Ask an Expert
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JULY TOPIC: Managing Lyme Disease
Lorraine Cucci, RN
Founder of Healing Path to Health |
OUR EXPERT:
Lorraine Cucci, RN, has 40 years of nursing experience and is also a certified reflexologist, Usui Reiki Master/Teacher, medical intuitive and an integrative healthcare practitioner. She possesses a broad clinical knowledge that complements her holistic approaches to health and wellness. As an integrative healthcare practitioner, Lorraine combines her medical knowledge with her medical intuition and complementary health modalities to provide compassionate support to her clients in their quest for health and wellness. In 2007, Lorraine contracted Lyme disease and was treated with intravenous antibiotics for seven weeks and then with oral antibiotics. She still didn’t feel well, so she started to research natural treatments and alternative therapies. After educating herself about different treatments that were energy-based, she found that Reiki, acupuncture, reflexology, and different massage therapies were helping her to heal. |
“I was diagnosed with Lyme (symptoms and a loosely positive test) in 2012, and I took antibiotics for a month. Can we really say that it's out of our system? When I had viral meningitis in 2016, they tested again for Lyme and said I had no antibodies for it, so I never had it in the first place. Is this possible? The doctors thought the first time might have also been a viral meningitis and that the Lyme diagnosis was a false one because the symptoms are similar. My viral meningitis was from varicella zoster.” ~ Karen (PA)
Hi Karen,
Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms and a positive test. Early symptoms can include:
The blood testing done to confirm Lyme disease is:
If the above blood testing is done right after a tick bite, most tests will come back negative. It usually takes 4-5 weeks for antibodies that fight Lyme disease to appear in the bloodstream.
It could be that you had Lyme disease, and it was successfully treated with the month of antibiotics. Based on medical evidence regarding the treatment of Lyme disease, antibiotics are effective for most cases of early Lyme disease if started within two weeks of the tick bite.
“I just woke up with a tick in my torso. I’m wondering if I should call the doctor right away or if I should wait to see if there’s a bullseye rash. Do all bullseye rashes look the same?” ~ Chrystal (NY)
Hi Chrystal,
Hopefully, you were able to remove the tick and save it. The tick can be tested to check if it is a carrier of Lyme disease. Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are the ones to avoid.
It is best to see your doctor right away. Based on medical evidence with treatment of Lyme disease, antibiotics are effective for most cases of early Lyme disease if started within two weeks of the tick bite.
The skin lesion or rash known as erythema migrans can develop 3 to 30 days after the bite. It usually appears as a “bullseye” rash and only 50% of people develop this rash; with or without accompanying symptoms. It begins as a flat or slightly raised red spot at the site of the tick bite and can expand to become a round rash up to 30 inches across. It can appear on any area of the body (at the bite site); but, most frequently, it shows up on the lower limbs, buttocks and groin in adults. A clear ring may appear around the center of the rash, giving it a bullseye-like appearance. It may also be warm to touch, though rarely painful or itchy.
Photos of Lyme disease rashes and look-alikes can be found here: CDC
“I have a friend who wound up being diagnosed with Lyme, but she never saw a tick or a bullseye rash. She just started ‘not feeling well’ – joint stiffness, fatigue, etc. She originally thought she was just run down, so she didn't see the doctor right away. When should someone see a medical professional?" ~ Elizabeth (VA)
Hi Elizabeth,
Unfortunately, not everyone who gets bitten by a tick will see the tick that bit them or notice a bullseye rash. Only 50% of people that have been bitten by a tick will develop the “bullseye” rash.
In my own experience, I had Lyme disease twice, and, in both instances, I never saw a tick or had the “bullseye” rash. The symptoms that you described – not feeling well, fatigue, joint stiffness - are all common early signs of Lyme disease. A person who has removed a tick from their body or suspects being bitten by a tick (with or without a bullseye rash) should go to their healthcare practitioner right away. The earlier that you get treated, the better the outcome.
Lorraine suggests the following site for the most up-to-date information regarding Lyme disease: LymeDisease.org
Hi Karen,
Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms and a positive test. Early symptoms can include:
- Flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, joint swelling and dizziness
- Skin lesion or rash known as erythema migrans which can develop 3 to 30 days after the bite. It usually appears as a “bullseye” rash and only 50% of people develop this rash; with or without accompanying symptoms.
The blood testing done to confirm Lyme disease is:
- EIA -enzyme immunoassay or
- IFA – indirect immunofluorescence assay
- Western blot – immunoblot test – if the first test is positive
If the above blood testing is done right after a tick bite, most tests will come back negative. It usually takes 4-5 weeks for antibodies that fight Lyme disease to appear in the bloodstream.
It could be that you had Lyme disease, and it was successfully treated with the month of antibiotics. Based on medical evidence regarding the treatment of Lyme disease, antibiotics are effective for most cases of early Lyme disease if started within two weeks of the tick bite.
“I just woke up with a tick in my torso. I’m wondering if I should call the doctor right away or if I should wait to see if there’s a bullseye rash. Do all bullseye rashes look the same?” ~ Chrystal (NY)
Hi Chrystal,
Hopefully, you were able to remove the tick and save it. The tick can be tested to check if it is a carrier of Lyme disease. Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are the ones to avoid.
It is best to see your doctor right away. Based on medical evidence with treatment of Lyme disease, antibiotics are effective for most cases of early Lyme disease if started within two weeks of the tick bite.
The skin lesion or rash known as erythema migrans can develop 3 to 30 days after the bite. It usually appears as a “bullseye” rash and only 50% of people develop this rash; with or without accompanying symptoms. It begins as a flat or slightly raised red spot at the site of the tick bite and can expand to become a round rash up to 30 inches across. It can appear on any area of the body (at the bite site); but, most frequently, it shows up on the lower limbs, buttocks and groin in adults. A clear ring may appear around the center of the rash, giving it a bullseye-like appearance. It may also be warm to touch, though rarely painful or itchy.
Photos of Lyme disease rashes and look-alikes can be found here: CDC
“I have a friend who wound up being diagnosed with Lyme, but she never saw a tick or a bullseye rash. She just started ‘not feeling well’ – joint stiffness, fatigue, etc. She originally thought she was just run down, so she didn't see the doctor right away. When should someone see a medical professional?" ~ Elizabeth (VA)
Hi Elizabeth,
Unfortunately, not everyone who gets bitten by a tick will see the tick that bit them or notice a bullseye rash. Only 50% of people that have been bitten by a tick will develop the “bullseye” rash.
In my own experience, I had Lyme disease twice, and, in both instances, I never saw a tick or had the “bullseye” rash. The symptoms that you described – not feeling well, fatigue, joint stiffness - are all common early signs of Lyme disease. A person who has removed a tick from their body or suspects being bitten by a tick (with or without a bullseye rash) should go to their healthcare practitioner right away. The earlier that you get treated, the better the outcome.
Lorraine suggests the following site for the most up-to-date information regarding Lyme disease: LymeDisease.org
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