Symptoms of Lyme Disease

According to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), "Lyme disease is the latest great imitator and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of MS, ALS,(Lou Gehrig's Disease) seizure and other neurologic conditions, as well as arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Gulf war syndrome, ADHD, Hypochondriasis, Fibromyalgia, Somatization disorder and patients with various difficult-to-diagnose multi-system syndromes."

( Below is a list from http://www.lymeout.org )

These are some of the symptoms of Lyme disease. Taken individually, they certainly would be also considered symptoms of MANY things...but when  a person has MANY symptoms, Lyme should be suspected. The things in blue are the symptoms I currently have.

First, The Bite

Tick bite (deer, dog, woodchuck or other)
Rash at site of bite
Rashes on other parts of your body
Rash basically circular and spreading out
Raised rash, disappearing and recurring

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

Sensitivity to touch/pressure points
Tremors or unexplained shaking (especially at night)
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
Increased motion sickness
Lightheadedness, wooziness
Sudden jerking of fingers or entire limbs (RLS)
Pain in spinal column

General Well-being
Unexplained weight gain, loss
Extreme fatigue
Swollen glands ...parotitis (parotid gland)
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
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, colitis
Constipation
Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping)...Gall bladder troubles
Frequent urination that is not normal
Upset stomach (nausea or pain)

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems
Shortness of breath, cough
Chest pain or rib soreness
Night sweats or unexplained chills
Heart palpitations or extra beats
Heart blockage

Psychological well-being
Mood swings, irritability, rage...Anxiety Attacks
Unusual depression, not explained by life circumstances
Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
Feeling as if you are losing your mind
Overemotional reactions, crying easily
Too much sleep, or insomnia
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...Losing words
Forgetting how to perform simple normal 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

Reproduction and Sexuality

Loss of sex drive, libido /sexual dysfunction

Females:
menstrual irregularity including early cessation of menses
Unexplained breast pain, discharge

Males:
Testicular or pelvic pain

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 possible (even probable) to have Lyme disease and get a negative test result.  After Lyme bacteria enter 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. The standard test done to check for Lyme is called the ELISA test, and it has a fairly high ratio of FALSE NEGATIVES. Persevere...there are other tests for Lyme that look at thing differently.

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 acts in a similar way to the syphilis bacteria and is 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 http://www.LymeNet.org or http://www.ilads.org     

While everyone may have SOME symptoms that appear on this list it does not mean he/she necessarily has Lyme disease.  If one has numerous symptoms on this list and no other explanation for them, consider getting tested for Lyme.  Lyme infected people frequently also have CO-INFECTIONS with Bartonella, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Mycoplasma,STARI, tularemia...