West Nile Virus Survivor

Surviving West Nile Virus
by Jim Anderson, Correspondent

A couple of weeks back I wrote an article about West Nile Virus (WNV) that contained a few suggestions on what to do to avoid contacting the dreaded illness.

As I was writing the piece, I wanted acquaint you with the clinical aspects of the disease, but not knowing anyone who survived a bout with West Nile I didn't have any firsthand knowledge of what the infection can do to a human being.

I had no idea that two weeks later I would meet Amber Wolf, a WNV survivor.

Amber is an artist who recently moved from Santa Fe, New Mexico into her home in Squaw Creek Canyon Estates, and I asked her if she would share her thoughts on the disease with others.

"Yes," she said. "Especially if it will help anyone to know if they have the disease and if they seek medical aid quickly (they) may not have to go through the excruciating pain and paralysis that I experienced."

Amber's experience with West Nile all started when she began to notice dead birds near her home in Santa Fe.

"I thought it was strange that so many birds were hitting my windows," she said. "I can't remember all of the birds that were laying around, but I do recall there were dead finches, flickers and hummingbirds around my house."

Being an outdoor person and canoeist, Amber did not especially recall being bitten by mosquitoes; they just go with her lifestyle.

"There are so many historical acequias carrying slow-moving irrigation water, mosquitoes aren't hurting for places to breed," she said.

The dead birds began turning up the last part of May 2003.

One morning, in the middle of June, Amber woke up with an intense headache and fever, accompanied by muscle and joint pain.

Being prone to spells of mild fever, she didn't think much about it, however, and thought, "Oh, well, maybe the other stuff just goes with the fever..." and let it go at that.

"That's when I should have called the doctor," she said.

Neither the headache nor the fever went away.

Within days other problems appeared; a rash spread over her chest and arms and severe neck pains began.

A week later she was suffering from even more intense headaches and her "mild" fever was at 101. Amber thought she might have a sinus infection and continued to put up with the pain and hoped things would get better soon.

A week later Amber's headache went to critical proportions and for two days, she had red, bloodshot eyes, and also noticed her lymph glands were swollen and painful.

Then real disaster struck; she woke one morning to discover she was paralyzed on her upper torso.

"It felt as though my body wasn't there anymore," she said, "but the ungodly headaches and neck pains went on so bad that I wanted to stop living."

She finally got to the hospital and was diagnosed with WNV.

If there was any "good news" at this point, it was that Amber had escaped the horrors of meningitis. She was still paralyzed, there were no known medication she could take to help her through her paralysis and unbearable headaches; and she knew it was up to her own body and immune system to either get her well -- or...

Two weeks later Amber woke in the morning to the sweet feeling of life returning to her hands and arms, and she regained her ability to move her upper torso.

The headaches were on the wane, the rash was gone, and her lymph glands had gone down to normal.

But what was left was a woman with very little strength to move; all she wanted to do was sleep.

Although she was past the critical phase of the WNV and on the mend, she had very little appetite and felt intense fatigue all day long.

Today, a little over year from when she was so ill, Amber knows she is a very fortunate woman.

Many of the patients she shared her time with in the hospital in Santa Fe are still there, paralyzed from head to toe and without any hope of coming out of their dilemma.

Amber says there are three things you should look for if you're suspicious of WNV infection:

• Fever and intense head and neck ache that lasts more than 24 hours.

• Swollen lymph glands or rash.

If these symptoms persist, call your doctor immediately. Take it from a woman who knows.

