Saga Magazine – August 2018

68 SAGA.CO.UK/AUG-MAG^ I^2018

L

iving in the Scottish

Highlands, I knew

about the dangers of

bites from ticks carrying Lyme

disease. I’d had tick bites every

year but had the tools you need

to remove them quickly and

safely [see FAQs, opposite].

Only about 6% of ticks carry

Lyme disease. Even if you are

bitten by a tick, the chances

of you being unlucky and

actually getting Lyme disease

are relatively small. But an

estimated 3,000 people in the

UK contract the condition each

year. Unfortunately for me, in

2012 when I was 65, I missed an

infected tick that was attached

to my back for a couple of days.

A common early symptom

of Lyme disease is erythema

migrans (EM), a roundish

bull’s-eye type of rash

that may be around the site

of the tick bite. I didn’t have

this. It was only after the

disease had begun to spread

that I became noticeably unwell.

My story

This happened around two

months after I was bitten.

It started with a lot of cramp

and twitching, plus muscle

pain and weakness. I had to

keep sitting down as I didn’t

have any strength and I also

became a very poor sleeper.

A whole lot of different

problems emerged at once, so

I went to my GP, but he was

away. Two locum doctors who

saw me didn’t recognise the

symptoms of Lyme disease and

were no help at all.

When my usual GP returned,

he sent my blood off for

tests. They came back positive

for Lyme disease and I began

a course of antibiotics. Within

a week, I had to stop as

I had developed a deep vein

thrombosis (DVT). My

symptoms simply got worse.

I had a weird, crawling

sensation under my skin. It was

as if there was something living

inside me. I could feel this

‘thing’ moving around – but it

Factfi le

Name

Andrew Gold

Age

71

Condition

Lyme disease

Symptoms

Cramp, twitching,

muscle pain

and weakness

Treatment

Strong oral

antibiotics, and

referral to an

infectious disease

consultant

Recovery

Though Andrew’s

condition has

improved markedly,

he still has bad days

when he has no

energy, has pain and

cramp, and feels

generally unwell

Ongoing problems/

medication

Sleeping pills to

help with long-term

sleep disruption,

and analgesics

for pain

It took just one tiny tick bite to give me a seriously

degenerating condition resulting in a six-year fi ght back

towards better health, says Andrew Gold

Lyme disease

AS

TOLD

TO

LESLEY

DOBSON.

PORTRAIT:

PHIL

HARTLEY.

GETTY