KGW: Morgellons- Mystery Illness Baffles Sufferers/Doctors

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Misty L. Trepke

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Mystery illness baffles sufferers and doctors

 

http://www.kgw.com/news-

local/stories/kgw_051007_special_news_morgellens.58019270.html

 

02:58 PM PDT on Friday, May 11, 2007

 

By LAURAL PORTER, Special to kgw.com

 

Kathleen's body is covered with scars and red welts. They cover her

arms and legs and rim her hairline.

 

Video: Watch the Special Report She said they're caused by

mysterious fibers that emerge from her skin and make her body feel

like it's crawling with bugs.

 

" It feels like a stinging sensation or like a gnat has lightly

landed on my skin. It makes my skin itch. It feels like I've been

bitten in the beginning, and when I get a raised bump on my skin,

that's when I usually find one of the black fibers " , said Kathleen.

 

The strange illness has plagued her for four years and cost her

jobs, an engagement, and

 

her happiness. She said now even her 10-year old daughter, and 17-

year old son are showing the same symptoms.

 

 

 

KGW photo

 

 

 

" Kathleen " - we changed her name to protect her privacy - first

called Newschannel 8 a year ago about the disease many

call " Morgellons. " She declined to go on camera at the time, worried

it would harm her loved ones.

 

Last month, she changed her mind, and said she'd let us see for

ourselves the fibers that have taken over her life.

 

Kathleen set up a newly purchased microscope at her Tualatin home so

we could examine and videotape the fibers.

 

We watched as she carefully washed her hands, then covered them with

Eucerin cream.

 

 

" What will happen now is they'll begin to come to the surface of the

skin, " she said.

 

Kathleen probed at her fingers with tweezers, and examined her skin

with a magnifying glass.

 

After several minutes, Kathleen said, " I see a fiber. They are

coming out of the side of my finger. "

 

Blog: Under the microscope

 

We couldn't actually see any fiber come of her skin, but when I

looked at the tweezer, I could see what looked to be a small hair

wrapped around the end of the tweezer.

 

She placed it on a slide under the microscope.

 

 

 

KGW photo

 

 

 

As she examined it she told us, " Some of the fibers, like this one,

have barbs that resemble thorns.

 

I find it fascinating, disgusting, horrifying at times, but at the

same time, it's like watching a train wreck. "

 

She said the fibers can be black, but sometimes are clear or red or

blue.

 

" When they're black, they're usually shaped like a staple. "

 

I looked through the microscope and saw what looked like a hair with

a barb or bubble on it.

 

What was it, and what is Kathleen's illness? It is the subject of an

emerging medical controversy.

 

A growing legion of peole across the country say they have the

illness they call Morgellons.

 

However, the medical community has not recognized Morgellons as a

disease.

 

We took the video of the fibers to Portland psychiatrist Dr. Annette

Matthews.

 

Dr. Matthews hasn't treated Kathleen, but after watching the tape,

she said she's seen it before in other patients.

 

" I think it's part of a larger phenomenon called Delusional

Parasitosis. Some people call it dramatophobia or bugaphobia. It's

extremely distressing to people. They really think they have bugs,

or worms or fibers, " she said.

 

More: Morgellons research

 

CDC interview

 

But, Kathleen insists it's not in her head.

 

" I am not mentally ill. There are doctors, nurses, people in all

professions with this disease. I just want treatment for it. Just

because it's scary doesn't mean it's not real " , she said.

 

 

The Centers for Disease Control has received so many calls from

people who say they have Morgellons, it has formed a task force to

look into it.

 

 

Dan Rutz, a spokesman for the CDC, said, " We are not doubting for a

moment that people's suffering is real.

 

What we're not sure of is what's behind it. We would like people to

be patient with the process.

 

Good science takes time. "

 

 

While Kathleen waits for answers, she said the disease is destroying

her life and her children's lives.

 

" What's frustrating to me is to see my own children being really

sick with this, and maybe even having shorter lives because of it

and just having everyone ignore us, it's very difficult. It's a

nightmare, an absolute nightmare, " she said.