An Oklahoma woman was on a lake vacation when she was bitten by a tick infected with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Jo Rogers, 40, was put into a medical coma so her four limbs could be amputated in order to stop the deadly disease from spreading.
The Daily Mail reports,
Rocky Mountain spotted fever has been known to kill those infected with it, with 75 per cent mortality rates if left untreated, according to Mayo Clinic.
If caught and treated in the first several days it kills less than one per cent of those affected by the disease that damages and inflames blood vessels.
It is carried most commonly by the American Dog Tick, with central states such as Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma seeing the most cases.
Symptoms of the disease include fatigue, fever, headache, vomiting and muscle soreness.
Rogers’s condition deteriorated, but she wasn’t taken to the hospital during the first five days of symptoms, when treatment is most effective.One of the most commons signs of RMSF is the development of a rash around the wrists and ankles, but family said that Rogers did not receive any of the small pink dots.
Tests for West Nile Virus and meningitis both came back negative as the mother developed a blood clot in her lungs.
Doctors have also put the patient on dialysis to prevent her kidneys from failing, according to the Shawnee News-Star.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the cost of her medical treatment and prosthetic limbs. Rogers and her husband have two young children. Their lives will never be the same. So far, $39,000 has been raised. Let’s keep the money rolling in! Share this post everywhere.