Our guest on today's show is Dan Dry Dock Shockley, a retired Navy, Operation Desert Storm; Enduring and Iraqi Freedom veteran and 10 year hereditary colon cancer WARRIOR.  One of the risk factors for colorectal cancer is a family history of the disease. Colorectal cancer is called "hereditary" or "inherited" when several generations of a family have it. Experts have found gene changes (also known as mutations or abnormalities) that cause colorectal cancer. A gene is a block of DNA that holds the genetic code, or instructions, for making proteins vital to our bodily functions. The children of people who carry these genes have a 50% chance of getting them from their parents. The two most common inherited colorectal cancer syndromes are hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). These two account for less than 5% of all colorectal cancers. Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (Lynch Syndrome) HNPCC, also known as Lynch syndrome, is the most common form of hereditary colon cancer, accounting for about 3% of all colorectal cancer diagnoses each year. People with HNPCC often have at least three family members and two generations with colorectal cancer, and cancer develops before age 50. lthough not everyone who inherits the HNPCC gene will get colorectal cancer, the risk is very high: about 80%. People with HNPCC also have a higher risk of other Lynch syndrome-related cancers, including brain, kidney, ovarian, uterine, bladder, pancreatic, small intestine, and stomach cancers. Doctors can check the pattern of colorectal cancer in relatives in order to find out if the family has HNPCC. "HNPCC families" must show certain signs of a pattern of colon cancer across generations. These are called the Amsterdam Criteria and include: At least three members with a Lynch syndrome-related cancer At least two successive generations with this type of cancer Two family members with the disease are first-degree relatives (i.e. parents, brothers, sisters, or children) of another family member with a Lynch syndrome cancer At least one member affected at or before age 50 FAP is excluded from the family member's diagnosis Check with your doctor if you think this applies to your family. Colonoscopies are recommended in family members who are 10 years younger than the youngest family member who was diagnosed with cancer. You should also be screened for other Lynch syndrome-related cancers. For people with a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome, screening usually starts between ages 20 and 25. Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) Syndrome Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare condition marked by the presence of hundreds or thousands of benign polyps, noncancerous growths in the large intestine and upper respiratory tract. It’s thought to happen in about 1% of all people diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year. The polyps start early, with 95% of people with FAP getting them by age 35, and are often found in patients in their teens, with 50% having polyps by age 15. Without colon removal, there is almost a 100% chance that some of the polyps will become cancer, usually by age 40. Thyroid cancer is also linked with FAP. Although most cases of FAP are inherited, nearly a third are the result of a spontaneous (newly occurring) gene change. For people who develop a new gene mutation, they might pass the FAP gene on to their children. What Is the FAP Gene? Genes are tiny segments of DNA that control how cells function, such as telling them when to divide and grow. One copy of each gene comes from your mother; the other comes from your father. In 1991, researchers identified the gene called APC that is responsible for the condition. It can be found in 82% of patients with FAP. The lifetime risk of colon cancer in people who have this gene change is close to 100%. What’s the Difference Between FAP and HNPCC? The two main differences between FAP and HNPCC are: Number of genes involved. In FAP, only one gene, APC, has a mutation. In HNPCC, several gene changes may be responsible for the condition. Presence of polyps. FAP is marked by the presence of more than 100 benign polyps. People with HNPCC have fewer polyps, but they can become cancerous more quickly than normal. Other Forms of Inherited Polyposis Syndromes Other very rare forms of inherited polyposis syndromes are linked with a higher risk of colorectal cancer. These include: Juvenile polyposis (JP). You may have five to 500 polyps, mostly in the colon and rectum. They usually happen before the age of 10. The stomach and small intestine may also be affected. People who have JP are also more likely to get bowel cancer. Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS). People with PJS typically have dozens to thousands of benign polyps in the stomach and intestines, mostly in the small intestine. The growths can become malignant or can cause a blockage of the bowel. Ashkenazi Jews and Colorectal Cancer Jewish people who are Ashkenazi, or of Eastern European descent, are at increased risk for colorectal cancer. This is thought to be due to a variant of the APC gene that is found in 6% of this population. Ashkenazi Jews make up the majority of the Jewish population in the U.S. If you suspect that you are at risk for Jewish people who are Ashkenazi, or of Eastern European descent, are at a higher risk for colorectal cancer. This is thought to be due to a variant of the APC gene that is found in 6% of this population. Ashkenazi Jews make up the majority of the Jewish population in the U.S. inherited form of colorectal cancer, talk to your doctor. There may be a genetic test that can be performed to confirm your suspicions. Gene Tests for Colorectal Cancer Blood tests can find the gene changes that make some people more likely to get FAP or HNPCC. You might want to consider genetic counseling and testing if: You’ve had more than 10 colon polyps You’ve had colon polyps and other types of tumors You’re of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and your family has a history of colon cancer or polyps If you test positive for these gene changes, your doctor will probably recommend that you get a colonoscopy every year. This is a test that checks your colon for cancer or polyps. If you’ve already had colon cancer or polyps, your doctor may talk to you about a colectomy, which is surgery to remove your colon. Your relatives might want to consider genetic counseling and testing, too.  (credits WEBMD)  

A hiatal hernia occurs when the upper part of your stomach bulges through the large muscle separating your abdomen and chest (diaphragm). Your diaphragm has a small opening (hiatus) through which your food tube (esophagus) passes before connecting to your stomach. In a hiatal hernia, the stomach pushes up through that opening and into your chest. A small hiatal hernia usually doesn't cause problems. You may never know you have one unless your doctor discovers it when checking for another condition. But a large hiatal hernia can allow food and acid to back up into your esophagus, leading to heartburn. Self-care measures or medications can usually relieve these symptoms. A very large hiatal hernia might require surgery. As discussed in earlier episodes, Lita has Ehlers Danlos and it turns out this is the cause of her fourth hernia we will talk about today. "Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations are found in Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS) hypermobility subtype (HM). We aimed to assess associations between EDS HM and other EDS subtypes with GI manifestations. Methods: We reviewed medical records of EDS patients evaluated at Mayo Clinic's Medical Genetics Clinic 1994-2013. We extracted information regarding EDS subtypes, GI manifestations, and treatments. Key Results: We identified 687 patients; 378 (56%) had associated GI manifestations (female 86.8%, diagnosis mean age 29.6 years). Of the patients identified, 58.9% (43/73) had EDS classic, 57.5% (271/471) EDS HM, 47.3% (27/57) EDS vascular subtypes. In addition, 86 patients had EDS that could not be classified in any of those three subtypes. Commonest GI symptoms were: abdominal pain (56.1%), nausea (42.3%), constipation (38.6%), heartburn (37.6%), and irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms (27.5%). Many GI symptoms were commoner in EDS HM than the other subtypes together. Among 37.8% of the 378 patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy, the commonest abnormalities were gastritis, hiatal hernia and reflux esophagitis. Abnormal gastric emptying was observed in 22.3% (17/76): 11.8% delayed and 10.5% accelerated. Colonic transit was abnormal in 28.3% (13/46): 19.6% delayed and 8.7% accelerated. Rectal evacuation disorder was confirmed in 18/30 patients who underwent anorectal manometry. Angiography showed aneurysms in abdominal vessels in EDS vascular type. Proton pump inhibitors (38%) and drugs for constipation (23%) were the most commonly used medications. A minority underwent colectomy (2.9%) or small bowel surgery (4%). Conclusions & Inferences: EDS HM and other subtypes should be considered in patients with chronic functional GI symptoms and abdominal vascular lesions." (credits Mayo Clinic)

Gina Rapacz is a 48 year old mother of 2 teenage daughters living in the Chicago suburbs.  She recently had a liver transplant after hers failed and she lingered on the transplant list in Chicago for just over a year.  Gina is a powerful woman who has endured a variety of personal tragedies.  There is not a challenge she can't handle.  It is this strength that has allowed her to get through the severity of her liver disease.

In this episode we will discuss not just continuing life after a horrific injury, but excelling and living life to it's fullest, minus two arms and two legs.  United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne was critically injured on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan by an IED (improvised explosive device) while on patrol, losing portions of both legs and both arms.   

For our very first Throwback Thursday episode we celebrate the bravery of our men and women that have served in the United States Armed Services!   In this episode we will discuss not just continuing life after a horrific injury, but excelling and living life to it's fullest, minus two arms and two legs.  On April 10, 2012, United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne was critically injured on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan by an IED (improvised explosive device) while on patrol, losing portions of both legs and both arms. In September 2013, Travis and his wife Kelsey founded the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization, formed to benefit and assist post 9/11 veterans who have been injured in active duty or as a result of their service to our nation. The veteran and their families receive an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid, barrier-free vacation to Maine where they participate in adaptive activities, bond with other veteran families, and enjoy much-needed rest and relaxation in Maine’s great outdoors. If you are in a giving mood this year, the Travis Mills Foundation is a great way to give back to injured Veterans!  (DONATE HERE) TRANSCRIPT PodcastDX-Quad_Amputee   Lita T  00:10 Hello and welcome to another episode of podcast dx. The show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a medical diagnosis. I'm Lita   Ron  00:22 I'm Ron,   Jean  00:23 and I'm a pina colada.   Lita T  00:24 You're not a pina colada she's Jean Marie. Collectively we're the hosts of PodcastDX. On today's show we're speaking with Travis Mills. Travis, if you're not familiar with him by now is the quadruple amputee from an Afghanistan IED and we're going to hear more about his story in a little bit. And he also is running a foundation that provides R&R services more or less for other veterans that have been injured. Is that right Travis?   Travis  00:55 Yeah, absolutely it for physically injured and now we're moving towards all injuries.   Lita T  01:00 Great, great. Well, welcome to the show. Go ahead, Ron   Ron  01:05 Travis. Hi, this is Ron. Again. Thank you for joining us today on our show. First, I would like to start off by saying thank you for your service to our country.   Travis  01:15 Well, no, I appreciate it. Thank you so much. And I'm excited to be here. I'm looking forward to hanging out with you guys for a bit. Yeah!   Ron  01:21  I read a bit about your injuries and your recovery. I gotta say, I am amazed by your determination and your tenacity. It seems like you've overcome a lot of challenges since April of 2012. Could you tell our listeners a little bit about that day? didn't it just start off as a regular day for you.   Travis  01:41 You know, it did we were on our, you know, deployment. I was supposed to be there for nine months as my third deployment. And we had a phone call come in from the village elder that there was some IEDs we had a checkout. So we put our gear on like normal. We went on patrol and try to help them out. And we went, you know, the same routes that we always would take not the same routes, the same general direction. And I had the guy in front of me with the Minesweeper and swept the ground once again, twice like we are protocol. And it just didn't alarm that there's anything under the soil. So I happened to take my backpack off and I put it on the ground. And then the bomb went off. You know it. It shocked my world to be honest with you.   Lita T  02:19 Well that's For sure.   Jean  02:21 Yeah. I can't even imagine what you were going what was going through your mind at that time? Probably. Yeah, shock. What were the next steps after you were evacuated from the site where you were actually injured. For instance, how soon after the attack, were you transferred back stateside? And was there an intermediate location or two for immediate surgical repair?   Travis  02:40 Well, I mean, what they did was, like I hit, my arm right side was completely gone, my right leg was completely gone. They disintegrated and they're found those pieces of me my left leg was snapped to the bone actually. So if you imagine the left ankle bone touching the left thigh, and my left wrist was blown out pretty bad. I hit the ground and rolled over on my back and I saw the aftermath. And in my head, I kept seeing the movie, Saving Private Ryan. And I thought you know about the medic that gets shot stomachs and then he cries out for his mom and ultimately died. I had I said no way like that ever remember me to freaking out or complaining or crying or feeling awful, you know begging not to die basically. Because at the end of the day, it's not my choice and I'm always wanting to exude confidence never showed fear, I led from the front and you know, I just, you never do that as a leader. So I calmed myself down, my medic worked on one side of me my Platoon Sergeant worked on the other side of me, they got four tourniquets on and then I with my left hand that was still left on my body. I reached up and grabbed my microphone and I called my Lieutenant I said, Hey, 6 this is 4 I got guys injured. I need your medic with mine. two of my soldiers got hit. So I you know, I called them and they radio back they sent Doc Voyce over. And Doc Voyce came to work on me, we're working on you know, my other men, and then me. I had to kind of calm him down he was in, stuck on repeat, you know like an old CD we could skip start skipping, he was doing what his training taught him to do so I kept saying "You'll be fine Sgt Mills, you'll be Okay, You'll be fine Sgt Mills, you'll be Okay,  he kept working he just kept saying it. I had to look at Doc Voyce and say "Hey Doc Just do your job. It's fine." And they got me on the helicopter about 10 minutes after Doc Voyce got there so really about 12 to 15 minutes being injured I was on a helicopter and I was transported to Kandahar hospital where I didn't know this then and I'm happy that it's, you know, a known fact now but 99% of patients that make it to Kandahar hospital leave Kandahar hospital alive.   Jean  04:36 That's amazing   Travis  04:36 And yeah, so they started wheeling me right into surgery as 14 hours of surgery took me into and just a wonderful team of nine doctors and seven nurses working for 14 hours straight to put me back to, well not put me back together I guess. that I was laying around with prosthetics but to you know, heal up my wounds and...   Lita T  04:56 Saved your life   Jean  04:57 Stabilize   Lita T  04:58  They saved your life, yeah,   Jean  04:59 yeah.   Travis  05:00 Yeah, absolutely.   Lita T  05:01 I'm guessing that those medics at the at the frontline are really the ones that saved your life. I know this wasn't something we were going to talk about, but do you stay in contact with those guys?   Travis  05:10 Oh, I do. Yeah, actually, um, you know, I know very fast forward but my wife and I had another child fortunately. So we have two now. And my son's name is DAX. Oh, he DAX is for medics, Daniel and Alexander as those who made it possible. Somebody will like name my kid in their honor. So  that was great. My wife kind of came up with the idea of more than I was going for Travis Fieldyen Mills the second but she said no   Lita T  05:29 That's amazing  (laughter)   Travis  05:39  I name everything after myself, my my business, my foundation, you know,   Lita T  05:44 At least everybody knows where they're going.   Jean  05:45 It worked for George Foreman, so why not?   Travis  05:48 Exactly.   Lita T  05:49 According to the Department of Defense, as of January 2018, more than 1500 service members have lost limbs in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, since all of this started in 2001, and an article back in 2018. In July, it pushed the number up to 1900 and 14. So 1914 Have you met any other amputees since you have been injured yourself?   Travis  06:21 Had I, you mean previously or since?   Lita T  06:23 no since then?   Travis  06:25 Oh, yes. At the hospital that we had a bunch of better, everybody at the hospital was an amputee   Lita T  06:30 Okay. Okay. So this is a very common wartime injury currently correct.   Travis  06:37 Oh, yeah. Yeah, but it's common to the hospital. So like, I had no idea like patient things like that. I mean, you figure you lose a leg, your life's over. Like it's gonna be the worst thing ever. And, you know, I got to the hospital and when I find it, they woke me up from a medical sedation. I was kind of like questioning why that person got hate me. What would I do wrong in life, talking to your husband and father and you know, the biggest thing I wonder is, why not just die? Like, how is this better? And in truth, I didn'twant to talk to my wife, my mom and dad at all that my parents didn't want to deal with the situation. But then I got to, you know, wake up, my brother in law was in the room, he was in the Military as well,  a friend of mine, I met his sister, my wife, and my parents, my wife, and I did. And then I didn't really have a conversation with them. It's kind of like, I don't want to talk about this, I want to deal with it. But finally, I got to meet Todd Nicely. He was a quadruple amputee, I'm actually one of five, I'm the fourth one out of five of us, and he walked into my room was like, Hey, man, you're gonna be fine. You're gonna walk again, you're gonna drive again, you're going to feed yourself, you know, you do everything you need to do by yourself. And I know doesn't sound like it, but you're gonna be independent. And I'm sorry. And that was all the, you know, the motivation I needed.   Lita T  07:48 So they kind of turn you around you think?   Travis  07:51 You know, my wife, and I thought she should leave me. Turn me like okay, let's get better. I won't be a burden on anybody. I mean, I'm very demanding husband. Unfortunately, you know that I expect a lot of help things but I'm very lucky my wife stayed. My daughter was six months old when I got hit. So she was there more with me every day. And I actually learned how to walk with my daughter kind of cool. You know, little thing me and her have   Lita T  08:15 That's so cool   Travis  08:16  so and she's eight years old. She goes, and she tells people, you know, I taught my dad how to walk.   Lita T  08:22 So cool, I love that. Yeah, it's gonna be hard to not tear up right now.   Jean  08:27 Yeah, especially after watching the movie with the two of you,   Lita T  08:30 right?   Jean  08:31  Yeah, she was right there for your physical therapy and everything and your wife was right there too. And it's, that's amazing.   Travis  08:36 Oh, absolutely.   Lita T  08:38 After that. They got you back, you know, alive and somewhat functioning. Did they give you the chance to remain in the military in any status like you know, just state side desk side or do they just tell you this is it   Travis  08:53 you know, they did actually General Odierno and the Sergeant Major of the Army at the time came in Chandler came in talking to the hospital about, Hey, you know, we'd love to have you stay in, you can go around and maybe present on behalf of the military and I teared off and I said, Look, I plan on doing 20 years, gentlemen, but not like this. And my time has come to an end. I can't be Infantry anymore. I can't, you know, be airborne anymore. And as sad as it was to come to that realization, it was just, it was time. I think I made jokes and I really don't want to get restationed anywhere. And General Odierno said, I don't think we restation Sergeant Mills. I don't think so either, sir, but I'm going to call it today. I appreciate this conversation, you know, cuz it was emotional. I planned on 20 years at whole career path lined up, but it just didn't work out for me and that's okay. Cuz like, you know, it's gonna play some curveballs and you got to keep pushing forward and do the best you can and I feel like I've taken that curveball, and that's kind of knocked out of the park with everybody that helps.    Lita T  09:53 That's super   Ron  09:55 Travis, I've seen some of your videos on YouTube. Absolutely. Amazing. And I could tell you're a pretty humorous guy. How did your humor and your personality I guess, how did it help you with the recovery process? And how long after the amputations where you fitted for the prosthetic that you wear?   Travis  10:18 Well, the humor that I have came back right to me. I met in fact, one day, I was sitting there in my hospital bed, the hallway from the nurses, and I could see them holding their like change of shift brief and I started yelling, oh, my legs, my arms and legs where did they go?  How did this happen? And I'm just joking to get their attention. And a little 10 year old walked by, and I was like, Oh, I'm just kidding. Sorry. Girls, like I'm so sorry. But, of course, you have the humor. And I think the best compliment and sometimes the worst compliment that I get is that I'm the same person that I was for the injury. So depending on who says it, you know, if you know somebody that's a friend of mine that grew up with says that's awesome, but if it's like a like a Maybe old school teacher from high school. Oh, sorry.   Ron  11:02 Yeah.   Travis  11:05  But as far as my prosthetic, I was able to get fitted after five weeks time, so a relatively short period. And then seven weeks and four days, I was able to start walking again so just shy of two months. I took my very first steps at Walter Reed. I mean, it was a short, legs a very different feel from walking, but I was starting my comeback,   Jean  11:24 right? It's amazingly fast.   Lita T  11:27 Amazing. For sure.   Travis  11:29 Well, I appreciate that. And then Believe it or not, I have no arms and legs like I do. I just made a video this morning. I was at the gym and I was actually running this morning at the gym. It's first time in two years. I took a hiatus because a no excuse, but back running now. So it's good.   Jean  11:45 That's awesone, that's absolutely awesome   Travis  11:47 Well yeah, I mean, I travel I travel the nation motivational speaker and I started every time off by saying I tell jokes disarm situation. Knee slapper if you got it, you know, don't have arms or and I also can't slap my knees. But I think it just makes people look past the injury that I sustained and more at the man that I am   Ron  11:47 . I say I'm work. I work in the disability community. I'm involved in Disabled Sports. And I tell you, it is a very interesting community with the humor so I understand exactly where you're coming from. You know who can say what?   absolutely   Travis  12:22 happy, you know, because I want to break down barriers and walls and people are just at Whole Foods to be honest with you and a little boy walked up, he's like, "what happened to your arms?"  His mom's like. "don't ask that"  like don't ask that to know, I probably have people asking like, then stare and like, kind of shy away from it. So I told him I, you know, had that day at work. And now I'm like Iron Man with, you know, the superheroes. He's all about it. He followed me around for a little bit. So I was like, Hey, man, I really gotta go.   Jean  12:49 Oh, wow. So every day, you're just   Lita T  12:52  inspiring people,   Jean  12:53  inspiring people wherever you go. That's fantastic. And Travis, my mom and I both know that, you know The army is not only a community, it's kind of like a family. But apparently that's really the case for you. As you had said your brother in law is also in that in the military. And that's actually how you met your wife.   Travis  13:12 Oh, yeah.   Jean  13:13  And what role has that played in your recovery?   Travis  13:17 As far as military Brotherhood in my recovery, how's that? Okay, yeah. So at the hospital, I answered the military in general, you have a brotherhood, right? Like I didn't go on my third deployment. I was supposed to go to Fort Hood, Texas, and help build a per day up ticket timeout from the point that so much time but I had all these young guys that came from across the nation that believed in me, I said, Nope, it's not fair to them. They believe me, I'm their leader. My wife understood the calling there at her house with five kids and she knew I had to go.  There is something ingrained in you as a servicemember. So I went overseas, and I got injured, right. So you go from the platoon size brotherhood and then you have the hospital without Todd Nicely coming to talk to me. Shortly after I was injured. I've never know the possibilities that lay the head. So I work properly as motivated when you get down to the military advanced training center, where all the injured guys are at and then we tell you something is just amazing. Because that's a tight knit group, and you're all working together and living together. going through the same thing with the with your spouse will do the same thing or children and having them to lean on. Plus, the staff at Walter Reed are just top notch physical therapists, occupational therapists, you know, in the driving of cyclists, the process everybody, it's just one well oiled machine, the doctors sorry and Walter Reed is a Brotherhood and having everybody that was injured. Like me, or you know, not like me with no arms legs, but like maybe missing the leg missing the arm, spinal cord injury, whatever. It was nice having them there because, you know, you feed off them, they still got the mentality of, you know, being in the service.   Lita T  14:54 Right. Could you please tell us a little bit about the prosthetics that you're using now. And an add on question, I guess. Do you start out like a person that has an amputation? Do they start out with one type of a prosthetic and move on to different ones as they get acclimated to the use? Are there like prosthetic training wheels of sorts?   Travis  15:16 Yeah, absolutely There are so we'll start with the hands the first one that I got called the mile electric I still use things that Dan that I have that but he only went for one hour a day and then it got progressively more and more so without I was on I want so like I've added on 20 hours or whatever, you know, up and up that long working or doing whatever. And they just, you know, it's muscle flex base. So I certain muscles blow it up into flex, but they muscle fat that rotate and download down fast. And it's pretty awesome because I mean, I could eat a sandwich, I can open the door, I could drive my truck, do everything I need to with that one hand that I wear on the left side, the right side. I'm so high up injured. I don't wear prosthetics on it. Unless I'm doing that. activities like downhill mountain biking, or kayaking, and things of that nature. Okay, snowboarding, I do all that stuff, which is pretty awesome, then. Oh yeah. And then as far as the prosthetic legs is definitely a training wheels type session where you start on short legs, so they mold your legs start on really short prosthetics and you got to rebuild everything from 250 pounds when I got injured to 140 pounds. I lost all my muscle mass. I couldn't roll right and left for sit up myself for a while there. So I had to regain all my core muscle and strength. And he started on shorter legs. So when you get stronger on those, it's basically like if you imagine where your kneecap is, there's a foot at the end of it for me it would have been difficult to deal with Sure, yeah. It and then you grow taller and taller to the point where you have straight legs that are like still so you're standing up as high as they're going to make you okay, I was six, three, almost six foot right now. I was you know, so they Currently, Sanchez Blitz offer safety and gravity and whatnot. And then they give you the legs I'm wearing now it's called x threes. And they're the top of the line. They're waterproof. They're Bluetooth, that have like a locking remote, much better angle. They have little computers in each leg. So they're microprocessors fitter. So every time I move over here and adjustments get made to keep me as upright as possible. And then the last thing is they have hydraulic brakes built in so when I go down the ramp, I can slow myself down. I find a lot of airplanes actually good motivational speaker. So when I go down on the jetway, I don't go bowling for people.   