How painting became therapy for Fife mum Aly as she copes with Lyme disease symptoms

When Aly Beresford bought her pony Sparkle in October 2014, she was a healthy, fit and very active 30-year-old.

Little did she know that a few weeks later she would end up feeling really unwell after unknowingly contracting Lyme disease – from a tick bite.

The mum-of-two, from Newburgh, has been affected by symptoms from Lyme disease for the past decade.

But it was only after insisting she was tested for it two years ago, that doctors discovered she had Lyme bacteria in her system.

“I was bitten on the top of my left foot by a tick when I was horse riding in Midlothian nine years ago,” the 40-year-old says.

“I had only just bought my pony, Sparkle, in October 2014 and I was riding her when it happened a few weeks later.

“There was a bullseye rash around the bite.

“But I didn’t realise a bullseye rash means you need to seek medical attention.

“Shortly after I was bitten I started feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms and heart palpitations.

“But I didn’t know it was Lyme disease.”

Today Aly still struggles with the effects of the bacterial infection.

But, over the last few years, the part-time admin worker has undergone her own healing journey, discovering herbal medicine, meditation and painting – which has become her therapy.

Going to the doctor’s

In November 2014, after she had been bitten by an infected tick, Aly was feeling unwell so she went to the doctor about her symptoms.

She was advised to see if her flu-like symptoms would clear up on their own and told she would be given antibiotics if they didn’t.

“Maybe if I had known more about ticks I would have said I needed a test,” she says.

“But I didn’t even know there was treatment for it – I just had zero knowledge.”

After this, it wasn’t until she fell pregnant in the spring of 2016, that she started to experience another symptom of Lyme disease –  extreme fatigue.

Within days of finding out she was expecting, she started struggling with tiredness.

“At that time my husband Richard, 50, and I had just moved to Fife from Musselburgh.

“And while I was feeling very sick and really tired, I just put it down to the stress of the house move, starting a new job and the pregnancy.

“But from there, it just got worse.”

Aly experienced extreme fatigue

Aly, who is also step-mum to Richard’s daughter, Rosa (14), had started a new job at a local estate agents as an administration worker but she was very sick and extremely tired at the time.

“From the first few weeks of pregnancy I became so exhausted that I could barely get up out of bed.

“Getting through a day at work was a huge struggle.

“I would come home, my husband Richard (who is currently working full-time developing their property in Newburgh) would make something for my tea and then I would just crawl into bed and sleep.

“That was it for nine months, it was just horrendous.”

Again Aly went to the doctor’s, but was told her symptoms were likely due to her pregnancy.

When her daughter, Cedar, was born in December 2016, her health improved for a little while.

“I started feeling better when she was born and I was determined to get my life back to some kind of normality.

“But then my health started to gradually decline when Cedar was a toddler and I started having bouts of extreme fatigue once again.

“She was tearing about the place and I was struggling to play with her.

“I started to think this isn’t normal.”

Going back to GPs for tests

Over the course of the next five years, Aly went back and forth to her local GP surgery.

Doctors carried out various tests including ones for diabetes and glucose tolerance.

Aly continues: “But nothing ever came back conclusive and I just didn’t feel they cared enough to get to the bottom of it.

“I just accepted that something was wrong, but didn’t know what it was.”

Researching Lyme disease

Two years ago, in 2022, after doing some research on Lyme disease, Aly became convinced that she had the bacterial infection.

So she insisted her doctor test her for it.

“I had to talk my doctor into it because she told me they weren’t keen to do testing for Lymes because it is expensive – and it isn’t conclusive.

“But I pushed for it because I had every single symptom and had been bitten by a tick.

“So she did the test.

“The results showed I had the presence of the bacteria in my system so they decided to treat me with antibiotics.”

She had one course of antibiotics but didn’t feel better.

But she was told this was probably due to her having Lyme bacteria in her body for so many years.

Aly was also told no further treatment for Lyme disease could be given.

Trying holistic treatments for Lyme disease

Fortunately the mum-of-two has friends who are involved in shamanic healing and herbal medicines.

And they encouraged her to try meditation, which she found beneficial and relaxing.

She then started looking into herbal medicines to treat the symptoms of Lyme disease.

“I met a qualified herbalist and had a consultation with her.

She then gave me some herbal tea and herbal powders to see if they could help the symptoms I was having.

“They made an enormous difference. It took around three to four months for the effects to kick in because the herbs are gentle.

“But I went from feeling the absolute worst to feeling a lot better.

“I had more energy and felt like I could start taking part in life again.”

Painting became Aly’s therapy

It was also around this time that Aly discovered art and painting.

When her daughter, Cedar, was very young, Aly would paint with her.

Then she started making small paintings with any paints her daughter had left over.

“I loved oil paints so I decided to buy myself a set of beginner’s paints to have a go,” she explains.

“When my fatigue was really bad, I knew I could at least do a little painting.

“And I could do it sitting down.

“If it became too tiring, I could pick it up again another day.

“I could feel myself connecting to the paint and to the colours.

‘Painting takes my mind off it’

“It felt like I was pouring my heart out onto the canvas.

“Every time I painted I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.”

Aly mainly paints seascapes based on her memories of being by the sea or childhood trips to the beach.

And it has proved to be therapeutic for her.

“The Lyme bacteria affects every part of your body. The aches and pains can be really bad as it affects your joints.

“But for me the painting really helps to take my mind off it.

“Anytime when I feel like I don’t have a life of my own anymore because of Lyme disease, painting takes me to a place in my imagination or in nature where I feel my happiest.”

She added: “I still really struggle with the many complications of Lyme disease.

“But I know with the help of meditation, herbal medicines and my art, I can find a way through even the hardest days.”