LYME SYMPTOMS LIST

Here are some of the earliest symptoms you may notice:

• Round, raised flat spot at the tick bite (known as the "Bulls-Eye Rash", however a large percentage of people do NOT get the Bulls-Eye Rash making Lyme detection that much more difficult to diagnose!)
• Chills and fever
• Flu-like Symptoms
• Abdominal Pain
• Night Sweats
• Fevers
• Brain Fogginess (strange sensation of not being able to concentrate, focus, etc.)
• Sudden sensitivity to lights, sounds, stimulation, etc.
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Lethargy
  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • TThe following symptoms may appear immediately or over time as Lyme Disease advances and spreads throughout the body:

Musculoskeletal System

• Joint pain or swelling or tenderness
• Stiffness of joints, back, neck
• Muscle pain or cramps
• Bone pain
• Heavy feeling in one or more limbs

Neurological System

• Tremors or unexplained shaking (especially at night)
• Nerve pain in arms or legs (Neuropathy)
• Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
• Weakness or partial paralysis/stroke-like symptoms
• Pressure in the head
• Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
• Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking (muscle weakness in one or both legs)
• Increased motion sickness
• Lightheadedness, wooziness
• Sudden jerking of fingers or entire limbs
• Pain in spinal column

General Well-being

• Unexplained weight gain, loss
• Extreme fatigue
• Swollen glands
• Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
• Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
• Symptoms seem to change, come and go
• Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
• Early on, experienced a "flu-like" illness, after which you have not since felt well. (If it was mild, you may not even recall this.)

Eyes/Vision

• Double, blurry or dim vision
• Increased floating spots
• Pain in/behind eyes, or swelling around eyes
• Over sensitivity to light
• Flashing lights
• Optical neuritis (a visit to your Eye Doctor is recommended if you are having problems with your eyesight and can tell you if you have optic neuritis) 

Ears/Hearing

• Decreased hearing in one or both ears
• Buzzing or clicking noises in ears
• Pain in ears or sound sensitivity
• Ringing in one or both ears
• Pressure or feeling of fullness in ears

Digestive and Excretory Systems

• Diarrhea, irritable bowel
• Constipation  (May also have alternating Diarrhea with Constipation) 
• Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping)
• Frequent urination that is not normal
• Upset stomach (nausea or pain)

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems

• Shortness of breath, cough
• Chest pain or unexplained rib soreness (many Lyme patients have experienced pain on lower part of ribs on left side)
• Night sweats or unexplained chills
• Heart palpitations or extra beats
• Heart blockage

Psychological well-being

• Mood swings, irritability, rage
• Difficulty concentrating, problems with short-term memory
• Unusual depression
• Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
• Feeling as if you are losing your mind
• Overemotional reactions, crying easily
• Too much sleep, or insomnia
• Strange or unusually vivid dreams, sometimes nightmares
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Mental Capability

• Memory loss (short or long term)
• Confusion, difficulty in thinking, brain fog
• Difficulty with concentration or reading
• Going to the wrong place
• Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
• Stammering speech
• Forgetting how to perform simple tasks

Head, Face, Neck

• Unexplained hair loss
• Headaches, mild or severe
• Twitching of facial or other muscles
• Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
• Tingling of nose, cheek or face
• Stiff or painful neck or creaking
• Jaw pain or stiffness
• TMJ – sudden onset, jaw spasms
• Sore throat, hoarseness
• Loss of sense of taste
• Difficulty swallowing, throat spasms                       

                        LYME FACTS

1. You do not have to recall a bite or have gotten the target rash to have Lyme disease. Less than 50% of people with Lyme do. 

2. The tick that carries Lyme is as small as the period at the end of this sentence and their nymphs are nearly microscopic. Ticks are on the move at 35º and above. It’s a year-round problem. 

3. You do not have to experience ALL of these symptoms to have Lyme disease. It is also typical for many of these symptoms to come and go or occur once and never occur again.

4. It is very possible to have Lyme disease and have a negative test result. After Lyme bacteria enters your system, it tricks your immune system into no longer producing antibodies to fight it, hence, a negative test result. There are also other numerous factors that can affect the results.

5. Lyme bacteria hide in the spinal fluid, bone, tendons, muscle and nerve fibers and tissues and in many cases are not “floating” around in the bloodstream where they can be picked up on a test. It is a cousin to the syphilis bacteria and very difficult to eradicate.

6. It takes a LYME SPECIALIST to diagnose, test for and treat Lyme disease and any of its associated co-infections. To find one go to www.LymeNet.org or www.ilads.org. Whatever you do, I STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT go to an Infectious Disease doctor for an initial diagnosis. It's sad that I have to say this, but incredibly, many I.D. doctors do NOT know how to treat Lyme patients and have been known to refuse to treat them. Unfortunately I have personal experience with this. Now saying that, I WOULD like to give credit to those VERY few I.D. doctors who are wonderful physicians and ARE willing to treat Lyme patients, but unfortunately they are few and far between. 

You can also sign up with MDJunction Lyme Forum and join the Lyme Forum. There are many very helpful people there who can recommend an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) for you. (I've personally been a member since last year and these wonderful folks have saved my life and helped me realize I wasn't going crazy!)

NOTE: Everyone may have symptoms that appear on this list; however, it does not mean he/she has Lyme disease. If one has numerous symptoms on this list and no other explanation for them, consider Lyme.