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gummadianjani · 1 year

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Tips On How to Find the Right Pediatrician for your Child

Stylish Pediatrician in Hyderabad and Child Specialist in Hyderabad

Anjani Gummadi is a veritably well-known and Stylish Pediatrician in Hyderabad. She has more than eight Or more times of involvement and till presently served north of 1000 Blissful Cases and guardians.

We understand for a parent it’s a little delicate to find the Stylish Pediatrician for their sprat. Fortunately, we've. Anjani finished her MD in Pediatrics and DM from the esteemed establishment of India, PGIMER. She is veritably compassionate with her cases and family, fluently approachable, and friendly. She strives to make early judgments and give the stylish treatment the foremost.

She also has numerous publications in public and transnational scientific journals and awards to her credit. With a strong passion for furnishing stylish treatment to children, she is always keen on learning about newer conditions, and advances in treatment. She is the stylish Child Specialist in Hyderabad.

Immunology

Primary immune deficiencies (PIDs) are a group of genetic disorders affecting the development and function of the immune system. Due to the poor function of the immune system in tackling infections, severe bacterial, viral, or fungal infections occur. There are over 400 forms of PID, ranging widely in severity. It is estimated that 10 million people worldwide are living with primary immunodeficiency, however, the majority are still undiagnosed worldwide. This leads to severe disease, high morbidity, and mortality if left untreated.

Pediatric Rheumatology

A pediatric rheumatologist is a pediatric subspecialist who has specialized training to diagnose and treat rheumatological and autoimmune conditions like arthritis, vasculitis, etc that affect children and adolescent’s people.

Rheumatic diseases are autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. Autoimmunity is a condition in which the body’s immune system mistakes its own healthy tissues as foreign and attacks them i.e., normal cells are attacked by the body’s immune system).

Pediatrician A pediatrician is a croaker who treats babes, children, adolescents, and immature grown-ups. Pediatricians play an important part in the health and good of your child. They have a wide range of arrears from conducting regular well-child checks to diagnosing and treating ails, injuries, and other health conditions.

What is a pediatrician?

A pediatrician is a doctor who focuses on the health of babies, children, adolescents, and immature grown-ups. Pediatric consideration begins upon entering the world and endures through a kid's 21st birthday or longer. Pediatricians help, descry, and oversee physical, social, and trial gives that influence kids. Some pediatricians work in general practice. Others have practical experience in treating youths with unequivocal affection.

A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in treating babies, children, adolescents, and immature grown-ups. Pediatric care can begin before generality and continue through gravidity. As per the American Institute of Pediatrics, setting an upper age limit for pediatric consideration is not clear. The Foundation deters individuals from setting age limits on pediatric consideration, as this will rely upon an existent's physical and inward circumstances.

Children suffer rapid-fire-fire physical and internal changes as they grow. Pediatricians understand this fact and assess a child’s health status predicated on the normal ranges for their age. Pediatricians can assist with diagnosing ailments in youngsters. Contingent upon the condition, guardians or parental figures might take their kids to an essential consideration pediatrician or a pediatric trained professional.

Finding a Pediatrician for Your Child

Most parents with children keep their pediatrician’s office number stored in their cell phones, jotted down by the house phone, and taped up in the medicine cabinet. This is no surprise considering the importance of a pediatrician's role in your child's health. Since babies require a minimum of six visits to the doctor within their first year of life, it is key to pick a doctor that you like and trust.

Choosing a pediatrician for your child is like choosing your child's babysitter. You want someone that you can trust with handling your precious son or daughter. While babysitters and nannies must care for a child in the day-to-day activities such as playing and napping while you are gone, children's doctors must help you when your child is sick and hurting, as well as healthy. To find the perfect pediatrician for your child, there are several things that you must consider.

First, is the doctor's office located in a good, convenient place? If not, you may get tired of having to drive miles and miles to the office, which can delay your chance to visit the pediatrician and help your kid. You may want to compile a list of doctors and use this as one of the things to help narrow down your choices.

Next, before your child is born, you should consider meeting with your potential pediatricians. This way, you can see if the office waiting area appeals to you. Look for cleanliness, as well as toys or books for kids to play with while they are waiting to see the physician. Additionally, you can get to know the nursing and support staff to see if you would feel comfortable with them checking your child and doling out shots.

Once you are with the pediatrician, you should think about asking things about his or her education, training, and certification. You want to be sure that the doctor is qualified. Also, it is a good idea to just chat about small things such as his or her family life, etc., so that you can get to know the doctor's personality. You have to be sure that you enjoy being around the pediatrician as you may have to spend quite a few hours on various visits to the office. If you are comfortable around this person, it can help your child feel comfortable around him or her as well.

Lastly, one thing to double-check is to make sure your chosen pediatrician is covered by your health insurance policy. This can help you pay for those doctor's visits. Some types of health insurance still allow you to visit your pediatrician even if he or she is not listed on the policy.

Tips For Choosing the Right Pediatrician

Picking a pediatrician for your child is a significant choice. In the primary year of your child's introduction to the world, you will visit the specialist frequently for standard vaccinations and exams. For a first-time parent, this very thought can be an overwhelming one. A little bit of legwork should help you find a doctor you like and can trust. There are times when parents know exactly which doctor, they will be taking their baby to, but many parents start looking for one only after their baby arrives.

It is a wider choice to decide well before your child is born as this will ensure that your choice is a well-considered and well-informed one. Compile a list around four months prior to the due date.

When Experience Counts

The experience that your pediatrician has is an important consideration. Exposure to and focus on the health of children gives a pediatrician the expertise to handle all medical issues related to children in a more effective manner. Child care is very different from treating adults. Children are very sensitive and do not have the body strength to sustain any kind of experimental treatment. Accurate diagnosis of the ailment is very important and can go a long way in ensuring that your little one is healthy and fit. Your obstetrician, physician, or hospital will be able to provide you with recommendations.

The Comfort Factor

The second most important point to consider while choosing a pediatrician is the comfort factor. You should be comfortable with discussing health issues with the person. In addition to this, the doctor should also be willing to consider what your choice is when it comes to baby care.

The Right Pick

The doctor you pick should hold a medical degree and should have passed a pediatric board exam. That is as far as the education factor goes. Different things you should consider are:

• How does your baby respond to the doctor?

• Does the doctor look like he/she enjoys working with children?

• Is the doctor proactive in addressing doubts and answering questions?

• Is the pediatrician accommodating with schedules? This is important when you are dealing with an ill child

• Is the staff at the doctor's office helpful and patient?

• What distance away from your house is the facility?

• Is there a long waiting time?

These are some of the basic things to be taken into consideration while choosing a doctor for your baby and it is best to investigate all these things before the child is actually born.

The job of Pediatricians in the Physical and Mental Advancement of Children

Choosing the right pediatrician is the top priority of an expecting couple. When it comes to providing medical care for kids, it is important to have the services of qualified and experienced pediatricians. Pediatrics is the stream of medicine that cares for various diseases and health-related problems of children. Its primary objective is to provide healthcare for strong and healthy babies.

