There are likely not too many American adults who have not heard of Lyme disease. Many of us have at least one relative who has Lyme disease, and we know from either our own personal experiences, or the stories told by victims, that contracting Lyme disease can change a life, and usually not for the better. Lyme disease causes flu-like symptoms that never go away, so if you can, avoid ticks. Despite many people having heard of the disease, there are a few misconceptions some people have about the disease. Most people may not know anything about Lyme disease beyond the fact that the bacteria that causes the disease is carried by ticks. Each year the Centers for Disease Control counts around thirty thousand Americans as having contracted Lyme disease. But little do many know, some people can get the disease from a tick without having any memory of being bitten. To be more specific, only thirty percent of Lyme disease victims report seeing or feeling the tick that transmitted the disease. Another example of a well known symptom of Lyme disease is the "bulls eye rash". Many people, even some experts, insist that ticks always leave their victims with a rash that resembles a bulls eye, but this is not always the case. Many people go untreated for Lyme disease because they think that their insect bite was not from a tick since a bulls eye mark was not left behind on the wound. This line of thinking is absurd, and it is a great way of making symptoms of Lyme disease worse. First of all, only seventy to eighty percent of Lyme disease victims come down with a rash. Second of all, when a rash does appear, it is often oval shaped and red, with no bulls eye. So if you are experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease, and if you live in a high risk area, then for god's sake don't avoid the doctor just because you're terrible looking tick-induced rash is not of "bulls eye" form. What do you think would be the most unpleasant aspect of having Lyme disease?