What Parts Of The Body Does Lyme Disease Target

I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and its coinfections in 2014. It controlled my life while the virus spread across my body setting up a house in my brain and causing cognitive impairment. The best way to describe how my brain was affected is to say, a machine gun was used on my brain and those memories are gone. In addition, I forget what I was saying and what I was going to do. 

According to The Mayo Clinic Lyme disease is an illness caused by borrelia bacteria. Humans usually get Lyme disease from the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria.

Ticks that can carry borrelia bacteria live throughout most of the United States. But Lyme disease is most common in the upper Midwest and the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. It’s also common in Europe and in south-central and southeastern Canada.

While most tick bites are harmless, several species can cause life-threatening diseases. Tick-borne diseases include:

• Rocky Mountain spotted fever

• Lyme disease

• Anaplasmosis

• Babesiosis

• Colorado tick fever

• Powassan encephalitis

• Tularemia

• Ehrlichiosis

• Relapsing fever

Areas of the body Lyme targets

Skin

Neurological

Cardiac

Joints/Arthritis

Neuropsychiatric/Neurocognitive

 

If Lyme is detected in the first couple of weeks, an antibody is used for a couple of weeks and you dodged a bullet. A large number of people do not get the Lyme Rash, and by the time symptoms start,  a small amount of antibiotics does not work. The next step is Antibody Therapy. I had a port in my chest and had Antibody Treatments every day at home. It was miserable. 

Know where the ticks are more prominent in your area, avoid the area, or dress appropriately to cut down on having ticks get on you. The last thing to do after every outing is check your ENTIRE body for ticks. Even in the tricky places. Be sure to look in your hair! 

Don’t forget dogs can get extremely ill if bitten by certain ticks. My sweet Sasha contracted Ehrlichiosis twice, each time it almost killed her. 

Be aware and be vigilant.

Melinda

References:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/lyme-disease/ticks-and-lyme-disease

https://www.columbia-lyme.org/signs-and-symptoms