A Pittsburgh woman is left forever changed after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.<\/p>\n
“I had neurological Lyme. It affected my neurological systems,” said Krista Mazefsky. “I wouldn’t say you really beat it.”<\/p>\n
More than six months after her diagnosis, she still can’t fully move the left side of her face \u00a0<\/p>\n
“You could tell when I talk, everything’s coming from this side. This eyebrow doesn’t go all the way up, tooth damage, it paralyzes your salivary glands,” Mazefsky said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the warmer months approach, Mazefsky turned her experience into a warning that she posted on TikTok. It has thousands of views and likes.<\/p>\n
“I was never checking for ticks or anything after being outside,” Mazefsky said.<\/p>\n
Mazefsky said she had no idea she had been bitten by a tick last year. All of a sudden, she started not feeling well. She was in and out of the hospital and lost feeling on one side of her face; then, facial paralysis.<\/p>\n
After a month, on July 1, 2025, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease.<\/p>\n
“I never saw a rash. I never saw a tick. I did feel sick before my face became paralyzed, but I feel the symptoms are so vague,” Mazefsky said.<\/p>\n
Nathan Shively, an infectious disease expert with Allegheny Health Network, shared tips on how people can protect themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Apply insect repellent or wear long sleeves or longer pants,” said Shively, who is not Mazefsky’s doctor. “But I think one of the most important things to do is, whenever you get home from being outside, even in your own backyard, honestly, is to do a tick check.”<\/p>\n
Shively says the first 24 to 36 hours are the most crucial. He said to get the tick off your body before it bites and transmits diseases.<\/p>\n
“They’re very small, and you want to make sure that you check areas along your hairline, in your armpits, going along the waistline,” Shively said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Experts say early detection is key. Now, Mazefsky hopes her story helps someone avoid the same fate.<\/p>\n
“Whenever I go outside, I always come in and check. Don’t be afraid to go outside or live, but be aware,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n