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5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,M ay 2,2019 insidehalton.com 905.632.1414 728 Burloak (South of the QEW) Farewell Foot Pain Foot & Health Clinic.com Our foot care starts with education. We treat all foot issues so you can live without pain & improve mobility • Best Chiropodist / Clinic / Orthotics provider since 2004 •We put care & service first! York state and Europe. Halton's new estimated risk area status comes as no surprise to local residents living with Lyme disease, like Jodi Stansfield, who's more aware than most that the blacklegged tick popu- lation has been growing in Ontario. The Georgetown woman has been battling the seri- ous bacterial infection for a decade. She was working as a high school teacher when she began experiencing in- tense dizziness - a symptom doctors chalked up to a vi- ral inner ear infection. As headaches, vertigo, nausea and extreme fatigue began to set in, Stansfield strug- gled to continue working in the months and years that followed, and ultimatelyfollowed, and ultimatelyf had to leave her job and stop driving. "By this point I was sleeping 18 hours a day, and I was in so much pain," she says. "My mom moved in to help raise our daughter. I was told I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life." Stansfield saw more than 30 specialists over 5½ years before receiving a di- agnosis of Lyme disease - a conclusion achieved by travelling to the United States for testing after tests done in Canada turned up negative results. "We were celebrating be- cause we were happy to have an answer," she re- calls. "But we didn't realize this was a whole new bat- tle." A host of co-infections can come along with Lyme disease, and Stansfield was also diagnosed with Babe- sia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain spotted fe- ver and a viral infection. The local woman has been on high-dose antibiot- ics since July 2014 to treat the disease, along with anti- malaria drugs and a long list of prescription medica- tions and supplements. In total, she takes 45 pills ev- ery day to combat Lyme disease, co-infections and their devastating effects. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel for Stans- field. With treatment, she isfield. With treatment, she isf slowly getting better. "I'm in a lot less pain, and I'm back to driving again," she says. "Fatigue and brain fog continue to be my biggest challenges. I sleep a lot. But once I can get those under control, I'm hoping to go back to work." In the meantime, Stans- field has been working hardfield has been working hardf to educate local residents on Lyme disease, co-infec- tions and the ways they can protect themselves. She previously served as a board member with Lyme Ontario and continues to help the organization raise awareness. She encourages anyone who develops the classic bull's-eye rash to seek anti- biotic treatment immedi- ately because early inter- vention is key. She says some people may dismiss it as another type of bug bite and not seek medical atten- tion. She's also spreading the word that not everyone who has Lyme - including herself - will experience the rash so commonly associat- ed with the disease. Stansfield is quite cer- tain she didn't contract Lyme disease locally but says she has a number of friends in the Lyme com-friends in the Lyme com-f munity who live in George- town, with two who believe they developed the bacteri- al infection after receiving tick bites in their own back- yard. Halton joins many mu- nicipalities across the prov- ince defined as estimated risk areas for Lyme disease by Public Health Ontario, which issues a map annual- ly to raise public aware- ness. "PHO's Ontario Lyme disease estimated risk map also assists clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, with poten- tial exposures or tick bites in the risk areas as shown on the map indicating greater concern as to the risks of Lyme disease," ex- plains Dr. Mark Nelder, an entomologist at Public Health Ontario. "Public health unit staff can also use the map during Lyme disease case investigations when determining the most likely exposure locations." So what is Halton doing in response to the new sta- tus? "Unlike with mosquitoes and West Nile virus, there are no pest management options for ticks and Lyme disease," says Meghani. "Health department staff will continue to conduct surveillance and communi- cate the risk of exposure to blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease so residents, local physicians and health-care providers will have the most current information to make the most informed decisions in order to protect themselves." Health department and PHO officials recommend that local residents take personal protective mea- sures to prevent exposure to Lyme disease, such as wearing insect repellent, long-sleeved shirts and pants tucked into socks, staying on trails and check- ing skin for ticks after spending time in areas con- sidered suitable tick habi- tats. "If people begin feeling ill days or weeks after hik- ing and they've been in a Lyme disease risk area, they should contact their health-care provider for possible diagnosis and treatment," says Nelder. For more information, visit halton.ca, www.publi- chealthontario.ca or lyme- ontario.com. ANALYSIS Continued from page 4 STORY BEHIND THE STORY We dug deeper after learning of Halton's new status as an estimated risk area for Lyme disease to keep residents informed as tick season begins. Since 1991 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 peterwatsoninvestments.com Thinking of Retiring… Someday? Let's Talk. Visit our website to sign up for a free consultation. Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Jennifer Watson MBA Pud bySteveNease