Lyme Diseases Answers to Lyme FAQ

5) Q. Lyme Disease Stages?

A.Stage 1: Tick Bite

At least 3 days and up to 30 days following the bite, the bulls eye rash may appear. If it does appear, generally this happens at 7 days. It may expand up to 12 inches in size or even larger in those who it appears in. Some may never get the bulls eye rash.

Less than 50% experience the erythema migraines known as the bulls-eye rash. While some websites report 70 to 80 percent of people experience the rash, this number does not seem to have science nor logic to back it up. Additional EM rashes may appear on other areas of the body as time progresses.

Lime literate doctors have said that most people do not get the EM rash or if they do, it was never seen.

Some but not all experience generalized fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes. Some have no symptoms at all.

Stage 2: 3 to 30 Days Following the Tick Bite

Generalized Weakness
Anemia
Severe headaches and neck stiffness (meningitis)
Arthritis pain
Severe joint pain and swelling, especially in the knees and other large joints.
Joint pains in large joints.
Facial droop on one or both sides due to loss of muscle tone (called Bell's palsy).
Pain in the tendons, muscles, joints and bones that comes and goes.
Irregular heart beats or palpitations (called Lyme carditis)
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Nerve Pain
Numbness, tingling in the hands and or feet that comes and goes.
Coldness in the hands and feet that comes and goes.
Short-term memory loss
Brain Fog
Lack of drive
Depression

Stage 3: Months to Years After a Tick Bite

Arthritis pains that come and go regardless of the weather or barometric pressure
Severe pain and swelling in joints
Continuing intermittent pain in hands and feet
Pains in what would be considered the area of the liver
Intermittent pain in the area of one or both kidneys, it may move from one side to the other
Low drive or motivation for the activities of daily living
Increasing but mild problems with balance
Trouble sleeping (getting as little as 2 to 3 hours sleep at night)

What You Cannot See, At Least Maybe

There may be health issues with your intestines. This will be noticeable in your poo

There may be anemia, resulting in weakness, tiredness or lack of energy

There may be co-infections such as an overabundance of candida

In your blood, observable by dark screen microscopy, there will be visible spirochetes, cocci and possibly gram negative rods

It should be noted that some medical websites and some doctors will try to discredit the Dark Screen Microscopy

In the US, it is illegal for MD's to use Dark Screen Microscopy, however DO's and others can

One such site suggested the bacteria observed was from a contaminated slide. When you have your blood tested, you will usually watch as the live blood is shown to you on a large screen computer monitor. Then after a few minutes, the clinician will break open the red blood cells to reveal the bacteria inside. You will probably not notice any bacteria until the cells are broken open, somewhat dispelling the argument that they were there because of dirty slides. Otherwise, how do they spontaneously appear.

The visualization will not tell you what kind of spirochetes you have, just that you do, indeed have them in your blood. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to start healing your body.

Also observable will be the cells of your immune system. They will tell if your immune system is working, working poorly or in a serious health challenge. Again, it is easy to see if the cells are normal or abnormal and in some cases, even if they are working.

It is an interesting look inside your own body and what is going on.

Additionally, gut issues may have developed. Again, this could be due to the Lyme co-infections. Some experience extreme weight gain and no amount of exercise or dieting will work to help lose the weight. Only when starting to treat the infection will the weight start to return to normal levels.

Your Poo and What's Going On Inside You

Many times due to the infection side effects, the gut is inflamed and multiple food allergic reactions result. Stools will alternate between formed and loose. It may seem like you have Crohn's disease or irritable bowel.

Missed Diagnoses Lyme Disease Answers

The above stages are some of the many possibilities. Since everyone is different, various combinations of the above may be experienced.

Currently there are some who are saying that many diseases are actually misdiagnosed Lyme or Lyme Co-infections.

These include Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Multiple Sclerosis to name a few. We do not fully agree with this thinking. There are over 20 spirochete infections that humans can get. It is possible that rather than simply being Lyme, it is a spirochete infection causing the problem.

Maybe It's Not Lyme But It Is Still a Bacterial Infection

In the case of Alzheimer's, some heart disease, Parkinson's and a few others, there is increasing evidence of spirochete infection in the people who are afflicted. This is not a new theory. It was first suggested in 1907, then again in 1910 by Dr. Alzheimer and associates, yes by the doctor who first identified Alzheimer's. There are over 50 studies produced suggesting bacteria as the cause in the past 20 years.

