Determined and Driving!
by Judith Sutherland © 2004
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we
will." -- William Shakespeare
Author Yevgeny Yevtushenko observed, "Life is a rainbow which also
includes black."
I would say the sooner we all realize that every day is not sunny, that life is filled
with hurts and sorrows and challenges, the stronger our personal constitution will
become.
My son has learned it. Watching him learn it has been an agonizing
experience much of the time, but his strength of character through it all has been
absolutely astounding. I've learned a lot through this son of mine.
Bitten by a tick during an innocent day of play with a buddy in the summer of
1998, this once-healthy boy began having a cascade of physical problems. Cort
suffered everything from chronic sore throats to knee, wrist and ankle pain to
abdominal and gastrointestinal pain and problems. Headaches and extreme light
sensitivity followed. But, because he never developed a bulls-eye rash from that
tick bite, Lyme Disease was ruled out.
For too many years, we were passed from specialist to specialist. His
symptoms would worsen, then change. He began feeling as though he were
somehow outside of his own body, almost a hallucinatory state of
fogginess that was indescribable and frightening for an adolescent who had always
been a clear-thinking, hard-working young man.
Cort was put through incredibly difficult medical procedures, including scopes
and biopsies and blood tests too numerous to count. We were told, in spite of his
worsening overall health, that everything was fine. Or perhaps he had rheumatoid
arthritis, or perhaps he had the beginnings of Crohn's disease, or perhaps he
needed simply to exercise more and worry less.
We have since learned that Lyme Disease is called "the great imitator" and many
people are mis-diagnosed with such things as MS, ALS or rheumatoid arthritis
because of it. Less than 50 percent of those infected ever develop a bulls-eye rash.
But, I did not know then what I know now, and we kept searching for answers.
It was in December of 2001 that it became apparent that the neurological
symptoms were worsening, as Cort didn't even know his own family at times. His
pain, weakness, confusion, and symptoms of Bell's Palsy or possibly even a stroke
meant we simply had to seek a definitive diagnosis and some type of treatment, or
we feared we might lose our son.
Now, all these years later, we are finally seeing some improvement. It has been a
long, hard journey filled with treatment lines and daily IV's for a time, followed by
lots more testing, a tremendous amount of on-going, expensive medication, (much
of which has not been covered by health insurance), phlebotomies for
hemachromatosis, injections, daily oxygen treatment and more.
At the center of this improvement is a doctor who studies tick-borne diseases long
and hard enough to see the big picture, to realize how much mis-diagnosis there is,
and to test for every possible body system's damage done by one tiny parasite.
But, at the core is a kid who is determined to get his life back. When he
asked the other day if I could help him get some live bait so he could go fishing, I
nearly fell over. It had been years since he'd felt well enough to even care about
going fishing, let alone well enough to actually do it!
The months of June and July are designated as Lyme Disease awareness
months, as this is the time of year that ticks are at their busiest. I urge you to
protect yourself and your family, as no one deserves this dreadful, difficult disease.
Cort will be 18 in October, and he just recently landed his driver's license. He is
taking what has been dealt to him and trying to make sense of it. His on-going
fatigue and brain fog still plagues him, and the muscle and joint pain is never too far
away. But, he is determined. And determination and spunk can take a fellow
places in this world.... especially a fellow who feels he has to make up for lost time.
Lots of lost time.
But it is a fragile balance, with the possibility of a relapse always a nagging
shadow, even on the good days. And there are still far too many bad days to say
that he has worked through this completely.
I'll keep you posted.....
Judie Sutherland was managing editor of a weekly agricultural news magazine
prior to becoming a weekly columnist in a rival paper after the birth of her first
child. Born and raised on an Ohio family farm, she draws from a well of personal
experiences which she shares with readers each week.
back to Hope Stories
by Judith Sutherland © 2004
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we
will." -- William Shakespeare
Author Yevgeny Yevtushenko observed, "Life is a rainbow which also
includes black."
I would say the sooner we all realize that every day is not sunny, that life is filled
with hurts and sorrows and challenges, the stronger our personal constitution will
become.
My son has learned it. Watching him learn it has been an agonizing
experience much of the time, but his strength of character through it all has been
absolutely astounding. I've learned a lot through this son of mine.
Bitten by a tick during an innocent day of play with a buddy in the summer of
1998, this once-healthy boy began having a cascade of physical problems. Cort
suffered everything from chronic sore throats to knee, wrist and ankle pain to
abdominal and gastrointestinal pain and problems. Headaches and extreme light
sensitivity followed. But, because he never developed a bulls-eye rash from that
tick bite, Lyme Disease was ruled out.
For too many years, we were passed from specialist to specialist. His
symptoms would worsen, then change. He began feeling as though he were
somehow outside of his own body, almost a hallucinatory state of
fogginess that was indescribable and frightening for an adolescent who had always
been a clear-thinking, hard-working young man.
Cort was put through incredibly difficult medical procedures, including scopes
and biopsies and blood tests too numerous to count. We were told, in spite of his
worsening overall health, that everything was fine. Or perhaps he had rheumatoid
arthritis, or perhaps he had the beginnings of Crohn's disease, or perhaps he
needed simply to exercise more and worry less.
We have since learned that Lyme Disease is called "the great imitator" and many
people are mis-diagnosed with such things as MS, ALS or rheumatoid arthritis
because of it. Less than 50 percent of those infected ever develop a bulls-eye rash.
But, I did not know then what I know now, and we kept searching for answers.
It was in December of 2001 that it became apparent that the neurological
symptoms were worsening, as Cort didn't even know his own family at times. His
pain, weakness, confusion, and symptoms of Bell's Palsy or possibly even a stroke
meant we simply had to seek a definitive diagnosis and some type of treatment, or
we feared we might lose our son.
Now, all these years later, we are finally seeing some improvement. It has been a
long, hard journey filled with treatment lines and daily IV's for a time, followed by
lots more testing, a tremendous amount of on-going, expensive medication, (much
of which has not been covered by health insurance), phlebotomies for
hemachromatosis, injections, daily oxygen treatment and more.
At the center of this improvement is a doctor who studies tick-borne diseases long
and hard enough to see the big picture, to realize how much mis-diagnosis there is,
and to test for every possible body system's damage done by one tiny parasite.
But, at the core is a kid who is determined to get his life back. When he
asked the other day if I could help him get some live bait so he could go fishing, I
nearly fell over. It had been years since he'd felt well enough to even care about
going fishing, let alone well enough to actually do it!
The months of June and July are designated as Lyme Disease awareness
months, as this is the time of year that ticks are at their busiest. I urge you to
protect yourself and your family, as no one deserves this dreadful, difficult disease.
Cort will be 18 in October, and he just recently landed his driver's license. He is
taking what has been dealt to him and trying to make sense of it. His on-going
fatigue and brain fog still plagues him, and the muscle and joint pain is never too far
away. But, he is determined. And determination and spunk can take a fellow
places in this world.... especially a fellow who feels he has to make up for lost time.
Lots of lost time.
But it is a fragile balance, with the possibility of a relapse always a nagging
shadow, even on the good days. And there are still far too many bad days to say
that he has worked through this completely.
I'll keep you posted.....
Judie Sutherland was managing editor of a weekly agricultural news magazine
prior to becoming a weekly columnist in a rival paper after the birth of her first
child. Born and raised on an Ohio family farm, she draws from a well of personal
experiences which she shares with readers each week.
back to Hope Stories
© 2004 Dave and Merry Marinello, all rights reserved.
Welcome! Thanks for visiting our little "harbor" amid life's storms. We hope you
will find rest and encouragement in your struggles, big or small. Here you can:
will find rest and encouragement in your struggles, big or small. Here you can:
Determined and Driving!
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Hope is My Anchor
Strength for your soul amid life's storms
Strength for your soul amid life's storms