A man thought he was suffering from early onset dementia at just 25 after a tick bite in South America left him with brain fog and unable to do everyday tasks.
Sam Dean, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease following the bite, said he tires easily and often struggles to understand when people speak to him
The 32-year-old, from Grimsby, initially thought he had come down with the flu after being bedridden for a few days, but soon recovered and got on with his life.
He told GrimsbyLive that after he returned to England had started having trouble concentrating and had problems with his short-term memory, making him fear he had early onset dementia.
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Sam said a GP thought he was suffering from anxiety and prescribed anti-depressants, and an MRI came back "absolutely fine".
But after looking up his symptoms on the internet he was convinced he had Lyme disease.
Sam said: "I was originally bitten by the tick in South America in 2014 when I was travelling. At the time, I just came down with that I thought was the flu. I was bed ridden for a couple of days, but I just decided to ride it out and to not worry about it too much.
"After I recovered, I thought I was okay so I just began to get on with my life again. I carried on travelling and came home to England six months later."
That's when he started suffering what he thought was brain fog.
He said: "I was 25 at the time and never thought I'd be having to deal with neurological issues at that age. When I went to the GP they weren't sure what it was and put me on a course of anti-depressants thinking it was anxiety.
"However, that didn't really work so I pushed to see a neurologist and have an MRI scan. I was sure something would show up on the scan but it came back absolutely fine."
Sam added: "I randomly googled my symptoms one day and I discovered Lyme disease.
"I then paid to go to a clinic in Hemel Hempstead who deal with Lyme disease. They sent my bloods off to America and Germany and the German results came back positive and I was diagnosed there and then."
Sam said he was left feeling "helpless" and didn't know where to turn, as "friends and family didn't believe me" and thought he was just imagining everything.
He said: "The whole process has been an emotional roller coaster and my daily life is now completely different. The feeling that no one believes you has made it a private hell for me. My parents have been there for me throughout though.
"Spending so long to find out what's wrong with me has been like having my life on hold for five years. It's as though I'm stuck in limbo and someone has pressed pause on my life."
After a number of treatments didn't provide results, Sam has learned to live with his illness.
He said: "For six years now, I wake up not knowing what type of day I'm going to have.
"It's all dependent on my brain, I don't feel like I've much control on my life."
Sam's mum, Sandy Dean, said it has been painful to watch her son suffer.
She said: "At first, it was very very hard to see him suffer. We've spent thousands and travelled the country to try and find a cure.
"All we wanted was for Sam to be well. It's been hard, but support is what's needed to help people come through the other side of this disease."
Sam is now trying to raise awareness about Lyme disease.
He said: "If you have any of the symptoms, go see your GP and mention it.
"Keep yourself informed and don't write it off. If you catch it early you can stop yourself having to go through this truly awful disease."
