This was my list of symptoms that I gave to doctors right around the time of my Lyme Diagnosis. I was experiencing all of these symptoms and no one could figure out what it was until we discovered Lyme. Fortunately, as I have been treating a lot of these symptoms have resolved. I still struggle with the cognitive and neurological symptoms though. I want my brain to work more then anything and that is the last symptom to get better.

Most Frustrating Symptoms

1. Brain Fog! * I can’t think! * Feel really spacey all the time * Short term memory is not working * Can’t concentrate on simple tasks * Forget what I am doing or why I walked in a room * Forget what I am talking about mid sentence * Word finding issues

2. Joint + Body Pain * My back hurts really bad to the point that I have to sometimes lay on the hard floor to get slight relief * The bottoms of my feet hurt, especially the arch area * All my joints hurt. Especially fingers, hands, bottoms of feet, toes, knees and spine hurt the most * Very stiff neck, always hurts * Sometimes going up the stairs and walking is painful * Joints are creaky and crack a lot when I move around * Difficult and painful to walk, especially up stairs

3. Exhaustion * I am always tired no matter how much I sleep * At the end of the day sound and lights are too intense because I am so exhausted * Processing sounds and music distracts me and causes more exhaustion (I used to be the type of person that ALWAYS had music on) * I feel like I have to conserve energy to do a big event each day such as going to the grocery store, a meeting for work, going out to dinner which all take a tremendous amount of energy from me now * I can barely do 1 task a day such as laundry, grocery shopping etc.

4. Constant post nasal drip + allergies * I always have post nasal drip and congested sinuses * Always feel like I am on the verge of getting sick with a cold or sinus infection and have to do saline rinses to clean out my face and throat * I get sick often and when everyone gets a quick cold I get really really sick and sometimes need antibiotics

OTHER SYMPTOMS * Items in italic are symptoms I feel every day
SKIN
* Extremely sensitive skin - have to use all unscented hypoallergenic products
* Never remember bite
* Psoriasis since I was a child
* Skin gets very itchy sometimes for no reason

Head, Face, and Neck

* Constant post nasal drip and phlegm caught in throat
* Severe TMJ - really bad if I forget to wear my mouth guard
* Unexplained hair loss 11/2012 - Alopecia
* Got 2 cortisone shots to make hair grow back
* Headaches come and go, really bad if I get glutened - migraine that last 7 days
* Sometimes I feel like my head is wobbling inside my skull
* If I am still its ok but if I move or walk it “wobbles”
* Sometimes my jaw pops or locks, especially if I did not wear mouth guard night before
* Sometimes my throat lymph nodes are swollen, I always feel like I am on the verge of getting sick
* Weird sore throat every now and then that comes and goes

EYES/VISION
* VERY VERY sensitive to light
* Sometimes have blurry vision
* Occasional Photophobia
* Sometimes things of too high contrast are hard to decipher and read. The contrast alternates in focus

EARS/HEARING
* VERY VERY sensitive to sounds, especially at the end of the day
* Music is too much for my brain to process. I need silence and I used to the kind of person that ALWAYS had music on, now it exhausts me and does not let me concentrate
* I can’t hear as well out of 1 ear anymore
* Itchy ears
* Occasional ringing/buzzing in ears
* Ear tones that come and go
* Sometimes I just wear noise canceling headphones with no sound on to help

DIGESTIVE
* Massive food allergies
* I am always hungry. I am ravenous every 3 hours and eat more then my boyfriend and don’t gain weight
* React to lots of foods even with food allergy treatments
* Occasional nausea

MUSCLES/BONES/JOINTS
* This is a big symptom factor
* Very stiff neck, always hurts
* My back hurts really bad to the point that I have to sometimes lay on the hard floor to get slight relief
* The bottoms of my feet hurt, especially the arch area
* All my joints hurt. Especially fingers, hands, bottoms of feet, toes, knees and spine hurt the most
* Wrist, elbows, ankles and hips don’t hurt as bad
* Tendonitis in wrist - could be from lots of computer work
* My knee clicks a lot, especially right knee, like it does not align in the joint sometimes and causes it to pop
* Joints are creaky and crack a lot when I move around
* Pain moves around body and joints
* Often get muscle cramps in toes and calves

RESPIRATORY + CIRCULATORY
* Constant post nasal drip and runny nose/allergies
* Always feel like I am on the verge of getting a cold or flu
* Always get every cold/flu and it turns into a sinus infection

NEUROLOGICAL/COGNITIVE
* These are the worst symptoms for me
* MASSIVE BRAIN FOG
* Major short term memory loss
* Can’t concentrate on anything
* Word finding difficulty
* Forget what I was talking about mid-sentence
* Forget what I was doing or where I was going
* Run stop signs, forget why I walked in a room
* Can’t keep up with work/what I am doing
* Hands and feet tingle, like they are asleep when I am moving them
* Get light headed if I stand up too fast
* Severe Motion sickness that I don’t remember having as a child

PSYCHOLOGICAL
* Everything in the world seems overwhelming
* Feel like I am losing my mind
* Going to the grocery store is a huge amount of energy. I have to save my energy to do 1 thing per day
* Folding laundry is super painful on my back and exhausting
* Horrible insomnia - can never fall asleep even though I am exhausted
* Never feel rested when I wake up after a full nights sleep
* Anxiety
* Mood swings, irritable
* OCD but don’t have the energy to keep up with it anymore.
* I used to be the most organized person in the world. MY closet is a mess right now and never in my life has it been
* Super emotional and depressed

REPRODUCTIVE/SEXUAL
* Zero sex drive
* No periods

MISC SYMPTOMS
* Extreme Fatigue
* Unexplained weight gain and loss (yoyo)
* Always getting sick with flus/colds/sinus infections
* When everyone gets a slight cold I get really really sick for weeks and usually need antibiotics
* When I get sick my cough lingers for at least a month
* Always cold, especially hands and feet
* Injury to my Psoas 9/2013 that won’t go away, could be issue with Spleen
* Always feel like I am glutened or have the flu
* Have to take many breaks during day and lay down
* Very sensitive to smells and chemicals
* Massive Food allergies + Seasonal Allergies
* Autoimmune issues (Celiac, Hashimotos, Alopecia, Psorasis)
* Low energy especially in afternoon from 2-6
* Feel best 10-1
* Always have to pee and I don’t drink that much water
* Cant ever fall asleep and when I do sleep I never feel rested
* Nails are very brittle
* Feel completely exhausted at the end of the day and some days I barely do anything

The hardest part is having to slow down. I went to school for 8 years for Architecture, did a 3 year Architecture internship, took 9 exams to get my Architecture License, Started my own Design Agency and manage 10 designers and own a loft in San Francisco. There is NO WAY I accomplished all this feeling the way I do now. Now going to the grocery store or doing laundry is all I can accomplish in 1 day.

These are obviously not all the symptoms that someone with Lyme or Co-Infections can experience. These were just the symptoms that I experienced.
Here is a great chart comparing symptoms from the various disease.
http://bit.ly/1FGjC0r