Frances Hansen West Nile Virus Survivor

West Nile Virus Survivor

News Update
Frances Hansen of Chandler was infected with the West Nile virus last May and has been dealing with pain, vision problems and memory loss since. Jennifer Grimes Tribune
Many people stricken by West Nile virus suffer
By Jennifer Ryan, Tribune
It’s been almost 10 months since John Braaten was diagnosed with West Nile virus, but he still cries in pain from his symptoms. Braaten, 35, of Apache Junction developed meningitis from the virus, swelling of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The condition causes severe pain in his neck and spine. No matter how much medicine he takes or praying he does, Braaten said he can’t get rid of the pain. "It’s still haunting me," he said. "It’s amazing how one mosquito bite can turn your life upside down." Braaten’s drawn-out battle with West Nile reflects a finding by public health officials in Maricopa County and other parts of the country such as New York and Colorado: Long recovery times are common among people struck hard by the mosquito-borne disease. As county health officials prepare for another season of human infections, they continue to work with people still suffering the effects of last year’s epidemic, which lasted from about April to November. A follow-up study has found that of 241 confirmed West Nile cases that resulted in neuroinvasive disease — including meningitis, flaccid paralysis and encephalitis, swelling of the brain — fewer than half had fully recovered since they were infected with the virus last season. About 35 percent reported recovery at halfway to 100 percent, and 24 percent of people said they were less than half recovered, or not at all. The total cases include 23 people who were not found during follow-up. "We need people to realize this is not an innocuous disease," said Dr. Robert Jones, director of biodefense preparedness and response for the county’s Department of Public Health. "This disease can change your life." County officials are following up with people three and six months after they developed a neuroinvasive disease from West Nile, asking them to rate their recovery on a scale for certain symptoms. Of those surveyed after six months, most people complained of continued fatigue. About one in five reported weakness or headaches, 13 percent complained of cognitive difficulties and 11 percent said they had problems with equilibrium. The group includes people who are still paralyzed in parts of their body, have difficulty walking without crutches or a wheelchair, or rely on supportive care at home or in a nursing facility, Jones said. "These are individuals who had a major insult to their central nervous system," he said. "The fact this disease produces encephalitis and meningitis makes it something you don’t want to get." Banner Health is planning a support group for West Nile survivors, an idea prompted by people enduring long recovery times, said Caryn Yarbrough, an emergency management specialist for Banner Health. The company’s hospitals treated 80 percent of people hospitalized for West Nile last year, she said. Most people infected with West Nile develop no symptoms, or mild, flulike ones. Debilitating and lengthy side effects usually occur in those who develop a central nervous system disorder, doctors said. But there are people without encephalitis, meningitis or flaccid paralysis who continue to struggle many months after their infection, they said. One of them is Frances Hansen. The 88-year- old Chandler woman said she was bitten by mosquitoes last May and diagnosed with West Nile over the summer, but still has pain in her fingers, memory loss and trouble doing many daily activities she used to do before. "I have a lot of pain that could be attributed to a lot of things, but I was holding my own until I got bit by mosquitoes," she said. "Since then, I’ve been going downhill. I can’t even buy my own groceries." The infection sent her blood pressure sky high, caused pain in her eyes and teeth, led to two bouts with pneumonia, and left the right side of her body temporarily paralyzed, she said. "I don’t know where it didn’t go," Hansen said of West Nile. "I’m lucky I’m still alive."
Contact Jennifer Ryan by email, or phone (480) 898-6535

West Nile Virus Survivor

West Nile survivor still suffering
Author: L.C. Greene, Staff WriterDate: March 7, 2005 Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
UPLAND - The brush with death seems like yesterday for Jack Raney.
In fact, it's been seven long months since West Nile virus ravaged his brain and left the 46-year-old Upland man permanently disabled.
Raney attends physical therapy three times a week. Despite months of hard work, his short-term memory remains impaired, his emotions are fragile, and he has yet to fully regain the use of his right arm, let alone his strength.
"I have a long way to go," Raney said.