Parents should search for a good childcare doctor well before their children come into this world. Three months before the expected date of delivery is good enough to go for this. These doctors are generally the first ones you will contact when you have any doubts about issues related to child development and growth. Normally pediatricians treat infants and young children.

Role Of a Pediatrician

The role of pediatrician’s ranges from providing vaccinations and conducting physical examinations to treating injuries that infants are so prone to and diagnosing the various types of diseases that can befall a young infant. Some may provide general healthcare treatment while a few may specialize in branches of medical sciences like oncology, pediatric neurology, or surgery.

The responsibility of a pediatrician is very demanding as he can be called on at unnatural times to attend to any sudden illness that an infant may have developed. Neonatologists or physicians specializing in the medical care of new born infants must be available for the patients practically round the clock in cases of preterm or premature births.

The role of a pediatrician varies vastly from that of a regular general practitioner. The smaller body of a child or a new born infant is different from that of an adult. Congenital defects, oncology, immunology, and many such diseases are unique to the field of Pediatrics. Many a time, it is a springboard to learn about other branches of medical sciences. Many children are born with defects in their hearts. Doctors are trained to deal with such congenital disorders and with child-specific diseases like oncology or infant diabetes. This can be a great learning platform for the child physician and helps them develop their practice specialty for the future.

Pediatricians in the United States must go through an unusually long academic stint to be able to qualify for childcare practice. A four-year college stint is followed by a similar number of years in a medical college. An additional three years are spent completing a residency in Pediatrics. Spending another three years for a fellowship in their desired super specialty follows this.

The role of a childcare doctor is crucial in the development of the infant. They are called on to provide a series of services that includes diagnosing illness, prescribing treatment, and monitoring the child's physical and mental growth as well as social development. The doctor may also need to counsel the families of infants from time to time and advise the growing adolescent on a range of emotional and social issues.

By the very nature of their job, pediatricians can be termed as saviours of infant lives, especially in conditions where the infant is born with a life-threatening condition. There are new branches of medical sciences called fatal and pediatric surgeries. These are super specialty areas, and doctors who are experts in such surgeries have the potential of changing a new-born’s doomed life into one that can blossom with smiles.

What part does a pediatrician have and what can they diagnose?

Pediatricians have a wide range of arrears. They do everything from performing well- baby checks to managing habitual medical conditions. Pediatricians give precautionary care and diagnose and treat infections, injuries, and conditions. Pediatricians Perform regular health and wholesomeness checks(also called well-baby or well-child visits). Conduct physical examinations. Track your youngster's physical, close to home, and social turn of events. Diagnose and treat nails, injuries, and other health conditions. Give vaccines. Define medicine. hear to parents’ enterprises and answer their questions. Offer health advice to parents. relate families to specialists as demanded.

physical examinations giving vaccinations treating injuries, including fractures and dislocations assessing a child’s physical, emotional, and social development defining specifics, analogous as pain relievers and antibiotics furnishing general health advice diagnosing and treating various medical conditions connecting families with other pediatric specialists, if demanded. Pediatric specialists gain fresh education and training in specific treatments and individual procedures. For case, a pediatric heart specialist (cardiologist) has advanced knowledge and experience in treating heart conditions in children.

They may also have entered training to perform different types of heart tests and procedures. A primary care pediatrician may warrant the qualifications or moxie demanded to treat complex medical conditions and may relate a family to the applicable pediatric specialist for further testing and treatment.

Types multitudinous pediatricians work as primary care doctor. This kind of pediatrician performs customary well-being and health checks. They also diagnose and treat a wide range of general health conditions, give vaccinations, and offer applicable health advice to immature people and their parents or caregivers. colourful pediatricians have some capability in treating expressed afflictions or age ranges. samples of pediatric subspecialties include the following Adolescent medicine specialists concentrate on care during non-age, around 11 to 21 times old.

Basic consideration pediatricians oil multitudes of medical services experts who treat kids in temperamental or basic well-being circumstances. These pediatricians generally work in sanitorium-predicated ferocious care units. Experimental behavioural pediatricians estimate the behavioural development of children and teens. Specialists in this field diagnose and treat experimental, knowledge, and behavioural problems in immature people.

Child abuse pediatricians retain specialized training, experience, and chops necessary for assessing if a child may have endured abuse or neglect. Pediatric oncologists represent considerable authority in diagnosing and treating colourful kinds of nasty growth in kiddies. Pediatric cardiologists analyse and treat different heart conditions in youngsters. multitudinous pediatric cardiologists work nearly with pediatric heart surgeons when deciding the swish treatment strategies. Pediatric pulmonologists analyse, treat, and oversee youngsters who have breathing issues and lung conditions.

Pediatric rheumatologists treat children and adolescents who have musculoskeletal conditions, analogous to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and habitual pain. Pediatric nephrologists spend significant time in treating conditions that influence the urinary framework, including urinary plot contaminations and more established grumblings. Pediatric neurologists treat and manage neurological conditions in children.

Neurological conditions that present during non-age may persist through maturity. Pediatric neurologists oversee their cases’ watch from opinion through non age. Neonatal-perinatal pediatricians give care to babies ahead, during, and after birth. They also treat premature and critically ill babe. Pediatric gastroenterologists look after the health of an immature person’s digestive system. Pediatric endocrinologists have some moxie in the endocrine frame and the chemicals it produces. An endocrinologist might treat different circumstances in youngsters, including diabetes.

When to see a pediatrician Parents and caregivers can take their child to a pediatrician for periodic well- child visits. Well- child visits are an occasion for parents and caregivers to ask any questions they may have regarding the health of their child. Pediatricians may also give vaccinations at these visits, if applicable. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Trusted Source estimates that 1 in 6 children between the periods of 3 – 17 times has at least one issue with development or gets.

Beforehand identification and treatment can lead to better long- term issues for youthful children. During a well- watch visit, a pediatrician evaluates a child’s physical and emotional development. They may likewise pose inquiries about a kid's eating, dozing, and social propensities. Pediatricians can inform parents and preceptors if their child has any signs that suggest a physical or behavioural problem. March of peanuts recommends that parents or caregivers take their baby to a pediatrician for a well- child visit about seven times during their first time.

Children between the periods of 1 and 2 times should see a pediatrician formerly every 3 to 6 months. Parents or caregivers that have ongoing enterprises about their child’s health, should call or make an appointment with their child’s pediatrician. People should visit the exigency room if a child has a fever of 104 °F( 40 °C) or over, or if a fever is accompanied by seizures, confusion, constant weeping, or trouble breathing. Call the exigency services if a baby of youngish than 2 months has a rectal temperature of100.4 °F (38 °C).

