A 16-year-old girl and a 28-year-old woman with a history of Lyme disease shared their experiences after contracting COVID-19

A 16-year-old girl with a history of a tick bite, erythema migrans rash, Bell’s palsy and a swollen knee. Her Lyme disease test was positive with 5 of 10 IgG Western blot bands. She had been ill for five years. She had also been diagnosed with chronic fatigue and Post -Treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS). She had been treated for 3 years with oral and IV antibiotics as well as supplements. She reported being chronically ill from Lyme disease but was not being treated with antibiotics at the time of the Survey.

Her COVID-19 was confirmed by nasal swab. She was not hospitalized but had fever, fatigue, and headache and some limitations on activities due to her illness. She was ill more for than a month.

She felt that her history of a tick-borne illness made her acute COVID-19 illness worse. She developed long COVID.

Her GSQ-30 score was 68 out of 120, indicating a high symptom burden. Her worst symptoms were feeling fatigued or having low energy, feeling worse after normal physical activity, needing more sleep than usual, not feeling rested on wakening, discomfort with normal light or sound, changes in visual clarity or trouble focusing, hot or cold sensations in extremities, irregular or rapid heartbeats, feeling irritable, sad, feeling panicky, anxious, or worried, trouble finding or retrieving words, trouble with memory, and slower speed of thinking.

A 28-year-old woman with a history of a swollen knee but no tick bite or rash. She was exposed to ticks through her work, exposure to dogs and a cat that went outdoor, horses, and hiking. Her Lyme disease revealed positive IgG Western blot tests but did not meet the CDC diagnostic criteria. She had been ill for 12 years and had been since the age of 16. She had also been diagnosed with chronic fatigue. She had been treated for 8 months with oral antibiotics as well as magnesium. She reported being chronically ill at the time of the Survey. She was not being prescribed any antibiotics at the time of the survey.

She was not hospitalized but had significant limitations on activities due to her illness. She described her 14-day acute illness.

“I was diagnosed October of 2020 with COVID 19. I was very weak; I had a hard time doing daily tasks. I had GI problems, lethargy, headaches, shortness of breath, inability to exercise, and tightness in my chest.”

“I was seen at the ER, where I had radiographs of my lungs taken and low SPO2. They sent me home with a rx inhaler. I was sick for 14 days and quarantined for another 7 days.”

She described her long COVID as “POTS, random tachycardia, eye/vision changes that presented as a TBI [Traumatic Brain Injury], memory issues, seizure/stroke like activity that renders me unable to talk. During these episodes I have a racing heart rate, memory issues/trouble keeping track of time, I feel disconnected from the world, cognitive impairment. I have now developed anxiety during these episodes. For 24-48 hours post episode I cannot use critical thinking, or drive, averaging 1-2 episodes a week. They last between 10-20 minutes now.”

Her GSQ-30 score was 95 out of 120. Her worst symptoms were backache, headache, stiff or painful neck, muscle aches or pains, feeling fatigued or having low energy, feeling worse after normal physical activity, needing more sleep than usual, not feeling rested on wakening, skin or muscle twitching, discomfort with normal light or sound, balance problems or sense of room spinning, changes in visual clarity or trouble focusing, lightheadedness or feeling uncomfortable on standing, hot or cold sensations in extremities, irregular or rapid heart-beats, trouble finding or retrieving words, trouble with memory, and slower speed of thinking.