Kay Allen had just started work, and everything seemed quiet at the Cornerstone Care community health clinic in Burgettstown, Pa. but things didn’t stay quiet for long.

“All the girls, they were yelling at me in the back, ‘You gotta come out here quick. You gotta come out here quick,’ ” said Allen, 59, a nurse from Weirton, W.Va.

Allen rushed out front and knew right away what all the yelling was about. The whole place reeked — like someone had spilled a giant bottle of nail polish remover.

“I told everybody to get outside and get fresh air. so we went outside. and Aggie said, ‘Kay, I’m going to be sick.’ but before I get in, to get something for her to throw up in, she had to go over the railing,” she said.

Nothing like this had ever happened in the 20 years that Allen has been at the clinic. After about 45 minutes, she thought the coast was clear and took everyone back inside.

“It was fine. but the next thing you know, they’re calling me again. there was another gust. well, the one girl, Miranda, she was sitting at the registration place, and you could tell she’d had too much of it. and Miranda got overcome by that and she passed out,” she said.

‘It’s The Unknown I think That’s The Scariest Thing’

This sort of thing has been happening for weeks. Mysterious gusts of fumes keep wafting through the clinic.

In fact, just the day before being interviewed by NPR, Allen suddenly felt like she had been engulfed by one of these big invisible bubbles.

“And all of a sudden your tongue gets this metal taste on it. and it feels like it’s enlarging, and it just feels like you’re not getting enough air in, because your throat gets real ‘burn-y.’ and the next thing I know, I … passed out,” Allen said.

Half a dozen of Allen’s co-workers stopped coming in. One old-timer quit. no one can figure out what’s going on. for doctors and nurses used to taking care of sick people, it’s unnerving to suddenly be the patients.

“It’s the unknown I think that’s the scariest thing,” she said.

Richard Rinehart, who runs the rural clinic, can’t help but wonder whether the natural gas drilling going on all around the area may have something to do with what’s been happening.

“I lay in bed at night thinking all kinds of theories. is something coming through the air from some process that they’re using? I know they use a lot of chemicals and so forth. Certainly that could be a culprit. We’re wondering, is something coming through the ground?” Rinehart said, noting that he’d just noticed a new drill on a hill overlooking the back of the clinic.

Now, no one knows whether the gas drilling has anything to do with the problems at the clinic. it could easily turn out to be something completely unrelated. There’s a smelting plant down the road and old coal mines everywhere.

“Anything could be possible, and we just are trying to get to the root of it,” he said.

Mysterious Symptoms, Lots of Questions

People living near gas well drilling around the country are reporting similar problems, plus headaches, rashes, wheezing, aches and pains and other symptoms.

Doctors like Julie DeRosa, who works at Cornerstone, aren’t sure how to help people with these mysterious symptoms.

“I don’t want to ignore symptoms that may be clues to a serious condition. I also don’t want to order a lot of unnecessary tests. I don’t want to feed any kind of hysteria,” DeRosa said.

To try to figure out what’s going on, the clinic called the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which is investigating. it also started testing the air for chemicals, monitoring wind direction around the clinic and keeping diaries of everyone’s symptoms. in addition, the clinic contacted Raina Rippel, project director for the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project.

The local nonprofit was set up recently to help people in this kind of situation. Her team tested tap water from inside a men’s room and from a stream out back.

Rippel says she knows people in the area have a lot of questions: “Is my water fit to drink? is the air fit to breathe? Am I going to suffer long-term health impacts from this?”

Connecting Experts in Search of Answers

To try to answer these questions, her project is connecting doctors and patients with toxicologists, occupational health doctors, environmental scientists and other experts.

“People go from physician to physician, because ‘nobody seemed to be able to treat this awful rash that I have,’ or ‘nobody seemed to be able to deal with my gastrointestinal pain that I have.’ and so they go from place to place, trying to find someone who can do that,” said David Brown, a toxicologist who helped set up the project.

The project is also starting to educate doctors about what kinds of tests they can try and what kinds of advice to give. in addition, a nurse practitioner visits and counsels people who are sick.

Dr. Sean Porbin, a private doctor who advises the project, gives the project’s nurse practitioner advice when she needs it. but Porbin is skeptical that many people are getting sick from the drilling, which is commonly called “fracking.” there are about 5,000 new wells in Pennsylvania.

“If it’s true, you’d expect people dropping all over the place based on the amount of fracking that’s going on here. You would look around and see people dropping like flies. It’s not the case. I don’t see anybody affected. and it’s not for a lack of looking,” he said.

Porbin, who like a lot of people in the area has leased some of his land for drilling, wants to make sure no one’s missing more mundane explanations — like Lyme disease, sinus infections and migraines.

“We have an old saying in medicine: when you hear hoof beats, you don’t think zebras — you think horses,” he said.

Lots of Anecdotes, little Evidence

The natural gas industry says there’s no evidence the drilling is causing health problems.

Public health experts say the only way anyone is going to really know whether the drilling is making people sick is to do some big studies.

“There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence out there. and so a well-conducted study looking at a number of communities could help us better understand if there’s an impact, what its magnitude [is], how we should avoid having that impact if there is one,” said Christopher J. Portier, director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

In the meantime, patients and doctors don’t have a lot of options. in western Pennsylvania, a lot of them are referred to Charles Werntz at West Virginia University. Werntz, an occupational medicine specialist, is used to dealing with chemical exposures. Lately, he’s seeing more people who live near the drilling.

But for now, he says he can’t really do much more than offer basic advice: Drink bottled water, air out the house, leave your shoes outside. If it’s still too bad, move — if possible.

