Babesiosis
Babesia spp.
A malaria-like infection causing drenching night sweats, air hunger, deep fatigue and headaches that don't respond to typical Lyme treatment.
Free · 5 minutes · No diagnosis required
Could it be Lyme disease?
Lyme and its coinfections are easy to miss and often mistaken for other conditions. Take our free self-check, built from a clinician's questionnaire, and get a clear picture of your symptom pattern in under 5 minutes.
Your answers are kept private and reviewed by a qualified practitioner.
About the illness
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and related species, most often transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. In the UK, ticks are widespread — not only in forests and moorland, but also in city parks and gardens.
Many people never see the tick or the classic bullseye rash (the rash is not seen in almost half the cases). When the early signs are missed, Lyme can become harder to treat and take much longer to recover from, affecting the joints, nervous system, heart and cognition for months or years.
Be aware, there are many different ways to test for Lyme disease, though many tests have various challenges with regards to sensitivity as well as being indirect tests, which may cause false negatives. Some tests are believed to have almost 50% risk of false negatives.
Rarely just Lyme
Coinfections — the reason Lyme is so often missed
The same ticks that carry Borrelia frequently carry other pathogens. Coinfections muddy the picture and explain why symptoms can feel so varied.
Bartonellosis
Bartonella spp.
Often presents with stretch-mark-like skin streaks, foot pain on first steps, anxiety, rage and neurological tics — frequently mistaken for psychiatric disorders.
Anaplasmosis / Ehrlichiosis
Anaplasma, Ehrlichia
Flu-like illness with high fever, low white-blood-cell counts, severe muscle pain and headaches. Can be acutely dangerous if missed.
Mycoplasma
Mycoplasma spp.
A stealth infection associated with chronic fatigue, joint pain, autoimmune-style flares and chronic respiratory or sinus symptoms.
Heavy metal poisoning
Mercury, lead, aluminium, arsenic
Accumulated heavy metals burden the immune system, fuel neurological symptoms and brain fog, and are a common hidden driver behind people who fail to recover from chronic Lyme.
Mould & biotoxin illness
Environmental
Not a tick-borne infection, but mould exposure dramatically worsens Lyme symptoms and is one of the most common reasons people fail to recover.
Common symptoms
The kind of pattern we look for
Lyme rarely produces a single, neat symptom. It's the combination that tells the story — and that's exactly what our questionnaire helps surface.
Whole body
- Chronic fatigue and chronic flu-like feeling
- Chronic, widespread pain
- Migrating arthritis or joint pain
- Muscle pain and muscle twitching
Head, brain & nerves
- Brain fog or loss of cognitive function
- Headache and neck stiffness or creaking
- Paresthesias — burning or tingling in feet and hands
- Tremors of the head and hands, or Bell's palsy
Heart, chest & gut
- Chest pain and irregular heartbeats
- Shortness of breath or difficulty catching breath
- Gastrointestinal and digestive dysfunction
- Unstable bladder
Senses & sleep
- Visual changes, blurry vision and floaters
- Ringing in the ears and noise sensitivity
- Dizziness and instability
- Sleep disorders and trouble sleeping
Ready to find out where you stand?
Take the free, confidential self-check now. It takes around five minutes and your answers will be reviewed by a practitioner.
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