It’s that time of year for those of us who enjoy a wild run off road, to watch out for Ticks, especially after running through long grasses, heather or bracken, moorland or woodland.

May is Tick and Lyme Disease awareness month. As the warmer weather approaches, the little critters will certainly be “Questing”, ready to jump onto our furry friends or ourselves, and this is just a little reminder to Tick check and be aware of the symptoms of Lyme.

Becky W asked me to write something about my recent Lyme experience since a positive test in 2023 and although I don’t really enjoy thinking about the last couple of uncomfortable years, it’s important to share it! My Lyme diagnosis in 2023 made me question if I could have prevented this for myself if I’d have paid more attention to Tick Borne diseases in my Parasitology lectures at Vet School…. I certainly take Ticks more seriously in my four legged patients these days, that’s for sure!!

Currently I have Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome(PTLDS).
Medical professionals suspect I may have had Lyme for many months or years before I got tested so by the time I was treated the symptoms didn’t completely go, and I’m still managing them today. Namely: fatigue, brain fog, headaches and dizziness(thankfully to a much lesser extent).
My Dr explains that a combination of overtraining and other general stressors at that time in my life, created a ‘Perfect Storm" of events that weakened my immune system’s response to keeping the previously contracted Lyme dormant. The result was my symptoms resurfaced, fevers, night sweats, flu like symptoms, migratory joint pain(knees, elbows, neck, back, shoulders),dizziness, brain fog, burning skin sensations and numbness in extremities. These would come and go to some extent on a weekly basis over about 6months. I had never been aware of a rash so didn’t suspect Lyme for a long while. My Dr’s at the time suspected post viral disease which is understandable, and I agreed, until I got progressively worse.

Since then, the positives are outweighing the negatives, from lifestyle changes to support my body, to being more aware to help prevent it happening again, for myself and others!

Fortunately, Lyme itself isn’t hugely common, isn’t carried by all Ticks, and most people will see a Tick or a classic bullseye rash (see picture in the header) and get prompt treatment which will prevent Lyme Disease developing, as some of our club members, in the last year or so, know very well (Mary Green, Becky Weight, Robbie Williams and Dave Stephenson).

My advice for the coming months:
PREVENT: Wear insect repellent if possible (my go to is “Smidge”), especially if you know you’re going to be out for many hours,
REMOVE : Carry a “Tick Twister”, different sizes, and twist the Ticks out, anticlockwise, do not pull out as the mouth parts will get left in and they “vomit” the toxins (gross I know!). Ticks can be very small until they’ve fed for a while so you may not see them at first. Ideally remove within 24hours as they’re less likely to transmit Lyme if removed sooner.
SHOWER + TICK CHECK : Try to remember to check after each run, I’m still not as obsessive about doing this as I should be! So get a buddy or a partner to check the areas you can’t, and if you’re anything like me, get your glasses on so you can see properly! Showering soon after a run will hopefully remove any that haven’t properly attached themselves too.
RASH +SYMPTOMS : Especially for those who have had the delight of going to Scotland, down South(Exmoor, New Forest etc) or Europe, although we certainly do have Deer Ticks in West Yorkshire and Lyme is present in many areas in the UK. If there’s a rash and/or symptoms 1-4 weeks after a trip or a particularly grassy, moorland, woodland run, then just take note, visit your doctor, and consider Lyme.

The Lyme awareness info on the link https://lymediseaseuk.com/ is helpful for further symptom details, but it’s mainly flu like, neck pain and fatigue. Examples of the Bullseye (EM) rash are in the Header pictures.

Thanks for reading Bingley Team! Enjoy the fells this summer, Tick check please, and I hope to see many of you at some of the BOFRAs this year! as that’s where I’m planning to get my “Fell Running Fix” if my body allows it 😀 Jenni Boocock