Seven Decades Elapsed Between Infection and Diagnosis: Harriet Bishop’s Story

by Susan Williams

Harriet Bishop was just six years old, living in a tent all summer in northern Arizona's cool pine forests with her father and brothers, when she was first bitten. “I remember my parents were very upset upon seeing a ‘bulls-eye’ rash on my back,” she recalls. “My older brother even remarked that he could use me for target practice! It turns out that the tick had worse repercussions than an arrow might have had.” The year was 1934, a virtual Dark Ages in terms of tick-borne diseases.

That winter, the little girl was terribly ill with nausea, vomiting, digestive disruption, and pain. “After that, I was a weak child and couldn't keep up with my peers in any sports. From that time on, I had painful symptoms throughout my lifetime, and I just managed it, thinking everyone had these problems,” she admitted. It would not be until the year 2005; 71 years later that Harriet would be properly diagnosed.

In spite of her illness, this mother of five has had an adventurous life. In the 1940s, she worked various summer jobs in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Big Bear Lake, California. “I removed numerous ticks from my body during that time,” Harriet remembers. “In 1954, I was bitten probably a hundred times all over my body while spending a night in a communal hut half way up the side of Mt. Fuji in Japan where we lived.”

In 1956, she moved into a house in Panama City, Florida, where she experienced overpowering spells of nausea and vertigo, and uterine bleeding that required surgical intervention. “That house was later discovered to be completely infested with ticks. They were so tiny as to be nearly invisible but, once noted, they were seen to all. They were crawling up the interior plastered wall, thousands of them all at once!”

In the early 1960's, Harriet and her family lived in Germany. “We hiked the Black Forest, kicking through ankle-deep leaves in the fall. Only a few ticks,” she jokes. By 1968, she had moved onto a ranch in south Texas. “We raised dogs of several breeds as well as the cattle and horses common to Texas ranches. So many deer roamed that three orphaned deer became our pets and ran with our dogs.... ticks were everywhere and on every one of us.” Although Harriet does not remember seeing a rash at this time, her hands began to develop strange lesions that would not heal.

In 1986, another move took Harriet to Vancouver, British Columbia. She participated in swimming teams, ice skating groups, cross-country ski groups, and hiking groups. “In 1990, after a hike in a bog that turned into a scramble through a thorny glacial meadow, I noted scratches all over my body from the barbs that went through my Levis. On my right upper thigh the next week there was one last remaining lesion that didn't heal. It was reddened around it, and had a little thing in it that I thought was a thorn tip. I couldn't get it out with tweezers because it was embedded so deeply. There is only a tiny scar there now. There was another on my right heel and another on my left ankle that now are hardened nodules. I believe all three were sick ticks.”

In July 1991, after a period of stress from the illness and death of her mother, Harriet began experiencing severe insomnia. “My heart pounded, my body and brain were on overdrive, too exhausted for natural sleep and too exhausted to do any physical work without a great deal of help. I now know that feeling was caused by exhausted adrenals and, though I have had treatment for it, it still returns in times of great stress.”

Then came the severe widespread pain and stiffness that the doctor could not treat. Puzzled, he put her on bed rest. Harriet’s search led her to twenty-six different doctors of various specialties. “Some were nice and tried their best, to no avail, but most 'blamed the victim',” she noted.

As an example, she recounts the story of her visit to a rheumatologist who dismissed her from the office, telling her to come back when her hands were well. “She refused to see me for joint pain and muscle spasms even though her respected mentor had referred me to her. I became indignant, and told her I couldn't find anyone who could help-- who would she suggest!”

The doctor gave Harriet the name of an infectious disease specialist. “This doctor condescended only to look at me standing up in the waiting room and, in the presence of all the other patients, tell me rudely I was in the wrong kind of office! Once again, I asked where I should go."

From there, Harriet was referred to a well-known dermatologist. “For nearly a year this arrogant guy refused to listen to any input from me, but I gave him lots of time to prove to myself that I was not just ‘doctor-hopping.’ He refused to believe and couldn't see that the steroid creams were making it all worse, causing an overgrowth that buried the infection far below, insuring the accelerated pain and deepening symptoms. On our final office visit, which I came to call 'confrontations,' he said that I was causing it myself and I needed a psychiatrist! This time I didn't bother to ask for a referral,” she notes dryly.

