Do I have Lyme Disease Symptoms?
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease that is usually transmitted through a tick bite and can cause dire health problems if left undiagnosed.
It is the fastest growing epidemic in the world affecting about 300,000 new people in the US, 2,500 in Canada and 65,000 people in Europe each year.
Lyme disease is often referred to as “The Great Imitator” because Lyme disease symptoms are often vague and resemble other illnesses including:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Influenza
- Lupus
- Mono
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
It is also challenging because getting diagnosed is very challenging.
How Do You Know If You Have Lyme Disease?
Laboratory testing can help, but the problem is that the current tests are not very accurate and often miss people who have Lyme Disease.
There have been over 100 hundred symptoms associated with Lyme, but there are some symptoms that are consistent among most people who have the disease.
The symptoms of people with acute Lyme disease can look a little bit different from those who have had the disease for a long time.
What are Lyme Disease Symptoms?
With acute Lyme disease, you may exhibit all or some of the following symptoms:
- Bells Palsy, where one side of your face begins to droop
- Debilitating fatigue
- Headaches
- High Fever
- Joint pain especially lower back pain
- Muscle aches
- Numbness, and tingling in your hands and feet
- Swollen Lymph nodes
These symptoms tend to come on quickly and you feel acutely ill. The one characteristic sign of acute Lyme is a skin rash known as Erythema migrans. The rash is, in fact, the site of the tick bite. The rash looks like a target or a bull’s eye. It tends to start small and then spreads over the course of several weeks. The rash is not painful, itchy or raised, unlike a mosquito bite. No other organism causes this rash so if you see it you can know for sure you have been bitten by a Lyme infected tick.
Unfortunately, many people who contract Lyme do not get this rash.
The symptoms of chronic Lyme disease can look a little different from the acute form. Although you may some of the same symptoms as in acute Lyme you may also exhibit all or some of the following:
- Poor balance
- Debilitating fatigue
- Frequent flushed feelings
- Brain fog or short-term memory problems
- Chronic headaches
- Hormone imbalances
- Difficulty walking
- Muscle weakness
- Increased sensitivity to light and sounds
- Other unexplained skin rashes
- Poor or restless sleep
- Stomach or bowel problems
- Underactive thyroid problems
If you have any combination of these symptoms and you have not discovered why the way you feel, then it is time to find out if you have Lyme.
You can get an excellent indication if you have Lyme by downloading and completing the following questionnaire, taken from The Lyme Solution by Dr Darin Ingels.
If you score above 45, it is highly likely that you have been exposed to the Lyme infection and I recommend that you seek out a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor, Functional Medicine practitioner or Naturopathic Doctor to begin treatment.
Disclaimer
This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Now I’d like to hear from you. Let us know in the comments below.