NOT YOUR TYPICAL

Stephen Gleasner is not your typical stay-at-home dad.

click image to enlarge

Stephen Gleasner of Appleton is recovering from Lyme disease after it went undiagnosed for several years.

Gabe Souza/Staff Photographer

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS BELOW

RELATED HEADLINES

• Ticks warm up to Maine's mild spring

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

ATTEND A SEMINAR

TICK AND LYME disease awareness seminars will be held by the Maine Center for Disease Control in partnership with outdoor retailers.

• Epic Sports Gear, Bangor, May 4

• L.L. Bean, Freeport, May 19 and 20

• Cabela’s, Scarborough, May 26

ANYONE INTERESTED in holding a seminar can call the Maine CDC at 1-800-821-5821.

Gleasner, 50, creates art from plywood. His glass-like wooden bowls and relief wall hangings appear in galleries in Rockport and Rockland, as well as in South Carolina, Connecticut and Minnesota.

When not wielding a sander or hand saw, he has enjoyed riding his mountain bike long distances – such as from Canada to Mexico.

But now, Gleasner, of Appleton, suffers the classic symptoms of Lyme disease – chronic fatigue, and joint and gut pain. Gone are the mountain-bike expeditions and long creative days in his studio. Now it is a challenge making it from morning alarm clock to bedtime without a nap.

"I used to think it was fun to ride my bike and then cut the grass. But the past three years, if I took a two-mile walk, I had to sleep for a couple of hours. Everyday life became one special occasion after another. I had to give everything an extra effort," Gleasner said.

In 2008, Gleasner entered the Tour Divide, a mountain bike race few dare to try, pedaling through two Canadian provinces and five states from Montana to New Mexico. He raced against half a dozen other riders, climbing a total of 200,000 vertical feet over the 2,745-mile route during the course of a month.

Then Gleasner returned to Maine, took a few victory laps at the annual Bradbury Mountain bike race, and his life soon changed for the worse.

"Three months after the Divide, things started to fall apart. I went to an infectious disease guy, and the test for Lyme came back negative. I was assured it wasn't Lyme. But it's more complicated than that. It's a hard disease to diagnose," he said.

Gleasner struggled to make his wife and two young children breakfast. He was often forgetful, confused and suffered vertigo.

He would enjoy his son, Clark's, hour-long hockey practices, then struggle to put the boy's equipment in the hockey bag for him.

Over the next three years, Gleasner had an MRI, two CAT scans, blood work repeatedly, and changed doctors several times. All the while, his symptoms got worse.

Then last fall, he switched physicians one last time, and despite having never tested positive for Lyme, he started receiving treatment for the disease.

Since then, Gleasner says he's gotten better. He can make it through most days without a nap; gets less confused and dizzy; and is even trying to ride his bike again. He believes he will continue to recover. But he'll never get the last three years back.

"When I rode the Divide, my daughter was 3. More than half her life she's known me as the guy who is stiff and hurts. I'm not the guy I was, but I can't tell that to my kids. They see what they see now," he said.

