5 Possible Post Lyme Disease Symptoms

Post Lyme disease occurs in a small number of patients and the symptoms vary from patient to patient. Among the common post Lyme disease symptoms are rheumatism, muscle disorder, lethargy, neurological symptoms and persistent aches.

Lyme disease is brought on after a tick bite that’s infected with the disease. The disease progresses in three phases, from localized inflammation to nerval damage, the symptoms can be drastic. Unfortunately for some patients, sometimes the symptoms fail to go away despite being ‘cured.’

Rheumatism

One of the advanced Lyme disease symptoms include pain in the joints. Although the most common course of action that doctors take to treat the disease include strong courses of antibiotics, even while the majority of the symptoms might fade, patients have had complaints of arthritis and joint ache months after being cured. Arthritis causes severe pain in the joints due to swelling and stiffness. The pain intensifies in larger joints such as the knees and hips, but it can attack any other part of the body as well. Someone already suffering from arthritis can experience even more severe pain and in extreme cases the pain doesn’t abate over time.

Muscle disorder

Bell’s Palsy is a muscle disorder that results in a person losing control over their facial muscles. Lyme disease can also cause Bells Palsy in a patient and victims of this are usually confused with stroke patients due to their inability to control their facial muscles and expressions. For Lyme disease patients, medications can help alleviate this problem. Unfortunately some patients have found that despite taking medications and physiotherapy, regaining total control over their muscles remains elusive.

Lethargy

Unabating fatigue seems to linger in Lyme disease patients regardless of the amount of time that has passed. Patients might find it hard to get back into their old routines and maintain the same stamina with which they tackle their daily chores. While this may be frustrating to people who are used to being busy and active, ample rest and good food is necessary to get you back in good health.

Neurological symptoms

A common symptom of Lyme disease is random shots and burst of pain or numbness in various parts of the body. This is because the disease attacks the nervous system. These symptoms usually dissipate once a patient finishes the prescribed treatment, but for people suffering from post Lyme disease, this pain and numbness may continue months and years after a person has been cured.

Persisting aches

There are a few reasons as to why these symptoms continue to persist although a person has been given a clean bill of health. One of the explanations given by medical professionals is that the body’s auto-immune system has been working so hard for so long that even when the disease has been defeated and the antibiotic courses have been taken, the body refuses to shut down and this leads to fatigue and the inability to combat the persisting symptoms.

While it is not uncommon to hear of lingering post Lyme disease symptoms, if these symptoms continue to persist, or get more intense over time, it is important that you seek immediate medical attention in order to suppress the onset of greater discomfort.