Lyme Disease Patient Education

Doctors Who Treat Lyme Disease

As your Lyme disease (aka Lyme borreliosis) is diagnosed, treated, and managed, you may encounter the following team of doctors and specialists to help deal with this tick transmitted bacterial infection.

Internist or family physician ⎯ Doctors who provide general medical care for adults. Adults with Lyme disease are typically diagnosed and treated by an internist or family physician.

Pediatrician ⎯ A doctor who specializes in the medical care of children. Children with Lyme disease are typically diagnosed and treated by a pediatrician.

Rheumatologist ⎯ A doctor who specializes in rheumatic diseases, including arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. A person with late-stage Lyme disease may need to see a rheumatologist for specialized care of their arthritis symptoms.

Cardiologist ⎯ A doctor who specializes in the heart and blood vessels. A person with late-stage Lyme disease affecting the heart may need to see a cardiologist for specialized care.

Neurologist - A doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system. A person with late-stage Lyme disease affecting the brain or nerves may need to see a neurologist for specialized care.

 

How to Prepare for Your Lyme Disease Doctor Visit

Having made your appointment with a healthcare provider, there are certain actions you can take to maximize the benefit of your doctor visit for Lyme borreliosis, which are listed below in this Lyme disease patient education guide:

• Write down a list of all your symptoms, when they started, and when they tend to occur.
• Write down anything you remember about being outdoors before your symptoms started, being bitten by a tick, or having a recent rash. If you don’t recall any of these things, make a note of that.
• Make a list of all medications, vitamins, and supplements you are taking. Include the dosage you are taking of each.
• Write down key personal information, including prior illnesses, medication allergies, diet and exercise habits, and any major stresses or recent life changes.
• Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your recent outdoor activities, your symptoms, any rashes, and travel to areas where Lyme disease is common.

 

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Lyme Disease

From your initial diagnosis throughout your treatment and care, you will have questions about your bacterial condition. Listed below in this Lyme disease patient education guide are questions to discuss with your doctor so you can make informed decisions about your condition and your care.

 

Questions About My Diagnosis

• Can I get Lyme disease aka Lyme borreliosis even if I do not remember a tick bite?
• Is there always a bulls-eye rash with Lyme disease?
• Do symptoms always develop right away or sometimes later? How much later?
• Are symptoms of early and late Lyme disease the same?
• How is Lyme disease diagnosed? Are the blood tests for Lyme disease always accurate?

 

Questions About My Treatment

• How long will I need to take antibiotics?
• Will the antibiotics relieve my symptoms?
• Are there other medications to relieve the pain and stiffness?
• Is it ever too late to start treatment with antibiotics?

 

Questions About My Lifestyle & Family

• Will I recover completely from the Lyme disease symptoms?
• If I have had the Lyme disease bacteria once, can I get it again?
• Is Lyme disease contagious? Could I give it to my family?
• What is the proper way to remove a tick? Should I save the tick for testing?
• What can I do to prevent tick bites when I am in a wooded or grassy area?

 

Common Tests or Labs to Diagnose Lyme Disease

Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because many of its symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses, such as the flu. The only unique feature of Lyme disease is the bulls-eye rash, but the rash does not occur in all cases of Lyme disease.

To diagnose Lyme disease, doctors perform a physical exam and ask many questions about your medical history, when the symptoms began, if you remember a tick bite, your outdoor activities, if you have been to an area where Lyme disease is common, etc.

In addition, the following blood tests listed in this Lyme disease patient education guide can be performed to test for antibodies to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease:

Test	Why Test?	What Happens?	Normal Result
Enzyme-linked immuno assay (ELISA)	To detect antibodies for the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood	Blood is drawn with a syringe, typically from the arm.	A positive result indicates antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood, which suggests Lyme disease infection. A negative result indicates no antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood.
Western blot	To detect antibodies for the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood; used to confirm the results of an ELISA test	Blood is drawn with a syringe, typically from the arm.	A positive result indicates antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood, which suggests Lyme disease infection. This result would confirm a positive ELISA test. A negative result indicates no antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood, which would indicate that a positive ELISA test was a “false positive” result.

In very rare cases where the Lyme disease infection has spread throughout the body (i.e. later stage), some of the following, more extensive tests may be performed:

• Electrocardiogram to record and analyze the electrical activity of the heart
• Echocardiogram to view the heart’s chambers and its movements
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to test the fluid around the brain and spinal cord for signs of infection
• MRI of the brain to view the structures of the brain in 3-dimensional images

 

Common Medications and Treatments for Lyme Disease

Oral antibiotics are used in both early and late stages of Lyme Disease to treat the bacterial infection. Late-stage disease is sometimes treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Antibiotics also help with healing of the rash and prevent development of arthritis and nervous system problems. It is important to take all of the antibiotics prescribed by your doctor to prevent the spread of Lyme disease to your joints, nervous system or heart. In addition, medications that reduce pain and swelling, such as ibuprofen, can help relieve the arthritis pain or headache pain that may accompany Lyme disease.