Ron  17:36 So yeah, that in the video too. Right, right. Yeah,   Jean  17:39 that's, that's incredible.   Ron  17:42 was funny. One of the other things in the video talked about your prosthetic hand and your daughter's future boyfriend. I thought that was pretty humorous.   Lita T  17:53 Yeah, tell us about that firsthand.   Travis  17:55 Yeah, I got it. Yeah, keeping a Crown Royal bag in my closet. It was 45 pressure, and then 35 pounds of pressure. And the reason I keep in the closet is because when she's 16 her mom lets her go on a date, I'm gonna bring the handout. I'll probably you know, crush his hand, when he's crying I'm going to tell him "no   fingerprints".  But don't mess with me, bro. Let him go   Lita T  18:15 (laughter)   Travis  18:15 To subdue any, you know,   Lita T  18:17 Questions that he might have had   Travis  18:18 Ideas he was thinking about trying?  My wife says I'm not gonna be able to do that. But, you know, we'll see.   Lita T  18:19  Right right That's right, that's right   Travis  18:27  And high school buddies like real good friends of mine are so excited because their kids get old enough they can't wait to  buy me into the same thing. I'm like, I'm coming let's throw a party. That boys to style like Bad Boys 2 with Martin Lawrence, and Will Smith the show that day.   Lita T  18:41 Sure, sure.   Ron  18:42 Yeah, that's too funny. You just mentioned your friends. It's actually leads me into my next question. Your friends and family, including your wife. how supportive as they put you through this little this journey.   Travis  18:58 Oh, I mean, stop that. I I definitely gain and lose friends through this and you know having my wife at my side every day was a reason I kept fighting to get better because she's not leaving me, then I gotta do my best to not be a burden. And you know a lot of places that she goes for other nonprofits maybe they bring up like, you know, the problems that have their husbands or issues they have their husbands. You know, some of the other spouses might say like, we can't do this because of that I felt like was Travis Travis Travis takes boys to gymnastics he runs around does grocery shopping when he when he can and things so I try to be everyday average normal husband, fathers, I can't be but then having you know, my friends, bear with me. And now with the foundation. I've been able to bring up a lot of really cool families that I want to help out. So we help all physically injured, sterilization spinal cord, service families and it's all free to them and it's all about Hey, get out out there be active in community and in your society, because some people aren't as open as me. And I think having support group that I had and having that I, I had  to learn things like, like walking and stuff as I'm fortunately so successful in my everyday life.   Lita T  20:17 Sure, sure.   Ron  20:18  Oh, that's fantastic. That's fantastic.   Lita T  20:20 Definitely. Travis, what do you wish people knew about amputees? I know that you say that, you know, go ahead and ask That's for you personally. But what do you wish people would know about amputees? Like the emotional changes that a person goes to you? So like, in other words, if somebody wanted to ask a question, but they were afraid to ask, you know, pretend like you're asked, answering those questions. What What did you have to go through emotionally?   Jean  20:47 And I would say like, what, what do you wish they knew?   Lita T  20:50 Right?   Jean  20:50  Yeah.   Travis  20:51 Well, I mean, honestly, for me, a lot of my buddies that I know rather than have the conversation than the looks, the stairs, and like the The awkward, you know, oh crap, they're looking at me I'm going to look back, or up at the ceiling or whatever and look back when they're not looking. So, really people they want to be delicate, which I appreciate I understand but, you know, everybody that I know is everyday, regular person, they just had some mishap at work but didn't change them, you know, into being this person that needs to be, you know, you know, babied around or, or ostracized I guess. So, you know, for me, why don't people know is like, have the conversation say Hey, how's it going? People ask me. It's a funny thing. Like, hey, Travis, you know, when I see someone like you, What do I say? I'm like, I usually say hi or hello   Lita T  21:42 Exactly, exactly right, right   Travis  21:45 And, you know, also, I'm trying to change the narrative. I say I'm recalibrate because my voice those out you want those wounded guys, it doesn't feel very good, don't have any more injuries. I have scars. So I'm trying to change the whole life. Word wounded, is that the negative to recalibrated it right?   Lita T  22:03 Okay,   Travis  22:03 based off a little bit. We're good to go. It's good. And then then also, I think that the term veteran in general has become kind of like, oh, you're one of the veterans Do you got that, you know, pts or what's wrong and I'm like, nothing I serve my country had a great time doing it, love my job, had a bad day at work. I gotta move on. So, you know, my foundation, we're actually expanding our program to help people get back on their feet. That may be something for PTS, things like that. Because I really truly feel that you know, you need to get help to get out of your own way to be successful,  I'm fortunate. We're going to talk about that I run I own part owner and two, and I run one with my wife. So three businesses plus nonprofit that's very successful.   Lita T  22:47 That's great.   Jean  22:48 Well, we weren't must be very busy.   Lita T  22:50 Yeah, I would say so. Yeah, well, yes, for sure. I'm getting back to the physical thing that you've been through. How many surgical procedures have have you had?   Travis  23:02 I think 13 they said they   23:06 Yeah, 13 surgical procedures,  maybe more, but I didn't have any. I didn't have any surgeries. Kind of weeks easily get with me What's up, let's go internal. Then I had my eardrum repaired, which was the worst surgery that I can remember. But and then besides for that, nothing too crazy. I was very fortunate and lucky there no infections or anything like that.   Lita T  23:28 Do you think they'd be in the best physical condition that you were in prior to the injuries was what helped your recovery?   Travis  23:36 I think so. I think it did. For sure. I was a weightlifter. I picked anything up that was heavy and put it down. You know, one of those meat is kind of nice. But I also I think it was on the battlefield. The reason I didn't lose my blood out and everything. I remained calm. I didn't get my heart rate up. I didn't freak out. I kept telling myself whatever happens happens. Not my call at the end of the day. So don't freak out. And I think that might have saved my life as well because instead of yelling, I don't want to die and freaking out and panicking, I just like to stay calm and ride this one out. So very fortunate that I'm kind of stuffing it in the best way possible, which are my thing. And the most worst way. Yes. All my family members, maybe.   Jean  24:22 Well, yeah, that's, that is truly amazing. And it says a lot about who you are as a person who you were before, and who you who you have always been, and your injuries were in 2012. Do you still have like phantom limb pain? And is there anything that they can do to help treat that part of the injury?   Travis  24:39 You know, it's great question and I can't reiterate the documentary and I wish I could, because I say that the academy coma I don't think I would do it again, which is I only did that. You know, the documentary was five months after my injury. In truth, the phantom limb pain I would 110% not be the person I am Today if I didn't have the ketamine colon Academy coma, they're doing a case study. And what they did was reset my brain to think that my nerves and where they were blown off and finally beat. And I, I have been absolutely pain medication free since October of 2012. I quit it cold turkey, and no pain medication. No medication whatsoever, actually, which is very unfortunate, but because of my case study they did. It's more of a common use process. And I have no phantom limb pain, no pain to speak up. And I'm very, very lucky. I know that so it's, you know, that's one thing that at the time when I said it in the documentary, I didn't know the results of it and now looking back like it was probably the best thing for me because my life is obstructed by anything, I don't live, you know, any medication and just keep pushing forward with with a pretty worryfree life.   Lita T  25:58 It's amazing.   Jean  25:59 Yeah, that's awesome.   Ron  26:01 Try to watch the video that showed you and your modified truck. Oh, you know you still drive? What about any of your other recreational pursuits? Do you need adaptations? Or how do you how do you do done?   Travis  26:15 Well, you know, luckily with the remote to my truck, and I click My legs are better your angles I can drive my truck No, no no problem and therefore a lot of us like to get into get adapted. I just kind of drove it every day and made it work with a steering wheel handle so I can drive most anything but I have a van that has ankles in it, which is awesome. And that that really helps out a lot too. So it's just a lot of fun that I get to do that and be able to drive again and stuff so I i guess i have a ranger in a golf cart. But there's no adaptions on those. I just kind of drive those.   Jean  26:48 If you're going to be running that day. Is there do you switch out your prosthetics to make running   Travis  26:54  You know what? Yeah, yeah, so I did I forgot to cover that. I went back and training was walking to look at my profit. But in truth, I have bicycle legs I've never used I'm going to set them up one day very excited about this. I'm running late. I have both. I have worked out a little short workout legs. And then I have different hands and attachment. I mean, it's I have a bowling arm. I think I'm going to use this weekend. My daughter's birthday party thing she's doing with all their friends and their, you know, whatever. And I have a pool table arms. I can't wait to get a pool table. I'm telling you what,   Ron  27:26 (laughter)    Travis  27:27 kind of exciting but yeah, there's definitely different adaption,   Lita T  27:30 okay,   Travis  27:31 there are adaptations that they have. And it's kind of like it's weird, but like, just like on Amazon, you go and set the book. You're like, oh, that activity looks fun. And see if I get one of those. I have I have a like a 10 inch butcher knife. So I can carve a turkey to be honest. I haven't covered a lot of turkeys. But it's very sharp. And you got to be very careful on the walking thing because it's like running with scissors.   Lita T  27:52 Oh, yeah.   Travis  27:54 But yeah, we have all that stuff. And I'm so grateful that there's some geniuses and bright minds out there. That put this together to make it possible for   Lita T  28:01  for sure.   Ron  28:02  Well, Travis, if you don't already, if you don't do scuba diving or you haven't done archery and you are interested, let's talk later because I'm involved in both of those activities for people with disabilities.   Travis  28:17  I appreciate that. Yeah,   Ron  28:19 for what I've seen you do a lot, but I wanted to throw that out. There is another. I don't know something else you could add to the resume.   Lita T  28:26 Right, right.   Travis  28:27 Yeah, so I've done archery, and I'm okay with that. You know, it's not something again, knock knock on the arrow part gets me kinda. So like, my biggest stubbornness I have. If I can't do it by myself, then it's like, I don't really want to do it. So I'm getting some, some rifle setup so I can go, I like to skeet shoot you right. It's target shoot. But also, my next goal is already been skydiving a few times I show my airplanes but since I've been injured I've been skydiving twice, my next goal and here's where being you can can collaborate. I'm gonna go you know, cage diving with a great white sharks. I just I'm so afraid of sharks. I face my fears and I cannot wait to jump in that cage with those with sharks all around the but I want the big ones off this, you know the Cape of you know, of South Africa I want   Ron  29:14 certainly that. That's one of my bucket list items. I just say I don't want that to be the last item on my bucket list if you know what I mean   Lita T  29:20 (laughter) okay.   Jean  29:22 Yeah, you two have fun   Travis  29:23  You've got to live a little bit   Lita T  29:25 I'll be up on the boat with the spear gun and I'll be keeping an eye out for you.   Jean  29:30 Wow.   Travis  29:31 Yeah, drinking the rum punch. I love it   Lita T  29:35 Somebody getting on shotgun.   Jean  29:36 Yep.   Travis  29:37 Oh, I get it.   Jean  29:39 That's you guys are hilarious. But yeah, you guys don't have to work that out with Dive. Heart. Travis, what is the future of prosthetics look like and what do you hope to see with future prosthetic devices?   Travis  29:53 You know, the prosthetics are quite amazing. They have prosthetics that your hands that each finger moves instead of just Like the two fingers, like, you know, like he can add a little motor I'm looking for those get more durable, which is exciting, but also then hooking to like, your nerves and all that so that they can, you know, sense what your muscles would would actually be flexing to open your hand and close it. But I think also what I'm excited about a step further than prosthetics is they're doing stuff called osteo integration where they they're hollowing out your humor bone and hooking a rod to it and a rod inside your skin like your feet do. And then you connect your feet on it, and you can take them off. And then kind of lastly is the stem cell stuff, which is so intriguing to me because they're regrowing people's like one guy like regrew his thumb, so that they're saying they're probably able to regrow people's arms and legs in the near future. Like we're talking 5/10 years.   Lita T  30:47 Wow.   Travis  30:48 We're just I mean mind blowing, right?   Lita T  30:50 oh yeah wow,   Travis  30:51 yeah, I'm gonna be the first one to do it. But I'm saying it's just it's just amazing that the progression right when the first guy made a prosthetic Civil War thing or got started, because he lost his leg to a cannon, or infection or a gunshot, something to do with civil war. But now, I mean, bionic stuff is just impressive. So sky's the limit. If I was a Vietnam era veteran on the battlefield medicine or technology that we had have today, very rarely where a guy like me ever make it, very low percentage. And now, because of the wars and because of technology and the time that we live in, I live a pretty normal life. Like, I mean, you know, I, I went down and did a federal meeting today at a building that was like a day to day and I had I went to the gym and ran to the outdoors, the laces running at the gym. Pretty cool, right?   Lita T  31:41 Absolutely.   Jean  31:42 And very inspiring   Travis  31:44 And I think i think i think the big thing is, you know, to stay to stay humble, because I don't want to ask for too much. It's just so fortunate and lucky to have what's out there on the market right now.   Jean  31:55 Sure, sure. But I guess you know, as far as the future of prosthetics, the designer Definitely want to hear from the individuals who will be using them to see what is it that you guys need?   Travis  32:05 Oh, absolutely there for dreams for sure.   Ron  32:09 Travis older veterans day name require amputations due to medical complications, like diabetes, or something like that. Have you interacted with any of these older vets to talk with them and give them an idea of what to expect after amputation?   Travis  32:27 Well, I mean, I get it. I get some conversations, right? A lot of like, one on one counseling like that. But if I go to the VA to do a checkup or something, when I see somebody and ask the questions I answer or someone at the grocery store that, you know, I, you know, have the conversation. So a big thing is people emailing my website, and they'll ask me like, Hey, you know, I got this going on. I was thinking, maybe I should just cut my leg off. What do you think I'm like, I'm not the guy. Like, that's not my Yeah, my expertise, but I'll tell you, that, you know, there's different prothestics out there make your life better if that ends up being the diagnosis or what happened. So, I'll try to get as much information but I want to make it sound like oh, it's Rick, hack that thing off. Let's call it a day. Right? But um, as far as people that are suffering you know, I know people use my use my website TravisMills.org for a lot of inspiration. And they go on my Facebook, which is all like tagged SSG Travis, because when they go to my Facebook page or my Instagram they'll see fun videos of me and my wife children or or meet my buddy or things like that and then they can you know, they can find out Hey, life goes on. That's what this whole podcast about some happen. Keep pushing forward. And that's kind of the message that we always we always project I'm always speak about resiliency and about, you know, overcoming life's obstacles. And it's just, it's a lot of fun for me, so I'll have the conversation, but it's not something I do what I want to accomplish.   Lita T  33:54 Well, speaking of resiliency, you were obviously able to draw on an incredible Internal Strength just to survive that incident. Could you tell us more about your mantra of never give up? never quit? How did you come up with that? And can that work for everyone?   Travis  34:11 Absolutely. It can work for everybody in the way that I kind of started in the hole. Never go never quit was I was working out. I looked all skinny and sickly and their staff say Do you wanna take a break? And I said, I'm never gonna give up I'm never gonna quit. And you know when I say my wife on my side, my daughter being there helped me walk again. In my driving force. My parents my in laws. My father in law, I didn't really know him that well really, right. Like, we talked about the weather, a lot sports but lived near him or was nowhere near him. When I grew up. He moved in the hospital with me, we became really close friends now. I mean, we're best friends. We travel all over the nation together. But it's just it's ingrained in my head that you just keep pushing forward. You can't just let your situation that you're living in now the outcome of your life and let me just Like the military, I always strive for more promotions and higher rank and do better and things like that and the best time of my life. So, you know, I don't want to sit stagnant. You got to keep moving. And that's kind of how I got the slogan. And now I live by it because I know that there's no not one but two children that look up to me every day. And I need to make sure they know like, hey, look, if you fall down, you got to get back up and keep going forward.   Jean  35:24 It's once again, amazing,   Lita T  35:27 Hooah!   Ron  35:30 Could you tell us a little bit more about the movie a soldier's story?   Travis  35:34 Yeah. So this documentary was created because people in Texas saw my story on I think Fox News, one of the new stations, and they thought was pretty cool. And they realized quite early in our conversations to have go room to room and meet people like me and the people that came into the hospital, and they wanted to film and we decided, you know what, let's just go ahead and do a short documentary half hour long and then it turned into an hour long documentary and became a film that that was actually that was done and about seven days, maybe nine days of filming. Yeah, there's a lot of iPhone footage of that cotton edit from Kelsey phone, which was great. But they did reenact with some of the interviews and all that just like in nine days, so.   Lita T  36:16 Oh, yeah, I was, that was a heart wrenching. A heart wrenching movie. We watched it just before we started the interview. We wanted to make sure that we were in the right frame of mind, and I don't know if that helped. Oh,   Jean  36:29 yeah, it was all it was us in a box of tissue. Yeah, but there were a lot of smiles.   Lita T  36:34 Yeah, yeah, I knew how it ended so that was the only reason I said it's got a good ending.   Jean  36:38 Yeah,   Lita T  36:39 it's gonna be a good movie.   Jean  36:40 It's gonna work out it's gonna be okay.   Lita T  36:42 Yeah,   Travis  36:43 I know it kind of sad for the first half hour.   Lita T  36:45  Yeah, it was a it was a it was a rough beginning.   Travis  36:49 And then now I actually unfortunate where we have, or I guess I have a book "AS Tough As They Come" It's a New York Times bestseller. I have a book out, and it might be made into an actual motion. picture, which is exciting, but can't count your chickens before they hatch. So we're playing it day by day and see how it goes.   Lita T  37:07 Sure, sure. Can you tell our listeners about your family now? So you've got two children and how have you adapted to life together as and does this amputee getting away? I mean, are you just a husband and a dad?   Travis  37:26 I mean there's two answers to that I guess it didn't patient or my disability or you want to call it it does give away something like my daughter's in soccer. I'd love to be in the backyard keep the ball around and running. But I did that for the first year when she was like five cheaper soccer but now I can't keep up so I kind of watch her you know, from the side but doesn't really get in my way. I get on the trampoline with my kid but I still do a backflip we get into the floor the lake and swim around so don't really hold me up and I still do daddy daughter dances and things like that    Lita T  37:59 oh that's sweet   Travis  38:00  My wife, you know, she's unsung hero of everything. She doesn't like the limelight as much. But, you know, she's one keeps us all together the glue that holds it and she's been phenomenal. You know, she's taking my side and helped me out like today before we left, I still need help put my legs on. So she had to put my legs on, she doesn't complain about that she just, It's just normal now. So like, when I wake up, you know, my legs go on in my pants or whatever. But it doesn't hold me back from being a father or a parent. You know, I'm the one that takes your gymnastics, and my son and I wrestle around. This is a lot of fun. So I guess we have the same family dynamic that we were always going to have. You know, I'm, you know, active with the kids and my wife and I still do things as a family. It's just different because I'm not able to do as much sports stuff as I'd like to because I used to be very athletic.   Lita T  38:55 But at least you've been there. You know the tips. You know, you know what to tell you kids how to do it. You can train them, you can coach them, you can guide them, because you've already done it. And   Travis  39:08 absolutely, give me excuses. I'm not sure that excuses will work with me, like, really, really fully   Ron  39:19 add here and kind of in the same boat with you a little bit too old, so I can't keep up with my kid. But I've done it before I can talk with them. I can explain to them, but I certainly can't keep up with them. They're young. You know?   Travis  39:33 You're doing better than me, Ron I mean, I fell apart at 25 you know, I got two feet in the grave now. 32 years old. There you go.    Jean  39:40 I don't know if that's quite true   Ron  39:42 I finally heard that, finally caught it. Again, I know the humor in the community can be pretty pretty intense, huh?   Jean  39:50 Yeah, you guys. Yeah. quite quite the comedian there.   Lita T  39:53 I gotta close my mouth now,   Jean  39:55 yeah. Okay.   Ron  39:56 Yeah, hopefully we'll talk afterwards. There. You   Jean  40:01 Do you have any tips hints and helpful advice for our listeners, or someone who's recently had an amputation or waiting to have one or their family members?   Travis  40:10 For you, I don't just sit here with amputations. I'll tell you what I tell all the audiences I speak to. I travel with you know, all over the nation. The two things I leave won't get off stage since the two left crap where because, you know, I went from this athletic six foot three lift weights every day, big, stocky, strong guy to, you know, have no arms and legs, and everything. So the first thing I tell people is don't dwell in the past. I sit in hospital bed and close my eyes and hope we pray that this never happened. And think how I go back in time, how do I change this? And you know, it took what two three weeks then when I finally realized that it does me no good living in the past is never going to change anything. So instead of dwelling on it, I remember this 25 years I have arms and like they're phenomenal and I've had seven amazing times and then I also take it step further and tell people that you can't control your situation. But you can always control your attitude. So for me, my situation is I wake up every morning with no arms, no legs, right then that's how I am. But my attitude, I'm fortunate, my daughter, Chloe to run down with no, if I'm not already awake, I jumped my wheelchair, I throw my arm on, right, we go downstairs, and we have our breakfast. And then I'm able to go ahead and go about my day. So instead of letting my situation dictate how I feel, I just realized that hey, I'm so lucky to be here and so fortunate because I have a lot of guys that make it back home to their families, that I might as well have a great attitude about every day I get to be here because you know, they're no longer with us and their sacrifices so much bear in mind. And I think if you get by those two life life lessons that I've been, you know, that I've learned and I live by pretty, pretty positive, upbeat, average, you know, great day. Hi, everybody. Sorry about the great day   Jean  41:59 Yeah.   Lita T  42:00  good attitude   Jean  42:01  is wonderful.   Ron  42:03 Yeah, attitude is definitely a big factor. Travis, you do have quite the following of people. You want to give a plug for your book or your podcast?   Jean  42:13 I can't believe you also have a podcast Wow.   Travis  42:16 You know, I do but we're just getting it off the ground. We did a little a couple, you know, test episodes and pilots, but now we're going to go ahead and and change out the format to be great. And, you know, I'm really excited about that. So, yeah, if anybody gets bored and want to check it out, check out Travis mills.org. For otter Travis Mills needs and we'll just kind of go from there. Okay, there you go. That's, that's great. That's, that's that's wonderful. And we hope our listeners do check that out. We cannot thank you enough for joining our show today. It's been a pleasure having you on Yes, definitely. Yeah, absolutely appreciate you guys having me. I hope you guys have won frustrated day and excited to be a part of this. You know, this episode. Your phenomenal podcast here.   Lita T  43:01 Thank you Travis for joining our show. And I hope others can find strength by listening to your story because that's the goal of our podcast.   Jean  43:10 Yeah. And it's extremely inspiring,   Lita T  43:12  very   Travis  43:14 Thanks so much, much appreciated.   Lita T  43:15 You're welcome. If our listeners have any questions or comments related to today's show, they can contact us at podcast [email protected] do our website podcast dx calm and Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.   Jean  43:28 And if you have a moment to spare, please give us a review wherever you get your podcast. As always, keep in mind that this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with a any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment in before undertaking a new health care regime and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you've heard on this podcast   Lita T  43:49 till next week.  

