About Lyme and Co-Infections – Quick List

For in-depth information, please see ASPIRE’s PANS & Tick-Borne Infection Resource section.

• Protect yourself! (See Tick Prevention)

  • Wear spray
  • Permethrin clothes
  • Spray your yard
  • Understand where they live
  • Don’t forget your pets, who can bring ticks into the house
  • Have a tick kit in your house and purse, car, backpack

• Check yourself!

  • Follow our Count to Ten Tick Check!
  • Have someone check your back and head
  • Put your clothes in the dryer for at least 15 minutes

• Remove ticks correctly! (See Tick Removal)

  • Do Not – twist them, burn them, smother them with anything. These methods will increase the likelihood that they will regurgitate into you, which is how the tick passes the Lyme.
  • Do – 
    • Use a tweezer and get as close to the skin as possible
    • Pull straight up
    • If the tick does not pull easily, apply consistent pulling tension for a few minutes so that it releases on its own.
    • Consider sending the tick to be tested

• Know some facts!

  • Bullseye rashes only show up about 35% of the time, and not all bullseyes are a perfect bullseye. And there are more rashes than just bullseye.
  • Ticks are polymicrobial; you can be infected by more than one pathogen at once
  • Depending on where the tick is, you may not even notice that you ever had a tick.
  • Transmission time varies from pathogen to pathogen. A tick doesn’t have to be attached for 24-36 to pass Lyme disease.
  • Lyme disease is not the only problem. So, we must be concerned about all ticks, not just deer ticks. Learn about Borellia Miyamotoi, Bartonella, Babesia and more.
  • Ticks are more widespread than some would like to believe. Even if you are not in a known Lyme endemic area doesn’t mean that you may not have ticks.
  • Testing is often flawed for many reasons so take the time to learn about this. Lyme is also a clinical diagnosis.
  • Lyme is a great mimic of other diseases

• Symptoms can be

  • physical, neurological, and/or neuropsychiatric!

• Keep treating, and don’t give up!

  • Many people need to take an integrative approach to treatment. 
  • Treatment is often not one and done. Expect symptoms to come back, so be prepared with a plan when symptoms relapse

---

Return to Section:

Tick-Borne Infection Home