As a kid, I remember I got a tick on the back of my neck. My mother called the doctor frantically because she thought I'd get Lyme disease. We found out from this experience, that if you notice you have a tick or that you've been bitten, it doesn't automatically mean you have Lyme disease.
OK, so what is Lyme disease? Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium (called Borrelia burgdorferi in case you were wondering), which is transmitted by a bite from infected black-legged ticks. In the northeastern and north-central U.S., the blacklegged tick (or deer tick) transmits Lyme disease. In the Pacific coastal U.S., the disease is spread by the western blacklegged tick.
How do ticks get Lyme disease? When they feed on an infected animal, the tick takes the bacterium into its body. It sounds gross, but the bacterium lives in the gut of the tick, and the next time it goes to feed, the tick could transmit the bacterium to its new host. Due to their small size ticks can go unnoticed, so it is important to watch for initial symptoms of Lyme disease such as:
- fever
- headache
- fatigue
- characteristic skin rash called Erythema Migrans
If left untreated the infection can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system, causing painful symptoms and loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face (called Facial or "Bell's" Palsy). A lab test will determine if you have Lyme disease, and a few weeks of antibiotics will successfully treat the infection.
Want to see a picture of what the rash looks like? Then read more
If you notice a rash like this, see your doctor immediately. Here are some tips for preventing Lyme disease:
- Cover your body when going out in the woods - wear long sleeves and tuck socks over the bottom of your pants.
- Use insect repellent.
- If you've been out in the woods, have someone check your skin for ticks. Especially behind the ears and knees, the back of the neck as well as in the armpits and groin area.
Lacoste
New Look
Chloﾎ
I had that rash before. They calso say it looks like a "bull's Eye" If you notice you see a samller red ring in the middle of the larger one. If you hve it, don't freak out, but go to the doc immediately. I tested border line for lyme's disease, they gave me antibiotics ofr like 6 weeks or something, i went back and i tested negative.
Tics TOTALLY freak me out now though. *shiver*
1oh and get this. theo nly reason i jknew to go to the doctor, I was at girl scout camp, and someone's dad was a doctor. they wre talking about it and i went home you know. the next day i saw it, told my mom what i heard, she called the ask a nurse line, and they said yes you need to go to doc that's what it is. hehe, my good memroy has served me well even from a young age.
2I had a co-worker that got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tick when she was pregnant and almost lost the baby. Now the baby has a very weakened immune system. Strange...yucky ticks!
3Yeesh. And ouch.
4I had this...it was awful. I didn't even know it because the "bull's eye" rash was on the back of my knee and I just assumed it was a bug bite or something. Be extra careful!
5now i'm freaking out. i always get bug bites. i had bells palsy liek 2 years ago, and now i keep thinking i have like super untreated lyme's disease. and to add to that, i woke up with the worst pain in my right shoulder/neck and it's still hurting and i've never hurt like this before....
6Just for the record, you DO NOT ALWAYS have the rash as a sign of lyme disease. I worked at an outdoor camp as a horseback riding instructor all through high school and part of college, and came down with lyme disease. Since I never had the rash or ANY of the symptoms, it went unnoticed for four years, when I started developing joint problems and memory loss. Multiple rheumatologists and neurologists later, I was finally diagnosed with late-stage lyme disease, complete with irreversible memory loss, concentration problems, and some cardiac problems.
7That said, it's definitely not the end of the world and hardly affects my day-to-day life, so I personally think it is ridiculous how much people over-react with fears of tick bites, especially since most people are lucky enough to catch it early and it can be easily cured with a few weeks of antibiotics.
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