Lyme Disease Awareness

Do You Know what Lyme Disease is?

Don’t feel bad, if you don’t. It’s not like the common cold we have all experienced at one point in our lives, unless you are one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans bitten ever year by a tick, and don't realize that their common cold may actually be Lyme Disease. Treatment for Lyme Disease for many patients is a years long journey to obtain a diagnosis, and received alternative treatments that are typically not accepted by insurance companies.

Lyme Disease is initiated by small spirochete bacterium, in the shape of tiny corkscrews, known as Borrelia Burgdorferi. Regardless of what you choose to call it, it’s a vile bacterium that can wreak havoc on an unsuspecting victim. And, it can be very complicated to detect once a person is infected.

The main reason Lyme Disease is difficult to detect is because the symptoms can be obscure. They can also be similar to those of other illnesses. In fact, it’s often referred to as the “Great Imitator”. In the beginning, it can be easily misdiagnosed as cancer, crohn's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, hasimoto's, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or any diagnosis a non-lyme literate doctor may find fits your symptoms.

At times, it’s even mistaken as mental illness. The reason for so much misdiagnosing is because the bacterium attacks multiple areas of the body, including the joints, nervous system, muscles, and even the brain and heart.

Unfortunately, if it’s not accurately diagnosed upon inception, proper treatment is delayed…which leads to progression of the disease. If this happens, you are most likely facing Chronic Lyme Disease, which can last for years.

How Does a Person Become Infected With Lyme Disease?

Lyme Disease is most commonly a result of a tick bite. Unfortunately, ticks are hard to see, because they are the size of a poppy seed. In addition, the bite is normally not painful, so you probably wouldn’t even realize you have been bit.

Contrary to a bee sting or mosquito bite, a tick doesn’t bite and take flight. They latch onto their unsuspecting victim’s skin, and can exploit them as a host for days. However, it takes more than 24 hours before there’s a real chance of an infected tick to transmit the disease. Although, according to the Lyme Disease Research Foundation, only 2% of tick bites result in someone becoming infected.

The only other known way of becoming infected is via pregnancy. If a pregnant woman has Lyme Disease, it’s possible to transmit it to their unborn baby.

Ways to Avoid Lyme Disease

The Lyme Disease Association is looking to educate the public, so the number of cases will start to decline. They are spreading the word on how to recognize a tick or remove it, and most importantly, how to avoid them entirely.

Ticks are often found in wooded areas, but not necessarily all wooded areas. Certain regions are more susceptible. For example, in the U.S. ticks are predominantly found in the Northeastern part of the country. Regardless of where you may consider trekking through the woods, adhering to the following suggestions will decrease your odds of tick bites significantly…

Color of Clothing – Clothing that is lighter in color will help make a dark tick more noticeable. Remember though, ticks are so small, you might mistake them for a spec of dirt.

The Ankles – Ankles are vulnerable in the woods. So, even in the warmest weather, it’s best to wear long pants in the woods, and pull your socks up over the pant leg. Forget vanity for a day.

Repellent – Pick up a decent repellent. The most common ingredient for a repellent is DEET, and there are many options to choose from.

Inspect – Before coming back inside, give yourself, and your pet, a thorough check. If it looks like dirt, brush it off. If it doesn’t come off easily, inspect it further. That tiny particle of dirt just might be a tick.

These suggestions will help you avoid a tick from latching on unnoticed, or at all. However, if you do find one, remove it. But, most importantly, if you suspect you have been infected with Lyme, seek medical treatment and let them know you have been exposed. The earlier Lyme Disease is detected, the better your odds are that you won’t suffer with it long term.

“Although much of the treatment is alternative in nature for Lyme Disease, Medical Bill Gurus can identify and bill for the ancillary services (doctor consults, treatment room, medical supplies, lab test and admin of the treatment), which can make up a substantial amount of the bill. Though Medical Bill Gurus cannot bill for 100% of the total treatment cost, we may be able to identify and bill for 40-60% of the bill, depending on the treatment protocol and specifics outlined in the patient’s insurance policy’s Explanation of Benefits (EOB).

“In regards to the billing components, Medical Bill Gurus helps patients identify what components of their care are billable per the Out of Network Coverage outlined in their insurance policy’s Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and bill for those items only.

“Every insurance company is different so we have had more success with some than with others. Most of the patients we have assisted received medical care from doctors that required patients to pay upfront for their care. We can only guarantee that we will identify what we can bill for and prepare those claims accordingly. We will submit the bills and call the insurance companies as they process through the system.

“In our experience, a majority of individuals who submit medical bills on their own without an insurance expert, receive minimal to no reimbursement from the insurance company, and have an even lower success rate with denials and appeals. Understanding how to properly process, submit, and follow-up on claims is vital to ensuring the claim is not systematically denied by the insurance company. Back in A Flash Chiropractic u0026amp; Massage located in Denver, CO - Schedule a chiropractic adjustment at the top rated Denver Chiropractor

“If Medical Bill Gurus is able to secure reimbursement for treatment, the patient will receive a check directly from the insurance company. We act as a medical bill advocate, also known as a medical cost advocate, on behalf of patients. Once the funds are deposited, Medical Bill Gurus will send an invoice for a service fee of 20% based on the total amount collected for the patient. Our goal at Medical Bill Gurus is to provide a risk-free option to recovering financial resources, providing free insurance policy evaluation and free medical bill evaluations.