You would possibly develop a number of rashes (even from a single chew) and a few 20% of individuals don’t see any pores and skin adjustments by any means, so it’s doable your first Lyme signs could also be a little bit completely different. If the tick is engorged (which means, it is bloated as a result of it’s been there a number of days feasting in your blood) or should you suppose it’s been there lengthy sufficient, you need to make a remark of that and name a physician should you’re involved. (The CDC doesn’t sometimes suggest antibiotics for tick bites except you’ve gotten signs, however discuss it over together with your well being care supplier.)
2. It’d really feel such as you’re coming down with the flu.
When your physique responds to the micro organism, you could have a fever, complications, chills, and muscle ache. The timeline could be a little wonky although, per Dr. Pierre. “The signs don’t occur in lockstep—it’s not such as you get the rash after which two days later develop a fever. You may not get a rash, or it fades earlier than you may even see it—then per week or two later you’re feeling different signs.” (Be aware: These stage 1 signs can happen inside one to twenty-eight days following a tick chew, per the Nationwide Library of Medication.)
In fact, there are a ton of different issues that may trigger these signs too, per Dr. Bass. So once you’re making an attempt to determine if it was on account of a tick chew, you actually need to take a number of issues into consideration, together with the place you reside within the nation, what time of yr it’s, should you’ve frolicked open air just lately, and another signs which might be paired together with your fever.
“The flu tends to return within the winter, roughly December by means of April, and other people don’t sometimes get early Lyme illness at the moment,” Dr. Bass factors out. “Lyme illness additionally doesn’t usually trigger respiratory or gastrointestinal signs, so should you get a stuffy nostril, sore throat, and even diarrhea or nausea, you’re in all probability coping with a virus.” You’re extra more likely to encounter Lyme-infected ticks between April and October within the Northeast, Northwest, or Higher Midwest, notably should you’re hanging out in habitats the place ticks thrive, like wooded, brushy locations with tall grass and many lifeless leaves on the bottom.
3. You’re having coronary heart points, unusual dizziness or weak point, otherwise you’ve developed one other situation.
After you’ve been contaminated for a couple of weeks or months (which is believable should you didn’t see or discover a rash from the chew or shrugged off any early flu-like signs), the micro organism can journey by means of your bloodstream to different components of your physique (a.ok.a. stage 2 of Lyme illness, which often occurs about three to 12 weeks after the chew). This contains the guts. It’s referred to as “Lyme carditis,” and it may trigger issues like coronary heart palpitations, chest ache, and dizziness.
The micro organism may additionally migrate to your mind and spinal twine, which may trigger vertigo and issue with coordination, and even meningitis, says Dr. Bass. This can be a severe irritation of the membranes surrounding the mind and may end up in complications, neck stiffness, and fever. Bell’s palsy—an irritation that impacts the facial nerves—also can generally present up and trigger your face to get weak or droop on one aspect. Nonetheless, Dr. Bass reiterates that, even at this stage, you may nonetheless get better. “These [later symptoms] all sometimes reply very properly to antibiotics.”
4. There’s main swelling in a single, or a number of, joints.
It’s doable to get bit by an contaminated tick and have zero signs up till stage 3, Dr. Bass says. “Should you haven’t been handled for a number of months, and even years, after the [initial] an infection, the micro organism can usually settle in a joint, mostly the knee,” she says. Nonetheless, Dr. Pierre notes that any massive joint may be affected, together with the hip and elbow. The swelling isn’t at all times painful, however it may be: Analysis reveals that roughly 60% of untreated Lyme-related infections trigger arthritis. You may additionally develop these neurological points we talked about that may occur with stage 2—Bell’s palsy, meningitis—but it surely’s necessary to keep in mind that that is nonetheless treatable, Dr. Bass factors out. You would possibly simply need to be on antibiotics a bit longer (or take a combo of them on a extra rigorous routine), she notes.
5. You match the profile of somebody who’s just lately been bitten by an contaminated tick.
Okay—this one isn’t *essentially* a medical symptom, however per Dr. Pierre, it’s actually necessary. She says that lots of people who wrestle with continual fatigue or ache (and as soon as had Lyme illness a number of years in the past) consider their points are tied to that earlier an infection. That’s not at all times the case—and so they’re generally unnecessarily placed on rounds of antibiotics.