Symptoms Of Tick Borne Disease
There is no given time frame when symptoms appear. Symptoms can appear in 24hrs, a number of days, several weeks and in some cases not until years later when the disease has become "chronic" and is often misdiagnosed as something other than a Tick-Borne disease. How quickly symptoms appear depends on a patients' health, age and the strength of their immune system.
Tick-Borne diseases can produce symptoms of over 350 diseases complicating a doctor's diagnosis and treatment. Patients are frequently misdiagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons Disease, movement disorders, various psychiatric illnesses, and depression. Misdiagnosis with other diseases often delays the correct diagnosis and treatment of the underlying infection so be your own advocate and see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) who is trained to recognize and treat Tick-Borne diseases. Use the following link to find doctors who treat Tick-Borne disease ILADS LLMD REFERRAL SERVICE>>
Patients infected with aTtick-Borne disease have reported feeling tired, weak, joint / muscle pain, nausea / diarrhea, sore throat, rash, dizziness, mood swings, brain "fog", confusion, buzzing in ears, paralysis, mood swings, inability to get warm, forgetfulness, obsessive compulsive behavior, heart palpitations and inflammation of the heart. There are many more symptoms reported by sufferers of Tick-Borne disease than what is listed here so please use the SEARCH>> link to see additional resources for symptoms of Tick-Borne diseases. ​
Symptoms and severity can vary. In the chronic LYME DISEASE SURVEY>> (Johnson 2014) 75% of sufferers of Lyme disease had at least one severe symptom while 63% reported 2 or more.
Be aware of any sudden change in your health or the onset of symptoms with no explanation especially when Ticks are active and Tick bites are likely to occur during the spring, summer, fall and winter months when temperatures go above 40 degrees. Tick-Borne disease is a complex of various symptoms. No one can describe in a few sentences what an infected patient feels, sees and hears daily. Use the VIDEO>> link to view one person's battle with Tick-Borne disease.
Not all tick bites result in a "bullseye" rash. This characteristic rash only appears in an estimated 50% of infected individuals. The rash will generally appear over a 2 to 4 week period, however, almost 70% of Lyme patients never recall seeing a rash. Use the PICTURES>> link to view the different shapes and sizes of bulls eye rashes and locations where it can appear on the body.
The Classic "Bullseye" Rash...
Don't See A "Bullseye"....Look Again
A Tick-Borne disease rash does not always look like a characteristic "bullseye". Rashes come in different sizes, forms and colors and can appear anywhere on the body. Sometimes it looks like a mild bruise or a blue rash or blue with a red tint. Use the PICTURES>> link to see examples of Tick Borne disease skin rashes at the CDC website and other sites MORE PICTURES>>.
Bartonellosis...
Its ability to hide in red blood cells allows the bacteria to cross the blood-brain barrier affecting the brain (forgetfulness, brain fog, memory issues, fine motor skills issues, tremors) and other organs. A Bartonella infection can present any number of symptoms: fever, fatigue, headache, poor appetite, lymph node enlargement (head, neck arms), unexplained visual problems, joint swelling, changes in skin (brown spots resembling "age spots"), crusty moles, skin tags, papules, small round white lumps under skin, hemangiomas found on the skin as tiny red "blood blisters" and larger growths on internal organs particularly the liver, nodules under the skin that hurt when pressed, broken veins, spider veins, unexplained bruises and "unusual" red or purple stretch marks). Use the PHOTOS>> link of skin changes when a Bartonella infection is present.
Ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis...
Characteristic symptoms are high fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, low white blood cell count, low platelet count, anemia, elevated liver enzymes.
Babesiosis...
Initial symptoms are similar to Lyme Disease, however, Babesiosis typically starts with fever and chills. As the infection advances patients may develop fatigue, muscle aches, and pains, headaches, sweating, chest pain / shortness of breath (air hunger) and joint pain. Complications can include hypotension, liver problems, and anemia.
​