Lyme Symptoms

Some of the many symptoms of Lyme Disease

Head, Face, Neck:

• Headache
• Facial paralysis (like Bell’s palsy)
• Tingling of nose, cheek, or face
• Stiff neck
• Sore throat, swollen glands
• Heightened allergic sensitivities
• Twitching of facial/other muscles
• Jaw pain/stiffness (like TMJ)
• Change in smell, taste

Digestive/excretory System:

• Upset stomach (nausea, vomiting)
• Irritable bladder
• Unexplained weight loss or gain
• Loss of appetite, anorexia

Respiratory/Circulatory Systems:

• Difficulty breathingNight sweats or unexplained chills
• Heart palpitations
• Diminished exercise tolerance
• Heart block, murmur
• Chest pain or rib soreness

Psychiatric Symptoms:

• Mood swings, irritability, agitation
• Depression and anxiety
• Personality changes
• Malaise
• Aggressive behavior / impulsiveness
• Suicidal thoughts (rare cases of suicide)
• Overemotional reactions, crying easily
• Disturbed sleep: too much, too little, difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Suspiciousness, paranoia, hallucinations
• Feeling as though you are losing your mind
• Obsessive-compulsive behavior
• Bipolar disorder/manic behavior
• Schizophrenic-like state, including hallucinations

Cognitive Symptoms:

• Dementia
• Forgetfulness, memory loss (short or long term)
• Poor school or work performance
• Attention deficit problems, distractibility
• Confusion, difficulty thinking
• Difficulty with concentration, reading, spelling
• Disorientation: getting or feeling lost

Reproduction and Sexuality

Females:
• Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
• Reproduction problems, miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, neonatal
• Death, congenital Lyme disease
• Extreme PMS symptoms

Males:
• Testicular or pelvic pain

Eye, Vision:

• Double or blurry vision, vision changes
• Wandering or lazy eye
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Oversensitivity to light
• Eye pain or swelling around eyes
• Floaters/spots in the line of sight
• Red eyes

Ears/Hearing:

• Decreased hearing
• Ringing or buzzing in ears
• Sound sensitivity
• Pain in ears

Musculoskeletal System:

• Joint pain, swelling, or stiffness
• Shifting joint pains
• Muscle pain or cramps
• Poor muscle coordination, loss of reflexes
• Loss of muscle tone, muscle weakness

Neurologic System:

• Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
• Burning/stabbing sensations in the body
• Burning in feet
• Weakness or paralysis of limbs
• Tremors or unexplained shaking
• Seizures, stroke
• Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
• Increased motion sickness, wooziness
• Lightheadedness, fainting
• Encephalopathy (cognitive impairment from brain involvement)
• Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
• Meningitis (inflammation of the protective membrane around the brain)
• Encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord)
• Academic or vocational decline
• Difficulty with multitasking
• Difficulty with organization and planning
• Auditory processing problems
• Word finding problems
• Slowed speed of processing

Skin Problems:

• Benign tumor-like nodules
• Erethyma Migrans (rash)

General Well-being:

• Decreased interest in play (children)
• Extreme fatigue, tiredness, exhaustion
• Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
• Flu-like symptoms (early in the illness)
• Symptoms seem to change, come and go