Lyme Disease, known as the great imitator, can mimic a variety of different diseases. This makes being knowledgable about Lyme Disease and self-advocacy extremely important. It is not enough to place full trust in your family physician, emergency medical personnel, or diagnostic tests with Lyme Disease. Act with reservation and learn possible symptoms of this disease so that you or your loved ones can receive better help.
Common Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Here are a list of common symptoms of Lyme Disease:
- Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills, or flushing
- Unexplained weight change (either loss or gain)
- Fatigue, tiredness
- Unexplained hair loss
- Swollen glands
- Sore throat
- Irritable bladder, Bladder dysfunction
- Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
- Upset stomach
- Change in bowel function (constipation or diarrhea)
- Chest pain or rib soreness
- Shortness of breath, cough
- Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
- Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse
- Joint pain or swelling
- Stiffness of the joints, neck, or back
- Neck cracks, neck stiffness
- Muscle pain or cramps
- Twitching of the face or other muscles
- Headaches
- Tingling numbness, burning or stabbing sensations
- Facial paralysis (Bell’s palsy)
- Eye/vision disturbances: Double, blurry, floaters
- Eyes/hearing: Buzzing, ringing, ear pain
- Increased motion sickness, vertigo
- Light-headedness, wooziness, poor balance, difficulty walking
- Tremor
- Confusion, difficulty thinking
- Difficulty with concentration or reading
- Forgetfulness, poor short-term memory
- Disorientation: Getting lost, going to wrong places
- Difficulty with speech or writing
- Mood swings, irritability, depression
- Disturbed sleep: Too much or too little or early awakening
- Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
- Men:
- Testicular pain
- Women:
- Pelvic pain
- Unexplained menstrual irregularity
- Unexplained milk production
- Breast pain