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Lyme disease comes to Vashon
Eric HorstingSeptember 5, 2007
Lyme disease has come to Vashon, and it’s apparently a rare case: It was acquired locally rather than out of state.
Islander Josiah Palmer was diagnosed with the disease two-and-a-half months ago by Dr. Amy Derksen, a naturopathic physician at Bellevue’s Comprehensive Medical Center, according to his mother Gwen Palmer.
Josiah is currently living in a cabin near North Bend and can’t be reached.
Media relations person James Apa of Seattle-King County Public Health reports that from 2005 to now, there have been 10 reported cases in King County, with none acquired locally.
Apa said that it is possible that Josiah’s case has not been reported or made its way through the reporting system, although health care professionals are required to report Lyme disease cases (and many others) within three working days of diagnosis.
Washington State Department of Health reports on its Web site that it receives seven to 18 reports of Lyme disease a year, with most being acquired out of state or in the counties west of the Cascade Mountains in the Cascade foothills.
There have been no recorded deaths from the disease in Washington between 1986 and 2006, with a total of 225 cases, for an average of slightly more than 11 cases a year.
Nonetheless, it seems significant that there is a locally-acquired case on Vashon.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected black-legged ticks, according to the national Centers for Disease Control.
Most infections begin with a classic “bulls-eye”-appearing rash that slowly expands in diameter.
Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.
If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.
Josiah, according to his mother, has experienced most of these symptoms with the exception of heart problems.
The diagnosis became clear when Dr. Derksen told Josiah about the bulls-eye, and he recalled having one on his leg that was about eight inches in diameter.
He said, according to his mother, that he thought it came from a spider bite, and it disappeared, but authorities say that the disease isn’t transmitted by spiders.
Gwen was distressed about the diagnosis, she said, because she works in Dr. Derksen’s clinic, which treats Lyme patients, and she said, “I missed the signs. I didn’t see Josiah on a daily basis” (he is 32 years old). “He had lots of signs, and I still didn’t know what was going on.”
Gwen reported that when Josiah had extreme pain in his neck and shoulders and back, they went to a chiropractor, who relieved it for five minutes, but the pain returned.
He also had headaches and sleeplessness, and the symptoms came one at a time.
Gwen said, “He could hardly move. He had emotional breakdowns, and he couldn’t work and lost his job as a guitar maker.”
The good news, though, is that he’s in what is called an “acute stage” rather than a “chronic stage,” and that with antibiotics and about 18 supplements specifically tested for him, he is beginning to feel better.
Gwen reported that Josiah is sleeping, and in North Bend he’s getting away from the distractions of Vashon.
She said, “How in the world did I miss this? What if? I know too much. I know what this can do to people. I see the devastation. Your heart just absolutely breaks. We had a patient, a 40-year-old man with a master’s degree, and his wife has to carry him to his office.
“With Josiah,” she said, “I think we caught it in time.”
Courtesy: www.lymeinfo.net
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© 2006 The National Lyme Disease Memorial Park Project
