A north-east mum facing a “devastating” health battle with Lyme disease has taken her fight for better treatment to the Scottish Government.
Emily Gilmour and her six-year-old son, Oliver, both suffer from the bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks.
It was only when she fell pregnant with her son that the mum from Inverurie started to feel unwell, and believes she may have been bitten by a tick more than 20 years ago.
She went to the NHS for help but there is no treatment plan in place for people suffering from chronic Lyme disease.
It prompted the family to seek treatment from a clinic in Germany. She is trying to raise £45,000 to enable the pair to continue to access the medical help they need.
The 36-year-old now wants the Scottish Government to look at her case.
She wants the government to train GPs and the wider medical profession to raise awareness of Lyme disease and associated symptoms.
Emily also says doctors must be warned of the dangers of leaving a tick bite untreated in patients.
“There’s thousands of people in our situation and it just shouldn’t be like that”, Emily said.
“When I first became sick I was laughed at and told there was nothing wrong.
“If the GP had had an awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease and what it could do, that could have been their first port of call.
“Even now, I’ve been approached by quite a few people who have said ‘I had a tick bite, I went to the doctor with this tick, and I was told oh it’s fine, don’t worry, you don’t need any kind of treatment’.
“And that’s now. We’re still telling people it’s not a worry and that it’s not an issue.”
Emily Gilmour: ‘Disease robbed me of my life’
She was finally diagnosed in June 2021 after a “long battle”, and was devastated when her young son started to show symptoms of the infection in December of that year.
On Friday, she learned from a routine test that her son’s heart has now been affected with the lining of the vital organ thickening.
He has also developed symptoms including rashes, hair loss, a rapid heart rate, fevers and vomiting.
North East MSP Douglas Lumsden raised the family’s funding fight at Holyrood, and the £40,000 they have spent so far accessing private treatment abroad.
He urged the Scottish Government to look into his constituent’s case and see whether she can get the treatment she requires in Scotland.
In response to Mr Lumsden, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said she could not comment specifically on individual cases but would look into it further.
‘Dreadful’
Mr Lumsden said: “It’s dreadful that the family have had no other choice but to fundraise themselves for treatment in Germany.
“I am pushing the Scottish Government to intervene and offer the long-awaited help that the Gilmour family desperately needs to find treatment closer to home rather than abroad.
“The Scottish Government needs to come up with a robust plan for dealing with early prevention, early detection and treatment for people suffering from Lyme disease to prevent other families from facing the same heartache as the Gilmour’s.”
‘Raising awareness’ of Lyme disease
The Scottish Government is running a campaign called “find a tick, remove it quick” and is working with other agencies to raise awareness.
“The education of healthcare professionals sub-group is chaired by Scottish Government and comprises representatives from primary and secondary care, including experts in infectious disease in general and Lyme Disease in particular,” a spokesman said.
“The group are examining the current resources being used by GPs and considering options for additional learning and development.”
Conversation