Click 2012 ( over there -> ) and start at the bottom if you want the story from the beginning.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Since Clinic Day - May 15, 2013


We had our field day at the ALS Clinic on Wednesdy, May 15. There are a few things that came out of that visit.

My lung capacity measurement was not as strong as three months ago. They ordered a cough assist device for me which was soon delivered to my house. I'm getting to know this device. The best way I can describe this contraption is by comparing it to a shop vacuum. If you were to put a shop vac in reverse and stick the hose in your mouth, it would blow a bunch of air into your lungs. (I don't recommend this.)  If you suddenly switched it to its normal vacuum mode, it would suck all that air back out (along with whatever). That is essentially what the cough assist does. When the respiration therapy guy brought the device over, he showed me all the settings and taught me how to change the settings and use the thing.  I have used it daily for over a month.  The main benefit of using it at this point is that it helps loosen stuff up so that I can cough it out under my own power.  For sure it "sucks." I fear that the main stuff getting sucked out is my brain. 

They also ordered me a walker with four wheels, a hand break, and a seat. I haven't had any problem using my orthotics or my walking stick. The feeding tube was not a big deal for me - in fact I like it. But the idea of walking around behind a walker does not thrill me.  It doesn't make an impressive fashion statement.  They explained it to me like this.

All of us have a certain amount of energy to expend - an energy budget. If you have ALS, your energy budget is smaller than if you were an Olympic athlete. We all have to budget our energy. So whether or not I use the walker is a question of where do I want to spend my energy budget. If I want to use it by walking around with shaky legs, feeling like I might fall down at any given moment, I can make that choice. But, that is a lot of energy to expend that can't be used somewhere else. So, I picked up the walker from the MDA loan closet yesterday. They had two of them to choose from - a red one and a green one.  I picked the "British Racing Green" because it is the sportier of the two.  I use it primarily around the house.

Speaking of falling down, I gave my friends (John and Jackie Jones, and Mark and Laurie Selman) a show last saturday evening.  I was walking around without my walking stick or the walker.  I went outside to see them off as they were leaving.  I turned to go back up the porch steps and tripped on my toe (or something).  I did my own version of a "face-plant" on the porch steps.  I scraped my leg and hand, sprained my pinky finger, and raised a nice goose egg on my forehead.  They rescued me from myself and helped me back into the house.  (Sorry you guys - but THANKS!!)

Then this last Monday evening I fell backward on the kitchen tile and put a nice goose egg on the back of my head.  So with bumps on the front and back of my noggin, my head is nicely and evenly balanced.  I've decided that if I am going to fall down, I need to plan it better and do it on the lawn.

Back to the clinic - they pointed out the difference in the muscles in my left hand compared to my right hand. My strength in my left hand is not what it was. I notice it the most when I play the guitar, or when buttoning, or unbuttoning my clothes - especially the top button on my Levis (see my previous post). I love to play the guitar, especially with my son, Joey. Heather, my physical/occupational therapist friend wrote me a prescription to go visit the hand-clinic at the UofU orthopedic center. It is possible that they could make me a specialized splint that would help my thumb strength when I play the guitar. I don't think it will help with the other problem mentioned here (the top button problem).

As usual we enjoyed the people at the clinic. Our speech therapist has left the U, so we met a new speech therapist.

My speech is crappy.  Gerrí and I converse mostly with my iPad.  I have a nifty app that allows me to type what I want to say.  I push a "go" button and it speaks whatever I have typed.  It is amazing how this technology has evolved.  The cost for this app is a few dollars.  Not that long ago many people would not be able to afford a speech synthesizer and, if they could afford it, they sounded like a robot.  Anyone who has watched a program featuring Stephen Hawking has heard what the technology used to sound like.  Now I can speak with an American or a British accent.  I can also decide if I want to get in touch with my feminine side.  That's right I can use a female American or British voice if I want to.  I need to make a little video to compare my speech with the video I posted in March and to demonstrate why the iPad does a better job than I do.  Maybe that will be my next post.

