Late Stage Lyme Disease Treatments

When it comes to Lyme disease, it’s easier to treat this condition when caught early. Lyme disease early treatment options can be very effective and help you recover faster from this illness. Unfortunately, Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to recognize and diagnose, meaning that they need treatment for late stage Lyme disease. By reading on, you are going to learn about the different options for Lyme disease treatment in humans for those who had their condition diagnosed past the early stages.

What is Late Stage Lyme Disease?

Late stage Lyme disease is also referred to as late disseminated Lyme disease or Stage 3 Lyme disease. If you were not treated for Lyme disease during the early stages of this condition, or if you have persistent symptoms after early stage treatment, you will be considered in the late stage Lyme disease category. Sometimes doctors may even refer to this stage as PTLDS (Post-Treatment Lyme Disease) or chronic Lyme disease.

The late stage Lyme disease can occur anywhere between several months or years after first becoming infected with Lyme disease. Some symptoms of late stage Lyme disease include:

• Chronic Lyme arthritis, which is severe swelling and pain in the joints.
• Lyme carditis, which can cause irregular heartbeat and heart palpitations.? Mental fogginess
• Severe fatigue
• Brain and spinal cord inflammation
• Numbness in the feet, legs, arms, or hands

Treatments for Late Stage Lyme Disease

The first thing that they will look for is to see if the disease has spread to your central nervous system. If this does happen, you can still receive antibiotics to help treat this condition, however you will get the medication through IV rather than orally. This is because it’s a faster mode of getting the medication into your blood stream, so it can start working faster.

You can expect to receive this IV medication for between 2 and 3 weeks. The doctor will also try to treat your other symptoms during this time, easing any pain and other symptoms that you may be experiencing. Some options that they may use for you include antidepressants, suggesting changes to your diet, suggesting yoga or other stretching exercises, and working with physical therapy.

While the antibiotics can kill the bacteria that made you sick, you may end up with the symptoms of your condition for a period of time after your treatment ends. You need to be patient and be sure to follow your doctors orders and follow up with them if you think that the symptoms aren’t getting better after treatment.

Conclusion

It’s best to treat Lyme disease early on because this will give you the best chance at recovery. The problem is that sometimes the symptoms lead to misdiagnosis, and you may not get the proper diagnosis until you have reached Stage 3 Lyme disease. Be sure that you stick to all of your schedule doctor appointments and let them know if there is anything that you find concerning. Any change to your symptoms may mean that the doctor needs to adjust your treatment plan to get you back on your feet.