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TRANSCRIPT Ron: [00:00:30] Hello and welcome to another episode of podcast DX. The show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a medical diagnosis. [00:00:40][10.4] Lita: [00:00:41] I'm Lita. [00:00:42][0.2] Ron: [00:00:43] I'm Ron. [00:00:43][0.2] Jean: [00:00:44] And I'm the guinea pig. [00:00:45][1.0] Lita: [00:00:47] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast D X this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for a professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or a treatment. And before undertaking a new health care regimen and never just regard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:01:16][29.6] Jean: [00:01:18] Now on future episodes we have many interesting people to speak with about a wide variety of different medical conditions and diagnoses but in this episode we will be discussing a rare set of disorders that fall under the category of Ehlers Danlos syndrome which we will abbreviate from this point forward as E D S. [00:01:39][20.9] Ron: [00:01:41] E D S or a group of connective tissue disorders that can be inherited and are varied both in how they affect the body and in their genetic causes. They are generally characterized by joint hyper mobility that is joints that stretched further than normal, skin hyperextensibility. Again, skin that can be stretched further than normal, and tissue fragility. There are 13 subtypes, each one being diagnosed through genetic testing. The hyper mobile type does not have a genetic marker identified just yet. This type is diagnosed by a physician using something called the Beighton Scale, which includes a variety of tests to give reference to the amount of hyper mobility involved in the patient. The connective tissue of a person with EDS is not structured the way it should be. Some or all of the tissue in the EDS affected body can be pulled beyond normal limits which causes damage connective tissue can be found almost anywhere. It can be found in the skin the muscles tendons in the ligament the blood vessels the organs in the gums the eyes and so on you get the picture. [00:02:58][77.6] Lita: [00:02:59] That's right. Run. I bet you got that right off the EDS Society website. [00:03:03][4.1] Ron: [00:03:04] Was it that obvious? I wanted to make sure that we were giving the most accurate definition to the listeners out there. The link for EDS Web site along with more detailed information regarding EDS can be found on our Web site PodcastD X dot com. [00:03:21][16.9] Lita: [00:03:22] Well now that we know the definition of EDS, I guess it's time to point out the actual symptoms that a person with us experiences. The first is typically joint hyper mobility loose or unstable joints which are prone to frequent dislocations and or a subluxations, joint pain, hyper extensible joints., (they move beyond the joints normal range) and early onset of osteoarthritis. [00:03:52][30.1] Ron: [00:03:55] Lita, what's the difference between a dislocation and subluxation. [00:03:57][2.2] Lita: [00:03:59] Well a dislocation is defined as the separation of a human body's two bones from a joint or area where the two bones come together. In time, if treated incorrectly. It can lead to ligament or nerve damage, which will hinder the patient's body movements. A partial dislocation is referred to at times as a subluxation. This is the result of an incomplete separation of the bones that come together at the joints. [00:04:28][29.1] Ron: [00:04:30] Wow. Either way they both some pretty painful. [00:04:32][1.9] Lita: [00:04:32] They sure do. Pain is a huge problem with EDS. It can also turn into a chronic early onset debilitating musc, musculoskeletal pain similar to fibromyalgia. Another common issue with EDS is a skin related problems. It's very common to have fragile skin that tears or bruises easily, bruising may be severe. Severe scarring, slow and poor wound healing, even following a surgery, scars can reopen after you think they were healed. Other problems can occur within the body due to lack of collagen and or ligaments support. Things like frequent hernias, digestive problems, mitral valve prolapse, scoliosis, uterine fragility, and gum disease. [00:05:24][51.8] Ron: [00:05:26] That certainly is an incredible array of symptoms. And this disorder is not curable but it is managed with medication physical therapy and rest. So now that we have laid some of the background for our listeners at home it is time to introduce today's guest who unfortunately deals with EDS on a daily basis. Our own co-host here podcastDx, Jean Marie. Could you please explain a little bit about your journey with EDS?. [00:06:00][33.8] Jean: [00:06:01] Sure. I didn't know what it was but I've been, but I knew that I had some issues with my joints stability and such for some time. When I was little, I was always very "bendy" and my hip will go out of joint just walking and my shoulders would come out of joint several times, and I've had some other issues but I've had some severe problems with it as well, but most of my issues were later in life. [00:06:30][29.2] Ron: [00:06:32] So the first symptoms that when you were much younger you said about your hip. [00:06:37][5.3] Jean: [00:06:38] Well I would say that although I recognize that there was something going on I didn't understand what. How complex and difficult the situation was and that I had EDS until much later in life, in my 30s. [00:06:52][14.3] Lita: [00:06:53] Is it common for people with EDS to get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. [00:06:57][3.3] Jean: [00:06:58] Sure. I mean you have joint issues and joint pain is often common in eds. So you may be diagnosed with fibromyalgia but it's actually a connective tissue issue when it comes to eds and you could also have an issue with your vascular system which is a subset of eds. [00:07:18][19.5] Lita: [00:07:18] Okay. And how do gastrointestinal problems. Irritable bowel or Gerd. How do those play a part with EDS? [00:07:27][8.2] Jean: [00:07:27] Well since your gastrointestinal system is comprised of connective tissue it can be affected by eds. So in your nerves are also surrounded by connective tissue. So since your gastrointestinal system works on a umm [00:07:43][16.0] Lita: [00:07:49] The pulsing of the muscles that move the product through the gastro system right? [00:07:55][6.0] Jean: [00:07:55] Right. That's all influenced by your nerves. And it's not something that you can control. It's an autonomic function and it's controlled by your nerve. So if your nerves are affected by your eds then your gastrointestinal symptoms are affected by that as well. And did I mention brain fog. I think brain fog is a part of eds. [00:08:13][17.7] Lita: [00:08:13] yes I know I know. [00:08:14][1.0] Ron: [00:08:16] Well I know your symptoms have changed over the years. This is based on surgery's medication changes etc. etc.. How would you say that eds affects your lifestyle right now. [00:08:27][11.6] Jean: [00:08:28] Well I have to make different modifications and accommodations for eds. Yes I have to take into account that my. For example I my hip might come out of joint and I do utilize different. Things to try to reduce the number of incidents I have. [00:08:45][16.7] Lita: [00:08:46] OK. Well since this is you know this is EDs Awareness Month as you know. Are you up for that EDs challenge that they've been talking about. [00:08:54][8.1] Jean: [00:08:55] Nope [00:08:55][0.0] Lita: [00:08:58] (laughter) Good. Let's do a lightning round. I'll ask the questions and you'll have 15 seconds to answer before I go on to the next one. [00:09:04][6.4] Jean: [00:09:05] Great. [00:09:05][0.0] Lita: [00:09:05] . Ron you'll keep time. You're ready. [00:09:07][1.9] Ron: [00:09:08] I Certainly am. whenever You're ready. [00:09:09][0.9] Lita: [00:09:10] Jean said she's not ready. [00:09:11][1.5] Ron: [00:09:12] Well you're ready Ready or not. [00:09:13][0.9] Lita: [00:09:13] That's right. OK. Question 1 What type do you have. [00:09:17][3.5] Jean: [00:09:17] Hyper mobile. [00:09:18][0.3] Lita: [00:09:19] And when were you diagnosed. [00:09:19][0.8] Jean: [00:09:20] Several years ago before my cranial cervical fusion in New York. [00:09:23][3.1] Lita: [00:09:25] OK. Do you have any comorbilities. [00:09:26][1.4] Jean: [00:09:28] Yes I have pots which we discussed on a prior episode. I get migraines. I have several hernias. I have an issue with my gastro parasen, paracentesis there say that three times fast. I have thyroid disorders tinitis in my ears cranial cervical settling and cranial cervical instability which has been repaired with a number of different titanium accessories, syncope is lipo edema, latex sensitivity I get PVCs with my heart. Now I have celiac disease and I have difficulty swallowing just to name a couple of related issues. [00:10:05][37.7] Lita: [00:10:06] Hey Ron I think we have a client here that we can use for a lot of future podcasts [00:10:10][4.1] Jean: [00:10:11] Oh no no no no. There are many other people that want to get on the show. [00:10:14][3.3] Lita: [00:10:14] OK. All right. Question number four do you have any mobility aids that you use. [00:10:20][6.0] Jean: [00:10:21] I do. There are some are unusual but it's difficult. For example for me to squeeze a bottle. So when it comes to toiletry products and things of that nature I use a pump. [00:10:31][9.7] Lita: [00:10:31] OK. [00:10:31][0.0] Jean: [00:10:32] Because that makes it my life much easier and I join up to worry about my fingers going out of joint. I also make sure that I you know I have trecking polls to assist when I'm walking and if need be I also use a wheelchair when I know when that comes. [00:10:46][14.6] Lita: [00:10:48] To much walk. [00:10:48][0.5] Jean: [00:10:49] And yet when walking becomes too much I wear very comfortable shoes that offer a great deal of support. And I just try to take it easy and rest. [00:10:58][9.5] Lita: [00:10:59] OK. What do you use for pain management. [00:11:01][2.1] Jean: [00:11:02] Anything I can. I've taken everything from fentanyl to oxycodone and I have recently submitted my application for medical marijuana for the state of Illinois. So I'm looking forward, looking forward to trying that as well. And then I also use things like distraction music. I'll read books listen you know watch movies spend time with my family spend time in the garden and I try to you know alleviate my pain through other techniques as well. [00:11:33][30.7] Lita: [00:11:34] And pet therapy. [00:11:34][0.8] Jean: [00:11:35] And pet therapy yes. [00:11:36][0.6] Lita: [00:11:36] Can't forget Buddy and Gi.Gi.. [00:11:37][1.0] Jean: [00:11:38] Nope. [00:11:38][0.0] Lita: [00:11:39] Have you had any surgeries do to eds. [00:11:41][1.8] Jean: [00:11:41] Yes yes. My , when walking my ankle. the tendons and ligaments tore off my ankle. So they had to be repaired. And I have not yet had my other ankle repaired but there is a similar situation there. And I also had a cranial cervical stabilization procedure to try to keep my neck stretched to its full full height. And it added a nice little inch to my height. [00:12:08][27.0] Lita: [00:12:09] OK. Have you had any hospital stays. [00:12:11][1.9] Jean: [00:12:11] Yep. One or two variety of reasons. [00:12:14][2.5] Lita: [00:12:14] What types of specialists do you have. [00:12:16][1.5] Jean: [00:12:17] I have a specialist for everything from my vision. So I have a neuro ophthalmologist straight down to my toes and I have an orthopedist that works specifically on ankle repairs. [00:12:31][14.1] Lita: [00:12:32] OK. What is your funniest EDS story. [00:12:34][2.8] Jean: [00:12:35] Before I knew I had eds I would entertain people by moving my hair around and it looks like it's a wig because I can move it so much because of the flexibility. So it's a little bit unusual. [00:12:46][10.4] Lita: [00:12:47] Mm hmm. Excuse me. What was your worst doctors experience. [00:12:51][4.1] Jean: [00:12:52] I had an orthopaedic surgeon told me that my shoulder blade was fine because I hadn't fractured my clavicle which I didn't realize in order to hurt your shoulder blade. You have to fracture clavicle but I don't think that's the case. And indeed I needed extensive repair to my shoulder blade and had to have two major procedures for that. [00:13:11][19.0] Lita: [00:13:11] Okay. And what was your best doctors experience. [00:13:14][2.6] Jean: [00:13:14] I have amazing GP's that juggle all of the specialists that I have and they're able to consolidate everything and handle all of my new and unusual conditions. [00:13:29][14.0] Lita: [00:13:30] OK so you say the gps would be the best. [00:13:32][1.9] Lita: [00:13:33] Yes. OK. Do you consider your she's doing pretty good on time. [00:13:36][2.8] Ron: [00:13:36] She is. [00:13:36][0.3] Lita: [00:13:37] Do you consider yourself. [00:13:37][0.6] Jean: [00:13:38] Since I forgot where I put my my notes. This must be an off the cuff. Yeah. Yeah. [00:13:43][5.0] Lita: [00:13:43] Do you see. Do you consider yourself disabled. [00:13:45][1.6] Jean: [00:13:46] No. No. I may be differently abled. [00:13:48][2.3] Lita: [00:13:49] Have you experienced ableism. [00:13:50][1.5] Jean: [00:13:52] is that like Cain and Abel ism or. I don't know what it was. [00:13:55][3.2] Lita: [00:13:55] This was one of the questions on the I'm assuming a challenge. [00:13:58][2.6] Jean: [00:14:00] I don't know. [00:14:01][1.1] Jean: [00:14:01] I do know that when I'm sitting in using my wheelchair sometimes people don't look at me or talk to me they'll talk to whoever is assisting me at the time and I find that disconcerting and that I've had issues in certain situations where I can't speak to someone and it does because it's the desk is so high and when I'm going on a tour of a museum it's difficult because you know you're trying to see everything. It's just there's challenges in that regard but nothing too horrific. [00:14:31][29.4] Lita: [00:14:33] What is something that you wish everyone understood about eds. [00:14:36][3.6] Jean: [00:14:37] oh... About Eds. [00:14:38][0.6] Lita: [00:14:38] Yes. [00:14:38][0.0] Jean: [00:14:38] Yeah. You say because you really do have to narrow it down that you can't necessarily see what's wrong. So if I am parking in utilizing a handicapped parking place it might be because my hip has popped off the day. And you might not be able to see that because you know you can't see that and you can't see other issues. But I do need assistance from now, you know every now and again and. Yeah. So just you can't always see what's going on with somebody. [00:15:04][26.1] Lita: [00:15:05] So it's an invisible illness. [00:15:06][1.0] Jean: [00:15:06] It can be. It can also be a very visible illness because I do have quite a few scars. And it takes me a very long time to heal. So in that regard you can see it. But yeah most of the time you cant tell what's going on. [00:15:18][11.3] Ron: [00:15:18] From the naked eye if people don't get you in a wheelchair they think you're fine. [00:15:21][2.9] Jean: [00:15:21] Yes. Yes and I could very well be passing out or having a syncapal episode at any moment and that's very frightening. [00:15:29][8.0] Lita: [00:15:31] True true it scares the heck out of me I know. [00:15:33][2.5] Lita: [00:15:34] Sorry Mom. Yeah. Yeah. If you could rid yourself of one EDs symptom which would it be. [00:15:40][5.9] Jean: [00:15:42] I guess the gastrointestinal complications I've been told that I should really have my colon removed and that's not something I'm jumping for joy about so certainly I'd want that corrected. And I guess any of the. [00:15:55][13.3] Lita: [00:15:56] No one one, you see how, she's that, now she's losing the trick. [00:15:59][3.5] Jean: [00:16:00] Well yeah. All right all right. Any. But yeah. OK. [00:16:02][2.6] Lita: [00:16:03] Just one. Well that wraps up today's session. If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at yahoo dot com through our Web site podcast D X dot com at our Facebook page at Instagram or Twitter. [00:16:22][18.8] Ron: [00:16:23] And if you have a moment to spare please give us a five star review on I tunes podcast app. [00:16:29][5.6] Jean: [00:16:30] And thank you to all of our followers on Instagram. We really appreciate the feedback. And on Facebook I love all the feedback there as well. And the Twitter followers too, have to give you guys a shout out into all of our other podcasters out there who have given us praise and assistance and encouragement. We appreciate you guys. [00:16:49][19.5] Lita: [00:16:49] Yes we are. We're. moving... (forward) [00:16:49][0.0] [887.2]

Ron: [00:00:15] Hello and welcome to podcastDX, this show. The brief interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a medical diagnosis. [00:00:24][9.4] Lita: [00:00:25] I'm Lita. [00:00:26][0.3] Ron: [00:00:26] I'm Ron. [00:00:26][0.1] Jean: [00:00:27] And I'm the queen of England. Oh I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:29][1.9] Lita: [00:00:30] Collectively we are the hosts of podcastD X. [00:00:33][3.0] Jean: [00:00:34] This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regime. And never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:00:55][21.0] Ron: [00:00:56] Today's show is a forum with just the hosts and we will be talking about arthritis. Last week we touched on osteoarthritis as it relates to sciatica but that's just the tip of the iceberg. [00:01:07][10.6] Jean: [00:01:08] Indeed. First off we should tell our listeners that there are more than 100 different forms of arthritis and related diseases. The most common are osteoarthritis rheumatoid arthritis and (psoriatic) arthritis. [00:01:22][13.6] Lita: [00:01:23] I've heard about osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis but psoriatic arthritis is a new one to me. [00:01:29][6.2] Jean: [00:01:30] Well according to the Arthritis Foundation psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks the body causing inflammation and pain. Psoriatic arthritis affects the joints causing arthritis as well as the skin causing psoriasis. And from 30 to 40 percent of the people with psoriasis, the percentage also develops an inflammatory arthritic condition. The symptoms may include joint pain, stiffness, skin rashes, Nail changes, and fatigue, eye problems, swelling and tenderness in the hands and feet as well. [00:02:06][35.9] Ron: [00:02:07] Wow. If there are seven and a half million people in the United States with psoriasis in 30 to 40 percent of them developed this form of arthritis that means between two and a half to three million people have it? That's not rare at all. [00:02:22][14.9] Lita: [00:02:22] No I'm kind of surprised I never heard of it. And rheumatoid arthritis affects one and a half million while osteoarthritis, or the degenerative bone disease affects 27 million. That's the it's the killer, no not the killer, it's is the winner that has got, the most people that have it. [00:02:39][17.3] Jean: [00:02:40] In the arthritis race. [00:02:40][0.7] Lita: [00:02:41] Yes and in that arthritis race the osteoarthritis wins with 27 million. Oh yeah. [00:02:46][4.7] Ron: [00:02:46] I Wouldn't want to win. [00:02:47][0.3] Lita: [00:02:47] No no you're right. Besides being that the most common type, osteoarthritis is acquired from either wear and tear on a joint or from a previous injury to their joint. Rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. Oh and psoriatic arthritis they're both diseases that involved the immune system attacking the tendons ligaments and joints. [00:03:09][22.0] Jean: [00:03:10] Sounds painful. Your own immune system attacking from within seems rather sinister. [00:03:15][4.6] Lita: [00:03:16] mmhmm. [00:03:16][0.0] Jean: [00:03:16] The makings of a crime novel but in real life the people suffering from rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis probably wish it was just a novel instead of something they have to live with day to day. [00:03:26][9.5] Lita: [00:03:26] Yeah [00:03:26][0.0] Ron: [00:03:28] While researching for today's topic I read the rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, the heart, kidneys, the nerve tissue and also the blood vessels. It can increase your risk of hardened or blocked arteries, inflammation of the sac surrounding your heart. It can scar lung tissue or it can increase your risk of lymphoma. Cancers that develop in the lymph system. [00:03:53][25.1] Lita: [00:03:54] With the increased risk to these major systems. I imagine that it affects a person's lifespan. [00:03:58][4.4] Ron: [00:04:00] It can buy as much as 10 to 15 years. It's not as simple achy joint disease. [00:04:05][5.3] Lita: [00:04:06] No. Right. That's true Ron. And even if it doesn't get to the critical organs the joint deterioration is progressive over time. Jean, can you tell our listeners what treatments are available for rheumatoid arthritis. [00:04:19][13.3] Jean: [00:04:20] Sure. Again I turned to the Arthritis Foundation for answers. The goals of, for treatment are to stop inflammation, relieve symptoms, prevent organ and joint damage, improve function, and overall well-being. And lastly to reduce long term complications to stop inflammation aggressive treatment as early as possible is recommended. This would include but is not limited to arthritis medication using natural treatments to ease pain and at times surgical intervention is required. Joint surgery may include the total replacement of the joint or the resurfacing or repairing of the damaged areas. [00:04:58][38.2] Ron: [00:04:59] That right. The natural treatment your doctor may prescribe include Supplements Herbs vitamins and minerals. There's additional information on the Arthritis Foundation Web site and you can find a link on our site Podcast D X dot com. [00:05:16][16.2] Lita: [00:05:17] Yes. Our Web site will include more information and videos about rheumatoid arthritis. Let's talk a little bit more about osteoarthritis. This is the most prevalent form of arthritis. [00:05:28][10.4] Jean: [00:05:29] Well I can start us off with some basics. Osteo arthritis is a type of joint disease that results from the breakdown of joint cartilage as well as the bones the cartilage is attached to the most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Early on you may only notice these symptoms following exertion but with the disease as it progresses to the point where you know you might feel pain and stiffness all the time. [00:05:53][24.2] Ron: [00:05:54] Right. In the most common joints affected are the fingers the neck, lower back knees and the hips. Osteo arthritis may be caused by previous knee injury but can also be due to abnormal joint or limb development, or even inherited factors. It turns into a vicious cycle of pain because as you feel the pain, so you stop using that body part in order to not feel the pain. But then the muscles in that area get weak causing