Lyme Disease Support Group

I have lyme but have felt pretty good for quite awhile now, but I am sick I dont know if its a virus or lyme kicking in again. Can anyone tell me if getting a cold

can kick it in again ?

Robyn

Welcome Robyn. Yes Lyme can kick in again. It's hard to tell from the symptoms of a cold whether it's Lyme or not. What other symptoms are you having? How long has this been going on?

Wolfpack

I was diagnosed with lyme in late July after 5 weeks of misery, took that long for a doctor to listen. For the most part I've been pretty good, leg pain, a funny feeling between my shoulder, and so on, nothing like I did feel, I was completely down. I have been getting headaches the last couple of weeks, last night I was really tired, had the chills, didnt feel good this am ,sore throat,went to work for 2 and half hours and came home. It feels and acts like a cold ,plus a few symptoms like my knees hurt a little another headache, I was just wondering if a cold can trigger it again ?

I appreciate the help

Robyn

Before I was even diagnosed, (well I was told I had fibromyaliga), when I got sick with any kind of illness (I'm a flight attendant and constantly picking up germs), I noticed I would continue to feel especially awful, even after I was supposed to be well. When I went to a pain doc, they told me any kind of trauma or infection could cause a "flare." I think that's kind of the same thing with Lyme. For some people they can be feeling ok, get sick and then just continue to feel lousy, like the Lyme is aggravated or re-activated. (Of course when you're really really sick with Lyme, there aren't many days you feel "good.") I think it's hard to differentiate sometimes (if you've been feeling well) as to whether it's just illness or the Lyme rearing it's ugly head. Given how Lyme symptoms mimic so many other illnesses, I think you kinda just gotta wait it out to know which. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Sounds like it might be the Lyme kicking in again. I'd get to an LLMD.

Wolfpack

Or it can just be a cold/sinus. Its that time of year again.

I do know when I get sick with a cold/flu, etc my knee will hurt, and once I'm better that will go away...STRANGE...

Julie

Well, robynd, it depends on a lot of factors. You said you had been diagnosed with Lyme, but no mention of how your Lyme was treated and did the symptoms ever completely go away??

It sounds as if you are newly recovered and it is possible that an encysted spirochete can become active again (especially if there is a shock to the immune system, such as stress of any kind... mental , physical or even spiritual) THat happened to me last January(I was off of my antibiotic for too long too early in my recovery). So, to answer your question more directly, yes, it is possible for lyme to reactivate, so to speak.

On the other hand, I have noticed, like Julie, that when I get sick with something as simple as a sinus infection, I feel , well, 'lymie.' Sometimes it scares me and I think , 'Oh no, not again...." I'm still learning and gaining confidence that yes, my Lyme is in remission.

So, for you, it could be either or, or both. Hopefully, it is just a sinus infection.