We also met a new doctor who has joined Dr. Bromberg in the clinic. Her name is Dr. Summer Gibson. Having another attending physician there means that the clinic will be able to see more patients on clinic day. Dr. Gibson is very nice - we are looking forward to getting to know her better.

Every time Gerrí and I meet someone new at the ALS clinic we ask them the same question. "Why did you choose to specialize in an illness for which there is no cure? Doesn't that get depressing?" Every time we ask this we get similar answers, and the answers remind me of when my Mom was on hospice. The hospice nurse who helped my mom and our family felt that her work was like a sacred calling. Maybe I'm overstating that somewhat, but that is the gist of it. Gerrí and I were touched when we asked Dr. Gibson the same question and we got the same kind of answer. It takes a special person to go to work every day to help people along their life journey, knowing that the results are eventually the same for every patient. We sensed the passion that Dr. Gibson feels for her work. All of the health care professionals at the ALS clinic have expressed the same thing.  Amazing!



7 comments:

  1. Kevin - I enjoy reading your posts and experiences with ALS and your openness about it. I am the caregiver for my mom who was diagnosed in Oct 2011, and we both live in SLC. I am going to bookmark your site and read through little by little. Just wanted to say hi to you and Gerri. My heart goes out to people struggling with this disease because I see how much my mom suffers physically and mentally because of it. But writing like yours is positive and lifts my heart to know that people with ALS can still live their lives and find enjoyment.

    Thanks again - Kristen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kristen, Gosh I just noticed your comment. Thanks for your kind words. I'm so sorry about your mom. Fall 2011 was the same time Kevin's major symptoms began. Do you go to the U clinic (Dr. Bromberg?) I would love to keep in touch. Good luck! Gerrí

      Delete
  2. Hi Kevin,

    I was just poking around in my files and found the transcript I used to help edit the video tribute we did for you. They were great in video, but I also think they're great as plain old text. I'm going to cut and past a few comments I think you'll enjoy:

    Lisa Kuhn : Kevin, Thank you. And thank your for all your help. I hope you pick up my calls when I call your regarding software.

    Thom Gourley : Kevin's sense of humor will be missed sadly around here because there aren't many people who are twisted in such a wonerful way

    Lisa Kuhn : Kevin puts a smile on my face. He makes me giggle. He, uhm, doesn't take himself too seriously.

    Janeen Bennion : Goodbye, goodluck, (laughrer) we wish you all the best in your retirement and thank you for all you've done here for us.

    Dennis Sampson : Bon Voyage, Kevin we appreciate all your hard work for the University and also for UEN on the differernt projects we've been able to do together. uh we just wish you all the best in your family and hope you enjoy your retirement and all there is to experience after your worklife here. So have fun and we'll miss you.

    Dennis Sampson : He's a really jokester (laughter).He's always smiling, he's got a wonderful attitude, everyone that works with him will definitely miss him.

    Sampson and Bennion : good luck, Kevin, (waving) we love ya

    Ethan Hacker : A smile that's infectious, right. He's able to get away with almost anything because of that good smile and good sense of humor he has.

    Craig Stapley : He seemed almost like a grandpa (big smile) he could get to you that way. Very kind.

    Ethan Hacker : Good luck, Kevin. Hope you have a wonderful time with all the great plans you have after retirement.

    Hacker and Stapely : Good luck, Kevin. All the best to you. Come back and see us.

