Worried about Lyme disease? Although it is rarely life-threatening, Lyme disease can be serious and can cause a nasty illness that is hard to recover from. Lyme disease is an infection caused by a bite from an infected tick and caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease can be easy to confuse with other illnesses, which is why it is sometimes not properly treated, and this can lead to late Lyme disease. Late Lyme disease can cause joint pain, numbness, and even nerve paralysis, so it is important to identify and treat Lyme disease in its early stage. This post will tell you all that you need to know about testing for Lyme disease.
The Main Symptoms
As mentioned, the symptoms of early Lyme disease can be easy to mistake for many other illnesses. The main symptoms include:
- Skin rash
- Chills and fever
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle and joint pain
Where You Might Get Lyme Disease
It is important to know where you could get Lyme disease so that you know to get tested if you start to exhibit the above symptoms. You can get Lyme disease in any natural setting, but it is most common in long grass and heavily wooded areas. If you spend time in these kinds of environments, it is always a good idea to check your entire body afterward to look for ticks.
Getting Tested
If you exhibit symptoms of Lyme disease and have spent time in nature recently, it is a good idea to get a test completed so that you can get early treatment if required. You can get a lyme disease test sent to your home, which can make it easy to get an accurate diagnosis. You simply need to register your kit once it arrives, take a finger-prick blood sample, and send the kit back. You should get your results in a few days, and if positive, you can arrange a virtual consultation where you can get prescribed antibiotics if required. This means that you do not have to leave the house, and you can get all of the information and treatment that is required. Keep in mind that if you test positive, you will continue to test positive for months and even years to come, so you need to be cautious in terms of re-infection.
Treatment
Leading on from this, the standard treatment for Lyme disease is an antibiotic pill. Treatment usually lasts 10 to 14 days, and it is important that you take your medication as directed, even if your symptoms start to clear up.
This post should be informative and will hopefully help you to detect Lyme disease and get treatment before it develops. Lyme disease can be easy to miss due to the symptoms being similar to many other illnesses, but it is important to catch Lyme disease in its early stages; otherwise, it could advance and cause more serious symptoms. This is why you must always consider your travel history if you start to feel unwell and check yourself over after spending time in grassy environments.
