What is Lyme Disease

Source of banner above: Lyme Disease Challenge
These AMAZING Lyme posters below from: Lyme Stats
**I’m still working on this page, so information is limited. Please email me if you have questions or concerns about Lyme disease! I am here to help.
I grew up in Upstate New York as a kid so, yes, I had heard of Lyme disease. My basic knowledge consisted of two items: that Lyme came from a tick bite if the tick was attached for a long time, and Lyme disease was something that was only found in the Northeast regions of the U.S.
Come to find out, neither of those things are true. Believe me when I tell you this – Lyme disease is EVERYWHERE. Where there are ticks, there is Lyme disease.

The Basics

What Lyme disease is an illness produced by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). It is a bacteria, one that is highly evolved and very clever. Once in the host’s system, this can be human, birds, animals, it begins to multiply. Thus, it can cause havoc and severe damage to every system in the body.
How Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks in the nymphal stage and not just by the deer tick as commonly stated. There are also studies out there that Lyme can infect hosts through bites from mosquitoes, fleas, and mites (Howenstine). The tick does not have to be attached for long. Although mainstream information states that a tick must be attached for 24-36 hours or more for actual transmission of Bb, in fact, studies have shown that it may take far less than this for infection to happen (TickEncounter).

Since the ticks are in the nymphal stage, a size perhaps no larger than a pinpoint, many do not even know they have been bitten. Once full of blood, the tick can drop from its host, leaving no sign of a bite.

Symptoms While some people do get the bull’s eye rash distinctive to Lyme, many do not get this rash or any rash. Almost 50% of patients recall no rash whatsoever. While there are a multitude of symptoms involved with Lyme, especially if it is not caught for months or years, there are a few consistent symptoms experienced by patients. These can include joint pain, headaches, neck pain, as well as memory loss and brain fog. The most important thing to remember is that Lyme is considered the “great imitator” in that symptoms of Lyme disease often mimic the symptoms of other diseases, especially auto-immune diseases such as Lupus, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, ALS, FMS, CFS, and many others.

In my own case, I was sick, and it seemed like it cycled up and down for over 4 years. During that time I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, chronic EBV, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, before my diagnosis with Lyme disease. I saw over 7 different doctors for all kinds of issues. This was all time lost that I could have been treating. If you are experiencing a multitude of symptoms and cannot find a root cause, I believe it would be worth it to put Lyme at the top of your list and to work at ruling it out.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Lyme disease and co-infections can be a serious and arduous process due to a variety of reasons. Please go here for more explanations of how to go about getting diagnosed and tested. While labwork can confirm infection in some cases, Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis. If anyone tells you differently, he is incorrect. Promptly find another physician, preferably a Lyme Literate doctor (LLMD).
Testing
More detailed information regarding testing for Lyme disease can be found here.

Resources

International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society

Lyme Disease Challenge

LymeDisease.org

Lyme Stats

Tick Encounter Resource Center

**I’m still working on this page, so information is limited. Please email me if you have questions or concerns about Lyme disease! I am here to help.**