After her daughter, Charlotte, developed a bulls-eye rash, which is a telltale sign of an infectious tick bite, Jamie Vandertoorn scheduled a visit with St. Luke’s pediatrician Eugenie de Ocejo, MD.
Dr. de Ocejo prescribed doxycycline, the antibiotic that is the time-tested standard of care for Lyme disease -- and that's where this story should have ended.
Charlotte's condition, however, took a sudden, unexpected turn. She developed nausea, severe fatigue, vomiting and a sensitivity to light.
Fortunately, Dr. de Ocejo recognized the light sensitivity as an important clue, and she directed the Vandertoorns to head to The Isaacman Family St. Luke's Children's ER, which is part of St. Luke's Children's Hospital at the Bethlehem Campus.
The Children's ER team, briefed by Dr. de Ocejo and led by Michael Witt, MD, wasted no time. They performed a CT scan, multiple blood tests and a lumbar puncture on Charlotte, which helped to alleviate pressure in her head.
By the time they were done, Charlotte had a new diagnosis that a less astute care team might have missed: doxycycline-induced pseudotumor cerebri, an incredibly rare and potentially fatal adverse reaction to the medicine that was supposed to help her.
“As soon as they took the fluid off and she woke up from sedation, she was like a whole new kid. We were able to go home,” said Jamie, who lives with her family in Cresco in Barrett Township, Monroe County.
While Charlotte has been cleared to return to normal activities, she continues to take medication for Lyme disease and ongoing intracranial pressure. Jamie is well aware that it could have turned out much, much worse.
“I was just really, really impressed with how" Drs. de Ocejo and Witt worked together to figure out what was going on, she said. "Overall, between the two of them, it was a really great experience.”
