Lyme Disease Case Study

It looked like something unusual, and my mom suggested to have it check out by a doctor. At the clinic, a doctor saw my foot, and she diagnosed it as Lyme disease; and I was sent home with a 21-days dose of antibiotics. A couple days later, at the usual Wednesday night mid-week church service, I barely contained an agonizing pain that crept into my knee caps as they started to swell up; my knees felt like a hot potato. As the church service ended, I quickly headed to the exit door in tears—when a friend stopped me and asked me what was wrong. As she noticed my pain and tears running down my cheeks, she walked me to the door and said that she will be praying for me. Having a friend said that encouraged me to also ask God for help as I drove home that night. I did not know what was happening to me, and little did I know that this were symptoms of Lupus—my body’s immune system was attacking

Typical incubation periods between initial infection and symptom presentation is between 7 and 14 days. The classic symptomology indicating infection is the development of Erythema-Migrans, which is a bulls-eye shaped rash or legion that emanates from the site of the original tick bite. Although this is considered the characteristically identifiable symptom of early Lyme disease infection, studies have shown that as few as 35% of patients develop a rash (Nadelman et al., 1996). Other common indications of early Lyme disease include, flu-like symptoms and the development of Bell’s palsy. Common treatments for early stage cases include oral antibiotics and are highly effective in relieving infections. However, patients who do not receive treatment and develop CLD or acquire Post Lyme Disease Syndrome can experience significantly more severe health problems. Symptoms of these conditions include those found in early stages as well as, cognitive impairment, insomnia, neuropathy, and heart problems (Wormser et al., 2006). The nature of this bacterial infection and its increasing global incidence has made it a disease of significant interest in the public health and medical

The threat of Lyme disease is an ever growing concern especially due to the fact that late stage Lyme has no cure and early stages are hard to diagnose. The

Speaker Creditability: I know first-hand of what it's like to have Lyme disease after being diagnosed with late stage Lyme arthritis in 2014. I have had several treatments as well, but even after three years I can still feel Lyme’s effects.

Physicians in Canada have not been properly exposed to the symptoms of clinical Lyme disease; therefore it has become difficult to diagnose a patient with clinical Lyme disease. Professional organizations, such as International Lyme and associated disease society, and Lyme literate medical doctors, have acknowledged the uncommonness of Lyme disease in Canada (Magnotta, 2015). Canada has been highlighted with concerns of misdiagnosis and the increased cost in public health care. The lack of research and resources in Canada, have caused physicians to dismiss the clinical symptoms of Lyme disease, and diagnose patients with a variety of other illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, chronic Fatigue syndrome, to name a few, or something less substantial such as increased anxiety or stress (Magnotta, 2015). A case study presented in Hospital News has recognized that the rarity of symptoms requires hospitals and clinics to do excessive amounts of testing and the patient is sent to different specialists. These chronic illnesses are associated with bacteria, but the Canadian health system needs to recognize that the underlying diagnoses are infections, where Lyme disease

A well-known disease in the United States is Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by deer ticks that are infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. In the early 1970s a group of children and adults in Lyme, Connecticut, and the surrounding areas were suffering from some puzzling and debilitating health issues. Finally, by the mid-70s, researchers began describing the signs and symptoms of this new disease. They called it Lyme, but they still didn’t know what caused it (History of Lyme Disease | Bay Area Lyme Foundation. n.d.). In the 1980’s, it was discovered that the bacteria came from deer ticks. Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention estimate that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in

Imagine someone who loves the outdoors and loves life. While they are out and about doing what they love, they are unknowingly bitten by a deer tick. They start to develop a few symptoms and get diagnosed with Lyme disease some time later. Their whole life will be different forever. How does this happen? What is Lyme disease? Lyme disease is classified as a zoonosis, a disease that is spread from animals to humans. Humans acquire this disease through the bite of contaminated deer ticks. The tick contracts different kinds of Borrelia bacteria by feeding on deer and mice. Any human that the tick bites afterwards may be at risk for developing the disease. Once the Borrelia enters the human bloodstream, the bacteria begins attacking body systems. Some of the organs include the brain, heart, and joints, but all organs are at risk. Symptoms include aches anywhere on your body; joints, head, stomach, heart. Some people have also experienced memory loss or confusion, shaking, and flu-like symptoms. Different people have different symptoms. It’s crazy to think that one

Earl turned onto Main Street of his new home, Lyme Connecticut and was immediately struck with a child-like sense of wonder. The cobblestone road was lined with white shops packed side to side; everything from toys to mannequins stare back at him from the windows. As he, his mother, and his father continued down the road, a beautiful shimmering bay could be seen from the distance, the August sun reflecting brilliantly off the ocean water, seemingly calling for him to jump in. They continued, taking many turns and different road for about 15 minutes until they arrived at their new home in a small neighborhood of about 20 houses. Earl exited the car and took his suit case out of his family's black hatchback Volvo and walked towards the house,

Lyme disease is most commonly transmitted to humans by black legged deer ticks that carry a spirochete called Borrelia burgdorferi (Kruger, p. 23, 2010). Spirochete are a type of bacteria which have surrounding filaments attached to their cell walls that help propel it through aqueous environments (Porth, p.302, 2015). Deer ticks can only pass it on if they have fed from an infected host such as small mammals, like mice and squirrels, however, when the tick matures into adult, it prefers the white tailed deer as a host (Kruger, p.23, 2010). The deer themselves do not carry the disease, however they play an important role in the spread of this spirochete. The deer tick only infects it’s host with the Borrelia burgdorferi at the end of a

When I was about eleven years old my mother was diagnosed with Lyme disease. This is a bacterial infection that is very misdiagnosed. When not caught immediately it becomes a chronic illness with many symptoms and co-infections that can be debilitating. At this time I was being homeschooled by my mother and she was put on bed rest. It got so bad that at this time that when she would get out of bed and walk down stairs to check on me she would sit down and fall asleep right away. This lasted for a couple years and at the time we were attending a homeschool co-op every Monday. I would get my lessons for the week and proceed to then teach myself throughout the weeks. My father worked from home so if or when I had a question about my varying assignments

Lyme disease can manifest itself in many different ways. Infected patients may experience a range of symptoms affecting their psychological and physical well being. This makes it challenging for healthcare professionals to diagnose the disease immediately and apply proper treatment

For Lyme disease to be successfully transmitted the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours. Because the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours, typically the disease is spread through immature ticks called nymphs. Nymphs are less that 2 mm and no larger than a pinhead. These ticks are often found in discreet areas of the body such as the scalp, armpits, and groin. As the infection spreads and develops throughout the body. Large joints, such as the knees, begin to swell and experience spells of pains indicating arthritis. In some instances, irregular heart rhythms may develop. In more severe instances, damage of the nervous system occurs resulting in nerve paralysis (facial muscles), symptoms of meningitis (stiff neck, fever, relentless

Herd immunity cannot occur through vaccination. However since the same person cannot be infected twice, Herd immunity may occur once there

In December of 2013 my mother fell ill. It was very hard on me and my family as it would be for most, being that we loved her very much. She was constantly in and out of hospitals, getting test done, and always being diagnosed with something new then being told she didn’t have it. It got the point where the only thing she could move was her feet and head ever so slightly. Eventually, she was diagnosed with Polymyositis. Polymyositis

Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics at any state however, if they do not seek medical attention until the third stage they could be left with the permanent chronic disease.