This week, I had a really unusual case present in a patient; Lymes Disease. Like most doctors, I really enjoyed watching House and trying to guess the latest “medical mystery”.
Lymes is one of those diseases with a variety of really unusual symptoms; ranging from a rash that looks like a dot in the middle of a circle (or a bulls eye in a dart board), to flu-like symptoms, fatigue, joint pains and even to psychological issues including personality changes and /or difficulties focusing or remembering information.
It was a “House” moment when that particular test came back as positive, as we had excluded so many other potential diseases. It’s transmitted by a tick bite. I spend most of my time in the New Forest, and doctors and hospitals here are used to testing for Lymes if any of those symptoms present due to the number of ticks that fall off the wild deer, and attach to humans. However, it is very rarely seen in London.
Leaving it untreated can lead to severe health issues, and I know one patient who spent a considerable time in ICU as a result of late diagnosis.
If you’ve been in the countryside (and particularly long grass) and your flu-like symptoms don’t go away (and you’ve tested for covid!) maybe consider Lymes.