What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is a multi-system infectious disease that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. In North America, two types of ticks carry Lyme disease:
- The black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), also known as the deer tick, transmits Lyme disease on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
- The Western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus) transmits the disease on the West Coast.
What are the Symptoms?
The symptoms of Lyme disease vary depending on whether the illness is acute or chronic. Many people who experience acute Lyme disease symptoms mistake the symptoms for a summer flu-like illness, leaving the Lyme infection unrecognized.
Acute Symptoms: 
- Lesion (aka the “bulls-eye” rash) – a minority of people with Lyme disease experience this specific symptom. The rash can take other forms that are not the classic bull’s eye shape
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Day and night sweats
- Chills
- Muscle aches and joint pain, this can migrate or move from joint to joint or different body areas
- Neck pain
- Sleep issues
Chronic Symptoms:
The symptoms of chronic Lyme disease are frequently mistaken for other illnesses, such as arthritis or mental illness.
- Neuropsychiatric illness, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidality
- Sudden-onset aggressiveness and violence
- Cognitive dysfunction and brain fog
- Neurodegeneration
- Insomnia and sleep disturbances, such as frequent waking at night
- Neuropathy, particularly numbness and tingling that comes and goes or moves around the body
- Pain
- Cardiovascular complications
- Chronic fatigue
If you feel you have Lyme’s disease contact Dr. Bailey at 208-799-3333 and let’s get you started on your road to recovery today!