A Monroe County child was treated at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital for a rare adverse reaction to an antibiotic prescribed for Lyme disease after doctors identified symptoms that pointed to a potentially serious complication.
Charlotte Vandertoorn was initially taken to St. Luke’s pediatrician Dr. Eugenie de Ocejo after developing a bull’s-eye rash, a common sign associated with Lyme disease following a tick bite.
De Ocejo prescribed doxycycline, an antibiotic commonly used to treat Lyme disease. Charlotte later developed nausea, severe fatigue, vomiting and sensitivity to light.
De Ocejo identified the light sensitivity as a concerning symptom and directed Charlotte’s family to The Isaacman Family St. Luke’s Children’s ER at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Bethlehem.
The emergency department team, led by Dr. Michael Witt and briefed by de Ocejo, performed a CT scan, multiple blood tests and a lumbar puncture. The lumbar puncture also helped relieve pressure in Charlotte’s head.
Doctors diagnosed Charlotte with doxycycline-induced pseudotumor cerebri, described by St. Luke’s as an extremely rare and potentially fatal adverse reaction to the medication.
“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 Vandertoorn, Charlotte’s mother, who lives with her family in Cresco in Barrett Township, Monroe County.
Charlotte has since been cleared to return to normal activities but continues to take medication for Lyme disease and ongoing intracranial pressure.
“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.”
