WORD OF WARNING
A STUDENT has shared a video of her terrifying seizures after she caught Lyme disease from a tick bite.
Stephanie Todd, 22, from Thornbury, Glos, initially went to her doctor four years ago suffering with what she thought was flu.
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Medics diagnosed her with ringworm and soon her symptoms started to go away so she carried on studying for a textile design degree at university.
But gradually she began feeling more unwell and experienced exhaustion, migraines, shakiness and nausea.
Stephanie tried to carry on best she could but in her second year she started to rapidly deteriorate before she began suffering with seizures.
Eventually, doctors realised that she had late stage neurological Lyme disease - neuroborreliosis - because it had gone untreated, it was deeply embedded in her central nervous system.
Life-changing
Stephanie has had to quit her degree and can no longer look after herself.
She says the NHS has said it can no longer help her so she is trying to raise funds for treatment at a specialist Lyme Disease clinic in Washington DC, US.
Speaking about her condition to Bristol Live, Stephanie said: “I was a very average teenager who loved going out, walking, art and philosophy.
“I developed flu, and a rash on my chest that was dismissed as ringworm by my doctor.
“I ignored the symptoms and it eventually went away. Little did I know this was the classic start of Lyme Disease.
"If I had the proper treatment at this stage I would not be as sick as I am today."
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She continued: “In my second year, my body simply crashed - my immune system broke down and a test revealed chronic immunosuppression.
“I developed chronic pain, tremors, muscle spasms, double vision and heart palpitations.
“I was housebound and then bedbound. Doctors labelled this as ME and fibromyalgia.
"The simplest tasks became insurmountable - showering, cooking, reading. Somehow, I still completed my second-year studies."
Paralysed
Steph then started suffering seizures that left her paralysed.
She said: “None of my doctors could work out what was causing it.
"Lyme seizures can look a lot like regular seizures, or can be localised to my stomach, chest, arms or legs.
“I went to my first lecture of my final year in a wheelchair and managed half a day."
None of my doctors could work out what was causing it
Stephanie Todd
Steph was forced to move back home to be looked after by her family - dashing her dreams of finishing her degree.
By this point, the seizures were happening everyday and often on several occasions.
She said: “My condition was deteriorating rapidly, and still no doctor could pinpoint the issue.
"I was determined to find out what was wrong with me."
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It was only four years after she was bitten by a tick that she was told she had contracted Lyme disease - a bacterial infection that is spread by infected ticks.
Steph said: “After some conventional treatment for Lyme, my seizures slowly began to stop.
“My pain lessened and I felt generally less dizzy and unsteady. With this, I regained some independence."
But Steph said that meant the NHS discharged her from the infectious diseases team, because her condition had improved.
“Within two weeks, my seizures came back and were lasting up to seven hours. Nothing from the hospital was working,” she added.
She got back on the treatment, but Steph said she now finds herself in a cycle where she has the treatment, gets better, the treatment is withdrawn and she relapses.
Steph said: “The treatment is created for the early stages of Lyme, not three yeas after contraction, meaning it would suppress my symptoms but not treat the disease.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection which is spread by infected ticks.
The ticks feed on the blood of humans and animals and can be found in the UK, Europe and North America.
They can be found in any area of overgrown vegetation where there are animals for them to feed on.
The ticks don’t jump or fly but they cling on to clothes or skin if you brush past something that they are on.
They then bite the person and feed on their blood potentially passing on the infection.
What are the signs of Lyme Disease?
Most people develop a distinctive red rash the shape of a circle with a ring around it between three and 30 days after they were bitten.
The rash can vary in size significantly and can expand over the course of days or weeks.
Typically, this blemish grows to around 15cm in diameter.
However one in three people who contract Lyme disease won’t develop a rash and some people experience flu-like symptoms; tiredness, muscle pain, headaches, high temperatures, joint pain, chills and neck stiffness.
What are the symptoms of Lyme Disease?
If left untreated, Lyme disease sufferers can develop much more serious symptoms including:
Serious joint pain
Nervous system pain which can lead to paralysis of facial muscles, memory problems and difficulties concentrating
Heart problems, such as inflammation of the heart muscle
Inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord as with meningitis
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MORE ON LYME DISEASE
“The ongoing treatment and oversight I need is not available in the UK as they do not recognise it as a chronic condition yet.
"I need the care of Lyme disease specialists if I have any chance of beating it.
“My goal is to raise funds to access treatment in the US, where a specialist Lyme clinic in Washington DC can help me."
What is Lyme disease and how do ticks spread it?
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