Yolanda Foster: With Lyme disease, 'I have lost the ability to read, write, or even watch TV'
Real Housewife Yolanda Foster took to her blog to explain a her debilitating health condition. (Photo: Getty Images)
This past week, Yolanda Foster took to her Bravo TV blog to apologize for her recent absence from the Web. “Although writing is usually my favorite thing to do, I unfortunately have lost the ability to do so in an intelligent matter [sic] at this time,”she explains.
The culprit? Her three-year battle with Lyme disease. In her latest blog, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star shares that she had reached 60 percent recovery before relapsing with a new bout of the condition in December.
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“I have lost the ability to read, write, or even watch TV, because I can’t process information or any stimulation for that matter,”she writes. “It feels like someone came in and confiscated my brain and tied my hands behind my back to just watch and see life go by without me participating in it.”
Foster at the Selma premiere in December 2014. (Photo: Getty Images)
Roughly 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yearly, however recent research suggests diagnoses are tenfold higher — about 300,000 annually in the United States, according to 2013 estimates. Lyme disease, which can be difficult to diagnose because it mimics other conditions like lupus or multiple sclerosis, often leads to further complications down the line if it isn’t treated promptly.
In about 70 to 80 percent of cases the condition starts with a red “bull’s-eye rash”caused by a bite from an infected tick. In the first month, the disease often looks a lot like the flu, with symptoms like muscle aches, headaches, chills, fever, and fatigue, making a diagnosis difficult.
Physicians can order a series of lab tests if they suspect Lyme disease, but if no one catches the characteristic bull’s-eye rash (or if it doesn’t appear), one may not know to look for Lyme disease until later symptoms appear. Left untreated, the disease often leads to neurological symptoms and arthritis and can also cause heart palpitations, liver inflammation, and severe fatigue.
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The condition Foster refers to in her blog post is Lyme neuroborreliosis, an infection of the the brain caused by the bacteria spirochete, which can lead to cognitive difficulties, sensory problems and cranial nerve issues.
Treatment for Lyme disease, for which Oral antibiotics like doxycycline and amoxicillin are usually prescribed, usually begins as soon as the condition is identified. However, if the condition has progressed to involve the central nervous system, doctors usually administer antibiotics by IV for 14 to 28 days to effectively eliminate the infection from the system.
That said, for many, symptoms can linger much longer. In roughly 10 to 20 percent of cases, patients develop post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, which many simply call chronic Lyme disease. This can last upward of six months, and most experts think the nagging symptoms are caused by residual damage to tissue and the immune system, although some believe the issues are the result of an ongoing infection with the bacteria.
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Researchers continue to look into the cause of the long-term issues, which can seriously impair day-to-day life for Lyme disease sufferers post-treatment. “The most frustrating thing is that there is medical data on Lyme and spirochete infections going back all the way to 1908, but yet we still don’t have proper diagnostic testing, a vaccine, or a cure for Lyme disease while we are living in the United States of America, the most extraordinary country in the world,”Foster writes.
Foster’s case highlights the need for prompt action. If you experience the vague, flu-like early symptoms of Lyme, and have been in an area of the country where deer, tick bites and Lyme disease are prevalent such as the Northeast and Midwest, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.
Immediate diagnosis is crucial, because the earlier you get treatment, the better the outcome, and the lower the odds you’ll end up fighting a severe case like Foster — who, for her part, said she’ll continue to raise awareness for those suffering with the disease, as researchers continue to look into the prevalence, best treatment options and reasons for residual symptoms of this mysterious illness.
“I will made [sic] it my life mission to figure this out,”she writes, “because nobody deserves to suffer this way in 2015."
