Late stage Lyme disease is the third and final stage of a Lyme infection. It is referred to as stage 3 Lyme disease or rather late disseminated Lyme disease. This stage of the infection should not be taken lightly as it can be disabling and even life-threatening. Nonetheless, death from Lyme disease is a rare occurrence. The seriousness of Lyme disease lies on the severity of the symptoms one is experiencing and for how long one has been infected. If it is not treated promptly and appropriately, then Lyme disease can become chronic, which then makes it harder to treat. Since there is no definitive way to prove that one is Lyme free after antibiotic treatment, the course of treatment may be prolonged. This can be done until one no longer exhibits any symptoms of a Lyme infection.
Is There A Cure For Late Stage Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is usually cured by a prescription of antibiotics. In normal circumstances, when the disease is still in its early stage, a week or two of antibiotics dose is enough to treat the patient. But, if the disease has progressed to the late stage Lyme disease, it may take months or years for it to be cured. It is believed that if after antibiotic treatment, Lyme disease symptoms still persist, then there are chances that you will not be cured against the infection. The disease is said to have become chronic and as a result, you will be on a high dose of antibiotics for a long term.
The efficiency of Lyme disease treatment is dependent on whether there are underlying factors making it difficult to cure the illness. In cases of this disorder, one may develop other infections which work against the antibiotic treatment one is usually prescribed to. Therefore, it would take a really long time to get well and you may end up developing complications that will last for the rest of your lifetime. When treating stage 3 Lyme disease, it is important that one monitors their symptoms closely. This is because even though the treatment is working, one may relapse and symptoms can return.
Home Remedies For Late Stage Lyme Disease
As a way of keeping Lyme disease in check, there are several home remedies you can embrace to improve your condition. However, you should not rely on home remedies alone to cure late stage Lyme disease, instead, it should supplement the antibiotic treatment. If you leave in an area infested with the carriers of the Lyme disease-causing bacteria, that is the black-legged or deer tick, you should be careful when you are outdoors. Some effective home remedies which ease the symptoms of Lyme disease include; eating foods with nattokinase enzyme and Beta-glucan which stimulates the immune system, taking probiotics to counter the side effects of the prescribed antibiotics, and consuming an essiac herbal formula that consists of burdock root, sheep sorrel, slippery elm, and rhubarb. There are no studies that support that home remedies work effectively, so they should only be applied to improve the condition and not as a curative treatment.
Symptoms of Late Stage Lyme Disease
Late stage Lyme disease is usually the resultant stage of poorly treated Lyme disease during the first or second stage of the disease. At this point, the Lyme causing bacteria has spread throughout the body and affected the joints, nerves, and brain. One experiences severe symptoms such as severe headaches, heart rhythm disturbances, arthritis in the joints, brain disorders and numbness in the extremities. In addition to that, one also feels very tired, experiences mental fogginess and poor concentration, facial palsy where one is unable to control their facial muscles as well as sleep problems. Not to mention, pain that migrates and occurs from time to time is usually excruciating because the bacteria has already affected the nervous system.
Conclusion
The late stage disseminated Lyme disease is hard to treat and although it can be cured, it might take a really long time. Continuous prescriptions of antibiotics will be needed to manage the condition long-term and patients will have to live with the condition. Nevertheless, do not despair because provided that you follow the doctor’s orders and take your medication as prescribed, Lyme disease can surely be cured.
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