With more outdoor activity comes a heightened risk of Lyme disease but taking precautions such as using DEET insect repellent, wearing protective clothing in tall grassy areas, and checking for ticks immediately after outdoor activities can help prevent Lyme disease.
Time is of the Essence
Ticks must be removed as soon as possible to prevent Lyme disease transmission. It takes about 24 hours for an attached tick to infect a host. Follow these steps when removing a tick:
- Use tweezers to grasp the head of the tick.
- Pull straight up until the tick releases.
- Wash the site of the bite with soap and water and apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol.
Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease
If you contract Lyme disease, it can take three to 30 days after transmission for symptoms to appear. Common initial indicators include a red bull’s-eye ring (shown above), unexplained fatigue, flu-like symptoms, or red dots on your wrists or ankles. However, not all symptoms appear in every case. You can still have Lyme disease and never get a red ring.
If left untreated, longer-term symptoms can occur, such as:
- Facial drooping
- Severe headaches or joint pain
- Irregular heartbeat
- Dizziness or shortness of breath
- Inflammation of the brain or spinal cord
See your medical professional immediately if any of these symptoms occur after a tick bite.
Diagnosing Lyme Disease
Your medical provider will typically look at your likelihood of tick exposure and your signs and symptoms, and may also order laboratory tests to determine your diagnosis.
Laboratory tests happen in two steps, both from the same blood sample. If the first step is negative, no further testing is needed. If the first step comes back positive or the results can’t be determined (sometimes called “equivocal,” the second step is performed. The overall result is positive only when the first test is positive (or equivocal) and the second test is positive (or, for some tests, equivocal).
Lyme Disease Treatments
Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. However, even after treatment, patients may still feel pain, fatigue or have difficulty thinking and can experience Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.
If you have a known recent tick bite, are showing symptoms of Lyme disease or have complications from the condition, the infectious disease experts within the University of Maryland Integrated Lyme Program can help!
If you think you may have been exposed to Lyme disease outside of normal business hours, walk-in or save your spot in line at UM Urgent Care in Columbia, open every day. They can provide thorough evaluation and diagnosis and set an effective treatment plan.
More to Read
- What to Do for Bites, Stings, and Rashes
- Your Guide to Common Bites and Rashes
- When Your Headache Keeps Coming Back: The Facts About Chronic Headaches
- Is It a Headache or Something More Serious?
Medically reviewed by Kalpana Shere-Wolfe, MD and Rachel Silk, RN, BSN, MPH, Clinical Research Operations and Compliance Director, University of Maryland, Institute of Human Virology.
