Cases of a Brain-Swelling Disease Could Increase This Summer in Idaho

Lyme disease kinda sounds like a bad hangover, and it doesn't go away with tomato juice and a greasy cheeseburger.

There's a pro golfer who was unfortunate enough to get Lyme disease, and he says it makes you feel awful with headaches, muscle aches, and fatigue.  Yuck.  Lyme disease cases are supposed to increase this year, and here's what we need to do about it.

Stay away from ticks!  Lyme disease comes from ticks, and it's mostly on the East Coast and in the Midwest, so be careful when you're traveling.  Idaho's Wood Tick carries the disease sometimes, and with all of the flooding this spring biologists are thinking the Lyme disease cases could spike.  So we'll stay on our toes about that and carry some tick spray when we're camping, fishing, and puttering around in the yard this summer.

PGA golfer, Jimmy Walker, lives near San Antonio, TX and he talked with the media earlier this month about his frustrations with Lyme disease. The symptoms include fever, headaches, fatigue, and muscle aches, and Walker said it just makes you feel awful.  He's recovering, but it knocked him out for awhile and we don't want you to go through the same thing.

Healthline.com says the treatments for Lyme disease are most effective when you start them early, and if you let the symptoms linger you'll be down for the count a lot longer.  The disease can make your brain swell and cause heart palpitations, and it can cause drooping on one side of the face.

There were 120 cases of Lyme disease between 2000 and 2015, but they're expecting that to increase this year.  If you're traveling to the Northeast this summer, don't let any of those ticks catch a ride back in your suitcase.  That's where the most cases have been lately.

The obvious way to prevent Lyme disease is to steer clear of ticks, with sprays for us and collars for the dogs. Jimmy Walker said the disease made his body feel "like a rock" and he didn't have the energy to play with his kids, let alone with other professional golfers on the PGA tour.

An Idaho summer with no energy for vacations and water parks would stink!  So heed the warning and shoo the ticks.