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

One Tick Bite, a Lifetime of Lyme Disease

Like long-haul COVID, Lyme disease can become a lifelong challenge.

One tick bite from one tiny tick can be the end of a healthy life as you knew it. Often found in plants and brush, ticks can attach to and bite people and animals. Their bites are usually not harmful; however, these insects can carry serious diseases including Lyme disease.

One tick bite, a lifetime of Lyme disease — One tick bite can result in a lifetime of Lyme disease.

What does Lyme disease rash look like?

A Lyme disease-causing bacterium is carried in the bug bite of the deer tick here in the Chelmsford region. In most cases, a tick – usually 3 to 5 mm long – must be attached to you 36-48 hours to spread Lyme disease.

A circular, red, expanding rash (a bulls-eye rash, if you will) may be one of the first symptoms of Lyme disease. Other symptoms include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Treatment in the early stages with antibiotics is generally effective and critical to prevent lifelong complications.

What are the long-term health effects of Lyme disease?

Lyme disease can cause muscle aches, mental fog, and fatigue for years or even decades. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how and why Lyme disease affects people in different ways and how best to treat them. But evidence that the bacteria-borne disease sometimes sticks around in a person’s body long after they’ve gone through initial antibiotic treatments appears to be mounting.

Some pretty famous people have gone on the record with their own Lyme infection experiences.

As of two years ago, several celebrities have come forward to talk about their experience battling Lyme disease. Here are eight that you most likely are familiar with.

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Amy Schumer: For this comedic actor, Lyme disease has been no laughing matter. She admitted that it’s possible she could’ve experienced Lyme symptoms for quite some time without realizing it. In an Instagram post, she said she’s taken doxycycline, an oral antibiotic, to treat the condition and she also asked others for advice.

Justin Bieber: The singer wrote on Instagram that it has been a “rough couple of years” battling the disease. He explained that, for a long time, people speculated that he was “on meth,” but failed to realize that he’d actually recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Avril Lavigne: The singer went public with her Lyme battle in 2015 and is now an advocate for those with the illness. She called that the “worst time” in her life after seeing specialists and doctors who misdiagnosed her with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

Ben Stiller: Nine years ago, Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter about his Lyme disease saying, “I got it in Nantucket, Massachusetts, a couple of years ago. My knee became inflamed and they couldn’t figure out what it was, then they found out it was Lyme.”

Shania Twain: The renowned singer has said her battle with Lyme has impacted her career. She told Canadian news outlet CBC that she was bitten by a tick when on tour in Norfolk, Virginia. She said she saw a tick fall off her and she immediately began to see troubling Lyme disease symptoms pop up.

Kelly Osbourne: Undiagnosed for nearly a decade, her contact with the tick spread disease most likely came from a reindeer sanctuary back in England.

Alec Baldwin: The 30 Rock actor opened up about his years-long battle with Lyme in 2017. During an interview with The New York Times, he mentioned that he had chronic Lyme disease.

Kris Kristofferson: A Star Is Born singer/actor, Kristofferson experienced several misdiagnoses before being treated for Lyme. His wife, Lisa, told Rolling Stone magazine she believed he’d been bitten by a tick while filming the 2006 movie “Disappearances” in Vermont.

You can help stop the spread of Lyme disease with professional Grafton Tick Control.

With expert guidance and the latest tick bite prevention methodology, professional tick control is your best assurance against contacting the dreadful tick-spread Lyme disease.

Also read: When are ticks most active in Massachusetts?

What are some common causes of Lyme disease flare-ups?

Sufferers of Chronic Lyme disease will tell you their symptoms come and go.

What causes Lyme disease flare-ups though? Is it diet, mental stress, other illnesses or infections? Like other chronic conditions, Lyme will rear its ugly head and wreak havoc when triggered. The key is finding out what your particular triggers are.

What are symptoms of a chronic Lyme flare-up?

A flare-up can include extreme fatigue, sleeplessness, brain fog, light and sound sensitivity, muscle pain and stiffness, and irritability. These are but a few known symptoms of chronic Lyme sufferers.

What causes Lyme disease flare-ups? — What are common causes of Lyme flare-ups?

Common Causes of Chronic Lyme Flares

One of the most common causes of Lyme flares is called the Jarisch Herxheimer reaction, or JHR. This is a reaction of a patient being treated for another infection with antibiotics. Those, who have Lyme bacteria, or spirochetes, will experience a symptoms flare-up within 24 hours of starting an antibiotic. The infection itself can also be a trigger for a Lyme disease flare-up.

If you have Chronic Lyme and experience a flare-up of unknown origins, here are some things that might be causing your relapse.

Diet

When you suffer with any chronic condition, it is very important to know what types of foods might have an effect – negative or otherwise – on your body. Chronic Lyme sufferers might experience a flare-up by eating processed sugars or drinking alcohol.

