https://www.rsvplive.ie/life/kerry-teacher-karin-oshea-needs-26226707 Video Here
Kerry teacher Karin O’Shea needs urgent treatment for chronic Lyme disease after being misdiagnosed for 12 years
By Aoife Breslin
Feb. 14, 2022
With only one option left, housebound Kerry woman Karin O’Shea must go to Germany in order to receive urgent treatment for Chronic Lyme disease after believing her diagnosis to be Fibromyalgia for 12 years
Kerry woman Karin O’Shea contracted Lyme disease from the bite of a tick when she was a teenager and went undiagnosed for 12 years.
Now, she needs urgent treatment.
When Karin became ill in her teens, she was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia. She was able to manage her symptoms through medication and lived a normal life.
In 2020, the 26-year-old saw a rapid deterioration in her health. After endless GP visits, countless consultants, MRI’s, X-rays and hospital admissions, there were no answers.
Speaking with RSVP Live, Karin shared her experience:
“Me and my GP extended every avenue but there were still no answers.
“So, I had to send my bloods to Germany myself to test for Lyme disease and the results came back positive, as well as showing chronic immune suppression.”
Karin was tested for Lyme disease under the Irish system when she was 14 years old, but her results came back negative.
This was due to her chronic immune suppression; her body wasn’t creating enough antibodies and the Irish system detects antibodies in order to get results. (See link for article and video)
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**Comment**
Another heart-breaking story of misdiagnosis which has caused yet another case to fester and worsen.
SUMMARY:
- O Shea finally obtained appropriate treatment which included 5 antibiotics a day.
- Due to her late stage case, she had horrific side-effects, and her body rejected the treatment.
- Patient is now housebound due to severe neurological symptoms.
- Her remaining option is to travel to Germany for a month of intensive treatment followed by a 6 months of rehabilitation.
- She’s been told she has a 70% chance of obtaining remission and should get quality of life back.
O Shea’s advice to others:
“I want people to know if you do get a tick bite, go straight to the doctor and demand two weeks antibiotics, regardless of if you have the bulls-eye rash or not.
I couldn’t agree more, but I’d demand a month’s worth.
She also states that she was untreated because she never got the EM rash. She then states that only 50% get the rash, but it can actually be far less than that, is highly variable, and should never be used to keep people from being diagnosed. While the EM rash IS DIAGNOSTIC for Lyme, not having it means nothing.
The article doesn’t mention co-infections which are almost always an issue with chronic patients and require other medications. They also make cases much more severe. My educated guess is she’s going to St. George Hospital where she will be treated with hypothermia and IV antibiotics, among other modalities. Here’s the story of a woman who got this treatment. I also write about the treatment in the comment section as well as questions I posed to Dr. Douwes, head of St. George Hospital, when he spoke at an ILADS convention.
If you want to support Karin on her journey to recovery click here.
For more:
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 