It came on suddenly. First the dizzy spells, bouts of nausea, rapid weight loss, unbearable headaches and panic attacks brought on by chest pain or suddenly, for no reason. She was a freshman at Union College, at her athletic prime having just made nationals in swimmingand she was terrified. Doctors she’d known forever were telling her they didn’t know what was wrong and for Kaleigh Ahern of Burnt Hills, this was the scariest part.
The blood work came back normal and doctors just assumed I was stressed from college, not sleeping enough or eating right,` said Ahern.
Finally, she tested positive, if `barely,` for Lyme Disease. Ahern had her answer, yet things didn’t get much better. She was on antibiotics but college remained a struggle and after getting sick again in December 2009, Ahern decided to take herself off her meds and eventually withdrew from college altogether.
`I had anxiety attacks about once a week, triggered by chest pain that made me think I was dying, or because I felt like I wasn’t getting enough oxygen,` said Ahern. `The disease infiltrates whatever body system if wants, so for me it was my nervous system and it messed everything up in my brain.`
Ahern said for awhile, she thought everything was trying to kill her, which led to massive anxiety attacks that were high stress situations for everyone involved, namely her parents. Now she’s trying alternative therapies and is getting better, slowly.
`I’ve improved a lot. I feel pretty much normal, not as much fatigue or anxiety. But sometimes I just don’t feel right and know something’s wrong,` said Ahern.
Knowing when something is wrong, right from the get-go, is critical when battling Lyme Disease.
Michelle Moynihan didn’t know she’d been bit by a tick. Tick bites aren’t felt because an anesthetic-type fluid is released upon contact. She didn’t develop the tell tale bulls-eye rash and even when she developed sudden and unusual symptoms, she never suspected Lyme Disease was to blame, especially since she tested negative under CDC criteria.
It was a year until Moynihan was officially diagnosed but by that time it was too late. The bacteria had already taken hold on all parts of her body`neurological, skeletal, muscular and cognitive.
`Projectile vomiting was the first symptom. Then dizziness out of the blue. Then flu-like symptoms and the chills; it would be 75 degrees and I was huddled in a blanket by the fire. Four months in, the joint pain in my feet was bad to the point where I couldn’t walk. Things just kept progressing and it seemed every month something new would develop,` said Moynihan. `I had so much anxiety I couldn’t do my job, I was losing my temper so easily, not able to concentrate or focus, couldn’t understand things I read. By six months I was pretty much bedridden until a neighbor said I could still have Lyme Disease, even if I didn’t test within CDC standards to prescribe antibiotics.`
Five years later, she now suffers from chronic Lyme Disease, a direct result of late diagnosis. An English teacher at BH-BL middle school, she said she saw students in and out of class or not feeling well, and it prompted her to organize a committee to make the student body aware of the dangers of the debilitating disease that took over her life.
`I didn’t want this happening to other people; it’s so horrible and our community is infested with ticks,` said Moynihan.
Moynihan works with Ahern’s father and arranged to have her speak to middle schoolers on Monday, May 17, and Thursday, May 20. Ahern said telling her story is a natural next step for her.
`Where I’m from a lot of people live in the middle of nowhere, really rural areas; a lot of people, especially the younger generation, to a certain extent they think they’re invincible and that these things don’t happen to upper middle class society where there’s good health care, but it’s such a horrible shocking disease and it can happen,` said Ahern. `I need to do my part to prevent people from going through this, spread awareness and do my best to get the word out.`
Her first session was a success, she said, and she was happy to expose the two sides of Lyme Disease`medical and personal.
`They responded well and I really think and hope they took in what I was saying. The point I made was I wasn’t there to lecture, I wanted to find a way to combine the personal with the actual symptoms and other things that go along with it,` said Ahern. `Maybe they’ll see it happens to normal young people in the prime of their lives and not just middle aged people, which is kind of the assumption.`
May is Lyme Disease Awareness month and Moynihan planned other awareness activities, like selling bracelets and ribbons and handing out information about the disease. Last year, ribbon sales totaled $500, which went to help a family who’s insurance didn’t cover costs associated with Lyme Disease. This year’s proceeds will go to either the Empire State Lyme Disease Association or another family facing the disease. Moynihan said many exist.
`We have a staff of about 70 people and eight people have either had it themselves or dealt with a family member having it in the last three years, and five middle schoolers experiencing it in some way,` said Ahern. `People don’t realize you can die from this disease if it’s not treated and the community needs to know.`
More information can be found at www.empirestatelymediseaseassociation.org.
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