Walk raises €8,000 for Lyme testing
THE recent Lyme Disease Awareness walk organised by the North West Lyme Group, raised €8,250, which will allow people to send their blood tests abroad for testing for the disease.
One of the organisers, Fiona Quilter, told The Sligo Champion: “We were absolutely delighted with the huge crowd that turned up. It’s really assuring to see we have such support. We got great support from the Riverside Hotel who were fantastic with us all along. Happy Days Adventure Centre let the kids play there, local Councillors and TDs, O’Grady’s ice-cream, Scruffy Duffy and just everyone who travelled to be there on the day.
“A special word of thanks must go to my family, without them I couldn’t have done it. The North West Lyme Group have been fantastic and it’s great that we can support one another.
On the occasion of the first awareness walk in Sligo, Joe Mulleady wished to share his Lyme Disease story.
Is my best friend gone forever?
Lately, all that sticks in my mind, meeting people who know me, after the initial hellos which come when you’ve not met in awhile, and then quickly the following sentence “are you still cycling away”. I have to take a second or two, swallow hard before I answer.
You see my best friend, my bicycle, who is the subject of the question above has left me! He has been with me over the last 5 years and has given me so much, beyond what I could ever have imagined. He gave me purpose, strength, confidence and got my body into the shape which I always thought I should be.
He knew I struggled with weight and body image, so gave me an understanding and educated me in nutrition and the way my body worked, responded to training and food, but more so gave me somewhere to switch off my mind. He was there first thing in the mornings, joined me in the wind, rain, sleet, snow & never grumbled, would go out as many or as few times as I wanted him to. I loved training with him! And I rewarded him by taking him on the Ras Tailteann, a tour around Ireland.
So why have we fallen out, why has he left me? Whilst I was on Cloud 9, fresh from the biggest race of my life and already considering another Ras before I hit the big 40. I had a passenger, a parasite no bigger than a poppy seed had his radar set on me.
Unbeknownst to me I had been bit by a tick, little did I know how my life would be turned upside down by this little critter, and It has taken me 4 months to come to terms with it, I felt dirty when I’d say it, ashamed of how I could have let this invader penetrate my skin.
Fast forward to now, I figured it was the June Bank Holiday over 4 months ago now, I was bit and following over 2 months of antibiotics and blood tests I’m still here, putting up with this disease. The antibiotics are to kill the bacteria that is ravaging inside my body, but it is smart, tough and hard to kill.
I’m particular about my nutrition what goes in and definitely any chemicals I’d allow enter my body. The bacteria took just 2 weeks to take hold from memory, I knew there was something up, I should’ve been pushing on after the Ras, in fact finishing that Sunday in Skerries I felt stronger on the bike than I had ever before but I had a chink in my armour, I was relishing the remainder of the season and what my body could do, I had paid entry fees to 3 races in advance, these I had to pull out of, one the Mullingar GP I lasted 13 mins and the Meath GP only one lap. I always remember turning off to get togged out, legs were sore to touch.
It wasn’t until after the family holiday, pulling out of the National Champs in Sligo almost a month later, then the next day going to the doctor, to get the bloods tested, that I blurted out “Oh, and by the way I got bit by a tick!” Until then I never joined the dots.
So now I’m here, finally writing what’s in my head, at the moment, this week I’m having a bit of a downer! This full week has been a waste of time, I’m only here in person but I’m not much good for anything.
The whole disease has a sort of hue, the perception or is it ignorance that it simply doesn’t exist, I read many documents on the internet and some authorities would lead you to believe that you’re somehow imagining it, that your mind has created this illness. This is why I think I’ve kept quiet, I bottled up so much I nearly didn’t tell myself how I felt up until now.
I don’t want to pretend that I’m the martyr for this disease as there are many in a worse situation than I, some have totally different symptoms, mine seem to be based around my legs, hips, lungs, teeth funnily and headaches, with a lot of mind fogginess. I can still move though but tire easily, where others are bed bound, it’s amazing how fatigued I get from feeling ok to totally crashing with a lack of energy within an hour, my legs have an ache and tiredness like I have done the Ras, everyday. But yet I haven’t turned a pedal in almost 4 months, this is a short version of a list of ailments.
Which brings me back to the question, Is my best friend gone forever? I never thought I’d feel this way, I thought I’d be cycling until I was well into my 70’s, having numerous years of cycling holidays well into my silver years. I have no desire to go anywhere near my friend who gave me so much joy, he sits in the garage and hasn’t moved since, like he’s waiting for me to return, like a good friend I suppose. I find it hard to even look at a cyclist now.
I am but a shell of myself, me with a mask, I look the same from the outside, but within I’m shrivelling up inside, all that remains is a fog, a smoke which is hard to see through, to think through, my mind finds it hard to solve everyday problems, I sometimes catch myself muttering words in conversations, taking a breath and formulating what I want to say and trying again. It doesn’t feel natural anymore, my body doesn’t feel the same.
It’s like I’m a shadow walking closely behind myself. Then there’s depression that I’m not doing anything, when I look back where I was finishing the Ras and where I am now, fit, strong and about a stone lighter, not knowing where I’m going, rudderless floating.
I’m left always paranoid now, if I feel something similar to a crawling on my skin, I’m brushing down my arms, legs and shaking out my T-shirt. I keep looking at the bushes next to the gateway of my house, to see If there is a little insect looking to catch the unsuspecting ride.
I’m deathly afraid that my daughter will catch something, that a little poppy seed critter will hitch a ride as she plays outside, being a kid doing what you’d expect kids to do. I can only make her aware, hope that she heeds what I’m saying. Everyone though needs to be aware, aware that ticks are out there and particularly ticks carrying Lyme Disease.
I’m unsure if I will ever see my friend again, at least they way we used to meet, things have changed between us, I do hope we get back together sometime as I miss him so much. I can only hope that he’ ll still talk to me and forgives me for being so mean to him. But I don’t give up easily and have taken a couple of knocks in the past, I do know that If I go back to him, my friend will be there for me! Like all good friends would be..
Joe Mulleady