A few tipsters voiced some "concern" regarding a puffy left eye of Happy Hour co-anchor Cody Willard on Wednesday.
It turns out the FBN host will be off air for a bit -- he blogs this weekend that he has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. The Lyme Disease, he writes, caused Bell's Palsy on his face.
"It looks like we probably caught this Lyme Disease quickly enough that I will be fully cured from it," writes Willard. "In that sense, getting this Bell's Palsy to get me to the hospital to get cured is also a blessing."
Willard writes he likely contracted the disease, "from a camping trip in the woods in upstate New York," a few weeks ago.
There is no word how long Willard be out (although it could potentially be a while). Eric Bolling pulls a stool up to the bar to fill in as co-anchor with Rebecca Gomez on the 5pmET show.
[ 08. July 2008, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: stella marie ]
-------------------- Stella Marie Posts: 694 | From US | Registered: Apr 2005
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Sorry to sound pessimistic but if he's getting conventional IDSA treatment, I doubt he will be cured. Of course he could be one of the lucky ones who has none of the nasty co-infections (unlikely) and whose immune system is 100% able to handle lyme. OR like so many of us, maybe he will be fine for a number of years until his immune system can no longer keep it at bay.
Hopefully he is fully looking into lyme disease and will know to see an ILADS LLMD rather than an IDSA type.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
I hope he goes beyond the inept journalists in his field to properly research this. I truly hope he gets the right information and a good doctor.
posted
Can you get Bell's Palsy that quickly, after being bitten a few weeks ago ???
Jan
-------------------- 3 Strains Mycoplasma and Chlymedia 2001. After treatment fine for all 2004. Major symptoms since 2005. Diag Aug 2008 Lyme. 400 mg/d doxy 500 2/d Ceftin Posts: 164 | From Texas | Registered: Jun 2008
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daise
Unregistered
posted
Hi everyone,
I've never heard of anyone getting Bell's right off the bat, but then, I'm no doctor.
I replied a few weeks ago to the Fox Business News Site with a looooong reply to a wonderful story. I'll have to figure a way to alert him to it. Apparently he didn't read it.
Yes--it sounds like he's getting IDSA garbage treatment. I'm going now, to try to alert him, somehow.
posted
OK. I broke up the sentences. Here's what I emailed to [email protected]:
Dear Editor,
I just read that Happy Hour Co-Anchor Cody Willard, of Fox Business News, has Lyme disease. My name is (deleted!) and I have chronic Lyme disease.
This is URGENT because I fear he is not receiving proper care. I ask, please, that you get this information to him in an urgent manner--please, to save him from what could be lifelong, painful disability.
Hi Cody,
I'm sorry you're ill with Bell's palsy, caused by Lyme. I had Bell's, too, so I understand. I was frightened because no doctor would listen to me, nor even recognise my Bell's palsied face staring at them.
There are a number of things you need to know, patient-to-patient. I'll explain.
Chronic Lyme patients can be very much hurt by the IDSA Guidelines (Infectious Disease Society of America) for Lyme disease.
It sounds like you're seeing an infectious disease doctor of IDSA, or a conventional doctor who is dictated to by IDSA. IDSA does not at all take Lyme disease seriously, but for a wee handful in our country.
That you have Bell's palsy is concerning for chronic Lyme disease. That's a whole different illness than early Lyme disease.
The information I read about you is that the doctor thinks he caught it early enough to cure it. Bull! Bell's palsy is serious. There is no "cure" for chronic Lyme disease. That's also why I fear you're being treated by IDSA Guidelines.
Cody, I had a huge bulls-eye rash in Utah, yet didn't know it was Lyme. I had no signs or symptoms.
Nine years later SUDDENLY I had Bell's palsy, severe right side muscle pain throughout, terrible cognitive abilities, right side arthritis and much more--all within the hour.
A short time later I had severe head pain that has been constant 24/7 ever since--for four years, with the exception that it has improved a lot with treatment.
I went from doctor to doctor to doctor (31 doctors) and was not properly diagnosed. It took awhile for me to research and then to diagnose myself with chronic Lyme disease. I couldn't and still can't work, due to painful signs and symptoms.
I'm in the midst of treatment. Thank God! As a result, I'm poor and am termed "homeless veteran," though I do have a roof over my head. I am disabled and am receiving SSDI (Social Security Disability.)
I am grateful for treatment, for SSDI and for a roof over my head.
I'm telling you this to illustrate how hideous chronic Lyme disease is, in every way. I began treatment in September, 2006. It is ongoing and I see myself as being in treatment for over a year more--at the least.
To get miles better, Cody, you must see a doctor who is experienced at treating Lyme: an ILADS physician (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society.)
IDSA doctors have no experience treating Lyme, because when an IDSA doctor fails to help a patient, they naturally won't go back.
If they do, they will be bullied: no more treatment. Count on it. "Your signs and symptoms are all in your head," is what they'll say, or something similar.
Three or four weeks of an antibiotic usually doesn't work for early Lyme. Some may feel better for awhile, but Lyme will come roaring back, far worse than before and more difficult to treat. Lyme can kill.