“It is frustrating. as a physician, I like it when somebody can come to me with a problem and I can help them solve the problem. Whether it’s through a specific treatment or, you know, whatever. and this is frustrating, because in this case, the treatment is to get away from the exposure. and that’s hard to do,” Werntz said.

Back at Cornerstone, Rinehart just wants to get back to taking care of patients.

“We are in the business of trying to improve and maintain the public’s health here. and now we are in the throes of it. and we’re trying not to point fingers,” Rinehart said.

The next day, people got sick again, and the clinic had to be evacuated once more. so they’ve moved the clinic to temporary offices until someone figures out what’s going on.

Wednesday on Morning Edition, NPR’s Jon Hamilton will report on researchers who think they have a good shot at answering whether drilling is making people sick.

The audio version of this story was produced by Rebecca Davis.

Almanac News Adjust text size

Uploaded: Thursday, May 3, 2012, 4:03 PM                                             Updated: Friday, May 4, 2012, 9:18 AM

When Lyme disease becomes a nightmare Locals tell of years of elusive diagnoses and painful symptoms

By Kate Daly Special to the Almanac Sherry Cagan of Portola Valley says she nearly died when she ended up in the emergency room with the systemic MRSA staph infection last year. after seeing “maybe 50 doctors” for a long list of symptoms that included hip pain, arm pain, numbness in the foot, fatigue, sleeplessness, brain fog, and decreased lung capacity, she finally received a diagnosis that had eluded her for seven years: Lyme disease. Kathleen O’Rourke of Woodside has her own story of living with Lyme disease for seven years. her symptoms have ranged from vertigo to dizziness, irritability, blurry vision, apnea, heart palpitations, joint pain, neuropathy in her feet, and tinnitus. Their friend, Bonnie Crater, doesn’t have Lyme, but says she grew alarmed when yet another mother in their circle, Laure Kastanis of Portola Valley, “was pretty sick” with the disease. Last fall Ms. Crater and a mutual friend, Gayle Collat, started meeting monthly with the three Lyme patients “to try to understand the disease better.” They have gone on to found the Bay Area Lyme Fund (BayAreaLyme.org) to help finance research and innovative therapies. They either serve on or advise the board along with Ms. Cagan’s husband, Laird, Wendy Adams, Stephen Marra and Kate Misskelley. Their new office is at 888 Portola Road, Suite A7, in Portola Valley. This is the time of year when the risk of getting infected is higher because ticks are more active when it’s cool and damp. Dr. Raphael Stricker, a Lyme expert in San Francisco who says he treats 2,000 patients from all over the Bay Area and beyond, predicts “it’s going to be a bad year” here due to the late rain. Dr. Stricker’s patients come from as far away as Australia and Europe. he says he thinks the number of Lyme cases is steadily increasing worldwide because animals are spreading the disease where it wasn’t before, and people are encroaching upon the animals’ territory. Lyme is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which in California is transmitted by infected Western black-legged ticks that feed on gray squirrels, mice, dusky-footed woodrats, birds, lizards, deer, and sometimes humans. In many cases, tick bites can go undetected, because in the nymph state, ticks are as small as a poppy seed and hard to see. One telltale sign of Lyme is a bull’s-eye rash developing soon after a bite, but that only happens maybe 30 percent of the time, Dr. Stricker says. another early sign is flu-like symptoms. if caught within weeks of infection, the disease can be treated with antibiotics. a delay in treatment could lead to a more complicated form of chronic Lyme and even death, he says. according to the San Mateo County Health System, 3 to 5 percent of black-legged tick nymphs and adults test positive for the bacteria in the county, yet no cases have been reported of humans’ contracting Lyme in the county in 2010, 2011, or in 2012 to date. Dr. Stricker says San Mateo County is “typical of most counties in the state” where the numbers reflect an “under representation.” he estimates nine out of 10 cases of Lyme don’t meet the criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are therefore “thrown out” rather than reported. the CDC tracks Lyme in all 50 states and reported 126 confirmed cases and three probable cases in California in 2011. CDC’s website describes Lyme as “the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States.” Ms. Cagan said she thinks thousands of people may be suffering from Lyme in the Bay Area. Many may be like her and not know whether they have Lyme because the disease can take months to manifest and tends to mimic other illnesses such as Bells palsy, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Diagnosis can be tricky due to the nature of the disease. the bacteria enter the blood and burrow into tissue, attacking different parts of the body at different times, undermining the immune system, and inviting other opportunistic health issues to arise. there are several Lyme tests available, but none is considered 100 percent reliable, Dr. Stricker says. In Ms. Cagan’s case, she remembers working outside on the family’s property back in 2005 and a day or so later, finding a tiny tick embedded in her neck. Weeks later she landed in bed for 10 days with severe flu-like symptoms. she then developed pains and other problems that led her to consult dozens of doctors. “Before I was diagnosed with Lyme, I was told I had everything from MS to cancer,” and that she needed surgery, she says. Initially, she took oral antibiotics. after a relapse, she ended up on an IV. Since October she has been hooked up to it for five to six hours a day. she just recently started feeling better, she says, but still relies heavily on her husband to help care for their children. she calls him her “rock.” Now in her 50s, Ms. Cagan wants to put this “personal nightmare and family nightmare” behind her. “I pray to get my life back.” In Ms. O’Rourke’s case, she doesn’t recall being bitten by a tick in 2005, but remembers doing a lot of gardening at their home in the Woodside Glens, where the front yard was “a regular thoroughfare of deer.” she was in her 30s, yet felt sick, tired, achy, irritable, and tingly, “like my skin was going to explode.” she tested positive for Lyme as well as two other tick-borne diseases, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis. after three years of treatment she says, “things are so much better than they were.” her son, Louis Sheridan, developed his own symptoms at age 9, soon after the family moved near Skyline Boulevard several years ago. “He had a tick on his tummy that the dog brought in,” Ms. O’Rourke says. he was complaining that his feet felt like lead bricks. Doctors checked him for apnea and adenoid problems, and eventually diagnosed him with Lyme. after one and a half years of taking antibiotics, “he is completely great,” she says. after the family’s move, his little sister, Hannah, complained of ocular migraines, and she missed six weeks of school. she has shown sensitivity to black mold, but tested negative for Lyme. Based on her family and friends’ experiences, Ms. O’Rourke is concerned about the prevalence of Lyme in the area. “I worry about all the gardeners and stable hands who have no idea they’re coming in contact with it.” Steve Gray lives down the hill in Woodside, but traces his Lyme infection to Half Moon Bay. seven years ago his dogs came back from a walk there and must have picked up some “hitchhikers” because several days later he found a tick hiding in his belly button. two days later he was hospitalized with anaphylactic shock for a suspected food allergy that hasn’t troubled him since. Months went by and he started feeling tired and developed a limp. he had three blood tests done, but it wasn’t until IGeneX inc., a medical laboratory in Palo Alto, tested him that he was diagnosed with Lyme in 2008. he also tested positive for the co-infection, babesiois. “I’ve been feeling like I have MS, ALS, muscle spasms, and jerks,” mr. Gray says. he has turned to several infectious disease specialists including Dr. Steven Harris in Redwood City, who, he says, favors antibiotics and alternative approaches such as dietary changes. In his 60s, mr. Gray keeps physically fit, drinks quinine and filtered water, and now follows a diet free of gluten, sugar, dairy and red meat. despite all the clean living, he says, his health care costs have gone up to over $800 a month since his diagnosis. Funding research the Bay Area Lyme Fund is hoping to provide people like mr. Gray with help down the line. the group is funding research at Stanford to design a transdermal patch that could potentially kill off the bacteria. another resource for Lyme patients is the Mid Peninsula Lyme Disease Support Group. Facilitator Scott Forsgren says 15 to 20 people usually attend on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Room E at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. Ms. Cagan went to one meeting and says after seeing people shaking in wheel chairs, and hearing stories about losing homes to pay for treatments, “I got in my car and I bawled.” she says some drugs can cost $10,000 a month, and aren’t approved by insurance companies because the generally accepted protocol for treating Lyme is a short course of antibiotics. her personal saga makes her determined to help spread the word about Lyme prevention. Lymedisease.org encourages people to avoid going where ticks like to hang out, in leaf-littered places, tall grasses, stumps and trunks. to prevent tick bites, the advice is to wear light-colored long sleeved shirts and pants that are tucked in and treated with pesticides. As an alternative, Theresa Brown of Woodside swears by the lightweight finely meshed insect protection clothing she bought online: a hooded sweatshirt and pants made by Bug Out. Frequent body checks are suggested in tick country. if a tick is attached the best way to remove it is to pull straight back with tweezers. Disinfect the bite area, and keep the tick in a moist plastic bag to send to a tick-testing lab as soon as possible. the county offers that service. MORE INFORMATION ■ the Bay Area Lyme Fund is funding a Stanford study of ticks found in Woodside and Portola Valley. Volunteers are needed to collect ticks on May 5 so they can be tested for infections. to sign up contact or call (650) 530-2439. ■ the group is sponsoring a fundraiser featuring polo, kids’ games and pony rides at a luncheon and auction on May 27 at Menlo Circus Club in Atherton.

