Lyme Disease: Symptoms and Treatment

Rashes: There would be occurrence of rashes in the form of a bull’s eye pattern and it would start to appear within a period of three to 30 days post the tick bite and signal the occurrence of lyme disease. This is known to be the signature rash of lyme disease. This rash can appear anywhere on the body. It basically has a central red spot which is surrounded with a clear circle along with a wide red circle on the outside portion. This rash is mostly flat and does not appear to itch. When the individual gets the rash then it is kind of a signal that the infection is now spreading within the skin tissues as well. As time passes this rash would expand or spread itself and then resolve even if it has not been treated.

There would be flu like symptoms: The individual would be experiencing certain flu like symptoms such as night chills, bone aches, fever, tiredness, constant case of headache, and muscle aches. All these symptoms may also accompany the rash. There have been around 50 percent of the lyme cases who suffer from such flu like symptoms just within a week’s time of the infection. These symptoms would appear to be of low grade and hence the individual would not suspect himself of having lyme. In certain cases, it would become difficult to diagnose or distinguish these flu like symptoms from the viral infections or the common flu.

Erythema migraines: The lyme disease is known to be commonly associated with the erythema migraines and it starts to appear in certain parts of the body.

Pain in the joints: The individual is likely to experience bouts of pain in the joints which are likely to affect the knees. Few of the early symptoms of lyme disease is the pain in the joints as well as stiffness. The joints would become inflamed, warm when it is touched. There would also be swelling or pain in that region. The individual would have stiffness due to which there would be limited range of motion in those joints. The pain would move around and not stay at one place hence the individual would feel that one day the knee is hurting and the other day it would be the neck or the heels. At certain times the pain may tend to get severe and it would be transitory.

Neurological issues: If lyme disease is not treated for a long time then it can lead to inflammation of the membranes which surrounds the brain thereby leading to Bell’s Palsy, or an occurrence of the numbness of the limbs and in certain cases it can impair the movement of the muscles in the individual. There can be multiple degrees of neurological issues and it can turn out to be scary. The individual may notice that they are having difficulty in concentrating at school or work or they are not able to process any information properly or it is slow processing.

Vomiting and Nausea: The main bacteria known as bacterium borrelia mayonii can lead to cases of vomiting and nausea.

Treatment: The doctor can prescribe the use of doxycycline which can be used for treating lyme disease in adults as well as children who are eight years and older. It is best to get the treatment started during the early stages of this disease so as to eliminate all the traces of infection.

Cefuroxime and amoxicillin are also known to be highly effective in treating the lyme disease and it can also be used for mostly all people such as adults, younger children, mothers who are nursing their baby and breastfeeding women.

In certain cases, the doctor can go in for intravenous antibiotics since they are also termed as highly effective in the treatment of lyme disease. This is mostly provided if there is an involvement of the nervous system. This treatment would be carried out for a period of 14 to 21 days. This treatment is known to eliminate the infection but the symptoms would improve slowly and gradually.