Lyme Science Blog

Chronic Lyme Disease Pain: Symptoms and Missed Diagnoses Chronic pain may have hidden causes Migratory symptoms can complicate diagnosis Delayed recognition may prolong suffering A new study has revealed alarming trends in chronic pain across America — prevalence jumped from 21% in 2019 to 24% in 2023, now affecting 60 million adults. While researchers attributed […]

Spinal Tap for Lyme Disease: Do You Really Need One? “Do I really need a spinal tap for Lyme disease?” This is one of the most common—and important—questions patients ask when neurologic Lyme disease is being considered. Spinal taps (lumbar punctures) are sometimes recommended to “rule out neurologic Lyme disease.” While spinal taps are critical

Lyme Rash Misdiagnosis: Not Always a Bull’s-Eye No bull’s-eye rash? A simple red patch instead? Lyme rashes are often misdiagnosed. A bull’s-eye rash is often associated with Lyme disease, but the opposite problem is common — Lyme rash misdiagnosis. Many patients with Lyme disease never develop the classic bull’s-eye pattern. When clinicians rely on that

Why Medicine Must Not Abandon Lyme Patients This discussion highlights ethical failures that occur when patients are dismissed in the face of diagnostic uncertainty. Abandoning Lyme patients violates the core principles of medical ethics. A woman in her 40’s came to me after months of searching for answers. She had been a successful business executive,

Bartonella Psychiatric Symptoms: Anxiety, Mood Changes, and Misdiagnosis Bartonella psychiatric symptoms are often mistaken for primary mental health conditions—especially when anxiety, agitation, or mood changes appear suddenly without a clear explanation. Some patients are told their symptoms reflect stress, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, or treatment-resistant depression. But when these symptoms emerge alongside physical complaints or

Gender Bias in Lyme Disease Women with Lyme disease are often told their symptoms are stress or hormones. Many patients endure years of dismissal before Lyme disease is considered. This case highlights how bias can delay diagnosis and treatment. She first came to me after two exhausting years of symptoms that refused to show up

Why Lyme Patients Delay Care Some Lyme patients delay care for a few days. Others for decades. And it’s not always for the reasons doctors assume. In fact, the behavioral barriers to timely Lyme disease care—uncertainty, fear, dismissal, logistics, stigma—are also seen in other serious but preventable conditions. Understanding why Lyme patients delay care is

Working With Lyme Disease: The Hidden Cost of Working Sick Working through Lyme disease can worsen fatigue, brain fog, and recovery. Many patients struggle to balance health, work, and financial survival. Persistent symptoms may interfere with daily job performance. Struggling with working with Lyme disease is an all-too-common reality for patients trying to manage fatigue,

New Lyme Blood Test LymeSeek Promises Earlier, More Accurate Diagnosis Current Lyme testing often misses early disease. A new test called LymeSeek may improve detection accuracy. Researchers are evaluating whether it can identify Lyme disease earlier and more reliably. A New Approach to Lyme Disease Testing Lyme disease is one of the few infections where

Lyme Disease and Gastroparesis: When the Diagnosis Is Missed Severe GI symptoms can have hidden causes. Lyme disease can affect the nervous system. And sometimes, treatment is never reconsidered. Lyme disease gastroparesis is rarely recognized—but may be an underappreciated complication of tick-borne illness. In a case reported by Qasawa and colleagues, a young woman with