A father who developed Tourette’s syndrome after being bitten by a mosquito has shared the details of his terrifying ordeal.
Ross Constable, 48, had been enjoying a holiday in Thailand when he fell foul to the blood-thirsty insect.
Initially the father-of-one wasn’t concerned about the bite and continued to make the most of the ten day family trip to Phuket.
But, shortly after returning home to Timperley, Cheshire, things took a turn for the worst when he began feeling unwell.
Mr Constable, who was a secondary school art teacher at the time, recalls suffering from flu-like symptoms including extreme fatigue, body aches and a high fever.
He called 111 after his condition began to deteriorate and the operator advised Mr Constable to talk to a doctor on the phone.
Despite informing the medic that he had recently returned from Thailand, at first Mr Constable’s symptoms were thought to have been caused by a bug he had caught on the flight home.
In the weeks that followed doctors continued to put his symptoms down to flu but, as Mr Constable began to feel increasingly unwell, it became clear something was badly wrong.
A father who developed Tourette’s syndrome after being bitten by a mosquito has shared details of his terrifying ordeal. Ross Constable (pictured) was on holiday in Thailand when he fell foul to the blood-thirsty insect
Initially the father-of-one wasn’t concerned about the bite and continued to enjoy the ten day family trip to Phuket. But, shortly after returning home to Timperley, Cheshire, things took a turn for the worst when he began feeling unwell
Mr Constable found himself bedridden for two weeks and was unable to get up without being in agony.
‘I was really thirsty, sleeping a lot and in and out of consciousness,’ Mr Constable told Manchester Evening News.
He added how his his body felt like ‘a liquid jelly mass’ and that he had severe internal pain particularly behind his eyes.
And Mr Constable explained how skin started to shed from all over his body despite the bite being on his foot.
He also experienced bleeding gums, painful joints, muscle spasms and kept collapsing from dizziness.
During the horrific ordeal Mr Constable started to waste away, losing two stone and becoming so delirious that he sometimes didn’t recognise his partner and felt detached from reality.
Describing his confusion he said: ‘I was taller than buildings around me and arms would stretch across the car park.’
Mr Constable continued to visit doctors and, several weeks later and after many tests, a diagnosis was finally confirmed.
He was suffering from dengue fever – a viral disease spread by mosquitoes which can be fatal.
Another specialist also believed he had Japanese encephalitis, a viral infection transmitted through mosquito bites, primarily in Asia and the Western Pacific, that can cause inflammation of the brain.
But, despite thinking they had solved the mystery, medical professionals were still baffled by Mr Constable’s neurological complications that followed the diagnosis.
Bizarre symptoms left Mr Constable feeling out of control and vulnerable.
He said at times he would struggle to speak and would hit himself out of frustration.
Amid these symptoms Mr Constable developed Tourette’s syndrome and experienced tics so severe that they had a huge impact on his social life.
He also battled severe mental health issues including anxiety, depression and the repeated looping thoughts commonly associated with PTSD.
Mr Constable was prescribed medication to reduce his Tourette’s syndrome but he stopped talking it after it left him feeling numb to his emotions.
Instead he relied on the ‘hugely beneficial’ support of family and friends.
While Dengue fever itself does not directly cause Tourette’s syndrome, it can trigger neurological complications.
Its primary symptoms include high fever, severe headaches, joint pain and skin rashes, it occasionally causes neurological symptoms.
In rare cases, neurological conditions such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or other complications like Japanese encephalitis could develop alongside dengue fever.
These conditions can affect the brain and nervous system, potentially leading to movement disorders or tics.
Although the physical symptoms of dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis have subsided, Mr Constable still faces ongoing challenges with Tourette’s syndrome and has accepted that the condition may be with him for life.
He says a combination of support from loved ones, nature and art have played a vital role in his recovery.
Mr Constable said he feels ‘lucky to be alive’ and hopes his upcoming art show at Hepplestone Art Gallery in Wilmslow on May 8 will help others understand the power of support, nature and self-acceptance in the healing process.
