Symptoms

Check out the long list of symptoms for Lyme Disease below.

A number of illnesses can occur from contracting Lyme Disease that are often misdiagnosed as some other illness that mimics Lyme Disease. For instance, ALS, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyaliga, IBS, Toxic Encephalopathy, POTS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Parkinsons, etc.  Really, the list goes on and on and on!

The list of symptoms below is HUGE, right?  Agreed!  You are probably wondering how this list can be so big. The reason being is because Lyme and its coinfectors can invade any cell in your body (that’s right, all of them!) which explains why there are over 150 symptoms.  In addition, if you are unlucky, Lyme bacteria can also invade your brain and open the doors to a whole slew of neurological issues.

The reason why not all people with Lyme experience the same symptoms is because the Lyme has a mind of its own and chooses which parts of the body it wants to infect.  In addition, symptoms have even been know to come and go constantly bc Lyme is most definitely a moving infection.

So if you only have 1 or 2 of these symptoms, you are in the clear, right?  WRONG!  Some people with Lyme Disease may experience all of these symptoms.  However, not everyone does.   Some people may only experience a handful of these symptoms.

In sum, if you are experiencing 1 (yes, one!) or more of these symptoms you very well could have Lyme Disease and just not know it yet. What I don’t want to happen is for you to look at this master list and think, “I can’t have Lyme bc I only have a few of these symptoms!” Let me just tell you that this type of thinking is what got me into trouble in the first place.  I urge you to get tested by a Lyme Literate doctor and to send your blood to the Igenex Labs. With over 300,000 new cases each year, it is better to be safe than sorry.

 

 

HERE IS A FULL LIST OF SYMPTOMS REPORTED BY CHRONIC LYME DISEASE SUFFERERS:

 

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM/ENDOCRINE/IMMUNE/HORMONE

Abnormal sensitivity to hot or cold

Allergies (nasal, other; new, increased or worsening)

Canker sores (frequent)

Chills and/or shakes when hungry (may occur instead of feeling hungry)

Cold hands and feet

Extreme fatigue after minimal exertion

Feeling hot or cold often

Flu-like symptoms, on-going or recurrent after initial gradual or acute onset; includes mild fever (99.5-101.5 F / 37.5-38.6 C), chills

Hair loss (alopecia)

 

 

Herpes simplex or shingles rash

Increased susceptibility to infections

Low-grade fevers

Low blood pressure (below 110/70)

Low body temperature (below 97.5)

Lymph nodes painful, swollen (in neck; under arms)

Night sweats (not related to menopause or fever)

Orthostatic Intolerance (neurally mediated hypotension)

Reactive hypoglycemia and insulin resistance

Thirst, increased

Temperature irregularities; often feeling hot or cold irrespective of actual ambient temperature and body temperature; low body temperature (below 97.6 F / 36.4 C)

Thyroid inflammation (acute thyroiditis; hypothyroidism; Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)

 

CARDIOPULMONARY/RESPIRATORY/CIRCULATORY

Cardiac abnormalities (mitral valve prolapse; myocarditis; tachycardia; palpitations; dysrhythmia)

Cough

Dyspnea (out of breath) or shortness of breath (air hunger) after minimal or no exertion

Heart attack

Heart palpitations

Heart pounds so hard it shakes body, bed

Pulse skips

Serious rhythm disturbances of heart

Sighing, frequent, not related to mental/emotional state

Stroke

Vasculitis

 

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM/NEUROLOGIAL/NEUROPATHIC/OTOLOGIC

Abnormal CAT, MRI and/or SPECT scans

Alcohol intolerance

Aseptic meningitis

“Brainfog”; inability to think clearly

Difficulty moving tongue to speak

Diminished or absent reflexes

Fainting or blackouts; feeling like you might faint

Headaches (frequent, severe, recurring)

Hearing fluctuations (sounds fade then return)

Hearing changes, often from day to day (need to turn up, then down, volume of radio, TV)

Joint or arthritic pain not relieved by NSAIDs (ie, ibuprofen)

Libido (decreased)

Light-headedness, feeling spaced-out

Migraine headaches

Muscle twitching

Noise intolerance

Paralysis or severe weakness of limb

Parasthesias (numbness, tingling, crawling, itching sensations) in face, head, torso, extremities

