Mysterious illness stuns vacationing family
Thursday, August 21, 2014
By Dana Larsen, Northwest Iowa Publishing
STORM LAKE -- For a Storm Lake family, a happy family vacation has turned into a medical nightmare.
Cesar and Karina Jacuinde were taking their 4-year-old daughter on a car trip to Disneyland, fitting in some family time before their only child was to start school.
Starting back home to Storm Lake, Jazzelle became ill and began vomiting. At first the couple thought it was just car sickness or the over excitement of the travel, but the next day, Jazzelle clearly was not bouncing back.
She had a fever, was still throwing up, and the usually-active child didn't even want to get out of bed.
The Jacuindes stopped in a town where they had relatives, and went straight to the emergency room at the local hospital.
Jazzelle complained of a tummy ache, but a CT scan of her abdomen found nothing unusual. Doctors brought the fever under control and sent the family on their way. She became even more sick as they were driving away. Soon, with a 103-degree fever raging, they headed back to the emergency room, for antibiotics and an IV.
Jazelle was crying in pain, but the doctors were stumped. Again they were sent home, told that if she didn't wake up well, they would need to rush to a major children's hospital in Salt Lake City
....
She is suffering from encephalitis, inflamation of the brain, and myelitis, infection of the spinal cord ... but why?
Doctors have been chasing a mystery virus they think may be disrupting Jazzelle's immune system. They have tested for and ruled out West Nile, lyme disease, mono, chicken pox and others. They've done a spinal tap, and many blood tests.
The latest theory is that she is suffering from some form of a ghost virus triggering an auto immune reaction..
