A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Thanks to the Aspirus Tick-Borne Illness Center (the Center) at Howard Young Medical Center, Wade Porter is starting to get his life back.

A career in construction and cabinet making in northwestern Wisconsin meant that Wade spent a great deal of time outside. He lived an active life, until Lyme disease set in. Eventually, he could not even work.

Wade suspects his tick-borne illness went undiagnosed for years. Finally, in 2019, at the age of 53, after suffering chest pains, chronic headaches, joint pain, neuropathy, difficulty concentrating and trouble sleeping, plus years of tests that did not point to a diagnosis, he was tested for Lyme disease. It was positive and he was prescribed a 10-day course of antibiotics and proclaimed cured. Unfortunately, after all that time, the short course of antibiotics did little to help.

“A couple of years went by, and I was still miserable. Some days I couldn’t get out of bed,” Wade said. “I finally heard about the Center in 2021 from a store owner who had Lyme disease and got help at the Center. This guy told me he regained his ability to work in his shop for 10-hour days, five or six days a week.”

Wade became a patient of the Center in the summer of 2021, and it has made a huge difference in his life. Like 66%  percent of the 1,257 patient visits at the Center in 2021, he has dealt with a tick-borne illness for more than six months. These are considered chronic cases. Dr. Samuel Shor, MD, FACP, world renowned Lyme disease physician, and past President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, and the other Center staff are conducting research to track a patient’s symptoms, improvement over time and quality of life. 

“The Center is fantastic. As soon as you walk in the door, every person you talk to is spot on. Anytime I had a question they got back to me in a timely manner,” he recalled. “They were very friendly. They listened to my symptoms, and they just truly care. That’s huge.”

Wade is getting back into cabinet making and furniture building and expects to see additional improvements in his stamina and overall health. 

“It’s a blessing I found the Center,” he said. “It’s like I have light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Center began diagnosing and treating patients, as well as researching tick-borne illnesses, in 2019. The region continues to benefit from having this unique set of services here, in the Northwoods.

Research Update

In Dr. Shor’s research study, when a patient at the Center tests positive for a tick-borne illness, their symptoms and quality of life are measured using the Horowitz Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome Questionnaire (HMQ). 

Out of the 243 patients measured during 1,100 visits, preliminary analysis shows that 84% of patients saw improvement in their symptoms. 41% of those patients saw improvement greater than 50%.

To make an appointment, call the Aspirus Tick-Borne Illness Center at 715.356.8702.

Read more stories from our Summer 2022 Defining Moments Magazine HERE.