It Wasn’t Just a Tick Bite 😱

⚠️Trigger Warning!⚠️

Images of sores and writing about creepy crawlies

So, can you believe it? I’ve got Lyme Disease. On top of everything else I’m already managing with hormones and endometriosis, this feels like a cruel extra. I don’t feel that great to be honest.

A very large picture of me showing how pants I feel after teaching a class and really flagging in energy. Hopefully if you don't like pictures of sores or blood you will have seen the trigger warning above and looked away! The image is of me looking down at the camera with a face that says I'm feeling sorry for myself. Mascara is smudged under my eyes and I'm sweating. I am wearing a black t-shirt and my hair is tied back but looking a bit wild. My dog Stanley can be seen in the background licking his lips!

Image of the back of my leg with a small amout of blood left over after disinfecting where I had removed the tick.

About a month ago I had a tick bite. At the time I didn’t think much of it, other than being a bit freaked out by the idea of a creature burrowing into me and sucking my blood. I removed it, disinfected the area, and was relieved that it only left the tiniest dot of blood.

But a week later that dot turned into a raised spot, and then into a sore that just wouldn’t heal. No bull’s-eye rash, which is what you’re told to look out for, so I thought nothing of it and carried on.

Still no bull's eye! Image of the back of my leg where the sore is red and around 1cm in size but no ring around it.

Over the past few weeks though, things started to add up. I was waking up in the night with burning feet, I had horrible headaches and even a couple of migraines. I’d put all that down to hormone medication changes. Then came the overwhelming fatigue and flu-like symptoms, and I realised I needed to get checked.

I tried the 111 app, but it wasn’t much help. It focused on whether I had a rash around the bite (I didn’t, just the sore), so it told me I was safe to self-manage with antihistamines and painkillers.

Working with people who live with long-term conditions, some of whom have Lyme Disease that’s left them extremely unwell years later, I knew this wasn’t good advice.

Given I was feeling fluey, exhausted and in pain, this should have raised red flags.

I hadn’t even connected the recent joint pain and the stiff neck. Luckily I sent a picture of the sore to my GP, along with my symptoms. He told me not to rely on the bull’s-eye rash as not everyone develops one, that my symptoms sounded like I was unlucky enough to have developed Lyme Disease, and that the sore should have healed by now. He prescribed antibiotics straight away, and I just hope they do their job.

What worries and frustrates me is how easily things can be dismissed, even by medical technology that’s meant to keep us safe. I understand the 111 system is designed to pick up life-threatening issues first, but Lyme Disease can cause long-term damage if it’s not caught quickly.

For people like us, with compromised immune systems or multiple conditions, the gaps in these systems can be really dangerous.

We already live with the fear of being dismissed or labelled a hypochondriac, and that makes it harder to reach out for help. Luckily my amazing friend and colleague encouraged me - though I shouldn't have felt like I needed permission or validating!

This has reminded me why it’s so important to push through that fear and trust our instincts. I’m really glad I did.

So if you ever find yourself with a tick bite, don’t wait around for that perfect bull’s-eye rash. Not everyone gets one. If you feel fluey, wiped out, achy, or just not yourself, go to your GP and mention the bite. The sooner you get antibiotics, the better the outcome. There’s some really clear guidance here if you’d like to read more (although the focus is still on that bull's eye rash!): NHS – Lyme Disease.

Someone I know and respect in wellbeing wrote some resources on Lyme Disease that are extremely helpful and interesting.

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Mobilates CIC provides online and in-person inclusive exercises classes for people in the UK. Classes centre around supporting people with mobility issues, chronic pain, disabilities and long-term health conditions.

www.mobilates.com