Lyme Disease Symptoms

Early Lyme Disease Symptoms

People may get an illness with some of these symptoms 1 to 32 days after a tick bite. These early symptoms resemble the flu. Some people don’t get these early symptoms.

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Erythema Migrans (EM) Rash: A red spot.  It may grow, may clear in the center, and may or may not develop rings like a bull’s-eye. Many people don’t get a red spot or rash.

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• EM rash, other rashes

• Chills, with or without fever; sweating

• Fatigue, sleepiness

• Sore or aching muscles

• Sore throat, cough

• Runny nose, sinus infection

• Swollen glands

• Stomach and digestive problems

• Joint pains

• Severe headache

• Eyes hurt in sunlight

• Stiff neck

• Meningitis

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Late Lyme Disease Symptoms

• Arthritis, or joint pains that move from joint to joint, with or without swelling

• Muscle pains that move around

• Headache that may last for days or years

• Chronic nausea, vomiting that lasts for months or years

• Diarrhea, constipation

• Skin rashes; spots that resemble bruises but may clear in center

• Irregular heartbeat and other heart problems

• Blurry vision, other vision problems, red eye(s)

• Ringing in ears; hearing loss

• Numbness, tingling, or burning sensations

• Paralysis; tremors; dizziness; seizures

• Post sleep paralysis: temporary paralysis of arms or body after awakening

• Problems with thinking, concentration, and memory; confusion; brain fog; sleep problems

• Mood swings, depression, psychiatric illnesses

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The early symptoms may last about a week and then go away. If not diagnosed and treated promptly with at least 6 weeks of antibiotics, the following symptoms may develop weeks, months, or years later:

 

Complete Lyme Disease Symptoms List (Printable Version)

The following is a list of symptoms resulting from Lyme and co-infections. An infected person may experience some or many of these symptoms, which is why diagnosis is often difficult.  Check the boxes that apply to you when you see your doctor.

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NOTE: You may have symptoms related to Lyme disease that are not listed here. Lyme literate doctors are expanding the list of symptoms related to Lyme disease frequently.  Please be sure to tell your doctor about any symptoms you are experiencing that are not on this list.

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__ Tick bite
__ Rash basically circular, sometimes spreading (rash occurs in less than 50% of Lyme patients, may be on body parts other than bite site)

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Musculoskeletal System

 __ Joint pain or swelling

 __ Stiffness of joints, back, neck

 __ Muscle pain or cramps

 __ Creaking, cracking joints

 __ Heel pain

 __ Spinal sensitivity

 __ Movement of pain or swelling to different joints

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Neurologic System

 __ Headache – persistent/severe

 __ Bell’s Palsy (facial paralysis)

 __ Burning or stabbing pains

 __ Tremors or unexplained shaking

 __ Numbness in body and/or extremities, tingling, pinpricks

 __ Weakness or partial paralysis

 __ Pressure in the head

 __ Lightheadedness, wooziness

 __ Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking

 __ Increased motion sickness

 __ Seizures, stroke symptoms

 __ Restless legs

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Mental Capability

 __ Memory loss (short or long term)

 __ Confusion, difficulty in thinking

 __ Forgetting how to perform simple tasks

 __ Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)

 __ Stammering, stuttering speech

 __ Going to the wrong place

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Psychological well-being

 __ Mood swings, irritability

 __ Unusual depression

 __ Panic-anxiety attacks

 __ Overemotional reactions, crying easily

 __ Aggression, rage

 __ Too much sleep, insomnia

 __ Difficulty falling or staying asleep

 __ Obsessive-compulsive behavior

 __ Suicidal thoughts

 __ Paranoia

 __ Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)

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Head, Face, Neck

 __ Stiff or painful neck

 __ Headache, mild or severe

 __ Twitching of facial or other muscles

 __ Jaw pain or stiffness

 __ Sore throat

 __ Unexplained hair loss

 __ Scalp rash

 __ Eyes, Vision

 __ Floaters

 __ Double or blurry vision

 __ Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes

 __ Light sensitivity

 __ Flashing lights

 __ Tearing and/or dry

 __ Vision loss/Blindness

 __ Ears/Hearing

 __ Decreased hearing in one or both ears

 __ Buzzing or ringing in ears (tinnitus)

 __ Pain in ears

 __ Sound sensitivity

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Digestive and Excretory System

 __ Diarrhea

 __ Constipation

 __ Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping)

 __ Frequent urination

 __ Upset stomach, vomiting

 __ Bloating

 __ Gastroesophageal reflux

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Respiratory/Circulatory System

 __ Shortness of breath

 __ Chest pain or rib soreness

 __ Night sweats or unexplained chills

 __ Heart palpitations or extra beats

 __ Heart block, heart attack

 __ Valve prolapse, murmurs

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Reproduction

 __ Loss of sex drive

 __ Sexual dysfunction

 __ Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity

 __ Unexplained breast pain, discharge

 __ Testicular or pelvic pain

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General Well-being

 __ Extreme fatigue

 __ Symptoms change, come and go

 __ Pain moves to different body parts

 __ Unexplained weight gain or loss

 __ Malaise

 __ Chills

 __ All types of rashes on the body and /or scalp

 __ Swollen glands

 __ Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)

 __ Itching

 __ Continual infections (sinus, kidney, yeast, bladder, etc.)

 __ Increased sensitivity to allergens

 __ Exaggerated  response to alcohol or sweets

 __ Nodules under the skin

 __ Early on, experienced a flu-like illness, after which you have not felt well since.