Growing up in New Jersey, things like exploring the woods, hiking, summer camp, and many visits to the dog park were all commonplace. Meghan Bradshaw identified herself as a youthful, healthy woman who enjoys being outdoors. But when she started experiencing random, unconnected health issues like fatigue, fainting spells, and body aches, things started to change. Her lab results were consistently inconclusive despite her attending a wide range of medical specialists to determine the cause of these problems.
Bradshaw and her doctors were unaware that a parasite was the cause of her condition. The blacklegged tick, commonly known as a deer tick, can carry the bacterial infection Lyme disease if it remains attached to your body for 36 to 48 hours after biting you. This is what had happened to Bradshaw. Memory loss, joint pain, sagging facial muscles on one or both sides, and tingling or numbness in various body regions can all be symptoms.
In her early 20s, Bradshaw moved frequently between the East Coast and the West Coast in order to work as a retail manager at Nordstrom. Her health only became worse. Not until she accepted a job advancement in Nashville did her condition deteriorate to the point of her being confined to bed. She was unable to carry out simple activities like holding a toothbrush or doing the dishes.
Bradshaw saw that his knees were getting wet. Rheumatoid arthritis was identified by her doctor as the most likely explanation for her “mystery” condition. At age 26, she need hip replacement surgery.
Bradshaw, who is now 29 years old, claims that the condition “was degrading every joint in my body.” “I was nothing like who I was. It was frightening.
Bradshaw was referred to a functional medicine physician by another specialist, who then started questioning her about her background. Her doctor asked a question that altered everything when he learned Bradshaw was from New Jersey, where blacklegged ticks are quite prevalent.
“Have you ever had a Lyme disease test?”
Bionic Lady
Take a few years to pass. Due to the Lyme disease’s tardy discovery, Bradshaw has already undergone eight joint replacements and 16 joint reconstructions. She is ready to undergo her second operation on each hand, as well as the replacement of both elbows, all of which should be finished within the upcoming year. She might then “get a break,” I hope. She does, however, anticipate having additional operations in the future to repair her joint replacements.
According to Glenn Gaston, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, Bradshaw’s experience is exceedingly unusual for people with Lyme disease. According to Gaston, who performed surgery on Bradshaw’s hands, only a small percentage of Lyme disease patients experience arthritis, especially if it is treated quickly. In the event that a patient develops arthritis, it often only impacts one joint, frequently the knee.
“I have never even heard of or read in a textbook a case to the degree of Meghan’s, of having to have several surgeries and various joint replacements, especially at such a young age,” Gaston claims.
Gaston responds that Lyme disease can be difficult to detect when asked why Bradshaw’s diagnosis remained a mystery for so long.
According to him, the main reason for delayed diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is that it’s not frequently on doctors’ minds, especially depending on the patient’s location. “It’s more likely that they’ll consider it sooner if they reside in Connecticut, the state from whence Lyme disease originates (Lyme, Connecticut). The less doctors consider it in their differential the more away you are from the epicentre of the diagnosis.
You probably won’t develop the illness if you remove the tick before 48 hours have passed. It can be challenging to find ticks because they can be as little as a poppyseed. But a rash that resembles a bull’s eye is one of the most obvious symptoms of a tick bite. Antibiotics can be used to treat and cure Lyme disease if it is identified and treated early. However, treatment and recovery are far more challenging in cases with late detection (as Bradshaw’s). Good news: Pfizer and Valneva are conducting phase III clinical studies on a vaccine to treat Lyme disease.
One of the hardest things for Bradshaw to accept is the possibility of what life might have been like if early on, doctors had inquired about her childhood.
Every three months after each devastating surgery, “I experience my extreme medical trauma,” she claims. “It goes through the mourning cycle continually.”
Bradshaw thinks it adorable that she is frequently referred to as the “bionic woman.”
She says, “I utilise humour as a coping method. “I must chuckle about that. Because laughing keeps me from crying, and laughing keeps me in better health.
Newfound Motive
One of Bradshaw’s main reasons for gratitude is excellent healthcare. Her surgeries and medical treatment have cost over $1 million in medical expenses, the most of which were covered by her insurance and the remainder by her own resources. Bradshaw frequently addresses the public on how some marginalised groups, such as LGBTQ+ people, immigrant groups, and people of colour, do not have access to high-quality healthcare.
She says, “I’m incredibly lucky to have had access to improvement of my ailments. Many people lack a means of achieving their goals.
Bradshaw has moved her attention to advocating for awareness of tick-borne diseases, which she says has been “quite healing,” despite the fact that it would be simple to grow angry or even bitter over her delayed diagnosis.
On retrospect, she adds, “I can see all the mistakes that were made in my route and in this experience.” “Here is how it ought to be, I say. And here is what we can do to solve it. I want to participate in that.
Bradshaw recently co-founded the charity Tick JEDI Coalition, which aims to mainstream tick safety teaching into health science curricula. JEDI stands for “juvenile educational defence initiative.”
The same way they learn about handwashing, children should be taught tick safety as a fundamental life skill, according to the expert.
Meg’s Advice
Bradshaw offers the following advice to assist prevent the late identification of any infection, including Lyme disease.
You are the expert on your body.
Bradshaw recently co-founded the charity Tick JEDI Coalition, which aims to mainstream tick safety teaching into health science curricula. JEDI stands for “juvenile educational defence initiative.”
The same way they learn about handwashing, children should be taught tick safety as a fundamental life skill, according to the expert.
Meg’s Advice
Bradshaw offers the following advice to assist prevent the late identification of any infection, including Lyme disease.
You are the expert on your body.
“There have been numerous occasions, particularly early on in my path, when coping with these things left me deeply devastated. My parents were there to record everything and absorb it for me. It helps to have a support system because doing these things by yourself is difficult.
Here is further information on Lyme disease, as noted by the editor.
