How to Recognize Lyme Disease Symptoms

Learn how to recognize Lyme disease symptoms.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium that is carried by many types of wild animals. The bacterium, which is called Borrelia Burgdorferi, is ingested by ticks that feed on the animals and carried in the stomachs of the ticks.

If a tick bites a human, the bacterium is transferred to the human, resulting in Lyme disease. Lyme disease symptoms will gradually worsen until they become very serious if untreated.

It can easily be treated if it is diagnosed early, but unfortunately many doctors are grossly uninformed in how to recognize the first symptoms of Lyme disease.

Some doctors will even refuse to test patients for Lyme disease until they are gravely ill. At this point, the disease is still treatable, but the recovery time is significantly longer. Some people who develop Lyme disease are not even aware that a tick has bitten them until much later, when the disease has already taken hold.

If you are spending time in the woods doing activities such as camping or hiking, it is important to know these early symptoms of Lyme disease so that you can alert your doctor at the first sign of illness.

1. Strange Looking Rash
   
   One of the first symptoms of Lyme disease is inflammation and rash at the site of the tick bite. The rash spreads as the bacteria spreads into the bloodstream. Some rashes develop a bull’s-eye pattern, characterized by a red spot in the center, surrounded by a ring. In people who were not aware that they had been bitten by a tick, the rash identifies the site of the bite and removes all doubt.
   
   

2. Flu-like Symptoms
   
   The first symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to the flu, so they often get ignored. It is when the ‘flu’ persists and seems to be getting worse instead of better that people start to realize that something is wrong. If you have been sick for several weeks with a ‘flu’ virus that seems to be worsening, you may have Lyme disease.
   
   

3. Headache and Fever
   
   Typical Lyme disease symptoms are persistent headache and fever that gradually worsen and do not respond to medications such as Tylenol. Chills will usually accompany the headache and fever.
   
   

4. Muscle Aches
   
   Muscle aches, similar to those that accompany a flu virus, are typical symptoms of Lyme disease. These aches are different, however, because they don’t respond to pain medications and steadily grow worse. As the disease progresses, most people develop a stiffness in the neck caused by swollen lymph nodes.
   
   

5. Chronic Fatigue
   
   The fatigue develops when the first flu-like Lyme disease symptoms appear becomes worse as Lyme disease progresses. People with Lyme disease in its advanced stages become so weak that they are unable to get out of bed.
   
   

Lyme disease in its advances stages begins to affect the central nervous system, and also causes swelling of the heart, causing palpitations and possibly heart failure. What began as muscle aches eventually develops into chronic arthritis.

If you think that you may have Lyme disease, it is essential that you seek treatment immediately. If your doctor isn’t receptive to the idea, it may be wise to seek a second opinion. It may also help to go into your doctor’s office armed with information about the early symptoms of Lyme disease to help you better illustrate the reason for your concern.

Don’t wait until you are seriously ill before getting treatment for Lyme disease. There is no need to suffer from Lyme disease symptoms; with proper treatment, you can be feeling better in no time.