AMERICAN LYME DISEASE FOUNDATION

    The American Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections.
    The Foundation plays a key role in providing reliable and scientifically accurate information to the public, medical community and government agencies about tick-borne diseases and their effects on human health and quality of life.
    The Foundation works to help people make wise healthcare decisions by providing key information on Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections to the public and medical community. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of prevention and early intervention in avoiding complicated, expensive and potentially debilitating long-term illness.
    To achieve its mission, the ALDF provides an array of brochures, tick ID cards and other materials that contain current information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment guidelines, prevention strategies, and methods of tick-control. Individuals, schools, physicians' offices, health departments, corporations, and many other organizations may order bulk quantities of these materials for a modest fee. A Spanish language brochure is also available. It should be noted that all of these materials may be downloaded and printed directly from our website.
    Access to knowledgeable primary care physicians and specialists throughout the country is critical to patients whose regular doctor may not be familiar with tick-borne disease diagnostic and treatment guidelines. The foundation maintains a national physician referral service that includes board-certified specialists who have been contacted by the ALDF and have agreed to evaluate and treat Lyme disease patients. Leading Lyme disease researchers serving as medical advisors to the ALDF may also be available for medical consultations with physicians in non-endemic areas who may not be familiar with Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment. The ALDF Physician Referral Service may be contacted directly at physref@aldf.com.
    Hispanic Education Program The main objective of this program is to educate members of the Hispanic community in the tri-state area about Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. Many in this primarily immigrant group work outdoors and face the threat of tick-bites on a daily basis. As such, the ALDF has developed a multi-faceted educational program designed to increase awareness of tick-borne diseases.
    Strategies include dissemination of our Spanish language brochure, "Understanding Lyme Disease." In color, the brochure has a pictorial focus and is designed to inform its readers in simple terms about tick-borne infections, proper tick removal, and the need to see a physician if symptoms occur. This informative brochure is ideal for use by health departments, employers, clinics and other organizations concerned about the health of the many individuals of this population who work outdoors on a daily basis. Sample copies are available free of charge and also may be downloaded and printed directly from our website.
    Lyme disease (LD) is an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a type of bacterium called a spirochete (pronounced spy-ro-keet) that is carried by deer ticks. An infected tick can transmit the spirochete to the humans and animals it bites. Untreated, the bacterium travels through the bloodstream, establishes itself in various body tissues, and can cause a number of symptoms, some of which are severe.
    LD manifests itself as a multisystem inflammatory disease that affects the skin in its early, localized stage, and spreads to the joints, nervous system and, to a lesser extent, other organ systems in its later,
disseminated stages. If diagnosed and treated early with antibiotics, LD is almost always readily cured. Generally, LD in its later stages can also be treated effectively, but because the rate of disease progression and individual response to treatment varies from one patient to the next, some patients may have symptoms that linger for months or even years following treatment. In rare instances, LD causes permanent damage.
    Although LD is now the most common arthropod-borne illness in the U.S. (more than 150,000 cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] since 1982), its diagnosis and treatment can be challenging for clinicians due to its diverse manifestations and the limitations of currently available serological (blood) tests.
    The prevalence of LD in the northeast and upper mid-west is due to the presence of large numbers of the deer tick's preferred hosts - white-footed mice and deer - and their proximity to humans. White-footed mice serve as the principal "reservoirs of infection" on which many larval and nymphal (juvenile) ticks feed and become infected with the LD spirochete. An infected tick can then transmit infection the next time it feeds on another host (e.g., an unsuspecting human).

LYME DISEASE

    Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks, which feed on the blood of animals and humans, can harbor the bacteria and spread it when feeding.
    You're more likely to get Lyme disease if you live or spend time in grassy and heavily wooded areas where ticks carrying the disease thrive. It's important to take common-sense precautions in areas where Lyme disease is prevalent.
    If you're treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of the disease, you're likely to recover completely. In later stages, response to treatment may be slower, but the majority of people with Lyme disease recover completely with appropriate treatment.
    The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease are variable, usually involving more than one system. The skin, joints and nervous system are affected most often. In general, Lyme disease can cause:
Rash. A few days to a month before you have other symptoms, a small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash in a bull's-eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop several of these rashes, an indication of bacteria multiplying in the blood stream.
Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
Migratory joint pain. If the infection is not treated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you're infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
Neurological problems. In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection.
Less common signs and symptoms. Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.

When to see a doctor
    If you know you've been bitten and experience signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor immediately. Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective if begun early. Only a minority of deer tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease.
    In the United States, the Lyme disease bacterium is carried primarily by deer ticks. The ticks are brown and often no bigger than the head of the pin, which can make them nearly impossible to spot.
    Ticks attach themselves to a host and feed on the host's blood until they're swollen to many times their normal size. During feeding, ticks that carry disease-producing bacteria can transmit the bacteria to a healthy host. Or, if the host is infected, they may pick up bacteria themselves.
    Deer ticks typically feed on the blood of mice, small birds and deer, but they can also feed on the blood of humans, cats, dogs and horses. They live in low bushes and tall grasses of wooded areas, waiting for warm-blooded animals to pass by. Deer ticks are most active in the summer.
    To contract Lyme disease, you must be bitten by an infected deer tick. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. Before bacteria can be transmitted, a deer tick must take a blood meal, which can take more than 48 hours of feeding. Only ticks that are attached to your skin and are feeding can transmit the bacteria. An attached tick that has a swollen appearance may indicate that enough time has elapsed to transmit bacteria. Removing the tick as soon as possible may prevent infection.
    Where you live or vacation can affect your chances of getting Lyme disease. So can your profession and the type of outdoor activities you enjoy. The most common risk factors for Lyme disease include:

• Spending time in wooded or grassy areas. In the United States, deer ticks are most prevalent in the Northeast and Midwest regions and in northwestern states like Oregon and Washington. All have heavily wooded areas where deer ticks thrive. In these regions, children who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially at risk. So are people with outdoor occupations and those who live where mice are common. Deer ticks feed on mice, which are a prime reservoir for Lyme disease bacteria.
• Having exposed skin. Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you're in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Don't allow your pets to wander in tall weeds and grasses.
• Not removing ticks promptly or properly. Bacteria from a tick bite can enter your bloodstream only if the tick stays attached to your skin for 48 hours or longer. If you remove a tick within two days, your risk of acquiring Lyme disease is low.

Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause:

• Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee
• Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy
• Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory
• Heart rhythm irregularities

    Lyme disease has many nonspecific symptoms that often are found in other conditions, such as viral infections, various joint disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and even depression. Sometimes, these common conditions are misdiagnosed as Lyme disease. What's more, the ticks that transmit Lyme disease also can spread other diseases at the same time.
    If you don't have the characteristic Lyme disease rash, your doctor may ask detailed questions about your medical history and do a physical exam. Lab tests to identify antibodies to the bacteria may be used to help confirm the diagnosis. These tests are most reliable a few weeks after an infection, after your body has time to develop antibodies. They include:

• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The test used most often to detect Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. burgdorferi. But because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it's not used as the sole basis for diagnosis.
• Western blot test. If the ELISA test is positive, another test — the Western blot — is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. The Western blot detects antibodies to several proteins of B. burgdorferi.
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This test helps detect bacterial DNA in fluid drawn from an infected joint. It's not as effective at detecting infection of blood or urine. It's used for people who may have chronic Lyme arthritis. It may also be used to detect persistent infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of people who have nervous system symptoms.

Oral antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. These usually include doxycycline for adults and children older than 8, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime for adults, younger children, and pregnant or breast-feeding women. These drugs often clear the infection and prevent complications. A 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics is usually recommended, but some studies suggest that courses lasting 10 to 14 days are equally effective.
Intravenous antibiotics
If the disease has progressed, your doctor may recommend treatment with an intravenous antibiotic for 14 to 28 days. This is effective in eliminating infection, although it may take some time to recover symptomatically. Intravenous antibiotics can cause various side effects, including a lower white blood cell count, mild to severe diarrhea, or colonization or infection with other antibiotic resistant organisms unrelated to Lyme.
    After treatment, a small number of people still experience some symptoms, such as muscle aches and fatigue. The cause of these continuing symptoms is unknown, but extended antibiotic treatment doesn't make them go away. Some experts believe that certain people who get Lyme disease are predisposed to develop an autoimmune response that contributes to their symptoms. More research is needed.
Avoid Bismacine
    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers and health care providers to avoid Bismacine, an injectable compound prescribed by some alternative medicine practitioners to treat Lyme disease. Bismacine, also known as Chromacine, contains high levels of the metal bismuth. Although bismuth is safely used in some oral medications for digestive conditions, it's not approved for use in injectable form or as a treatment for Lyme disease. Bismacine can cause bismuth poisoning, which may lead to heart and kidney failure.