Any parent or caregiver who thinks their child is having a medical exigency should go to the nearest exigency room. When should my child visit a pediatrician? Your baby’s first pediatrician visit should be within 48 to 72 hours of leaving the sanatorium. Their alternate visit should be at two to four weeks old. During their first time, your child should see their pediatrician at two, four, six, nine, and 12 months of age. After your child's most memorable birthday, they ought to be seen at 15, 18, and two years. After that, periodic visits with your child’s pediatrician are recommended. Also, movables can be made any time you have a health concern or your child is ill.

Why should my child visit a pediatrician?

Well- child visits are important for the health and well- being of your child. At these movables, your child’s pediatrician evaluates your child’s overall physical and emotional health. They ensure your child's advancement is on target. Your child’s pediatrician also gives your baby recommended vaccines to help cover them from infections.

At your child’s well- child visits, you ’ll have the occasion to talk to your child’s pediatrician about any enterprises you may have about your child’s health.

Can I find the stylish pediatrician near me?

still, you should ask family members, musketeers, if you ’re starting to look for a pediatrician. They know you and what you are searching for in a pediatrician. You can also ask your Ob/ GYN for recommendations. However, If you ’re new to the community. you may consider asking for recommendations on social media, but always do your own exploration.

You know stylish what you ’re looking for in a pediatrician. After you have collected a list of options, communicate the services to interrogate further about each pediatrician. The office staff should be suitable to answer some of your questions, including:

Is the pediatrician accepting new cases?

Do you take my insurance?

How are billing and insurance handled?

Is instalment due at the hour of the workplace visit?

What are the office hours?

Do you have a weekend or evening movables?

When is the stylish time to call with routine questions?

still, you may want to arrange for a particular interview with the pediatrician, if you ’re impressed with what you hear. Some crucial questions you may want to ask include:

What is your policy on taking and returning phone calls?

Is there a nanny in your office who can answer routine questions?

Are you in a group practice with other doctors?

Does another doctor cover for you at times?

How are visits for unforeseen (acute) ails handled?

Can you make an appointment on short notice?

still, will you coordinate care among specialists? If my child requires farther care for a health condition or disorder. Ask yourself the following questions after the interviews to help you decide on the stylish pediatrician for your child Did the pediatrician communicate easily? Did they make a trouble to ensure that all your questions were answered? Do you get a sense they've a genuine interest in your child?

Children’s health doctors Your kid will experience various clinical experts from the second they are conceived. These individuals are there for your kid however much they are there for you to respond to questions, analyse sickness, and guarantee by and large wellbeing. Some children only ever see the family doctor, while others could bear an allergist or orthodontist. also are just some of the medical professionals your child may meet.

Pediatrician or family doctor the choice between a pediatrician and a family doctor or general practitioner is for you to make. Both can meet children’s conditions, including periodic physical examinations and complaint care treatment of common ails utmost people conclude for a pediatrician, especially in the child’s youthful times. still, seeing a family doctor means your child could be with the same doctor their entire life. However, also they will generally switch to a general guru after puberty is complete If your child sees a pediatrician.

This happens around 16 or 17 times of age. When your child is first born, they will need to go to the pediatrician or family doctor relatively constantly. Within the first time of life, your new baby will need up to six “well-baby” or “well-child” visits. During these visits, they will be counted, have their development assessed, and admit vaccinations. still, after the 12-month mark, the recommended frequency of these visits drops off significantly and may vary according to your guru. A periodic well-child visit is still advised for children aged less than 3 times.

If you are concerned about your child’s health and do not formally have a pediatrician. babies, toddlers, and growing children have unique medical requirements that must be addressed optimally by specialists. Physical, emotional, and behavioural changes are relatively rapid-fire in children which would warrant special care from a pediatrician. Pediatricians are medical specialists who are considerably trained to offer pediatric care that may begin before the generality and birth of a child and will continue until the child is in their teenage. While general medical conditions can be addressed by a family doctor or medical specialists, acute cases must be brought to the notice of an expert child specialist.

we are committed to bringing top-notch pediatric care to everyone's reach. However, you're in the right place, If you're looking forward to consulting with a child doctor We have a stylish pediatrician with an impeccable service record and a plethora of success stories of spreading grins.

We are equipped with all the needful structure installations that are demanded to deliver timely and top-notch care to children. Our pediatric experts will run individual tests, watch out for symptoms to understand the root causes, and consequently concoct feasible treatment options for your child. We understand how pivotal it is to get timely treatment for your child as well as take preventative measures.

Our child specialist doctor works around the timepiece relentlessly to be suitable to serve children and their caregivers in the most stylish possible manner. The stylish aspect of us is that you can record movables with the stylish pediatrician in just many clicks from the convenience of your home.

Cataloguing movables has no way been this easy, flawless, and hassle-free. A colonist in the field of drug and medical intervention, they are known for their top-of-the-line services, ultramodern medical bias, and professional staff. Their Pediatric Department is extensively honoured as one of the stylish for the treatment of health issues relating to children. They've all the rearmost outfits constructed for opinion and surgical intervention.

Some of the stylish pediatric doctors and child specialists in the country. Children from immaturity to non-age can seek treatment than for every kind of health issue. The Pediatric Department is a sanatorium, concentrated on the opinion, treatment, and care of children below 16 times of age.

Under the pediatric department, we've further specializations like pediatric cardiology- dealing with natural and other heart issues, pediatric nervous system science managing not simply issues connecting with the mind and sensory system however mental, conduct, and practical issues too, and other specializations like pediatric oncology, pediatric nephrology, pediatric E.N.T., pediatric dental lures, pediatric rheumatology and so on.

piecemeal from that, we host a separate neonatal and neonatal surgery sect to deal with medical and surgical issues arising in just-born babies. Our expert platoon of child doctors and pediatric specialists meet to give the most stylish possible care for the for entailment, opinion, and treatment- be it oral or surgical, and post-op requirements of a child while furnishing support to the parents or caretakers.

To know more information about Best Pediatrician in Hyderabad and Child Specialist in Hyderabad Visit: https://pediatricimmunorheumatology.com/

Vengalrao Building,

Road No. 12,

beside Karur Vysya Bank,

Banjara Hills,

Hyderabad,

Telangana 500034

#best pediatrician in hyderabad #child specialist in hyderabad

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kdva · 1 year

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Ankylosing Spondylitis VA Rating And General Rating Formula

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can be characterized in various ways. AS is one of the multiple spondyloarthropathies, an autoimmune disorder, an inflammatory arthritic condition, a rheumatic disease, and a rheumatic condition.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory disorder affecting many organs, including the heart, eyes, lungs, and kidneys, but it primarily affects the spine's joints and the sacroiliac (SI) joints, which connect the pelvis to the spine. Over time, the inflammation caused by AS can result in "ankylosis" (new bone formation), which can lead to the fusion or fixation of joints. It can also cause chronic pain and stiffness in the affected areas.

