I’m writing this post having just spent almost two weeks in hospital. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt so ill in my life. Prior to this episode, I was fit, strong and healthy. I will return to being so, but I want to share my story with you all. Why? Because the same could happen to anyone, but with some prior knowledge and safety measures, it can be avoided. The problem – A TICK BITE.
A few weeks ago, I was in Scotland, collaborating in a conservation project. With only a few days left of the trip, I woke one morning to find two ticks attached to my body. They were quite large, round and had obvioulsy been feeding on my blood for a while. I carefully removed them, and cleaned the bite areas but didn’t think much more about it, and decided not to mention anything about them to my partner. The rest of the trip passed without any problems, and no rash nor marks appeared on my body.
A tick feeding on human blood – extreme care is needed when removing such
We’d been back in Spain for less than a day when I suddenly began to feel ill. Symptoms were just like flu – joint pains, fever up to 39 degrees, lethargy, lack of appetite etc. I was almost sure that I’d caught something on the flights or at the airports, so took a Covid test. That showed negative, for both Covid and influenza. Then I suddenly remembered the ticks.
As soon as I told my partner about them, she decided immediately to take me to hospital. (She’s an environmental scientist with a considerable experience of working in the field so is extremely conscious of the dangers that are present in the natural world). I fully expected that the medical staff would give me some antbiotics and send me home. I was wrong.
The plumbing system installed in my arm within a few hours of being admitted to hospital!
As soon as we informed the hospital what had happened, blood was being taken for analysis. The initial results didn’t show anything obvious, and I was feeling quite ill by then. I was admitted, and that night and the following day, had almost every kind of test that I could imagine – blood tests, urine tests, chest x-rays, cardiogram, ECG, and more. By now, Lyme’s Disease was suspected but not confirmed.
A day later I began to suffer from increasingly severe headache. The doctors acted immediately, and ordered a head scan, more chest x-rays and a lumbar puncture. Now, I have to admit, I began to worry.
The next morning the doctor returned to our room with the news that I had Viral Meningitis, plus a bacterial infection. The latter they wanted to treat immediately with additional antibiotics, to prevent it from going to my chest and infecting the lungs. The word “Meningitis” was a shock to me. The doctor explained it was Viral and not Bacterial. Had it been the latter, it’s unlikely that you’d be reading this! Viral Meningitis can prove to be chronic, but in many cases, it’s treatable with medication, albeit with a relatively slow recovery process. I fully expect to be back in action next month.
Ticks can be quite small, so careful inspection is important following time spent in the field
My medication was modified, and after a couple more days of fever and really severe headaches, I slowly began to feel a little better. My appetite began to return, the fever subsided and the headaches became less painful and more infrequent. After almost 2 weeks in hospital, I was allowed to return home.
I still feel very weak, and I’m still on the course of strong antibiotics, and of course have to attend hospital for further tests and monitoring. However, given a little time, I expect to make a full recovery. The above is not written in attempt to attract sympathy, nor to simply share my woes. My motive is to highlight a potentially very serious threat that exists not just in Scotland, but throughout the world. Not all ticks carry dangerous infections, but many do. By being aware of the dangers and taking precautions, the risks can be reduced. The most commonly known illness that can be caused by tick bites is Lyme’s Disease, but there are obviously others, depending on the geographical area, species of tick, and the animals which they parasite.
I’ve attached two links below, one is from an organisation in the USA and explains the precautions that one can take. The other is from the UK NHS, and provides more general (but extremely useful) information.
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html
https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/injuries/skin-injuries/tick-bites
All I ask is that you take a few minutes to look at them both, and to take heed of them, plus of what I’ve written above.
I want to pay tribute to the hospital here in Denia which provided absolutely first class medical care, delivered with exceptional efficiency and a comforting human touch. Thanks too for everyone who rallied around to support me. Finally, to my partner Itziar, who was with me 24/7 during the ordeal, for her care, constant attention and inspiration…not to mention her patience!
Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.