Can Lyme lay dormant for years?

Hi all-

Not diagnosed yet but having a multitude of systems that point to Lyme. I recall a weird rash on my shin about 12 years ago.. From what I remember it looked like a bullseye rash. I never knew what it was but I didn't think anything of it because I was not aware of Lyme disease at the time. My question is.. Can Lyme lay dormant that long? I had a baby 9 months ago and it seems like all of these Lyme like symptoms stirred up right after she was born. I feel like I have always had low energy and slight joint pains but nothing of the magnitude that it is now. Has anyone ever heard of this??

My LLMD explained to me once that someone could get bitten but not display any symptoms. Or if they do sometimes they are so minor we write them off as something else like "getting older" or stress, or not enough sleep. Sometimes symptoms come and go so you think one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. But then some major life event or another illness could trigger it.

In my case, my whole family plus several co-workers caught a stomach virus. A little less than a month later all my health issues began. A major issue for me throughout my Lyme journey has been digestive issues and stomach pain. However the only bug bite I remember was a few years ago, but at the time I thought it was just a spider bite. I remember it lasting a while, but Lyme never even entered my radar. When I told my story to my LLMD she said it was likely the stomach virus I caught compromised my immune system enough that the Lyme sort of "activated." It also explains why my main problems are with my stomach.

So according to my LLMD, it is possible.