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West Nile virus — Mosquito bite turns family's life upside down
McCOOK, Neb. — Like many, Angela and Lynn Thomas brushed aside warnings of West Nile virus.
“I had heard of it and I thought it was like the flu, you get over it, no big deal,” Angela said. But after Lynn ended up spending over a week in the hospital after getting the virus, they both think differently now.
“A mosquito turned our life upside down. And I really don’t want anyone else to have to go through this,” Angela said.
It started over the Labor Day weekend when Lynn had a severe headache and extreme fatigue that he couldn’t shake. Already dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure and three stents in his heart, Lynn wanted to just “ride it out.” But after a few days, Lynn decided he needed to see the doctor.
“I really thought they’d give us medicine for a bad headache and send us home,” Angela believed. But hints that something else was going on were evident even then: the exhaustion was so overwhelming for Lynn at that point that he couldn’t sit up while blood tests were administered.
He was asked if he remembered being bit by a tick or mosquito (he didn’t remember either), or what kind of food he had eaten (nothing out of the ordinary). Meanwhile, his blood pressure had dropped to 80/60 and his fever was escalating.
The doctor ordered an IV, CT scan and a spinal tap, as meningitis, an infection that affects the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, was suspected. At that point, there was no way of knowing if it was bacterial meningitis (contagious), or caused by a virus, Angela said, which was particularly disconcerting as they had just their granddaughter with them over the weekend.
Lynn was admitted to the hospital, his condition worsening by the hour. The next day, he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Kearney, where another CT scan was ordered and he was put on two anti-virals and four antibiotics.
West Nile wasn’t ruled out, but pending test results, neither were Lyme disease, food-borne bacteria, e-coli or listeria.
Although the meningitis was found not to be bacterial, or contagious, things still weren't looking good. Lynn continued to deteriorate and became disorientated when his fever spiked at 105. His breathing became compromised and his oxygen saturation levels dropped, as his stomach and bowels quit functioning and were pressing against his diaphragm. At that point, doctors decided Lynn needed to go to Omaha, where an infectious disease doctor could suss out what was causing the infection.
Not knowing what was going on was the worst part, Angela said. As Lynn was brought to the helicopter by gurney, Angela said she realized how serious things were. “I kissed him goodbye on the gurney and I wasn’t certain at that point if he was going to make it,” she recalled.
Once in Omaha, Lynn’s room was full of doctors and nurses by the time Angela arrived. Another spinal tap was ordered as well as an MRI.
It was a rough night for Lynn, she said, but by the next day, his fever had started to subside. Later, the virus was positively identified as West Nile, nine days after he was first admitted to the hospital.
West Nile is not contagious and is transmitted by mosquitoes that acquire it from infected birds. While most people who get it have only minor symptoms, such as a fever or a mild headache, those who have a compromised immune system such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease can develop serious complications. If West Nile virus enters the brain it can be life-threatening and cause encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
As there is no cure or vaccine, only symptoms of West Nile can be treated, symptoms that can mimic other illnesses. West Nile fever usually lasts only a few days, but signs of encephalitis or meningitis can linger for weeks or months.
By the time he was diagnosed, Lynn’s fever was dropping and his body was rallying to fight the virus. After moving out of intensive care, he began physical therapy as the virus and his long hospital stay had weakened his physical strength.
Now home in McCook, he is taking it one step at a time, literally, as he is easily fatigued. “Taking a shower wipes him out,” Angela said. Home health visits are helping and a doctor has said he can possibly return to work in about four weeks.
And since being home, Angela found out she, too, has the virus, after being notified by mail that blood she had donated weeks ago had tested positive for it. She remembers feeling under the weather for a few days with a headache but had no other symptoms.
During the extended stay at the hospitals, Angela had to shut down her graphic art/printing business and that’s made a dent in resources. Despite having “excellent” insurance from Lynn’s place of employment, bills are adding up, due to out-of-pocket expenses of meals, travel and housing incurred during the hospital stay, coupled with regular monthly bills. A go-fund me account has been started at https://www.gofundme.com/help-west-nile-victim.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has reported 43 cases of West Nile in Nebraska so far this year, with no deaths. Last year, there were 68 cases and two deaths in Nebraska. Nationwide, a total of 1,047 people have been infected with West Nile this year with 49 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Lynn and Angela consider themselves lucky: strokes can occur with the virus, causing permanent disability or death. If they had tried to tough it out at home, without doctors intervening, Lynn could have been another statistic.
Now, they are extra vigilant when it comes to being outdoors and want to spread the word that West Nile is nothing to play around with. These means wearing long sleeve shirts and pants outside, along with applying insect repellents containing DEET and emptying standing water.
“I used to sit on the back deck, slap at a bite, and never thought much of it,” Lynn said. “Now, we’re taking better care of ourselves. That little mosquito kicked my butt.”