A Texas mother became infected with West Nile virus after smoking a cigarette near mosquito-infested bushes near her home.
Carmen Patin, of Henrietta, recounted the ordeal in an interview with Wichita Falls. KFDX-Television – describing how he is now learning to walk again due to the terrible disease.
Speaking from a wheelchair, the 53-year-old recalled going outside for a smoke when her legs suddenly gave way, prompting her husband to pick her up and frantically rush her to a nearby hospital.
She said the last thing she could remember was being taken there, and her memory went blank for the next eight days.
However, she spent a total of 12 days in the hospital, after being mistakenly diagnosed with meningitis before finally discerning it was the virus that causes fever and is transmitted primarily by mosquitoes, she told the station.
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Carmen Patin, 53, of Henrietta, Texas, recounted her ordeal in an interview with KFDX-TV on Friday.
He contracted the dreaded mosquito-borne virus after smoking a cigarette outside his home. The illness temporarily caused him to lose the ability to use his legs.
‘When they started giving me steroids because they thought it was meningitis, it started attacking my nervous system.
“And that’s when they realized it wasn’t meningitis, it had to be something else,” Patin said Friday, detailing multiple CT scans and MRIs she underwent.
“They then performed a lumbar puncture, and the results of the spinal analysis showed that it was West Nile virus, not meningitis,” he added.
Once the medical professionals’ prognosis was confirmed, a long road to recovery began.
“I was literally paralyzed,” Patin said, as she slowly regained use of her legs.
‘I could barely move, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t speak.
“I mean, I was totally beside myself,” she continued, as the station filmed some of the grueling bouts of physical therapy she now has to undergo.
“My legs were completely disabled,” he recalled.
“My legs were completely incapacitated,” he recalled, recalling how it was a simple smoke break that triggered his persistent illness.
Doctors first diagnosed him with meningitis, before finally realising it was the terrible virus originating in Africa that was causing his paralysis.
Patin, who is also a grandmother, is learning to walk again and undergoes daily physical therapy sessions to regain full use of her legs. At the time of writing, she can stand up, but not much else.
Evidence has suggested that the virus originating in Africa can cause polio-like paralysis, and Patin appears to be one of those rare cases.
“I need help going to the bathroom,” she continued about her plight, which began with a routine cigarette outside.
“I need help getting dressed, getting in and out of bed,” she recalls, still stuck in a wheelchair.
‘I had a big garden in my backyard; we have an above-ground pool and things like that.
“I have seven grandchildren, you know, and I can’t do any of that right now.”
Now that Patin is back on his feet, the road to recovery is far from over, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital staff said.
There, the once-active mother is doing her best to cope with the constant stream of therapy sessions to fully regain her range of motion, with the idea of enjoying the outdoors with her family someday soon her main source of motivation.
He went on to express his shock at being infected with such a rare disease just steps from his front door, despite the Lone Star State leading the way in terms of cases occurring in the U.S. by 2024.
Patin’s road to recovery is far from over, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital staff said, as he continues to receive treatment.
“I could hardly move, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t speak. I was totally unconscious,” she recalls, describing how she lost her memory for eight days after becoming infected.
The virus is most often transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes, an unfortunate reality of life in the Lone Star State as the summer months draw to a close.
At the time of writing, her rehabilitation at Encompass continues, leading her to re-emphasize the importance of wearing protection outdoors. However, her smoking habit continues in full force.
Additionally, virus activity typically occurs during the summer months and into the fall, the CDS warns, as Texas has seen 18 other incidents like Patin’s so far this year.
“I thought it was some kind of little virus that you can catch,” the Texan recalled, before listing some of the most common symptoms of the virus.
“You feel a little sick or have flu-like symptoms, and you know you’re going to be OK,” he said.
“But that wasn’t the case with me.”
At the time of writing, her rehabilitation at Encompass continues, leading her to reemphasize the importance of wearing protection outdoors. She hasn’t quit smoking, though, and local news footage shows her enjoying a cigar that she may deserve.
According to the CDC, there have been 103 cases of West Nile virus so far this year.
After Texas, Nebraska has the most cases with 13, followed by Nevada with 11.
In total, 23 other cases account for the remainder of the cases, statistics show.
As Patin mentioned, experts warn against venturing into outdoor areas where mosquitoes may frequent without keeping your arms and legs covered.