Lyme Meningitis

On August 22, 2013, I took my sister to the Local Emergency room in our hometown. She had a severe headache, so bad that she wanted to commit suicide. She had suffered with this headache for over two weeks before finally deciding to get help. The doctor did a CT scan...it was normal. He took some blood work (not a spinal tap). Her white blood cells were elevated the doctor told her and he said that usually indicated an infection. He did not look into why she had elevated white blood cell count. He said that the pain causing her headache was a 'monkey' muscle that comes up from the back of the head and wraps it's self like a hand toward to top of the head. He gave her some muscle relaxers and sent her home. A week later, she went to see her primary care doctor, and told her about the severe headaches and her trip to the ER. Her primary care doctor performed the same CT and blood work test with the same results. The CT scan was normal and the blood work showed that my sister had elevated white blood cell count. Her doctor said that the elevated white blood cell count usually indicated an infection, but did not look into why she had elevated white blood cell count. Instead, her doctor gave her some kind of injection in her stomach region for pain and sent her home. Her doctor told her that she would call in a prescript ion for pain the next day. Later that night, my sister called me. She said she was in such terrible pain, that the pain was even worse than it was before. She said that she was confused and that she could not make up her mind whether or not to wait until the next day to get the new pain medication or go to the ER again. I told her that I made up her mind for her and for her to get ready, that I was going to take her to an out of town Hospital Emergency room across the Hudson River from us. (This hospital is known to give better care.) To make a long story short, the wonderful Doctor there ordered a spinal tap and found that my sister had Lyme Meningitis. She was in the hospital for FIVE days. If he had not done the spinal tap and found this terrible disease, my sister could have died. <!--[if gte vml 1]> VIEW IMAGE <!--[endif]--> He even told us so. She is going daily for her shots, but is still having some problems. Do you think my sister could sue both the first Local Hospital ER doctor and her primary care doctor for misdiagnosis? She has and is still suffering. <!--[if gte vml 1]> VIEW IMAGE <!--[endif]-->

I live in NY state. I will be asking my lawyer to look into this matter for my sister! Thanks.

RE: Lyme Meningitis

My sister had some more blood work and the results did not look good. She told me that the doctor's mentioned the possibility of having an operation, but she is not sure. She has to go in for more blood work soon. She is still suffering some memory and confusion problems as well as some headaches and over all ill feelings. She is most definitely not the sister I knew before she got sick. I hope she recovers. So does she. If this had been caught in time, perhaps she would not be suffering now. Also, if she had waited any longer to go to the emergency room at the better hospital an d been diagnosed in time, she could be in a mental institution or dead! That is what the doctor told us. So, my lawyer is going to get a call soon. He doesn't charge unless we win.

My sister has a great Doctor. I also know she is seeing a disease specialist that sees her. He has an office across the Hudson River from us and works out of the same Hospital where my sister goes to get her daily shots. I do not know the details of any group that either of her doctors are in, but they are keeping a really close eye on her condition. She is feeling better, but still is not 100% well. She might want someone to believe she is 80% or 90% well. But I think it is more like 60% and I think, deep down inside, she knows it too. Recently, she told me about some aspect of her health and I quote her words "It doesn't look it."  This was in regard to some blood work and the fact that the disease is still wreaking havoc with her central nervous system. It doesn't help that she is a cancer survivor of over 7 years and the Chemo weakened her immune system, but she is a fighter, and that counts a lot. I keep close contact with her and pay attention to what she says. She has always made sense when she talked; she's the smart one, but this disease has changed her. She is more confused, slower somehow, just something I notice, something subtle that I can't put my finger on. I think the next time I see her or talk to her, I will mention this to her and how I think she should talk to her doctor about it. Since our younger sister moved to Florida, I am here holding down the fort so to speak, but I can do it a lot better than my younger sister. She stresses out to easily, which is what our older sister does not need right now.

Thanks for all of your concern....and helpful encouragement, advice and information. 

I do not know what my sister meant when she mentioned something about an operation. I still need to find out what she meant. She might have been thinking about the meningitis part of the Lyme Meningitis....but, I will find out. I do not know if her doctor is associated with the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, however, I do know she is seeing a disease pathologist specialist. The best in our area without having her travel to New York City, a two and half to three hour drive from us. My sister is usually tired after her treatments, so being able to drive a short distance for her daily injections has been working out really well for us.

Note: Sometimes, my older sister exaggerates things to make the point that something, or someone is either bothering or annoying her. So, I took her statement about the operation as either her doctor said that she really needs one, or she feels that she needs one because she is still not well. I will have to look into this.

My sister is still having confusion, memory and other problems related to her Lyme Meningitis. We hope this will pass after a while...or at least sometime in the next three months. She is worried, because she doesn't like being like this or feeling the way she does. I don't blame her. I don't like seeing her like this. I am worried about her.

My sister is seeing a Infectious Disease doctor. In fact, his is a specialist in his field. She had to have the medicine dosage cut in half because it was making her extremely ill. Her last treatment is tomorrow, however, she will be having blood work to be sure that disease is gone. We will both be very persistent and insistent that her condition is or has been taken care of with the proper medicine and for the length of time needed to be sure  that the disease is gone. I will keep things posted as I learn more.