Symptoms of Lyme Disease and Protection
When camping, playing in wooded areas or even working in them, most people generally don’t automatically think Lyme disease. What is it? Lyme disease happens when a deer tick, usually found in wooded areas, burrows itself into the skin and does not get removed immediately. There are several symptoms Lyme disease. According to the CDC, symptoms range from:
Early Signs (3-30 days after)
Flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills
Erythema migrans (EM) rash — starts at the bite site and spreads away from the site and may appear anywhere on the body; not everyone with the disease will have the rash
Other signs (days to months after)
Poor short term memory
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Relentless headaches
Nerve pain
Although Lyme disease seems to becoming more and more common, there are ways to make sure you or your loved ones do not get this dreaded disease. Some of the ways to protect yourself and your family are:
Stay away from wooded or tall, grassy areas
If you do find yourself in these types of areas, make sure you check yourself and your loved ones for ticks, especially in areas where it is easy for ticks to hide
Wear long sleeves and pants when you are in a wooded or grassy area
Use insect repellent that contains DEET
If you find a tick, remove it with tweezers, immediately
Do your best to “tick proof” your yard
Being outdoors is fun. By remembering the symptoms and ways of protecting yourself, it lowers the risk of the disease.
If you feel you may have symptoms of lyme disease, or if you have been bitten by a deer tick/black legged tick come to FirstCare Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.