more mechanical stress than the joint in joint inflammation and deterioration. [00:06:25][30.9] Lita: [00:06:26] Vicious cycle is right even though there's no cure, There are things that you can do to help alleviate the pain and stop the cycle of deterioration. The Arthritis Foundation recommends that you start with hot and cold compresses which Jean was talking about earlier which, they may be beneficial. Heat may help with the stiffness and cold may help reduce the joint pain. Epsom salt baths may also help with inflammation and pain. You can add two cups of epsom salt to a tub of warm water. Exercise is another great way to keep that motion in the affected joint. This is what they do in physical therapy. If you can use a warm therapy pool you'll get the opportunity to exercise and the water's buoyancy helps take your body weight off of the joint while surrounded by warm water. It's a win win win. [00:07:18][51.3] Jean: [00:07:20] Yay! [00:07:20][0.0] Lita: [00:07:20] Your doctor may prescribe pain medications or over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen. [00:07:24][4.5] Jean: [00:07:26] In addition there are many supportive devices available that can add support to the affected joints. These include braces, canes, grabbing tools, gloves, knee taping and shoe inserts. You can actually find a list of several of these items on our website. As far as natural remedies green tea has been shown to increase cartilage production and help reduce inflammation. But even though it is considered a natural product anything taken in large amounts is not good for you and great amounts of green tea can affect the liver. So it's best to take it a moderation and under the guidance of your doctor and the same warning should come into play with tumoric and ginger both have anti inflammatory properties but are not safe in large doses like we always say check with your doctor first. [00:08:11][45.5] Ron: [00:08:13] Indeed. Let me add, that from a recreational therapy standpoint, the best type of exercise for osteoarthritis, use light resistance, it improves flexibility and they offer an aerobic element, they're considered to be low impact. Some of these activities include bike riding, swimming, Taichi, walking and yoga. Your doctor would probably suggest starting slowly and building up over time. And if you wear proper footwear your joints will appreciate that. We will be interviewing a sports podiatrist in the coming weeks and we will be sure to ask him specifically what shoes are best for different activities in which shoes you should avoid. [00:08:56][43.0] Jean: [00:08:57] Wow. We have covered a lot of ground and there is still so much more to learn. For additional information. Talk with your health care team and please go to our Web site and look at the resources page for arthritis. But for now we are going to wrap up today's show just like you'd wrap up a bad ankle. [00:09:15][18.1] Lita: [00:09:15] OK, or the knee or true, we really needed to just cover the topic in broad strokes. If you have arthritis or know someone that has it and would like to be interviewed for our show please contact us and if you have questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast dx at yahoo dot com through our Web site. Podcast D X dot com. Our Facebook page. Instagram or Twitter. [00:09:45][29.5] Ron: [00:09:46] And as always if you have a moment to spare please give us a five star review where ever you get your podcast. Till next time. [00:09:46][0.0] [536.1]  

Jean: [00:00:15] Hello again and welcome to podcast dx. This show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a medical diagnosis. [00:00:23][8.1] Lita: [00:00:24] I'm Lita. [00:00:25][0.3] Ron: [00:00:25] I'm Ron. [00:00:26][0.2] Jean: [00:00:26] And I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:27][0.4] Lita: [00:00:27] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast dx. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for a professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:00:59][31.5] Jean: [00:01:01] Attica. Attica. [00:01:01][0.0] Lita: [00:01:02] What are you yelling about. [00:01:04][1.3] Jean: [00:01:04] Today's show about Attica. [00:01:05][0.9] Lita: [00:01:06] WHAT THE SHOW IS ABOUT THE FILM. OH IT'S NOT ABOUT THE FILM. Dog Day Afternoon. Nor is it about the Attica prison riots. It's about sciatica. You know numbness and pain in the lower back and legs. It's the result of pressure and the sciatic nerve. [00:01:22][16.5] Jean: [00:01:23] Oh so it's not. It has nothing to do with Al Pacino or the Al Pacino movie. [00:01:27][3.1] Lita: [00:01:27] No no no. [00:01:28][0.6] Jean: [00:01:28] Then I'm out. [00:01:28][0.3] Ron: [00:01:30] What was that all about? [00:01:32][2.2] Lita: [00:01:33] Nothing Ron. Don't worry about it Jean. Jean. Excuse me Ron Why don't you introduce today's guest. [00:01:40][6.7] Ron: [00:01:40] Certainly on today's show we are interviewing Mary W.. She's an octogenarian a cookie baker. And yes she is an Al Pacino fan. [00:01:49][8.9] Jean: [00:01:50] Awesome. [00:01:50][0.0] Lita: [00:01:51] Yes. Hello and thank you for joining our show. And for the sake of our audience let me also introduce Mary as my Aunt may I call you Auntie? [00:02:00][9.1] Mary: [00:02:01] Thank you for having me. Yes you may call me Auntie. [00:02:04][2.8] Jean: [00:02:06] And Mary is also my great aunt. So I will be referring her to her is auntie as well. Hello auntie. Isn't this exciting. You are on the air. [00:02:15][9.0] Mary: [00:02:16] Never thought I would be on the air. Well my star be added to the Walk of Fame? [00:02:21][4.9] Lita: [00:02:22] And I'm not sure about the Walk of Fame. But you're always a star in our book. [00:02:26][4.0] Jean: [00:02:26] Absolutely. [00:02:26][0.0] Ron: [00:02:27] Since everyone else here is calling you auntie. Do you mind if I call you auntie as well? [00:02:31][3.5] Mary: [00:02:32] That's fine. [00:02:32][0.3] Ron: [00:02:33] OK. Auntie.. Please tell us a little bit about your problem when it first started. If you can remember. [00:02:38][4.9] Mary: [00:02:40] I don't know exactly, but in the family vacation in North Carolina about five or six years ago I noticed my upper leg was tingling and I thought I had blockage like the blood wasn't flowing through. [00:02:51][11.4] Lita: [00:02:52] Well that must have been scary. [00:02:53][0.8] Mary: [00:02:54] Yes I was very nervous. I thought it might be something serious. I never had that before so I didn't know what it was. [00:03:00][6.2] Jean: [00:03:02] Were there any other symptoms at that time. [00:03:03][1.3] Mary: [00:03:04] No. But what I was standing for long periods of time it would affect me more. [00:03:08][4.2] Ron: [00:03:09] Well what did you do about it at the time. [00:03:11][1.3] Mary: [00:03:12] Nothing. I sat around, I just tried to rest since I was away from home. I knew I would have to be checked when I got back to Chicago. [00:03:19][6.9] Jean: [00:03:20] So when you got home you saw your doctor. [00:03:22][1.7] Mary: [00:03:23] I did end up going to the chiropractor. Lita probably suggested that go, since I haven't been there before. [00:03:28][5.0] Lita: [00:03:29] I vaguely remember that, it certainly sounds like something I would do. [00:03:33][3.5] Jean: [00:03:34] Did the chiropractor help at all. [00:03:35][1.6] Mary: [00:03:36] No not really. They told me to do my exercises and I didn't have to go back. I did one exercise for a while and it didn't seem to help. So I just stopped. [00:03:47][10.8] Ron: [00:03:48] So it just continued to bother you. [00:03:50][2.3] Mary: [00:03:52] Yes the pain wasn't bad. It was really just annoying numbness. But not really excruciating pain. So, and so I dealt with it. [00:04:00][8.4] Lita: [00:04:01] Well I could understand that, I guess if it's just annoying, and it's not really painful then you just deal with it, Now, that was a long time ago. The five or six years, can you bring us up to speed on what's going on now? [00:04:12][10.9] Mary: [00:04:13] Within the past six months or so my symptoms changed and now on top of the numbness the right leg I have pain on the lower back on hips I end up going to my GP who ordered x rays on my hips and I was worried that I might need hip surgery. The pain has been pretty bad, even keeping me from parties and socializing. It hurts to sit or stand so I end up spending a lot of time on the couch with a heating pad. [00:04:38][25.7] Jean: [00:04:40] I'm so sorry to hear that. What did the X-rays show, when you had those X-rays done? [00:04:44][4.5] Mary: [00:04:45] My doctor called me and he said that the hips were fine. It was just that I had sciatica. [00:04:49][4.1] Ron: [00:04:51] Well I bet that was a relief to you. [00:04:52][1.4] Mary: [00:04:53] Yeah she told me to, I should get on my back and do some exercises and then I told her. "Are you going to come over to help me up?". [00:05:00][7.8] Lita: [00:05:02] Well yeah I think I recommended that you do the exercises in bed. [00:05:05][3.8] Mary: [00:05:06] That is what I have been doing. It has been helping. [00:05:09][2.5] Ron: [00:05:10] Well what kind of exercises are these that you're doing in bed. [00:05:12][2.6] Jean: [00:05:13] I don't think she's gonna be showing you what she does in bed Ron. [00:05:15][2.4] Lita: [00:05:16] Oh. hhooohooo hoo [00:05:17][1.1] Jean: [00:05:17] Sorry. [00:05:17][0.0] Ron: [00:05:18] (Laughing) [00:05:18][0.0] Mary: [00:05:19] Several stretching moves. I have pictures. [00:05:21][2.0] Lita: [00:05:22] Well I'm gonna post those pictures, of those exercizes [00:05:24][1.7] Jean: [00:05:23] oh boy [00:05:23][0.0] Ron: [00:05:24] (laughter.) [00:05:24][0.0] Lita: [00:05:24] no, not of auntie, just generic exercises on the website for everybody to see. There are very typical physical therapy movements. [00:05:34][9.4] Jean: [00:05:34] Oh ok well Aunty I'm glad that it wasn't your hips because I know that hip replacement can be, you know it's rather common, but it's kind of extreme and anytime you can avoid surgery you're better off. [00:05:45][10.7] Mary: [00:05:46] Yes indeed I hope sharing this information can help someone else that has sciatica. I heard a lot of people have this. [00:05:52][6.5] Lita: [00:05:53] Oh they absolutely do. There are more people than you would think that suffer from sciatica. Six percent of the general population have complained about this problem. Most of them get it when they're in their 40s or 50s. And the first time it was ever mentioned in medical literature was in the 14 hundreds. [00:06:12][18.9] Ron: [00:06:13] Yeah that was a few years before my time. [00:06:14][1.5] Jean: [00:06:15] Before all of our times- but it is a bit of a relief knowing that it's not uncommon. I would like to read the definition for sciatica. About 90 percent of the time sciatica is due to a spinal disc herniation pressing on one of the lumbar or sacral nerve roots and it is a medical condition characterized by pain going down the leg from the lower back and the pain might go down the back outside of or front of the leg and Ansett is often sudden following activities like heavy lifting though you might also have gradual onset and typically the symptoms are on only one side of the body but in certain cases you might have pain on both side and lower back pain is sometimes but not always present and weakness or numbness may occur in various parts of the affected leg. So it's probably just best to see your doctor. [00:07:05][49.2] Ron: [00:07:06] After meeting with your doctor you found out that stretching exercise would help. I have also heard strengthening the core, you know the abdomen, is a good way to keep the spine safe from injury. I guess we should all take a lesson from this and keep our core strong. There are some tips and equipment that might just help do that. [00:07:24][18.0] Lita: [00:07:24] Exactly auntie, you're in good company. Olivia Newton John recently went through treatment for sciatica and JFK had terrible back pain throughout his life. I'm glad that you found out what was the actual problem and now you can have it treated. We want to thank you again for sharing your story with us today. We all hope that those stretches can help you find relief. [00:07:47][22.7] Mary: [00:07:48] Thank you for having me. [00:07:49][1.1] Ron: [00:07:51] It was great having your Aunt Mary here to talk with us about sciatica. I think we should discuss the relationship between sciatica and arthritis. [00:07:58][7.6] Lita: [00:07:59] That's a good idea again especially since next week's topic will be covering arthritis. This will act as a good lead in to the topic. The sciatic nerve happens to be the longest and largest nerve in the body. It starts in the lumbar region of the lower back and it works its way under the gluteus muscles in your butt and down the thigh and leg. [00:08:24][24.3] Jean: [00:08:25] Yes and any irritation of that nerve will cause the pain that Auntie Mary was talking about with her sciatica. According to the Arthritis Foundation osteoarthritis can involve the lumbar spine by the formation of osteophytes or bone spurs forming on the vertebra. The facet joints on the sides of the spine or even on the inside of the spinal canal. [00:08:51][25.6] Lita: [00:08:51] Right and I will post more detailed pictures on the page of our website dedicated to this topic. But to try to give you a visual right now about what we're talking about and osteophyte looks like a ragged edge of the bone rather than the smooth edges that we're born with that ragged edge causes the pain as it puts pressure or irritation on the nerves near that edge. [00:09:16][24.8] Ron: [00:09:17] That is probably a great idea. I could post pictures. It's hard to imagine all of these body parts in your mind with the asked the advice that occur on each side of the spine or within the spinal canal itself. The sciatic nerve has a good chance of being irritated. Isn't that right. [00:09:34][16.2] Lita: [00:09:34] Yes Ron. And that's what they call spinal stenosis or a narrowing of the nerve pathways. Because of these asked your fights. [00:09:43][8.6] Ron: [00:09:44] Well that makes sense. Is this something that just happened with age or how do you avoid it. [00:09:51][6.5] Lita: [00:09:51] No it doesn't necessarily only happen with old age. It's not really an old age disease though the incidence does increase with age. Young people that have repetitive injuries in sports can develop it hemophiliacs that have bleeding disorders can have it due to a lack of oxygen rich blood supply and death of the bone tissue and certain occupations that require a kneeling or squatting climbing stairs that can also cause osteoarthritis. But as we age over time you may have wear and tear on different joints which can also cause it. [00:10:28][36.7] Ron: [00:10:29] That does mean taking care of yourself as you go through life staying fit and healthy is always a good idea. [00:10:34][5.2] Jean: [00:10:36] Exactly. Everything in moderation avoid putting too much stress on any one joint or set of joints and avoid repetitive activities that only use one set of joints such as kneeling as far as sciatica pain goes or sciatic pain there are simple things you can do at home such as using cold compresses or heat whichever works for you. Usually the acute phase of symptom usually during the acute phase of symptoms cold compresses on the affected buttock for 10 to 15 minutes. Three to four times a day seems to work best. You can even use a bag of frozen peas wrapped in Chapel heat such as warm compresses may be preferred by some patients especially if used a couple of days after the initial episode of course always ask your doctor and see your doctor if you start having it any unusual pain in any joint. And if the pain does not resolve in a day or so. [00:11:31][55.3] Ron: [00:11:32] Well since we're going to cover arthritis more in depth next week. Maybe she just read this up now. [00:11:38][5.4] Jean: [00:11:38] . I second the motion. [00:11:39][1.1] Lita: [00:11:39] Okay I can take a hint. If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site podcast D X dot com or on our Facebook page Twitter or Instagram. [00:11:55][15.7] Ron: [00:11:57] And if you have a moment to spare please give us a five star review all on the item and podcast app. [00:12:02][5.6] Jean: [00:12:03] Till next time. I'm Jean Marie. [00:12:05][1.3] Ron: [00:12:06] I'm Ron. [00:12:06][0.2] Lita: [00:12:06] . I'm Lita. [00:12:06][0.0] [633.1]

Jean: [00:00:15] I. am so excited to talk about today's topic. I already started the application process online. [00:00:19][4.9] Lita: [00:00:20] Wait a minute. What application process? [00:00:21][1.1] Jean: [00:00:22] For medical marijuana. [00:00:22][0.7] Ron: [00:00:24] We're not talking about marijuana today. [00:00:25][1.5] Jean: [00:00:26] Oh but I thought you guys said we were talking about pot. [00:00:28][2.0] Lita: [00:00:28] No Jean we're talking about POTs. [00:00:30][2.0] Jean: [00:00:34] OK. POTs, Well then on with the show. Hello and welcome to podcastdx the show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a medical diagnosis. [00:00:44][10.7] Lita: [00:00:45] I'm Lita. [00:00:45][0.3] Ron: [00:00:46] . I'm Ron. [00:00:46][0.9] Jean: [00:00:47] And I'm Jean-Marie. Collectively we are the hosts of podcast X this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for a professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you've heard on this podcast. [00:01:18][30.5] Ron: [00:01:18] After all, we are not doctors. [00:01:19][1.0] Lita: [00:01:20] We don't even play them on TV. [00:01:21][1.0] Jean: [00:01:22] But if we were to be TV doctors I'd like to be Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. [00:01:25][3.2] Ron: [00:01:26] And I'd be.... [00:01:26][0.4] Lita: [00:01:27] Ummm no, now back to the show. [00:01:28][0.9] Ron: [00:01:29] Right. On today's show we'll be interviewing one of our own PodcastDX host Jean Marie. Jean had a condition called POTs which stand for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. POTs maybe a condition our listeners aren't familiar with. Please allow us to give you some background. Jean this is a condition you acquired when you were injured while on active duty. What did you tell us about it. [00:01:54][25.2] Jean: [00:01:55] Well Ron POTs is a condition that affects your heart rate and blood pressure with change in position from like lying to standing or sitting to standing. But it isn't really a heart disease or a heart disorder rather it's a disorder of the central nervous system that regulates the heart rate, blood pressure and the rest of the parasympathetic nervous system; breathing, digestion those are all part of this same system and could be affected as well. [00:02:19][24.4] Lita: [00:02:20] Thank you for the background info Jean and thank you for being a guest instead of a host today. [00:02:25][4.7] Jean: [00:02:26] Yeah I didn't know I had a choice in the matter. [00:02:27][2.0] Ron: [00:02:30] hmmm hmm I understand it's been 10 years since you were diagnosed with POTs? [00:02:33][2.7] Jean: [00:02:33] That's right. I was injured in 2000 but it took about eight years to sort out all of the resulting conditions from that accident. [00:02:40][6.3] Lita: [00:02:41] Well Jean, you look great. POTs isn't something that people typically see as a disability or a condition there might not be outward signs but being active enough to join us tonight might be a really big thing for somebody with POTs. Can you tell our listeners how POTs affects you personally in your everyday life. [00:03:03][21.9] Jean: [00:03:03] Sure. Every time I change positions like from moving from sitting to standing or lying down just sitting I get a headache but it only lasts for a few seconds. In addition I tend to faint quite a lot. I passed out while drying my hands. I fell into a bathtub and fractured my kneecap and my cribriform plate. I had CSF or some cerebral spinal fluid leaking from my nose and I was on bedrest for about two weeks or a month afterwards. [00:03:32][29.0] Lita: [00:03:34] Well Jean what symptoms first led you to the doctor. [00:03:37][3.0] Jean: [00:03:38] I kept fainting having dizzy spells and the like. [00:03:40][2.5] Ron: [00:03:41] Well how long did it take for you to get a diagnosis. [00:03:42][1.3] Jean: [00:03:44] My symptoms were bothering me for about eight years before they diagnosed me with POTs. [00:03:47][3.5] Ron: [00:03:48] Wow. Can you recall any specific symptoms that really stood out. [00:03:53][4.4] Jean: [00:03:53] Well I actually thought my symptoms were normal for someone with a head injury. And then one day I was waiting for my nephews to finish up their sailing lessons on Lake Michigan when I felt very dizzy and when they got back to shore we all went to the hospital and I was very surprised to see how low my blood pressure was. It was around 50 over 40 and it took hours for it to come back to normal for it which is for me is about 120 over 60 for me. [00:04:19][25.1] Lita: [00:04:19] What tests help diagnose your condition. [00:04:21][2.1] Jean: [00:04:23] The tests for this condition are a bit odd. There's the tilt table test and for that the doctor or technician straps you to a table and then the table literally tilts up until you are in a standing position. And while they're doing this they're monitoring your blood pressure and pulse throughout this test. And then there's a couple other tests that they actually monitor your perspiration based on chemical and electrical stimulation. [00:04:47][24.0] Lita: [00:04:48] Did anything help relieve your symptoms before you were actually diagnosed. Anything that you could help yourself to feel better. [00:04:56][8.1] Jean: [00:04:57] Moving slowly taking time to get up slowly and staying hydrated. And then my doctors also prescribed support stockings and an abdominal binder to help keep my blood pressure up. But I had no control over when I would faint. [00:05:11][14.1] Ron: [00:05:12] Well how bad did it actually get before the doctor diagnosed you. And what was the worst symptom you had to deal with. [00:05:19][6.3] Jean: [00:05:19] Well when I would faint I would often get hurt as I said before I fractured my skull and my kneecap. I also tore all of the tendons and ligaments off of my ankle. And last year this time I bruised my spleen when I fainted into a fire pit. [00:05:33][13.5] Lita: [00:05:35] Did anything help with that symptom at the time. [00:05:37][2.1] Jean: [00:05:38] I was told to limit my activities and they actually prescribed that I use a wheelchair and sug, suggested that I use a wheelchair for transportation. [00:05:46][7.7] Lita: [00:05:48] OK well moving ahead to when you actually were diagnosed. How did you feel when you found out what was actually going on. [00:05:55][7.8] Jean: [00:05:56] I was relieved. They said that medication might help and that I needed to drink more caffeine and increase my salt intake. So