A WOMAN has revealed how she spent two decades feeling like something was “eating away at her” – all because she was bitten by a tick as a toddler.
Briony Hunt, from Bracknell, Berks, has finally been diagnosed with several tick-borne illnesses including Lyme Disease after suffering a “long list of symptoms” for many years.
The 26-year-old was bitten by a tick at the age of two, a day she says “changed her life forever” as she’s endured a “traumatic 20-plus year journey” before finding out what has been “eating away” at her “mentally and physically”.
She has been diagnosed with illnesses such as late-stage Lyme Disease, Bartonella, Babesia and Analplasma as well as secondary conditions including mitochondriopathy and lymphocytic vasculitis.
Briony says she needs to travel to Poland for private Supportive Oligonucleotide Technique treatment and supportive therapies that are unavailable on the NHS.
She says it’s taken so long to get diagnosed because there is “little understanding of tick-borne diseases and how they present”.
“It’s been a real struggle to get to where I am today. At times, I felt overwhelmed and alone,” Briony told BerkshireLive.
“Some didn’t believe it was possible for me to be so sick for so long and have a long list of symptoms — I’ve even been laughed at.
“When a diagnosis couldn’t be identified a doctor tried to convince me it was ‘all in my head’, without a cause. Some said I should give up the hope that I would get better.
“Some of these diseases, particularly Lyme and Bartonella, affect the brain, causing a variety of psychological issues, and having to battle through this daily takes its toll too.
“Although I have had some very dark days, this life has taught me resilience and to be thankful I still have a life.”
Briony has been unable to work for more than two years and is now on a mission to raise the £50,000 she needs for treatment abroad through a GoFundMe page.
“It’s hard but I remind myself that I am not the illness. I won’t give up hope that I will get better,” she added.
“I felt hopeful after I found a private specialist, who could really help,” she tells me.
“I was excited by the prospect of a pioneering treatment and with it, the hope of a full life.
“I am deeply thankful for all the support I have received. People have sent me so many kind messages, have called me to wish me well and have shared their heartfelt words about my plea on social media.”
Source: The Sun