People with ankylosing spondylitis may experience spine stiffening and decreased mobility, making it difficult for them to carry out daily activities. In addition, non-vertebral joints like the hips, knees, ankles, and even shoulders may sustain damage. A total joint replacement, or arthroplasty, may be suggested if the damage is severe enough. Undiagnosed and untreated, AS is a disease that has no known treatment and can have serious physical effects.

General Rating Formula for Lower Back Pain

When assessing back conditions, including low back pain, the VA typically uses the General C&P exam Formula under 38 CFR 4.71a for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The main component of this general rating formula is a range of motion, which measures the extent of movement around a specific joint or body part. The range of motion measurement frequently includes the range of flexion (i.e., bending) and extension (i.e., straightening).

Low back pain is typically rated by VA as follows:

100%

Unfavorable total ankylosis of the spine.

50%

Unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.

40%

Ankylosis of the spine, forward flexion of the entire thoracolumbar spine of 30 degrees or less

Favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine.

30%

Cervical spine complete forward flexion of 15 degrees or less.

Favorable ankylosis encompassing the entire cervical spine.

20%

Forward flexion of the whole thoracolumbar spine over 30 degrees but not more than 60 degrees

Forward flexion of the entire cervical spine is more significant than 15 degrees but not greater than 30 degrees.

A combined range of motion of the entire thoracolumbar and cervical spine not exceeding 120 degrees

The combined range of motion of the complete cervical spine not exceeding 170 degrees

Muscle spasm is severe enough to cause an abnormal gait or spinal contours such as abnormal kyphosis, scoliosis, or reverse lordosis.

10%

Forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine more than 60 degrees but not greater than 85 degrees

Forward flexion of the entire cervical spine is more significant than 30 degrees but not greater than 40 degrees.

The combined range of motion of the entire thoracolumbar spine is more significant than 120 degrees but not greater than 235 degrees.

The integrated range of motion of the cervical spine is more than 170 degrees but not more than 335 degrees.

If there is a muscle spasm, guarding, or localized tenderness without an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour

If there is a vertebral body fracture with a loss of 50% or more of the height

Disability Listing for Ankylosing Spondylitis

Along with other spondyloarthropathies, the Social Security Administration (SSA) lists ankylosing spondylitis in its section on inflammatory arthritis as a potentially disabling condition. However, the agency only benefits people whose spinal fusion or flexion limits their ability to see up, above, and to the side, which impairs their ability to walk. According to Social Security, you must have one of the symptoms of AS listed below, as demonstrated by medical imaging and a physical examination:

Fixation of the cervical or dorsolumbar spine at a flexion angle of 45° or more.

Fixation of the cervical or dorsolumbar spine at 30° or more of flexion from the vertical position.

The involvement of two or more organs (at least one) must be involved to some degree, but not to the extent of severe involvement.

Uveitis, eye inflammation, heart, lung, kidney, or gastrointestinal disorders are other conditions that patients with AS occasionally have; these conditions would involve body systems.

If the severity of your AS prevents you from performing many work-related tasks, you may be eligible for VA disability benefits even if you don't meet one of the criteria above.

#VA disability benefits #VA disability help #Veterans Medical Benefits

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isfjmel-phleg · 3 years

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Although I wasn’t able to work on an Elystan short story for his birthday (October 31), I am hoping to get to it this coming month, and to make up for the delay, here are some further random OC facts about my problem child.

Was supposed to have been born in December, around Christmas. Was born October 31 instead, with all the resultant issues of being premature.

Tells several different versions of his medical history if put to it, but the official version is that he was born with asthma and a weak heart (as well as a number of undiagnosed allergies), has had numerous colds and other respiratory ailments on and off his entire life, had rheumatic fever around age six, measles at age eight, typhoid around age nine or ten, and pneumonia following a bout of bronchitis at age twelve (before Book 3).

Has always been behind average physically but started talking very young. Developed an early reputations for amazing his visitors with his fluency--and then alarming them with innocently blunt comments.

Decided when he was three that he wanted to read like Delclis (who was not good about sharing books or reading to his annoying little brother) and proceeded to teach himself how to do it (with help from his nurse).

Went through several animal-obsession phases but with mythological animals. His favorite stuffed animal was a griffin, his toy boats always encountered sea monsters, and dragons featured prominently in his puppet theatre.

Starting learning Latin (and Faysmondian) around age six and loved it. Wanted to learn war cries and other impressive-sounding things to shout at his brother, but they started him on a much tamer vocabulary. Delclis was more amused than frightened to hear the names of animals and school supplies roared at him.

Has been through a long series of tutors, partially because his health has resulted in long educational hiatuses that have made it impractical for many tutors to stay long, and partially because he’s a lot to handle. Is bright and engaged as long as he’s interested in and challenged by a subject, but if he doesn’t want to learn something, he won’t. Mathematics has proven a failure. Tutors have also been overwhelmed by his constant digressions, usually ending in debates.

Gets along fine with his current tutor, Mr. Faulkley, because Faulkley would rather work on his Great Coregean Novel with a drink of his choice, and this suits the level of supervision and work Elystan prefers.

Does not play any musical instruments. His musical father has tried to push him into lessons, and he himself has had grandiose ideas of mastering all sorts of instruments, but it’s never worked out, and ultimately he’s never been motivated enough to bother. Does, however, have a good ear and an appreciation for the art.

Has no cousins on his father’s side but plenty on his mother’s. Would like to spend more time with them, but their interactions with him are limited, and he’s never been able to figure out why, especially when he likes them. Mostly.

His favorite books are The Adventures of Morrick Hopeley, Pirate Island, and The Book of Dreadful Dragons.

Has written self-insert Morrick Hopeley fanfiction, and by “written” I mean “has a few pages per story, reams of messy notes, and grandiose plans for endings but nothing else.” Has subjected Edmara to hearing about these and is oblivious to how hard she struggles to keep a straight face.

Is a natural actor, more or less, and can cry on cue. Doesn’t do so very often--it’s embarrassing and thus a tactic to resort to only very strategically. Hasn’t sincerely wept in years and may not even be capable of it anymore.

Has read medical books out of curiosity and has observed enough of his own medical team’s maneuvers to know how to drug someone (and calculate the right dosage)--and has pulled it off at least once.

Despite his natural talent for languages, struggles when his mother has him put on the Modern side at school instead of the Classical side (the Latin and Greek he’s more accustomed to). Liennese in particular presents a challenge, and he refuses to practice it with Josiah, as much as it might help (Tamett is willing but has a regional accent that Elystan’s masters don’t want him to pick up).

One of his best memories is from when he had measles, which he passed on to Delclis, and they had to be quarantined together for weeks. The illness was miserable but having his brother as a captive audience was almost worth it.

Owns his own printing press. A small one. This may or may not come in handy at school for creating havoc.

At age ten, was fascinated by the feats of an illustrious escape artist who performed for the royal family, and his household staff spent the next few weeks rescuing him from attempts to recreate the escapes--followed by a visit from his father to explain why he shouldn’t try such things at home (not an overly successful conversation since Talfrin was more impressed and amused than concerned by Elystan’s antics).