coffee and fries with salts. [00:06:05][9.2] Ron: [00:06:06] All right. Now I understand that POTs is a type of dysaoutotomia a dysfunction of the nerves that regulate the body's involuntary body functions such as the heart rate blood pressure and sweating. There are many causes from autoimmune disease to inherited disorders and viruses that damage the nervous system. Also mass cell disorders to spinal injury. And that's just naming a few of them. Did you discover what caused your condition and was there an actual starting point for this disorder. [00:06:40][33.3] Jean: [00:06:41] Yes I suffered a rather serious head neck and shoulder injury and that was when I started having my symptoms and that is what caused me to get POTs. [00:06:51][9.4] Lita: [00:06:52] What types of doctors or specialists did you see before you were actually diagnosed. [00:06:56][4.2] Jean: [00:06:57] I have over the past 18 years I've seen a wide range of medical specialists from almost every discipline. [00:07:03][5.2] Lita: [00:07:04] Okay. Now you're from the Chicago area as we know and we have a good selection of health care providers close by. Did you find what you needed here close to home or did you have to travel looking for expertise. [00:07:16][12.0] Jean: [00:07:17] Well although there are amazing physicians right here in Chicago I did receive a lot of care out-of-state as well from everywhere from Stanford, Walter Reed. All the way to the east coast and in New York. [00:07:32][15.4] Ron: [00:07:34] Was there a time you had to be hospitalized either because of the POTs or because of an injury you occurred after passing out. [00:07:40][6.6] Jean: [00:07:41] Yes I have been to the E.R. and hospitalized and more than one occasion. [00:07:44][3.1] Lita: [00:07:46] And do you have to take a lot of medication. [00:07:47][1.2] Jean: [00:07:48] Well I am more than some people less than others I take medications that actually help keep my blood pressure up and I actually take salt tablets every day. [00:07:57][8.8] Ron: [00:07:58] Has anything else changed since your diagnosis. [00:07:59][1.4] Jean: [00:08:01] Well unlike most people I have to load up on caffeine and salts. And so that's a little bit unusual because most times they tell you to cut those two. But walking is still very important and I just have to be very careful. And then there are certain diet restrictions I drink about one hundred and forty four ounces of water a day which is a bit more than average I think. And I have to you know monitor my blood pressure Maintain a healthy diet and take the time extra time when I'm getting up from either lying or sitting down to standing so that my blood pressure doesn't fall and I don't faint. [00:08:36][35.5] Lita: [00:08:37] OK. Does anything make your life easier. [00:08:40][2.5] Jean: [00:08:40] Well last year I received a recumbent bike from an organization called Ride to Recovery and that's allowed me to get you know the chance to get outside feel the fresh air and have a bit of fun. [00:08:50][9.1] Lita: [00:08:50] Well sure why not. Everybody should. I think they call it recreational therapy don't they Ron. [00:08:55][4.7] Ron: [00:08:55] Yeah I think you're right. [00:08:56][0.8] Jean: [00:08:57] Oh- from the two recreational therapists. [00:08:58][1.5] Ron: [00:09:00] You're stuck with us. [00:09:00][0.6] Lita: [00:09:00] Yeah. What would you like our audience to know about POTs. [00:09:03][2.8] Jean: [00:09:05] I guess that it's good for everyone to keep in mind that you're not always going to see someone's health condition or problem that some problems are as they say like invisible. So don't judge people just on what you see. [00:09:15][10.6] Ron: [00:09:16] All right since you're the expert here what advice might you have for our listeners. [00:09:21][4.7] Jean: [00:09:22] Well I definitely think it's a good idea to keep a list of all your symptoms. And even though it sounds a bit redundant go over the same list with every single doctor you see. [00:09:31][8.5] Ron: [00:09:32] OK Jean thank you so much for sharing your story on today's show. If any of our listeners out there have POTs we'd love to hear from you. [00:09:40][7.8] Jean: [00:09:40] Or pot. [00:09:41][0.1] Ron: [00:09:42] Oh no. [00:09:42][0.1] Lita: [00:09:42] no, no pot. I umm, We might be doing an episode on pot. [00:09:45][2.3] Jean: [00:09:46] OK. [00:09:46][0.0] Ron: [00:09:47] But that would be later. [00:09:47][0.5] Lita: [00:09:48] Yes. [00:09:48][0.0] Ron: [00:09:48] Today we're still talking about POTs. [00:09:49][0.6] Lita: [00:09:49] Yes. Yes. [00:09:49][0.2] Jean: [00:09:49] Oh OK sorry. [00:09:50][0.6] Ron: [00:09:51] OK. on with the show. If you would like to suggest a future podcast topic maybe pot. Visit our website at podcast D X dot com. [00:10:00][9.0] Lita: [00:10:00] And if you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site or on Facebook Instagram Pinterest or Twitter. [00:10:13][12.4] Ron: [00:10:14] And if you have a moment to spare please give us a five star review on iTunes podcast app. We'd really appreciate it. [00:10:21][6.8] Lita: [00:10:21] Thank you. [00:10:21][0.0] [534.4]

Transcript Jean: [00:00:16] Hello and welcome to podcast DX. This show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a diagnosis. [00:00:24][8.7] Lita: [00:00:26] I'm Lita. [00:00:26][0.2] Ron: [00:00:27] I'm Ron. [00:00:27][0.4] Jean: [00:00:28] And I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:28][0.5] Lita: [00:00:29] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast dx. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always ask the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. And before undertaking any new health care regimen never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:01:03][33.5] Ron: [00:01:05] And on today's show we'll be taking a new look at glaucoma today we're going to be interviewing Gene who has glaucoma. For our listeners, Glaucoma is actually a group of diseases of the eye the most common form is called primary open angle glaucoma. This affects about 3 million Americans and it happened when the eye's drainage canals become clogged over time. Similar to that of your drain pipe under your sink. When the correct amount of fluid doesn't drain, it build up pressure on the inner eye. Unfortunately because there are no obvious symptoms or warning signs it usually goes undiagnosed and untreated for years if caught early though it responds while to medication. [00:01:49][43.9] Jean: [00:01:50] Thanks for that background information Ron. We will be discussing other types of glaucoma at the end of this, today show. Today's guest is also my grandmother Gene. She is a spunky 85 year old senior with twenty seven grandchildren and great grandchildren and she currently resides in the Chicago suburbs and she is single gentlemen. [00:02:11][21.2] Lita: [00:02:12] O K. hello Gene. Otherwise known as my mom. Thank you for joining us today. [00:02:17][5.0] Gene: [00:02:18] Well I'm a healthy 85 year old. I have no medical problems except for my eyes. [00:02:25][6.4] Ron: [00:02:27] Gene, I understand it's been almost 10 years since you were diagnosed with glaucoma? [00:02:30][2.8] Gene: [00:02:31] Doesn't seem that long. It wasn't like I was in any pain. It wasn't like I had headaches. It was more I think I should get a new pair of glasses and that's how it started. [00:02:46][14.9] Jean: [00:02:48] Ok. Well you do look great Gram and you have great sparkling blue eyes. [00:02:52][4.1] Lita: [00:02:53] While, while researching glaucoma, we found that at first there may not be any symptoms,. [00:02:59][5.8] Jean: [00:03:00] As gram said,. [00:03:00][0.0] Lita: [00:03:00] Right. But as the disease progresses a person with glaucoma may notice his or her vision gradually failing. Gene did you have any symptoms that first led you to the doctor? [00:03:11][10.9] Gene: [00:03:13] No I was just noticing my glasses weren't cutting it so I went to American best which is an eyeglass company for an eye test and then they told me to go to Wheaton Eye Clinic to see a specialist because something wasn't right. I was really scared. [00:03:29][16.7] Jean: [00:03:31] And how long did it and how long before they found out that you had glaucoma. [00:03:34][2.8] Gene: [00:03:35] It was pretty quick. It was within a week I was told that I had lost 50 percent of my peripheral sight. My pressure was in around 30s. [00:03:45][10.1] Lita: [00:03:47] Wow. Did you Did you know what to expect when the doctors informed you that you had the glaucoma. [00:03:52][5.1] Gene: [00:03:53] No not at all. I didn't know what it was or anything about it really. But the doctor was very helpful in explaining what was going on. I had to be so careful of making sure that I took the right drops for my eyes. I did have a operation. [00:04:12][19.0] Ron: [00:04:13] Gene, I understand that you wound up needing surgery can explain can tell us a little bit about surgery. [00:04:24][10.9] Gene: [00:04:25] My doctor who is a wonderful man very knowledgeable about glaucoma. Doctor Theodore Krupin, was world renown. I was lucky to have him at the time. He was a pioneer in the field. I was so sad to hear of his passing away a few years ago. I had the incisional operation, where they created a drainage hole with a surgical tool. I couldn't do any heavy lifting or bending for about a week afterwards. I remember my eye was red and irritated with a lot of tearing for about a week. [00:04:58][32.4] Ron: [00:04:59] Wow. Can you tell us what was the worst part about this process. [00:05:03][3.3] Gene: [00:05:04] I always felt like I have something in my eye it's something foreign, a foreign matter. My vision was very blurred for a little more than a month. [00:05:13][8.9] Jean: [00:05:14] Did anything help with the blurry vision or the discomfort. [00:05:17][2.6] Gene: [00:05:18] Well resting my eyes often during the day I would just stop what I was doing close my eyes held a cool clean wash clod I have a lot of trouble with light. Sunlight, dark. It blinds me, where I have a hard time walking because I'm afraid I'm going to fall. [00:05:39][21.2] Jean: [00:05:40] Oh that sounds really scary I'm sorry gram. Do you take any medications now? [00:05:44][4.0] Gene: [00:05:45] Well every day I take two drops with the red cap and I don't know the names but I take one drop with a blue cap. Again I don't know what the name of it is. [00:05:56][11.2] Jean: [00:05:56] Well as long as you're able to keep those straight right. [00:05:58][1.9] Ron: [00:05:59] No kidding gene if anything changed since you had your procedure. [00:06:02][3.0] Gene: [00:06:03] Well I don't drive anymore. I sold my car. I have trouble with light. Like I said and also in dark I have an eye check very regular every three months i umm, My pressure is right now. Fives in each eye. [00:06:23][20.3] Jean: [00:06:24] Wow. [00:06:24][0.0] Gene: [00:06:25] Which is really great. He's very he's very happy with the present. With my results. [00:06:30][4.7] Lita: [00:06:31] What was the pressure when you first started. Do you remember? [00:06:33][2.0] Gene: [00:06:33] 30. [00:06:33][0.0] Lita: [00:06:34] 30 at 33. Oh wow. [00:06:35][1.2] Gene: [00:06:36] Yeah. [00:06:36][0.0] Ron: [00:06:38] And you're taking eyedrops daily right. What are some of the side effects of those. [00:06:41][3.3] Gene: [00:06:42] Well I never knew this but the doctor had given me a different type of medicine he was working with me on and a week later I had a hard time breathing it was almost like I had asthma attack. So I called my regular doctor and went in to see him and he actually had me go through a lot of testing for my heart and in the meantime I had an appointment with my eye doctor. So I had gone to see him and I told him what had happened and I told him that I had seen my heart doctor two days ago he right away. Changed my medicine. He said that I was allergic to that eye medicine and that was the results of taking it which I was very surprised. So I stopped taking it. He gave me another medicine and I was fine after that. So that was one effect. Otherwise my eyes would be red burning. After a while and then I'd have to switch again to another eye medicine. [00:07:59][77.0] Lita: [00:08:00] I would imagine that you know you do have to change every so often because you're your body kind of gets used to a certain thing. [00:08:05][5.6] Gene: [00:08:07] Right. That's right. I never used to worry about my vision but if I had to. If I had gone sooner I would have caught it sooner and my vision wouldn't have been so bad. [00:08:19][11.6] Lita: [00:08:19] Right. I heard that the eye drops can also lower your blood pressure and your pulse. [00:08:25][5.1] Gene: [00:08:26] Well that is possible because of what had taken place earlier you know with the hard to breathe. [00:08:33][7.0] Lita: [00:08:34] Right. Right. [00:08:34][0.3] Gene: [00:08:35] So while. [00:08:35][0.5] Ron: [00:08:35] It. I'm sorry. I mean to interrupt. Go ahead. [00:08:37][1.9] Gene: [00:08:38] No. It's really important to make sure that you take your eye drafts and keep the pressure down very important otherwise blindness could could rob you of your of your eyesight. [00:08:51][13.1] Ron: [00:08:53] well talking about that and the Lowering of the pulse and a blood pressure. That's some pretty serious stuff. I'm glad they were able to figure that out for you. That's a very helpful information for us. Thank you for sharing. [00:09:04][11.0] Lita: [00:09:05] Yeah. Gene is there anything that you would like our audience to know about the importance of a yearly eye exam? [00:09:13][7.4] Gene: [00:09:14] Well not only of a yearly exam, but also to tell your family your children to go get exam examined for glaucoma. Anytime they go in for glasses make sure you get the glaucoma test. [00:09:28][14.1] Lita: [00:09:29] What is the glaucoma test. [00:09:30][1.0] Gene: [00:09:30] Well it's a pressure test. [00:09:32][1.4] Lita: [00:09:33] Is it that puff that they puff? [00:09:34][1.3] Gene: [00:09:35] That's that's what that is. Aha. And tell us what your pressure is at. [00:09:38][3.4] Lita: [00:09:39] OK. [00:09:39][0.0] Jean: [00:09:39] They're not just messing with you there. [00:09:40][1.0] Lita: [00:09:40] Right. Right right. So is the. Because you have glaucoma. [00:09:44][4.0] Gene: [00:09:45] Yes. [00:09:45][0.0] Lita: [00:09:46] You think that maybe the kids can also get glaucoma. It's passed down. Right. [00:09:50][4.1] Gene: [00:09:51] True. Because one of my sons was diagnosed with glaucoma. [00:09:55][4.3] Lita: [00:09:56] OK. [00:09:56][0.0] Gene: [00:09:58] So like I say if it was a good thing I went when I did. Even if I didn't have any kind of symptoms. [00:10:04][6.1] Lita: [00:10:05] Right. Right. Well earlier I promised a little more information on the other types of glaucoma besides a page on our website dedicated to the subject. Here are some basics angle closure glaucoma is also known as acute or narrow angle glaucoma. It's rare but because the pressure rises rapidly it's good information to know. Symptoms would include headaches eye pain nausea rainbows around lights at night. So in other words if you're looking at a light at night and you see a rainbow or. A halo around that light also very blurred vision that could also imply that you might have this acute pressure narrow angle Glaucoma (audio dropped) took the drainage problem with follow ups. Still important. Ron can you tell us and fill us in on the low tension or normal pressure glaucoma. [00:11:11][66.0] Ron: [00:11:13] Sure thing Lita. According to the glaucoma Research Foundation doctors really don't know why some people's optic nerves are damaged even though they have almost normal pressure levels. People who have a family history of normal tension glaucoma people of Japanese ancestry and people with a history of systemic heart disease such as irregular heart rhythm. There are other less common types to find more. Please go to the glaucoma Foundation Web site and you'll find a link to their site on our resource page. [00:11:44][31.7] Jean: [00:11:45] That's great. Thanks for that information Ron and Gram. I want to thank you for being our guest here today on podcast D X and on behalf of the podcast D X staff and our listeners. We really appreciated all that information and hope that you will have clear vision for some time to come. Well for a long time. [00:12:05][19.9] Lita: [00:12:06] Definitely definitely stay healthy mom. [00:12:08][2.0] Gene: [00:12:08] Thank you. Thank you. [00:12:09][0.9] Lita: [00:12:10] If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site where you can link to our Facebook page and also see more information as we build our site. Please go to podcast D X dot com. [00:12:29][19.3] Ron: [00:12:30] And for our listeners you have a moment please give us a five star review on item podcast. [00:12:30][0.0] [664.1]

TRANSCRIPT Jean: [00:00:16] Hello and welcome to PodcastDX. The show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a diagnosis. [00:00:24][8.7] Lita: [00:00:26] I'm Lita. [00:00:26][0.2] Ron: [00:00:27] I'm Ron. [00:00:27][0.2] Jean: [00:00:28] And I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:28][0.5] Lita: [00:00:29] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast dx. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always ask the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking any new health care regimen never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:01:03][33.6] Lita: [00:01:05] On Today's podcast We are going to be talking about the human papilloma virus. And the FDA approved. HPV. Vaccines HPV. [00:01:14][8.9] Jean: [00:01:18] (sing-song-rap) Are you down on HPV? [00:01:18][-0.1] Lita: [00:01:19] (sing-song-rap) Yeah! You know me! [00:01:19][0.1] Ron: [00:01:19] (clears throat) Ok Then. I've heard this a lot but. Please tell me what. Does HPV stand for? [00:01:24][5.2] Jean: [00:01:25] HPV stands for human papilloma virus. And there are over actually 200 viruses that are considered to be HPV. Viruses. According to the Centers for Disease Control. About a quarter of the population currently have HPV infection and nine out of 10 individuals will get an HPV infection at some point in their life. [00:01:46][21.2] Lita: [00:01:47] And most cases of the infection are taken care of by the body's own immune system, right? [00:01:51][4.4] Jean: [00:01:51] That's right. Some HPV infections though can lead to cancer later in life. [00:01:57][6.0] Ron: [00:01:58] Well how does somebody get an HPV infection? [00:02:00][2.3] Jean: [00:02:00] Typically through skin to skin contact. According to research. Some studies actually suggest that HPV could. Even be spread through something as simple as a French kiss. But it's the skin to skin contact. [00:02:13][12.3] Ron: [00:02:14] Well. Why is that such a concern? [00:02:16][2.0] Jean: [00:02:17] Studies have shown that it. In HPV infection and can lead to cancer. Including cancer of the throat tongue. Tonsils. Cervix the bulldog vagina. Anus. And. An HPV infection can also lead to warts. On the body. And non cancerous tumors. Of the respiratory tract which can interfere with breathing. [00:02:37][20.0] Ron: [00:02:38] Well is there anything we can do to reduce our chances of getting an infection. [00:02:42][3.7] Lita: [00:02:43] Absolutely. There are three preventative vaccines currently. Gardasil, Gardasil 9, And. Server. They're all approved by the CDC. The vaccine can actually help prevent future HPV related illnesses and cancer. [00:03:01][18.4] Jean: [00:03:02] And right now in the U.S. Gardasil 9 is the vaccine that's being given. [00:03:07][5.2] Lita: [00:03:08] OK. Well, it just surprised me that according to the Mayo Clinic the vaccines can actually protect against cervical cancer. [00:03:16][7.6] Jean: [00:03:17] That's right. [00:03:17][0.2] Lita: [00:03:18] And then, I don't know is there a link between HPV and breast cancer. [00:03:21][3.3] Jean: [00:03:22] There's still research that's being done on that. But we've seen a possible link between HPV and breast cancer. [00:03:26][4.4] Ron: [00:03:29] Well who should get the HPV Vaccination. [00:03:31][1.7] Jean: [00:03:32] Right now. The CDC recommends that males and females between the ages of 9 and 14 years of age should receive two vaccinations. So they receive one vaccination and then receive the second vaccination approximately six months later. Those between the ages of 15 and 26. Will actually receive. Three vaccination doses. So they'll receive one. Vaccination. Two months later something one in six months after that they'll receive the third vaccination. But you should always consult. Your health care provider to see which that the definition schedule. Would work best for you. [00:04:06][34.1] Ron: [00:04:07] OK then. Is there anyone that shouldn't get the vaccine? [00:04:11][3.5] Lita: [00:04:12] You should probably discuss your concerns and any concerns that you have. Regarding the HPV vaccine with a qualified physician. The CDC warns that some individuals with a severe life threatening allergic reaction to any of the components in an HPV vaccine should not get vaccinated for HPV. [00:04:32][19.6] Jean: [00:04:33] Just like when you're going to get a flu vaccine they ask you if you have any allergies for that kind of thing, that flu vaccination. And if you are pregnant, Allergic to yeast, are suffering from any serious illnesses. You should always consult your physician before getting vaccinated. They don't recommend pregnant women, or people with severe allergies to yeast, get vaccinated with a HPV vaccine. Or if you had a reaction in the past to another vaccine or to any HPV vaccine. [00:05:01][27.7] Lita: [00:05:01] Right. Well that's often how they say always consult your physician before getting vaccinated for where they think they're going to get their getting vaccinated. Where do they think they're going to get them? They are getting vaccinated at the physician. they've got to consultant them!. [00:05:12][11.1] Jean: [00:05:13] Over the past 11 years there's actually been a hundred million doses of the HPV vaccine distributed in the U.S. alone! [00:05:21][7.2] Ron: [00:05:22] What are some of the possible side effects of the HPV vaccine. [00:05:25][3.6] Jean: [00:05:26] Well I'm glad you asked according to the vaccine. Adverse Event Reporting System which is where. Any side effects for a vaccination are reported the most frequently reported side effects are those that you would expect with any injection. So. These would include but not limited to fainting, headaches, Dizziness, nausea, feve, and pain and possible discoloration or inflamation at the injection site. So if whenever possible you should be seated before you get vaccinated. And if you feel dizzy. Then you want to remain seated. [00:05:58][31.9] Lita: [00:06:00] But those arent really bad side effects. I mean, when you think that you're preventing a certain type of cancer. [00:06:05][5.5] Jean: [00:06:06] Well, you're you're helping to prevent it. [00:06:08][2.1] Lita: [00:06:08] Right. [00:06:08][0.0] Jean: [00:06:09] Right. [00:06:09][0.0] Lita: [00:06:09] I mean that's certainly worth it. [00:06:11][1.6] Jean: [00:06:11] Right. In the time that we're reporting this the only HPV vaccination like we said that's administered in the U.S. right now is Gardasil nine. It covers more of the human papilloma virus. And as of December. 