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WASILLA, Alaska (KTUU) – A woman from the Wasilla family, officially diagnosed with Lyme disease just nine months ago, was living with the disease for seven years before realizing the cause of unexplained symptoms. Simple things that we often take for granted, such as getting out of bed, driving a car or walking a dog, are a daily struggle for people like her who live with Lyme disease.
Kelsey Wenburg was an active Alaskan woman who lived and enjoyed life with her husband. She loved traveling and had a steady job – until she realized that her health was starting to deteriorate and her life was starting to change.
"I started to feel tired and I was really very tired at work.At the lunch hour, at 2 am, I needed to get out of bed. a nap, "said Wenburg.
Without knowing it, she was in the early stages of Lyme disease.
"I started having heart palpitations. I had a very bad heart. I had trouble breathing and it had been seven years since I saw all the doctors in Alaska trying to figure out why I had these strange symptoms. to have given up at that time because I thought nobody knows what's wrong with me, "said Wenburg." Nobody knows what's going on here. "
It was seven years before an official diagnosis. "I was just thinking:" Maybe I'm dying, "said Wenburg.
Wenburg was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, ADD and other illnesses before a striking sign of Lyme disease.
"I went to a doctors office in Anchorage and said, 'Have you ever seen a rash like this?' And they just said, 'Sit down. I need you to stay there & # 39; – and she knew it right away. She was like, it's an eruption of Lyme disease.
Kelsey was experiencing a "bifocal" rash related to Lyme disease. The rash is a side effect of the disease, which often occurs later, and doctors claim that it is indicative of chronic Lyme disease.
Wenburg is one of 10 registered people living with Lyme Disease in Alaska – a place where new tick species are on the rise.
The State Department of Health has stated that all these people have contracted the disease out of the country, but that the recent spread of ticks in Alaska is being monitored.
For the moment, Wenburg lives with a sense of relief that she finally knows what causes all her erratic symptoms. She recovers the little energy she has with the help of her relatives.
"I have a husband who is my rock, and an incredible support network of friends who have been great," said Wenburg. "I have an aunt with Down Syndrome who I have to look after and most days I can not do it, I look at her sometimes and I think:" I have to get better. and regain my energy, so that I can return to life. "
Although Lyme disease can have detrimental effects on her body, she does not let her beat her, and as she says so well, she turns her mess into a message.
"I just do not want people to be like where I was, not knowing what's wrong with you and no longer being able to participate in your life because you may think that you may be suffering. to be depressed, anxious and tired, "said Wenburg. "I just want people to know that there is an illness that I did not even know existed for seven years, so that they can have it on their radar. will be able to get tested and benefit from treatment well in advance, as this would have saved their health. " we much grief of love and money and expenses. "
She is now working on outreach, with a strong support system to support her. Her friend Tonya Overholser, 30, uses her blog to spread Wenburg's message.
"Although it's neither a known epidemic nor a known outbreak in Alaska, the Alaskans are suffering, and that's why I thought I could help in some way." so to be an activist and to spread the word, "said Overholser.
For people like Wenburg, with chronic Lyme disease, there is no treatment, but the disease can be easy to treat if it is detected very early. Lyme disease is sometimes accompanied by a single rash – which Wenburg has neither noticed nor noticed, but it's important to check your body for ticks or rashes after spending time on the outside.
If you find a tick in Alaska, we encourage you to submit a sample for testing purposes. Contact [email protected] or bring ticks to your local biologist in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Ticks can be brought alive, frozen or stored in alcohol in a well-closed container.
More information on ticks and tick-borne diseases can be found on the Department of Health and Social Services website.
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