with its corkscrew shape drills itself into tissues, organs and joints, cartilage, and brain tissue. It can also enter and thrive inside many types of cells, thus gaining protection from immune functions and antibiotics.
Lyme can affect any organ in the body, including the nervous system, brain, heart, muscles, and joints. Over time, it can cause more serious damage including temporary paralysis and speech problems.
If you find a tick in you, it is really important to see an LLMD doctor, a Lyme Literate Doctor. IGeneX Lab is the most highly recommended lab for detecting tick-borne infections.
Most people get Lyme disease from a tick bite. Many people will get bit by a tick nymph. Nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed. They are so tiny and their bite is painless, many people do not even realize they have been bitten. The nymph falls off and possibly can infect you, without you even knowing. At other times people will find a mature tick in them and have to remove the tick.
If a person is lucky, within 24 hours to as long as a few days of being bitten by an infected tick, an erythema chronicum migrants rash, also known as a red bullseye will appear. It’s a telltale sign of Lyme disease, though only a small number of people get the rash. Whatever the case, the sooner a person becomes aware of Lyme disease the sooner they can start taking antibiotics or other treatments to attack it.
Ticks are not the only species that transmit Lyme disease. Live spirochetes have been found in mosquitos, fleas, mites, lice, and biting flies.
A recent study suggests that Lyme disease can be sexually transmitted.
Lyme disease is a progressive illness. The last stage is called the chronic phase or chronic Lyme disease. Progression through the stages of Lyme disease in humans can take a number of months or in some cases years. Many people with Lyme disease are unaware that they have the infection in the early stages.
Days to weeks after initial infection the bullseye rash generally appears during this stage if it appears. The best time to catch Lyme disease is as early as possible, namely in this stage. This can prevent Lyme disease symptoms and its co-infections from worsening and the potential for long-term side effects. Thus, antibiotic treatment during this stage can go a long way toward reducing the time and cost of future treatments. Proper dosage and duration of antibiotics are a must.
Weeks to months later, when the spirochetes spread through the bloodstream and a host of things can occur, such as body tissue damage, carditis, and facial nerve palsy. In this stage, people might also experience fatigue, chills, headaches, stiff neck, fever, and muscle aches. Sadly, many people with Lyme disease will experience this stage before they really know it, as Lyme disease so often goes misdiagnosed or untreated in its early stages.
As long as a year after infection, arthritis and other long-term side effects are possible to happen at this point. Chronic Lyme disease sufferers will know this stage well. It is the stage where Lyme disease feels like it might never go away.
The earlier a person is diagnosed with Lyme disease, the better chance they have of not developing chronic Lyme disease.
Avoid crushing and squeezing the tick. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol,
burning it, and flushing it down the toilet.
A single bite from a tick can transmit not just Lyme disease but a number of Lyme co-infections as well.
For peace of mind, it is important to get the tick tested for Lyme disease and Lyme coinfections as soon as possible.
IGeneX Lab is a great lab where you can get a tick tested.
Send the tick for testing to:
IGeneX lab
556 Gibraltar Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: (800) 832-3200
www.igenex.com
If the tick is infected, it’s not the end of the world. But it’s important to follow a prompt course of action to ensure that whatever bacteria has gotten into the body doesn’t spread far. Immediate treatment can also save a lot of time and money in the future.
Go see a doctor. A good doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics for several weeks. LLMD doctor, a Lyme Literate Doctor who understands Lyme-born illnesses should be your first choice as they understand these complicated infections.
See a doctor right away if a red-ringed, bullseye rash develops, if skin becomes red and irritated, or if flu-like symptoms, joint pain, or swollen joints develop. It’s important to note, however, that not everyone develops these symptoms.
A single bite from a tick can transmit not just Lyme disease but a number of Lyme co-infections as well.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) most recent estimates (as of 2022) about 500,000 new cases a year of Lyme disease in the United States. Some doctors believe the number of yearly Lyme infections is much higher, as many people are misdiagnosed for other illnesses.