Physical and Emotional Stress

Physical injury or surgical procedures could also result in a Lyme disease flare-up. A relapse could also be caused by extreme emotional stress, be it from a traumatic event or everyday stressors, such as work, school, or family life.

Lack of Sleep

Since sleeplessness is one symptom of a Lyme disease flare-up this situation might seem like a chicken-or-egg scenario. Are you flaring because you are not sleeping or not sleeping because you are flaring? Changes in work or school schedule or even long-distance travel could put your body into a weakened or exhausted state that would set you up for a Chronic Lyme flare-up.

What can be done to prevent Lyme disease flare-ups?

The first key to living with Chronic Lyme disease is finding a doctor and treatment regimen that works for you. Treatment and methods of prevention through lifestyle are different for every patient. However, there are some general guidelines, which anyone with Chronic Lyme could follow to promote a healthier lifestyle – and thus, less flares.

Stay hydrated and practice a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise.
Get enough rest. The body cannot heal itself without real rest.
Try to reduce the everyday stressors in your life. Perhaps practicing meditation would be beneficial.
Do not overdo it when you are feeling unwell. Pace yourself in your everyday activities. Listen to your body when it feels weakened or tired.
Seek dependable emotional support and/or a mental health provider to help you deal when traumatic events arise, or you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Lyme disease is a sad fact of the world we live in. Chronic sufferers face a lifetime of health maintenance and treatment. Lyme disease flare-ups can really affect physical and emotional well-being.

Consider year-round tick control for the prevention of Lyme, and seek immediate medical attention if you believe you have been bitten by an infected tick.

Read: Can you catch Lyme disease from dog saliva?

COVID-19 Long Haulers Shine a Light on Chronic Lyme

There have been parallels between COVID-19 and Lyme over the last year. Could COVID-19 long haulers impact the future of treating chronic Lyme?

In June of last year, I wrote about comorbidity between these two illnesses. A chronic Lyme sufferer, who is being treated with immunosuppressant drugs, could be more susceptible to contracting coronavirus. Even though COVID-19 is a viral infection, whereas Lyme disease is bacterial, there are similarities in some of the symptoms. Extreme fatigue, body pain, and fever are just three. In recent months, we have heard about COVID-19 long haulers. These are people, who contracted coronavirus and recovered – but cannot seem to fully recover.

covid-10 long haulers — A negative COVID test does not mean a full recovery.

What are long haulers experiencing?

The persistent symptoms left behind seem to be non-discriminating. There are young and old sufferers. There are patients, who had no co-morbid conditions. There are long haulers, who didn’t experience serious COVID-19 symptoms. Imagine contracting the virus, and feeling okay, only to later begin to feel very sick. Chronic sufferers are experiencing symptoms, such as shortness of breath, extreme headaches, fatigue, and an increased heart rate many months after their original illness. The U.S. does not report an average age of COVID-19 long haulers. A hospital in Paris says the average age of their patients is only 40 years old.

covid long haulers impact lyme sufferers — New long-haulers could shine a light on chronic Lyme sufferers.

Shining a Light on Chronic Lyme Disease

fatigue in COVID long haulers As experts scramble to unravel the mystery of persistent symptoms of coronavirus, the Global Lyme Alliance is reaching out to these new long haulers. As with chronic Lyme disease, the common perception is that once you treat the illness, you are cured. Chronic sufferers of COVID-19 will likely be met with some misunderstanding, but a light is being shone on their suffering. If you search online or watch the news, you will see their stories. There is a active push for awareness, and even more incentive for us to protect ourselves. Doctors are working to treat long haulers, and one could assume that the overall awareness and acceptance of the phenomenon will offer hope to chronic Lyme disease patients, who seek acceptance and effective treatment. The idea that a negative test does not mean that the infection did not leave lasting effects could eventually become a thing of the past. Those suffering chronic Lyme could find new hope in no longer being dismissed by their families, friends, and even medical professionals. There could be a time in the near future, when persistent Lyme symptoms are taken seriously, and this is great news if you suffer from these symptoms.

Hingham Tick Control for Lyme Prevention

tick control Central Mass Knowing that Lyme disease can be just as life-altering as COVID-19, it is imperative that we keep ourselves protected from tick bites. The best way to prevent Lyme infection is to eliminate ticks from your yard. Reputable tick control companies offer ultimate protection with barrier tick sprays for your property. These EPA-registered treatments can eliminate up to 95% of ticks from your yard for a couple of weeks at a time. The best tick control companies offer year-long protection by adding tick tubes to your regimen in the late fall and winter. Tick tubes can greatly impact the number of ticks that emerge on your property in the spring by killing them where they nest.

Also read: How long can you have Lyme disease without knowing it?

