Here's another article on Lyme from the Janesville Gazette.
Lake woman spreading word on Lyme disease
By GINA DUWE ( Contact ) Saturday, May 23, 2009 EMAIL SHARE PRINT ADVERTISEMENT
PELL LAKE -- Lisa Hilton suffered for 15 years before a doctor diagnosed her with Lyme disease.
Until three years ago, she didn't have a disease to point to for the growing list of symptoms that took over her life.
She got sick in 1991 after spending time at a family cabin up north. She never saw a tick and never got the rash associated with Lyme disease.
She did develop hives and had flu-like symptoms. Then she woke up one day with her heart "beating funny." Anxiety, joint problems and the feeling of vibrations in her body followed. Pretty soon she couldn't drive anymore because she'd get lost and confused.
"It ended up being 15 years worth of going doctor to doctor," she said. "I just kept getting worse and worse. Each year, new symptoms kept getting added on."
Lyme disease sometimes is misdiagnosed because symptoms look like many other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, and many doctors don't know enough about the disease, Hilton said.
That's why prevention and early detection are key, and Hilton, 41, is raising awareness through "lyme" green ribbons and fliers around Walworth County communities as part of "The Trish Project." She's also decked her home out with signs and information.
The project to spread awareness was started by a Massachusetts woman named Trish who has the disease, Hilton said. May also is Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
"So many people don't know about it--even doctors are unaware of the proper treatment," she said. "Once you get it and don't treat it properly, you'll be chronically sick."
After Hilton saw doctors for 15 years, one doctor finally asked her if she had ever been tested for Lyme disease. When she said no, she had the test done and results a week later in December 2006 showed she had the disease.
She takes antibiotics, which keep her stable, "but it's not really improving me because I've had it so long," she said.
"My goal is just to help spread awareness of the disease so we can prevent other people from getting it."
JANESVILLE -- A new report is quashing the common thought that deer ticks are found only "up north."
UW-Madison entomologist Susan Paskewitz conducted a deer tick census last fall that showed deer ticks--the type known for carrying Lyme disease--are finding homes around the state's most heavily populated areas.
"Pretty much everywhere in Wisconsin is infested now," she said in a news release. "The only place we're not getting them is down (in the very southeast corner of the state) near Bong Recreational Area."
Paskewitz predicts officials will see an increase in bites among city dwellers who frequent natural areas outside the city limits, as well as suburban homeowners with properties abutting wooded areas.
"They are here in our area," said Tim Banwell, environmental health director for the Rock County Health Department.
Last year, Rock County recorded four confirmed cases of Lyme disease and one probable case while Walworth County had seven confirmed cases and two probable, according to data from the state Division of Public Health. However, the Rock County Health Department reported 16 confirmed cases last year, Banwell said.
The Centers for Disease Control changed its reporting requirements last year, so previous years had only case totals. In 2007, Rock County had 12 cases while Walworth County had seven, and in 2006, Rock had 11 cases while Walworth had two.
The first thing people should do when coming indoors is always check themselves for ticks, said Diep Hoang Johnson, vectorborne disease coordinator for the state Division of Public Health.
Ticks usually will not transmit bacteria into a person's skin until its been attached to a person for 24 hours or more, she said.
Banwell and Hoang Johnson recommended people:
-- Protect themselves when outside. That means using insect repellant and wearing long sleeves and pants tucked into socks when they're in the woods, etc.
-- Pull a tick straight out. If a person finds one in his skin, he should use a tweezers to pull it straight so nothing breaks off.
-- See a doctor if symptoms show up after finding a tick. Signs of Lyme disease include flu-like symptoms and a bull's-eye shaped rash.
Paskewitz first led a deer tick census in 1994, which showed deer ticks already were established in the western two-thirds of the state.
"In Wisconsin, people sort of feel like they already know this story. They know there's Lyme disease here, but one thing this (survey) points out is that it's not a static situation," Paskewitz said. "What your risk was 20 years ago may not be what your risk is today. It may have significantly increased, so you should not be blas� if you get a tick on you."
To help or get more information
To participate in the Lyme disease awareness campaign, call Lisa Hilton of Pell Lake at (262) 745-8326.
She also has brochures and other information about the disease in a dispenser outside her home at W1038 Geranium Road, Pell Lake.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Well if you ain't just whistling Dixie!
That is a great article! Or two actually!
I love the project and I LOVE LOVE LOVE your activism efforts.
Thank you so much!
Posted by dmc (Member # 5102) on :
great article, good job
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
Fantastic job! They did a good job on that article!
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
lisa, i commented on BOTH articles... excellent job!! 5 star salute to you Posted by LisaS (Member # 10581) on :
Thank you everybody. For a county that has no lyme, I sure have gotten a lot of phone calls and people stopping by my house for flyers! I'm sending them all here to lymenet!
Posted by trishee (Member # 9699) on :
Way to go Lisa!!! I got the phone calls too. so many people don't have this disease lol... so glad we could help. You're doing a great job. Just keep doing it until we have our cure! Let those poeple who called help you with awareness and before you know it you've started something. Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!! blessings Trish
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
lisa and trish,
glad you both have gotten phone calls and your brochures are going fast lisa!!
lisa, were you aware to keep track of these expenditures and mileage round trip PER OCCASION, and you can show that in volunteerism on taxes, etc?
just food for thought for you and all others... congrats to you both; 2 more role models for others
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They did a good job on that article!
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