Many people will not know they have Lyme disease after they have been bitten. Listen to your body, get tested, and find an LLMD a Lyme Literate Doctor, who understands this complicated infection. Even after a long period of time, some people with Lyme disease still won’t be diagnosed because some tests won’t detect it. The right testing lab and an LLMD Lyme Literate Doctor play a big role in diagnosing Lyme disease and its co-infections.
Lyme disease can be passed along from pregnant mothers to their unborn babies, a condition known as congenital Lyme disease
Here’s what pregnant mothers with Lyme disease can do to ensure the best treatment possible for themselves and that their babies have minimal chances of being born with Lyme disease
The first thing that a prospective mother with Lyme disease will want to do during her pregnancy is to be working with a Lyme-literate medical doctor or naturopathic physician. This will help ensure the best course of treatment for the woman, which reduces her chances of passing Lyme disease on to her baby.
Frequently, people diagnosed with Lyme disease quickly begin a 1-2 month course of antibiotics. Antibiotic treatments can continue while a woman with Lyme disease carries a baby to term, though the woman should consult with her doctor to determine pregnancy-safe antibiotics. These can be taken throughout the pregnancy. The antibiotics will help kill the spirochetes that cause Lyme disease and can be transmitted to a fetus in utero.
Women with Lyme disease who, for whatever reason, don’t want antibiotic treatment during their pregnancies have options as well. Both core blood and placenta can be tested for the spirochetes that cause Lyme disease.
A mother with Lyme disease might still be uncertain if her child has received it even after they are born. Thus, it’s important for parents to watch a newborn baby for symptoms of Lyme disease. Lyme disease symptoms in infants include low muscle tone, irritability, lackluster feeding, impulsivity, and intense crying. Some infants will also develop the tell-tale red migrans, or “Bull’s Eye” rash.
An infant can, of course, also be exposed to Lyme disease after they are born. Thus, parents, particularly those who live in areas endemic to Lyme disease, should keep a close eye on ticks on their baby and remove ticks at once when spotted. Babies, toddlers, and other young children should also be closely watched and wearing protective clothing during outings to areas where ticks can frequently be found, such as tall grass or forests.
If a baby does have Lyme disease, it’s advisable to get them on to an appropriate course of treatment as soon as possible. Treatment for infants with Lyme disease can include child-safe antibiotics, which can be obtained through a Lyme-literate pediatrician or other medical practitioner. The good news is that antibiotics can be both particularly effective and given in shorter periods to infants with Lyme disease.
A pregnant woman with Lyme disease need not worry too much. It’s possible to continue treatment for Lyme disease and to have a perfectly healthy baby. It’s just important to talk to a Lyme-literate doctor or naturopathic physician as soon as possible and chart a smart course of treatment for the duration of the pregnancy.
When it comes to children and Lyme disease, a parent can never be too careful
A disease that’s tough for even adults to deal with, offering flu-like symptoms, discomfort, and potential long-term disability, can prove especially daunting for children
Here are some tips for preventing Lyme disease in children and what to do in the event of infection.
The best Lyme defense is a good offense against ticks, which carry the bacteria that cause the disease.
There are several ways to guard children against ticks. Children who live in endemic areas should avoid playing in tall grass, and leave piles or wooded areas. At least so far as ticks go, it’s safer for children to play on close-cut grass and, if out in nature, stick to the middle of trails.
Should a child be in an area with ticks, such as a nature field, it’s best they tuck their pants into their socks. Children can also wear insect repellent. Sprays with less than 10 percent DEET are safe for children over six months old and can help keep ticks away.
After playing outdoors or even just once a day during tick season, it’s wise for parents or older children to check themselves for ticks. Should one be found embedded in the skin, they’re best removed by tweezers or by a doctor.
Safely remove a tick from the child’s body as soon as possible. While a tick typically needs 24-48 hours on a child’s body to infect it with Lyme disease, infections can happen sooner than this. Thus, it’s important to remove a tick promptly and follow up with a Lyme Disease specialist.
