Doctors search for cause of young woman's severe illness
PORTLAND, Ore. - Doctors in Portland are trying to find the reason a Monmouth woman's life is in danger after she was recently admitted to the hospital with a mysterious illness.
In the last two weeks, Tabitha Schulke, 18, has lost her lower legs to amputation and was clinging to life. She first became ill on Thanksgiving, her aunt said. She is currently in critical condition.
Photos of Schulke, swollen, immobilized, discolored and breathing with a ventilator in a hospital bed, show a woman unrecognizable from the vibrant, attractive teenager seen in pictures taken before the onset of the illness.
Doctors said they think Schulke developed gangrene as a result of toxic shock caused by a staph infection, but what brought on the illness is still a mystery. The National Institute of Health said patients with toxic shock have a 50 percent chance of survival.
Lab tests will hopefully help determine what caused Schulke's illness. Her family is waiting on the results.
Meanwhile, family members are devastated over what has happened to a young woman who was a Sunday school teacher and intent on helping others as a missionary.
"She's beautiful on the outside, but she's even more beautiful on the inside," Schulke's aunt, Katie Zimmerman, told KATU News.
Zimmerman said flu-like symptoms led to gangrene on Schulke's feet. "They looked like they were out in the snow, they were just getting black," Zimmerman said.
The gangrene spread, forcing surgeons to amputate her legs near each knee. "When she came here, she was very close to death and she's come very far, so that makes us very hopeful for the future," Dr. Eric Chang with Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland said.
Zimmerman is confident Tabitha will recover. "She's going to have such a testimony to what you can overcome with God," Zimmerman said. "God will heal her and she's going to be there to tell everyone 'look what I went through and I still praise God.'"
Zimmerman said Schulke can still realize her goal of becoming a missionary, but for now, that's secondary to her family's goal of simply getting her out of the hospital and back home.
"Just her surviving, that's all that matters," Zimmerman said through tears. "Not Christmas, not anything, just... we want Tabi."
Besides Tabitha's serious illness, her family is also dealing with other challenges.
Her brother has an inoperable brain tumor and the family lives more than an hour away in Monmouth, making trips to the hospital time-consuming and expensive.
But they said they are getting donations and other assistance from fellow members of the Independence First Baptist Church.
There is a CaringBridge page for Tabitha and a ChipIn page where direct donations to the family can be made for her care.
looks like the plague to me.
Please post info as to a bank  account being set up to help Tabitha and her family with expenses. I am sure everyone wants to help. Prayers to her to recover quickly and prayers that her family stays strong during this trying time.
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 @HarryJuku That crossed my mind also.  Every so often younger folks need information on items like this that came out a long time ago.  Less than half is way too many,
 @my2cents  @HarryJuku I really feel like tampons shouldn't be used at all.  Yes periods are messy and yes they are gross but it's something that just has to be dealt with.  Why take the risk of opening your body up to a higher possibility of infection?Â
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I wish they would educate women on things like the Soft Cup and Diva Cup which are much safer to use than tampons and have virtually no risk of causing TSS because they are not absorbent.
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@HarryJuku When Toxic Shock was first discovered, it was thought that tampons were the culprit. Since then it has come to light that tampons are only a small portion of the cause. Less then half toxic shock cases are caused by tampons. Skin infections, post surgical procedures, foreign bodies (as in packing for a nosebleed), and wound infection. And here's a heads up...MEN also get TSS. I doubt they use tampons. Just sayin'...
Prayers and good wishes for your recovery, Tabitha, and for your family, friends and congregation who are supporting you and each other during your illness.
@pdxmom, not only infants get vaccines. You should see the vaccine schedules at the CDC website...
I keep trying to reply to a previous comment I made and all I get is undefined?!?!
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We darn near lost our seven year old grandson last summer with what was finally diagnosed as a Strep A blood infection. Seven days in the pediatric ICU and two 'crashes' before the blood cultures came back positive for Strep and they figured out how to treat it. By that time, he had severe psoas and pelvic muscle deterioration and a PICC line had to be surgically implanted to administer 1300 of Recephin (normal dosage is 15-30 mgs) for 21 days. They do not know where the infection came from or how it got into his bloodstream. The same situation appears to be the case with Tabitha. What is it - and where did it come from?
This poor young lady and her family are going through the same thing we did 5 months ago and it is heartwrenching to watch. Although not a religious person, I am pleased to see their religious beliefs helping them through this terrible time.
Please get better, Tabitha; you have a lot of living - and a lot of loving yet to give so many people.
Good Lord!! I have seen death on a grand scale as a sheriff, but this really SUCKS a big one!! The Indians used to call The Willamette Valley, The Valley of Sickness for an absolute reason. Upon leaving this valley, you will be healthier within a year...
Lets all have compassion for a fellow human being and offer prayer and support for Tabitha and her family. I met Tabitha when she was 11 years old and was impressed by how well spoken and sweet she was then, and still is. She is continually in service to anyone who needs it and was looking forward to serving as a missionary. A multitude of us are praying that she pulls through this and is a stronger person for it afterward. We are praying for strength and comfort for her family as well.
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 @HarryJuku The toxins are actually produced by bacteria in the blood, tampons do not cause TSS, they only further encourage the growth of the bacteria that is already present by absorbing the vagina's natural barrier against bacteria. Â
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TSS is actually a form of Staph infection. Â You can get a staph infection through any open wound and even your nose. Â Something like a third of TSS cases are in men.
