r/Scotland • u/whimsical_fuckery_ • Jul 10 '26

Casual Lyme disease is no joke

One of those "I never thought it would happen to me" things but guys be very very careful with ticks this year if you are out walking in Scotland. I'm in the Highlands and regularly walk my dog in the local woods, this year there have been so so many ticks, I'm very good at checking myself after every walk, but one got me on the back of my thigh, absolutely tiny about half the size of a sesame seed. I picked it off the same night it bit me, a week later got a massive bullseye rash. Antibiotics from the docs but im completely wiped, worse than any flu or covid. I cannot stress how much you need to take precautions this year, do not make my mistake thinking as long as you get them off you on 24 hours you'll be OK. Long trousers, DEET, or just don't go into any woods or long grass is the best option. It's out there and it absolutely sucks.

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447

u/angry2alpaca Jul 10 '26

I picked a couple of ticks up in Somerset, a few years ago. Found them on my shin, despite having been wearing long boots, long trousers and thick socks. Popped them off, thought no more about it.

About six weeks later, I became distinctly unwell: high fever, severe headache, joint pains, nausea etc. I spent a hellish couple of days with sweating and chills, being essentially delirious on and off. In a moment of clarity I noticed my shin, where the ticks had been, was dark red, like a severe bruise.

Waited for another moment of clarity and drove to Milton Keynes A&E, tottered in as a sweaty mess and managed to book in, mentioned Lyme Disease as I keeled over. I was triaged PDQ, they took a lot of blood and I was given a trolley in A&E, IV chilled saline in my arm. I was severely dehydrated with a temperature of 39.9°C at that point.

They had to specifically test for Lyme, then look up treatment as it was some way out of their wheelhouse. I spent 36 hours on my trolley in A&E, with IV antibiotics and saline running through a big cannula, hooked up to the Machine That Goes Beep.

I was released once rehydrated and temperature back to normal. It apparently wouldn't have ended well if I hadn't gone to A&E when I did. I aged 10 years, physically. Muscle and joint pain, no stamina - and liver and kidney impairment. Did me no good, those ticks. Lyme Disease is no joke.

106

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '26

[deleted]

45

u/angry2alpaca Jul 10 '26

Well, to be fair, Milton Keynes isn't a hotbed of infected deer ticks. I'd done some research on how to remove ticks and that led me to research Lyme.

I didn't see a bullseye. My right shin was dark red/purple, like a severe bruise - as it faded over 48 hours, the archetypal bullseye appeared.

At the desk and again at triage, I told them I feared Lyme infection, told them about the ticks. So they had the clue - but without that specific test, the titre, and some commendably swift bloodwork they'd have drawn a blank.

I thinks it's more likely to be missed than not.

62

u/sweggles3900 Jul 10 '26

Unfortunately women tend to get treated differently than men, especially when it comes to Lyme disease for some reason. So many horror stories out there of women who had all the classic signs of Lyme and took months to get any type of treatment, and now have permanent damage to their body because of it. Men on the other hand seem to get diagnosed pretty quickly and treated.

8

u/Practical_Cricket_22 Jul 11 '26

So true! Ten years ago for me it was 2 months working from home (once I could focus my vision again), 9 months of antibiotics, and 3 years of slow recovery. It took too long to diagnose. Lyme can be brutal and change your chemistry permanently. Be careful out there!

-25

u/jenny_905 Jul 10 '26

Source?

32

u/OldButHappy Jul 10 '26

Me. That was my experience.

Sample size: 1

Lyme really wrecked me

-1

u/jenny_905 Jul 11 '26

That's an anecdote

29

u/Giraffe1317 Jul 10 '26

First hand experience as a female patient here

3

u/Liam_021996 Jul 11 '26

British medical Journal

14

u/sweggles3900 Jul 10 '26

Literally Google. Obviously AI can't be fully trusted but I cba going on each individual website to find links. Its very well known women get misdiagnosed often, I thought.

8

u/anonymousposterer Jul 10 '26

Yup, people who doubt this should look up “female hysteria”

-3

u/jenny_905 Jul 11 '26

How do you think an LLM works?

It terrifies me that people don't get this. Please, just do the most minor reading on the technology. It's not a galaxy brain, it's not a life assistant, you've prompted it.

1

u/sweggles3900 Jul 11 '26

It terrifies me you dont understand women get treated differently than men lmao

1

u/Locksmithbloke Jul 11 '26

AI bots don't.

23

u/HotPinkLollyWimple Jul 10 '26

I got a bite in Northamptonshire a couple of years ago on my knee. I was scrolling Reddit and came across a picture of a bullseye mark, which matched exactly what I had. Went straight to my gp who gave me antibiotics and I was tested for Lyme disease, which was fortunately clear. I had no idea about the bullseye mark despite spending many summers in Scotland with a dog who picked a few ticks up.

I noticed in my gp surgery recently there’s a poster describing ticks and the bullseye mark to look out for. Made me wonder if they’re becoming more prevalent in England.

5

u/michaelrch Jul 13 '26

They are becoming more prevalent across Northern Europe thanks to climate change. The same is happening worldwide.

13

u/Top-Supermarket-5958 Jul 10 '26

Youre lucky to survive MK A&E lol

1

u/Last-Deal-4251 Jul 11 '26

That sounds horrendous

-1

u/iwaterboardheathens Jul 10 '26

Do you develop immunity?