An athlete’s ordeal due to a tick bite

On June 7, 2018, Robby Adrian Andrews (3/29/1991, Get over it, NJ, USA) is at the zenith of his sporting career. I stopped the 1500m clock. in Diamond League from Oslo in 3:36.05 reaching second place in the box ahead Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Little did he know that, a few weeks later, he would run out of energy halfway through the 1500m race. without knowing the exact reason and will abandon the championship of USATF in Des Moines. Confused, he told those who asked him about his condition that he did not understand what had happened to him.

Suspected Lyme disease

A few days later, he developed flu-like symptoms but a month later, infections of the nasal passages and a fever near 40ºC led him to the doctor who carried out tests. They told him “There is nothing wrong with you.” And he returned home with the suspicion that it might not be a mental issue. Athlete adidas since he left the junior era in 2012, by contract he has to participate in Lignano Meeting International in Italy at 1500m. and in the Cup Flanders Kortrijk in Belgium at 800m. Times are frustrating. He used to get up at seven in the morning. Now I can’t get out of bed before ten. He was about to practice but after 20 minutes he was out of breath. He will go home and sleep for four hours.

She connected the dots and remembered that her older sister suffered from the same symptoms. Christina and his roommate Don Cabral (Olympic athlete in 2012 and 2016 in 3000m hurdles). In September he sought more tests and, this time, tested positive for Lyme disease. In October he made it public on his Instagram account.

The damn tick

The pain of Lyme Infection transmitted by tick bites affects the skin, nervous system, joints and muscles and, depending on the bacteria of the Borrelia genus injected, it can have other effects. Where the tick bites, a target-shaped swelling appears after a week without itching or pain. Treatment is done with antibiotics, but Andrews She was worried about the side effects and decided to follow the advice of a holistic doctor who helped her sister in 2016.

Holistic therapy is a treatment approach that considers the whole person: body, mind and spirit. He took drops with a concentration of herbs and soaked his feet in another combination of herbs to remove the toxins. More than 900 euros were spent on treatment. Within a few months he seemed to be on the mend and running again. But overnight, in February 2019, it got worse. The deterioration of his physical and mental health is alarming. Constant fatigue left him on the floor and frustration at missing the season with the Tokyo Games approaching, he plunged into a depressive state. Two months of darkness. However, he wants to run the championship mile. USA in staten island. He came late.

New treatment

Seeing that the holistic system didn’t work, she put herself in the hands of her doctor who prescribed antibiotics. But they caused fatigue and severe headaches, mental confusion and gastrointestinal problems. He is desperate to make the 2019 world championship team, he wants to run the 800m. in a competition in April but came last again. In June he performed at Princeton qualification at 1500m. He even missed a friend’s wedding to qualify but abandoned mid-race. Robby He realized he had run out of options. Dragging his fatigue and depression, the athlete won gold in the 4x800m relay. in the world championships Nassau of 2015 and was amazed during his university between 2010 and 2011 in NCAAvisit the doctor Mark Sivieri recommended by his cousin who also suffered Lyme.

More infections and allergies too

The doctor, after reading the medical reports for three hours, realized that Andrews It also harbors other tick-borne infections: one tick can transmit several diseases to a person at the same time, such as anaplasmosis (a bacterial infection that causes fever, pain, chills and muscle aches), babesiosis (a parasitic infection that attacks red blood cells and prevents oxygen from moving through the body) and the Powassan virus. (which can cause brain infection and can be fatal). Co-infection can make Lyme more difficult to treat. Sivieri prescribed to Andrews a 60-day course of two antibiotics to treat the Lyme and so on for coinfections.

New tests found he was also allergic to gluten and dairy. Finally, in August 2019 he came out of the tunnel. He recovered, stopped antibiotics and, although he retired from competitions, he returned to running with his girlfriend who accompanied him throughout the sad process and is now a personal trainer at big Rock, Colorado. Avoiding forests and roads on the east coast of the United States.