Lyme Disease Tick Bites
Do you think you may have Lyme disease? Lyme disease can be a serious illness if left untreated. People contract Lyme disease from getting bitten by a tick, if the tick is carrying the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. After being bitten, a person with Lyme disease can experience a fever, headaches, fatigue, and a rash. But if the initial diagnosis is missed, the bacteria can move on to affect the heart, joints, and the nervous system.
How do I know if I have lyme disease?
As we mentioned, some of the initial symptoms are fevers, headaches, fatigue, and a characteristic rash. This rash can begin anywhere from 3 to 30 days after the bite occurred. It is looks a lot like a bulls-eye and may be warm to the touch but isn’t itchy or painful. Other symptoms according to the CDC that may show up later include facial palsy, nerve pain, joint pain, episodes of dizziness, episodes of heart palpitations, and problems with short term memory.
A doctor can diagnose you with Lyme disease by presence of symptoms and a history of exposure to black-legged ticks. There is also blood work that can be used to diagnose Lyme disease but your doctor will determine if they think lab work is necessary or not.
What is the treatment for lyme disease?
If the Lyme disease is caught early on, it can be treated with standard antibiotics. This table from the CDC shows the typical antibiotics used to treat Lyme disease. Most people recover when they are treated with antibiotics within a few weeks of receiving the bite. However, a small number of people have persisting symptoms and may be diagnosed with post treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
If you have questions about Lyme disease or know that you or a loved one got a tick bite and are concerned, please contact us today at FirstCare Medical Center.