Photosensitivity

Radiculitis

Seizures; seizure-like episodes

Sensory alterations (hyper- or hyposensitivity) – smell, taste, hearing (noise intolerance)

Severe muscle weakness

Syncope (fainting)

Tinnitus (ringing/noises in one or both ears)

Touch or weight of clothing on or against body causes discomfort or pain

Tremors, trembling

 

COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving

Difficulty with simple calculations (e.g., balancing checkbook)

Difficulty expressing ideas in words

Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

Difficulty making decisions

Difficulty following directions while driving

Difficulty remembering names of objects

Difficulty remembering names of people

Difficulty recognizing faces

Difficulty following simple written instructions

Difficulty following complicated written instructions

Difficulty following simple oral (spoken) instructions

Difficulty following complicated oral (spoken) instructions

Difficulty integrating information (putting ideas together to form a complete picture or concept)

Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

Difficulty paying attention

Difficulty following a conversation when background noise is present

Difficulty making and/or retrieving memories (long/short-term memory deficits)

Difficulty understanding what you read

Easily distracted during a task

Feeling too disoriented to drive

Forgetting how to do routine things

Forgetting the use of common objects (such as, what to do with the shampoo when you are standing in the shower)

Forgetting how to get to familiar places

Impaired ability to concentrate

Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence

Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

Poor judgment

Switching left and right

Slowed and/or slurred speech

Stuttering; stammering

Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak and/or speak

Word-finding difficulty

Using the wrong word

 

DIGESTIVE/HEPATIC

Bloating; intestinal gas

Decreased appetite

Digestive chemicals (acid, enzymes) reduced or absent

Esophageal reflux; heartburn

Frequent constipation

Frequent diarrhea

Food cravings (especially carbohydrates, sweets)

Food/Substance intolerance

IBS

Liver function impaired; mild abnormalities

Increased appetite

Nausea

Spleen tender or enlarged

Stomach ache, cramps

Vomiting

Weight gain or loss

 

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

Bite your cheeks or tongue frequently

Bump into things frequently

Difficulty discriminating printed matter despite proper vision correction

Distances (difficulty judging when driving; when putting things down on surfaces)

Dizziness or vertigo

Dropping things frequently

Dysequilibrium (balance problems)

Impaired coordination

Loss of balance when standing with eyes closed

Perception (not quite seeing what you are looking at)

Some patterns (stripes, checks) cause dizziness

Spatial disorientation

Staggering gait (clumsy walking)

Words on printed page appear to jump off page or disappear when staring at them

 

EYES/VISION

Acuity changes not related to prescription changes

Blind spots

Blurred vision

Conjunctivitis

Diminished visual acuity in absence of actual vision change

Drooping eyelid

Double vision

Eye pain

Flashes of light perceived peripherally

Optic neuritis or atrophy

Oscillopsia (image jiggles)

Prescription changes more frequently

Pressure sensation behind eyes

Red and/or tearing eyes

Retinal damage

Slowed accommodation (switching focus from far to near, near to far)

Spots or floaters not related to migraines

Swelling around eyes

Uveitis and/or iritis

Wandering or lazy eye

 

HEAD/NECK/MOUTH

Bell’s palsy (facial paralysis, one or both sides)

Bruxism (grinding/clenching teeth)

Canker sores

Dizziness when you turn your head or move

Dry chronic cough

Dry eyes, nose and mouth (sicca syndrome)

Pain in ears, palate, gums

Periodontal disease

Prickling pain along skin of jaw

Problems swallowing, chewing

Runny nose in absence of cold, allergies

Sinus infections

Sore spot on the top of your head

Temperomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)

Unexplained toothaches

Xerostoma (dry mouth)

 

MUSCULOSKELETAL

Arthritic pain that migrates from joint to joint

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Frozen shoulder

Intermittent joint swelling

Joint aches (arthralgia)

Joint pain, without redness or swelling

Loss of tone

“Lumpy, bumpy” long muscles

Morning stiffness

Muscle aches (myalgia)

Muscle pain, stiffness, weakness

Pyriform muscle syndrome

Reduced range of motion

Stiff neck

Writing causes pain in hand, arm shoulder

 