As callous a jerk as he can be, is sensitive to others’ physical suffering as something that he can identify with. Coughing in his presence makes him nervous. He cringes at visible signs of pain. Finds himself suddenly inclined to (awkwardly) attempt to help or soothe, as he’s seen Edmara do. Josiah’s frequent bouts of nightly pain concern him far more than he’s willing to let on.

His liking for ridiculous dressing gowns started when he noticed frequent references in the Hopeley stories to various unusually-colored dressing gowns and demanded ones like them. (Levico included these details as a subtle way of making his frustrating hero look ridiculous. Elystan does not know this.)

#The Blackberry Bushes #The Blackberry Bushes OC facts #Elystan Liddick

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exeggcute · 3 years

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love how this all-black flannel has that prime skater-goth hybrid look going on even though I'm a poser in two subcultures at once since I had too many undiagnosed rheumatic issues as a kid to be any good at skating and I don't listen to enough siouxsie and the banshees to be goth.

#don't reblog this though lol #yours truly

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illnessanxiety · 4 years

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Hypochondria During the Pandemic

Since quarantine started, I have experienced the worst health anxiety of my entire life. Worse than summer break in middle school when I thought I had a brain tumor, worse than Junior year when I thought I had lung cancer, and worse than Hawaii when I thought I had heart failure.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I’ve been suffering since being stuck at home. Of course, I've been concerned about coronavirus. But that is only one small part of the endless amount of diseases I’ve had the time to obsess over. Since March, I’ve convinced myself I have diabetes, ketoacidosis, a brain tumor, urinary tract infections, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, kidney failure, sarcoma, liposarcoma, botulism, rheumatic fever, an intestinal obstruction, lymphoma, leukemia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, meningitis, sepsis, staph infections, heart failure, anaphylaxis, mononucleosis, a pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, breast cancer, a brain-eating amoeba infection, systemic sclerosis, water intoxication, asthma, heat stroke, and an aneurysm, among many other things. Although these individual disease obsessions come and go, they always manage to leave their mark. In other words, at this current moment, I still feel like I could have a lot of these diseases -- no matter what the scans and blood tests say.

I’ve been obsessing over preventing these dangerous diseases -- to the point that I can’t eat certain foods or do certain things anymore. For example, I find it very hard to use canned foods while I am cooking, as there is a risk of botulism. I often feel unsatisfied when washing my fruits and vegetables -- almost like I can never truly wash them enough. If I see mold or a small insect just on one fruit or vegetable in a container, I feel the urge to throw away the entire thing. When this pandemic is over, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to put my head under water ever again due to fear of brain-eating amoeba -- or if I’ll ever feel safe enough to be outside during the daytime for more than two or three hours due to fear of dangerous heat stroke.

I have high hopes that my obsessive and intrusive thoughts will settle down once the pandemic is over and once I get busy again, but I am afraid that some of these irrational fears will never go away.

I wish I could find the humor in everything, but it’s all too terrifying. And it’s worse than you think. It’s not just “I have this disease.” It’s “I am 100% positive I have this disease and therefore I am going to change my lifestyle and diet to accommodate it, plan my future around it, and attempt to cope with my impending doom as it is too late to fix this.” For example, when I convinced myself I had diabetes I cut out all added sugars from my diet and I bought a test for ketoacidosis. It came back negative. At another point, I convinced myself I had sepsis from an undiagnosed kidney infection from an undiagnosed UTI. I bought a UTI test, cranberry pills, and a gallon of cranberry juice. Eventually, I got an actual UTI test and it came back negative. Another time, I convinced myself I had a deadly heart arrhythmia or possible heart damage from rheumatic fever from undiagnosed strep throat. I went to the doctor and I got an electrocardiogram. It came out normal. These obsessive thoughts control my life.

I either eat super healthy spinach soups in an effort to save myself, or I eat all of the sugar I want because I know it doesn’t matter anymore. Oftentimes I feel like no matter what I do, it is too late.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat on my bedroom floor or sat on the grass outside, staring up at the ceiling or the sky, trying to make sense of my life being cut short. I have spent almost every day throughout the past five months living as though there is not much time left. It is the worst feeling ever. I wouldn't wish it upon anybody. I am a person who truly loves life, no matter how hard it can get, and it is my worst fear to have it taken away from me prematurely. I’ve have many nights during which I do not sleep at all. I fear not waking up the next morning.

This has been absolutely horrifying for me. I’ve wasted so much time and energy panicking over slight symptoms and researching deadly diseases -- probably between 2 and 16 hours per day, depending on the obsession. Some days I feel as though I am in a trance. I forget about anything else I have planned for that day, and I am sucked into the world of sickness.

Unfortunately, even on a good day when I am not hyper-aware of a bodily function or focused on a particular symptom, my health is always in the back of my mind, and I can't help but always feel like there is something wrong with me. I take my temperature multiple times a day, I check my oxygen levels, I inspect the inside of my mouth, I analyze the skin on my legs, hands, and arms, and I even inspect my period blood and stool. From the beginning of 2020 to now, I suspect I've been to the doctor about twelve times. Seven times within the last two months. Though I wish I could go more often.

I’m hoping that through blogging, I can eventually recognize the patterns of my irrational thoughts, analyze triggers, and learn how to cope with them in the moment.

#healthanxiety #illnessanxietydisorder #illnessanxiety #anxiety #ocd #obsessivecompulsivedisorder #hypochondria #coronavirus #covid #pandemic #somaticsymptom #symptoms #pains #aches #stress #quarantine #thoughts

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astrologersujoy-blog · 5 years

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PLANET, NAKSHATRA AND DISEASES

PLANET NAKSHATRA

1) SUN : KRITIKA, UTTARA PHALGUNI, UTTARA ASHADA.

2) MOON : ROHINI, HASTA, SHRAVANA.

3) MARS: MRIGASHIRA, CHITRA, DHANISTHA.

4) MERCURY : ASHLESHA, JYESHTHA, REVATI.

5) JUPITER : PUNARVASU, VISHAKHA, PURVA BHADRA.

6) VENUS; BHARNI, PURVA PHALGUNI,PURVA ASHADA.

7) SATURN : PUSHYA, ANURADHA,, UTTARA BHADRA.

8) RAHU : ARDRA, SWATI, SATABISHA.

9) KETU : ASHVINI, MAGHA, MULA.

Sun in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Eruptive, fevers, irritability.

2) Moon: Highly temperamental, pessimistic.

3) Mars: Anemic, low b.p, marasmus, giddiness.

4) Mercury: Neuralgias and migraine.

5) Jupiter: Jaundice, liver/gall bladder diseases.

6) Venus: Burning micturation, cystitis and vulvitis.

7) Saturn: Low blood pressure.