2017 . Of the twenty nine million doses of Gardasil nine. There were only seven thousand or just over seven thousand reported adverse events. And about three percent of those. Seven thousand events were actually considered serious in nature. [00:06:42][30.7] Lita: [00:06:43] No not really a bad statistic. [00:06:45][1.5] Jean: [00:06:46] No and if you can help prevent. Future incidents of cancer then I think it's well worth asking your physician about a human papilloma virus for you. Or your kid. [00:06:55][9.4] Ron: [00:06:57] I do have a question though. Where it is about 3 percent were considered serious. What is considered serious? [00:07:02][5.1] Jean: [00:07:03] Anything that. Requires. Sustained. Medical intervention or has sustaining effects. On your medical condition. So having a slight fever that goes away without being serious. Having a slight dizzy spell at the time of the vaccination I did not consider it serious. But if there is a serious reaction to what actually. Of those. Vaccinations. Of the. Millions and millions of vaccinations that were distributed. There were. Some concerns about a. Link between that and the Guillean Barr syndrome. But it's a very rare disease that damages. Your immune system starts to damage from nerve cells having muscle weakness and perhaps paralysis. But. Out of the. Millions of vaccinations. Only four. There only four reports of GBS. So I think that's still a rather low. Statistic. Or Statistics. [00:07:59][56.6] Lita: [00:08:01] Yes kind of heard you when you're trying to cover so many different people. Somebody different people are going to have different infection. You can't cover everything that they're doing your best. [00:08:11][10.5] Jean: [00:08:12] Right. And they said too that. A number of the. Incidents may have been the result of. An error where the vaccine was not stored properly or vaccination was given to someone who should not have received the vaccination. [00:08:24][12.5] Lita: [00:08:25] So they might have been allergic to use. Like you were saying it was and didnt to the vaccine right. [00:08:30][4.5] Ron: [00:08:30] So all in all it sounds like the benefits far outweigh. Any any of the adverse effects we could get from the vaccine. [00:08:37][6.2] Jean: [00:08:37] I know. I was. In that age bracket or if I had children of that age I would certainly recommend that they receive a human papillomavirus vaccine. [00:08:46][8.5] Lita: [00:08:46] Is this something that pediatricians are recommending to do. [00:08:49][2.5] Jean: [00:08:49] Yes. The CDC has recommended as well. [00:08:51][1.8] Lita: [00:08:52] I mean I haven't really heard too much about it. So you were kind of surprised by whether you brought it up and we were able to talk about it today. Thank you very much Jean. [00:09:01][8.9] Jean: [00:09:01] No problem. I think most of the advertising been directed at the younger generation. [00:09:07][5.4] Lita: [00:09:08] OK. Well that explains it. I dont listen to that. [00:09:10][2.3] Jean: [00:09:13] M and M, And Nick at night. [00:09:14][0.8] Lita: [00:09:14] No, Im on a different channel completly. [00:09:16][2.1] Ron: [00:09:16] . Well that was definitely a very interesting. Conversation. I think I learned quite a bit myself. [00:09:25][8.7] Lita: [00:09:26] I did too. Good topic Thank you. [00:09:27][1.3] Jean: [00:09:28] Thank you. [00:09:28][0.3] Lita: [00:09:28] Continuing with today's topic we will be interviewing Courtney Miller who is an integrative nutrition health coach. Courtney believes strongly in empowering women who have HPV to work on their diet to boost their immune systems which in turn helps fight HPV naturally. Courtney's book HPV free will be released on April 22nd on Amazon. There are approximately 15 million new cases of HPV every year in the US. As we discussed earlier there are many different types of HPV subtypes can cause health problems including genital warts and cancers. [00:10:11][42.7] Lita: [00:10:13] Hello Courtney and thank you for joining us today. [00:10:15][1.2] Coutrney: [00:10:16] Thank you so much for having me, it's My pleasure. [00:10:18][1.6] Lita: [00:10:21] I understand that you have been diagnosed with HPV and found the strength and determination to assist others in fighting it through the holistic medicine approach including diet? [00:10:30][9.7] Coutrney: [00:10:30] Yeah that's correct. I've actually had a long journey with HPV. My journey started back in 2010 when I was originally diagnosed with HPV and at the time I didn't know much about the disease or the virus at all. [00:10:49][18.5] Lita: [00:10:50] Sure,. [00:10:50][0.0] [00:10:51] And so I went off of you know what my doctor said which was just to wait and see. So I went ahead and went home and passed by a year and went back and from that point on it had changed into cervical dysplasia. And so I went on you know kind of long journey with trying to figure out what to do with that. A doctor would recommend a Leep the Leep is just a laser that kind of cuts in the narrow edges of the cervix to remove any of the mutated cells. I did go ahead and get a Leep and after that experience I went back and got tested and the dysplasia had returned actually worse than before and the doctors offered me another Leep. [00:11:33][42.6] Lita: [00:11:34] Oh. [00:11:34][0.0] Coutrney: [00:11:35] And when it was about that point when they were just offering me a second sleep and I just knew something else could be done here. So I started doing a bit of my own research and really started to learn how the body's immune system has the ability to heal this virus and what we can do to help boost our immune system so that the body has a better chance of clearing the virus and mutated cells of the cervix. [00:12:01][25.6] Lita: [00:12:02] And thats how you got into the Integrative Nutrition portion of your career. [00:12:09][7.0] Coutrney: [00:12:10] Correct, Yeah. So it was at that point that I started doing research and I really realized how important our diet is and how our body works and how our body is able to heal itself oftentimes when you go to the doctor they just tell you to wait and see which doesn't feel very empowering at all. [00:12:26][16.3] Lita: [00:12:27] Right. [00:12:27][0.0] Coutrney: [00:12:27] Really it's kind of more or more like the wait and worry approach you go home and you freak out and you're stressed out and you think of all the worst case scenarios. And when we do that we actually put our body into a state of stress and when we're in that state of stress our immune system is actually weakened. So I really want to reach out to other women to help empower them that they can do something to you know you can take that six months and you can make some changes to your diet you can improve your lifestyle and improve your chances of clearing the virus. So it's you know it was four years after that point after I refused that second Leep, that I did research I read every book I could find. I scoured the internet for articles and kind of put together my own prescription of what I was going to do to take care of myself. And a big part of that was my diet. It was mostly a whole food plant based diet. I didn't go strictly vegetarian or strictly paleo I don't really like to fit into one box. But I tried to eat healthy and listen to my body and I think that's the most important part you know using your body as a guide to know what you should be eating. You know for me I still included small amounts of meat and dairy for other people dairy doesn't work well with their system and it's better if they you know cut it out completely. [00:13:52][85.0] Jean: [00:13:54] IWho knows you better than you. [00:13:55][0.9] Coutrney: [00:13:55] Exactly exactly. So there was a lot of experimenting along the way. You know I would keep changing it up keep reading more trying new things but also trying to keep it simple. You know I think a lot of times we get caught up on looking for one pill or one supplement or you know one quick fix. And to me I knew if I was going to heal that I had to do an overhaul of my entire lifestyle and really look at not only diet but also the way I was living my life you know the way I was spending my time how I interacted with, you know, the people around me how I interacted in stressful situations all of those I think, play an important role in the healing process. [00:14:40][44.8] Jean: [00:14:41] Sure it sounds like a very holistic approach and actually it gave you some control in this situation as well. [00:14:48][7.0] Lita: [00:14:48] Don't you wish the doctors had the same insight. I mean it seems like what you're saying makes perfect sense. [00:14:55][6.1] Jean: [00:14:55] Well I think integrative health and that whole approach maybe, you know, that's coming more into, I don't want to say, into fashion, . But yeah the whole integrative health approach is definitely in line with what you're saying Courtney. And it sounds like. [00:15:10][15.3] Coutrney: [00:15:11] Right. [00:15:11][0.0] Jean: [00:15:11] An amazing amount of work on this. [00:15:13][1.4] Lita: [00:15:14] Yes. And you're staying so positive and and now besides helping yourself get through this you're also helping others by being a. coach. so do you actually work one on one with these people in the studio or gym or is the training done remotely. Tell us a little bit about the career that you chose. [00:15:33][19.6] Coutrney: [00:15:35] Yes I've done most of my training remotely. I find actually women feel a little more comfortable to open up about such a delicate situation when we're on the phone. You know it's a little easier rather than face to face. Just talk to someone openly though. Often oftentimes I find remotely worked really well. And then that way it's fading you know both me and the client time from having to meet at a certain location. You can meet with me wherever you are. You can meet with me in your pajamas if you'd like. [00:16:05][30.0] Lita: [00:16:05] (laughter) [00:16:05][0.0] Coutrney: [00:16:06] You know I just want to make sure you know you're comfortable and so usually do one on ones. And as I started doing that more health coaching I realized that doing just one on one was really limiting my reach. I started seeing there's only so many clients you can work with one on one you know in any given amount of time. [00:16:26][19.4] Jean: [00:16:27] Exactly. You're only one person. [00:16:29][2.0] Lita: [00:16:30] Maybe clone yourself. [00:16:30][0.1] Coutrney: [00:16:30] So yeah. Exactly. [00:16:31][0.6] Coutrney: [00:16:32] But until then I tried to look at how I could expand my reach. So what I've shifted to doing is writing this book and spending more time on getting the knowledge out there to more women. And I'm still operating like one hour empowerment sessions to help boost and jumpstart your healing journey. But other than that I'm really looking at ways that I can connect with more women and really get the information out there to more women. So I'm trying to do more with the book now and looking to actually next year release some E courses online that women can work through at their own pace. [00:17:11][39.1] Lita: [00:17:12] That sounds great. [00:17:13][0.6] Jean: [00:17:13] Yeah you can definitely reach the masses. [00:17:15][1.7] Lita: [00:17:16] Right now I know that you've done a lot of research since you were diagnosed with HPV but you can remember back to when the doctors first inform you. Did you know what to expect back then. [00:17:27][10.8] Coutrney: [00:17:27] Absolutely not. Like many other women I think I was confused scared overwhelmed. I had a lot of questions and not a lot of answers no to a lot of the doctors HPV is so common that I was just another woman with HPV. But to me it you know it was affecting my whole life and my whole world and I had a lot of questions even if I didn't know what those questions were or what to even ask at first. So I didn't know what to think. And I had seen a couple different doctors and kind of got some differing differing opinions. You know one doctor told me that the virus would stay in my body forever while the other doctor told me that it would clear on its own. Either way I felt really powerless like there was nothing I could do or at least that's kind of how I felt after I left the doctor's office originally. Just like there's not much I can do I just have to wait and see what happens. And that I think is a problem with the health care system I think we should empower women if we're doing nothing but waiting and seeing in that six month we should take a look and see what what it is that we can do. So at first I had no idea I really had to do my own research on my own and what I learned is just to take notes to write things down to ask questions and to actually hold the doctors responsible to answer your questions and in doing that I felt a lot more empowered and more in control of my own situation and more in control of my own health care plan. And I think that was actually a big part of the healing process too when we're not sitting by as just a you know a patients you know we're not just a bystander to our own health care plan but take charge of it. We have a better chance of healing. [00:19:20][112.9] Lita: [00:19:21] That's really amazing. You have the best outlook of anyone that I have ever met. [00:19:27][5.8] Jean: [00:19:27] And it's very exciting that you can get your book is just coming it's just a matter of days and we can really that is a source of empowerment than anything. I just I'm very excited for you and I'm excited for all of us women out there every now have this resource available to say. [00:19:46][18.6] Coutrney: [00:19:46] Yeah I'm pretty excited about it too. [00:19:48][2.3] Coutrney: [00:19:49] I definitely put my heart and my soul into this book. I tried to keep it short and sweet and inspiring not overwhelming you with all of the information on HPV or specific diets that you should follow but getting you excited about being in charge of your own health care plan and starting to take action and showing you ways that you can take a little step that might add up to make a big difference when you go back for your next pap smear and say six months or a year. There's a lot you can do in that time to really change it. So I've tried to capture that in the book which comes out this Sunday the 22nd. And for those first three days I'm actually offering the book completely free so that Sunday Monday and Tuesday go to Amazon download the book app free to me it's really just more important to get that information out there get women inspired to do something about their health and get them taking action so that they feel more in control that they can make informed decisions about what to do next. In a seemingly overwhelming and sometimes scary situation. [00:20:54][65.3] Lita: [00:20:55] Sure in and the title of your book again is HPV Free? [00:20:57][2.5] Coutrney: [00:20:59] Correct. HPV free a holistic approach to boost the immune system and clear the infection naturally. [00:21:05][6.0] Jean: [00:21:06] Okay. And we're definitely going to put a link on our Web site for people who want to find your book. And it sounds like I mean just read a great resource for those who've been diagnosed with HPV but it also sounds like a great resource for everyone who wants to take a more holistic approach to their health. [00:21:19][13.3] Lita: [00:21:21] It's not just HPV what you're saying. Courtney will work with anybody with anyone's disease no matter what it is. Because like you're saying getting the stress out of your body so that you can heal better is such a big step. And that's probably the step that the doctors don't do. But your attitude and your coaching and your techniques. That's exactly what we need. [00:21:43][22.4] Jean: [00:21:44] Yeah and we are so grateful that you took the time to tell us about this and to talk with us today and you're offering book free when it first comes out to reach more people out there and it's just an amazing amazing job that you've done here where we're proud to have spoken with you today. [00:21:59][15.6] Lita: [00:22:00] Gosh yes absolutely. [00:22:01][0.8] Coutrney: [00:22:02] So thank you so much for having me. [00:22:04][2.2] Lita: [00:22:04] You know. Absolutely. COURTNEY Now this is your time to wrap it up and we'll let you say whatever it is that you want to say to our audience so that they can feel empowered today. Go right ahead. [00:22:16][11.3] Coutrney: [00:22:17] Absolutely. So if you're out there if you've just been diagnosed with HPV if you've been told by your doctor to wait and see and you're at home and you're scared and you're nervous please understand you're not alone. This is nothing to be ashamed of and you're not dirty because of this. This is a common disease that many of us have and many of us will have throughout our lifetime and really opening up and finding others to connect with has really helped me. So you know find a friend talk to them about it and you don't have to have it all figured out to start doing something today. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning. I just knew I had to do something. So I started making changes start you know making little changes to your diet adding a little exercise size you know spend a little more time giving yourself some love take care of your body you know love it and be kind to it and honor it and you will start to find your way. There's a lot of women out there. I do have a support group as well. On Facebook it's called Empower and shine and it's a support group for women who've been diagnosed with HPV and it's a great place to connect to start to get some ideas to start to move forward and feel a little more informed so that you can make the best decisions for your own health care. [00:23:41][84.0] Jean: [00:23:42] That's fantastic. And also on any of the other social media sites for people to reach you. [00:23:46][4.3] Coutrney: [00:23:47] Yes. You'll find me on Instagram as well at Shine Light health. And then on Twitter Twitter my handle is shine light heal. [00:23:55][8.2] Lita: [00:23:56] thank you again. And you look forward to reading the book. [00:24:00][4.7] Coutrney: [00:24:01] Thank you so much again for having me I look forward to sharing it with everyone out there. Absolutely. [00:24:05][4.2] Lita: [00:24:07] If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site where you can link to our Facebook page and also see more information as we build our site. Please go to podcast D X dot com. [00:24:27][19.3] Ron: [00:24:28] If our listeners have a moment please give us a five star review on item podcast. [00:24:28][0.0] [1350.9]  

Lita: [00:00:16] Hello and welcome to podcast DX. This show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a diagnosis. [00:00:24][8.7] Lita: [00:00:26] I'm Lita. [00:00:26][0.2] Ron: [00:00:27] I'm Ron. [00:00:28][0.2] Jean: [00:00:28] And I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:28][0.6] Lita: [00:00:29] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast dx. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always ask the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking any new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:01:03][33.5] Ron: [00:01:05] On today's show we will be interviewing Gina a liver transplant recipient. [00:01:09][3.8] Jean: [00:01:10] Gina is a 48 year old from a Chicago suburb, where she lives with her husband two teenage daughters Nikki, Sarah and their adorable puppy. Coco. [00:01:18][8.1] Lita: [00:01:19] Hi Gina thank you for joining us today. [00:01:21][2.0] Gina: [00:01:22] Hello. Thank you for having me. [00:01:24][1.2] Ron: [00:01:25] I understand it's been almost six months since you had a liver transplant. [00:01:28][2.9] Gina: [00:01:29] Yes I was transplanted September 30th 2017. In North Carolina at Duke University Hospital. [00:01:35][5.4] Lita: [00:01:36] Well you look great. [00:01:37][0.6] Gina: [00:01:38] Thanks. I actually I feel great. This is the best I've ever felt actually. For. A long long time. [00:01:43][5.4] Lita: [00:01:43] . Gina, what symptoms first led you to the doctor. [00:01:48][4.8] Gina: [00:01:49] Well. As far back as I can remember 2016 I had a really bad swollen ankles from water retention. Very tired. I was always cold. The doctors were thinking I had cancer. Which led my disease to worsen, as they were testing me for cancer. But it was not. [00:02:11][21.6] Jean: [00:02:13] How long did it actually take before you got a correct diagnosis? [00:02:15][2.1] Gina: [00:02:17] My symptoms were bothering me for at least five months before they diagnosed my liver problem. [00:02:21][4.4] Ron: [00:02:24] Gina, Can you recall any specific symptoms that really stood out. [00:02:27][3.2] Gina: [00:02:28] Yes of course. My stomach. I look like I was nine months pregnant. And the build up of ascites it is a toxic fluid that forms in your stomach, making it enlarged. My eyes were no longer clear they were foggy, and my skin was chapped & itchy. Always thirsty. Almost like you want to stick your head in the swimming pool. I lost my appetite. I had dry heaves almost throwing up but not quite. Always had leg cramps. My calves were so painful they'd wake me up at night. I would try standing up. They were very painfully twitching. And the muscles would cramp up. You, It's like a charlie horse times 10. Very painful. Terrible terrible. [00:03:13][45.0] Lita: [00:03:14] Were there any embarrassing symptoms that you had? [00:03:17][2.5] Gina: [00:03:18] Yes I actually would. I, I had a bad case of diarrhea all day. I would go maybe eight to 10 times a day never knowing when it would attack. But usually when I was at Target or Wal-Mart shopping. And I would have to use a public bathroom. For no reason at all my nose would start bleeding and It was on a daily basis. [00:03:43][24.7] Jean: [00:03:44] Did anything help relieve any symptoms. [00:03:46][1.3] Gina: [00:03:47] Well for the chills I would layer up. I would layer clothes use the electric blanket at night. wear socks, which, I am not a socks person. I also spend time in the sun which helped. I never used air conditioning or a fan never wanted to cause a breeze my way because the chills. You can never. you, that feeling was intense. [00:04:07][20.3] Ron: [00:04:10] You mentioned that you're always thirsty. How do you deal with the thirst. Even though you're thirsty all the time. [00:04:17][6.7] Gina: [00:04:18] The doctor puts you on a water intake a day. So I was on a two liter a day intake of liquid. After my water intake, I would move over to a frozen freezy pop. [00:04:30][12.1] Lita: [00:04:31] Like a Popsicle. [00:04:31][0.3] Gina: [00:04:32] Yeah because a popsicle had flavor to it and it would break up the monotonous taste of the water. Also. They give you a little sponge like device at the doctor's office where you dip it in water. And you kind of stuff the water on this little sponge and that helped. [00:04:48][16.1] Lita: [00:04:51] Did anything help with the swelling that you had? Your stomach was swollen. [00:04:56][4.8] Gina: [00:04:57] Yes actually. There's a procedure they call Paracentesis. [00:04:59][2.6] Lita: [00:05:00] Wait a minute, Paracent- whatis? [00:05:01][0.3] Gina: [00:05:02] Paracentesis. you're in the hospital outpatient. Procedure where they go in to your stomach with a needle like, device. And they hook up the hose, to a JAR, glass jar, liters and the fluid is flushed out of your stomach. Out of your abdomen. Very painful. But. When you leave, after that procedure, you're about five to six liters of fluid down. Where the relief is amazing. [00:05:35][32.5] Lita: [00:05:36] So besides the Paracentesis. Was there anything else that you could do, that would help the swelling. [00:05:41][5.4] Gina: [00:05:43] Yes, you could watch what you eat. Restricted salt diet and limiting my fluid intake helped the swelling. At night we tried to get comfortable by putting a wedge under my legs. To help with the cramping. When the cramping got real bad. I tried to walk it off. As early as I could. Sometimes when you check the sodium levels of the food that you're eating you'd be shocked that a lot of things have sodium. So. You do have to read labels and watch your sodium intake because that will cause fluid to accumulate in your stomach. Also I was a member at a health club that I had access to a Hot water Jacuzzi. Which helped. My legs in the cramping and feel less tense. I suggest that for anybody. And also. I self meditate. Myself out of pain. And that helped me get through a lot of my symptoms. [00:06:37][54.2] Lita: [00:06:40] Well that's really great. That's probably a good suggestion for anybody. Did you know what to expect when your doctors actually informed you, that you have cirrhosis and now end stage liver disease? [00:06:53][13.2] Gina: [00:06:54] I didn't even know really, I heard of cirrhosis of the liver but I never really knew what it was or what it entailed. I assumed it was kind of like if somebody had a heart attack. You go into the emergency room. You get back to a go, you undergo surgery. And that's the end of it. I did not know what end stage liver meant. But it was, they gave me weeks to live. And that was scary because you're, you don't know what to expect. Day to day. [00:07:25][30.6] Lita: [00:07:26] You were 48 years old and this, youre told that your time is, just about up and they could have told you months before hand. [00:07:34][7.5] Gina: [00:07:35] Yes very much very and very sudden. [00:07:37][2.4] Ron: [00:07:39] I understand that the hospital provided a number of classes to help prepare you for life with a new liver? [00:07:44][4.8] Gina: [00:07:44] Yes. [00:07:44][0.0] Ron: [00:07:45] Can You explain? [00:07:45][0.0] Gina: [00:07:46] Hospitals they go over everything that you need to do to prepare yourself before transplant and what you need to do. It was so it was terrible. At the time you're so sick that you can't even concentrate on what they're telling you. My caregiver was with me thank God because she took notes for me. During these meetings it's like a three day process where you meet different actors and different people on the team. Transplant team. It's very consuming. The information is very hard to understand because you're so sickly at the time. The toxins built up in my. In my brain. That. The liver. Isn't processing. And I became very confused and even I became combative. [00:08:33][46.9] Jean: [00:08:35] Did you realize that you were confused or combative? Did you realize what was going on? [00:08:36][1.5] Gina: [00:08:37] No really. Well actually, when the nurse came in to check on me she asked me a couple of questions like What was my name and who was the president. What state do I live in. I answered. "Gina" To all the answers to all the questions. [00:08:51][14.1] Jean: [00:08:54] Gina for president! [00:08:55][0.3] Gina: [00:08:55] Yes. And. She knew from being a liver nurse she knew that was a symptom of toxins build up. In the brain. So immediately they put me to the emergency room and took care of me and they had to flush the toxins from my abdomen. [00:09:10][15.3] Lita: [00:09:12] Dangerous dangerous. You're from Chicago. But your transplant was in North Carolina. Why is that? [00:09:20][7.8] Gina: [00:09:20] Yes. Well I heard. They had some regions have faster results and you could register in more than one region. My caregiver told me about North Carolina because I was, actually listed in Illinois where I live, for over a year, at Loyola University. When she told me. About North Carolina and the turnaround in the. fast transplants turn around that they have their I flew down and got on their list. And, I got on their list actually in August of 2017 and I was transplanted. September 30th 2017. [00:09:55][34.6] Ron: [00:09:57] Definitely a lot there. What would you say was the worst part of this process. [00:10:02][5.1] Gina: [00:10:04] The worst part was waiting. Waiting. To. You know you don't know when you're going to get the phone call for the transplant. Getting sicker by the day. Ascities... The fluid retention in my stomach. Hurting. Constant swelling bloating. My legs were starting to give out because they were so swollen felt like my skin was going to rip open. There was nothing that they were prescribing me at that point that was helping me to get any kind of comfort. My sleep was lost. It was painful. Actually to even take a deep breath. Because the fluid was so. There was so much fluid in my stomach it was pushing the rest of my organs up. Through. My chest. And. Cause it Hard to breathe. [00:10:48][44.4] Jean: [00:10:49] It's sounds Awful. Did anything at all help with the swelling? [00:10:52][2.6] Gina: [00:10:52] . Well doctors told me to wear compression socks. Trying to stay positive thinking and moving about. Staying busy with my everyday life. The swelling in my stomach like I said before was released. Through. Paracentesis. That was the draining of the fluid. At the hospital. [00:11:12][20.0] Lita: [00:11:13] Sure. How did you feel when you first got that call saying, Gina, we have a liver waiting for you. I bet that that was a surprise? Especially, you say it was only a month after you signed up over North Carolina! How did you how did that make you feel? [00:11:29][15.8] Gina: [00:11:30] Well I was shocked when I got the call I was actually at Walgreens picking up a prescription. And they told me to go home pack a bag and go to the hospital right away that they had a perfect liver. Well. I was excited. I was sad. I got very emotional I think every emotion went through me. When I got to the hospital. Yes I was excited but I had to wait for about. 10 hours before they actually operated on me. So I had time. For this information to sink in. Yeah. But it was at first it was a shock and I was. Like I went through every emotion. [00:12:05][35.4] Ron: [00:12:07] I understand you were released from the hospital sooner than some people, what do you think, what do you think about that? What aided you in your recovery? [00:12:16][9.4] Gina: [00:12:18] Well. I listened to my doctors I did everything they told me. Walking. Well actually let me back up. I'm sorry. I did. Exercise a lot before my transplant even though I was very sick. I had to try to build up muscle. They told me that after transplant you would lose a lot of muscle. And I'm happy that I listened in that way because they after transplant you have to walk And build up strength. But I'm glad that I was physically fit befor transplant. [00:12:51][33.1] Lita: [00:12:54] That makes sense. [00:12:54][0.4] Gina: [00:12:55] Also. I'm sorry but also eating healthy. As much as you can. You have to. Know a lot of protein low sodium a chicken and peanut butter nut protein bars protein shakes anything with high protein. That would build up muscle mass. [00:13:11][16.1] Jean: [00:13:12] Did you to take a lot of medication. [00:13:13][1.3] Gina: [00:13:15] After transplant? Yes I was on 40 pills a day, and it was four times a day. So yes when they, when the pharmacy rep brought in the pill box, the day before I got discharged, I said it looked like a fishing tackle box! (laughter from co-hosts) I thought to myself there's no way I would ever understand this! I'm not a pill person. And I just, I didn't think I could do it. But as time went on I, now fill up my pillbox blindfolded. (more laughter from co-hosts) Actually, I'm down to 16 pills a day so there is a big difference. [00:13:53][38.2] Ron: [00:13:54] Yeah. That's a lot to swallow. (co-hosts and guest laugh) Has anything changed since your procedure? [00:14:04][9.5] Gina: [00:14:05] Yes I mean I learned that I have to stay very active, walking is important. I wasn't able to lift anything five pounds or heavier. But now that I am six months out I am able to lift 25 pounds and more. I mean. I have to watch what I do because. They don't want me to get a hernia where the incision is. Absolutely there's no smoking no alcohol even sun exposure is considered high risk because of the medicine that I'm on can cause skin cancer. [00:14:37][32.4] Jean: [00:14:38] And just to keep an eye on your vitals. [00:14:41][2.1] Gina: [00:14:41] Yes every day I have to check my blood sugar because of the medicine intake could raise my blood sugar. I have to check my temperature. Make sure there's no type of fever. Virus going on I maintain a healthy diet. And again I do high protein and low sodium. [00:14:58][17.1] Jean: [00:14:59] Were there any foods, things that you cannot eat? Or is there anything that interferes with your medication? [00:15:05][5.5] Gina: [00:15:06] Yeah. The grapefruit you're not allowed to have any grapefruit or any product that has grapefruit in it. I was shocked to see that I I do. I used to use minced garlic in a jar and I found out that there's grapefruit juice in there some kind of preservative. And. Yeah. I was shocked. So you have to read every label. You have to make sure. The product is dated and if you can't read the day don't buy it don't chance it. If you. Touch something at the grocery store it is supposed to be cold and it's not. Don't buy it. Also. I would always use after transplant right after transplant when I was going to the stores or restaurants or out in the public I would wear face masks and I would bring wipes and wipe down everything handles of the grocery cart. Even menus at the restaurant. [00:15:53][47.0] Jean: [00:15:55] That's probably a good tip for everybody. Did anything make a recovery. Recovery period easier? [00:16:01][5.5] Gina: [00:16:01] While I was recovering at my house. I get it. Very great caregivers taking care of me. But also when I was by myself like taking a shower. I did use a grab bar in the shower. I did use the handlebars on the toilet seat. To get up and down because you are still sore. Compression socks would help my legs from getting to swollen. Squatty-Potty would help, so you don't have to, I'm sorry but, push while you go to the bathroom. You don't want anything. You don't want any tension around that. Incision. I also, like I said, the antibacterial wipes are very good. Use them Lysol spray. Wipe down everything. Just be cautious be careful. And you don't want to touch any germs. If you can't if you can rent a lift chair. [00:16:51][49.6] Lita: [00:16:53] Right. All of those products that you recommended like the squatty- potty and the handlebars for the toilet area. And the grab bars for the shower will be listed. On our Web site. For purchase. For anyone that's interested. And. The lady. Ready. Them back. Yes we'll be getting these products. From the Amazon Web site directly for you to show that you don't have to search too hard for these helpful aspects. You know there was good information. What would you. Like our audience to know about the importance of being an organ donor. [00:17:30][36.5] Gina: [00:17:31] Well I personally was never an organ donor myself but now what I have gone through, I totally condone it. I think everybody should be a donor if anything of ours can help. Two three. More people. I don't. Being a donor. I say. Definitely do it. [00:17:51][19.7] Ron: [00:17:52] That is an amazing story. Any other advice for the listeners out there. [00:17:57][5.1] Gina: [00:17:58] Oh yes I do actually. When you go to the doctor's office. Make sure that you. Tell them. Exactly. Your symptoms like if you. If you're feeling like you have a headache every other day or a sore throat once in a while just tell them everything that you feel or tell them. You are a drinker or tell them that you do diet pills or. Just. Be honest with them you're there for a reason you they're not going to judge you. And. Possibly they'll. Test you. And they'll before a disease. Occurs. They can help you. And treat you. [00:18:31][33.1] Jean: [00:18:31] That's great Gina, Thank you so much. Oh I want to thank you, on behalf of the podcastDX staff, and our listeners. And we really appreciate you taking the time today to speak with us. [00:18:41][9.9] Lita: [00:18:42] If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site where you can link to our Facebook page and also see more information as we build our site. Please go to podcast D X dot com. [00:19:01][19.3] Ron: [00:19:02] And if You have a moment. Please give us a five star review on the ITunes Podcast App.. [00:19:02][0.0] [1031.0]

PodcastDX Kidney Transplant Episode/ Transcript   Jean Marie [00:00:16] Hello and welcome to podcast DX. This show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a diagnosis.   Lita [00:00:26] I'm Lita,.   Ron [00:00:27] I'm Ron.   Jean Marie [00:00:28] And I'm Jean Marie.   Lita [00:00:29] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast dx. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always ask the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. And before undertaking any new health care regimen never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. I am here with Darnell and Rodney and  they're  siblings. Whom have both received kidney donations at least once.   Lita [00:01:13] Hello and thank you for being on our show.   Danell & Rod [00:01:16] Thank you.   Rod [00:01:16] Glad you're here.   Lita [00:01:18]  How long has it been since your transplants Danell years was a long time Right?.   Danell [00:01:23] Mine was in early April. I will be coming up on 17 years.   Lita [00:01:29] 17 years.   Lita [00:01:30] And you only had the one? Ok,   Danell [00:01:31] And only half one.   Lita [00:01:32] . OK. And Rodney?   Rod [00:01:34] My first transplant was in nineteen ninety four.   Lita [00:01:38] OK.   Rod [00:01:39] Second one was in 2010. Was that right?   Danell [00:01:46] Do you remember Lita?   Lita [00:01:47] No I don't actually. I don't. So 94' was the first one...   Rod [00:01:53]  No. 2014.   Lita [00:01:55] OK. All right. So. What, what caused the first one to fail?   Rod [00:01:59] Well it's Darnell and my brother and I and Dad it's all the same "All Ports".   Lita [00:02:06] OK.   Rod [00:02:07] All Ports.   Lita [00:02:08] That's a.    [00:02:08] Yes it's an immune problem. Your body attacks your kidney.   Lita [00:02:13] OK.   Rod [00:02:13] Like some people  have a problem with that their body attacking their heart.   Lita [00:02:17] Sure.   Rod [00:02:17] Our is our kidney.   Lita [00:02:19] OK so. Is there any new stem cell therapy or anything that can help you, like,  alleviate this so that your kidneys are....   Rod [00:02:29] Well I wouldn't work on us anyway. You might get to work on somebody whose kidney isn't already shot.   Lita [00:02:37] OK. OK   Rod [00:02:38] But there's no bringing ours back.   Lita [00:02:40] OK.   Danell [00:02:41] Yeah, But I don't know about the, like the stem cell. I don't know. That's a good question.   Lita [00:02:47] I'm just.   Danell [00:02:48] Doing research into that to see, I mean you know they're using it for a lot of things now.   Lita [00:02:53] Right.   Rod [00:02:53] Well the stem cell research now I think is mainly trying to grow.   Lita [00:02:58] New ones?   Rod [00:02:59] New ones,.   Danell [00:02:59] Yeah.   Rod [00:03:00] But you know you can't you can't. Bring a rock back.   Lita [00:03:03] No. But I'm just concerned that from, you know, like the first one that you got. Failed because your body is still attacked it. Right? The All Ports attacked it?   Rod [00:03:11] Essentially. Well I'm not so sure it was that so much as just transplanted kidneys don't last forever.   Lita [00:03:21] OK.   Danell [00:03:22] I got like a, 10 year,.   Lita [00:03:24] Warranty?   Rod [00:03:24] well,.   Danell [00:03:25] Well for that's the average,.   Rod [00:03:27] For average. Correct. And mine lasted ten years.   Lita [00:03:30] OK.   Danell [00:03:30] Almost to the month.   Rod [00:03:32] Yeah.   Lita [00:03:32] And Danell, yours has been 17 years?   Danell [00:03:35] Yes I've been 17.   Lita [00:03:37] Where did you get the deluxe model?   Danell [00:03:38] I think I might have! (laughter)   Rod [00:03:39] Well I think hers was a better match than mine was mine was. Just a mediocre match hers and my brothers are both have pretty good matches.   Lita [00:03:48] OK.   Danell [00:03:48] Yeah they told me that mine was as good of a match as that one my kids had given it to me, so.   Lita [00:03:53] OK. OK.   Lita [00:03:54] So yes, so that that's probably important too.   Danell [00:03:58] Yeah.   Lita [00:03:59] And the, the last one that you got from me that one also failed.   Rod [00:04:05] Yeah.    [00:04:05] So now. You’re back on Dialysis?   Rod [00:04:07] Yeah, That one didn't last very long at all. I think with all the antibodies that I had from the first one it makes it more difficult to match the second one. And also Barnes did not put me on prednisone the second time around which I think had a lot to do with killing it.   Lita [00:04:28] Wow.! They didn't.?   Rod [00:04:30] No, they don't believe in prednisone,.   Danell [00:04:32] They don’t do it, So my brother, that had his out in Idaho which has just been about five years for him. It's never, never done the prednisone thing.   Lita [00:04:41] Hmmm, Well I know Gina just had her liver and she was on prednisone for probably 60 days.   Danell [00:04:49] Really?   Rod [00:04:49] Well I was on when they put my first one in I was on massive doses of prednisone but eventually got me down.   Lita [00:04:57] weaned you down.   Rod [00:04:57] To a maintenance dose. And I had that the whole time I had my first kidney.   Lita [00:05:03] I don't know if Gina's taking it still or not but I know in the beginning she took.   Danell [00:05:06] . Yeah.   Lita [00:05:07] A lot.   Danell [00:05:07] And they might have with Scott too (Scott is their brother in Idaho). But I know that really we can back from the long term use,   Rod [00:05:12] When I got the second kidney, of course they didn't put me on prednisone. And after a few months it started dying off. While, while it was deteriorating, I was put on prednisone for a totally nother reason.   Lita [00:05:31] . OK.   Rod [00:05:33] And it almost stopped the deterioration of the kidney. But at that point I was about 90 percent shot already.   Lita [00:05:42] OK.   Rod [00:05:43] I am convinced. If they had put me on the prednisone initially. Your kidney would have lasted me a lot longer.   Lita [00:05:50] Okay.   Rod [00:05:50] Because once I got on the prednisone the deterioration almost stopped.   Lita [00:05:56] But it was too late.   Rod [00:05:57] It was too late. Plus,.   Lita [00:05:59] Did you mention that to them? Like you know...   Rod [00:06:00] Well after is too late.   Lita [00:06:01] No. but I mean,.   Rod [00:06:01] But if I didn't realize what was going on.   Lita [00:06:04] Yeah. And I'm just thinking for future people you know like maybe they should change their ways.   Rod [00:06:07] yeah, well, tell them that, they don't want...   Lita [00:06:10] I know but, I mean, part of, part of education in the medical community I think is feedback from the patients so that they know what works what doesn't work.   Rod [00:06:20] What ended up happening then I had to have heart surgery.   Lita [00:06:26] Oh right.   Rod [00:06:26] And of course they had to have the MRI's with contrast, which is a big no no for.   Lita [00:06:33] That kills the kidneys.   Rod [00:06:34] Kidney Patients but at that point they had to do it and that finished the kidney off.   Lita [00:06:40] Sure. ok,   Danell [00:06:41] Did you, You had gone back on dialysis but you were still having some benefits of your kidney.   Rod [00:06:48] Yeah. I was still putting out.   Danell [00:06:50] We are convinced it was because he had gotten on that prednisone while.   Rod [00:06:52] I was still putting out a good bit of urine.   Danell [00:06:57] It lasted what?  Maybe about a year?   Rod [00:06:58] Maybe yeah.   Danell [00:06:59] Just before you had to have your heart surgery.   Rod [00:07:01] Yeah. Finished it off.   Danell [00:07:03] Yeah. Even though he had lost a lot of the benefit from your kidney it still you know we continue to have some.   Rod [00:07:09] Oh I was still putting out about eight hundred milliliters a day, which I  wasn't having to watch my fluid anywhere near like I do now.   Lita [00:07:18] OK,  How often do you go for dialysis now?   Rod [00:07:22] Three times a week.   Lita [00:07:24] oh, ok, What. What symptoms made you realize, I know it's a long time ago when you first realize that you had problems but what symptoms were there that made you think I've got a problem with my kidney.   Rod [00:07:38] None. My, our father had kidney failure.   Lita [00:07:43] OK.   Rod [00:07:43] So in the process of they were trying to fight figure out why I had high blood pressure. I found out my kidney was already 25 percent shot 10 years before. They failed.   Lita [00:08:01] OK.   Rod [00:08:01] Completely.   Lita [00:08:01] So most you most many of these symptoms.   Rod [00:08:03] No. Most people do not realize what's going on until it's too late.   Lita [00:08:10] Hmm, So you're a little like high blood pressure a hidden thing right.   Rod [00:08:12] Your body compensates and people don't realize it's going, a lot of people, when they if they find out they have kidney failure when they're in the hospital. Because they get you get flu like symptoms they get feeling just totally run down. That's when they find out. I knew for 10 years ahead of time it was coming.   