Long COVID
A whole-person plan for fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath and other lingering symptoms.
Learn morePersistent symptoms after Lyme disease
People treated with the right antibiotics early in Lyme disease usually recover, according to the CDC. Some people still feel unwell after treatment ends. They may have fatigue, body aches or trouble thinking clearly. The CDC calls this post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Its cause is not yet known, and similar symptoms can follow other infections.
These symptoms can make work, family life and sleep harder. You deserve a careful look, not a quick answer. Patients come to our West Chester Township office from across Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, and Butler and Warren counties for this kind of whole-person evaluation.
Tick-borne illness in Ohio
Ohio sits within the areas where the CDC says several ticks that can spread disease are found, including the blacklegged tick, the lone star tick and the American dog tick. Lyme disease is only one tick-borne illness. Tell us where you live, work and spend time outdoors, and whether you remember a bite.
Early Lyme disease can bring fever, chills, headache, fatigue and aches, sometimes with a circular, expanding rash near the bite. Later signs can include joint pain and swelling, nerve pain, and numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. The CDC lists more on its Lyme disease signs and symptoms page. If you get a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see a provider and mention the bite.
How testing works, and its limits
Lyme disease blood tests look for antibodies, which are your immune system's response to the bacteria. They do not look for the bacteria directly. The CDC explains a few limits:
- Antibodies can take several weeks to build up, so a test done early can be falsely negative.
- A positive test can stay positive for months to years, even after the bacteria are gone. A positive result alone does not show an active infection.
- Some labs offer tests that are not cleared or approved by the FDA.
So a diagnosis rests on more than one lab result. Your provider weighs your symptoms, your exam and how likely it is that you were exposed to infected ticks. When lab work will help, we order it and explain what the results can and can't tell you.
Our approach: the whole person
Fatigue, pain and brain fog have many possible causes, including other infections, medication side effects, depression and diabetes. The CDC recommends working with your provider to check all possible causes and to focus on the symptoms that affect your daily life most. That is how we work.
- Sleep. Poor sleep can worsen pain, mood and focus. We look at how you sleep and what gets in the way.
- Pain. Joint and muscle pain get a careful exam and a plan to manage them.
- Mood. A long illness is stressful. We screen for anxiety and depression and offer support.
- Thinking and memory. If focus or memory is your main concern, our memory and cognitive health care may help.
- Overlapping conditions. Mold-related illness, long COVID and other conditions can cause similar symptoms. We look at your full history, not one diagnosis.
Your plan is personal and changes as you do. Individual results vary.
Preventing tick bites
The CDC's tick bite prevention tips include:
- Use an EPA-registered insect repellent and follow the label.
- Treat boots, clothing and gear with permethrin, or buy pre-treated items.
- After time outdoors, check your whole body, your children and your pets. Look at the armpits, ears, belly button, backs of the knees, hair, between the legs and around the waist.
- Shower within two hours of coming indoors.
- Tumble dry clothes on high heat to kill ticks.
To remove an attached tick, grasp it close to the skin with clean, fine-tipped tweezers and pull it away with steady, even pressure. Don't twist it or crush it with your fingers. Then clean the area and your hands.
When to seek urgent care
Get medical care promptly if, after a tick bite, you notice drooping on one or both sides of your face, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, or a severe headache with neck stiffness. Call us during office hours. For chest pain, fainting, severe trouble breathing or any life-threatening emergency, call 911.
When to see a specialist
We work with infectious disease specialists when an infection is uncertain, complex or not responding as expected. We refer to rheumatology for ongoing joint swelling, to neurology for nerve pain, numbness, facial weakness or memory changes, and to cardiology for heart rhythm problems. We share your records and stay your home base between visits.
