by Dorothy Markulis, Reporter
Ann Briechle is a woman with a mission: Warn everyone of the dangers and long-term effects of Lyme disease.
"I'm trying to get the word out. If you have any suspicion you have been bitten by a tick, get to a doctor," the Hudson resident said.
For two years, Ann's daughter, Erika Arens, has been suffering the aftereffects of an undiagnosed tick bite.
"It's been a nightmare," Ann said. "And if she had been diagnosed earlier, the effects would not have been as devastating."
Erika, living in Colorado, is staying in town with mom while she pays her quarterly visit to a Pennsylvania doctor who specializes in the treatment of Lyme disease.
Erika, 43, said she was bitten by the tick while attending a memorial service for her grandfather on Block Island, R.I., in April 2006.
"Block Island has a high incidence of Lyme disease," Erika said.
"I had a hot, red circle on my elbow that was very painful. I became very sick, very quickly," she said. "I was trembling, had nausea, diarrhea. I became horribly sick all within an hour."
So sick that an ambulance was called to take her to the island clinic.
Unfortunately, the doctor on call was from another area. It was his first day on the island. He was unfamiliar with Lyme disease. Had he been familiar with the disease and treated Erika for it, she might been spared years of pain and permanent neurological damage, according to Ann.
Information provided by the Lyme Disease Association Web site, www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org, reports if Lyme disease is not diagnosed and treated in the first few days, long-term illness can result. Musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiac/pulmonary, gastrointestinal and other systems may be attacked.
Unfortunately, Erika manifested pretty much all of them.
She said when she returned to her home in Boulder, Colo., she felt better, but just didn't feel like herself.
Erika said she had constant pain in her shoulder, was tired all the time and had vague feelings of anxiety.
"I never had any mental or emotional problems prior to that tick bite," Erika said.
Erika, a 1983 graduate of Hudson High School, said she suffered more than a year going from doctor to doctor trying to find out what was wrong with her. One doctor even sent her to a psychiatrist.
"Lyme disease is called the great imitator," Erika said. "It attacked my central nervous system. It mimics multiple sclerosis, ALS [Lou Gehrig's disease], lupus and fibromyalgia."
And that's why the diagnosis is so tough.
Adding to the problem of early diagnosis is a high incidence of false negatives in the blood tests for Lyme disease, reports Erika.
"It's a double whammy. The tests are only 80 percent reliable. I got a false negative," she said.
Erika is hopeful about the future. She is presently taking a course of antibiotics that keeps her moving and help keep the pain level down.
That's why she travels across the country four times a year for an evaluation from her Lyme disease specialist in Pennsylvania.
"He evaluates how I'm doing and switches the drugs if necessary," Erika said.
Here's some advice from Ann on how to avoid tick bites: wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Use insect repellent when venturing into the woods. Keep landscaping trimmed in your own backyard.
If bitten, remove ticks promptly and carefully with tweezers. If possible, preserve the tick in a plastic bag.
The CDC reports there were 43 cases of Lyme disease in Ohio in 2006. That may not seem like a large number, but it only takes one untreated tick bite to completely change your life.
Just ask Erika or Ann.
E-mail: dmarkulis@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3143