 @HarryJuku ~  There were issues with tampons some years ago and, yes, one of the potential causes of Toxic Shock Syndrome was by not maintaining adequate personal cleanliness when using them, or by not changing them often enough... This is not surprising, when you consider where the product is situated when it's in use.   Common sense dictates a little extra care, but then, common sense has been in short supply among many people for quite some time now... Millions of women have used and still use tampons with no problems whatsoever, simply by following some very basic hygiene rules.Â
 @margay1  @HarryJuku We used 'tampons' for bullet wounds way back before you were born - of course we had to change them during the ride. I did hear about this syndrome a long time ago and will await some experts absolute diagnosis as if that will be truth...
 @boned  @HarryJuku ~ You are correct, Boned...they do have quite a long history...  The following is from Wikipedia, explaining the connection between TSS and tampon use: Â
   "Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at the New York University Medical Center, who helped determine that tampons were behind toxic shock syndrome (TSS) cases in the early 1980s, blames the introduction of higher-absorbency tampons in 1978, as well as the relatively recent decision by manufacturers to recommend that tampons can be worn overnight, for increased incidences of toxic shock syndrome.[5] Materials used in most modern tampons are so highly absorbent that they pose the risk of absorbing the vagina's natural discharge and upsetting its natural moisture balance, which is what enables toxic shock syndrome to occur."
   I remember when the warnings came out with regard to tampons and TSS...pretty scary stuff, but when you looked at the recommendations, they were common sense things to do (or not do)... IOW, cause for concern, but definitely not panic...
Here is her CaringBridge website for updates
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tabithaschulke
She will make it and she will be stronger. Â I know it.
Have you considered Cannabis therapy for both of these children?
so sad. thats tough. my question is would she want to live that way. no way to know that i guess. prayers tfor her and her family.
 @mstercor Live what way???  You think just because she lost her legs that life is over??  FOOL!  I bet she recovers and is stronger than ever before.  Life is challenging and when you conquer, you come out stronger....  not wishing you were dead.
@justanopionion @mstercor Like your name states, JustanOpinion...but she does believe in "God", so I'm sure she'll see some "miracle" if she makes it out of it.....
whatever
shared in Ga
my prayers go out to you I cant help finallcally but I can spread the word,I well also pray for the family and her brother
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
How tragic! Best wishes to Tabitha and her entire family!
The point of this comment form is to wish this girl Gods Speed of Recovery!! Not to argue about if it should be posted or not or anthing else you want to be so judgemental about, Please wish her well - add your prayers - add her and her family to a prayer chain!! I hope they find out for sure what is wrong and you will be back to yourself as soon as possible
Tabitha, you hang in there sweetie, there are alot of people out here praying for you . God give you strength.
Angioedema
What a devastating and frightening ordeal. Â I can't even imagine.
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I'm glad she's receiving the support she needs. Â You can make it Tabitha.
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This poor child. What a frightening and unthinkable experience for this family. I'm glad their church is watching over them. We will keep Tabitha, her brother and her family in our prayers.
If her family members read this, find her vaccination records...
 @MamaBear What is has to do with her vaccination records???
 @sophie.smith  @MamaBear Sometimes people have weird reactions to pharmaceuticals...
 @MamaBear  @sophie.smithÂ
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Adverse rxn's to vaccinations don't include Staph infections.Â
@MamaBear @sophie.smith  Are you referring to vaccinations she received at birth? That would be 17 years (approx) ago. Is that what you mean?
"She's going to have such a testimony to what you can overcome with God,"Â Zimmerman said. "God will heal her and she's going to be there to tell everyone 'look what I went through and I still praise God.'"
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Amazing how quick people can be to praise their supreme being who is (in their heads) responsible for such horrific things.
@Scorcho Maybe they should have gone with faith healing, that always works lol
 @Scorcho Amazing how some people take every opportunity to slam religion rather than showing support for someone clinging to life.  Â
This story just rips at your heart. I hope they can identify what caused the infection, but at this point, it doesn't sound good. Will keep her and her family in my prayers. This is just so scary. My heart goes out to them.
I've said plenty of bad things about religion, but if there's one thing I'd bet on it's that the church congregation is going to take care of that family.
 @James Gnau Yep have family in and out of the mormon church for years and no matter what you may think of them they look out for each other far far better then any government funded organization could every do.
 @FreedomRocks  @James Gnau As should we all.
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 @Ixyavi I don't and can't look at it that way. This young lady has an illness that the Doctors are unable to identify. They "think Schulke developed gangrene as a result of toxic shock caused by a staph infection." They do not know for certain. I would post on the slim chance that maybe someone somewhere recognizes the displayed symptoms and comes up with an "AH HA!" moment.
Best of wishes and recovery to you Tabitha!
Kyrie eleison
@oodathunked What are you trying to say?
 @pdxmom "Lord have mercy..."
"...young woman who was a Sunday school teacher and intent on helping others as a missionary...."
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Wow.
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If that were me, I wouldn't want my face shown all over television in that condition, katu is just going for shock value. get well girl
 @franksbeans You can't just go into a hospital room and take pictures of people then post them on the news without their consent.  Her family okay'd this.  Which is still a disgusting thing to do.  I'm willing to bet that Katu wouldn't run the story without a before and after picture.
@Ixyavi @franksbeans I think they want you to understand that this is more than some nameless, faceless girl getting sick and going to the hospital. Notice the lack of political nonsense here?