Why might Lyme disease never go away?

Find Out Why Lyme Disease Might Not Ever Go Away

Lyme disease is a curable ailment. In fact, if caught in the early stages, it can be cured within a few weeks’ time. Even so, Lyme infection can result in a chronic condition. Not everyone afflicted with Lyme disease will be cured.

Lyme disease might never go away — Lyme infection can result in a chronic condition.

Why Lyme Disease Might Not Ever Go Away

There are millions of people who have been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. However, there is no way of knowing how many people today are carriers, who never got sick. This is because many people never show symptoms of the infection in the first place. A study conducted by the CDC found that only 33% of infected people reported experiencing a single symptom.

Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease

A red bull’s eye rash that expands and fades after a few weeks.
A flu-like headache.
A fever that can feel like a mild infection.
A swollen and migratory joint pain.
Tingling and numbness in the hands, feet and/or other parts of the body.
Fatigue and memory loss.

Treating Lyme disease: What to do

People with early-stage Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.
People who experience persistent symptoms after antibiotic treatment can be treated again.
People who experience long-term symptoms, such as fatigue or joint pain, should seek medical help right away.

Tick control is key to Lyme disease prevention

Avoiding ticks is the best way to avoid contracting any tick-borne illness. At home, professional tick control through periodic barrier protection sprays, will help you avoid ticks.

Prevent ticks from attaching to your skin by using insect repellent and wearing protective clothing.
Inspect your body for ticks after being outdoors, and remove them as soon as you see them.
Keep your yard mowed so that ticks have fewer places to hide.
Prevent mice and other rodents from entering your home.
Prevent your pets from bringing in ticks.

What to do if you’re bitten by a tick

Remove the tick as soon as possible.
Wash the bite area with soap and water.
Seek medical attention if symptoms worsen, such as a fever, joint pain, rash, or severe fatigue.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Why Your Dentist Should Know About Lyme Disease Symptoms

Lyme disease, often referred to as the great imitator, can have an array of symptoms.

Lyme Disease rash — Bulls-eye rash is the clearest indicator of Lyme infection.

In past blogs, I have talked about how Lyme disease symptoms present differently from one person to the next. Children’s Lyme symptoms can be extremely tricky. Some children never show visible symptoms. One study of 15,000 children with confirmed Lyme disease, had about 10% of patients presenting the telltale bulls-eye rash. Both children and adults can have cognitive symptoms, which often result in a mis-diagnosis. Due to the varied symptoms of Lyme infection, many family doctors and specialists now know to have extensive testing performed on patients, whose symptoms are ambiguous. But why dentists?

Lyme disease symptoms can mimic dental pain.

The dreaded toothache. Even if you are one of the 36% of people, who is frightened of the dentist, a terrible toothache will override the fear. What if you have pain that seems to originate in or around your teeth? Pain that affects the mouth, jaw, and neck are often credited to an infected tooth. This is because tooth pain is often focused in one area, but also travels to other regions. Toothaches are caused by infected nerves, which are responsible for the traveling painful sensations we feel around our face, temple, neck, and jaw. This type of nerve pain is called neuropathy.

dentists should consider Lyme disease — Tell your dentist if you could have been exposed to a tick bite.

According to a paper on The National Library of Medicine, one patient visited her dentist and orthodontist, only to find she had no dental issues. The patient had jaw, neck, and head pain, as well as tingling sensations around and inside her mouth. She was also experiencing chills and night sweats. Her symptoms were so severe, that she eventually went to the ER, where a stroke was ruled out. The next day, upon visiting her family physician, a bulls-eye rash was found. What she believed was a toothache turned out to be Lyme disease.

What should you do if you have a toothache and neuropathy?

a toothache can be Lyme symptoms — Your toothache and facial pain could be Lyme symptoms.

If you have what you believe to be a toothache, schedule a visit with your dentist ASAP. If you believe that you might have been exposed to a tick bite in recent days or weeks, tell your dentist. If you have been doing yard work, gone camping or hiking, or even visited the beach – these are all times that you could have encountered a tick.

This is not to say that every time your tooth hurts, you should be afraid you have Lyme disease, but don’t rule it out. Especially if you live in a high-risk area, like Central Mass.

Tick control is key to Lyme prevention.

The best way to prevent Lyme symptoms that mimic dental issues is to protect yourself outdoors. Use tick protection on your skin and clothing when you go hiking or camping. Practice the 6 T’s of tick control at home, and call on a professional Cohasset tick control company to protect your yard all year long. Reputable tick control companies offer seasonal full protection barrier yard sprays, as well as tick tubes that are used in the fall and winter.

