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Archive for the ‘Sick and Tired’ Category

I’d like to use a life line, Regis

Posted in At the Doctor's, Boston, Friends, Home sweet home, Hospital life, Immune Deficiency, Keith, Life Line, mito, music, Raising Awareness, Show of Hope, Sick and Tired, The storm, Tummy troubles, umdf on 25 May 2011| 4 Comments »

I’ve been home for nearly two weeks now. Recovery has been slow and has sapped me of most of my excess energy so many apologies. Because there’s so much to cover – and I’m having difficulties organizing my thoughts – we’re going to go about this bullet-style.

  • I’m home. I was discharged with a four-week course of IV Vancomycin (a very powerful antibiotic) at a very high dose. Because we never got those sensitivities back (i.e. what bug we’re fighting and what antibiotic is best to fight it) and my reaction to the infection scared them (though I assure you, it did not scare nor surprise me or Keith), the doctors are playing it safe. I guess that’s what they do best. I was also on Cipro (another antibiotic), but I have finished that course.

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The Great Central Line Debate

Posted in At the Doctor's, Boston, Hospital life, Immune Deficiency, Life Line, mito, Sick and Tired, The storm, Tummy troubles on 11 May 2011| 3 Comments »

Considering I am currently back at MGH for a central line infection (which is being treated as sepsis due to my plummeting blood pressures and skyrocketing temperatures and heart rate; this could, however, be due to my really screwy autonomic nervous system), I thought I’d address the issues we’re currently encountering with my current former central line (a PICC in my left arm) and the debate over what kind of line is most appropriate for the long term use we’re envisioning.

How did we get here from there?
My GI tract (from stomach to colon) is essentially paralyzed. After numerous tests and a 25-day hospital stay when it officially shut down, a GJ-tube was placed. Five days later, I was readmitted partially because the GJ-tube was not providing enough of the necessary nutrients. The solution was to place a central line (a peripherally inserted central catheter or “PICC”) so that I could receive calories and vital nutrients intravenously. At this point, the PICC and TPN were planned to be short-term aids until we could build up the feeds to my jejunum (the middle part of my small intestine). A couple months later, my GI doctor said it looks like TPN is the most viable long-term option for me.

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Mito is like…

Posted in At the Doctor's, Hospital life, Kiddos, mito, Raising Awareness, reality, Sharing is caring, Sick and Tired, Special needs, Stealing words, umdf on 12 April 2011| 2 Comments »

While inpatient with mitochondrial disease, you’re often an enigma. Most of the health professionals have either never heard of this disease or might vaguely remember it being mentioned back in medical school. And those who have heard of it often have misconceptions (e.g. “all people with mito have some sort of mental delays/retardation” or “mito only affects infants and toddlers”). That’s why I make each and every admission a chance to educate about mitochondrial disease.

Because it’s a complex disease and involves “difficult” vocabulary, it’s easier to describe with analogies. Usually we use the “my batteries don’t work efficiently” analogy, but there are so many other ways to look at the disease. Recently, Chuck Mohan, the CEO of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, made an extensive list of other ways to describe mitochondrial disease. Because it might just help one new person understand it, I’m going to share his list here:

Mitochondrial Disease is like:

  • Replacing your car battery with two Double “A” Energizers and wondering why it won’t start. But your car still looks pretty good, that is until it begins to rust from inactivity.
  • Trying to supply the electrical requirements of Los Angeles (pop. 3.7 million) with the one electrical plant in Ranchester Wyoming (pop. 701).
  • Swimming against Olympian, 8 Gold Medal winner, Michael Phelps, and you’re pool is filled with molasses.
  • That dream you have where you are trying to run away from danger but you just can’t move? Yep, that’s mitochondrial disease.
  • The way you feel after running a 50 yard dash compared to the way you feel after running a 50 yard dash with a 50 pound knapsack on your back.
  • The way you feel after working an 18 hour day or 18 days without a day off. Well, if you had a mitochondrial disease you’d probably feel that way after breakfast.
  • Buying a perfectly good Volkswagen Beetle with a 110 horsepower engine. It’s a great looking car and it runs terrific. Now take out a ring, gum up the valves, add some sugar to the gas tank and put in an old head gasket. The car still looks great but now it will only generate about 50 horsepower. That will get the Volkswagen around the flat streets of Kansas on a spring day, but now load it up with 3 of your hefty friends, or more if they’ll fit, with a trunk full of luggage and take it to the hills of Western Pennsylvania on a 90’ day. It won’t make it! But it still looks great!

For more from Chuck Mohan, go to umdfblog.com.

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