Many reports state a high percentage, as high as 90%, of people with Lyme disease fully recover after receiving two to four weeks of antibiotic therapy. While receiving antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease gives you a better chance of a full recovery, they are beneficial in every stage of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease occurs when Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria are transferred from a deer tick to a human. The bacteria enter a person’s bloodstream, multiply, and spread to different body parts. The longer the bacteria remain in the body, the stronger they become, and painful symptoms worsen.
Recognizing Lyme disease symptoms means receiving proper treatment and quicker recovery.
Lyme Disease Stages and Symptoms
Lyme disease progresses in three stages, each with distinctive symptoms. When a deer tick attaches, it may spend more than a day searching for a place to bite or embed under the skin, where it will feed on blood. The best-case scenario is finding and removing the deer tick before it bites. Performing tick checks after being in the outdoors can save you months and years of complications.
If bitten by a deer tick, the second best-case scenario is the appearance of a bulls-eye rash anywhere on your body. The rash is a sure sign of Lyme bacteria; doctors will immediately treat you with antibiotics. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a rash. They must recognize symptoms and seek treatment.
Early Localized Stage and Symptoms
The first stage of Lyme disease is early localized when the bacteria have entered the bloodstream but haven’t started causing significant damage. Symptoms in this stage include headaches, stiff neck, chills, fatigue, achy joints and muscles, fever, sweats, and fever.
Treatment: Antibiotics to either stop the growth of bacteria, like tetracyclines, or antibiotics that destroy the cell walls of bacteria and kill the bacteria, like penicillin drugs.
The Problem: Multiple problems occur in this stage, including doctors misdiagnosing your symptoms for the flu or another condition. Some people do not have symptoms; if they do, they are mild enough to ignore. Also, symptoms can take up to a month to appear, enough time to forget an association with a tick.
Early Disseminated Stage and Symptoms
The second stage of Lyme disease involves all the symptoms from stage one, only worse. In the early disseminated stage, Lyme bacteria have started multiplying and spreading. Symptoms are more noticeable in various areas, like joints and muscles. Symptoms may also include facial paralysis, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, meningitis, swelling and joint pain, palpitations, dizziness, and cognitive issues.
Treatment: Antibiotic therapy for up to four weeks can eliminate Lyme bacteria in many people. Some doctors may use tetracyclines, penicillin, or a combination.
The Problem: Doctors don’t typically treat a person for Lyme disease unless they receive a positive result from a Lyme disease test. The only tests available today are the ELISA, given first, and the Western Blot provided the ELISA returns positive for Lyme disease. The problem is that the ELISA is only accurate a percentage of the time. It is inaccurate because it only tests for the antibodies of Lyme bacteria, which can go undetected for several reasons. This means you can receive a negative test result and still have Lyme disease. General doctors will not treat you, allowing Lyme bacteria to grow and spread in your body.
Late Disseminated Stage and Symptoms
Symptoms of the third stage of Lyme disease may not appear for months or years after the initial tick bite. A person may experience all the signs from previous stages, plus brain fog, trouble speaking, trouble forming thoughts, arthritis, and nerve damage. Lyme disease triggers an autoimmune reaction where the immune system mistakes healthy cells for pathogens and attacks them.
Treatment: Oral antibiotics are given, like those in stage two.
The Problem: Oral antibiotics aren’t always enough to completely eradicate Lyme bacteria, which must be done to prevent future symptoms from returning.
How to Get Proper Diagnosis and Treatment
The key to receiving treatment early, based on symptoms rather than faulty tests, is to seek help from a Lyme-literate doctor. They are medical doctors with specialties in infectious diseases. Lyme-literate doctors offer the following above and beyond what a general practitioner provides:
- Advanced testing methods, including a cerebral fluid test or lumbar puncture, analyze the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Polymerase chain reaction testing to study blood and fluid for bacteria, urine antigen tests, lymphocyte transformation tests, and immunofluorescence staining.
- Advanced treatment methods, including therapeutic apheresis, intravenous antibiotics, biofilm eradication, detox, hyperthermia, antiviral protocols, and immune modulation.
- Personalized treatment plans include lifestyle changes as part of treatment, including diet, exercise, self-care, and supplements to replace lost nutrients.
Lyme Disease FAQs
How Long Does It Take to Recover?
Lyme disease recovery will vary for each person. It depends on the types of treatments your doctor administers, your commitment to making changes, strength, and length of treatments. Many people notice improvements after a single treatment. For some, it may take several treatments. The good news is that Lyme disease recovery is possible for everyone.
Can Lyme Disease Be Prevented?
Yes, prevention is crucial and simple. It involves protecting yourself and your pets when spending time outdoors. Where proper clothing, hats, shoes, and tick repellant. Always do tick checks and shower soon after you return home.
What Are Tips for Better Healing?
To improve healing from Lyme disease, reduce the number of inflammatory foods you consume, like sugar or dairy. Also, don’t waste time and money visiting various specialists and seek help from a Lyme-literate doctor, even if that means traveling outside the United States and Canada.
Make getting an accurate diagnosis a priority. You know your body best, much more so than a doctor who meets with you for fifteen minutes once or twice a year. Fight for your health and the care you deserve. Don’t allow insurance, logistics, or cost worries to prevent you from seeking treatment the treatment you deserve so you can get back to enjoying life without pain.
Contact Lyme Mexico, where a Lyme-literate doctor is present with modern, advanced testing and treatment.
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