If you aren’t symptomatic, your doctor may still do blood testing if you live in a high-risk area. However, if you live in a low risk area where Lyme is infrequently reported, your doctor may advise you to monitor for symptoms rather than conducting any blood tests. The CDC has maps of reported cases in the United States available at https://www. cdc. gov/lyme/stats/maps. html.

A rash may appear within 24 hours of the bite, or it may take several days to appear. The rash will keep expanding, which can be alarming, so see a doctor as soon as possible if a rash develops. In some cases, the rash may not appear until 14 days after you receive the bite. Some people with Lyme disease never develop a rash, so the absence of a rash does not mean that you don’t have Lyme disease. [5] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source

Typically, flu-like symptoms related to Lyme disease won’t appear until 7 to 10 days after the bite. If you live in an area with a high transmission risk and have a rash and flu-like symptoms, your doctor may diagnose Lyme disease without blood tests. If you’re already experiencing flu-like symptoms, a false-negative result from blood tests is likely.

If you notice joint swelling, take note of the date and time. Record how long it has been since you were bitten by a tick. If you’ve ever had problems with your joints before, discuss this with your doctor so they can rule out other conditions.

Long-term symptoms also may persist even after treatment. There are neurological symptoms, including cognitive impairment, memory loss, or mood changes, that may be more difficult to notice without monitoring yourself and journaling consistently. There is no test that can confirm you are cured of Lyme disease, even after you are treated. Symptoms may persist for months or even years after initial infection.

There are many varied symptoms of Lyme disease, and each patient may not get all of them. Describe any differences in your mental or physical condition since you were bitten by the tick, even if you don’t think the difference is related. Even if you’ve experienced no symptoms, it’s still possible that you’ve contracted Lyme disease. Don’t be afraid to insist on an initial screening to rule it out if it’s something that worries you.

Your blood sample will be sent to a laboratory and the blood will be introduced to a testing solution. If the antibodies produced to fight Lyme disease are present, the solution will change color.

If the result is negative, you likely don’t have Lyme disease. Your doctor may order further testing, however, if you are symptomatic. If the result is positive, the doctor will order additional blood testing to confirm the result. An indeterminate result may also require further testing, especially if you are symptomatic.

Don’t be afraid to speak up if you disagree with your doctor about their interpretation of your test results. Ask them to clarify their diagnosis or to give you more information about why they came to that conclusion. If you and your doctor continue to be in disagreement, you may want to seek out a second opinion.

There are 9 bands linked to Lyme disease: 18, 23, 24, 25, 31, 34, 37, 39, 83, and 93.

Bars in the numbered bands linked to Lyme disease means you may have Lyme disease. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requires bars in 5 bands before a confident diagnosis of Lyme disease can be made. However, your doctor may diagnose Lyme disease with fewer positive bands, depending on your symptoms and other factors.

If you have several indeterminate responses, your doctor may have you come back for another test in a few weeks. Sometimes it can take your body time to start producing these antibodies in reaction to the bacteria. This is especially likely if you were recently bitten. You might also see “++” or “+++” representing very strong responses. However, in Lyme patients these responses are rare, because your immune system has already been compromised.

These bands include 22, 28, 30, 41, 45, 58, 66, and 73. Bars in these bands could also indicate that you are also infected with another disease, which is common with Lyme patients. Talk with your doctor about using a testing service that reports all bands. This typically must be requested by your doctor. [17] X Research source