Original article published by KVUE
Nurse practitioner takes on Lyme disease
By Celine McArthur
September 8, 2004
Lyme disease is the most common tick borne disease in the world.
While it can be treated, it can turn deadly because it's often misdiagnosed.
One Austin nurse practitioner is making it her mission to uncover these cases — and she's saving lives.
Ginger Savely loves her job as nurse practitioner because it allows her to spend quality time with her patients.
It's this connection that earned her the title "Texas Nurse Practitioner of the Year" and allowed her to uncover a potentially deadly problem in several of her patients — Lyme disease.
"You have to be a good detective," Savely said.
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria from a deer tick bite. The ticks are found in high grass or wooded areas mostly in the Northeast and some here in Texas. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, stiff neck, joint inflammation, overall itching, tooth pain, change in vision, trouble concentrating and sometimes a bulls-eye rash at the site of the tick bite. Doctors often misdiagnose the disease because it mimics other illnesses like MS, lupus, or chronic fatigue syndrome, so most people with Lyme disease are sent to all sorts of specialists.
"The list of "ologists" goes on and on, and by the time they come to me they've seen 10 other doctors," she said.
That's what happened to both Lisa Maynard and Jay Barnett.
Jay was infected by a tick in Llano — Lisa in Dripping Springs.
Both have been terribly ill for years.
"I felt like I wished I would die," Jay said.
Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with either of them and eventually gave up.
Lisa says one of her doctors told her "I need to send you to a psychiatrist, you obviously have some mental issues because no one could be in this much pain all the time."
That's when they found Ginger Savely.
She diagnosed their Lyme disease — and started treating them with very strong antibiotics.
Those antibiotics can range from $1,200 to $12,000 a month, and not all insurance covers them. Cost aside, Jay and Lisa say they're just relieved to find out what's really wrong with them. They also have some advice for doctors.
"Start listening to your patients, most people don't lie about being in pain, " Lisa said.
The best way to protect yourself against Lyme disease is to avoid wooded areas. If you can't, cover yourself head to toe with clothing and bug spray.