Every day, Robert Thompson of Bradford finds it challenging to get out of bed.
His joints ache, and he’s up half the night dealing with chronic pain. To top it off, antibiotics and steroids aren’t working.
He is one of many victims of Lyme disease, which he contracted this summer from a deer tick.
The number of diagnosed Lyme disease cases have risen slightly at Bradford Regional Medical Center, said spokesman Dennis McCarthy.
“The Northeast, including Pennsylvania and New York, are seen as states where Lyme-infected blacklegged ticks are on the increase,” he said. “According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, deer ticks have been found in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.”
In fact, he said that McKean County is listed by the Health Department as one of the more prevalent counties when it comes to Lyme disease.
A majority of the time, an infected tick has to be attached to a human being for 36 to 48 hours before the bacterium is transmitted, according to information from McCarthy.
Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and joint pain, and a bullseye rash may appear.
“When detected early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. Left untreated, the disease can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system,” state officials said on the Department of Health’s website. “Early diagnosis is important in preventing late-stage complications. Classic signs of untreated cases can include migratory pain or arthritis, impaired motor and sensory skills and an enlarged heart.”
Steph Kightlinger’s life has been forever changed, thanks to Lyme disease. Of her family of five, four people, including herself, tested positive last year for the disease.
“The antibiotics are brutal,” she said, adding that she is on quite a bit of medications to combat fatigue.
Prevention of Lyme disease includes wearing a hat, a long-sleeved shirt fitted at the wrist, shoes, long pants tucked into high socks or duct tape around pants and white clothing to be able to see ticks more easily. People should also walk in the middle of trails; tuck in hair; consider repellants containing Deet and permethrin; and check for ticks immediately and three days after outdoor activity.
Heather Stiefel Whittemore, who was diagnosed at the end of July, she said she believes she has had Lyme disease for at least seven years. She said she will be looking for a specialist.
Whittemore said she wants to start a Lyme disease support group.
“I could write a book on this horrific disease that my husband Scott has been living with,” said Karly Peterson of Mount Jewett.
Her husband got bit and also got the bullseye rash, a severe headache and a high fever.
“We went to the ER and was tested for Lyme. Negative result. (No ‘western blot’ taken later which would have confirmed Lyme–– This was in 2012) and therefore he got misdiagnosed with a ‘spider’ bite and cellulitis,” she said via The Era’s Facebook page. “In 2015 he started having hip/groin discomfort. After many tests, no reason why. In 2016 our friends suggested he get another Lyme test.”
While the first test was negative, the western blot test showed a positive a week later.
Nowadays, she said that, like Thompson, her husband doesn’t sleep well. He also walks with a limp.
“But he is extremely thankful it didn’t do more damage, such as neurological or heart trouble,” Peterson said. She added, “Praying for a cure. ASAP.”
