Six months ago I wrote my last post. As they say in Kuwait, too much time has passed. It seems a lifetime ago. I was living in Kuwait, away from my family in North America, working at BBS, teaching a cute little Grade 1 class. I was happily employed by the school plus working as a tutor for several families. I fully intended on teaching for one more year in Kuwait, and then possibly retiring to a more settled lifestyle at home in Canada.
Sometimes the universe creates situations that mess up intentions. Just after the Family Day weekend in February, when my son visited by husband, the word from home was that my husband was not well. His symptoms were severe and included muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. He was not himself, and because he had been bitten by a tick in early November, he suspected that he might have Lyme disease.
It is a very long story. According to www.cdc.gov,
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of the black legged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash....If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms...and the possibility of exposure to ticks. Laboratory testing is helpful if used correctly and performed with validated methods, Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics.
What the CDC does not say is that some doctors are reluctant to diagnose Lyme, lab tests are often inaccurate, and the symptoms vary among individuals. Hence, to make a very long story short, my husband's illness was not formally diagnosed until April, and then only after several trips to emergency, many different diagnoses, and obtaining a second opinion.
The good news is that once the diagnosis was made by a competent doctor, antibiotics were prescribed, and my husband began to feel better. In fact by the time I arrived home in mid-June for the summer, most of his pain had subsided. Today he is feeling almost himself again, except for the need for frequent naps.
Here is a little more information about the tick from the National Geographic website:
"The loathsome deer tick, now known as the black-legged tick, is defined more by the disease it spreads than by its own characteristics....These blood - sucking members of the arachnid family were vaulted into the public consciousness in the mid-1970s when it was discovered that they are the primary (and possibly only) transmitters...for Lyme disease...a debilitating, though rarely fatal, infection that is often misdiagnosed....Victims usually have a slowly-spreading bull's-eye-shaped rash where the tick is attached, but not always. If untreated by antibiotics, patients can develop a variety of health problems,including facial paralysis, heart palpitations, arthritis, severe headaches, and neurological disorders. Lyme disease is currently one of the fasted growing vector-born disease in the United States. More than 14,000 cases are reported annually, but ...scientists estimate as many as nine out of ten cases go unreported." (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/d/deer-tick/)
So, it appears that we are very fortunate to have a diagnosis and a treatment plan, including approximately six months of antibiotics, and that he can now move forward with a more normal lifestyle.
Before the actual diagnosis in April, I chose to be at home, so consequently resigned from my position in Kuwait. Fortunately, with my husband's improvement, I have once again decided to look for teaching positions internationally. Another long, long, long story made short, I have been hired by a previous school in India as the Primary Coordinator, and have now relocated to Bangalore. The best news is that my husband will be joining me for the winter months. For this I am very grateful, a little nervous, and of course, excited!
It can be said that with the bad comes the good, every cloud has a silver lining, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or whatever the weather, we will weather the weather, and all are true. My motto lately is: "It is what it is." So, turn that frown upside down because there are always sunny skies ahead, with the possibility of rainbows.
Until next time,
Bee Rich
Sometimes the universe creates situations that mess up intentions. Just after the Family Day weekend in February, when my son visited by husband, the word from home was that my husband was not well. His symptoms were severe and included muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. He was not himself, and because he had been bitten by a tick in early November, he suspected that he might have Lyme disease.
It is a very long story. According to www.cdc.gov,
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of the black legged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash....If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms...and the possibility of exposure to ticks. Laboratory testing is helpful if used correctly and performed with validated methods, Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics.
What the CDC does not say is that some doctors are reluctant to diagnose Lyme, lab tests are often inaccurate, and the symptoms vary among individuals. Hence, to make a very long story short, my husband's illness was not formally diagnosed until April, and then only after several trips to emergency, many different diagnoses, and obtaining a second opinion.
The good news is that once the diagnosis was made by a competent doctor, antibiotics were prescribed, and my husband began to feel better. In fact by the time I arrived home in mid-June for the summer, most of his pain had subsided. Today he is feeling almost himself again, except for the need for frequent naps.
Here is a little more information about the tick from the National Geographic website:
 |
| The "loathsome" black-legged tick! |
"The loathsome deer tick, now known as the black-legged tick, is defined more by the disease it spreads than by its own characteristics....These blood - sucking members of the arachnid family were vaulted into the public consciousness in the mid-1970s when it was discovered that they are the primary (and possibly only) transmitters...for Lyme disease...a debilitating, though rarely fatal, infection that is often misdiagnosed....Victims usually have a slowly-spreading bull's-eye-shaped rash where the tick is attached, but not always. If untreated by antibiotics, patients can develop a variety of health problems,including facial paralysis, heart palpitations, arthritis, severe headaches, and neurological disorders. Lyme disease is currently one of the fasted growing vector-born disease in the United States. More than 14,000 cases are reported annually, but ...scientists estimate as many as nine out of ten cases go unreported." (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/d/deer-tick/)
So, it appears that we are very fortunate to have a diagnosis and a treatment plan, including approximately six months of antibiotics, and that he can now move forward with a more normal lifestyle.
Before the actual diagnosis in April, I chose to be at home, so consequently resigned from my position in Kuwait. Fortunately, with my husband's improvement, I have once again decided to look for teaching positions internationally. Another long, long, long story made short, I have been hired by a previous school in India as the Primary Coordinator, and have now relocated to Bangalore. The best news is that my husband will be joining me for the winter months. For this I am very grateful, a little nervous, and of course, excited!
 |
| Here we are at our daughter's wedding- the subject of my next post! |
It can be said that with the bad comes the good, every cloud has a silver lining, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or whatever the weather, we will weather the weather, and all are true. My motto lately is: "It is what it is." So, turn that frown upside down because there are always sunny skies ahead, with the possibility of rainbows.
Until next time,
Bee Rich
