This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of SELF.
Cassidy McCarthy, 27, was exhausted no matter how many hours sheslept.
Could it be a lingering viral infection?
Kenneth H Thomas / Getty Images
Her diagnosis came a week later:Lyme disease.
“But with such a wide range ofsymptoms, I didn’t put it together.”
This is what we know now.
Infection can be tough to pinpoint.
Ticks sit motionless in grasses or low brush, waiting for an animalhuman or otherwiseto walk by.
When one does, they hitch a ride and crawl around until they find a spot to hunker down.
The tick bites and draws blood, beginning what can be a days-long meal.
(McCarthy, for example, doesn’t remember getting one.)
Still, even calling it Lyme oversimplifies things, because species of closely related bacteria can cause the disease.
It brings on symptoms like extreme drowsiness and vomitingthings doctors don’t typically associate with Lyme.
Ticks often carry other pathogens, too, which can require additional diagnostic tests and treatments.
Lyme affects women differently.
But experts aren’t sure why.
Again, scientists don’t know why women are at a higher risk for this condition.
And it’s on the rise.
With each passing year, Lyme becomes more of a threat for a number of ecological reasons.
This has allowed mice and rodents to flourishand it’s where ticks pick up Lyme causing bacteria.
There’s debate about the best way to treat Lyme disease.
How doctors should treat Lyme patients who remain sick after antibiotics is a controversial topic.
Or are those symptoms resulting from something else, like tissue damage or an abnormal immune reaction?
Lyme disease can progress to damage the joints and even the heart.
Even among those who do get treated, as many as one in five may develop PTLDS.
But it’s unclear if the same is true in people.
Scientists have tried to address the question by seeing whether patients improve after getting extra antibiotics.
But analyzing these results is complicated, too.
And there’s no question that intravenous antibiotics can pose serious risks to patients.
Not all of the news is bad.
For starters, scientists are developingbetter diagnostic tests.
Other tests might be able to search the blood for protein segments from the bacteria strains that cause Lyme.
Another area of focus: how to resolve Lyme symptoms more successfully.
Others are studying whether combinations of antibiotics might work well.
Model Bella Hadid recently shared her story of getting diagnosed with Lyme in 2012.
State governments are getting more involved, too.
More resources expand research and education.
“I have a disease that has changed my life, but I have hope,” she says.
“I have hope in the scientists and in these amazing grassroots campaigns.”
Take these precautions to minimize the chance that a tick will latch on to you.
Wear permethrin-treated clothing (InsectShield.com).
(Most plant-based sprays and lotions do not work well against ticks.)
During And AfterWear long pants tucked into your socks.
When you return from a hike or outdoor exercise, take a shower ASAP.
Toss your clothes into a hot dryer for 10 minutes to kill any lingering ticks.