Elena Delle Donne: Chronic Lyme Disease Medical Exemption Denied by WNBA

WNBA superstar, Delle Donne, takes 64 pills per day to manage chronic Lyme disease. The league’s panel of doctors denied her medical exemption request due to COVID-19.

When asked if she thought her superstar player status swayed the doctors’ decision to keep her active, Delle Donne said that she hopes that this is a case of having “Lyme illiterate doctors” on the panel. Lyme disease is still greatly misunderstood by many in the medical community. Some doctors still claim that there is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease, attributing its symptoms to other diagnoses, including mental illness. In an open letter, Delle Donne says, “Taking 64 pills a day is the only way to keep my condition under any sort of control. It’s the only way to keep myself healthy enough to play the game that I love — healthy enough to do my job and earn the paycheck that supports my family.” This medical opt-out denial could mean that Donne either must play and risk her health during COVID-19 or sit out games without pay.

How could this affect others with chronic Lyme disease?

Doctors have only recently made the comorbidity correlation between chronic Lyme and COVID-19. Delle Donne’s medical exemption denial is proof that not all doctors are onboard with the comorbidity stance. It also could reflect a greater issue that could ripple down to other professions. Consider teachers and school staff, who might soon be expected to return to school. If chronic Lyme disease is not recognized as a co-morbid COVID-19 condition, we could see educators, administrators, school nurses, and bus drivers be denied medical exemptions. Would anyone like to face a decision of giving up their livelihood to potentially save their life?

chronic Lyme disease

Prevention is key for COVID-19 and Lyme disease.

The CDC has guidelines to help prevent contracting COVID-19 and Lyme disease. Of course, we have all become very familiar with coronavirus prevention methods. The three W’s: WEAR your mask, WASH your hands, WATCH your distance. As for the prevention of Lyme, there are essential practices, which can help keep you safe. When you are enjoying the outdoors, wear long sleeves and pants to protect your skin. Consider protecting yourself and your family with tick repellent spray and clothing. When you return from outdoors, check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks.

wear mask covid-19

At-home Central Mass tick protection.

Protecting your home and family from the threat of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses means treating your yard with barrier tick protection. Reputable tick control companies will treat all the areas around your home with an EPA-registered solution that will eliminate up to 95% of ticks in your yard. These solutions will knock down ticks on contact and continue working with a time-released formula for a couple of weeks at a time. Regular sprays throughout spring, summer, and fall will keep your family safe. Tick tubes in the fall and winter will do even more to control the tick population around your home by thwarting the tick life cycle. Since we do not have a Lyme disease vaccine, prevention is our best hope.

Lyme Disease Diagnosis for Justin Bieber

Lyme disease, often mis-diagnosed, has taken a new very public victim. Justin Bieber speaks about his Lyme disease diagnosis in his new YouTube documentary.

Superstar, Justin Bieber, recently announced his very private battle with debilitating chronic anxiety, Epstein-Barr, and Lyme disease ahead of his new docuseries on YouTube. Leading a public life and being on tour brought his overall health and well-being to a halt, leading to the remainder of his last tour being completely canceled. All this prefaced him seeking medical help, and led to the eventual positive diagnosis. Justin says that he is, “battling and OVERCOMING.”

Lyme disease is often mis-diagnosed

Lyme disease bullseye rash — Bullseye rash after tick bite

Lyme symptoms are vast and varied! They are not the same for every person, and can be very different in children and adults. If a person is bitten, and contracts Lyme, the bullseye rash is not always present. Without the telltale rash, many victims of Lyme don’t even realize they have been bitten by an infected tick. All the while, the Lyme bacteria are spreading throughout the nervous system, joints, and even the heart. They might be asymptomatic for a very long time, or might present Lyme symptoms that mimic other diseases, such as arthritis and mental illness. Joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, and major behavioral changes are just a few of the vague symptoms of Lyme. Delayed treatment results in a lifelong battle for many. Treatment can also become a lifelong battle for those, who are diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease.

More information: Lyme Disease Treatment

children and teens with Lyme — There is much mystery surrounding Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment.

Like many sufferers of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, Justin has been harshly criticized for his appearance and mental state. This stigma causes many undiagnosed Lyme victims to suffer in silence. They are often doubted and ridiculed by family, friends, and even their doctors. “It’s all in your head,” is actually a fair statement in regards to Lyme. It can be “in your head” – meaning that chronic Lyme can most definitely present in extreme mood swings. Aided by the frustration of alienation before receiving proper medical care and a clear diagnosis, these behavioral symptoms can compound. Many PTLDS sufferers admit to having been suicidal – this is especially true in teens.

With the prevalence of ticks in Massachusetts, it is imperative that you protect your family from the threat of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses with year-round tick control and protection.