Anyone who believes their child might have Lyme disease should take their child to a pediatrician or Lyme-literate medical doctor as soon as possible. That said, here are some symptoms of Lyme disease in children.
Children can exhibit many symptoms of Lyme disease. One of the scarier symptoms is something that would seem unthinkable in a child — having a stroke.
An article from ScienceDaily breaks down this scenario:
‘Everything about her symptoms indicated stroke: speech deficits, poor comprehension, and right-sided face and arm weakness, so we considered treating her with clot-busting drugs,’ said lead study author Arseny Sokolov, MD, of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne, Switzerland. ‘But a 16-year-old having a stroke, while not unheard of, would be quite rare so we looked at other possibilities and found Lyme.’
Sadly, this symptom might be easier to spot in children than adults, as they’re more likely to suffer neurological side effects due to Lyme disease. What can appear to be a stroke in children can also be Lyme disease.
As the ScienceDaily article discusses, though, the symptoms are both noticeable and treatable.
Brain imaging was not suggestive of stroke either but revealed circumscribed brain dysfunction. The treatment team performed a spinal tap. The patient’s spinal fluid showed elevated white blood cell counts and Lyme neuroborreliosis was diagnosed, so the treatment team began a course of antibacterial and antiviral agents. The patient improved immediately after treatment began.
‘The imaging findings for the first time demonstrate acute brain dysfunction that appears to be directly related to neuroborreliosis,’ said senior co-author Renaud Du Pasquier, MD, neurology chairman at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne. ‘It may point out future perspectives for research on the underlying mechanisms.’
The article goes on to note that many Lyme sufferers have symptoms for a long time before being properly diagnosed and that they can experience serious long-term complications as a result. Thus, it’s important that a child exhibiting any stroke symptoms be taken as soon as possible to a Lyme-literate medical doctor.
It’s normal for a child to experience some behavioral changes as they grow. A child dealing with Lyme disease, though, can experience much more than this.
An article from the Texas Lyme Disease Association breaks it down.
Lyme Disease, often called ‘The Great Imitator,’ can mimic and cause learning disabilities and psychiatric illnesses. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, ‘One-third of the psychiatric patients had serological signs of past Borrelia burgdorferi [the bacteria that causes Lyme disease] infections.’ Moreover, ‘Lyme disease in children may be accompanied by long-term neuropsychiatric disturbances, resulting in psychosocial and academic impairments.’
There is also an increasing body of evidence that may change the entire paradigm of what has been thought of as ‘psychiatric illnesses’ and ‘learning disabilities.’ Mounting research points to infectious diseases both mimicking and causing ‘psychiatric illnesses.’
The list of behavioral and psychiatric issues that children with Lyme disease can experience is long. These issues include:
The good news is that behavioral and psychiatric issues caused by Lyme disease are treatable. They are also preventable if the disease is diagnosed early.
Should a child appear to be infected with Lyme disease, it’s not the end of their or a parent’s world.
The first thing to do is get a diagnosis from a Lyme-literate doctor. Too often, Lyme disease is misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed in people. The results can be especially heartbreaking for children. Getting a proper diagnosis might be a challenge since there are only a few pediatric Lyme doctors in the United States and medical insurance won’t pay for visits to them. But it’s worth making every available effort for the child’s sake.
The Texas Lyme Disease Association speaks to this, noting:
It is imperative that children receive a proper diagnosis and medical treatment whether or not the diagnosis is or is not Lyme disease. Qualified Lyme treating physicians have expertise and experience treating patients with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. A competent healthcare professional will make a differential diagnosis in an effort to ensure the correct diagnosis is made.
It can be helpful to take your child to be evaluated using the parameters presented in Dr. Robert Bransfield’s Neuropsychiatric Assessment of Lyme Disease
From there, the best course of treatment for pediatric Lyme disease can vary depending on the child. Some parents may opt to put their child onto a two to four-week cycle of an antibiotic such as doxycycline. A two-month cycle and probiotics can be even better for those who want to be on the safe side.
