February 23, 2026

A nine-year-old complains of knee pain at bedtime. A twelve-year-old wakes up crying with leg aches. A teenager limps after soccer practice. When children report joint or muscle pain, “growing pains” becomes the default explanation—delaying investigation of Lyme disease. Understanding the key differences prevents months of dismissed symptoms while treatable infection damages joints. For a […]

A mother brings her daughter to three different doctors over six months. The child has debilitating fatigue, recurring headaches, and joint pain. Each visit ends the same way: “The tests are normal. There’s nothing wrong.” But the mother knows something is wrong—and she’s right. Medical dismissal in pediatric Lyme disease reflects systemic challenges—testing limitations, atypical

A straight-A student starts forgetting homework. A focused child suddenly can’t sit still in class. An organized teenager becomes scattered, impulsive, and unable to concentrate. When cognitive symptoms appear abruptly rather than gradually, the diagnosis may not be ADHD—it could be Lyme disease affecting the brain. The overlap between ADHD and Lyme-induced cognitive dysfunction creates