Last updated on December 4th, 2023 at 08:52 pm
You must know the symptoms of Lyme disease so that you can catch them early and ensure that you or someone you love is able to get the treatment that you need for the condition. As such, here are some of the signs of Lyme disease that you need to watch out for, especially in the warmer half of the year.
Table of Contents
1. Rash
One of the most noticeable and distinctive symptoms of Lyme disease is the rash that many people will develop around the site where the tick bit them. This rash is usually round and may start to expand, with a ring of a different color around the perimeter of the rash. Although the rash appears most commonly within the first few weeks of being bitten, some people find that they develop the rash at a much later date, months after the time when they were first bitten. As such, if you start to develop a rash that looks like a bulls-eye, you should consider getting a Lyme disease test as soon as possible. This will help you to get a diagnosis by yourself so that you can get the urgent care that you need. This will prevent you from developing long-term effects from Lyme disease, such as a weakened nervous system.
2. Fever
Start to develop a fever that does not pass and is not associated with another condition, such as flu. You might have Lyme disease, especially if you often walk in wooded areas or locations that contain a lot of long grass. You might have this fever for up to a week, and it might return even once it has already started to pass. However, you should not dismiss your symptoms if you do not have a fever, as some people also experience chills when they have Lyme disease, as well as swollen lymph nodes that are similar to the swollen lymph nodes that are paired with a variety of different illnesses.
3. Fatigue
When you have Lyme disease, you might feel abnormally fatigued. This might also be paired with aching joints and muscles and cases of arthritis. You might not notice this fatigue at first, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. However, if this fatigue is paired with other symptoms and is not going away, and you cannot think of a reason for it, this fatigue may be a sign of Lyme disease. As such, you should make sure that you see a doctor to discuss your symptoms and to ensure that you can get the medication and treatment plan that you need to recover fully.
4. Facial Paralysis
As the condition progresses, you might begin to develop facial paralysis and numbness as the disease attacks your nervous system and muscles. You might have neck pain and might have problems with your eyesight. Although you might worry that this facial paralysis is permanent, this is not the case, and many people recover from this paralysis less than six months after they take the right course of antibiotics.
