One of the big mysteries that have yet to be solved is how I contracted the anemia. In an attempt to find some answers I revisited the wikipedia article, which states the following:
In many cases, the etiology is impossible to determine, but aplastic anemia is sometimes associated with exposure to substances such as benzene, radiation, or to the use of certain drugs, including chloramphenicol,
One click on "Chloramphenicol" and I discover:
In the West, chloramphenicol is still widely used in topical preparations (ointments and eye drops) for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis. Isolated cases report of aplastic anaemia following chloramphenicol eyedrops exist, but the risk is estimated to be less than 1 in 224,716 prescriptions
I had bacterial conjunctivitis when I was in Miluim and I suspected that I might have used chloramphenicol, but alas! how could I prove it.
Then I remembered...
Below is a picture of the Israeli chloramphenicol:
Hmm... but how could I ever prove that I had an eye condition or that the doctor prescribed anything that might lead to aplastic anemia... Was I crazy enough to randomly videotape myself during miluim minutes after the doctor came:
Note: the guy at the beginning of the video is the doctor. With all of this, the statistics are against this event being the catalyst, but it is comical. On a less comical note, my eye was bothering me last week in the hospital and they accidentally prescribed chloramphenicol again, that is a little scary
Update: I'm in a weird place right now, there are times during the day that I feel great and then suddenly I'll get chills and feel horrible, right now the bad is outweighing the good. My legs are killing me, so right now I'm focused on exercising them and stretching.
10 comments:
Time to watch the movie-The Constant Gardner My feeling with statistics is-there is always that one!!!!!
Love you,
Ima
Yehuda,
Its intersting you are in the hospital and your doctor precribes something that may have caused you to come with aplastic anemia..it made me think of something....many years a go my dad had a heart attack, as my mom drive him to the hospital he smoked a cigarrette...it made him feel better.
Suri
Yehuda,
In support your optimism and fight to remain active and to conquor this quandry, I offer you the following exercises that will assist your mobility and lessen the strain and your fatigue. Therre are to ways to move - against gravity and gravity eliminated. It is easier to move in a gravity eliminated position. For instance:
Lay on your right side and move your left leg up and down as if to bring your chin to your mouth. THIS IS RECOMMENDED - abstain from lying on your back performing the same motion.
For opening and closing your legs and arms (making snow angles) do lay on your back and move them either together or individual as per endurance. AS often do try to moveand change your position.
With much love, care, and continued prayer,
Paul and Elisheva
If you ask my brother Chaim, he'll tell you that I don't visit him often enough because my legs hurt. Of course he says it in jest but the reasoning behind it is that I have faulty legs due to a long bout of Fybromyalgia that never really went away.
While my trials and tribulations did not land me in the hospital almost taking "poison" that may have caused it all, I understand the frustration of not being able to move/walk around.
What I found to be most helpful on my good days (actually, I still use this approach when my body acts up) is a phrase we're all familiar with--mind over matter. Sounds cliche and all, but...I hear that it helps...
Rachel and Chai(who sends his best)
dearest yehuda,
why would a doctor prescribe you the same medication that according
to some real facts ..that under no circumstances should this drug be given to anyone with aplastic anemia. also the statistics i read show one in 25,000. HUMANS MAY DEVELOP FATAL APLASTIC ANEMIA
IF EXPOSED ORALLY TO CHLORAMPHENICOL
(RISK IS APPROXIMATELY ONE PERSON IN 25,000).
THIS CONDITION IS IRREVERSIBLE
AND IS NOT DEPENDENT UPON DOSAGES.