Most people never get the bulls eye rash. Some experience many of the symptoms and some only a few. The varied symptoms can easily be confused as something as mild as the flu or as serious as MS.

We propose that since there are over 20 known possible spirochete infections and numerous potential co-infections, what if it is not simply or always Lyme disease. One doctor proposed to call it MSIDS or multiple systemic infectious disease syndrome.

Limiting the diagnoses to just calling it Lyme until we have a complete understanding of what it is could limit the treatment possibilities.

Not All Erythema Migrans Lesions are Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease Surveillance in New York State: an Assessment of Case Under-reporting.

6) Q. Lyme Disease Prognosis?

A.To understand the Lyme disease prognosis, it is important to first know what the word prognosis means.

According to the dictionary, prognosis means...

...the likely way a disease or ailment will affect you:

"the disease has a poor prognosis"

...a forecast of the likely way a disease or ailment will affect you:

"it is very difficult to make an accurate prognosis"

The Lyme disease prognosis is one of the most challenging of Lyme disease answers as there are so many factors to consider. Here are some of the variables and potential prognosis's. Remember, these are basic and generalized. Numerous factors can change the prognosis such as age (very young or old), current health, oral health, the amount of mercury in your teeth, the amount of plastic in your teeth. Also things like diet and hydration habits can drastically affect the prognosis.

Most importantly, your ability to comply to a treatment regimen could affect the prognosis.

2 Schools of Thought on Lyme Prognosis

There are two doctor groups that have very different thinking about the treatment and outcomes of Lyme disease.

One group is the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) promote methods of diagnosis and treatments are very restrictive. The diagnosis depends mostly on blood tests. Treatments last for a maximum of about 3 to 4 weeks.

Bob Butts, founder of WaterCures.org was diagnosed with Lyme Disease about the same time his dog was also diagnosed in early 2016. When taking a new rapid Lyme test, he was positive. Additionally, there was also visible spirochetes in his blood when it was looked at under dark screen microscopy. Yet on going to one of his MD's, he was told that he did not have Lyme and probably never had it. This is how divided the medical world is over Lyme disease.

The International Lyme and Associated diseases Society (ILADS) has a more comprehensive view and longer treatment. The treatment focuses not only on the lab tests but also on the symptoms you are experiencing. The minimum treatment they recommend is three months.

Prognosis With No Treatment: Make no mistake, Lyme can kill you.

Prognosis If Treated Early and Effectively After Infection: Very good chance of totally curing Lyme disease. The key to success is early and effectively.

Prognosis When Treating Chronic Lyme Disease: If treated effectively, it is possible to put it into remission. Chronic or persistent Lyme disease cannot be cured, yet. It can however be controlled, or put in remission. It can return when facing stress or other health challenges.

7) Q. What are the Joint Pain Lyme Disease Symptoms?

A. Lyme disease, if untreated (you may not even know you were infected), may not present any symptoms for weeks or even months. Additional months or even years may pass before a Lyme diagnosis will be given.

If you have chronic or persistent Lyme disease, then you may have noticed that any illness or increase stress you experience could cause the Lyme disease to flair up.

The joint pain may be sever. There may be swelling. It can be one or the other joint or both. While it most often affects the knees, the pain may affect other joints such as the toes or fingers. Some have noticed that the pain can move from one side to the other. For others, the pain may be in both joints.

While we don't think of our neck as a joint in the same way we think of our knee joint, some experience neck stiffness, neck pain and or creaks and cracks.

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8) Q. What are Symptoms of Advanced Lyme Disease?

A. Symptoms of late stage or advanced Lyme disease (stage 3) can occur months or years after the initial infection.

While he most common symptoms are joint and muscle pain, those infected may experience any or even several of the symptoms. Many times, the onset of symptoms are unnoticed until there are several all at once. Then the association that the various symptoms are not just age related, but are something bigger becomes apparent. Some do not take note until there their health reaches the tipping point. Left unattended, Lyme disease and or the co-infections will eventually kill.

As an example, numbness and tingling in the extremities may be attributed to sitting wrong or sleeping on a limb. Then when the feet and or hands get very cold, if it is in the winter time, it is considered a seasonal thing. In reality, it is abnormal. Because of the way it appears, it is not recognized as something to be concerned about.