Imagine if doctors in Central Mass denied Lyme disease treatment

For years, a debate has been in the forefront of the Australian medical community. Do they have ticks that cause Lyme disease? Are they continuing misdiagnose or refusing to diagnose and treat Lyme disease for those infected in Australia?

Many physicians and those in the medical community in Australia are still acting under the notion that residents cannot contract Lyme disease from domestic species of ticks. Those, who believe it impossible, believe that there are no domestic instances of Lyme disease – that anyone in Australia with Lyme or “Lyme-like” disease, contracted it from a tick bite received outside of Australia. If you ask me, these folks have blinders on, and their citizens are suffering for their beliefs. This story broke to worldwide attention in 2017.

“Perth-based doctor Hugh Derham diagnosed Ms Bool with Lyme disease after sending her blood tests to Australian…

Meanwhile, Rebecca Bool’s health continued to plummet.

Perth resident, Rebecca Bool, suffered a tick bite while vacationing in Kalbarri over the Christmas holiday in 2014. Even though this tick bite produced an immediate bullseye rash, soreness, and loss of bladder control, the doctors she sought medical attention from, dismissed her symptoms as a simple viral infection, and sent her on her way. Lyme was not a consideration.

Lyme disease bullseye rash — Rebecca Bool immediately presented a bullseye rash after her tick bite – doctors did not investigate

Ms. Bool was so sick and distraught after being dismissed as “not sick” or “mentally ill” that she attempted suicide three months after being bitten by a tick. I wish that Lyme disease didn’t exist in Central Mass, but I am glad that there are effective treatments and ongoing research for those infected!

In 2018, The Lyme Disease Association of Australia began a pilot Lyme study, much to the relief of patients like Rebecca Bool.

Thousands of undiagnosed Lyme disease sufferers in Australia are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that steps have been put into motion to begin properly diagnosing and treating Lyme. This effort will save lives, and give those, who have had little hope for their future, a more positive outlook.

Lyme disease study

Essential tick control in Central Mass

As Central Mass residents, we must all be mindful of effective tick control for our homes and families. Even though we have effective Lyme treatments, it’s much better to offer proper tick protection to our families that to treat this horrible disease. Prevention is key!

These Lyme disease symptoms might surprise you!

Most Central Mass residents are familiar with common Lyme symptoms to watch for, such as the bullseye rash that follows a tick bite. These Lyme disease symptoms might surprise you!

headaches are a symptom of Lyme disease Lyme disease has only been recognized as an illness since 1975, and over the last four decades, many a breakthrough has been made in treating Lyme. Fact is, if symptoms are caught early, and a diagnosis is made, you have a great chance of ridding yourself of long-lasting effects. Unexpected Lyme disease symptoms can be headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, slurred speech, numbness in extremities, and even heart palpitations! Here are some other symptoms of Lyme that you might not have expected.

Sleeplessness can be a Central Mass Lyme disease symptom
Are you usually a restful sleeper, but have recently found it difficult to fall asleep? Believe it or not, sudden sleepless nights could be an early-stage Lyme symptom. Due to the prevalence of ticks and tick-borne illnesses in Central Mass, if you are experiencing sudden sleeplessness, your doctor will want to test you for Lyme disease.

sleeplessness is a Lyme symptom — *If you are suffering from sudden and prolonged sleeplessness, see your doctor.*

Chills can be a symptom of Lyme disease
It’s 85 degrees outside, but you cannot seem to get warm. Most of us have experienced fever and chills, most times attributed to common illnesses, such as flu, but uncontrollable chilling can be a Lyme symptom. If you find yourself switching off the air conditioning, and wrapping yourself in blankets, see your doctor to be on the safe side.

Dizziness can be a Lyme disease symptom
All of a sudden feeling like you’ve just gotten off a carnival ride, even though you haven’t? Dizziness is a tricky symptom, because it can be caused by other less urgent issues. Maybe you feel light-headed if you skip breakfast, or if you stand up too quickly. That’s why dizziness is commonly missed as a Lyme symptom – because we chalk it up to something else. If you’re fighting dizziness, see your doctor.

dizziness is a symptom of Lyme disease — *If you are suffering from unexplained dizziness, see your doctor.*

