DES MOINES, Iowa — Lyme disease was never something that crossed Marcy Stone’s mind until she realized something wasn’t right last summer.
“In August I just hit a brick a wall. I kept getting sicker and sicker. We didn`t have an answer, we hadn`t been camping, I didn`t have a bug bite or have a rash.”
Stone doesn’t remember getting bitten by a tick, but flu-like symptoms, extreme pain and tremors landed her in the emergency room multiple times. For months, she says that she was misdiagnosed. Doctors told her they thought she was overly stressed or that her symptoms were similar to some types of cancer.
Several months later, doctors diagnosed stone with Lyme disease.
Unity Point Health physician Dr. Wenny Jean says the disease is difficult to diagnose.
“There is a change of symptoms from early to late stages of Lyme disease, it can kind of be called the ‘Great Imitator.’ It’s often missed with testing or talking with your doctor.”
Even then, Dr. Jean says testing isn’t always accurate. She says depending on when you receive the tick bite and when you get tested is a big factor. Some tests will only test positive if the disease has been in the bloodstream for more than three weeks.
However, the longer the bacteria is in the body, the more dangerous Lyme disease can be. Stone now walks with a walker and was forced to resign from her job as a pastor due to her deteriorating memory.
Doctors said Stone was likely bitten as a child. Never knowing she had the disease, she passed it on to her three kids.
Stone’s 16–year–old daughter, Addie, sleeps up to 16 hours some days.
“It kind of hit her really hard and so it’s kind of scary to think that may happen to me,” Addie Stone said.
Regardless of their circumstances, the Stone family says they are all fortunate but they would like to see more accurate testing to help give others the peace of mind.
“It’s really been a learning experience for us. We really had no idea and I would just say push on and don`t lose hope.”
According to the CDC, there were 153 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in Iowa in 2013.
You can follow the Stone’s family journey with Lyme Disease on Caring Bridge at Marcy Monologues or donate to their go fund me page.