How long did it take for you to get your Lyme diagnosis?

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Trellie

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Hi guys! Since this is the ''Living with Lyme'' section I thought it was about time we could talk about this topic. I'm wondering how long it most of you (in average) to finally get the official diagnosis? What was your experience like? Did you have a hard time finding a decent doctor willing to listen to you and help? or are you still uncertain about your diagnosis?
 
The timeline is far easier to keep track of if you were infected from, and found on you, a tick. Otherwise, people usually wait for symptoms to appear and that can take weeks. Most people don't actually get a lot of the symptoms that are "advertised" until later, such as rashes, bullseye rash, pain and fatigue. A lot of the symptoms are a lot like flu, such as:

  • Lack of energy
  • Headache and stiff neck
  • Fever and chills
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Swollen lymph nodes

In many cases, none of these symptoms are noticed, so the virus festers and grows unknown to the patient infected. Once it continues and the diagnosis is prolonged, and without any immediate attention by a physician the person enters the latter stages of infection. This stage is the most serious, called Late persistent Lyme disease.

Once in this stage, usually 1-4 months after infection, the person can suffer a myriad of dangerous symptoms. This can also affect someone if they were misdiagnosed or ineffectively treated. Damage to joints, nerves, the brain, things like arthritis can occur months and years later.

I believe it's for these reason that people are so fearful of Lyme if it does go wrongly or misdiagnosed.
 
Yeah, those first symptoms are so vague! I mean, I have experienced that combo of symptoms a couple times already. One of those times I had just gotten infected with Salmonella. My lips felt a bit swollen and felt a bit weird, sadly the doctor who saw me was totally clueless. I don't want to imagine what other things they have missed... I'd not be surprised it it tuned out I have Lyme as well, after all I started to experience arthritis issues a long time ago... now it's worse.
 
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