Symptoms developing many years after tick bite?

Hi All -

I have read through many of the posts here, and wanted to say thanks for everyone's experience that is shared. I guess that my question is whether or not it can take many, many years for symptoms to catch up with you, so to speak.

First a bit of background. I was vacationing with my family close to 20 years ago in northern MI. I was young at the time (probably around 12), and remember my parents pulling an engourged tick from my head.

Now, let me fast forward to today. I have some symptoms that are listed throughout the forums. Examples: low libido (growing up, I always remember being different from my friends in terms of desire), always tired (I am now "successfully treated" by the numbers anyway for sleep apnea for 6 months with CPAP, but still tired), TMJ, cold extremeties, memory issues, slow muscle recovery from activity (ie exercising), excema. I would have to go through the list on the forum, but those are my major annoyances.

One reason that I am suspecting Lyme's disease was due to an experience when I had my gall bladder removed. I had my gall bladder removed after a visit to the ER a bit over a year ago, and was in the hospital for several days prior to it being removed. During that time, I was on antibiotics because of my gall bladder being infected and they wanted to reduce that prior to my surgery. Post-surgery, I felt great for about a month. My libido was stronger than it has ever been in my life. I didn't remember being tired during that time. However, the lack of libido returned and the fatigue returned within a month.

Since my fatigue issues aren't being solved by CPAP, I am on a quest to try and figure out what else is going on. I have talked with my PCP about my symptoms. He has tested thyroid (normal), testosterone (low-normal, but he doesn't want to treat), psychiatrist for depression (nope), no issues with blood sugar or cholesterol. I mentioned my finding from antibiotic treatment during my hospitalization and he mentioned that nothing came to mind that is cured by antibiotics.

However, it seems crazy to me to think that all of this could be happening from a tick bite 20 years ago.

I hope all is well with everyone. Thanks for any ideas.

eDiddy,
Welcome to Healingwell. Sorry you have not been feeling well.
When you were bit 20yrs ago, did you develop any rashes? Any flu like symptoms? I have all your symptoms, these symptoms are common with Lyme patients, as well as many other conditions. Have you been tested for Lyme? If not have your PCP run a Western blot. Be your own advocate, read as much as you can about Lyme disease. Go to your local library and see if they have Cure Unknown from Pam Weintraub or The bakers dozen and the Lunatic fringe from P.J. Langhoff these are both very good books.

Best wishes

Hi ediddy,

Welcome to the forum! Yes, you can get symtoms 20 years later. The bacteria sometimes lay dorman and comes out when you are stressed, have a traumatic experience, etc. My LLMD thinks I've been having Lyme since I was young and symtoms just started for me 6 years ago. You do seem to have some Lyme symptoms and I was going to say at first, to have your thyroid checked, but you've already done that. The best thing for you to do now, is find a good Lyme Literate Medical Doctor. They are specialized in treating Lyme and know that Lyme patients sometimes have to be on antibiotics longer than the regular four weeks....especially if they are chronic(having Lyme for years). Please read the thread at the top of the Lyme forum titled, "New to Lyme?..... Start Here!." It will give you some very valuable information on what clinic to use and what co-infections you need to test for as well.

Welcome to to forum, Danap79!
I'm sorry that you are experiencing these symptoms. fibromyalgia and CFS were my first diagnoses, too. And they are not incorrect, just incomplete. If an underlying tick-borne infection is causing your symptoms, then it should be addressed. The known tick bite is a big clue, probably.

Your PCP almost certainly will not know how to order tick-borne disease testing from the specialty labs (such as IGeneX) that have a good reputation for accuracy. Even the best tick-borne infection tests are imperfect, so Lyme-literate doctors (LLMDs) make clinical diagnoses - meaning they factor in testing but also signs and symptoms in order to diagnose Lyme and its common co-infections. Finding a doctor with experience treating and diagnosing non-acute Lyme is important. They tend to have functional medicine backgrounds, integrative medicine, naturopathic training, etc. Their websites might say something like "chronic infections" rather than Lyme, but you can call and ask if the doctor treats chronic tick-borne infections ("late-stage Lyme" or "chronic Lyme" is very different from acute Lyme disease). To get evaluated for Lyme, I would suggest starting a new post titled "Seeking LLMD in [your city]" or doing a Google Maps "nearby" search for "functional medicine" and start calling offices. Many LLMDs do not take insurance, unfortunately, so initial evaluation and testing can be expensive. Sometimes they work with NPs or PAs who do take insurance, though, so if money is a concern, then ask if that's an option.