FOR THIS REASON, CHLORAMPHENICOL
HAS BEEN BANNED FROM FOOD ANIMAL USE
IN THE UNITED STATES AS WELL AS FROM HUMAN USE.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ONE WASH ONE'S HANDS
AFTER HANDLING THIS MEDICATION.
love ya dearly....
hashem yi'rachem
sid
hey! I just visited gush and shira b told me u have aplastic anemia and that u have a blog where I can read about it and write to u.
reading this post was abit ironic for me since my first thought when she told me about it was cloramphenicol (- I had to write a kind of bio-essay on it for one of my courses). Anyway, I really wanted to send you my best wishes and hopes. It's good to c you're keeping your sense of humor and love for life, and basically being u :)
hope all turns out well, tell me if u need anything (i learn in ein-karem so if ur there i can always drop by).
amichai
amichai.perlman@mail.huji.ac.il
0522423077
Yehuda,
Forgive my morbid sense of humor. Just read the first paragraph of Amichai's comment and cracked up..."hi! I heard you had x! Im here to catch up!" Not unkindly, but it was nice to come here and smile this morning, as whoever Amichai is, managed to almost make this whole horrible experience sound like something of a mad hatter's field trip. The Jewish people have managed to survive for thousands of years via humor (sure faith had been a big plus too...) but mostly humor. Its definitely a powerful antedote for a lot of stuff.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record (as I mentioned this to Dad {Sid} and Paul a couple of times) - if we clearly read every single label of every single item we utilized in life, we'd probably faint from shock. The fact the Head & Shoulders contains deadly chemicals that we actually use on our head, thereby having easy access right there to our brains, or the fact that something as simple as Extra Strength Tylenol could cause terrible side effects. My intention here is not to diminish your discovery at all of chloramphenicol in the ointment you have used - but to merely suggest that a) dont let this make you crazy and b) obviously - something I am sure you have already done, is have a serious conversation with your health care professionals over there and have a frank conversation about this particular ointment and see what the general thoughts are. Also, c) you have to understand that the overall nature of "medical statistics" are by nature, *made* to look bad. Take any given theory about any given treatment and chances are you will find the statistic that fits a given morbid picture. By no means am I suggesting that this not be taken seriously and looked into - all I am suggesting is that panic not enter the picture right now. You might argue that thats easy for me to say, and you might be right, but just realize that the nature of the medical world is a very cloak-and-dagger kind of element and becoming frightened by everything you have been in contact with up until now may not be the answer. As you guys are clearly on top of your game, look into it, ask the questions, get some feedback and if necessary - risk asking a health care professional outside the country too (hell, I would be happy to email my brother in law, who practices medicine in Zurich just to see if he has any knowledge of this chemical and what european research he may know of it from his end.)
In short: dont let fear rule the picture right now. Keep us posted and I would also like to say that I find it incredibly brave and amazing that you are blogging about this experience. It gives your friends and family an opportunity to know where you are holding and educate the rest of us. Thank you and chazak!! We love you both very much.
(sorry for this really long spiel)
-Elisheva (der groise)
We have been reading your blog often but have yet to post. Just wanted to tell you that we are thinking of you
and hope you will be home soon.
Love,
Yardaena, David, Aura, Michael, and Yonah
Dear Yehuda,
following the blog, thinking of you here in New York where crisp autumn has come. What about funny movies? laughter is good for the immune system! May I suggest "His Girl Friday" a comedy classic with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russel. Or, for a whiff of wacky USA, "Little Miss SUnshine" or "The Royal Tennenbaums" or "Clerks". Please let me know if you want these and I will pop them (and a few surprises) in the mail.
Regards from Ben and the girls,
Michelle
Yehuda, I just got back from America, and back to yeshiva. so i better be speaking and seeing you soon. help me out with that, will you?! I recently spoke to moshe; maybe we'll do something together. i heard Kehat came to visit you. maybe i'll talk to him about it. not many people i can get info from. anyhew, it sounds like your spirit's up, and i'm sure you'll be fine. did you look into leagal weed smoking? btw- did you leave your kadishman mug in yeshiva? cause there are a couple there in the cheder kaffe, and i'm always in the need for a mug... i think i'll leave this space for more important messages. have a shabbat shalom and feel better.
LOVE, Arie
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