Fatigue can be a symptom of Lyme disease
Are you a great sleeper, who gets the prescribed uninterrupted seven to nine hours of sleep per night, but still cannot seem to fight extreme fatigue? Lyme disease can creep upon us under the guise of not getting proper rest, resulting in fatigue that interrupts your daily life. If you are feeling extreme, unexplained fatigue, your doctor might want to test you for Lyme disease.

fatigue is a Lyme disease symptom — *Feeling unusually fatigued? See your doctor.*

Central Mass tick control is essential to the prevention of the spread Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. I always recommend enlisting a professional Central Mass tick control company to ensure your family’s good health. Remember to see a doctor if you are having any of these commonly missed Lyme disease symptoms. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Lyme disease: scientific breakthrough lays groundwork for new Lyme treatment

Lyme disease treatment — *Treatment of persistent Lyme disease symptoms is a lifelong battle for some.*

There are 30,000 new reports of Lyme disease to the CDC each year in the United States, but that does not account for the annual estimated occurrences of Lyme. One CDC report estimates 329,000 Lyme disease diagnoses per year in a five-year span!

The higher incidence of Lyme is both due to higher tick populations, as well as improvements in diagnosis. But what happens after diagnosis? Do patients receive treatment, and go back to life as usual? Well, some do. Others, regrettably suffer from persistent Lyme disease symptoms, one of the most common is Lyme arthritis. Sufferers of Lyme arthritis endure a lifetime of joint inflammation and life-altering pain.

Lyme arthritis shows the presence of a particular cellular component of Lyme bacteria, called peptidoglycan.

Persistent Lyme arthritis is a lifelong battle for many, with life-altering pain. Some patients, who have tried all available medical treatments seek out holistic methods of pain relief, spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket each year.

Thanks to Virginia Tech biochemist, Brandon Jutras, there is hope in treatment or even a cure for Lyme arthritis on the scientific horizon! Jutras has found that during the multiplication of Lyme-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, it sheds a cellular component, peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan exists in synovial fluid of Lyme arthritis sufferers, causing inflammation.

“We can actually detect peptidoglycan in the synovial fluid of the affected, inflamed joints of patients that have all the symptoms of Lyme arthritis but no longer have an obvious, active infection,” Jutras said.
Medical Xpress

The next phase of treatment of Lyme arthritis will be to find ways to destroy or eliminate the body’s response to peptidoglycan that comes from Borrelia burgdorferi, effectively eliminating Lyme symptoms!

While these scientific breakthroughs are spreading hope throughout the population of those, who suffer with persistent Lyme disease, there is but one sure method of Central Mass Lyme disease protection, and that is by prevention.

Tick control methods are available, and should be a top priority for Central Mass residents, to prevent ticks from invading their yards and homes. A barrier spray will eliminate ticks on contact, and an additional comprehensive tick tube treatment will further prevent ticks by eliminating them when they take their first blood meal from mice. Call a professional tick control company to protect your home and family!

You didn’t see the tick. You didn’t see the rash. You didn’t see it coming – Lyme Disease

Is it possible that you have Lyme Disease if you didn’t see a tick and didn’t see a rash? Avril Lavigne just learned that the hard way. Here are two truths that make this scenario not only possible but also not all that uncommon.

You won’t hit the bullseye every time

Utter the word Lyme Disease and people shudder. They should. It’s a disease that seems to be way too easy to catch. If ticks are in our grass and our plants and our leaves, how are we supposed to enjoy our lives without giving up on being outdoors? The nice thing is if you do somehow get bitten by a diseased tick, you will know right? Many people look for the bullseye rash to confirm they have Lyme Disease. But, about 20% of the time, Lyme Disease does not present with a bullseye rash. Unfortunately, the lack of such a rash cannot spell relief 100% of the time – only 80% of the time.

Nymph ticks are about the size of a poppy seed. Would you notice a nymph tick if it crawled on you?

Poppy seed sized ticks

If you think you have all the symptoms for Lyme Disease – fever, chills, sweats, muscles aches, fatigue, nausea & possibly joint pain but you never pulled off a tick, you may not be out of the woods.

In fact, nymph ticks are only about the size of a poppy seed which almost completely ensures that you won’t see a nymph tick that crawled on you. It’s so small, you likely won’t know if it bit you either.

Recently Avril Lavigne publicly announced that she has been suffering from Lyme Disease. She doesn’t know how or where she caught it and it took a very long time to come to a Lyme disease diagnosis.

The best protection is protection at home. Your yard is where you spend the majority of your outdoor time. A seasonal tick protection includes regular spraying that both eliminates adult ticks in your yard and continues to eliminate them based on our microencapsulated timed release system.

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