How do I know if I caught it early?

I am so grateful that this forum exists. But I have to say it is scary. I just received a diagnosis of Lyme disease this week. I started a 28 day cycle of doxycycline and have been on for three days.

I wonder how can I know if I will make a full recovery and if I received my diagnosis early enough.

I am rarely outside. I never noticed a tick bite. I am 40 years old and I have always been healthy. about three weeks ago, I got very sick and did not improve. 104 fever, intense intense fatigue. After a few doctor visits, I tested for Lyme and was positive.

I have no other advanced symptoms. No joint pain, nothing like that. After three days of doxycycline I feel less fatigue, but still have some and also I have little appetite.

What do those of you with experience think? Is there any way to tell if I will suffer from chronic Lyme disease?

Thanks so much for your help and thoughts.

It does sound like you caught it early. However, there are things you can do to make sure you recover and this does not become a chronic issue for you.

First of all I think it's a good idea to look at why you became ill at the first place. Your immune system is down for one reason or another. A good book to read is Beyond Lyme Disease by Connie Strasheim. It may be beneficial to you to get tested for HLA and MTHFR genetic mutations. HLA directs our ability to get rid of Lyme and mold toxins. MTHFR directs the way we break down vitamins B9 and B12 and create glutathione which in turn detoxes our bodies. Also organic solvents test is good. For me the Fry test was essential for correct diagnosis. I have Protomyxzoa, a mosquito borne parasite. I would have never found out about it without the Fry. The Fry will also show you how much biofilm you have to get rid of and it will show many other bacteria and parasites that other tests do now show. It literally looks at what is swimming in your blood. A great test, one that I highly recommend.

If you take these steps I believe that you will take care of the major issues and prevent chronic Lyme. Good luck on your journey! There is a really good thread on detox at the top of the forum.

I got much better after Purify tincture for parasites (manufactured by The Life Tree). Ticks inject parasites into us also and as the body becomes weak from Lyme they take over. I was shocked at the amount of parasites there were in me.

Colonics are an excellent detox method, I was getting two per week for 5 months, now I am down to 1 per week and will continue them for the rest of my life. They were a real life changer for me.

Good books to read about healthy lifestyle are Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr and any of her books. I know that she is dealing with cancer which is something different but she is brilliant and has done her research. When I was sick I could just take the book and follow it and know that what she is saying is true. Sorry you had to join us! Feel free to pm me if you have any questions!

Hi Hopingforanswers,
Welcome to our community!

If you haven't already, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists (as Lyme rarely occurs by itself), helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, and a list of questions that you can ask any doctor that you are seeking treatment from, and so much more.

I'm so glad to know that they caught your infection(s) so quickly! Many of us go for a long time without knowing what's wrong. Although 28 days of antibiotics isn't likely enough. The best recommendations that we have is that 6 - 8 weeks of antibiotics are needed for those that have had no symptoms yet to resolve the infection, so you will likely need a bit longer since you have had/are having symptoms.

Considering your symptoms that you list, I would suggest that you -like many others- may have more than just one tick-borne infection. This can complicate treatment and you should be seeing a doctor that has been specially trained for these issues by ILADS - International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society.These doctors are known as LLMD's and although there are some that claim to be a LLMD, knowing if they were educated through ILADS usually weeds out the imposters. Are you seeing a doctor that was educated by ILADS?

There really is no way to know who will go on to develop chronic issues with these infections and who won't, but you can do some things to help you heal faster & better - many of these are covered in the "New to Lyme?" thread. Things like very few processed foods, no fast foods, drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day, moderate exercise, detoxing, and being sure to increase your immune system can all be highly beneficial.

But what I consider to be most important is educating yourself. Read, then read some more, and read some more still. There are some really great topics covered here on this forum, many with links so that you can see where we get our information from and why we believe it's relevant. We have a good search function here, just be sure to put the word Lyme before your other search terms so that your search results will basically be from this forum.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I have found a Lyme disease specialist in my area and am seeking treatment under his care. I have an appointment later this week.

I have no other advanced symptoms. No rash, no joint pain, no arthritis, no stiff neck.

I live in the northeastern US. I believe that I picked up a tick over the fourth of July because I am never outside otherwise. And I first started feeling the fatigue around July 10th or 11th.

I have a good infectious diseases specialist to start and am in the process of trying to get scheduled with an ILADS-certified doctor. There are about five within an hour of me. I am not worried about expense or multiple doctors visits. I want to make sure I have a wealth of opinions.

Also one problem is that the ILADS docs are all scheduling out into November. I mean, I hope to be cured in November. But I have done everything I can do now.