Typically, you'll need high-dose, multiple, prolonged antibiotics--and they must cross the blood brain barrier.
In addition, you may have other tick borne illnesses complicating your condition. That's common.
Members of the IDSA panel that devised the Guidelines have been investigated and found to have conflicts of interest: the IDSA guidelines are fraudulent. Please see Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal's press release:
Please go to www.ilads.org and on the left menu click "Treatment Guidelines." That brings you to two guidelines: ILADS Guidelines and Dr. Burrascano's 33 pages of Guidelines for 2005. Print both!
I know it's hard to read the medical information in these two documents with Bell's palsy, and to retain what you've read. Perhaps someone could read them to you.
Please--you need an LLMD (Lyme-literate MD) who follows ILADS Guidelines. To find one, go to www.lymediseaseassociation.org or to www.lymenet.org which is a Lyme blog. Find the forum for "Seeking A Doctor" and post your location.
We keep our LLMD's names secret, as politics and profits is responsible for state medical boards pulling the license of about 30 of them and harassing others. What kind of a doctor would persist in helping Lyme patients? A hero doctor, that's who!
You're welcome to email me at: (my email)
I'm not a doctor!
On May 27, 2008, I responded very favorably to commentary by TL Kittle, which I saw on the Fox Business News website. It follows.
________
Dear editor,
I'm writing about your article of May 24, 2008, on the Fox Business site titled, "Lyme Lies: Allen Steere's horrifying comments ..."
I have chronic Lyme disease. IDSA doctors who wrote the Lyme Guidelines were found to have conflicts of interest through an investigation by Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal.
The IDSA Guidelines for Lyme are fraudulent. It was the first time a US medical society was investigated. Challenged. IDSA represents infectious disease doctors coast-to-coast.
Thank you for printing this great story. TL Kittle's commentary is right on the nose.
posted
I applaud all of you efforts to give Cody the information he needs.
I also left him a message on his blog.
At this point, especially with the comments on his blog right there for him to read, its up to him to either take the warnings or ignore them.
-------------------- I was diagnosed with and treated for late stage Lyme in 1991 with 6 weeks of doxycycline. Initially felt better, but then developed health problems that last until today. Posts: 83 | From New Jersey | Registered: May 2008
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posted
Here is my response I left on his blog, I sure hope he reads all our heartfelt responses....
Hi Cody,
I hope you are educating yourself about tick borne diseases. Ticks carry many other buggs besides Lyme Disease, they are called co-infections. Please research beyond what the doctors are telling you. I am wishing you a speedy recovery!
I had Bell's Palsy from Lyme Disease also. Unfortunately for me, the Palsy did not show up until 6 months after I was bit. I had taken steriods for what was supposed breathing problems (it was a co-infection).....a big no, no. It drove the bacteria deeper into my system and I became sicker.
My Bell's Palsy did go away after a few days but all sorts of other problems showed up for years on end. Doing better these days though.
You got some great advice above in some of you responses, the following websites can offer more information;
1- LymeNet.org, click on Flash Discussions, then on Medical Questions.
2- ILADS - International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society
3- View the trailer or movie titled Under Our Skin, it was voted Audience Choice Award Finalist at the Tribeca Film Festival. The director Andy Abrahams Wilson of Open Eye Pictures did a fantastic job of explaining all the difficulties & controversies concerning this subject.
If you go the Open Eye Pictures website you can view the Under our Skin trailer. It's a must see!!!
The most important thing you can do is find a doctor who knows how to treat this disease.
So glad you have family support, that's going to help you get through this Cody!
If you have any ?'s, just shoot me an email.
Stella Marie
-------------------- Stella Marie Posts: 694 | From US | Registered: Apr 2005
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Here is the response I left:
Cody, it's unfortunate this happened. If you're fortunate, and do get well -- which I hope is the case, then that's great. If you don't recover, and find yourself being one of the many who receive 2-4 weeks of antibiotics, feel better, then relapse later only to be told ``It's not Lyme'' ``Nothing is wrong with you'' or ``It's post-lyme syndrome'' -- you can be sure that after enough time goes by, you'll enter the ``Lyme community'' begging for help and begging for Congress to listen.
When dying from an illness that is as political, controversial, and money driven as Lyme Disease, you can't really minimize the plight of those suffering terribly when they beg Congress to do something (It was implied), especially considering the private sector has proven itself incapable of ethically choosing the publics safety over the financial interests with this specific disease. in 2006 there was an anti-trust case brought against the Infectious Disease Society Of America. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut found multiple conflicts of interest financially over the societies creation of the treatment guidelines for Lyme Disease. The problem is simple. The society claims Lyme Disease is hard to catch, easy to cure -- while another group of doctors say Lyme Disease is easy to catch, and often hard to cure.
You don't think the government should get involved when a society as large is the IDSA is restricting consumer choice over having access to ``all'' the available science on Lyme Disease, a society who is producing guidelines that literally dismiss the studies implicating the infection as being persistent and requiring long term antibiotics?
