Lyme disease usually evolves over three stages which can overlap, but not all patients go through all three stages
Symptoms can start anywhere from 3 to 30 days after the tick bite. Lyme Disease is the easiest to cure at this stage because the infection has not yet spread throughout the body.
The Lyme rash, known as Erythema migrans, is often described as looking like a bull's-eye on a dart board, with circles around the middle. The rash slowly gets bigger over several days. It can grow to about 12 inches in diameter. It may feel warm to the touch, but it’s usually not itchy or painful. It can appear on any part of your body. Although a bulls-eye rash is a tell-tale sign of Lyme disease, this is NOT the most common manifestation of a Lyme disease rash.
The most common rash is a round red rash that expands to more than 2 inches in diameter.
Other symptoms, which are similar to the flu, include:
Fever
Chills
Headache
Fatigue
Muscle and joint pain
Swollen lymph nodes
In addition to flu-like symptoms, this stage is often characterized by an increase in symptoms such as:
Pain, weakness or numbness in your arms or legs
Vision changes
Heart palpitations
Rashes on other areas of your body
Facial palsy (drooping on one or both sides of your face)
The most prominent symptoms is a distinctive circular rash at the site of the tick bite that usually lasts for several weeks; but some people develop a different kind of rash or none at all
If Lyme disease isn’t promptly or effectively treated in the first two stages, Late Disseminated Lyme Disease occurs weeks, months or even years after the tick bite. The Lyme bacteria have spread throughout the body and many patients develop chronic arthritis as well as an increase in neurological and cardiac symptoms.
Symptoms may include::
Some of these symptoms will get better slowly with treatment. However, they can persist if treatment is started late. A few people with Lyme disease go on to develop chronic Lyme disease and have these lasting symptoms