At one point, she had an opportunity to consult a neuropsychopharmacologist who had written books on fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. “I was treated in his office all day for a solid week, twice within six months. During these all-day sessions he tried different doses of varying drugs to try to find what helped, and to try to determine what was wrong.” Some of the IV's that he administered did help relieve her pain, as did some trigger point injections that were also effective in relieving muscle spasms.

“At the end of our sessions, he said he did not know what was wrong with my hands, but he declared the problem was not ‘all in my mind’ nor was it within my brain, except insofar as the immune function had failed to prevent my body from fighting off this infection. As we parted for the last time, he gently shook my white-gloved hand and said that I needed a better dermatologist! I never did find one.”

Meanwhile, Harriet’s husband, who holds a Masters degree of Public Health, and is intensely interested in epidemiology, was encouraging her to make slides of the things that she extracted from her fingers. She describes, “My local general practitioner tried everything he knew, and even used his own microscope to examine the various kinds of strange objects that came out of my fingers. There were jagged red crystals, black seed-like specks and long undulating fibers, and shapes like miniscule cockroaches, all hairy. My general practitioner approved when I added to my health care team an internist who was skilled in alternative medicine, including homeopathy and energy medicine.

This internist came close when he considered and prescribed for 'a form of rickettsia' but he apparently did not think of Lyme specifically.”

“I do not have to tell you how debilitating the condition was, bleeding and oozing and making most hand work impossible, even to turning the car ignition and opening doors. Sewing and playing the piano were impossible for years, as was washing vegetables and dishes.”

In March 2005, Harriet’s daughter happened to see a television clip featuring a Lyme- Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) and microscope slides that looked just like Harriet’s. “The narrative startled me with the statement that most patients with Morgellons also had Lyme disease!” she exclaimed. With the blessing of her local general practitioner, Harriet made an appointment with the LLMD.

By May 2005, Harriet had tested positive for Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Bartonella, Ehrlichiosis (now called Anaplasmosis), and Mycoplasma, and was also diagnosed with Morgellons. “My course of action seemed clear: put myself in the hands of the LLMD and comply fully. I resolved to do whatever it took, for however long it took.”

When asked about her progress, Harriet responds with an energy and vibrancy that belie her 78 years. “It is two years later now, and I no longer have constant nausea, frequent debilitating dizzy spells, and exhausting fatigue. But best of all, my fingers are healing. They are 85% better.” Subsequent Western Blots of Harriet’s blood are now negative for Babesia, Bartonella, and Ehrlichiosis.

“Now I can race my grandchildren in our kayaks on the Guadalupe River,” she smiles. Harriet credits several therapies to helping her on her journey towards wellness. “The antibiotics to get at the Lyme spirochetes and the blood cell parasites, and the antiparasitics for the inevitable infestations of the worms we all seem to have. Also, an over-the-counter (OTC) topical ointment with painkilling ingredients also helped with softening the skin; Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream; and Ayurvedic topical oils from Shankara.com. Daily very deep breathing to maximize oxygen in the tissues; yoga to induce a deeper, more healing level of sleep and lessen muscle spasms; and deep sleep, however you can get it.

And I simply must put in a plug here for a product that allegedly increases the body's supply of glutathione by 300%! It is the Skin Care Patch by LifeWave, a nanotechnology company. And yes, it did get worse before it got better; so don't get discouraged when the condition seems to worsen. You will be on the right track. Persistence is key.”

Harriet has put her persistence and knowledge to use, serving on the Board of Directors of the newly formed Texas Lyme Disease Association since September 2006. “If Lyme disease can be prevented in children, or even diagnosed and treated sooner, they will have more opportunities throughout their lifetimes for healthful activities and a better chance to reach their full potential,” she asserts. “I think it is the responsibility of those of us who have ‘been there’ to do all we can to spread the knowledge we have gained through our experiences in order to attain that goal for our youth.”