Below is an article from the Meath Chronicle.

Ashbourne woman Anne-Marie Doyle says lovers of the outdoors need to be vigilant about the dangers posed by ticks, which can spread debilitating Lyme disease to humans.

Anne-Marie has been housebound, and often bedbound, after falling ill over three years ago.

It took a year of dealing with debilitating symptoms, before she was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, linked to a bite from an infected tick.

“When Anne-Marie became unwell in February 2022, every system of her body started to shut down and she became bedbound, barely able to speak or eat,” her husband Daire recalls.

“Unable to sleep for more than two hours, even with medication, her weight dropped to 48 kilogrammes, just 7.5 stones.”

Having exhausted their savings seeking treatment for Anne-Marie, the couple have moved back in with parents and are fundraising for potentially lifesaving treatment in Germany.

“Anne-Marie was in the prime of her life. She was 33 years old, trained in social care, supporting women and children fleeing domestic violence, survivors of the Magdalene laundries, and children with special needs.

She was physically fit, passionate about teaching yoga and helping people,” says Daire.

“Now, at 36, she is fully dependent on me for basic needs. I help her up the stairs, to shower and to eat.” Daire describes a “terrifying” three years endured by his wife, seeing “endless specialists: cardiologists, neurologists, immunologists, infectious disease specialists, gastroenterologists, sleep and respiratory experts and many more”.

“Anne-Marie has undergone multiple rounds of antibiotics and a cardiac rehabilitation programme. There was also a recovery programme, using a breathing rehabilitation tool, 50 sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and two years working with a specialist physiotherapist to regain the ability to walk up the stairs independently and shower independently.”

Sadly, her medical team were unable to offer any further guidance on getting Anne Marie well again, according to her husband.

“They have exhausted their treatment options. They noted her as ‘clinically well’ in her medical file - a young woman who can no longer dress herself without help.” Before the illness struck, the couple were saving for a mortgage, a home, and “the simple dream of starting our own family”.

Hope came when Anne-Marie’s grandmother put her in touch with a cousin who was suffering similar symptoms and had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

“We’d never heard of it, and her medical team hadn’t suggested it, despite a huge overlap of symptoms,” says Daire.

Tests carried out in the UK confirmed she had Lyme disease, judged as chronic due to the duration of her symptoms.

Two years after her diagnosis and multiple treatments later she has been referred to a German clinic specialising in the treatment of chronic and late-stage Lyme.

“Anne-Marie’s experience mirrors so many stories online. We have met so many sufferers with similar experiences. An illness or accident kicks off a dormant infection, followed by a downward slide into worsening illness. All of this is met with blank responses from medical teams. People with the disease are confined to their beds or homes without answers, forgotten about.”

As with many sufferers, Anne-Marie doesn’t remember being bitten.

“In 2016/2017, we lived near Beaufort Co Kerry, right beside Killarney National Park, which is a known Lyme hotspot. We led an active lifestyle, hiking regularly, but never saw public information warning of the dangers of ticks or Lyme. We wouldn’t have known what to look for or to expect.

“We know now that ticks can be tiny, the size of a sesame seed. The infamous bullseye rash people are warned to look out for does not occur in about 50 per cent of cases. The testing used here is inaccurate.”

Among the symptoms suffered by Anne-Marie are excruciating nerve pain, migraines, tremors, weakness, extreme exhaustion, nausea and insomnia.

“Her daily life is a struggle. Everyday tasks have become near impossible for her. Having received antibiotic treatment without a resolution of symptoms there are no treatment options remaining in Ireland.”

Klinik St Georg in Germany provides five weeks of intensive treatment, offering Anne Marie “a real chance of getting her life back,” says Daire.

However, the costs are not covered by the HSE’s treatment abroad scheme or private health insurance.

“We’ve spent our mortgage deposit on consultants, scans and ineffective treatments. We are now back living with family to make ends meet. Our reality is that the expense of Anne-Marie’s treatment is no longer within our financial reach.” The couple hopes to raise €62,000 to cover the cost of Anne-Marie’s treatment in Germany and follow-up care, and to raise awareness about chronic Lyme disease.

A fundraising page has been created: Search ‘Help Anne-Marie Fight Lyme Disease’ on GoFundme.com

“Our target is €62,000, to pay for the treatment, the transportation, accommodation, a carer to support Anne-Marie, the six-month post treatment rehabilitation and follow-up.

Lyme Disease: What you need to know!

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks, according to the HSE. It's usually easier to treat if it's diagnosed early.

Most people with early symptoms of Lyme disease develop a circular red skin rash around a tick bite, which can appear up to three months after being bitten by a tick, but not everyone with Lyme disease gets the rash.