Lita [00:08:35] Because of your dad.   Rod [00:08:36] Because my dad.   Danell [00:08:37] Right.   Lita [00:08:37] And when your dad was diagnosed they found out that it was a genetic problem. Correct?   Rod [00:08:44] No.   Danell [00:08:45] Actually they didn't find out because dad was. He was just diagnosed with kidney failure.   Lita [00:08:50] OK.   Danell [00:08:50] They thought it was all brought on by hardening of the arteries.   Lita [00:08:53] OK.   Danell [00:08:53] Then Rodney when they had diagnosed him again just kidney failure. When. When I started showing signs. The doctor we all had the same nephrologists.   Lita [00:09:04] Right,.   Danell [00:09:04] You know he's like... hmmmm?   Lita [00:09:05] yeah yeah.   Danell [00:09:07] So actually I went and got the biopsy that diagnosis with the All Ports.   Lita [00:09:12] OK. And what is all ports Exactly?   Danell [00:09:14] It's a slow. It's an auto immune but it's just basically a slow deterioration of the glomeruli of the kidney, which is just basically the body.   Lita [00:09:22] The filter.   Danell [00:09:23] Yeah.   Lita [00:09:23] OK.   Danell [00:09:24] Yeah it's a filtering system of the kidney, and there's you know.   Lita [00:09:27] They haven't come up with a cure for that.   Danell [00:09:30] That's one of the things that happens.   Lita [00:09:32] and all of your, You have one brother?   Danell [00:09:36] Mhmm.   Lita [00:09:36] Besides Rodney? and he has it as well.   Danell [00:09:38] Right, He has. Yes.   Lita [00:09:39] And he's had a transplant.   Rod [00:09:40] He's had a transplant.   Danell [00:09:42] He had a living donor transplant.   Rod [00:09:44] He was eleven years younger than me. So. Plus I, it progressed fairly rapidly. For me I went,. I went on dialysis when I was fortytwo. They made it closer to 50.   Lita [00:09:58] OK.   Rod [00:09:59] Our father was 50.   Danell [00:10:01] Yeah.   Lita [00:10:05] So umm, just to let the listening audience know, umm, possible symptoms are decreased urine output. Fluid retention swelling in your legs ankles and feet drowsiness shortness of breath fatigue confusion nausea and in severe cases seizures or coma and chest pressure that's probably from the fluid.   Rod [00:10:31] Well like I said, most..   Lita [00:10:33] You didn't have, you just felt flu ish.   Rod [00:10:35] Most people do not realize that's going on until the last minute.   Lita [00:10:41] OK.ok,.   Rod [00:10:41] They. They get flu like symptoms. They feel like crap and they go into hospital and they. Well your kidneys have quit.   Lita [00:10:49] So then what relief do they have? At that point.   Rod [00:10:52] Emergency dialysis.   Lita [00:10:54] OK. So once you have the dialysis does that take care of the symptoms.   Rod [00:11:01] Largely.   Danell [00:11:03] Which is really kind of what happened with my dad. He just you know. Started getting very ill. I don't remember what symptoms he had. But then at that point they just have. I don't know. you know, They. Checked. His kidney functioning was all and decrease the numbers. Lab numbers were elevated. We actually took him down to. Houston to a hospital down in Houston and that's where they figured out what was going on and basically he was just in kidney failure. So they did emergency dialysis they put a graft in his arm but they can't you can't use that for a while. It has to...   Rod [00:11:46] Emergency dialysis. They put a port in your central vein in your chest and they use that, that's meant to be temporary. They don't like to use them long term. Because too much risk of infection.   Lita [00:12:01] Sure sure. Anything close to the heart is. That what. Well you got your heart eventually?   Rod [00:12:05] No. No. I just. Just another {unable to transcribe}.   Lita [00:12:12] That will be a podcast in the future.(laughter) OK. One thing that we like to discuss with the patients that we're we're interviewing is caregiving in the home. After the procedure and equipment that might have helped you to recover after the procedure. Now as a kidney donor I know that you know, there were some things that assisted me on my recovery but and on the receiving end what. What did you guys do to to help you get over the hump when you got home from the hospital?   Rod [00:12:50] I initially started doing peritoneal dialysis that as most people think of hemodialysis where they directly clean the blood peritoneal, they put a port in my abdomen, you put fluid in your abdomen, it dwells, it draws the poison, the chemicals off and you change the flood periodically. I did that for years.   Lita [00:13:24] oh, Now, Is that when you say the fluid goes in is it into a vein or is it just a cavity?   Rod [00:13:30] It goes into the abdominal cavity and it by osmosis it draws the stuff off. OK. The toxins and the fluid off in your body.   Lita [00:13:41] OK.   Rod [00:13:41] I did that all together eight years.   Lita [00:13:45] OK. And is that the one that you do at home?   Rod [00:13:48] That's what I do at home. Yeah.   Lita [00:13:49] So you. From what I remember you hooked yourself up to a machine at night and you just let it run.   Rod [00:13:56] Yes initially the first year and a half for my first transplant I did it manually and hung a bag of dialysate, it ran it into my abdomen, put it in leave it in here about three or four hours drain that bag out. Put another bag again. I do that three or four times a day.   Lita [00:14:18] And this is something that you could handle yourself. They trained you and you didn't have any problem doing this at home.   Rod [00:14:23] Right.   Lita [00:14:24] Because it sounds very.   Danell [00:14:27] It was,.   Lita [00:14:28] Technical. Yeah it sounds scary, It sounds...   Rod [00:14:31] I after the I lost the first transplanted kidney, I end up doing what is called a cycler, where the machine does that for you. But I was on I had to be on that nearly 11 hours every night and course you can't go anywhere until it is done.   Lita [00:14:54] OK.   Rod [00:14:54] Well after six years of that my second transplant, lost the second transplant, I started doing it.   Lita [00:15:03] Sure.   Rod [00:15:03] I never slept well. Now it works better for other people. It didn't, I was tired doing it, all the work that goes with it. All the supplies. It's a constant job. This with hemodialysis I can go to Matt.(?). Go to the dialysis unit three times a week. They run me for three and a half hours. I'm done, done for two days. You don't have to mess with it anymore.   Lita [00:15:31] So it's like an oil change.{laughter}.   Rod [00:15:33] Pretty much yes pretty much.   Danell [00:15:36] But as far as like after the surgery I actually I did very well. I mean I was only forty seven. I was I was active,. {lost audio}   Rod [00:15:48] Are you ready?.   Lita [00:15:48] Yeah go right ahead.   Rod [00:15:50] When you get your transplant it's like you have an immense amount of energy for a good year. After my first transplant I was just Energizer bunny. I was working two jobs, taking care of my kids, and sleep in about five hours a night. God, I had just an immense amount of energy. That's, you start to come back to normal after a while but your body has become so used to having no energy.   Lita [00:16:24] OK.   Rod [00:16:24] Once this happens you just feel great.   Lita [00:16:31] ok.   Rod [00:16:31] you feel, really great.   Danell [00:16:35] I know talking about symptoms before,  It just all comes along so gradually that you don't realize you're feeling bad.   Rod [00:16:45] Yeah.   Danell [00:16:46] And then that you're tired.   Lita [00:16:50] It's draining.   Rod [00:16:51] Well that's it, after your, after your transplant and you feel so great. Then you realize how terrible you were.   Lita [00:16:58] You were before,.   Danell [00:16:59] Right.   Rod [00:16:59] Right.   Danell [00:16:59] And I also noticed things like my hair thickening back up after the transplant my nails getting hard after the transplant. Things that had started deteriorating maybe just over such a long period of time you just didn't notice it. Yeah. Afterwards you know after his first one, and then with mine, as far as recovery at home and action was very easy. I went back to work after five weeks and I'm a surgical nurse. So you know really very active and intense. You know. But we were both healthy. You know going into wealthy going into young and we had so many dialysis patients are on dialysis because they are diabetic.   Lita [00:17:42] OK.   Rod [00:17:43] And so they're fighting they're fighting that complication also. We didn't have that.   Lita [00:17:48] OK. So if someone had diabetes on top of the kidney failure.   Rod [00:17:53] oh yeah,.   Lita [00:17:53] They've got just another hurdle. That they've got to jump over   Danell [00:17:56] Right, right.   Lita [00:17:56] In order to heal.   Danell [00:17:58] Yes. Much more difficult in the healing process,   Rod [00:17:59] About actually .   Rod [00:18:01] About 30 percent of dialysis patients are there because they are diabetic.   Lita [00:18:06] OK. OK.   Rod [00:18:08] I worked for 10 years as a fireman on one kidney. Did great.   Lita [00:18:14] OK well one kidney working well I can tell you does, OK.   Rod [00:18:19]  Oh yeah yeah.   Lita [00:18:22] I've got no complaints   Danell [00:18:25] We're not the only ones getting by with one kidney   Rod [00:18:26] Unless you think you want to be a marathoner I don't think you would notice the difference.   Lita [00:18:30] Yeah I would never do that,.   Rod [00:18:31] It would just be a slower recovery.   Lita [00:18:35] OK.   Rod [00:18:36] Cause You'd wear yourself out. But like I said as a fireman I didn't notice it.   Lita [00:18:42] OK. Are you worried Danell, that you might be up for another one soon?.   Danell [00:18:46] You know I was around 10 years because basically Rodney like I said lost year at 10 years almost to the month. But you know it's 17 now. My last doctor's visit down was down at Barnes, and I've just been doing so well they're like you know which I had been going there just once a year for several years. And they're like that come back for two years now I still get I get my blood drawn every other month and it all gets into Barnes. So they you know they're watching that closely but you know they're like to come back for two years you're doing great. Because I have not once had any concerns about rejection that they're like you know you can put this on.   Rod [00:19:32] Well and the better the better your match the fewer drugs you have to take.   Lita [00:19:37] OK. OK.   Danell [00:19:38] And mine also was I had a cadaver donor and she was a same age I was.   Lita [00:19:48] OK.   Danell [00:19:48] So you know basically I've got you know it's not like I { un-able to transcribe}.   Lita [00:19:53] Yes it grows with you, right. OK. I wanted to discuss a little bit about the the different regions that you can apply for when you're getting a, an Organ, and I know that Rodney your daughter posted an ad on Matching Donors dot com for the second one in order to actually expand your reach when you were looking for a donor.   Rod [00:20:22] Well it is when you get on the list you're waiting for them to find you a donor Matching Donors dot com, dot com as a way for you to find your own donor.   Lita [00:20:35] You're like advertising.   Rod [00:20:36] Essentially. Yeah.   Danell & Rod [00:20:37]  Right. right   Danell [00:20:39] Yeah. We put a, you know, told all about Rod you know his his life as a fireman.   Lita [00:20:47] Yeah actually I remember. I mean you know my memory is pretty crap,  {laughter} but I actually still remember how strongly the emotions hit me when I read your ad.   Danell [00:21:01] Awwe   Lita [00:21:02] That I said "why wouldn't somebody have given this guy one already, for crying out loud. Get him on the phone."   Rod [00:21:10] Well of course we never put this forth before you when you're on the list. You're waiting for someone to die.   Lita [00:21:18] Right.   Rod [00:21:19] It's not a question of. I'll give you mine.   Lita [00:21:23] Right. But the matching donors allows living.   Danell [00:21:27] Right.   Lita [00:21:28] Donors to donate a part of a liver or a whole kidney.   Rod [00:21:32] And of course my daughter was fantastic. She did all of that. I did nothing. She talked to different various people about me. At least two of them hinted around about being compensated which technically is illegal in this country.   Lita [00:21:51] Right. Right.   Rod [00:21:52] So she told them "Forget it". But she found you, or you found me.   Lita [00:21:58] Yeah. I found the ad and I was,  and it was, it was convenient that you were in Illinois. There wasn't a lot of transportation involved. You know I can imagine that some people that are are looking nationwide it might be a little bit more difficult.   Rod [00:22:15] Sure,.   Lita [00:22:15] If you have to commute or whatever. But ours was perfect. How long were you on dialysis the first time before you got to the.   Rod [00:22:25] Before the first transplant I was on dialysis for a year and a half. They found me a cadaver. OK after the first transplant failed I was on dialysis for six years before I got together with you. That one only lasted 10 months. Right now I've been on dialysis about another six years.   Lita [00:22:50] OK. And Danielle how long were you on dialysis before I act.   Danell [00:22:54] Oh I never had to go on for hours. Oh OK. Was that on the transplant list because now they will put you on it before you get on dialysis. Back when Rodney first started you had to actually be on dialysis before they would put you on. Yes. OK. I I think they figured out hey if we can get him going before the dialysis so I put on a list and told that I would have to be on dialysis within a year and actually it was four months.   Rod [00:23:24] She was getting at the point she was getting pretty rundown.   Lita [00:23:28] So it was it was like getting close to where you would.   Rod [00:23:30] Yeah. It was real close.   Danell [00:23:32] There four months is just really even the doctors were like "you were on that list. how long?". Like four months.   Lita [00:23:38] Right.   Danell [00:23:38] I had a rare blood type and I think well some real rare but I was Rh negative. So I think that could have gone either way. Sure it could have kept me on the list longer or.   Lita [00:23:50] If nobody else can take it right.   Danell [00:23:52] . Give me that one kidney that no one else could take. So yes I was blessed in that it was only four months.   Lita [00:24:00] Have there been any dietary changes to either of you since the transplants have you had to do anything,.   Rod [00:24:06] Well once you've had a transplant. No. If you're on dialysis it's extreme.   Lita [00:24:14] As far as sodium right?   Rod [00:24:15] Sodium. The main thing is phosphorous and potassium.   Lita [00:24:20] OK.   Rod [00:24:21] Dialysis does not rate remove phosphorus and it doesn't do a very good job removing potassium.   Lita [00:24:29] OK. Are those good or bad?   Rod [00:24:32] Well they're.... You know.   Danell [00:24:33] They're bad, if they {un-able to translate}.   Lita [00:24:34] Oh OK. So the levels to be high. Right. And your kidney normally takes care of those.   Rod [00:24:39] Correct.   Lita [00:24:39] OK I see.   Rod [00:24:40] The phosphorus level if you've got an excess of phosphorus it settles in your feet and I have neuropathy in my feet because that has destroyed the peripheral nerve endings in my feet. So it's more difficult for me to walk potassium that gets out of whack. It messes up your heart. That can be real serious.   Lita [00:25:08] Sure. But they keep an eye on it.   Rod [00:25:10] And then they keep an eye on it.   Lita [00:25:11] And medication to adjust levels or the.   Rod [00:25:14] . Well that's why take massive amounts of phosphorus binders when I eat the potassium the dialysis will remove it. To some extent but I've got to stay away from my potassium fluids.   Lita [00:25:29] Sounds like you guys have to turn into nutritionists in order to stay healthy as I.   Danell [00:25:36] Basically eat just like you can. We each have one kidney one good working kidney. So I mean you know you have to be intelligent about it it's just as much as you would in it you know hey what do you want in your body. But yeah. That's the great thing.   Lita [00:25:51] Well that's good.   Rod [00:25:52]  Like I can eat whatever I want.   Rod [00:25:54] Oh yeah I know when I had my first transplant I I would not. You do not know you're working on one kidney.   Lita [00:26:05] You mean you don't feel that.   Rod [00:26:07] I don't feel. And you're really no dietary limitations because of it.   Lita [00:26:13] Because the kidney's working well.   Rod [00:26:14] Right.   Lita [00:26:16] Are there any support groups or organizations that have been of assistance for either of you?   Rod [00:26:22] No,.   Danell [00:26:23] That we kind of chose not to. I mean basically that guy right there was our support group.   Rod [00:26:28] That's true.   Lita [00:26:29] Well  luckily you had each other and you kind of get experience. Also with your dad going through it up before.   Danell [00:26:34] We've been through a lot,.   Lita [00:26:35] And you being a nurse I'm sure that helped.   Danell [00:26:36] Yeah. Yeah. There are you know support groups out there. OK. And the hospital would recommend them. Right. I'm sure Barnes and even at one point asked if I would consider you know kind of being a mentor. But that's a you know from central Illinois it's like a two and a half hour drive. So it really wasn't feasible for me to do it.   Lita [00:26:57] Sure.   Danell [00:26:57] but. Yes.   Lita [00:26:59] And how about through dialysis facility do you notice that anybody there that might need you know like encouragement or advice or   Rod [00:27:10] I don’t know,.   Lita [00:27:10] Not really advice but support as they're going.   Rod [00:27:12] Oh there probably is I'd like to Danell said, they they have people that you can do that with. I'm not a joiner. {laughter}.   Lita [00:27:19] Okay.   Rod [00:27:19] Leave me alone. {laughter}   Lita [00:27:20] Okay.  How about medical equipment supplies or other tools that you've found particularly helpful when dealing with kidney disease.   Rod [00:27:33] No, other than, Like I said the peritoneal dialysis was a big burden. But I like I. That's why I like prefer the hemodialysis now because I can go to the unit get it done leave it. All I have to do is watch my diet.   Lita [00:27:56] OK.   Rod [00:27:56] And my fluids.   Danell [00:27:57] We're after this second one and that kind of started going downhill. And we're different things that you know at one point he had to use a walker and he got to the cane.   Rod [00:28:09] Well that was. I greatly blame the nephrologist I had at the time I kept asking him why is this happening. And he had no answer or he wouldn't give me one.   Danell [00:28:24] And you're talking about your being so bad.   Rod [00:28:26] Yeah. I was almost to the point of being in a wheelchair.   Lita [00:28:29] OK.   Rod [00:28:30] And when Darnell helped me we get got a neurologist. Twenty seconds he told me what was going on.   Lita [00:28:40] OK.   Rod [00:28:40] So I adjusted my diet and they got considerably better. Oh all right. But I am. I still have a problem walking.   Lita [00:28:49] OK.   Danell [00:28:51] We have a.. He has a shower chair/ stool now that helps him a lot in the shower, because his legs are still weak to a point.   Lita [00:29:01] Wobbly?   Danell [00:29:01] I think I think I {un-able to translate} at one point I brought it back so that I could have it.   Lita [00:29:07] OK.   Danell [00:29:07] . You know just because of you know after this surgery you're just you know you're tired. You have major surgery.   Lita [00:29:13] Sure sure.  I, I know that they also make like almost like support bars that go in the toilet area that can help you get up and down do you need anything like that?.   Rod [00:29:25] Of course I do. I do not. I don't sit in the tub, it's too hard for me to get up.   Lita [00:29:29] OK. You just shower?.   Rod [00:29:30] Stand. So although I do sit on that stool she is talking about in the shower but I don't get down in the tub.   Lita [00:29:38] How about a handheld shower that you can be removed from.   Rod [00:29:41] No.   Lita [00:29:41] Have you ever tried one of those that you attach afterwards?   Danell [00:29:44] I actually have one.   Lita [00:29:45] . Do you. .   Danell [00:29:46] You know there again it's like, I'm not, you know incapacitated in any way but yeah I'll let you know as being a nurse and having worked in nursing homes for you know back years ago. Yeah. Things like that are awesome.   Lita [00:30:02] OK great. Great. Well I want to thank you both for all of that information. You probably wouldn't realize how much it means to people to hear the stories of people that have already gone through it. So let's say someone just gets diagnosed and they don't know what to expect. "God I had a kidney disease. What on earth am I up to next". And this way they can hear the podcast they can hear your stories and they can have a little bit of sense of relief say well these two they've gotten through it pretty well and I can certainly get through it and they gave me a couple of Hints and advice and I know what to look for. And it really is helpful so I really want to thank you and I appreciate you taking the time to do this with us today.   Rod [00:30:51] You're welcome.   Rod [00:30:51] We appreciate everything that you've done.   Lita [00:30:54] Oh well it's been an honor.   Rod [00:30:56] Well I've I felt bad that I lost your kidney as much for you as for me. You did. You made that sacrifice and I wasn't able to keep it.   Lita [00:31:06] what? It was not your fault.   Rod [00:31:08] Well this is true but I still felt bad about it.   Lita [00:31:10] Don't worry about it. It's okay. I am going to cut this off now.   Lita [00:31:15] If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site where you can link to our Facebook page and also see more information as we build our site. Please go to podcast D X dot com.   Ron [00:31:36] And for our listeners you have a moment please give us a five star review on item podcast.  

In this episode we will discuss Appendix Pre-Cancer with Gianna M.  We never knew the appendix could become cancerous, she was lucky to have caught hers in the pre-cancerous stages of Mucinous Neoplasm of the Appendix.  We hope you find this episode enlightening, and as Gianna recommends... "Always listen to your body!"  

In this episode we will discuss Appendix Pre-Cancer with Gianna M.  We never knew the appendix could become cancerous, she was lucky to have caught hers in the pre-cancerous stages of Mucinous Neoplasm of the Appendix.  We hope you find this episode enlightening, and as Gianna recommends... "Always listen to your body!"