8) Rahu: Mental deficiency, dullness, forgetfulness.

9) Ketu: Low b.p, angina pectoris.

Moon in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Temperamental.

2) Moon: Carefree, jovial, robust health.

3) Mars: Skin disease, menorrhagia, blood in urine.

4) Mercury: Worried over health, highly imaginative.

5) Jupiter: Robust Health.

6) Venus: Venereal Diseases, delicate health, less resistance

to diseases.

7) Saturn: Mental diseases, pessimism.

8) Rahu: Various phobias and timidity.

9) Ketu: Irritable, aggressive but timid when opposed.

Mars in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Anemia.

2) Moon: Skin diseases.

3) Mars: Robust health.

4) Mercury: Mental aberrations.

5) Jupiter: Robust health.

6) Venus: Venereal disease, gonorrhea.

7) Saturn: Suicidal tendencies.

8) Rahu: Suicidal tendencies, sex perversions.

9) Ketu: Highly irritable, high blood pressure.

Mercury in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Neuralgia.

2) Moon: Highly imaginative, worrying type.

3) Mars: Headache, nervy, mental aberrations.

4) Mercury: Self-confidence, great mental power.

5) Jupiter: Great stamina.

6) Venus: Leucoderma.

7) Saturn: Mental aberrations.

8) Rahu: Timidity, inferiority complex.

9) Ketu: Mental aberrations.

Jupiter in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Loss of appetite, infective fevers.

2) Moon: Robust health.

3) Mars: Colicky pains, gall stones.

4) Mercury: Flatulence, piles, tumor.

5) Jupiter: Good health.

6) Venus: Giddiness, jaundice, sex weakness.

7) Saturn: Chronicity of diseases.

8) Rahu : Colic, dysentery, anorexia.

9) Ketu : Liver abscess, infective hepatitis.

Venus in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Eye diseases.

2) Moon: Vaginal problems.

3) Mars: Sex perversions.

4) Mercury: Leucoderma, gonorrhea, pigmentation of skin,

burning in micturition.

5) Jupiter: Weakness in sex, giddy, jaundice.

6) Venus: Good health.

7) Saturn: Sexual diseases.

8) Rahu : Nymphomaniacs.

9) Ketu : V. D eye diseases, leucorrhea, spermatorrhoea.

Saturn in the nakshatara of various planets gives illnesses as under:

1) Sun: Eye diseases, T.B, fractures, infective fevers

2) Moon: Menstrual troubles, fear of future, hard labor.

3) Mars: Eruptive fevers, boils, tumors, blood diseases.

4) Mercury: Despondency, poor memory, lack of self

Confidence, nervousness, rheumatism.

5) Jupiter: Laziness, sleeping sickness, high B.P.

Jaundice, liver/glandular disease, over- eating.

6) Venus: Sex or bladder or eye diseases, carbuncles.

7) Saturn: Robust health.

8) Rahu: Undiagnosed diseases, impotency, extreme

pessimism.

9) Ketu: Dehydration, intestine troubles, appendicitis

pituitary glands abnormalities.

For More Queries Contact

Miracle Astrologer And Research Center

Sujoy Sen (Astrologer, Numerologist, Gemologist and Occultist)

Mobile : +919205653105

Website : astrologersujoysen.com

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hhfoundationindia · 3 years

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“Don't Delay, Connect Today” Arthritis is a common disorder that affects your joints. It can cause pain and inflammation, making it difficult to move or stay active. There are many types of arthritis. Each form causes different symptoms and may need different treatments. While arthritis usually affects older adults, it can develop in men, women and children of any age. Many remain undiagnosed with an RMD(Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease ). With an estimated one-hundred million currently undiagnosed and trying to cope with symptoms that are often overlooked – and frequently misdiagnosed. A large part of the world’s population is affected by diseases that impact their quality of life and participation in society. It affects ones joints (areas where your bones meet and move). Arthritis usually involves inflammation or degeneration (breakdown) of your joints. These changes can cause pain when you use the joint. Arthritis is most common in the following areas of the body: *Feet. *Hands. *Hips. *Knees. *Lower back. The debilitating effects of these diseases, of which more than 200 exist, are little known; their impact, however, is largely – and silently – felt. #arthritis #chronicillness #fibromyalgia #pain #jointpaingone #healthtips #painreliefnaturally #rheumatoidarthritis #backpain #autoimmunediseass #osteoarthritisawareness #kneepain #invisibleillnesswarrior #arthritisrelief #cbdwellness #healthylifestyles #ﬁtness #arthritisawarenessmonth💙 #painmanagementsolutions #neckpain #bhfyp♥ #physicaltherapy #autoimmune #arthritiswarriors #physiotherapy #butyoudontlooksick #covıd #onecurestheothercare (at India,Pune) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU6wduVtu-f/?utm_medium=tumblr

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thekillerblogofkillers · 7 years

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Dean Corll (1939-1973) PART ONE

Dean Corll was an American serial killer who abducted, raped, tortured and murdered at least 28 boys with his two teenage accomplices, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks between 1970-1973 in Houston, Texas (the crimes were known as the Houston Mass Murders).

Dean Arnold Corll was born December 24, 1939 in Indiana. His mother was Mary Robinson, who was protective of him, and his father was Arnold Corll, who was very strict with him. The couple argued frequently and divorced in 1946, Mary leaving the family home and moving with her children to a trailer in Memphis, Tennessee so they could be near their father who had drafted into the U.S. Air Force. Corll was known as a shy child with few friends, but was always concerned with the well-being of his peers. When he was 7, Corll suffered from an undiagnosed case of rheumatic fever which was only discovered after he was diagnosed with a heart murmur at age 11.

Mary Robinson and Arnold Corll gave their marriage a second chance and remarried in 1950, moving to Pasadena, Texas, but the good times didn’t last and the couple re-divorced 3 years later. This time the divorce was amicable and both children kept in regular contact with Arnold. Following this divorce, Mary Robinson married a travelling salesman named Jake West and shortly after, Corll’s half-sister Joyce was born. Corll’s mother and stepfather soon opened a small candy company called ‘Pecan Prince’, operating from the garage of their home. Corll worked there day and night, while still going to school. Corll and his younger brother Stanley were tasked with running the candy making machines and packing the product, with their stepfather selling it door-to-door.

Whilst in high school, Corll was seen as a well-behaved student with decent grades, but he was still quite a loner, despite having dated several girls in his teenage years. His major interest in high school was the brass band (Corll played trombone).

After graduating high school in summer 1958, Corll moved with his family to the outskirts of Houston to increase sales of their candy products. The family opened a new shop, called ‘Pecan Prince’ after the brand name of their product. In 1960 Corll moved to Indiana to live with his recently widowed grandmother. Whilst there he fell in love with a local girl, but rejected her marriage proposal in 1962. After two years Corll moved back to Houston to help with the family business, now in Houston Heights, where he moved into an apartment above the shop.

