Health & Parenting

Worried About Lyme Disease?

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In the best cases you will have headed off trouble -- but if you notice any symptoms of the disease (a rash, headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle aches, and general tiredness), call your doctor immediately.

And don't despair if your child is diagnosed with Lyme disease. According to Feder, the disease is highly treatable with antibiotics, if taken early. Late treatment may require longer-term antibiotics administered through an IV tube, but recovery rates are good. Sally's daughter is nearly recovered a year after contracting the disease. Still, Sally wishes they had been more vigilant. "We probably weren't cautious enough about having our daughter check herself," she says. "In areas like ours, you really have to be careful."

Ben Kallen is senior writer for Men's Fitness magazine. He has written on health, nutrition, and psychology for Shape, Muscle & Fitness, Publishers Weekly, and Family PC.