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Improvement & Relapse With Treatment for Lyme Disease

Presenting with a round rash called erythema migrans, Lyme disease is an infection most commonly transmitted through bites from deer ticks. The infection can spread from the source of the bite to other body parts, causing loss of muscle tone, stiffness, headaches and sharp pain. About 20,000 Americans contract Lyme disease each year, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

  1. Treatment and Improvement

    • Patients who treat their Lyme disease in early stages with antibiotics typically recover quickly and completely. Antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin can be taken orally for a few weeks to cure the infection. Following the round of antibiotics, patients may still feel tired and achy for the next few months as they recover.

    Relapse

    • Lyme disease patients who go undiagnosed or untreated until the later stages may continue to relapse. Symptoms that persist include muscle and joint pain, arthritis, trouble sleeping and cognitive defects. Because it is often difficult to diagnose, Lyme disease relapse may be attributed to another disorder. If you have symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, fever and slight facial paralysis, your doctor should run a variety of blood tests to diagnose or rule out a Lyme disease relapse.

    New Infection

    • Dr. Robert Nadelman, a professor of medicine at New York Medical College, led studies that showed many patients believe they are relapsing when they are actually suffering from a new infection. The study showed that the majority of Lyme disease sufferers who endure what they consider a relapse tend to live in highly wooded areas, increasing their odds of having a new bite from a deer tick.

    Prevention

    • In order to prevent contracting Lyme disease, whether you have never had it or may be likely to get it again, protect yourself from tick bites. Stay out of bushy, wooded areas with high grass, especially during the ticks' most active months of May, June and July. See your doctor right away if you have been bitten by a tick.

    Removing Ticks

    • Use tweezers to firmly squeeze the tick near its head. It should release its hold from your skin after a few minutes. You may opt to flush the tick down the toilet or put it into a sealable plastic bag and place it in your freezer to take with you to your doctor for tests. Wash your hands after handling the tick and swab the bitten skin with antiseptic.

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