It’s hard to overstate the impact Lyme disease has had on Vicky Hamlin. Once a keen traveller and athlete with a full social life, the 38-year-old says she rarely leaves her bed, hardly sleeps or eats, has lost her savings, her career and social life.
A bacterial infection passed on to humans by ticks, Lyme disease can be treated if detected early. Miss Hamlin, from Cheltenham, said it took years for her to get a proper diagnosis.
“I haven’t been able to eat a proper meal in five years,” she said. “I eat snack-size portions because my digestion has been severely affected.”