My doctor (who does not get "brain freeze" with Lyme) says that 40-50% of infected individals never get the classic rash. He is quick to prescribe doxycycline if the deer tick has been in over 24 hours, though the earlier suggestion of having the tick tested is perhaps a good one as well.

I should add that another tick-borne disease, Erlichiosis, has many of the same sympoms as Lyme. A number of years ago a friend was initially diagnosed with Lyme but contnued to decline, to the extent he was hospitalized. The doctors were puzzled, sent him to Hopkins where (within 24 hours) they had diagnosed the problem and started treatment-- however he was by then in bad shape.

Supposedly Erlichiosis also responds to doxycycline so not sure what the first doctors gave him for his supposed Lyme disease, but it did zip for Erlichiosis.

Gail Mackiernan 
Colesville, MD