Josyann Abisaab

Lyme disease is an infection which is often misunderstood by parents and misidentified by the health community.  One of the reasons for the confusion is that Lyme disease manifests in many different ways in the body.  Another reason is that it varies so widely from state to state.

The most classic symptom of Lyme disease, and the one that most doctors like Dr. Josyann Abisaab, will ask you about is a rash.  The circular rash occurs at the site of the tick bite approximately 7-14 days after the initial bite. The rash actually resembles a bulls-eye.  Other symptoms are commonly flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, chills, headache, fatigue and joint pains.

Unfortunately, when Lyme disease goes untreated, it can cause many problems including continued fever and fatigue, swollen glands, pink eye, aseptic meningitis, Bell’s palsy, arthritis and concentration problems.

If you live in an area where Lyme disease is more common, like in the Northeastern area of the United States, and you are exhibiting these types of symptoms, you should seek attention from a medical professional.

Recent news from the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is that a five month old baby underwent a liver transplant due to liver failure that was caught after she was born 10 weeks early.  She breaks records in that at just 4 pounds, she was one of “the smallest babies ever to successfully receive a liver transplant.”  It was Dr. Tomoaki Kato, surgical director of liver and intestine transplant programs at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and chief of abdominal organ transplantation and professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons who performed the surgery a few months ago.  Shortly after she was born, she was sent to NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital where an “irreversible liver injury of unknown origin” was diagnosed.  A suitable liver had to be found for her which took two weeks.  The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is known as being a highly reputable institution but this latest surgery will add to its prestige.

Physicians working at New York-Presbyterian Hospital – like Josyann Abisaab who serves as the Assistant Attending Physician in the hospital’s ER department – should take pride in the latest prestige attached to the institution.  For the tenth consecutive year, it has “the most physicians listed in New York magazine’s ‘Best Doctors’ issue.”  President and CEO of the hospital Dr. Herbert Pardes spoke about what this means for his staff members: “Being a good doctor means having the experience and expertise to diagnose and treat complex medical problems, while employing exceptional communication skills and empathy. Most of all, it means caring for and improving the lives of patients and their families as a top priority.”  This indicates that the New York-Presbyterian Hospital is a place that employs extremely high caliber staff, which is something its workers can take pride in.