That Time a Chiropractor in Texas Got Measles
He learned that measles wasn't like that Brady Bunch measles episode.
Every time you hear someone say that measles is mild or just a rash, remember this very true story of the chiropractor in Texas who got sick during the large measles outbreak in Texas.
“I feel like I’m dying,” Kiley texted a friend. He couldn’t hold down food or water. He had already lost 10 pounds. His chest went numb, and his arms began to tingle. His oxygen was dropping dangerously low when he finally got the results.
“Positive for measles,” he wrote to his sister, in mid-April. “Just miserable. I can’t believe this.”
‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home
Not surprisingly, all of his unvaccinated kids got measles!
That Time a Chiropractor in Texas Got Measles
Of course, he tried to keep them from getting sick.
“I feel like I’ve been lied to,” Kiley told his wife as his fever rose to 104 degrees. He tried to manage his symptoms at home with cod liver oil and vitamin D, supplements endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary. He isolated himself in the living room to avoid infecting his four children and coughed and dry-heaved his way through the night.
‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home
But it didn’t work.
That’s not surprising.
Measles is that contagious!
“Update on the kids,” she said, in the second week of April. “Three of them have fevers.”
‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home
That’s why all four of their children eventually got measles, with one having a fever for 13 days.
“I’ve never seen people this sick,” Carrollyn wrote to a friend. “We must be hitting the peak. Everyone is awful today.”
‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home
And all four eventually ended up being hospitalized too, with one earning a trip to the hospital in an ambulance!
“It took three days before all of them were stable enough to return home, and even then, their recovery wasn’t complete. Kiley continued to suffer from temporary hair loss, brain fog and short-term memory deficits. The children had cluster headaches. And then came a new wave of symptoms: eye sores, muscle aches and colds from what seemed like a new round of viruses. Kiley researched online and read that measles can cause a condition called “immune amnesia,” leaving the body vulnerable to all kinds of other infections for months or even years.”
‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home
Who didn’t get sick?
“It’s been a pretty happy ending to a very scary story,” said Carrollyn Timmons, who was vaccinated against the measles as a child and stayed healthy while her husband and four children fell sick. “It took everyone a few months to start feeling like themselves again, but I finally feel confident saying it’s behind us.”
They Were Part of the Biggest Measles Outbreak in a Generation
Mom, who was vaccinated, didn’t get sick.
Again, none of which is surprising.
It’s not like that Brady Bunch measles episode.
At best, a typical case of measles, without complications, is a good week of a high fever - up to 104°F (40°C) to 105°F (40.6°C), deep cough, red, watery eyes that cause a dislike for bright light, sore throat, and irritability.
Aren’t you glad there is now a vaccine for measles!