    Take care, Kevin!
    Rich Finlinson

    ReplyDelete
  3. I Am Jessica, I want to quickly write on a Powerful herbal cure doctor, who is well known around the world for his cures and help to humanity, This man helped me when i had the Lou Gehrig’s Disease ( ALS ). i and my family tried all possible best some few years back to get a cure for my dying husband who was also an ALS victim, but all our efforts came to nothing on a Friday night when we lost him to death. The same virus came on me some 3 months after the death of my husband, i tried all i could untill i came in contact with DR Camala in 14-6-2014. I went to collect my weekly treatment on the hospital which Dr Camala was invited to inspect some patients, i was upportuned to be inspected by him on his own free will. After the inspection, he gave me his Emails:( dr.camalahivaidscure@yahoo.com ) and his mobile number and ask my eldest son to help me get to him which we really did. We emailed him and he got back to us, in just 3 days of negotiations he sent me some herbal cure medicine and instructed me on how to take them. i remember taken the medicine for just 2 weeks, then i started receiving results. I am happy to say now that for the pass 1 year i have had no symptoms of the sickness and i have been totally and finally cured of ALS with no trace of the virus in my body ( laboratory scan and medical doctors checkup has reveled so) Am so happy and i want to thank Dr Camala for his help on me. i want whoever that is also with this virus to get the quickest and most assured cure immediately through the help of Dr.Camala on
    dr.camalahivaidscure@yahoo.com or call him +2349055637784.

    ReplyDelete
  4. As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from ALS, i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My husband was diagnosed of ALS in 2013 and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, he always have trouble swallowing , and he always complain of Weakness of the body . we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the cure to ALS. I never imagined ALS has a natural cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. ALS has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unfortunately there are a lot of AIDS/Herpes denials on Herbal cures still out there. I did research on them after I was tested HIV/Herpes positive I was so worried am I going to die soon. I continue my search again on herbal remedy for Std, then I found lots of testimony on how Dr Itua Herbal Medicine Cured HIV/Aids, Herpes Virus,Copd, Hepatitis, Diabetes, On websites sharing their testimonies, which made much more sense to me. All the authors pronounce Dr Itua As a man with Good Heart, I pick interest in their testimonies and I contact him about my situation then he gave me procedure how it works, I proceed after one week he courier his Herbal Medicine to me and instruct me on how to drink it for two weeks to cure. I receive His Herbal Medicine so I drank it for two weeks as I was told then after 2 days I go for a test I found out I was cured from HIV/Aids & Herpes Virus, I pay homage to him 2 months ago to his country to celebrate with him on his African festival which he told me it usually happens every year. I know there are lots of (HIV)/Aids&Herpes Virus denials of Herbal Remedy movement the same few doctors and they represent a very small faction of the community. I could have died because I refused Natural Herbs Cures for so long, but luckily, by the grace of God I am alive to tell my story. Contact Info...Whatsapp Number...+2348149277967,Email...drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com/My Instagram Username...avat5634 Just in case you need someone to talk with.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am bold enough among many others to state that there is now a potent cure to this sickness but many are unaware of it. I discovered that I was infected with the virus 3 months ago, after a medical check-up. My doctor told me and I was shocked, confused and felt like my world has crumbled. I was dying slowly due to the announcement of my medical practitioner but he assured me that I could leave a normal life if I took my medications (as there was no medically known cure to Herpes). I went from churches to churches but soon found that my case needed urgent attention as I was growing lean due to fear of dying anytime soon. In a bid to look for a lasting solution to my predicament, I sought for solutions from the herbal world. I went online and searched for every powerful trado-medical practitioner that I could severe, cos I heard that the African Herbs had a cure to the Herpes syndrome. It was after a little time searching the web that I came across one Dr Itua(A powerful African Herbal Doctor), who offered to help me at a monetary fee. I had to comply as this was my final bus-stop to receiving a perfect healing. My last resolve was to take my life by myself, should this plan fail. At last it worked out well. He gave me some steps to follow and I meticulously carried out all his instructions. Last month, to be precise, I went back to the hospital to conduct another test and to my amazement, the results showed that negative,Dr Itua Can As Well Cure The Following Desease…Cancer,Hiv,Herpes, Hepatitis B,Liver Inflammatory,Diabetis,Fribroid,,Non Hodgkin Lymphoma,Skin Cancer,Uterine Cancer,Prostate Cancer Dercum,Infertility,fibromyalgia,Get Your Ex Back,Als,SYPHILLIS,Genetic disease,Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease..You can free yourself of this Herpes virus by consulting this great African Herbal Doctor via this e-mail: drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com or call and whatsapp him on +2348149277967 He will help you and his herb medication is sure. he has the cure on all disease .You can talk to me on INSTAGRAM..tashamoore219....

    ReplyDelete

Followers