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What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease is the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the United States (vector-borne disease meaning it is spread by blood-feeding arthropods such as mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. Lyme is typically transmitted through the bite of a tick (although there is evidence it can be passed from mother to fetus and there are studies being done about the possibility of it being sexually transmitted). Lyme is caused by the corkscrew-shaped (spirochete) bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi and can cause infection in any type of body system/tissues into which it manages to burrow/ Since the spirochete bacteria can literally get into every type of organ and tissue in the body, the list of symptoms that can result from a Lyme infection is virtually endless. This is why Lyme is called "the great imitator"--because it mimics so many other conditions and diseases and is consequently often misdiagnosed.
Can I be tested for Lyme Disease?
Yes, but there has yet to be a test that is accurate enough to warrant being deemed the paradigm of reliable Lyme testing. LYME IS A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS. Most physicians are familiar with, and will order, the basic ELISA screening blood test for Lyme, but not only does this test only have a 65% sensitivity (it will miss 35% of Lyme Disease that is proven by a culture), but it also is known to sometimes give false positive results. (Although if you have a positive Lyme test, it is my personal opinion, and the opinion of several others I've talked to, then you have Lyme and should pursue treatment. This is not coming from a medical professional, this is my personal opinion, so please do not take it as medical advice.) There are other in-depth tests that tend to be more reliable than the basic ELISA blood test (such as the western blot test for Lyme Disease), but even these "more accurate" tests are often not reliable because there are over 300 strains of Borrelia Burgdorferi worldwide and these tests are designed to only detect a handful of these--and often miss picking up on a positive infection due to various outside factors. THIS IS WHY DIAGNOSIS OF LYME MUST BE BASED ON CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. If you suspect you may have Lyme (typical symptoms for acute and chronic Lyme discussed below) and a doctor tells you your test came back negative and you don't have Lyme, or if you feel your experience/symptoms are consistent with Lyme and a doctor refuses to take into account the entire picture of all your symptoms and examine Lyme as a possible underlying cause, FIND A DOCTOR WHO WILL TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY AND LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED IN FINDING A DIAGNOSIS.
What's this I hear about Chronic Lyme Disease?
If Lyme Disease is not detected early and promptly treated, the Lyme spirochetes can spread and actually go into hiding in your body. These bacteria are smart--they don't always immediately attack everything at once. Symptoms can begin to appear weeks, months, or even years after the initial infection, and can present in a myriad of ways. You may begin having problems with your brain and nervous system, your muscles and joints, your heart, your digestive system, your skin, or any other bodily system or organ. Once Lyme has gone into the chronic stage, the 30-day course of antibiotics most mainstream doctors (and the CDC and IDSA--Infectious Disease Society of America) will approve can actually make your symptoms worse in the long run since such a short course of treatment cannot eradicate any of the Lyme infection. When you're dealing with chronic Lyme, or if you think you're dealing with chronic Lyme but have not yet seen a doctor who can diagnose you, it is imperative to find a good LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) who can guide you and advise you on a course of treatment that is personalized for your particular needs and will be extensive enough to truly get you to a place of healing.
Treatment for chronic Lyme typically takes between 1-3 years once it is started, however, since every single case is different your healing time could fall anywhere on that spectrum or could take longer (or shorter, God-willing). Administering long-term intravenous antibiotics is one method of treatment used by many LLMDs, and many report success with this method, but there are other options out there. There is a growing number of physicians and patients who are exploring various homeopathic and natural treatment methods, and there are many proponents of these, as well. Lyme treatment cannot be approached with a 'one size fits all' philisophy--it often is more of a trial and error journey. This is why it's important to find a doctor who can work with you to find the treatment plan that will work for you. It is also very possible that if treatment is not extensive enough, or sometimes even if it seems the Lyme infection has been completely eradicated, many patients report a relapse of symptoms at some point in their lives. This is likely because treatment was effective in eliminating symptoms but possibly not killing all of the bacteria, leaving them able to lie dormant for months or years until they decide to attack again. CHRONIC LYME IS CONTROVERSIAL. The CDC and IDSA deny that Chronic Lyme exists in as real a way as it does, so finding a legitimate LLMD can be difficult--but there are doctors out there who can help you. There are links in the resources section of this site that can lead you to a couple of different websites that may be able to help you find a doctor.
Treatment for chronic Lyme typically takes between 1-3 years once it is started, however, since every single case is different your healing time could fall anywhere on that spectrum or could take longer (or shorter, God-willing). Administering long-term intravenous antibiotics is one method of treatment used by many LLMDs, and many report success with this method, but there are other options out there. There is a growing number of physicians and patients who are exploring various homeopathic and natural treatment methods, and there are many proponents of these, as well. Lyme treatment cannot be approached with a 'one size fits all' philisophy--it often is more of a trial and error journey. This is why it's important to find a doctor who can work with you to find the treatment plan that will work for you. It is also very possible that if treatment is not extensive enough, or sometimes even if it seems the Lyme infection has been completely eradicated, many patients report a relapse of symptoms at some point in their lives. This is likely because treatment was effective in eliminating symptoms but possibly not killing all of the bacteria, leaving them able to lie dormant for months or years until they decide to attack again. CHRONIC LYME IS CONTROVERSIAL. The CDC and IDSA deny that Chronic Lyme exists in as real a way as it does, so finding a legitimate LLMD can be difficult--but there are doctors out there who can help you. There are links in the resources section of this site that can lead you to a couple of different websites that may be able to help you find a doctor.
What are the symptoms of Lyme Disease?
As mentioned above, Lyme Disease symptoms mimics over 300 other diseases. Symptoms also have the tendency to cycle--that is, they often come and go instead of the same symptoms being present at all times. Listed below are some of the most common symptoms that surface when a Lyme infection is present, both in the early and chronic (late) stages. This is not a comprehensive list of all Lyme symptoms but does include the symptoms most commonly reported by Lyme patients.
Early Lyme Disease symptoms
- Flu-like illness (stiff neck, chills, fever, sweats, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, nausea, muscle aches, joint pain)
- Rash (it is accepted by knowledgeable Lyme professionals that the classic "bulls-eye" rash appears in as little as 10% (at most in 50%) of all Lyme patients, and even if you have the rash it is easy for it to go unnoticed
- Bell's palsy (weakness/paralysis in one side of the face)
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Chronic Lyme Disease symptoms (Late-stage Lyme Symptoms)
*All symptoms from the early Lyme category as well as the following: Musculoskeletal symptoms
Neurological symptoms
Gastrointestinal symptoms
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Cardiological/Pulmonary symptoms
Reproductive symptoms
Neuropsychiatric symptoms
Miscellaneous other symptoms
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