NH Couple Grateful For WMUR Lyme Disease Chronicle:

NEWPORT, N.H. — Health officials said Friday that there has been a surge or Lyme disease in New Hampshire, a challenging disease to diagnose and treat.

Several weeks ago, WMUR devoted a special chronicle to Lyme disease — an infection transmitted by some deer ticks.

A Newport couple said that program changed their lives.The Haseltons said they had a medical mystery: What was plaguing a husband who suddenly had trouble walking?

They said their questions were answered when they were tuned in to Lyme disease.”One Sunday morning, I woke up and go to Lin. I said, ‘There’s something really wrong with my knee. I can’t even bend it,’” Steven Haselton said.

That was the start of a long journey to diagnosing Lyme disease, he said. He and his wife live in Newport and said they think he may have been bitten by an infected tick as long as a year and a half ago.

The Haseltons said that for months, doctors couldn’t figure out the cause of his fatigue or swollen knee.”When he couldn’t stand on his leg and every night he’s holding ice packs on it, I knew there was something really wrong,” Lin Haselton said.

She said she watched a special New Hampshire chronicle called “Living with Lyme,” and she recognized her husband’s symptoms.”I’m so glad that I saw the show,” she said.”I got home from (playing) golf and she said, ‘Steve, you have Lyme disease. There was a special on WMUR on Lyme disease, and there was a gentleman on there that had the same condition as you did,’” Steve Haselton said.

He said he was tested for Lyme disease, and unlike an earlier test that came back negative, the new test was sent to a special out-of-state lab and came back positive.

Steve Haselton said he’s relieved to have a diagnosis but concerned because he wasn’t treated earlier.”This could be a very permanent thing for me,” he said.

“Now at least it appears this is treatable,” Lin Haselton said. “I mean, I’m very worried because this has gone on for so long.”She said her husband will now undergo high doses of antibiotics.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease in most cases can be treated successfully that way. However, the Haseltons said they would like to see more research and awareness about the disease.

• Living With Lyme Disease Part 1 of 6
• Living With Lyme Disease Part 2 of 6
• Living With Lyme Disease Part 3 of 6
• Living With Lyme Disease Part 4 of 6
• Living With Lyme Disease Part 5 of 6
• Living With Lyme Disease Part 6 of 6
  

Copyright 2010 by WMUR. All rights reserved.

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Posted on August 8th, 2010 under Discussion, Lyme News • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback