A new MSP has revealed she spent more than eight years “largely housebound and bedbound” after contracting Lyme disease when she was bitten by a tick.
Highlands and Islands MSP Morven-May MacCallum, who was a teenager when she became infected, told Holyrood she was “repeatedly misdiagnosed, repeatedly denied treatment” and then “left to fend for myself” as he condition worsened.
The Liberal Democrat MSP added that it was “only through the determination and financial sacrifice of my family that I am here today”.
But she said she has been left with a “lifelong illness which affects every aspect of my day”.
While my friends were studying, travelling and building their futures, I was fighting simply to survive each day
She used her maiden speech at Holyrood to raise awareness of the condition, telling MSPs: “As a teenager, I was bitten by a tick and infected with Lyme disease.”
Ms MacCallum disclosed: “I spent more than eight years largely housebound and bedbound.
“While my friends were studying, travelling and building their futures, I was fighting simply to survive each day.”
She added that while being given the correct antibiotics can prevent a patient from experiencing a “lifetime of ill health and disability”, and despite guidelines on these having been in place since 2018, “people are still being refused treatment, prescribed inappropriate antibiotics or diagnosed far too late”.
The MSP said that, “behind every missed diagnosis and every waiting list statistic is a human being whose life has been torn apart”.
Her comments came as she insisted that those with chronic illnesses “should not have to sell their homes, spend their pensions (and) take out huge loans to pay for treatment that should be provided on the NHS”.
Ms MacCallum stressed: “I remain proud of our NHS and grateful to the staff who work tirelessly within it.
“But supporting the NHS also means being honest about where it is failing.
“We need better diagnostics for all chronic illnesses. We need specialist expertise.
“We need greater awareness among both healthcare professionals and the public.”