The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Posted: Beau donates kidney to save girlfriend's life. THE ticking time bomb in Lindsey Miller hit hard recently, sending her to the hospital and putting her on kidney dialysis. The 23-year-old Los Banos, Californian woman was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease at age 10. The hereditary disease took her grandfather at 52, her uncle at 34, and her aunt at 27. Lindsey's mother, Tammie Miller, has been on dialysis since 2010 and needs a kidney as well. The chances of finding a donor are slim – statistically speaking, one person in Los Banos is a match for Lindsey. In a fortunate twist of fate, that one person just happens to sit across the dinner table from her every night. Lindsey's boyfriend, Brandon Kelley, is an almost perfect match. Kidney transplant surgery is scheduled in a few days at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco. "Awesome. It was a sigh of relief," Kelley said, "just knowing that she's going to be OK." Lindsey and the 25-year-old Kelley met and began dating in early 2011. Lindsey suffered flu-like symptoms in October of that year. "I went through my adolescence, and I kind of put the disease in the back of my mind," he said. "I ignored it, because I didn't feel anything, that anything was wrong with me. I was a normal kid. When I was a teenager, I ignored it. "It was literally like I got sick one day, and it never went away. It was so bad that I remember one day I thought I was going to die, because I had never felt anything like I felt at that time." But Tammie knew the signs. Chief among them is high blood pressure. Other signs include kidney stones, kidney failure, headache, frequent urination, urinary tract or kidney infections, back or side pain, an increase in abdomen size and blood in the urine. She rushed her daughter to the emergency room. "She was like, 'That's it, I don't want to lose another family member. I need to know what's wrong with you'," Lindsey said. "My doctor told me I was very sick, and that I shouldn't even be alive. He doesn't know why I'm alive right now. That's how sick I was." The disease causes kidneys to develop clusters of fluid-filled sacs. The cysts are non-cancerous and can also affect other organs, such as the liver. The disease varies in severity. Since the diagnosis, Lindsey has been on dialysis 10 hours a day. She has actively sought a donor, creating a Facebook page and scouring the Web to no avail. It wasn't until March that Kelley was tested at CPMC in preparation for the Paired Donation programme, where Kelley would donate to somebody who matched, and in return, a match would be found for Lindsey. The process included blood work, a urinalysis and a psychological evaluation. "I wanted to get tested. It was just her getting her head right to get a kidney, and getting kind of settled in," Kelley said. "She wasn't ready for it, kind of feeling sorry for herself and all that, just kind of the normal way someone's going to deal with it. Finally, she said, 'I'm ready, I want a kidney.'" The Paired Donation trade wound up never happening after Kelley answered a phone call from CPMC in early April. "They said that I was a match," he said. While he and Lindsey are different blood types, Her lack of antibodies due to blood transfusions helped them match. "The tissue typing is what we look at when we see how closely relatives are matched," said Dr William Bray of CPMC. "There're proteins on the surface of white blood cells the body uses to differentiate body tissue from one's own tissue. Bacteria or viruses don't have that on their surface, so they start to attack them. The HLA (human leukocyte antigen) system is used to compare individuals." Kelley thought more testing needed to be done. "I said, 'Isn't there more testing that needs to be done?' They said, 'Oh no, you're a match, we're trying to contact Lindsey so she can get her end done to get tested to make sure she's OK for surgery, make sure there's nothing wrong with her.' So that's how it all went down." Lindsey wasn't buying it when Kelley told her they matched, thinking it was a late April Fool's Day joke. "I was like, 'Are you joking with me?' I kept saying, 'Are you serious?' a million times, and I started crying hysterically," she said. "I couldn't believe it. I almost passed out from being shocked. It was amazing." For Lindsey, it means a new lease on life _ and a normal life, with no more worries about being attached to a machine nearly half the day. For Kelley, once he recovers from surgery, he can expect to go back to his job as a special projects coordinator at Panoche Water District anywhere from two weeks to a month. In fact, Dr Bray said a donor's other kidney will increase blood flow and grow to as much as 150% of normal size, bringing function back to normal. A living donor can have a much better effect than a deceased donor; for starters, Dr Bray said, doctors only have a matter of hours to determine if a deceased kidney is suitable, compared to months of testing for a living donor. "Virtually all living donors donate healthy kidneys. Deceased donors, with the trauma they go through, it takes awhile for the kidney to start functioning," he said. "With a living donor, the kidney is outside the body for a very short time. A deceased kidney can be outside of body anywhere from six to 22 hours. By the time we get the recipient and donor here, many hours have passed." No matter what happens, Kelley said, there are no regrets. A few butterflies maybe, but no regrets. "My biggest fear in all of this was finding something wrong with me – being a letdown to her, not being able to donate the kidney, and finding out there was something wrong with me," he said. "But the great thing was, there wasn't." – Los Banos Enterprise/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
