Nell McAndrew: I was struck by terrifying Lyme disease ... after I went running in skimpy shorts
NOW I’M ALWAYS CHECKING MYSELF… AND THE CHILDREN
By Roz Lewis SHE has run the London Marathon in under three hours and braved the jungle in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
So i t ’s safe t o say glamour model turned fitness guru Nell McAndrew is used to pushing herself to the limit.
But it was an exercise session in a local park that almost became the mother-of-two’s undoing – after a tiny tick bite led to her developing potentially life-changing Lyme disease.
‘It was a couple of summers ago and I did a boot camp class at my local park,’ recalls Nell, 44, who lives in London with husband, Paul, her son, Devon, 11, and daughter Anya, four. ‘I also run through the park. There are signs up saying you should always take precautions to cover up because of the risk of ticks in the area, but as the weather was so nice I exercised in just shorts and a vest.
‘It was that evening or the next day I noticed I had an unpleasantlooking bite on the calf of my left leg. I was breastfeeding my daughter at the time so was very vigilant about my health.
‘I took a photo of the bite and kept an eye on it.’
Over the next few days, the bite got worse and filled with pus, so Nell went to a walk-in centre.
She says: ‘They poked around it to make sure there were no remains of an insect in it. They then dressed the wound and I was sent home.
‘Around that time, I also started to feel a bit fluey and my neck felt achy. My nose was running and I felt totally exhausted, which wasn’t like me at all.’
By the following week she noticed a big red rash had developed around the bite.
‘I worried it might be infected, so decided to get it checked out. I’d read about Lyme disease.’
It’s a bacterial infection that can spread to humans by infected ticks, tiny spider-like creatures found in grassy areas or woods, which feed by attaching themselves to the skin. Only a small percentage carry the borrelia bacteria, that causes Lyme disease, so not every tick can infect a human. Public Health England estimates that there are about 3,000 cases every year – but numbers are on the rise.
If untreated, victims may suffer terrifying symptoms that affect their thinking, memory and ability to process information.
Early symptoms include a high temperature, muscle and joint pain, headaches and fatigue.
‘In two thirds of cases, people get a characteristic red rash around the bite mark,’ says Dr Sandra Pearson, Medical Director at Lyme Disease Action. After her rash developed, Nell went to another walk-in centre and was diagnosed with Lyme disease. ‘I was told I was the fourth person that day to have come in with the same thing,’ she recalls.
‘ The doctor said I was really unlucky to have picked it up, as it was quite a rare disease. I remember feeling as though it was my fault, as I hadn’t covered up my legs when I was in the long grass.’
After a 21-day course of antibiotics, Nell felt better and her leg healed. ‘In this case, early treatment sorted out t he problem quickly,’ says Dr Pearson. ‘ The problem with Lyme disease is misdiagnosis and late diagnosis. People may not spot they have been bitten and just feel ill.
‘Blood tests taken after someone has been infected with Lyme disease may not pick up an infection because it takes weeks before antibodies develop.
‘Over time, the bacteria moves from the skin to the rest of the body, where it can attack the joints, heart and nervous system – and becomes harder to treat. Some people suffer long-term problems such as pain and neurological symptoms.’
A private test that Nell took recently showed she was clear of the disease.
As for exercising and running in parks in future, she says: ‘I do my best to keep covered up but it’s very hard when the weather is warm in summer. I’m now very vigilant about checking myself and my children over if they are ever in parkland. I’m also now more wary of where I exercise.’