In 1964 Corll was drafted into the Army and assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training, later moving to Fort Benning, Georgia to train with radio repair before being permanently assigned to Fort Hood, Texas. His time in the military was unblemished, although Corll admitted to hating his service, and applied for a hardship discharge on the grounds that his family needed his help with the business. This request was granted and he was honourably discharged 10 months after being drafted. After his discharge, Corll told some friends that it was whilst in the Army that he realised he was gay, and had had his first homosexual experiences. Other friends noticed that Corll’s mannerisms had changed when around young males since joining the Army, leading them to believe he had homosexual tendencies.

Upon returning to Houston in 1965 he became vice-president of Corll Candy Company, which was now a rival company to his ex-stepfather’s following a divorce in 1963. Competition was fierce, and Corll devoted many hours to the company due to increasing demand. In 1965, the company relocated to 22nd Street, straight across the street from an elementary school. Corll was often seen giving candy to the schoolchildren, earning himself the nicknames “Candy Man” and “Pied Piper”. The company had a small workforce, largely made up of teenage boys Corll had hired, and who he was seen extensively flirting with by customers and other workers.

In 1967 Corll met and befriended 12-year-old David Owen Brooks, a small 6th grader with glasses whom Corll was known to give free candy to. Brooks became just one of many of Corll’s young companions and he joined Corll on many trips to south Texas’ beaches with other young employees. Brooks later said that Dean Corll was the first adult male that had never mocked his appearance, and he always gave him cash when he needed it. Brooks came to see Corll as a father figure – Corll did not feel that way, and gradually a sexual relationship developed. Beginning in 1969, Corll paid Brooks with cash and gifts to allow him to have oral sex with the young boy. Brooks’ came from a broken home and rarely saw his mother. He dropped out of school at age 15 and moved to Beaumont to live with his mother. Whenever he came back to Houston to see his father, he also spent time with Corll, sometimes staying over at his apartment. Later the same year, Brooks moved back to Houston and began to treat Corll’s apartment as his second home. During all of this, Corll’s mother and younger sister, Joyce, had moved to Colorado after her failed 3rd marriage and her failed candy company. Dean and his mother often talked on the phone, but from June 1968 until the day he died, they never saw each other again. Since there was no longer a family company to run, Corll got a job as an electrician and kept this job until the day he died.

Between 1970 and 1973 Corll killed at least 28 males between the ages of 13 and 20, most of whom were in their mid-teens, most were abducted from Houston Heights and most of these murders were done with the help of either Elmer Wayne Henley, or David Owen Brooks, or both. Some of the victims were even friends of one of the three, other were people whom Corll had befriended solely for the purposes of abduction and murder. Two victims, Billy Baulch and Gregory Malley Winkle, were former employees at Corll Candy Company. The victims were usually lured into a vehicle with an offer of a party or a ride, and driven to his house. Once there, they were plied with alcohol or drugs until they passed out, tricked into wearing handcuffs, or grabbed by force. Then, they were stripped naked, tied to a plywood torture board or Corll’s bed, and sexually assaulted, beaten, tortured, sometimes enduring this for days before being strangled or shot. The bodies were tied up in plastic sheets and buried in either a rented boat shed, a beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, a woodland near Lake Sam Rayburn, or a beach in Jefferson County. In some cases, Corll would force his victims to phone or write to their parents with explanations for their disappearance to quell their concerns and prevent them being reported as missing. Corll also kept many keepsakes from his murder victims.

Corll’s first-known victim, 18-year-old Jeffrey Konen vanished while hitchhiking with another student from his class to his parents’ home in Houston on September 25, 1970. He was dropped off on his own not far from Corll’s apartment. It is likely Corll saw him there and offered to drive him to his parents’ home. On August 10, 1973 David Brooks led police to Konen’s body, buried at High Island beach. Forensic scientists concluded that the young man had died of asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation and a gag being placed in his mouth. The body was buried under a large boulder, covered with lime, wrapped in plastic, naked and bound. This also suggested rape.

Around the time of Konen’s murder, Brooks walked in on Corll in the midst of assaulting two boys that were strapped to a plywood torture board. Corll promised Brooks a car for his silence, and Brooks agreed. Corll bought him a green Chevrolet Corvette, and was later told the two youths had been killed, and Brooks was offered $200 for any boy he could bring to Corll.

In December 1970 David Brooks lured two 14-year-old boys, James Glass and Danny Yates, away from a religious rally they were attending and brought them to Corll’s apartment. Glass was a friend of Brooks who had been to Dean Corll’s apartment before. Both boys were tied to Corll’s torture board and were raped, strangled and buried in a boat shed Corll had rented.

Six weeks later, Brooks and Corll encountered two brothers named Donald and Jerry Waldrop walking home. Both boys were lured into Corll’s van and driven to an apartment he had rented where they were raped, tortured, strangled and buried in the boat shed. Between March and May of 1971 Corll abducted and murdered three other boys, all of them living in Houston heights and all of them buried at the back of the boat shed. Brooks is known to have participated in all of these murders. One of the victims, 15-year-old Randell Harvey, was last seen by his mother and father on the afternoon of March 9 whilst cycling towards Oak Forest, where he worked as a gas-station attendant. Harvey was driven to Corll’s rented apartment and was killed by a single bullet to the head. The other two victims, 13-year-old David Hilligiest and 16-year-old Gregory Malley Winkle were abducted and killed together in May 1971. Both sets of parents searched for their sons and one of the “helpful” kids handing out flyers to help find them was 15-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley – a longtime friend of Hilligiest. Henley pinned the posters around the Heights and comforted Hilligiest’s parents that the boys were probably fine.

On August 17, 1971, Corll and Brooks met 17-year-old Ruben Watson Haney, a friend of Brooks, walking home from a movie theatre. Brooks persuaded Haney to come to a party at Corll’s new address; he agreed and was taken there to be strangled and buried in the boat shed. 1 month later, Corll moved to yet another apartment, where Brooks stated he had helped Corll with two more abduction/murders, including one who was killed “just before Wayne Henley came into the picture.” In his later confession, Brooks said the boy that died just prior to Henley getting involved in the murders was abducted from Houston Heights and kept alive for four days before being murdered. To this day, nobody knows who either of these victims were.

#dean #corll #elmer #wayne #henley #david #owen #brooks #serial killer #murder #rape #abduction #strangled #shot #houston #heights #homosexual #gay #accomplices

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stephenmccull · 4 years

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As Threat of Valley Fever Grows Beyond the Southwest, Push Is On for Vaccine

One New Year’s Day, Rob Purdie woke up with a headache that wouldn’t quit. Vision problems, body aches and a slight fever followed. At the emergency room, the Bakersfield, California, resident was given antibiotics, which didn’t touch his symptoms. His headache turned into cluster headaches and the fatigue became worse.

“I was not really functional,” he said in a recent interview, recalling the beginning of his eight-year struggle with the mystery illness.