Other potential remedies for Lyme disease in children include, but are not limited to having them get a lot of rest; introducing probiotics into their system, which can help build healthy gut bacteria; giving them a healthier diet, with things like cold-pressed juice; and avoiding mold, ticks, and other parasites.
As far as costs go, families of children suffering from Lyme disease have some options. The Texas Lyme Disease Association notes, “A child with Lyme disease may be afforded rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Options may include either an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or services under Section 504.”
Lyme disease can be tough for children to deal with. But it doesn’t have to derail their lives.
In a speech at a 2018 conference in San Ramon, California, author Mary Beth Pfeiffer said, “I call Lyme disease the first epidemic of climate change.”
She might be on to something.
Ticks carry Lyme disease from the bloodstreams of animals to humans. Ticks require warm weather and mild winters to survive. Accordingly, as temperatures have soared to record highs in recent years, the areas where ticks can reside have become ever larger.
Originally diagnosed in Old Lyme, Connecticut in 1975, Lyme disease warning areas on the eastern seaboard now stretch into lower Canada. This expansion is consistent and projected to be long-term. The book “Healing Lyme” by Stephen Harrod Buhner notes that the bacteria that causes Lyme, Borrelia burgdorferi could expand northward by 200-250 kilometers by the year 2050, or anywhere from 3.5 to 11 kilometers annually.
From old Lyme strongholds such as New England, Northern California and the Southeast, Lyme has also begun to spread into areas of the United States where it wasn’t found before, such as certain parts of Ohio.
“Tick population levels have become so high in some areas that researchers in one study, who dragged a white flannel cloth over a sixty-foot… section of ground, found 1,200 ticks attached,” Buhner writes. “In highly endemic areas there may be as many as 60 nymphs (on average) feeding on each mouse or 50 adults on each deer. This is the average. Up to 200 nymphs have been found attached to a mouse, 500 on a single deer.”
There are other ways to quantify the increased risk as well. Buhner notes that each degree Celsius increase carries an 18 percent increased risk of babesiosis, a livestock disease transmitted by ticks that affect red blood.
Climate change can also make ticks develop faster and live longer, with increases in egg production and population density.
Nearly all the world’s scientists agree that climate change is real, though Congress remains bitterly divided on the issue with President Trump’s administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attacking the concept.
One thing’s clear: In her speech, Pfeiffer spoke of the veritable army of ticks moving about the globe. As politicians continue to grapple with what to do about climate change, this army will likely only get larger. All that people can do, as the risk for Lyme disease continues to rise as temperatures get ever higher, is be informed and find ways to protect themselves from becoming infected.
Dogs and Cats may get infected by Lyme disease and other Lyme co-infections carried by ticks just like humans can.
Lyme co-infections like Babesia, Anaplasmosis, Erhlichia, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tick paralysis are all possible co-infections to infect our pets from a single bite of a tick.
There are some pretty vast differences between how humans and pets will experience Lyme disease, starting with general symptoms.
When a human has Lyme disease, they will generally know something isn’t right even if they aren’t immediately diagnosed.
With pets and dogs in particular, it’s different. For whatever reason, only a small number of dogs will exhibit Lyme disease symptoms. Unlike humans who will quickly experience discomfort after becoming infected with Lyme disease, dogs can often live long-term with Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria in their blood without it becoming an active disease.
The ones that show discomfort will often have arthritis pain, mostly in their hip area. Many times, their limping gets mistaken. Dogs with Lyme disease can also exhibit a lack of interest in play and food. They also might lie around more.
Thus, it’s wise for humans to monitor their dogs for symptoms Other noticeable symptoms include sore joints and muscles, limb lameness, loss of appetite, and lymph node enlargement. In more serious cases, seizures, weight loss, and vision problems can occur. If any of these symptoms are occurring, it’s important to get a pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Left untreated, many problems can arise for dogs, such as kidney, heart, and nervous system damage.
