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Sheri Vincent optimistic after treatment in Germany

Sheri Vincent has a renewed sense of optimism about her future after receiving treatment for Stage 3 neurological Lyme disease with a bartonella co-infection in Germany. The former Estevan resident, who now resides in Glen Ewen, was at the Klinik St.
Sheri Vincent
Former Estevan resident Sheri Vincent (back row, third from left), pictured during healthier times, with members of her family. In the photo with her are, back row, from left, son Noah, husband Guy and son Ezra. Front row, from the left, Adam, Bethany and Jacob. Also pictured is their dog Daisy. Photo submitted

Sheri Vincent has a renewed sense of optimism about her future after receiving treatment for Stage 3 neurological Lyme disease with a bartonella co-infection in Germany.

The former Estevan resident, who now resides in Glen Ewen, was at the Klinik St. Georg in Germany from July 30 to Aug. 13. It was the second time she has been to the clinic in her quest for improved health.

The travel was tough, she said, because of the limitations and the pain she endures due to the Lyme disease. And the treatments were more difficult this time.

“It was a surprise for me,” she said in an interview with the Mercury. “I thought I knew how it would be after last time, more or less, but having said that, a lot of the treatments were different, too.”

Many of the treatments left her fatigued and in pain, and she didn’t feel well during much of her time in the country.

“It was worth it, I believe,” she said. “I have noticed a few changes already, although it takes time.”

Vincent might not know for a few months how successful the treatment was. There have been times in which she actually felt worse than before she went to Germany. But that could mean the treatment is working.

“That’s normal,” she said. “I can have these reactions or episodes.”

While in Germany, Vincent went through a battery of tests. Then she underwent a full-body hyperthermia once, a localized hyperthermia three times for her brain stem and spinal chord, and a mitochondrial treatment using IVs and electrical shocks through her body that she said is fairly new.

“All the toxins from the Lyme disease are all in your cells, so they want to get those out, and that will help you feel better, because the toxins are what cause the symptoms, and they’re what cause the damage to the nerves and the neurological issues and the physical problems,” said Vincent.

The mitochondrial treatment was particularly hard on her.

Vincent also went through a plasmapheresis, in which her blood plasma is cleaned over seven or eight hours.

“It would be similar to dialysis, but it’s a lot more extensive,” said Vincent. “You would never get that done on a regular basis. It would be too much for you.”

There were also regular treatments that other patients go through, involving oxygen, magnetic field and more to help detox her body.

Vincent has noticed improvements in her stamina and in her ability to walk since the procedures concluded, but the treatments and the jet lag have taken their toll on her since she returned.

“It’s hard to explain to people, because they think I should see something right now, but that’s not how it works,” said Vincent.

Vincent will continue to follow her medication closely now that she is back in Saskatchewan, and she hopes it will make a difference.

“It’s easy this time,” said Vincent. “It’s all oral medication. I don’t have to get any IV treatments, so that’s really good. I was really happy about that. It’s a lot easier this time around.”

Vincent feels more optimistic about the effectiveness of the treatment this time than last time, even though the treatments were more intense in her second time at the clinic.

A third trip to Germany likely won’t be necessary, she said. Eighty per cent of people are cured after the first trip. A second trip is rare. A third would likely be unprecedented.

“I really believe this was what needed to be done, and I should be able to manage it with the help of doctors and all of that here,” she said.

People have been very supportive, she said. While she was gone, people were asking her husband, Guy, how she was doing and they trying to keep in touch with her. A GoFundMe page, started by her cousin Sherri Tessier, raised $25,400 for Vincent’s medical expenses.

She wouldn’t have made it back to Germany without the support, she said.

“People are starting to become more aware, and I think there’s that realization that it can affect anybody, and that of those people who have Lyme, anyone can go to third stage like I did,” said Vincent. “It’s something everybody needs to be aware of.”

And attitudes towards Lyme disease are changing, she said, especially in the southeast region. Stories about Lyme disease were in the news in recent months, not just for her, but others who have contracted the disease.

Vincent has been doing what she can to get the message out about the disease, and others have been doing the same thing.

“The word is getting out, so more and more people are standing up and talking about this, and saying enough is enough. People are sick and people are dying, and they need treatment here,” said Vincent.

Vincent added she is not encouraged about the $4 million announced by the federal government earlier this year for research, rather than treatment into Lyme disease, and she predicted a lot of people will suffer and die before this program is finished.

Vincent is also troubled when she hears people say it’s a fad illness. She stressed it is a blood-borne disease that can be passed onto a spouse or an unborn child.

“But overall, people are starting to listen,” she said.

She says she has a renewed sense of hope, however, and she is optimistic this second trip to Germany will allow her to be the mother and the wife she used to be.