PAIN SYMPTOMS

Abdominal pain

Chest pain

Generalized pain

Shooting or stabbing pains

Painful tender points (FMS: 11 out of 18 tender points)

 

PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS/MOOD/EMOTIONS

Abrupt/Unpredictable mood swings

Anxiety or fear for no obvious reason

Appetite increase/decrease

Decreased self-esteem

Depression or depressed mood

Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

Feeling worthless

Frequent crying for no reason

Helpless/Hopeless feelings

Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

Irritability; over-reaction

New phobias/irrational fears

Panic attacks

Personality changes (labile, irritable, anxious, confused, forgetful)

Phobias (irrational fears)

Rage attacks; anger outbursts for little or no reason

Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts

 

SENSITIVITIES

Acute or abnormal reactions to medications

Alteration in taste, smell, and/or hearing

Chemicals (alcohol, medications; lower tolerance for)

Food sensitivities

Increased perception of and sensitivity to noise

Light sensitivity

Sensitivity to odors (able to detect and/or react in concentrations far lower than before and that healthy people cannot smell)

 

SKIN / NAILS

Abnormal scarring

Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophician

Blotchy or mottled skin

Bruise easily

Bruises may take longer to appear, and/or longer to fade

Bull’s-eye (Erythema migrans) on light skin (resembles a bruise on dark skin)

Dermographia (minor scratch pressure on skin leaves vivid red welts)

Dry, itchy skin

Easily scar

Eczema or psoriasis

Fragile nails

Frequent skin irritations

Lymphadenosis benigna cutis

Nails that curve under or downward

Overgrowing connective tissue (ingrown hair, adhesions, thickened/split cuticles, cysts, fibroids)

Painful skin (abnormal/excessive pain when scratched or rubbed)

“Paper” skin (feels fragile, tissue-thin when rubbed)

Rashes on body, face

Vertical ridges or beads in nails

 

SLEEP SYMPTOMS

Abnormal brain activity in stage 4 sleep

Altered sleep/wake patterns (alert/energetic late at night, sleepy during day

Difficulty falling asleep

Difficulty staying asleep (frequent and/or prolonged awakenings)

Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)

Myclonus (restless leg syndrome; occasional jerking of entire body)

Nightmares (frequent, extremely vivid and/or disturbing)

Unrefreshing/Non-restorative sleep

 

UROGENITAL / REPRODUCTIVE

Decreased libido

Discharge from breast or galactorrhea

Endometriosis

Frequent urination

Incontinence

Impotence

Infant: premature; low birth weight; low muscle tone; failure to thrive

Interstitial cystitis

Miscarriage or stillbirth

Painful intercourse

Painful urination or bladder

Pelvic and/or rectal pain

Prostate pain

Swollen testicles

Other symptoms worsen before start of menstruation

Worsening of PMS

 

OTHER

Abnormal or other changes in sweating

Activity level reduced to less than 50% of pre-onset level

Burning sensation (internal and/or external)

Cancer

Changed voice

Changes in sweat odor/body odor

Delayed reaction to overactivity/exertion (onset 24-48 hours after exertion)

Electromagnetic (EM) sensitivity (electrical storms, full moon, affect function of electrical devices)

Fatigue, prolonged, disabling, made worse by exertion or stress

Fibrocystic breasts

“Galloping” cholesterol and triglycerides

Hair loss (not related to age, hormones, diet, medication)

Hands hurt excessively when put in cold water

Handwriting changes, altering signature and/or other writing

Hoarseness

Painful, weak grasp that gives way/lets go

Periods of concentrated thinking causes physical and mental exhaustion, increases pain

Sore throat

Swelling/Idiopathic edema (fluid retention syndrome)

Symptoms worsened by extremes of temperature (hot, cold), stress, and/or air travel

Symptoms change focus from time to time, like infection is moving through the body

Thickened mucus secretions (nose, bowel, vaginal)

Thickened “sleep” around eyes in mornings

Very attractive to biting flies and mosquitoes

Weight changes (usually gain)

 

COMMON CO-INFECTIONS AND DISORDERS

Babesiosis

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

Ehrlichiosis

Herpesvirus

HHV6

Iron deficiency

Mercury or other metal toxicity

Mycoplasma

Systemic mold and/or mold sensitivities