R.A. TODAY

    TUESDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) — People with rheumatoid arthritis are routinely screened for breast, cervical and colon cancer, a new study found, contradicting previous reports that they receive fewer cancer screenings than people without the condition.
    The study, published July 10 in Arthritis & Rheumatism, showed that people with the rheumatoid arthritis, as well as those without the condition, were screened once every three years for cervical cancer. Both groups were also screened for breast cancer every two years.
    “Early detection of common cancers can improve morbidity and mortality rates in those with chronic illnesses, such as [rheumatoid arthritis],” Dr. Seoyoung Kim, with the divisions of rheumatology and pharmacoepidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a journal news release. “Cancer screening tests are important in detecting malignancies at early stages for both chronically ill and healthy populations.”
    Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that’s more common in women than in men. The disorder attacks joint tissues and sometimes organs, causing swelling, inflammation, fever and fatigue. It usually develops between the ages of 30 and 60 but can occur at other ages, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
    In conducting the study, the researchers used insurance claims to identify more than 13,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and more than 200,000 patients without the condition. They compared screening rates for breast, cervical and colon cancer between both groups.
    Among participants who were at least 50 years old, 12 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients had at least one colonoscopy each year, compared with 10 percent of patients without arthritis.
    The researchers noted that women with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to have an annual Pap smear, mammogram, fecal occult blood test and colonoscopy than women who did not have the disease. Men with the condition were also more likely to have a colonoscopy than other men.
    “Our findings indicate that [rheumatoid arthritis] patients were regularly screened for cervical, breast and colon cancer as recommended by the American Cancer Society,” Kim noted. “Cancer screenings rates among patients with [rheumatoid arthritis] were similar to the general population, which is different than previously published results.”
    The researchers pointed out that preventive health care is critical for patients with chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. They noted however, that the study was limited to patients with health insurance.

WELCOME!

Welcome to Special Dreamers!

Guess “Where’s Bella?” And Barnstorm

 |  | 

(Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese)

The “Where’s Bella?” contest continues with a new photo and location. Shopping News readers have the opportunity to win 4 vouchers to redeem for 4 tickets to a Lancaster Barnstormers baseball game.

By correctly identifying the location in which Bella, the black lab, is photographed, your entry will be entered to win a weekly random drawing. This week, the contest entry form, rules and regulations can be found on page 13A. Remember to check back weekly for a new chance to win!

Read more...

Pioneer Fire Company Welcomes Public At Open House  |  |  (Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese) Ephrata’s Pioneer Fire Company hosted their annual Open House for the public this past week. The street in front of the station was closed and numerous displays were set up to look at. Activities for children included a bounce castle, hose spraying and a smokehouse demonstration. The fire company provided ice cream, goodie bags, hats and more. Shown in the photos are children spraying the hoses, a crew in the ladder truck lifting off for a rappelling demonstration, children enjoying the rescue boat displays, and Cinder the clown greeting a child with a fireman’s hat. Another Great Concert By The Creek  |  |  (Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese) Area residents turned out in large numbers last week to enjoy another great musical act in the Concerts by the Creek series. “Beatlemania Again” gave an amazing performance of Beatles’ classics. Clear skies provided the perfect backdrop for this event held in Ephrata’s Grater Park. This Beatles tribute band did not disappoint those in attendance. Shown in the photo are the “Fab Four” as they perform. Ephrata Youth Band Camp Celebrates 25 Years  |  |  (Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese) The 25th annual Ephrata Youth Band Camp was held from Monday, June 25 through Thursday, June 28 at the Fulton Elementary School. The camp is designed for students who have just completed grades 4, 5 and 6. The program gives them more experience in ensemble playing and large group performance, and it provides a fun activity as well. The band practiced from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Monday through Thursday. The time was spent in large and small group rehearsals interspersed with various activities for the students. The goal of the camp was to perform an Outdoor Concert at Hershey Park on Thursday, June 28. After the performance, the students, accompanied by parent chaperones, enjoyed the amusement park for several hours and were treated to a picnic later in the day. Read more... Scout Of The Year Winners Recognized  |  |  (Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese) Cocalico Valley VFW Post 3376 announced the winners in their Scout of the Year contest. Shown in the photo are (left to right): Tim Barr (commander), Dwayne MacKenzie (Scout of the Year chairman), Conner Land (1st place from troop 363), Alex Smoker (4th place from troop 115), Kyle DeHaver (2nd place from troop 73), Josh Grasser (3rd place from troop 115). Conner received $100, Alex $50, Kyle $100, and Josh $75.