Squirrel bite gave me fibromyalgia and now I’ll never be able to run again
LISA PEARSON, 50, a parenting coach, lives in St Albans with husband David, 51, an accountant, and children Max, 14, and Willow, 10.
Here, she opens up about her seven-year battle living with chronic pain.
Lying in bed, I gasped in agony as pain coursed through my body right to the tips of my fingers and toes.
It was so bad that I couldn’t bear my children Willow, then two, and Max, six, or my husband touching my skin.
But this wasn’t a severe case of flu with muscular pains – it was an attack of acute fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition I’ve battled every day for seven years.
Before fibromyalgia set in, I was in great health. I worked as a senior mental health therapist, and though juggling my career with having a family was hard work, I still managed to fit in daily runs.
But in January 2011, I was bitten by a squirrel in our local park. One of our dogs had picked it up in his mouth, and as I retrieved it, the squirrel bit me on the finger.
Although it hurt, I didn’t think too much about it at the time. But over the next year, I started developing severe back pain and felt constantly exhausted.
After a series of blood tests, in March 2012 I was diagnosed with Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be passed on to humans by tic bites.
It usually clears up with antibiotics if caught early but if left untreated it can cause long-term health problems.
In my case it had triggered fibromyalgia, which my GP diagnosed me with later that month. Eventually, doctors concluded that the squirrel had been infected with tics carrying the bacteria.
Fibromyalgia causes pain all over the body, extreme tiredness, headaches, and mental confusion known as “fibro fog”. I was shocked at the diagnosis, but assumed it would ease off with medication.
I was prescribed a mild antidepressant to aid my sleep and an anti-inflammatory called naproxen, but I found that neither helped much.
Forcing myself to get on with things was difficult, and soon I found myself unable to pick up Willow.
I couldn’t bear my children or my husband touching my skin
Lisa Pearson
She screamed for me to carry her, but I had no strength, which I felt so guilty about. It also hurt my skin to wear anything too tight-fitting, so I had to opt for floaty or soft fabrics.
But the pain wasn’t even the worst of it, because fibromyalgia leaves you feeling permanently anxious, too.
The fibro fog was so bad that I forgot close friends’ names and how to do complex tasks at work. I found spreadsheets baffling, and would often lose the train of conversation in my role as a therapist.
By June 2012 I was beginning to feel very depressed – another symptom of the illness – and some days I would find myself in tears as I could barely get out of bed. Physically, I was exhausted.
While my family did their best to support me, I lost many friends who didn’t understand why I couldn’t go out for drinks or for long walks.
Because I never actually looked sick, they didn’t really believe that I was. By then I had stopped working as it was too much to cope with.
Luckily, David was able to work from home, so was around to help me out during the day, and though we had less cash, we’d always saved hard in the past, so it was manageable.
Eventually in October 2012, after six months spent mainly in bed, I began to feel a lot better.
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Buoyed by my progress, I embarked on a new dream and opened a hair and beauty salon the following June, using a small inheritance that my mum had left me when she died.
But I had tried to run before I could walk, and though I initially intended to work part-time with the help of a manager, the job gradually became all-consuming, and by April 2015, my symptoms had returned.
I suffered palpitations, dizziness and intense pain, but somehow kept going until I collapsed in agony on the ground and ended up in A&E.
To my despair I was told I needed to rest in bed again for the foreseeable future. My salon manager took care of the business for me but I was distraught.
Although I never reached a point where I wanted to die, at times I wondered how I could go on. By now, Willow was five and Max nine.
Over the coming weeks, they’d beg me to get up and play with them, but my body hurt so badly I couldn’t.
It was also hard on David, because I was no longer the intelligent, lively woman he had married, but he was always still there for me.
With six more months of pacing myself, I slowly recovered. Cutting out processed foods and sugar made me feel better, and I started meditating to ease my anxiety.
I collapsed in agony on the ground and ended up in A&E
Lisa Pearson
In March 2016, I also began infrared therapy which uses light rays to warm the muscles and organs, increasing blood flow and reducing pain, which in turn improved my brain fog.
Alcohol was mostly off-limits – anything more than a glass or two of wine sparks sleep problems and depression. I also began yoga and Pilates to build strength. More than three years on, I’m generally feeling well.
I still get flare-ups at stressful times, but my last relapse was at the start of the summer holidays in July 2019, when I was worried about how active I could be with the kids.
If I sense the pain returning, I know to go to bed for a couple of days to stop it progressing.
After months of mulling it over, I decided to sell the salon in August, but the sale fell through and sadly it went into liquidation.
It was upsetting, but it was too stressful for me to keep on. Instead, I’m now focusing on my role as a parenting coach.
Having become certified in human behavioural studies earlier in my career, I’ve always been interested in healing and coaching, and helping other mums through online courses and groups has been one of my best decisions.
Especially as the work is much less physical. I’m also at the point where I can walk the dog and do an exercise class on the same day, and that’s massive for me.
When Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young revealed she suffered with fibromyalgia and it had altered her priorities, all I could do was sympathise, especially as we’re almost the same age.
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I can imagine how gutted she was when she stepped away from her job. Despite my improvements, the condition still affects me every day, and my skin is still too tender to wear much jewellery or tight-fitting clothes.
It saddens me that I’ll never be able to run, work full-time or go partying with friends. But on the plus side, I no longer have chronic pain and can cuddle my family.
By learning to be kind to myself and take pleasure in the small things, I’ve discovered that I can still have a wonderful life – just with a few more boundaries than most.
- Credits — as told to: Anna Pointer, visit: Mummywhisperer.com, Londonpainclinic.com
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