| Posted: The ever-mutating Influenza A virus is a fast-changing microorganism that can spread very easily. INFLUENZA, more commonly known as the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can cause mild to severe illness. It can lead to severe complications, and occasionally, even death. It is easy to mistake the flu for the common cold; however, flu symptoms are usually more severe than the typical sneezing and "stuffiness" of a cold. Influenza viruses are divided into three types: A, B and C. Influenza A viruses are further sub-divided based on the subtype designation of the haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) antigens, which include 17 haemagglutinin types and 10 neuraminidase types. These include influenza A(H1N1), which caused the recent pandemic, A(H3N2), A(H7N9), and others. Influenza A usually causes the most problems as these are the subtypes that usually circulate amongst humans. The flu is a seasonal disease occurring in winter months, but occurs all year round in equatorial regions like Malaysia. One of the dangers of influenza is that flu viruses are able to mutate. This is why immunity towards the virus does not last long, and people can catch the flu many times during their lifetime. Children and the aged (beyond 65 years old) are more susceptible as they generally have a weaker immune system. Identifying the virus The flu is a highly contagious disease that typically causes respiratory problems. The flu is very different from a cold in the fact that it usually happens suddenly. If you have the flu, you may have some, or all of these symptoms: ·Feeling feverish, or having a fever ·Cough ·Sore throat ·Runny or stuffy nose ·Bodyaches ·Headaches ·Fatigue (tiredness) ·Vomiting and/or diarrhoea The flu can easily spread from one child to another when they are in close proximity with one another, which is usually the case at day-care centres and schools. These are common areas for influenza to spread because so many items are shared amongst a large group of children in such close quarters. Other ways the flu can spread is when children touch contaminated surfaces such as door handles, toys, food, chairs and fabric items. The virus can also spread when an infected child coughs and the infected droplets are breathed in by other children. A child who is in the very early stages of the flu (and up to 24 hours after the fever has gone down) can infect others. This means that your child can pass on the flu to another before you or your child even knows that he or she is sick. Children tend to exhibit flu symptoms for a week or more. While the majority of flu patients will suffer from fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills, muscle aches and fatigue, some people (especially those who have other illnesses) can develop complications such as pneumonia or febrile convulsions (fits) due to the high fever. Complications from influenza Influenza A places children at a much higher risk of contracting complications such as ear infections, sinusitis, and life-threatening conditions like bronchitis or pneumonia. In some instances, influenza can lead to death, especially due to secondary bacterial infection. Steps you can take to minimise risk include: ·Keep yourself and your baby away from people who are sick as much as you can. ·Teach your child to cover his mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and wash his hands frequently to keep germs from spreading. ·Clean touched surfaces, toys, and commonly shared items frequently and regularly. ·Ensure that your child maintains a healthy lifestyle, eg eat a balanced diet, drink enough fluids, get enough exercise, and have adequate rest. ·Get vaccinated against influenza. Prevention is the best 'cure' It is better by far to prevent the flu; vaccinating your family against this disease is still the most effective prevention strategy that also protects them from the severe outcomes of the illness. After all, although antiviral drugs for influenza are available and can effectively treat the illness, some influenza viruses develop resistance to these medicines, which limits the effectiveness of treatment. The recent 2012-2013 vaccine protects against three strains of the influenza virus, including two that are different from last year's vaccine. The three virus strains are: ·Influenza A (H1N1) ·Influenza A (H3N2) ·Influenza B Due to new strains appearing, and also because of the fact that immunity drops by up to 50% within six to 12 months after vaccination, it is recommended that everyone over six months of age are vaccinated annually. This is especially critical for children younger than two years as they are more susceptible to developing severe complications from influenza. Children six months through eight years of age need two doses of vaccine the first year they are vaccinated. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose. Subsequently, one dose of this vaccine should be given to children yearly. Children below six months face the highest risk of serious complications but are too young to receive the influenza vaccination. Therefore, parents, guardians and their caregivers should be vaccinated to protect these little ones, as well as themselves. You should also consider getting your child vaccinated with the pneumococcal vaccine as it has been documented that deaths and complications due to influenza can be caused by secondary pneumococcal infection. Remember, influenza is a preventable disease. According to experts, the single best way to avoid the flu is to get yourself and your whole family vaccinated against this virus every year. The vaccine is specifically designed to protect against the particular flu strains that health experts believe will be most widespread in a particular year. Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist. This article is a courtesy of Malaysian Paediatric Association's Positive Parenting programme in collaboration with expert partners, supported by the educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline. The opinion expressed in the article is the view of the author. For further information, please visit www.mypositiveparenting.org. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader's own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. |
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