IN THE DARK
By Lisa Dooley
Five years ago when I was 25 I gradually started developing strange symptoms. These symptoms included tingling in my hands and feet, pain in my back and joints, food intolerances, burning pain in muscles, exhaustion, night sweats, heart palpitations, anxiety, memory loss… basically it felt like I was drowning, trying to swim against the current of my failing body. Things progressively got worse and in January last year, I had to give up my part-time job, defer my masters and move back in with my parents.
Irish doctors, only focusing on standard test results and not listening to what I was saying, told me I was “a perfectly healthy girl” and even questioned my authenticity and mental health. Even though the illness was extremely hard to deal with it was this lack of empathy and understanding that caused me the most anguish as I felt completely abandoned, hopeless and scared of what was happening to me.
Thankfully, by chance, meeting the right people at the right time and with the help of my amazing family and boyfriend I got answers outside of Ireland, through guidance from Tick Talk Ireland. In July last year, I was finally out of the dark with a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease from a German laboratory. Since then I have been receiving consultations from chronic illness specialists in Finland over skype. With a strict anti-inflammatory diet and a potent anti-bacterial herbal protocol, I am happy to say I’m well on my way to remission and feeling 100% again.
My story may sound horrible, however, I am one of the very, very lucky ones. There are, potentially, thousands of Irish people, including children, suffering in the dark or misdiagnosed because there is not adequate awareness or recognise of the chronic stage of Lyme disease. It is unacceptable that Irish citizens have to resort to looking for help abroad, especially as this adds additional stress and expense to already vulnerable people. This epidemic is growing at an alarming rate throughout Ireland and the rest of the world and that is why it is important to spread awareness, especially as tick bites / Lyme infections could easily be prevented with the correct steps.