A Quebec woman is crippled by a mysterious illness

At the age of 42, a woman from Quebec mortgaged herself with a mysterious illness that a dozen experts have yet to identify, but which one expert says can be caused by a tick bite.

Kathy Paul’s health began to decline in May 2018 with “unusual” fatigue. Soon, his health deteriorated.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t hurt somewhere, and it just gets worse,” says the man, who spends his days in bed.

Cathy Poulin, an office agent at Retraite Québec, has been unable to return to work for almost four years. “Finally, I calculated the fewest steps I needed to take,” the woman recalled.

Her family life also suffered when her wife had to take care of her four children aged between 8 and 18.

“I see them growing up in front of me, but I can no longer do anything for them”, abandons the man who has felt that he has been a spectator of his own life for four years.

Especially since the doctors consulted couldn’t “put their finger on the problem”.

A neurologist, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, cardiologist, internal medicine, occupational therapist, kinesiologist, and even a psychologist and psychiatrist could not give Kathy Pauline a diagnosis.

“One day I even considered medically assisted dying as an option. I won’t kill myself, but do I want to live like this for another 40 years? The woman is sorry.

New Hope

However, after a consultation at the private I-LIV clinic in Bromont, which specializes in Lyme disease, Ms. A thin glimmer of hope had recently pierced the long dark tunnel in which Paul had sunk.

“D^D [Sophie] If we had been to Estrie, Michaud asked us questions about our travels [la région du Québec où les morsures de tiques sont les plus fréquentes] There, we fueled up. Five years ago, a party in Arbord in the woods and a wedding in Bromont that same summer,” says his wife, David Riobel.

A new treatment

Although the results of the first tests sent to the United States for Lyme disease-related babesiosis came back negative, Ms. Pauline underwent a course of antibiotics, which restored her abilities.

“You can’t tell what will improve, when and by how far. But I have no other options. […] “If I see just 30%, that’s already a lot for me,” the woman sighs.

Her partner notes that since the start of treatment, symptoms have increased, which is to be expected according to their doctor.

“If the symptoms get worse early on, it’s because the bacteria are fighting, we may have hit the mark,” says Mr. Riobel says.

Cathy Poulin’s Daily Signs

• headache
• Joint and muscle pain
• Digestive problems
• Insomnia
• Hypersensitivity to light and sound
• Constant fatigue
• Concentration and memory problems
• Heart pressure problems

Work to better prepare doctors

Relieved that she’s finally being taken care of, Kathy Pauline deplores the fact that she’s made a real way of the cross through the Quebec health system.

“I don’t understand. It’s their duty. You don’t see the problem with your knowledge, it’s your duty to go further instead of saying, “No, I don’t believe it,” with what you’re used to seeing. It’s unfair,” laments the woman from Quebec, who has lost her faculties for five years. , may be due to an untreated tick-related illness.

A recent event

M^me However, Poulin met several experts. Each of them “washed their hands of it”, she believes.

“Nothing, so we release you. No one wanted to go except my family doctor who followed me well.

Microbiologists-epidemiologists consulted Newspaper Confirm that there is still work to be done to equip the province’s doctors for these relatively new diseases in Quebec.

“It’s clear that we can do better, but we have to remember that in Quebec universities, these diseases have only been established in the curriculum for a few years. Many doctors have never encountered this,” explains De.^R Alex Carignan, a microbiologist at the University of Sherbrooke, recently published a study showing that once diagnosed, the disease was treated very well in Quebec.

His colleague from CIUSSS de l’Estrie, D^D Mirabel Kelly says doctors should get into the habit of inquiring about their patients’ activities. “We have to create this reflex,” he believes.

ongoing

This educational work is especially important as these diseases spread as climate change moves species further north.

In fact, many areas are now classified by INSPQ as being “present” at risk. This is especially true for Quebec, certain areas in Chaudière-Apalaches, or Haute-Mauricie and Saguenay.

“I want us to be more proactive in public health,” Dee insists^R Carignan. With Lyme disease, we reacted, but there, we have the opportunity to act and monitor anaplasmosis, babesiosis and others.

Because once contracted after a bite, the disease can be difficult to diagnose. “Many people don’t have specific symptoms, and there’s a real difficulty in making an accurate diagnosis,” De explains^D Kelly.