Johanna Husta

Johanna Husta lives in Ulster County, New York, where she has ridden horses her whole life.  First competing in hunter-jumper, then eventing, she fell in love with dressage after a single lesson with Meri Straz (now sadly deceased).  Before that, in 1996, Johanna (known as Jiffy) started feeling sick. She remembers,  “It felt like someone pulled the plug on my life-force.”  It began with unusual fatigue and achiness, along with joint pain, migraines, depression and night sweats.  Eventually, the symptoms became so troubling that Johanna went to the doctor.  “I never go to the doctor – maybe once a year for my annual physical – but this was beginning to scare me.”  Says Johanna of that long-ago visit, “He (the doctor) attributed all of my symptoms to depression and sent me home with anti-depressants.  To his credit he ordered a Lyme test, but it came back negative.”

Johanna’s Lyme test was the ELISA test, which looks for your body's antibodies to the infection. Unfortunately, the test fails 40% – 80% of the time (depending upon your source), but it is especially ineffective once the bacteria has disseminated and invaded more deeply into tissue.

For seven more years, Johanna went from doctor to doctor, diagnosed with depression, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.  Each year the ELISA test was repeated with negative results.  Johanna, still riding several horses per day and working a full-time corporate job, continued to suffer.

Finally, in the spring of 2004, an allergist sent her to Dr. Horowitz, a premier Lyme-literate doctor who has been treating all forms of Lyme for over 20 years.  At last, she was given the Western Blot test which showed positive results – eight years after her first symptoms!

Relieved and undaunted, Johanna took mega-doses of oral antibiotics for 18 months.  During this time she continued to ride, but had marginal improvement.  Dr. Horowitz decided to treat her more aggressively and placed her on IV antibiotics for six months.  Another less dedicated rider might have cancelled their ambitious Florida plans, but Johanna was determined. She had been rehabbing an older PSG horse, and was eager to spend the winter in Wellington, Florida training with Sue Jaccoma.

“I covered my pick-line with an arm-band, and most people didn’t even know I was sick.” But Sue knew, and tried to accommodate her good day/bad day roller-coaster recovery. “She was very understanding!” Johanna recalls, “The excitement I felt as my riding improved actually helped me feel better faster.” And by the end of the season, Johanna was starting to feel some semblance of physical and mental normalcy. Ready to finally start showing, plans were again put on hold when her PSG horse injured himself. Luckily, before heading back to NY, a colleague found Johanna another PSG horse – to re-school, show and then sell for one of his clients.

Unfortunately, like so many others, Johanna had a full relapse six months later.  This time, she had to cancel her Florida plans.  “Everything happens for a reason.” She says softly, “You’ve got to have faith.”  Johanna’s faith encompasses her plans to compete at the highest dressage level.  Her eyes on Grand Prix, she interacts with her horses however she physically is able day by day.

Dr. Horowitz changed direction with Johanna's treatment and started her on the Cowen protocol,  a new and promising herbal treatment.  So far, it is working.  "I've learned to take the good days and enjoy them as much as I can, and try to live with occassional relapses - hopefully fewer and less-severe.  But I have also learned how important it is to take good care of myself with plenty of rest, healthy diet and appropriate vitamin supplements.  And I never take a good day for granted."