Pageant queen left bedbound by Lyme disease – which she claims was initially missed by NHS doctors
An ex-beauty queen left in bed with Lyme disease claims her suffering is due to NHS doctors missing her condition.
Kirstie Haysman, from Watford, said the tick-borne illness has left her ‘disfigured’ and she now has to be carried to the toilet by her husband as her body ‘silences’.
But the mother-of-one claimed her years of suffering could have been avoided if medics had tested her for Lyme disease when symptoms began in 2015.
Instead, she didn’t get a proper explanation for her condition until February after she went to Mexico to get diagnosed.
The 34-year-old, who was crowned Miss Hertfordshire in 2015, said: ‘It could have gone away with antibiotics in 28 days.
“Now my body shuts down and my husband has to pick me up to go to the toilet and take a bath.
Kirstie Haysman, who was crowned Miss Hertfordshire in 2015, had to travel thousands of miles to Mexico to be diagnosed with the tick-borne disease
The now 34-year-old said the first sign something wasn’t right was a wave of fatigue
Now, after living for years with what was a suspected autoimmune disease, she says she was left bedridden and suffering the pain of the disease
“I did intensive training before, I was very fit and now it’s to the point where when I wake up my whole body is weak and hurts all over.
“I’m praying it gets better so I can move around — I’ve been out twice in the last six weeks. Other than that, my life is in bed.
“All of this could have been avoided if they had done a simple Lyme test.”
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by infected ticks.
Symptoms can include headaches, loss of energy, as well as muscle aches and swollen joints.
Symptoms include a clear bullseye rash at the bite site, followed by a high temperature, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and loss of energy.
Lyme disease is usually diagnosed by a special blood test, but the NHS says these aren’t always reliable, especially in the early stages of the disease.
While curable with a short course of antibiotics if caught early, some patients claim to have persistent symptoms that last for years. This can include fatigue and pain.
Ms Haysman said her difficulties started shortly after she won Miss Hertfordshire in 2015 when she became strangely tired despite being quite fit.
After a visit to West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Hemel Hempstead Hospital, Ms Haysman said general blood tests were inconclusive, so doctors assumed she was suffering from some sort of autoimmune disease.
After visiting a rheumatologist, she claimed she had been told she had a connective tissue disorder and was prescribed a high dose of steroids.
Ms Haysman said her hands eventually became ‘disfigured’ from Lyme, leaving her with painful swollen joints and an inability to pick things up.
In addition to her joint problems, she also claims that medics told her that the long-term use of steroids had caused her bones to deteriorate, with a specialist saying she had “the bones of a 70-year-old.”
Kirstie said her hands became ‘deformed’, causing painful swollen joints that prevented her from picking things up
After returning to the UK with her diagnosis, Kirstie says she was given three different antibiotics over a 12-month course and has also used herbal remedies to combat the disease
Desperate for answers, Ms. Haysman traveled to Mexico in February this year for blood tests specific to Lyme disease, and the results came back positive.
Ms Haysman returned to the UK with her diagnosis and said she has now been given a 12 month course of antibiotics.
She said: ‘Only this year did I meet someone who said, ‘Do you think you have Lyme disease?
“I was on steroids, lived on painkillers, and had tried every low-inflammatory diet you could think of.
“I just assumed I had an autoimmune disease like Lupus — Lyme is called “the great imitator” because it mimics these autoimmune diseases.
‘I am bedridden and have had to give up my job as a healthcare professional. I was a pedicure and couldn’t use my hands anymore.’
Although people with Lyme disease get better after antibiotic treatment, some people may continue to suffer with symptoms for long periods of time.
These patients are often referred to a specialist for further treatment.
It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 4,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the UK.
In the US, there are an estimated 30,000 reported cases of Lyme disease each year.
Ticks that can cause Lyme disease are found all over the UK, but areas of high risk are grassy and woodland areas in southern and northern England and the Scottish Highlands.
While the telltale bullseye-shaped rash is the most well-known sign of illness, it is unreliable and only appears in some people.
A spokesperson for West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust told MailOnline: ‘We cannot comment on a patient’s care without breaching their right to confidentiality.
“We would like to investigate Ms. Haysman’s concerns and urge her to contact our patient advisory and liaison service.”