It might actually be easier to both prevent and treat Lyme disease in dogs than in humans. PBS NewsHour noted in 2017 that while a Lyme vaccine went off the market for humans 15 years ago, it’s still legal to use on dogs (though some veterinarians don’t recommend it due to its potential side effects.)
For those adverse to using the vaccine on their dogs, tick prevention, detection, and removal remains perhaps the best way to guard against Lyme disease in canines.
Pet owners should check their pets for ticks daily and use tick collars or other topical flea and tick treatments.
If a dog seems to be exhibiting symptoms of Lyme disease, a veterinarian can make a diagnosis through a blood test. Should this test come back positive, antibiotics such as doxycycline can be used to eradicate the bacteria in the dog’s body and help prevent it from suffering long-term complications. The earlier Lyme disease and its co-infections are diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.
Studies in some parts of the United States show that up to 80% of stray cats are infected with Bartonella. Cats may directly infect humans with Bartonella through scratching or biting.
Ticks can carry many bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoans all at the same time and transmit them in a single bite.
Diseases acquired together like this are called Lyme co-infections.
Stephen Buhner writes, “Co-infection in all biting orthopods is common; it is not an exception.”
Stephen Harrod Buhner notes in his book Healing Lyme that an examination of Ixodes ticks discovered as many as 237 genera of microorganisms infectious to vertebrates.
Overall, there are at least 20 coinfections associated with Lyme disease. And more are likely to develop, Buhner writes.
“Over the coming decades, we will be seeing the emergence of more of these kinds of stealth pathogens,” Buhner writes. “It’s time for our approaches, and understandings, to become more sophisticated.”
Tick-borne infections are zoonotic, meaning they are passed from animals to humans.
“Vectors” like ticks, mosquitos, spiders, mites, fleas, and bed bugs transmit diseases from animals like mice, rats, squirrels, and deer to humans when they bite. Ticks can carry many bacteria, viruses, protozoans, and fungi all at the same time and transmit them in a single bite.
Lyme disease is found in approximately 100 countries worldwide, and in all 50 states in the USA, although different types of ticks and different strains of bacteria may be involved.
In the USA the number of new cases of Lyme disease contracted is approaching close to 500,000 cases a year as of 2022. Some experts believe the number is much higher. Many of those cases will include co-infections.
Co-infections must be treated before Lyme disease can be properly treated. This isn’t always easily done, thanks in part to an outdated medical mindset that still persists.
The medical mindset of the 19th and early 20th century, Buhner writes, used to consist of identifying a bacterial pathogen and then using a single drug to kill it. Now, it’s better to treat Lyme disease and its co-infections through a multifaceted approach.
It isn’t always easy to quickly deal with co-infection, which in turn can complicate a Lyme course of treatment. One of the hallmarks of Lyme disease is that it’s frequently misdiagnosed and can be difficult to catch in time to treat in its early stages. This is partly because co-infections must first be identified and treated before treatment for Lyme disease can be undertaken properly and antibiotics can work effectively.
A person with a Lyme disease co-infection generally experiences more severe illness, more symptoms, and a longer recovery.
Overall, it’s important that anyone getting tested for Lyme disease also be evaluated for any of the numerous other potential co-infections.
The first step is getting tested with IGeneX a lab that is most highly recommended in detecting tick-borne diseases
Order a Kit online at IGenex.com. (There is a $20 charge for the testing kit, and this charge will be deducted from your final testing fees.)
Note: this is not an at-home test. You will still need a doctor’s authorization, and you will send your sample back to IGeneX for testing.
Finding a good test to diagnose or treat Lyme disease can be a big challenge. Many
tests for Lyme disease won’t offer anything close to 100 percent accuracy. Most tests are only 50 percent or less sensitive. It is a part of the reason Lyme disease goes undiagnosed as often as it does.
Many people with Lyme disease seek out this Palo Alto, Calif.-based lab. Some doctors claim the lab always produces positive results in its Lyme disease testing.
IGeneX tests have been found to be 98 percent accurate.
556 Gibraltar Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: (800) 832-3200
www.igenex.com
© 2024 LymeLore. Lyme Disease Awareness
