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The data and information presented in this web site are presented in good faith and believed to be accurate. Any and all liability for the content or any omissions including any inaccuracies, errors, or misstatements in such data or information is expressly disclaimed. The web site is compiled for the sole purpose of informing community members of resources and information pertaining to Lyme Borreliosis Disease and its coinfections.
The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, Directors and members are not liable for any direct or indirect damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from this website.
Consult a qualified Lyme ( Borreliosis ) Disease literate doctor for medical advice if Lyme Disease is suspect.
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Doctors Debate Credibility Of Morgellons Disease
Patients Say Growth Causes Them To Itch Uncontrollably
POSTED: 11:06 am CST March 2, 2005
http://www.click2houston.com/health/4246515/detail.html
UPDATED: 10:03 pm CST March 2, 2005
HOUSTON -- A growing problem in Texas has some victims feeling like
something is living under their skin.
But, is it a real problem or just their imagination? That is the fight that
is playing out between some doctors, nurses and government health agencies.
Kaye Koeberle, a Morgellons disease patient from Houston, told Local 2 that
an unexplainable growth caused her to itch uncontrollably before the growth
felt like it had crawled out of her skin.
"When I would get out of the shower, it would itch so bad I could hardly
stand it. One day, I was in front of the mirror and I could see these white
things, five of them, just sticking out of my shoulder," Koeberle said.
Nurse practitioner Ginger Savely, who studies the disease, said she has seen
dozens of cases in her office.
"I think this is like a horrible science fiction movie. First off, all you
have is this horrible and scary situation going on in your own body that's
different than anything you've ever heard of, so it feels like you've been
inhabited by aliens, and then to add insult to injury, no one will believe
you," Savely said.
Some patients said they have even tried to perform their own research to
show doctors what is living beneath their skin.
"I took (a sample) and put it in a petri dish. Those filaments would grow
and get longer and longer, and curl around the petri dish," Koeberle said.
Even though many doctors do not recognize Morgellons as a disease, Savely
thinks the sheer numbers of people reporting symptoms add to its
credibility. California is the only state with more reported cases than
Texas.
"I can't believe the people from all over, all walks of life, would describe
something the very same way if it were a delusion," Savely said.
And, if it isn't bad enough that there is no treatment, trying to get the
research completed to prove the creepy crawlers really exist has proven to
be just as difficult. There is no funding available to research it because
government health agencies do not recognize it as a disease.
"I always feel that people should keep an open mind and I think there are
scientific experiments, what we call evidence-based medicine, that can prove
or disprove that an organism is causing this," University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston dermatologist Dr. Stephen Tucker said.
Doctors said they have noticed that many patients who complain about
Morgellons symptoms have also been treated or are undergoing treatment for
Lyme disease, which suppresses the immune system. The doctors said when the
immune system is corrected, the crawling feelings under the patient's skin
is often corrected too.
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