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Comments

Posted by Judy Morley, a resident of the Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park neighborhood, on May 5, 2012 at 2:45 pm

Thanks for good reporting on Lyme disease. I was successfully treated for 3 years. This is the most accurate and comprehensive news article I’ve seen. Appreciate the good research.

Posted by resident, a resident of another community, on May 7, 2012 at 11:08 am

There are a lot more Lyme patients in the Bay Area than you would think from coverage, mostly because of doctors believing it’s an East Coast problem and not thinking it exists here. When people don’t get early diagnosis and fast treatment, it becomes a more serious problem. Controversies over late-stage treatment, enmeshed with various conflicts of interest, mean most patients keep their heads down and just get the treatment they need if they can. I’m surprised to see such a comprehensive report in a local paper. I have read that ticks in Santa Cruz county are infected at a higher rate, and some of the coinfections occur at an even higher rate than Lyme.

An award winning film about the disease was produced by a Palo Alto resident and was on the Oscar documentary short list last year.

Posted by Mari a., a resident of the Menlo Park: fair Oaks neighborhood, on May 11, 2012 at 10:11 pm

The article states: “There are several Lyme tests available, but none is considered 100 percent reliable.” I slept out in the open in the big Basin area about 6 years ago at Cutter Camp with the cub scouts and remember feeling a lick on my belly and scratching it off in the middle of the night. I then developed the telltale Lyme disease bull’s eye rash and went to get tested. the test had conflicting results so they could not tell weather I had Lyme disease. my doctor and i decided to treat it like Lyme disease and i took a series of strong antibiotics that made the skin on the backs of my hands very sensitive to sun. it was summer and i am outdoors much of the time. Although it was an uncomfortable experience i am very glad I took the antibiotic treatment. my philosophy with Lyme disease is: when it doubt go ahead and treat it!

2nd may 2012

OVER 40 people took advantage of free blood pressure checks on Saturday, organised by the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis for Stroke Awareness Day.

Rotarians worked with local nurses Carys Hollis and Helen Polley to offer the blood pressure checks at the Fortnam, Smith & Banwell estate agents offices.

