INKOM — In spite of recent snowstorms, high winds and frozen roads, Idahoans remain optimistic that spring is just around the corner and with it comes ticks — ticks that can potentially spread Lyme disease.

Pam Taysom has battled chronic Lyme disease for the last six years and she now knows that if the tick bite that infected her had been discovered when it happened, her disease could have been easily treated with antibiotics.

“A 30-day dose of doxyclcline will kill it,” Taysom said. “If you let it go, there is a chance that it will become chronic Lyme disease. That’s what happened to me.”

Taysom is instructing a class on Lyme disease Monday in the Idaho State University Continuing Education building located next to Uncle Jim’s restaurant near Pocatello City Hall. The class starts at 7 p.m.

In Idaho Lyme disease is spread by black-legged or deer ticks. The insects contract the disease from infected animals and then transmitted it to humans. Lyme disease is named after the area where it was first detected, Lyme, Conn.

Taysom said the best defense against Lyme disease is not getting bitten. She said a repellant should be applied when spending time outdoors, especially in tall grass and sagebrush where ticks breed and flourish. Pets should also be treated. Taysom also suggests checking your body for ticks after returning from an outing.

Ticks exist on every continent except Antarctica.

Taysom, a retired Hawthorne Middle School teacher, became ill in 2007. She experienced extreme fatigue, severe joint and muscle pain, and she had burning in her hands and feet with intermittent numbness.

She made two trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and was at the University of Utah twice. She was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

The Center for Disease Control has a test that can detect Lyme disease, but false negatives are common. Taysom was tested, but with just three out of seven positive indicators, the result was deemed negative.

Dubbed the “Great Imitator,” Lyme disease mimics other disorders and the infection comes with a number of bacteria that also have to be treated.

When her condition continued to deteriorate, Taysom said her Pocatello family doctor, Linda Babbitt, referred her to Christine Green, a Lyme disease specialist in San Francisco.

“(Green) told me that she could look at me and tell that I had Lyme disease,” Taysom said.

But Taysom said there is controversy in the medical community about chronic Lyme disease and whether or not it truly exists.

“That’s why it’s so hard to get a diagnosis,” Taysom said.

Taysom believes she most likely became infected with Lyme disease while hiking with her husband Wayne at their home in Inkom.

Some people who are bitten by infected ticks have mild symptoms, but people with compromised immune systems can develop chronic Lyme disease.

While little research has been done on Lyme disease, recent studies indicate that the disease can be passed from a pregnant mother to the fetus.

Symptoms of Lyme infection include a rash, flu like symptoms, fever and body aches.

Taysom has been on antibiotics for the past six years with both oral and medication but her disease has never gone into remission.

“They told me that it will likely come back at least five times in my lifetime,” Taysom said. “I will always have it. I want to raise awareness about Lyme disease and let people know if you get bitten, see your doctor and ask for 30 days of doxycycline. Kids under 12 they usually treat with amoxicillin.”

Sixty-one people have signed up for the class which is part of the New Knowledge Adventures program at ISU. The program offers a variety of classes that are available to the public for one $35 fee.