Fairfax Injury Lawyer Brien Roche Addresses Lyme Disease Malpractice
Brien Roche

Lyme Disease Malpractice

Lyme disease can be crippling. It is typically contracted from deer ticks.  The tick bite produces a painless red circle surrounding the bite.  That circle appears shortly after being infected.  This is called a bull’s-eye rash.  However people with the rash frequently test negative for Lyme disease.  It can take up to a month for the human body to produce enough antibodies to be detected via blood test. As a result Lyme Disease is very tough to diagnose.

Lyme Disease Malpractice:Antibiotic Treatment

If you have been recently bitten or exposed to a deer tick, you don’t need to be tested at once. That is because of the delay I mentioned above.  Instead you should consider antibiotics.  Prompt treatment with two or three weeks of antibiotics typically clears up the infection.  If you have been exposed to a deer tick and have other symptoms of Lyme disease then likewise you should be tested.  These other symptoms include such things as fever and severe muscle aches. In addition joint pain with inflammation and headache.  Also symptoms may be paralysis on one side of the face, redness, warmth and swelling of a joint, usually the knee. In addition a decreased heart rate may be seen. Call, or contact us for a free consult.

Tick Bites Need To Be Taken Seriously

The premature prescription of antibiotics without a diagnosis of Lyme disease can be harmful. Antibiotics may cause side effects. They obviously cost money. Plus the use of antibiotics that are unnecessary fuel the growth of bacteria that can resist antibiotics.

However many of these symptoms may be no more common in people with Lyme disease than they are in people who never had the ailment. 

The bad news about lyme disease is that the misdiagnosis is common. The failure to treat can lead to life long symptoms. As stated above the symptoms can be serious. As such if bitten by a tick be on the lookout for the bull’s eye rash. It is probably best to see your doctor. Ask about a diagnosis of lyme disease. Make sure the doctor understands your symptoms. Make sure the doctor is familiar with the symptoms and their connection with lyme disease. If in doubt ask for a prescription. There is a downside to such, as mentioned above, but being safe may be the better rule.

Consult a Medical Malpractice Attorney

Call, or contact us for a free consult. For more information on medical malpractice cases, please see the medical malpractice pages on this site and for information on lyme disease see the pages on Wikipedia.

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Brien Roche

Brien A. Roche has been an attorney since 1976. Mr. Roche is admitted to practice in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. In addition to his busy law practice, Mr. Roche is also a published author of several books & articles relating to the practice of law.

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