Lyme Disease
GENERAL INFORMATION:
What is it? Lyme disease is an infection caused by being bitten by an infected deer tick. The tick must be on your skin for many hours to cause the disease. Deer, raccoons, mice, and other animals may carry deer ticks. Ticks live in areas of long grass or brush. This infection is seen most often from mid-April to mid-August. In the United States, it is more common in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and far West.
Causes: The deer tick may be infected with a germ called a spirochete. Borrelia is the spirochete that causes Lyme disease. This germ enters your body when the deer tick bites you.
Signs and Symptoms:
- It may take 3 to 32 days for you to have signs of Lyme disease. You may first have a small, red raised bump, usually where the tick bit you. This could be on the upper leg, under the arm, or on the buttocks (rear end). Or the bump may be in the groin (area between your legs). The bump may grow and spread into a pinkish-red rash that lasts about 1 month. The rash usually has a clear area in the center.
- Other signs may be sore throat, chills and fever, headache, tiredness, neck pain, and body aches. Most signs go away with or without medicine. But without medicine, you may later get long-term nerve, eye, joint, or heart problems.
Care: Antibiotic medicine is used to treat early Lyme disease. Other medicines may be used to treat later signs. Heat may help joint pain and rest may help you feel better.
CARE AGREEMENT:
You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.
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