A GoFundMe page has been set up for a Rimbey area woman who has been experiencing Lyme disease symptoms and will have to travel out of province for treatment.
Amber Vigh, 32, says she has had to travel to B.C. to see a Lyme literate naturopath doctor in order to get the antibiotics (doxcycline) she needs to treat her symptoms.
“I will have to go back to B.C. to get my next round of antibiotics in about 20 days,” she said.
Her symptoms started about a month ago.
The 32-year-old mother of four-year-old Carter, five-year-old Daxton and nine-year-old Cadence felt great when she woke up on the morning of April 26.
She took her boys outside while she did some yard work.
She felt healthy, strong and happy.
But by 11:30 a.m. she felt none of the above.
In fact, she felt quite horrible as if someone had beaten her all over with a sledgehammer. She experienced a terrible headache and neck pain as well as extreme pain on her right side.
That night after her symptoms escalated and her fever rose she went to a local hospital.
She was immediately hooked up to an IV and received fluid, blood tests, blood cultures and several chest x-rays.
After spending the night in the hospital she was sent home and told she had a bad ‘flu’.
That was when the nightmare started up again.
“My fever was up and down all day long. My brain felt like it was about to explode and my skin hurt so bad and the cough started.”
After going to another doctor in a different hospital and a trip by ambulance to the Red Deer hospital, she was discharged about a week after being admitted. Vigh still has no answers, but believes she has lime disease as she is still suffering from symptoms related to the disease.
Kelly McCrea, who started the GoFundMe page for her daughter said the young woman is in need of several medications and supplements that aren’t covered.
She said the family is looking at costs of approximately $1,000 for monthly travel expenses and prescriptions costs, proper testing is $1,300; supplements are up to $400 per month. Assistance to help with the children may also be needed during the treatment.
“Our goal is to help Amber heal and support her during this time so she can be there for her young family,” said McCrea.
A link to the Amber Vigh Go Fund Me page is https://www.gofundme.com/amber039s-lyme-disease-nightmare
MORE TO COME
tmielke@rimbeyreview.com