Town councillor Lorna Jenkin set an example by being the first to have the check-up.

Rotarian Richard Cridge said: “People with high blood pressure may not have any symptoms, so it is important to check your blood pressure regularly as a high blood pressure can lead to a stroke. 

“The weather wasn’t kind to us but nevertheless some 40 plus people were persuaded to have their blood pressure checked and some of these were referred to their doctors for further checkups. 

“As always we are extremely grateful to the local nurses who gave up their free time on Saturday to take blood pressure readings and advise people on follow-up procedure where necessary, and to Fortnam, Smith & Banwell for providing the facilities in their Broad Street premises. 

“We have done this now for over 10 years. If we have succeeded even in making just one person more aware of the importance of regular health checkups then the day was a success.”

PICTURE: LEADING BY EXAMPLE – Councillor Lorna Jenkin was first to have her blood pressure checked by nurse Helen Polley and Rotarians

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This little critter, a common brown dog tick, is looking for a snack. Don’t let it be you!

By April HussarSELF.com

Picnics, hikes, afternoons in the garden — all wonderful ways to take advantage of the warmer weather. but keep in mind that along with fresh air and exercise, you’re also potentially exposing yourself to tiny, unwanted visitors – ticks! Luckily, with a few steps, you can minimize your exposure and keep yourself safe.

According to Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., this is poised to be an especially bad tick season, because of the way the white-footed mouse population was affected by a great acorn season two years ago, and a bad acorn season this past year.

Since ticks feast on white-footed mice, and white-footed mice are very effective at transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterium that causes Lyme disease), the infected tick population grew last year, says Dr. Ostfeld. now, this year, fewer acorns means fewer mice, which in turn, theorizes Dr. Ostfeld, essentially means ticks will need something else to snack on. us!

Gary P. Wormser, M.D., the chief of infectious diseases at Westchester Medical Center and a professor at new York Medical College, is familiar with Dr. Ostfeld’s theory. “That, combined with the nice weather, and people being out and about enjoying the nice weather, might bring people into contact with more ticks,” he says.

Ticks are less active in cold weather, Dr. Wormser explains, but they can still be active even in the winter as long as it’s not freezing. “And this has been such a mild winter and spring, they’re likely to be more active than they would be under colder conditions, and people are more likely to be outside,” he says.

Plus, Dr. Wormser says the even years tend to be a little worse in terms of numbers of cases of Lyme disease. “I’m not sure exactly why that is,” he says, noting that the deer tick has a two-year life cycle, so it’s possible there are more of them around during the even years. “It’s not a very scientific principle,” he says, “but it’s an observation!”

Whether or not there are more ticks this year than usual, it’s important to protect yourself. “Prevention is the key,” says Dr. Wormser, who points out that it’s much easier to take a few precautions in advance than deal with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses after the fact. Here are his top strategies for preventing tick bites:

1. Stay away from tall grass, bushy shrubs and areas where there’s a lot of leaf litter. “Manicured lawns that are well-mowed are less risky,” he says.

2. Use insect repellant on your exposed skin (other than your hands and face). Dr. Wormser recommends using repellant with DEET, because it’s proven to be effective. “You can easily see a tick that’s on your face or your hands,” he explains.

3. after you’ve been outside and potentially exposed to ticks, take a shower or a bath. “If you can bathe within a couple of hours of exposure, you will reduce your changes of getting a tick bite.”

4. do a tick check! Dr. Wormser says one of the best strategies is to enlist someone’s help and check your body for ticks every 24 hours during the time you are potentially exposed to ticks. “Look at your entire body to see if there are any attached ticks, and remove them,” he says. “If you can remove the tick within 24 hours of it biting you, you usually don’t contract any of the related diseases.” 

Speaking of removing ticks — Dr. Wormer says is a misconception that you have to get every last bit of the tick out. “They do cement themselves in,” he says, “and normally they would stay on your body for 3-7 days if left undisturbed.” So, he says, “when you pull them out, occasionally a little bit of the mouth part will remain in, but that isn’t necessarily a concern because it comes out on its own.” 

Once you pull out the tick with tweezers, Dr. Wormser recommends treating the area with a topical antibacterial (like Bacitracin) and observing the area for at least a month. “Typically a rash would develop 7-14 days after your remove the tick,” he says, so if you have a rash right away, it’s probably a reaction to the bite itself, rather than Lyme disease. in addition to watching out for a rash, you should make an appointment with your doctor if you have symptoms like headaches or fevers that don’t seem to be related to a cold, says Dr. Wormser.

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Rhonda Buker of Newry and Diane Farnum of Roxbury call themselves “partners in Lyme.”

That’s because, they said, they both had Lyme disease over the same period of years, without knowing it. After finally getting diagnosed and treated, they have dedicated much of their time to educating others about the disease.

As part of that effort, they have organized a Lyme Disease Awareness Conference in Mexico on May 5, which will feature two doctors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to education about Lyme, and several panelists.

The two women have known each other for 15 years. Beginning in 2000, they said, they shared the same disease, though Farnum would not be diagnosed until 2005 and Buker until 2008.

Buker says in hindsight, she  knows when she was bitten by a black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick, which can carry the infectious bacteria. but she believed at the time that the swelling and red ring on her ankle had been caused by a spider bite, and she thought little of it.

She said she then developed symptoms that included knee problems, fluid buildup, and flu-like symptoms.

As time progressed, more symptoms developed, including fatigue, migraines, memory  problems, heart palpitations, numbness in her feet, and a long list of other ailments. She passed out several times, twice while driving.

“I felt like I was in a downward spiral,” Buker said.