West Nile Virus Survivor

West Nile survivor tells his story
Editor's Note: CNN Access is a regular feature on CNN.com providing interviews with newsmakers from around the world.
(CNN) --Louisiana's governor is declaring a state of emergency as health officials try to stop a deadly outbreak of the West Nile Virus. Four people so far have died in that state from the mosquito-borne illness. More than 50 others are ill and dozens of additional cases are suspected.
David Hood, Secretary of Health and Hospitals for the state, and a victim of the virus, Douglas Easterbrook, joined CNN from Baton Rouge.
DOUGLAS EASTERBROOK, WEST NILE VICTIM: Good morning, sir.
SECRETARY. DAVID HOOD, LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HOSPITALS: Good morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Mr. Easterbrook, so many of us are so unfamiliar with West Nile Virus. But certainly your case is very different. Go back a few weeks. Do you remember when you were stung by a mosquito?
EASTERBROOK: No, sir. I do not.
HEMMER: Do you remember the symptoms, how they came on and what did you feel, sir?
EASTERBROOK: My first symptoms was I was asleep. It was about two o'clock in the morning. And I woke up with probably the worst, or a very severe chill. I dreamed I had fell into a river of ice and water. And I woke my wife up to try to get me warm. That's my first knowing of it.
HEMMER: Did you go to the hospital right away?
EASTERBROOK: No, sir. It was about five days later before I actually went to the hospital.
HEMMER: And during that time did you still have the chills or did you experience other things?
EASTERBROOK: I got rid of that chill that night and the rest of the night was OK and the next day was like a Thursday, I guess. I had a good day Thursday, maybe just a touch of fever or something, but I really didn't feel bad. And Friday I had more chills and the fever started Friday. I went to some birthday parties on Saturday. Sunday I went to church, but Sunday afternoon I came down with a rash over my body. And it was -- I didn't have any Benadryl so I went to the drug store, Wal-Mart, and bought a bottle of Benadryl, because I thought maybe I had eaten something that gave me a rash.
The only thing I'd had up to that time was chills and some fever and the rash. And then...
HEMMER: So you go to the hospital. How long did it take doctors there to diagnose your condition?
EASTERBROOK: Well, I went to two different hospitals. The first hospital could not really help me and they transferred me to a bigger hospital in Baton Rouge. And I think, you know, they have to do a spinal tap and send it off for results. And it took about three or four days for the results to come back before they actually knew that I had West Nile Virus.
HEMMER: What are you feeling today? What are the lingering effects?
EASTERBROOK: Like vertigo. I have a hard time with my balance.
HEMMER: Wow.
Secretary Hood, what are you telling the people in your taste on how they can protect themselves and what possibly the state can even do at this point?
HOOD: Well, we've declared war on mosquitoes here in Louisiana and we're trying to enlist all our citizens into the fight against mosquitoes. What that means is taking personal precautions such as wearing insect repellant and also getting rid of any standing water on their property.
HEMMER: The state of New York had an outbreak last summer. Have you learned anything from New York or other parts of the country?
HOOD: Well, actually, I think the big outbreak was in 1999 in New York. And since then it's been moving south. We certainly were expecting it here in Louisiana and we were also prepared for it. We began to do surveillance activities on birds and mosquitoes as long ago as March and April of this year and directing our spraying to those areas where it would do the most good.
HEMMER: There are 34 suspected cases right now under investigation. Can you confirm whether or not any of these 34 have been upgraded to West Nile Virus?
HOOD: We're still in the confirmatory process right now and I can't say how many are going to be confirmed, actually. But I expect that we're going to see another significant increase, probably within the next 24 hours.
HEMMER: Given that answer, then, as a state, do you feel you're ahead of the game, behind the game or somewhere in the middle or you're...
HOOD: I think we were better prepared than most states would have been and I think that for the most part we're ahead of the game. In other words, it could have been much worse if we had not started early in our surveillance activities.
HEMMER: Mr. Easterbrook, for those out there who are trying to avoid something that you fell into, what would you tell them today?
EASTERBROOK: I would tell everyone don't stop going outside just because I have the West Nile Virus or because the mosquitoes are out there. But take the necessary precautions and go outside and dump all your standing water, the water under the plants. If you have old tires or tubs or whatever, get rid of the water outside. And if there are mosquitoes out there, see if you can get mosquito spray and spray them. But make sure you put it on yourself before you go outside.
HEMMER: I think it's excellent advice.
To Secretary Hood, in the few seconds we have left here, mosquitoes were everywhere in your state. They're like ants. How do you fight that battle?
HOOD: Well, by trying to get the message out to every citizen in the state. We have four and a half million people in Louisiana. We've got a media campaign going to alert them to the danger and telling them what to do about it. So I think we're just going to hammer that home and we're going to continue our spraying activities and our surveillance activities.
HEMMER: All right, Secretary David Hood down there in Louisiana, Douglas Easterbrook, a victim, too. Hey, take care of your health, OK, Mr. Easterbrook? And thanks for sharing your story.
Find this article at: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/conditions/08/05/west.nile.cnna/index.html