Likewise the arthritis pain is thought to be arthritis and not the spirochete infection related to the Lyme disease. What ever the cause of arthritis, drinking more water and taking unprocessed salt (basically the oral version of a saline IV) will end the arthritis pain.

The complications of late stage or advanced Lyme disease include not just the joints, but also the nervous system including the brain and eyes. Think Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS.

Please Note: Any would be flamers, before you say this is crazy, please check the NIH site for Alzheimer's, spirochetes and neurospirochetosis. It as been suggested as a possible cause as far back as 1907 and then again in 1910. The doctor who suggested Alzheimer's could be caused by bacteria was the doctor that the disease is named after.

Additionally, it can affect the heart and circulatory system. Again, there is considerable science to back this up.

Advanced Lyme Disease Arthritis

Arthritis is one of the most common late stage Lyme disease symptoms. The pain is most often noted in joints and includes swelling. Usually it affects large joints such as the knees and hips. This kind of arthritis is often debilitating and severe.

Research has shown that treatment with appropriate antibiotics often relieves the pain.

Advanced Lyme Disease Neurological Complications

Late stage Lyme disease can affect the brain itself.

Advanced Lyme disease causes neurological symptoms in about 20% of the people infected. This is experienced as chronic numbness, tingling and or cold hands and feet that is the result of nerve damage. The medical term is called peripheral neuropathy.

When late stage Lyme disease affects the brain, it is called Lyme encephalopathy. The symptoms include difficulty with concentration, short-term memory loss, personality changes and mood swings. Simple tasks such as reading and remembering what you read will be very difficult. Even having the ability to concentrate when reading is difficult.

Lyme encephalomyelitis is also a symptom of advanced Lyme Disease. It is a progressive disorder that involves the brain and spinal cord. It may lead to and may lead to impaired thinking and difficulty walking.

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9) Q. What is Dormant Lyme Disease?

A.When Lyme disease is dormant for a long time before it is manifest, the symptoms are often not distinguishable as Lyme disease.

If you have been to numerous doctors and have not been able to get a successful treatment, then consider Lyme disease. If you have been told that you have some sort of autoimmune disease that is not clearly defined, then consider the possibility of Lyme disease.

If you have been told that Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, then consider the possibility of Lyme disease.

If you have respiratory issues, cardiac health issues, joint pain, visual problems, mood issues or anything weird and your doctor is not providing any relief, then please find a Lyme literate doctor and consider the possibility.

If you have been diagnosed as mentally ill because your medical tests have returned with negative and there is no cause for your symptoms, then consider the possibility of Lyme disease as being the problem.

If you have dark screen microscopy blood work and there are bugs in your blood, then by all means, consider Lyme disease as the cause of your health issues. If you happen to live near North East Pennsylvania, we have a ND that can provide dark screen microscopy.

10) Q. What are the Other Insects That Can Give Me Lyme?

A. Many have the question, can other bugs give me Lyme?

Research have found spirochetes in mosquitoes and blood sucking insects. Ticks are not insects, rather, they are arachnoids or of the same family as spiders. While there is no evidence that these other bugs can spread Lyme disease, it is believed by many experts that they can.

Consider that the CDC has indicated that over 300,000 people a year are infected. This is probably more people than regularly walk in the woods and are exposed to the habitat of ticks.

11) Q. Is There a Lyme Vaccine?

A.As of October 2016, there is no vaccine for Lyme....yet.

Research is promising.

The saliva of ticks has a immune suppressor that help spread the bacteria throughout the body of the infected.

Yale researchers found a protein found in the saliva of tics protected mice from developing Lyme disease. In the Cell Host and Microbe, it was suggested that this could help in the search of a new vaccine against Lyme disease.

When the Lyme bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) is passed from the tick to its new home, it is coated with a tick salivary protein called Salp 15. The researchers injected the Salp 15 into healthy mice. Turns out it protected the mice from getting Lyme disease.

So, there is hope on the horizon for a Lyme vaccine. Below are more Lyme disease answers.

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12) Q. Does Lyme Disease go Away?

A. If the Lyme disease is caught early, it is possible to eliminate it from the body. If it becomes persistent or chronic, then currently there is no way to totally eliminate the bacteria from the body.

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Lyme Disease Info

Lyme Disease Definition

Lyme Disease Answers

Lyme Disease MSIDS

Lyme Disease Stages

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease and Hydration