As she sought a diagnosis, she said, “I was in treatment for eight or 10 different things. I was told I had stress, that I had depression, that I was a hypochondriac.”

In 2008, now unable to work, she was tested for Lyme. It came back negative.

After a long search for another doctor, she went to what is referred to as a “Lyme literate” doctor, who diagnosed her based on her symptoms. She also had a second test for Lyme, a different type (Igenex Western blot) than the first. It came back positive.

She began treatment with oral antibiotics in June of that year. “I was told I may get sicker before I get better,” she said.

Initially her symptoms improved, but she said she then had a Herxheimer reaction (an increase in symptoms when a treatment is started), “which seemed to cycle almost monthly. I was steadily improving, but in the fall of 2008, I began to have more several neurological symptoms, and unexplained eye symptoms.”

Buker continued  to see doctors, including an opthamologist, a neurologist, and an ear, nose and throat specialist, all of whom were skeptical either of the initial Lyme diagnosis, or that she might have chronic Lyme (persistent symptoms and a persistent infection by the bacteria, a condition whose existence is up for debate in the medical community).

“I just could not believe it. Once again I was devastated,” she said.

Her Lyme doctor and an optometrist recommended intravenous antibiotics, she said.

After a fundraiser to help her with expenses, in June 2010 Buker went to Washington, D.C., to see Lyme specialist Dr. Joseph Jemsek.

She said she came home with instructions for 10 months of IV treatment, which was supervised by a doctor in Rumford.

Buker started her IV treatments at home in October of 2010, then after being approved for disability status and going on Medicare, went to Rumford Hospital for treatments, she said.

“I had adverse reactions to some of the medications and was hospitalized on several occasions,” she said.

She had treatments five days a week from February to August of 2011.

“I had to stop in August because the side effects were too much,” she said. “I did it for 10 months and it was worth it. It turned around most of my symptoms, including neurological and eye symptoms. although I finished IV therapy in August, it wasn’t until October that I felt alive again.”

But symptoms began coming back over Christmas, and in January she went back on oral antibiotics. “Now I am facing IV therapy again,” said Buker.

She hopes this time she won’t get as sick, reasoning that the bacteria have had only 10 months to reinfect her, rather than 10 years.

“there is no known cure for chronic Lyme Disease,” she said. “I don’t think I will ever get my old life back. My hope is to restore my health back to a place where I can function. Treatment has shown me that I can get better.”

Note: Longterm antibiotics such as Buker had are questioned by some in the medical establishment. They cite several concerns, among them: that the antibiotics have no effect on symptoms that linger (referred to by the Centers for Disease Control as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, rather than chronic Lyme) after initial treatment; that patients may develop allergies to the medication; and that longtime use can promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Farnum

When Buker was first diagnosed with Lyme, Farnum had been under treatment for three years. unlike Buker, she can’t trace her symptoms back to a bite.

“I lived on Main Street in Mexico,” she said. “I’m not an outdoor person.”

After experiencing a progression of symptoms similar to Buker’s that began in 2000, Farnum was finally tested with the Western blot blood test and found positive. “I’ve been on and off antibiotics and herbals since 2005,” she said.

With the initial treatment, she said, “I had an immediate improvement in the amnesia, within the first few weeks.”

But, she said, “It was over a year into the treatment before I actually felt good. I still have days when I am totally disabled and in bed. Those days are few and between, and they are not as long or as intense as they used to be.”

Farnum formerly worked full-time, but now works part-time.

Tips to avoid infection

Both women have also had recent encounters with ticks. for Farnum, it was a telltale red ring on her scalp that was found by her hairdresser, resulting in another round of antibiotics.

For Buker, it was a deer tick she found on the back of her head during last month’s warm spell, also prompting more antibiotics.

Both said they know numerous other local people who have had Lyme Disease.

The women have some suggestions for preventing infection.

People going outside during tick season – anytime other than the frozen parts of the year – should wear strong tick repellent and check themselves and their family members. Because the ticks and their nymphs (young stage) are so tiny, the women said, they personally find it easier to feel them than see them.

“When my grandchildren come inside, we do ‘tick checks,’” said Farnum. “We’ve done it since they were babies.”

But it’s still not foolproof – her grandson was bitten, got a rash and had a course of antibiotics.

They are also wary of the general rule that ticks that are on the body less than 24 hours rarely transmit Lyme. “I think any attached tick puts you at risk,” said Buker, suggesting people still watch for symptoms or see a doctor.

The women keep their yards clear of leaf and grass litter, places that ticks and nymphs love to hide while they wait for a warm body to come along.

Buker and Farnum have also been working to educate others about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment by making brochures available at many locations. Information sources that the women cite include organizations such as Maine Lyme, the Lyme Disease Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Lyme Disease Association, inc.

They also attend conferences, and it was a conference in New Hampshire a year ago that prompted them to organize one here.

“When we came out, we said ‘we’re going to do this next year,’” said Farnum.

Conference

Their conference, the first annual Western Maine Lyme Disease Awareness Conference, will take place May 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico. It is free to the public.

The women have arranged for Dr. mark Weatherbee, an optometrist, and Dr. Bea Szantyr, a pediatrician, to speak. Szantyr is a member of an online support group in which Buker and Farnum are active, said Buker, and she does voluntary Lyme Disease presentations throughout Maine. Weatherbee, Szantyr’s husband, also does such presentations, Buker said, and he was the optometrist who evaluated her.

A representative of Maine Lyme will also participate. Panelists will include an adult and a child patient, as well as relatives of Lyme patients.

For more information contact Buker at 824-3076 or ; or Farnum at 357-1926 or .

Following is information on Lyme Disease taken from the websites of the Maine Center for Disease Control and the Federal Centers for Disease Control:

Maine Center for Disease Control

Removing ticks: Using tweezers, grab the tick at its mouth, and using firm, steady pressure pull the tick out. if a tick is known to have been attached to the skin for less than 24 hours, the chance of getting Lyme disease is very small. in general, ticks need to be attached for 24 to 48 hours before they can give someone Lyme disease. but to be safe, people bitten should monitor their health closely for one month after a bite, and call a doctor with any early signs of the disease.

Symptoms: Early signs usually occur within the first month after the tick bite. Later symptoms would occur several weeks to several months later. Symptoms may include: a ring-like rash around the area of the tick bite — the rash could resemble a bull’s eye with a clearing center and a distinct ring around it; Flu-like symptoms (fatigue, headache, fever, muscle or joint soreness). Stage signs of Lyme disease include: arthritis, neurological (nerves) problems, cardiovascular (heart) problems.

Federal Centers for Disease Control

Accuracy of testing: the accuracy of the test depends upon the stage of disease. During the first few weeks of infection, such as when a patient has an erythema migrans rash, the test is expected to be negative. several weeks after infection, currently available ELISA, EIA and IFA tests and two-tier testing have very good sensitivity. It is possible for someone who was infected with Lyme disease to test negative because: Some people who receive antibiotics (e.g., doxycycline) early in disease (within the first few weeks after tick bite) may not develop antibodies or may only develop them at levels too low to be detected by the test. Antibodies against Lyme disease bacteria usually take a few weeks to develop, so tests performed before this time may be negative even if the person is infected. in this case, if the person is retested a few weeks later, they should have a positive test if they have Lyme disease. It is not until 4-6 weeks have passed that the test is likely to be positive.

Testing positive after treatment: the tests for Lyme disease detect antibodies made by the immune system to fight off the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. Your immune system continues to make the antibodies for months or years after the infection is gone. this means that once your blood tests positive, it will continue to test positive for months to years, even though the bacteria are no longer present. unfortunately, in the case of bacterial infections, these antibodies don’ t prevent someone from getting Lyme disease again if they are bitten by another infected tick.

Recovery after treatment: Patients treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the infection usually recover rapidly and completely. most patients who are treated in later stages of the disease also respond well to antibiotics, although some may have suffered long-term damage to the nervous system or joints. Approximately 10-20 percent of patients experience fatigue, muscle aches, sleep disturbance, or difficulty thinking even after completing a recommended course of antibiotic treatment. These symptoms cannot be cured by longer courses of antibiotics, but they generally improve on their own, over time.

Tick populations are on the rise in Vermont. And experts are warning people to be more vigilant in checking for ticks on themselves, their children, and their pets.

Lyndon State College professor of biology Alan Geise studies tick populations and says anecdotal observations are backed up by research from around the region.

(Geise) "There’s really good evidence from Maine, from Minnesota, from Michigan, that tick populations are moving northward.  Even in Europe.  In Sweden there are tick populations now showing up in places where historically they have had none.  And in Germany, ticks are moving in elevation up into the alpine zones where they’ve never been at high altitudes before."

Geise says there are a lot of theories for the increase in ticks in northern regions over the last several years. they include land use, global climate change, and changes in deer populations, but a definitive answer remains elusive.

this year may be an especially bad one for tick bites. the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York says fluctuations in acorn and mouse populations have a large effect on tick populations. 

And a mouse population that’s crashing this year may mean more ticks looking for a human blood meal.

more ticks mean more Lyme Disease. between 2002 and 2011, the number of annual cases in Vermont rose from 40 to 500.

Dr. Chris Grace is head of Infectious Diseases at Fletcher Allen Healthcare. He says people should be aware of the early symptoms.

(Grace) "Within about a week or so after the bite of a tick, people will develop a very characteristic rash characterized by an expanding redness at the site of the tick bite. And with that people may become ill with fevers and achiness and headache and not feel well."

Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease can help ease symptoms. Dr. Grace recommends that anyone who finds an engorged tick on their skin should get in touch with a doctor.

VPR Discussion & Comment Policy

© Copyright 2012, VPR This is the online edition of VPR News. Text versions of VPR news stories may be updated and they may vary slightly from the broadcast version.

Japan setting stricter safety guidelines for nuclear power plants. the government’s aim is to ease public concern about restarting reactors idled after last year’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Facing a national power crunch, the government is anxious to restart two reactors in Fukui, western Japan, before the last operating reactor of the 54 in the country goes offline in May. the guidelines follow Thursday’s disclosure that water containing radioactive substances may have leaked into the ocean from the Fukushima site, the latest example of problems more than three months after the government declared conditions there stabilized. The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal

Global fight against malaria is threatened by growing drug resistance. Experts say the potency of artemisinin-based compounds, once remarkably successful, is weakening among patients around the Thailand-Myanmar border. Doctors say the time could come when the drugs won’t work at all. Malaria parasite resistance to the drugs was previously identified in western Cambodia but it was hoped that tough controls would contain it. now scientists say the emerging problems must be tackled to keep resistance from spreading worldwide. An author of one of two new studies exploring the issue warned of a “public health disaster” if resistance emerges in sub-Saharan Africa. The Guardian, Time

San Francisco judge dismisses suit that sought to force McDonald’s to stop putting toys in Happy Meals. the proposed class-action suit was filed in 2010 by the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest and Monet Parham, a mother, to try to prevent the restaurant chain from using toys to entice children in California to eat its meals. the judge did not give a reason for his decision. The Center for Science in the Public Interest said it hasn’t decided whether to appeal, but called the McDonald’s toy giveaways a “predatory practice that undermines parents, causes rifts in families and harms kids’ health.”  Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press

California authorities accuse a state mental hospital of failing to protect employees from assault. the state’s workplace safety agency, known as Cal/OSHA, also charged Coalinga State Hospital with failing to have an adequate employee alarm system. the hospital, which is located in southwest Fresno County in Central California and mainly treats sex offenders deemed too dangerous for community release, faces possible fines of more than $20,000. the citations are similar to those imposed by Cal/OSHA since last year against the other four state mental hospitals. All told, regulators have called for fines of more than $200,000. Los Angeles Times, The Business Journal (Fresno)

Federal safety regulators seek $151,300 in fines against Ohio factory. the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused the Blanchester, Ohio plant run by American Showa of putting employees to work on electrified equipment without providing protective gear or proper training. OSHA accused the plant, an aluminum die-casting and auto parts manufacturing operation, of 13 violations.  that included two willful violations, the agency’s most serious offense. OSHA

Recalls: Chrysler Jeep Patriot and Compass SUVs and Town and Country and Grand Caravan minivans, Office Depot leather desk chairs, Public Bikes 2010-2012 bicycles, Los Olivos bread, Kypoyka Bisquits

Compiled by Stuart Silverstein

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8th February 2012

A MOTORCYCLIST is due to leave Bridport today on a road trip to the other side of the world.

Building contractor Rob Booth is taking a five-month long motorbike journey across the globe to “find himself” after suffering from depression.

The 46-year-old was inspired by a similar trip taken by movie star Ewan McGregor in the TV series Long Way round.

Mr Booth will ride more than 12,000 miles to his home in Wellington, New Zealand after attending his daughter Christina Wareham’s wedding.

The route will go across Europe, through India, China and Australia.

Mr Booth said he was relaxed about taking the journey, which he is using to highlight Dyslexia Action and depression in men.

The dyslexia sufferer said: “I’m off to find myself. I’d suffered with depression and wanted to stop the world and get off but rather than do that I’m going to ride around the world and find out who I am and challenge myself.

“I’m quite relaxed about it and I suppose I’m looking forward to the first time I fall off and see my new bike sliding down the road and have my heart broken. 

“Then I’ll pick myself up and get on with the rest of the trip.

“But there’s nothing I’m worried about because it’s all part the challenge. 

“It’s the bad times I will look back on with fondness, the times when I was swearing and cussing and regretting ever starting, but that’s the whole point  - the challenge of it.”

Mr Booth is a keen motorcyclist and used to compete in motorcross competitions as a youth.

His BMW GS1200 Triple Black adventure motorbike cost £15,000 and will weigh around 300 kilograms when fully loaded. it is a similar bike used by mr McGregor in his TV series.

Mr Booth said: “the show really did inspire me and also left me wanting to know more, there was a lot of stuff they didn’t tell you about the experience. But they had back up, I won’t be having any of that. It’s just one man and two wheels.”

Mr Booth said he had wanted to complete the adventure for two charities but had chosen Dyslexia Action after suffering with the condition since he was a pupil at Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis.

He said: “I choose that charity because I wanted to do it for a cause close to me and, because I didn’t get any help with it, I wanted to raise awareness for people who have.

“also I want to raise awareness of depression which is one of the symptoms of being dyslexic.”

Mr Booth will upload his current location, photographs and videos of his adventure on spotadventures.com – his tag is 1man2wheels. 

You can also follow him on facebook.com/pages/Robs-way-round

 If you would like to sponsor Rob go to justgiving.com/1man2wheels or text UKNZ80 followed by the amount you would like to donate to 70070.

PICTURE: Rob Booth prepares for his five-month adventure across the globe to find himself after suffering depression

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By The Record February 07, 2012 12:00 AM

STOCKTON – Teacher Carroll Martin of the Lafayette Elementary School District will speak today at University of the Pacific on the topic of creating a safe learning environment. her discussion is part of the university’s annual Teacher of the Year Speaker Series.

Martin, a 1972 graduate of Pacific’s Benerd School of Education, is an alternative instruction magnet teacher at Burton Valley Elementary in Lafayette. she is known for her hands-on teaching and commitment to her students.

The speech is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. in Room 208 at the School of Education at Pacific. The event is free and open to the public.

SAN ANDREAS – The California Highway Patrol office in San Andreas will offer a free start Smart teen driver class several times over the next few weeks. Space is limited, and at least one parent is required to attend with each teenager.

Statistics show teen drivers are involved in fatal collisions at a rate higher than other drivers. The class is intended to help newly licensed and learning drivers to understand that poor choices behind the wheel can damage lives.

Reserve a spot by calling (209) 754-3541.

Scheduled class times are:

? Copperopolis: 6:30 p.m. today at the Copperopolis Fire Department, 370 Main St.

? San Andreas: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital, 768 Mountain Ranch Road.

? Murphys: 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Murphys Fire Department, 37 Jones St.

? Jenny Lind: 6:30 p.m. March 5 at the Jenny Lind Fire Department, 6501 Jenny Lind Road.

Transportation officials are rolling out a new draft plan that maps out areas where cities in San Joaquin County can grow without sprawling outward.

And the public can come and take a look at workshops starting Wednesday in Lodi and Tracy.

The Regional Smart Growth and Transit Oriented Development plan includes recommended policies and a “smart growth scorecard,” according to the San Joaquin Council of Governments.

? Lodi: 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Lodi Library, 201 W. Locust St.

? Tracy: 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Tracy Transit Center, 50 E. Sixth St.

? Stockton: 6 p.m. Thursday at the San Joaquin Council of Governments boardroom, 555 E. Weber Ave.

? Ripon: 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at Ripon City Hall, 259 N. Wilma Ave.

ANGELS CAMP – The Bret Harte Union High School Academic Decathlon team was victorious Saturday during the Calaveras County Academic Decathlon competition against Mountain Oaks Charter School.

This year’s Academic Decathlon theme was The Age of Empire. Writing, test-taking and super-quiz quick-answer contests all focused on topics related to imperialism.

Bret Harte’s team will now go on to represent Calaveras County at the state-level competition March 16-18 in Sacramento. The winners of the state competition will go to the national Academic Decathlon championship April 25-28 in Albuquerque, N.M.

SAN ANDREAS – The Calaveras County Public Health Department is warning residents that the unseasonably warm winter this year means ticks are more active and thus more likely to spread Lyme disease.

Humans can be infected when they are bitten by a tick carrying the Lyme disease organism. Adult female ticks and immature nymphs can spread the disease.

Lyme disease symptoms vary but often start with a bull’s-eye-shaped rash around the bite and flu-like symptoms including body ache, fever, headache and chills. Prompt use of antibiotics offers the best hope of treating the disease.

To avoid tick bites, health officials advise wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts, tucking in pant legs, and treating clothing with tick repellent.

If you find a tick on your body, remove it carefully to avoid breaking off the tick’s head and leaving it inside your skin.

Information: (209) 754-6460 orcalaveraspublichealth.com.

SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras Adult Tutoring is asking area residents to donate used books, DVDs, music CDs, games, puzzles, artwork and small collectibles. The nonprofit group will sell the items during the Spring Library Book Sale on March 3. Money raised will help support the tutoring program.

The nonprofit program operated in cooperation with the Calaveras County Library previously received some state funding, but that funding was cut last year.

At any time, the program’s volunteers are tutoring about 45 adults seeking to improve their reading and writing skills or who are preparing to take the General Educational Development test that serves as a route to a high school diploma.

Volunteers are also needed to work at the book sale. Information: (209) 754-6701.

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the Aedes aegypti mosquito is a pest for all the usual reasons, but it can also be a carrier of dengue fever and yellow fever. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

A RETURN of La Niña weather heralds an explosion of bugs and disease.

Forecasters are predicting another long, wet and humid summer - and those warm, sticky days could mean all sorts of potential health problems.what is known as a La Niña weather pattern is tipped to bring plenty of rain and humidity over summer. this weather is a haven for bacteria and insects, and food poisoning and gastroenteritis are more common. An explosion of flies and mosquitoes expected in the coming months is also set to lift the risk of viral infections.

Be on guard:“if it is hot, people tend to be outside a bit more, so they are more exposed and of course people get relaxed and less vigilant,’’ says Dr Liz Hanna, convenor of the Climate Change Adaptation Research Network - Human Health. “if we are facing another long, hot summer, we have to be on guard.’’ Experts are currently analysing data from last year’s La Niña, which brought extreme temperatures and flooding along Australia’s east coast. it is expected the figures will show an increase in various illnesses caused by the extreme weather.it is already known that last summer’s downpours saw the largest outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases in the past decade in western NSW and parts of inland Queensland.Dr Cameron Webb, an entomologist from the University of Sydney, says if current conditions continue we could see a repeat, with large numbers of mosquitoes expected. “As soon as you add all that water to areas that were once drought-affected, you start getting big populations of mosquitoes,’’ Dr Webb says. “when we get hot weather combined with rain these insects can live longer, so the problems can persist for longer.”

Once bitten:in Australia, mosquitoes carry two main infections - Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus. Other potentially deadly mosquito-borne illnesses include dengue fever and Murray Valley encephalitis. there are about 5000 notified cases of Ross River/Barmah Forest infection every year but the true figure could be higher, says Dr Webb, who suspects mild cases are often not reported. Both viruses cause a rash, fever and joint pain lasting from a few days to weeks or even months. Both diseases can also leave victims with extreme tiredness and weakness. Birgit Bradtke, 43, from Kununurra in Western Australia, says she still has relapses almost five years after being bitten by a mosquito infected with Ross River fever. “the first six to 12 months were the worst, but all the symptoms, especially the tiredness, can come back.”

Watch out for fleas:Fleas and ticks also thrive in the predicted muggy conditions, says Dr Bob Rees, a veterinarian with Bayer Healthcare.such parasites are likely to be brought into the home by pets and can cause more than just nasty bites or allergic reactions.the Australian Medical Journal this year reported on the first known case of cat flea typhus, after four members of a Melbourne family fell ill from a flea-infested kitten. the illness had not previously been seen in Australia. it is possible there have been other cases, but until recently the pathology to prove it was not available, Dr Rees says.Flea bites transmit the bacterium to humans. it causes a rash, flu, high temperatures and lethargy and sometimes serious complications such as pneumonia. “it is relatively easy to treat in humans with standard antibiotics,’’ Dr Rees says.Researchers from Murdoch University are also investigating whether Lyme disease exists in Australia. the bacterium, transmitted by tick bites, is well known in North America and Europe. Lyme disease starts off as a rash but, if left undiagnosed, can cause permanent arthritic conditions, chronic fatigue and heart damage. it can also be treated with antibiotics.

Staying safe:As a precaution against ticks, long-coated animals should be clipped in the warmer months, Dr Rees warns. Lawns should also be mowed regularly.Clearing puddles and other stagnant water around the home will help ward off mosquitoes, as will insect screens and using a good insect repellent.With the number of cases of food-borne illnesses also increasing as temperatures rise, extra precautions, including vigilance over food temperatures  and better hand hygiene, need to be taken when preparing food or eating outdoors.