Milton and Betty Harbuck

Survivor

Milton and Betty Harbuck endured four months of recovery after contracting the West Nile virus.
by Warren WatkinseditorWith a name indicating it came from the other side of the world, West Nile virus seems to be a disease residents of Sherwood should not worry about. But the story of Dr. Milton Harbuck will change your mind.Harbuck, a 25-year Sherwood resident, was stricken by the virus last year, and he and his wife, Betty, are counting their blessings today after a four-month fight. A dentist who practiced in Malvern, he served on staff with the Veteran’s Administration and retired in 1989.Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004, Harbuck awoke with a headache and fever. During the next week, his doctor prescribed antibiotics and antihistamines, thinking it was something much more common.Then a week later, Harbuck was rushed to the hospital with a 103-degree fever after a friend found him pacing the hallway of his home in a daze. The next day a doctor ordered a blood test for, among other things, West Nile virus. After three nights, he was transferred to the intensive care unit with a temperature of 104.5 and placed on a ventilator.The next Wednesday the test results came back.“My daughter said, ‘Mom, they got the results back, and it’s West Nile virus,’” said Betty. “I had just killed a mosquito when she said that.”Remembering the specific bite that infected him is impossible, but Betty seems to remember one particular mosquito. “I said to him one day, ‘You have a mosquito bite on your cheek.’ He said, ‘Do I?’ We think that might have been it. Who knows?”According to Baptist Health, where Harbuck was treated, the test results did show he was suffering from West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause a range of symptoms of varying severity in humans. There are no medications or vaccines that can counteract the virus, only the symptoms can be treated.Seventeen days later Harbuck was released from ICU and transferred to Semper Care, a long-term acute care facility located on the Baptist Health Medical Center—Little Rock campus, where he was received a tracheotomy.“I didn’t think they would ever get him out of ICU,” Betty said. “They didn’t think he would make it.”“I don’t remember any of it until 10 and a half weeks after going into the hospital,” Harbuck said. During that time Harbuck had no food or water by mouth; he was not in a coma, but not able to communicate.Then on Oct. 15 the miracle happened.“I got a call from the hospital,” Betty said. “A funny-sounding voice spoke to me, and I was thrilled. It was him.”Harbuck was transferred to the Baptist Rehabilitation Institute Oct. 28, where he spent three weeks before being taken to Briarwood Recuperative Care for 31 more days. Finally, after 18 more days in BRI, the ordeal was over.“The doctors said, ‘You’re our miracle man,’” Betty said.Harbuck went into the hospital on Sept. 7, 2004, and came home Jan. 7, 2005, a day before his 76th birthday—four months to the day.Down 35 pounds, Harbuck now receives daily therapy treatments in his home. The virus left him with a paralyzed right arm, severe weakness, slurred speech and memory loss.“I feel good but there is that trepidation of how the transition will go,” Harbuck said. “I was in the hospital so long and everything was done for me.”The incubation period for West Nile virus is five to 15 days. The Harbucks live on the bank of Five Mile Creek in south Sherwood, just on the border with North Little Rock.Is there a chance more Sherwood residents could become infected? Health Department officials warn against the possibility throughout the state constantly, not just in Sherwood.The city of Sherwood has an aggressive campaign to fight mosquitoes, using a garlic-based spray instead of the diesel fuel used years ago.Spraying one’s body with repellant is recommended. “Deet is the best defense against it, but you have to be careful with children, because they may have complications with Deet,” Harbuck said. “I was a healthy man with a miniscule chance of getting it—and I got it,” Harbuck said.