Is It Lyme Disease? Unexpected Symptoms of Lyme disease

Case Study: Unexplained Foot Pain

One of my patients experienced severe foot pain, even while walking to the bathroom. A podiatrist diagnosed him with plantar fasciitis, and he tried various treatments including icing, NSAIDs, stretching, iontophoresis, shoe inserts, and cortisone injections. Despite these efforts, his foot pain persisted. In addition to foot pain, he suffered from exhaustion, poor sleep, impaired concentration, neck and back pain, mood disturbances, palpitations, lightheadedness, migratory pains, and sensitivity to light and sound. Remarkably, his foot pain and other symptoms resolved following treatment for Lyme disease.

Expected Lyme Disease Presentations

In my practice, the expected presentations of Lyme disease include:

• Erythema migran rashes
• Bell’s palsy
• Chronic Neurologic Lyme disease
• Neuropsychiatric Lyme
• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
• Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS)
• Lyme carditis
• Lyme arthritis

Unusual Lyme Disease Presentations

However, I’ve also encountered several unusual presentations of Lyme disease that resolved with treatment. These include:

• Thumb pain
• Intermittent blue color of the hands and feet
• Distorted vision and floaters
• Uveitis
• Atypical seizures
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
• Tinnitus
• Movement disorders
• ALS-like and MS-like presentations
• Parkinsonian symptoms
• Dementia
• Gastroparesis
• Mold sensitivity
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
• Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS)
• Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS)
• Fibromyalgia
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
• Functional and somatic disorders
• Anxiety, depression, OCD, and ADHD

The Challenge of Diagnosis

It can be challenging to determine whether Lyme disease is the cause of these unusual presentations, as patients may have multiple conditions. Proper diagnosis and treatment are crucial for resolving these complex symptoms.

Conclusion

Understanding the wide range of Lyme disease presentations helps us better identify and treat this complex illness. If you or someone you know has unexplained symptoms, consider consulting a Lyme-literate doctor.