Lyme Disease

Weeks, months, or even years after an untreated tick bite, symptoms can appear in several forms, including:

• fatigue, forgetfulness, confusion, mood swings, irritability, numbness
• neurologic problems, such as pain (unexplained and not triggered by an injury), Bell's palsy (facial paralysis, usually one-sided but may be on both sides), and a mimicking of the inflammation of brain membranes known as meningitis (fever, severe headache, stiff neck)
• arthritis (short episodes of pain and swelling in joints) and other musculoskeletal complaints

Less common effects of Lyme disease are heart abnormalities (such as irregular rhythm or cardiac block) and eye abnormalities (such as swelling of the cornea, tissue, or eye muscles and nerves).