After five weeks, he ended up at Bakersfield’s Kern Medical, home to the Valley Fever Institute. A resident physician quickly realized the cause of the symptoms. A spinal fluid sample confirmed Purdie was suffering from valley fever, a fungal infection that occurs in the deserts of the Southwest, primarily Arizona and California. The infection had spread from his lungs into his brain, causing inflammation and headaches.

He was in and out of the hospital for a year with debilitating symptoms. There is no cure for valley fever; doctors use existing antifungal medications that often don’t relieve the symptoms. He tried three oral antifungal drugs and finally ended up with injections of amphotericin B — “salvage therapy,” meaning it is a drug of last resort — which he is still on, eight years later.

Purdie, 39, now works for the Valley Fever Institute, teaching others about the poorly understood disease. He still has no clue how he inhaled the spore that causes it. “I was probably out doing yardwork,” he said, “and took the wrong breath.”

Valley fever — coccidioidomycosis (“cocci” for short) is the scientific name — is an “orphan disease.” An orphan disease is defined in the U.S. as one affecting fewer than 200,000 people. Valley fever is diagnosed in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 cases a year in the U.S. with 160 fatalities, though both numbers are likely several times higher in reality because many cases are never identified. That’s why it’s often hard to attract attention to developing a vaccine.

In the 1980s, a promising vaccine candidate failed in clinical trials. There has been no other candidate for a vaccine until recently. Now, with mouse studies showing promise, there is a renewed push. Dr. John Galgiani, head of the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence, is heading up vaccine research there and believes the vaccine shown to prevent valley fever in mice should be available for dogs, which also get infected in large numbers, as soon as next year. A veterinary vaccine company, Anivive, is developing it. “It’s very promising,” said Galgiani.

The same vaccine is in the early stage of development for humans, though it’s still years away.

In addition to Galgiani’s research, the National Institutes for Health’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases is funding two other cocci vaccine research projects.

One drug, nikkomycin Z, has cured the disease in mice; experts believe it could do the same for humans. It’s being developed by the University of Arizona with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and other sources.

Valley fever is getting more attention for a few reasons. The number of cases has been increasing, and a study last year predicted it may spread north through the West as the climate warms. By 2095, five more states may be added to the list of 12 where the fungus now lives, growing its range in a swath across the West and into the Great Plains from Texas to Montana and North Dakota. The fungus is also found in Mexico and in Central and South America.

U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy represents parts of California’s Central Valley, where cocci is prevalent. It’s a voting issue there and the Republican has made it a priority, bringing federal dollars to bear for research, surveillance and awareness.

The big problem with developing a vaccine is the relatively small market. The cost of studies to bring the drug to market, Galgiani estimated, is $50 million, while a federal study in 2000 pegged the cost of developing a vaccine at $360 million — though Galgiani believes it could be done for half that, still a hefty cost for a small group of patients.

“We don’t compete effectively against other investment opportunities,” he said.

Two types of the fungus Coccidioides cause valley fever. They dwell in desert soil between 2 inches and a foot deep and when disturbed become suspended in the air and are occasionally inhaled.

Cocci, sometimes called “desert rheumatism,” causes fever, cough, body aches, extreme exhaustion and difficulty breathing. There is no person-to-person spread.

Because the pneumonia-like symptoms are similar to those caused by the novel coronavirus, many cases of valley fever are likely being reported as COVID-19, Galgiani said, which means they are not getting treatment with antifungal medications that can temper symptoms if applied early on.

The infection can spur inflammation that “causes scarring and damage to parts of your nervous system,” Galgiani said. “Early diagnosis means less damage.”

Valley fever case numbers have grown substantially in the past five years, though they are down this year, perhaps because many doctors mistake the condition for COVID-19.

Most cases resolve on their own without treatment. Yet in 5% to 8% of diagnosed patients, the disease spreads to skin, bones and organs, and can be deadly. If it reaches the brain and spinal cord, as it did with Rob Purdie, it can cause meningitis, or swelling of the membranes. These patients, if they don’t die, may need antifungal treatments for life.

Blacks and Filipinos are four times more likely to have these serious effects than other demographic groups, according to Galgiani.

An epidemic devastated prisoners in the San Joaquin Valley, the southern section of California’s Central Valley, in the early and mid-2000s. Investigation showed the rate in two prisons — which had populations with higher numbers of minorities than the surrounding communities — was hundreds of times higher than in the surrounding area. Eventually, more than 30 prisoners died and many more had serious chronic infections.

The high season for infection is late summer and fall. Some 95% of the cases occur in the Central Valley and the Phoenix area. “They are in urban areas; you don’t have to be out on the desert to be infected,” Galgiani said.

Compounding the effects of valley fever is that it often goes undiagnosed. Even in Phoenix’s Maricopa County — where the fungus is endemic in the desert soil and 50% of the nation’s cases occur — it’s not on the radar screen of many doctors. Further complicating a diagnosis is that test results are often wrong and it may take two or three tests to identify the disease.

The lack of awareness of valley fever is one of the factors that led Purdie to take a job last year as outreach coordinator of the Valley Fever Institute. “There’s a lot of misinformation about it,” he said.

The vaccine that experts are banking on is called Delta CPS-1. It has proved very effective in mice in published studies and could be on the market as soon as next year for dogs. It’s estimated that 60,000 dogs contract valley fever every year in what’s known as the “Valley Fever Corridor” between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, and the numbers are probably similar for Bakersfield and other parts of the Central Valley. Symptoms in canines are similar to those in humans.

The same vaccine could one day prove effective in humans, though trials are years and many millions of dollars away. “It’s a great candidate for human immunization,” said Dr. Tom Monath, managing partner and chief scientific officer of Crozet BioPharma, which is working on the vaccine. “It’s hard to offer any promises, but it could take less than 10 years.”

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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solarianvoidthearoace · 11 months

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I’d like some advice about self-advocacy.

I’m in my mid-20’s and physically disabled but don’t know the specifics; I am German and live in Germany.

My major problems are my left wrist and my knees (right wrist to a lesser extend)

I have been wearing my wrist splint for months by this point (previously I only needed it for a week or so before taking it off) and I have been wearing knee compressions/ support bandages

I also bought myself a walking cane without officially consulting a medical professional

So now my question is: how do I self-advocate towards my general practitioner that these mobility aids get noted/ recorded in my patient file?

A friend of mine who’s a social worker suggested I just tell my GP “I have these and these issues. I started using these and these mobility aids to mitigate/ prevent pain. I bought and began using them on my own account. They actually help me a lot and make life easier. Write that into my file and then we talk about me seeing a professional about it.”

#undiagnosed disability #undiagnosed chronic pain #undiagnosed rheumatism #walking cane #cane user #personal whining #self advocacy #medical self advocacy #disability advocacy #self medication #rheumatism #rheumatic #mobility aid #medical advocacy #personal whiny shit

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dinafbrownil · 4 years