This is what happened to Vicky Hamlin, a 38-year-old British woman, who went from being a traveler and athlete to staying in bed most of the time, sometimes without being able to eat, and even without a job, since her condition does not allow her to work.
This condition is triggered by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi carried by some ticks that have previously fed on infected mice. In most affected people, the main sign of infection is a skin rash accompanied by symptoms of tiredness, headaches, and fever.
Lyme disease it can progress to affect the heart, nervous system, and skin of infected people. In the most severe cases, the disease can cause arthritis, encephalopathies, and neurological disorders.
In the case of Hamllin, as he pointed out in statements given to the BBC, noor has been able to “eat a proper meal in five years. I eat snack-sized portions because my digestion has been severely affected.”
She has had respiratory infections, sleeps little, is constantly fatigued, nauseated, and in severe pain. If you have a “good day”, you can barely sit in a chair.
All this contrasts with the intense life she led in 2016, when she was infected by a tick, she believes, in Peru or Thailand. And it is that she used to travel a lot, several times a year to different parts of the world, and she even competed in marathons and other sporting events.
But the saddest thing about the case is that it took four years to receive a proper diagnosis. This is a huge problem, since if Lyme disease is caught in its early stages, it can be treated with antibiotics, but in more advanced stages, there is nothing to do but try to control the symptoms.
Hamlin was diagnosed with hepatitis, malaria, dengue fever and even endometriosis before it was found four years after it was Lyme disease.
Experts say it is advisable to see a doctor if you are sure or suspect a tick bite and have the following symptoms: fever, chills, headache, fatigue, skin rashes, and muscle and joint pain.
WEATHER EDITORIAL
