Page 5 - Christiana Care Focus June July 2018

If the disease is not caught within the first month or so, Lyme disease can cause different symptoms later on, including:
• Headaches.
• Additional rashes over the body.
• Joint pain, particularly in the knees.
• Facial palsy (drooping of one or both sides of the face).
• Muscle pain.
• Irregular heartbeat.
The key to preventing Lyme disease
is finding ticks and removing them quickly; it takes at least 24 to 36 hours for ticks to transmit the disease to a person. That means if you quickly find and remove a tick, you’re not likely to get Lyme disease.
To remove a tick — which may be hiding in an out-of-the way area like the back of a knee — grasp it near the skin with tweezers and pull gently.
“Don’t bother trying to crush a tick,” Dr. Kramer said. “They’re hardy little creatures.” Instead, flush it down the toilet or put it in alcohol in a sealed container and throw it away, unless you’d like to keep it for later identification.
If you believe you may have contracted Lyme disease, talk to your doctor. An antibiotic taken by mouth for about two weeks is almost always enough
| Cover Story Precautions can
Aeat plant pests
“Don’t bother trying to crush a tick. They’re hardy little creatures.” Harold Kramer, M.D.
to cure the illness.
“If I think I’ve even possibly been exposed, I wash everything – my skin, clothing, socks and shoes – with soapy water.”
Dawn Hirokawa, M.D., MPH
These plants damage the skin by releasing an oil called urushiol, which can take days to trigger the allergic reactions that lead to painful rashes. Wearing pants and long sleeves can protect you from the oil, along with thorough washing.
“If I think I’ve even possibly been exposed, I wash everything — my skin, clothing, socks and shoes — with soapy water,” Dr. Hirokawa said. Some soaps are advertised to get rid of urushiol oil, but regular soaps work fine, she said. Opt for a shower instead of a bath to ensure any urushiol oil goes down the drain and doesn’t recontact your skin as you’re getting out of the tub.
If you do end up with a rash, seek medical attention if it spreads into sensitive areas like the face or genitals, or if you have trouble breathing
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FOCUS • JUNE–JULY 2018 3
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rash from poison ivy, oak or sumac can be miserable in the summertime. But did you know that you can protect yourself from the rash, even if
you’ve been exposed to the plants?
Instead of trying to distinguish between safe and dangerous plants, protect yourself by treating any walk in the woods as a potential poison ivy exposure, said Dawn Hirokawa, M.D., MPH, section chief for dermatology.