Unfortunately for those sick, having access to the best and brightest doctors in the medical community, just like President Bush, you'll probably consult doctors who are members of ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Disease Society) and who use long term antibiotics, you'll get well, and then you'll abandon the facts I've presented, and you'll go back to your comfy life and ignore the reality that there is an epidemic going on that is killing people and or crippling people, while the majority of the medical community deny that fact.
You're in a position where people can tell you these things, and can warn you of the consequences of holding the belief you do. There are hundreds of studies indicating that this infection is persistent, and that once it reaches the central nervous system, it can take up residence, sequestering itself in areas of the body, such as collagen rich spaces, where antibiotics can't permeate. Yet, with all these studies, the medical community is literally split over whether Chronic Lyme Disease exist? Are you kidding me?
Here, I'll post just a few abstracts:
1: Ann Med. 1999 Jun;31(3):225-32.Links Borrelia burgdorferi detected by culture and PCR in clinical relapse of disseminated Lyme borreliosis. Oksi J, Marjam�ki M, Nikoskelainen J, Viljanen MK.
Department of Medicine, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland. [email protected]
A total of 165 patients with disseminated Lyme borreliosis (diagnosed in 1990-94, all seropositive except one culture-positive patient) were followed after antibiotic treatment. We conclude that the treatment of Lyme borreliosis with appropriate antibiotics for even more than 3 months may not always eradicate the spirochete. By using PCR, it is possible to avoid unnecessary retreatment of patients with `post-Lyme syndrome' and those with 'serological scars' remaining detectable for months or years after infection.
2: Rheumatol Int. 1996;16(3):125-32.Links Intracellular persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in human synovial cells. Girschick HJ, Huppertz HI, R�ssmann H, Krenn V, Karch H.
Children's Hospital, University of W�rzburg, Germany.
To investigate if Borrelia burgdorferi can persist in resident joint cells. Treatment with ceftriaxone eradicated extracellular Borrelia burgdorferi, but spirochetes were reisolated after lysis of the synovial cells. Borrelia burgdorferi persisted inside synovial cells for at least 8 weeks. These data suggested that Borrelia burgdorferi might be able to persist within resident joint cells in vivo.
3: Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Department of Neurology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111.
BACKGROUND AND METHODS. Lyme disease, caused by the tick-borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is associated with a wide variety of neurologic manifestations. To define further the chronic neurologic abnormalities of Lyme disease, we studied 27 patients (age range, 25 to 72 years) with previous signs of Lyme disease, current evidence of immunity to B. burgdorferi, and chronic neurologic symptoms with no other identifiable cause. Eight of the patients had been followed prospectively for 8 to 12 years after the onset of infection. RESULTS. Of the 27 patients, 24 (89 percent) had a mild encephalopathy that began 1 month to 14 years after the onset of the disease and was characterized by memory loss, mood changes, or sleep disturbance. Of the 24 patients, 14 had memory impairment on neuropsychological tests, and 18 had increased cerebrospinal fluid protein levels, evidence of intrathecal production of antibody to B. burgdorferi, or both. Nineteen of the 27 patients (70 percent) had polyneuropathy with radicular pain or distal paresthesias; all but two of these patients also had encephalopathy. In 16 patients electrophysiologic testing showed an axonal polyneuropathy. One patient had leukoencephalitis with asymmetric spastic diplegia, periventricular white-matter lesions, and intrathecal production of antibody to B. burgdorferi. Among the 27 patients, associated symptoms included fatigue (74 percent), headache (48 percent), arthritis (37 percent), and hearing loss (15 percent). At the time of examination, chronic neurologic abnormalities had been present from 3 months to 14 years, usually with little progression. Six months after a two-week course of intravenous ceftriaxone (2 g daily), 17 patients (63 percent) had improvement, 6 (22 percent) had improvement but then relapsed, and 4 (15 percent) had no change in their condition. CONCLUSIONS. Months to years after the initial infection with B. burgdorferi, patients with Lyme disease may have chronic encephalopathy, polyneuropathy, or less commonly, leukoencephalitis. These chronic neurologic abnormalities usually improve with antibiotic therapy.
I could go on, I have hundreds more....
The documentary ``Under Our Skin'' has been in the news a lot lately, I would see it if I was you. Get familiar with this illness, because remember, Lyme Disease isn't the only thing that ticks can transmit when they bite you. Babesia? Bartonella? Mycoplasma, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis. There are more, but I suggest you do your homework and understand the complexity of your situation.
You're not out of the woods just because you've been told so by someone wearing a white coat.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
But I fear he may be lead down the rabbit hole of endless test and the merry-go-round of docs who will dx him with the usual crapola. Not unlike what has happend to many of us here.
I hope he is strong and has the will to call bull$hit on those MS, Fibro dx's & my favorite one, "Maybe it's all in your head, your a handsome man, your just looking for attention."
-------------------- Stella Marie Posts: 694 | From US | Registered: Apr 2005
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