Ellerslie woman's battle with tick related disease

Lindy Vandermeer, 50, was bitten by a tick when she was travelling around Australia with her family.

"We parked our van on a property in Mullumbimby, where there was very dense tropical bush around us," Ms Vandermeer said.

"One day I noticed a tick in my fringe and I didn't know anything about ticks so I waited until my partner Paul got home.

"He got some tweezers and tried to remove it only for it to snap it in half."

Ms Vandermeer said the couple assumed it would fall out eventually.

However, two days later Ms Vandermeer started to feel unwell.

"I started to feel really sick," she said.

"I was sensitive to light and I had a really bad headache which turned into a migraine.

"I just felt really out of sorts and disorientated as well."

Ms Vandermeer's partner drove her to Bryon Bay hospital, where she was admitted and had the tick removed.

"The headache was so bad I had to be put on a drip for four days," she said.

A short time later, Ms Vandermeer travelled to Bali.

She continued to experience symptoms, including her lips swelling up when she ate certain food.

Ms Vandermeer continued to feel extremely unwell when she returned to Australia and was later diagnosed with Ross River virus.

She received treatment for this but believes she was suffering from the virus as well as a tick bite related illness.

"I was bitten six years ago now and it has certainly changed my life," Ms Vandermeer said.

"I've lost a lot of weight. I spend a lot of time in bed, which has put a lot of pressure onto my family."

Ms Vandermeer said it was frustrating there was a belief that she wouldn't have Lyme disease, because this was not present in ticks in Australia.

"When you get bitten by a tick in Australia, a lot of people tell you it's in your head," she said.

"It has a really detrimental effects on one's mental health - not being believed is terrible."

She said it was frustrating Australian vets often treated animals for tick bites, but when it came to their impact on people, patients were often told their symptoms were most likely a result of something else.

"It's a silent epidemic," Ms Vandermeer said.

The federal government states on the Department of Health and Aged Care website "the Australian government does not support the diagnosis of locally acquired Lyme disease".

"Instead, it recognises that a group of patients experience debilitating symptom complexes that some people attribute to ticks. We call this DSCATT."

Ms Vandermeer said she wanted to raise awareness about the debilitating symptoms people could experience after being bitten by a tick.

"I'm happy to put myself out there to help the other 40,000-plus people who are affected by this horrible disease," she said.

Ms Vandermeer said it was frustrating the disease had left her with low energy.

"I took up hand stitching to keep my hands mobile and have been creating some pretty magical toys that keep my mind busy and my hands active," she said.

Ms Vandermeer, who is known for her love of colourful clothes, also decided to pursue a career in modelling.

She was selected to represent Country Girl Management and has taken part in a number of fashion parades, including opening Melbourne Design Week for Luci Lauretta Designs.

Making the toys and modelling has been a positive out of her diagnosis, Ms Vandermeer said.

"I'm trying to return to work as I'm a people person and I need to be out and about," she said.

IN OTHER NEWS

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: