Outcomes
in Cases of Chronic Disseminated Lyme Disease for Three Infected Physicians,
Described in Their Own Essays, Published in Peer Reviewed Journals
Virginia
T. Sherr, MD
13th International Scientific
Conference on Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Disorders
Emphasis: Pediatrics & New Research
Hartford Marriott Farmington, CT 24–-26
March 2000
In 1972, a Swedish pediatric
neurologist, 46 year old Dr. Ingrid Gamstorp, noticed generalized fatigue
and paresthesias predominately in her left hand. Through the ensuing years,
she developed serious balance problems, loss of fine sensation in both hands,
multiple muscle pains, deep aches, weight loss, and painful feet. Colleagues
dismissed her distress as being the Swedish equivalent of a “tender-foot."”
She began on a endless cycle of trips to doctors, each examining her and referring
her on to another for new tests while suggesting stress as the likely cause.
She became depressed and contemplated suicide. Comments had been: “You
should know how it is for women of your age. You should just live with it!”
Sixteen years later, a friend noticed her blue hands and suggested Lyme disease,
confirmed it with blood tests, started her on IV penicillin, then oral penicillin,
then oral tetracycline and finally IV cephalosporin. These 9 weeks total of
antibiotics stopped the progress of her symptoms and gave her tremendous relief
from the burden of being underdiagnosed, non-treated and trivialized. However,
on-going neurological damage due to long-term, untreated and then partially
treated infection left her disabled enough during her last 9 years of work
that she was forced to retire early. She said that while the infection was
important to her, it “meant a lot to Swedish child neurology, which lost
its only professorship at my retirement. Never pat women on the shoulder and
say, 'You know, women of your age..'” Her article is Lyme Borreliosis
from a Patient's View-point in Scand J Infect Dis Suppl 1991; 77: 15-16.
In 1987, the editor of
the Finnish Medical Journal, Dr. Ilkka Vartiovaara, visited Canada and photographed
a bug that bit him. Three weeks later, he had pain in his feet, knees and
wrists, bone-deep chilliness, and pronounced losses of sensation, hearing,
balance, energy and eyesight. He had dermal hyperesthesia and other severe
bodily pains. He wrote in Living with Lyme, Lancet 1995; 345 June 3,
his description of the illness that followed his trip: “Sixteen months
later I could barely drive a car, type or work” and had to listen to:
“Too much stress, Dr. Vartiovaara?” A year later, he received a
diagnosis of Lyme disease with the help of an American colleague and began
aggressive ceftriaxone IV treatments. Unfortunately, the IV's respite from
his worst symptoms was too brief and too late to save his occupation. And
rounds of oral doxycycline caused improvement but likewise did not last. After
repeated on/off attempts at such treatment, Dr. Vartiovaara was forced to
retire at age 45. A year later, his Lyme PCR turned positive. Despite new
bouts of antibiotics, he wrote, “I am 49 years old, an invalid with a
totally unknown prognosis.” He deplored “the label of chronic complainer
which is put on Lyme victims.”
In Jan.'00, I wrote in
The Physician as a Patient, Prac Gastroent 24; 1:28, of the acute onset
in myself of chilliness, prostration, rampant cardiac arrhythmias, hyperesthesia
of the skin, hyperacusis, excruciating muscle pains, painful facial and back
muscle spasms, weakness, itching, sweats, tinnitus, and waves of malaria-like
symptoms without the fever. Having had a ring-like rash, I called Dr. Joseph
Burrascano who told me that to save my health and occupation, I would need
to get immediate testing and then antibiotics. From that day 3 years ago to
this, 2-22-2000, I have required IV or oral antibiotics. Of the three tick-infected
doctors, I was the oldest at the time of onset of acute symptoms. As a result
of having received continuous antibiotic treatment, I am the only one of the
three who is not yet so Lyme-disabled as to be forced into unwanted, premature
retirement.
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