Imagine preparing for an excursion and learning that your destination hosts an insidious parasite, difficult to see and frequently a carrier of disease. Furthermore, you cannot immunize yourself against the disease, which manifests itself through diverse symptoms and sometimes proves difficult to diagnose. As cases of the disease skyrocket, you think twice about traveling to your location – Cambodia? Botswana? Ecuador?
No, not a developing country – how about your own backyard? The parasite in question is a black-legged tick or deer tick, the culprit behind Lyme disease. As explained in Heather Carney’s July 23 article in this publication, reported cases of Lyme disease have tripled county-wide since 2006. Chances are, if you have not yet suffered from this ailment, you know someone who has. So what is the human toll of Lyme disease in our area?
Niklas Schnake, an 11-year-old Marriottsville resident, never saw a tick on his body and did not contract the textbook Lyme disease rash. His mother, Laura, explains that one evening in May 2008, Niklas suddenly panicked and exclaimed, “I can’t hear out of one ear!” A few moments later, he insisted he felt fine, but when he awakened the next morning, the left side of his face was paralyzed. Schnake says that “his eyelid wouldn’t close when he blinked, his nose drooped, and the corner of his mouth sagged.” Niklas’ doctor said that this condition, called Bell’s palsy, most frequently occurs in children as a result of Lyme disease.
However, Niklas’ first round of tests came back negative for Lyme and other disorders. He nevertheless began a course of antibiotics and underwent more testing two weeks later. This time, his results came back positive for Lyme disease, so he began an additional month of antibiotics. Even with the relatively quick diagnosis, the nerves in Niklas’ face did not return to normal for three or four months.
During his long recovery period, Niklas kept a fairly positive attitude, even joking about his paralysis, but at other times, he worried that he would never look normal again. As his mom describes, “He couldn’t smile, couldn’t speak well, looked a bit odd, couldn’t drink without closing his lips with his fingers, couldn’t spit when he brushed his teeth, couldn’t play his [French] horn, and couldn’t blink. To keep his eye from drying out, he had to put drops in at night and tape it shut. His eye also watered constantly during the day since it couldn’t blink with the other eye.” Niklas’ greatest joy upon full recovery was once again playing his French horn at West Friendship Elementary School and earning acceptance into the county GT band.
Ellicott City resident Janet Yingling, a paraeducator at West Friendship Elementary, developed Lyme disease in 2000 and, like Niklas, never saw a tick. Instead, she discovered a pimple-like bump on the back of her knee and experienced a fever and aches. Her physician diagnosed her with a case of the flu, but she did not improve and eventually developed a rash and Bell’s palsy.
After visits to two more doctors – a cardiologist and an infectious disease specialist – Yingling finally took a blood test for Lyme disease and received a correct diagnosis. All in all, she took three weeks of oral antibiotics and another three of intravenous antibiotics, after which she felt better. She considers herself healed and has never experienced another bout of the illness.
According to Ellicott City veterinarian Wendy Feaga, who contracted Lyme disease in 1977, doctors believe that cases diagnosed at the “tick-bite” stage demonstrate a 90% cure rate. However, since patients can contract Lyme disease multiple times, relapses and new cases sometimes prove indistinguishable, thus clouding the statistics. Unfortunately, individuals in the late stages of the disease – those left undiagnosed or untreated for longer than 30 days – may never experience a cure. Like Feaga, who did not receive an accurate diagnosis for 12 years, these patients measure their progress in terms of “remission.”
Feaga emphasizes that Lyme disease threatens our health year-round. She says that “the adult [tick] emerges in large numbers in October and may be present during the winter months whenever there is a warm spell.” She further explains that even the most sensitive blood tests and spinal fluid tests can result in false negatives. Lyme disease can also mimic other illnesses, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, thus resulting in misdiagnosis.
Ellicott City dentist Bill DeLong, who resides in Marriottsville, feels shocked by the prevalence of Lyme disease among his patients, some of whom endure chronic and debilitating symptoms, such as hallucinations. He consequently appreciates the importance of diagnosing Lyme disease quickly. Last year, when he developed an odd mark on his lower back, he immediately suspected a tick bite, so he scheduled an appointment with a Lyme-literate doctor and received prompt, successful treatment. However, DeLong understands that he must remain vigilant. He returned to his doctor this summer after experiencing another tick bite; but thankfully, this time he tested negative.
By now, many of us have heard tips for avoiding tick bites, but we cannot prevent Lyme disease via immunization. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals tried introducing the LYMErix vaccine in 1999 but pulled it off the market in 2002 due to concerns about its safety and effectiveness. Ironically, one facet of Feaga’s job is administering the Fort Dodge LymeVax vaccine to dogs, which therefore have more protection against Lyme disease than do their owners.
For more information on Lyme disease, Feaga recommends looking up the work of Dr. Joseph Burrascano on the internet. DeLong recommends reading “The Lyme Disease Solution” by Baltimore area doctor Kenneth B. Singleton.
If you would like to share your experience with Lyme disease to promote greater awareness in our community, please contact me.
