Thursday, December 4, 2008

Lyme Disease - Don't Suffer More Than You Should

By Jennifer King

If you've ever gotten Lyme disease from an infected tick bite, then you realize how irritating the symptoms can be. Some people don't realize exactly how frustrating and agonizing the disease can be for those suffering from it. Muscle and joint pain that can last for many days or weeks at a time, more than enough trips to your health practitioners office, misdiagnoses and unsuccessful cures all can make for an awfully stressful period of time.

Coping with Lyme disease can be notably unpleasant because oftentimes the disease is misdiagnosed, which leads to attempted cures that don't work, and you then having to put up with continuous illness and pain from the disease. Because there is no absolute test to resolve whether or not you have Lyme disease, an incorrect diagnosis is common. This can be particularly notably aggravating for people that are told that their symptoms are "all in their mind," and then the sufferers are prescribed anti-depressants. There are over 100 different symptoms of Lyme disease, that will make it very hard for doctors to narrow down the symptoms into one illness. The disease is also regularly misdiagnosed as something else such as arthritis, and so the sufferer will not get the correct treatment.

If you're suffering with Lyme disease in your life, following are some tips that might aid you as you battle your illness:

Gain as much knowledge as you can about the disease. School yourself on the basics of Lyme disease, such as its symptoms, causes, how how to diagnose it and expectations of the disease. Lyme disease progresses from the bacteria Borrelia, that is ordinarily transmitted by way of the bite of a deer tick. After the bacteria invades your body you'll most likely begin to suffer from the symptoms within a matter of weeks. Symptoms include a bulls-eye shaped reddish rash, fever, fatigue, and arthritis-like muscle and joint pain. Coping with Lyme disease and its numerous symptoms is definitely not enjoyable, but by examining your symptoms and your medical history, your doctor will hopefully be able to make a proper diagnosis.

Once a proper diagnosis is made, treatment can begin. This will regularly include either oral or IV antibiotics to kill the bacteria in your body. Understanding the illness and what it does to you is significant part of coping with the disease.

Speak with your doctor about the various cures that are available. Antibiotics are regularly used to fight the disease. However, there are alternative remedies available. These natural remedies aid you in curing your disease without the use of drugs and medicines that might cause other problems later, and can, in the long term, become expensive.

The most difficult thing to do while you're feeling dreadful is be patient, but this is quite important when suffering with Lyme disease. You must give your body the opportunity to be cured and react to treatments, and becoming apprehensive over the time it's taking or thinking about how bad you feel will not give you relief any quicker. In fact, it will hinder your recovery. So just hang in there - you will get better in time.

About the Author:

No comments: