Medical Mystery Is Killing My Friend's Son. Doctor's Have No Answers!

After having watched more than a few episodes of House, I would go back to that farm and check everything they may have come in contact with. Checking the yard rakes and soil for chemicals and since it was a farm, it may have asbestos from doing brake work or otherwise. I used to have problems from breathing air that had fiberglass in the air all of the time. But this would have likely irritated their skin also.

I found an Edgar Cayce site about a week ago and it has a few interesting mentions in it.

www.edgarcayce.org...


www.atsdr.cdc.gov...

" Signs and Symptoms of asbestosis can include:

Shortness of breath is the primary symptom
A persistent and productive cough (a cough that expels mucus)
Chest tightness
Chest pain
Loss of appetite
A dry, crackling sound in the lungs while inhaling. "

Although these symptoms supposedly take much longer than what's been described. I would think some type of chemical than also, whether it was in the soil or the tools used.

If the leaf blower used gasoline, this may have been contaminated also.

This leaf blower and fuel should also be checked.

perchlorate possibility:

www.jtbaker.com...

[edit on 11-2-2009 by aleon1018]

reply to post by asmeone2


I was gonna say fungus or mold. Could of gotten something from that basement.

I'd say mold spores personally. As an asthma sufferer and allergy sufferer I can attest to the damage from mold spores on the respiratory track.

Currently in our basement suite we both suffer the same seeming continuous cough and allergic like symptoms.

I have had pneumonia 7 times in as many years living here.

The apartment building is old, wooden frame construction from the late 60's. Very little water vapour in between walls and my suite there is NONE.

Currently wrangling with the city to get a test crew here to scour for spores in the walls.

Also another thing I notices is the lady upstairs is always coughing violently at the same time we are coughing violently, her apartment is directly above ours so it could also be a plumbing issue.

The beginning of January I had pneumonia for the 7th time. Took antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia and while it helped the cough a smidge, the sinus infection lingered and now the cough is back as though it never left.

Mould can be pervasive and it may take years for the spores to be found, it does not always need a huge amount of moisture (like enough to soak drywall and be seen leeching through to the visible side of the wall)

I've sent a request to the city. Apparently the landlord can refuse to conduct further investigation if no "immediately visible signs" are present.

When we are out of the apartment we can breath, no sneezing and we feel way more energetic.

This apartment is the best deal in vancouver price wise and we are reluctant to give it up, as other rents for the same area are 2-300 dollars more.

The landlord will be coming in to redo the electrical outlets and I'm going to take the opportunity to scrape bits of drywall from around the inside of teh plugs and send them for testing.

He has come to ATS for an answer... This is his last resort.

It might be time to start thinking outside the box a little bit.

My Deepest Sympothy to the OP... I have two children myself, and this thread touched my soul.


My thoughts...

I do not know you... or the parents of these children.

you know the parents.


We have a case where it's not one child suffering from the same symptoms... but two.

I really hate to suggest this, but you might want to think about looking at people who are taking care of these children.


my.clevelandclinic.org...

Just a thought...

Medical Mysteries like this just don't happen. (not to two childen)

[edit on 11-2-2009 by Doomsday 2029]

I don't know. I went through some of the very same things the older boy is going through, but not the coughing. Had they been through a bad case of the flu before the onset of the symptoms?

I went through the dizziness, the shortness of breath, the heart pain, the weakness, trouble with bad fatigue, headaches daily etc. My house also had some black mold in it, but it was localized to two areas, and not spread over a wide area like your case.

If I had to guess, I would think some kind of invasive spore infection creating the bodies reaction, but if after a bad case of the flu, it could be that their bodies own defenses are attacking their immune system, like in Lupus.

I finally got over mine, but I will never be the same, still have heart problems, and reflux, and stomach pain-burning about 7 years after the worst. I feel for the poor boys, I think it would be ok to post their first names on here so those who know the great physician-->God can ask Him to help them.

I firmly believe He can and will if all of us who believe have the faith and ask in His own Son's name. I will pray for both of them.

Thank you everyone!! Your suggestions have been intelligent, well thought out and compasionate.

Just want to further clarify a couple of things. These are my best friends boys, not my own.
I pushed her to take them to the Medical College of Virginia here in Richmond yesterday. Up until then she has gotten the runaround bigtime!! With Dr's doing very little and not having answers. And just scratching their heads.

His lungs are completely clear ct scan was negative. Yet only has 60% lung capacity with pulmonary function test. Never had reflux or stomach problems before. Had upper Gi yesterday was negative. Just to re-interate bronchoscopy showed several white spots on trachea and on back of tongue that they believe to be fungal. But he did not respond to treatment of diflucan at all.

You are right about the long use of prednisone. She is regretting letting the Dr. Put him on such a long dose.

WBC are normal which would be elevated in viral or bacterial inf. All other labs have shown nothing.

My Dr.is also a very good friend and I called her to recommend a very good Pediatric Neurologist.And to ask about the mold exposure.

She treated a young patient for black mold and the persons results have been very poor.

The boys mom has done quite a bit of research and located a Dr. On the Eastern Shore who is the only doctor in the country that deals in detoxing toxic mold from the body. He came across a treatment using the cholesterol binding drug cholesterine(sp) which binds to the toxin and is then excreted through the urine. She actually was leaving a message for him when he picked up the phone he also feels based on the the symptoms, this is the lethal mycotoxin found in black mold. The problem, the wait is 3 wks. To see him.

I don't feel like this child has 3 weeks. I want to know why in the hell these Dr.'S Are not doing anything more?

My doc said, they have not been able to isolate the type yet. But the Dr. In Maryland is proficient in making a diagnosis. Strangely enough she was aware of this Dr Shoemaker who is also connected with John's Hopkins.

But all these tests the dr.'S Just want to hurry up and wait.

As for the silver I take colloidal silver myself, thank you, I had not even thought about this or the yogurt. Will pass that along.

The family could use prayer, light positive energy. And so could mine. Ya see, this is also my son's best friend.

Pax

Two things I see immediately.

1. Get rid of the Guinea Pig

2. Move out of the house until you find the source of the mold. How do they know that the source isn't in their own home.

For acid reflux, apple cider vinegar has worked wonders for me.

Originally posted by disgustedbyhumanity
Two things I see immediately.

1. Get rid of the Guinea Pig

2. Move out of the house until you find the source of the mold. How do they know that the source isn't in their own home.

For acid reflux, apple cider vinegar has worked wonders for me.

The guinea pig is gone. There house is new. The farm house very old. they were all sleeping in the basement which is finished, but when they went to move the old antique furniture, there was all kinds of visible mold present in large quantities, dark and light mold, fuzzy mold and black mold mold which contains the deadly mycotoxin stachbotrys.

reply to post by asmeone2


Histoplasmosis grows fairly slowly because it is a fungus. The illness is rare unless the person is immune compromised. To have a whole family get it would be pretty unusual.

Originally posted by ghaleon12
reply to post by asmeone2

 

Histoplasmosis grows fairly slowly because it is a fungus. The illness is rare unless the person is immune compromised. To have a whole family get it would be pretty unusual.

Histo can present in several different forms--see the links in my post--and some are quite virulant. They may have all been exposed to the fungus if they all had exposure to something like bird droppings, but she says they came up negative so it's really irrelevant.

reply to post by paxnatus


With all of the biohazards that exist, everyone should learn how to make colloidal silver for themselves, I make it 5 gallons at a time, if I feel anything coming on I will literally drink it by the gallon, once the body is saturated with it there are no worries about viral or fungal imbalances, further because it is a colloidal metal it helps conduct the electrical signals in the body. With CS saturation you are healthy and you run energy. Another powerful antibiotic is grapefruit seed extract, while the taste is potent it can be used internally and externally, just be careful with it on mucus membranes, it makes for a powerful and effective mouthwash for the white spots. A combination of CS GSE and hydrogen peroxide can be mixed or used singularly, nebulized and inhaled for rapid bronchial relief. All prescrption medications are unnatural toxins that have to be filtered and removed by the body.

[edit on 12-2-2009 by PaulKCA]

[edit on 12-2-2009 by PaulKCA]

Read your story and immidiatly thought it sounded like some kind of poisoning. Many kinds of poisons might be hanging around an old farm, and kids would be the first to find them. I was actually surprised none of the doctors thought of poisoning, especially after unsuccessful treatments. My heart goes out to those kids and both your familys and hope they get well. Anyways , heres a few things i came up regaurding poisons that might be on a farm. This first link is about DDT, even though its not in use here anymore, there are still pesticides that are similar in use www.whale.to... and here is The EPA on pesticide poisoning www.epa.gov... has a table of symptoms and here is the World Health Org. www.who.int... which states "Acute poisoning can cause a range of
symptoms in adults and children, depending
on the type of pesticide. For example,
commonly used organophosphorus and
carbamate compounds can produce neurobehavioral
effects, such as fatigue,
dizziness, and blurred vision; intestinal
effects, such as nausea; respiratory
effects, such as dry throat and difficulty
with breathing; effects involving skin and
mucous membranes, such as stinging
eyes, itchy skin, and a burning nose; and
muscular symptoms, such as stiffness
and weakness.[7]
Acute pesticide poisoning can result in
death, either rapidly or over the course of
weeks, depending on the characteristics
of the product and type of exposure."

So far the best one i found is thisChecklist for suspected poisoning I am saying for sure it is poisoning, but it seems entirely possible and is something a doctor may overlook. Hope this post makes sense as it is late, but i felt this was too important to wait. Good luck to you all

[edit on 12-2-2009 by HeldByTime]

[edit on 12-2-2009 by HeldByTime]

I concur with Fred.

Get them to a pediatric specialist ASAP! Take the complete history that you've written down here and everything you know including all the meds.

Don't wait another day. Don't "try something else."

Get another doctor and hospital -- fast!

Originally posted by paxnatus
T Up until then she has gotten the runaround bigtime!! With Dr's doing very little and not having answers. And just scratching their heads.

Let me add another piece of advice: have a "facilitator" go with her. This should be someone older than her who is a relative or close friend who has a reasonable understanding of medical terminology. The "facilitator" should prompt her and should start asking hard questions of the doctors.

Generally this works better if the facilitator is a man, but some of us women can fix the docs with our steely-eyed stare and get a lot accomplished (it's the Southern "Steel Magnolia" thing. I can be terribly sweet and terribly intimidating.)

An upset mother with a very ill child can often forget to ask questions, forget details, and if the doc dithers she can forget to give him The Stare and ask him for a referral to someone who would have a better handle on things. They should also be asked, "well, if it wasn't showing up in a kid, what would you think this is?" Sometimes very obvious diagnoses are overlooked because the patient doesn't fit the "average" profile.

Facilitators can also write down instructions and ask if things aren't clear.

reply to post by paxnatus


I suggest taking them to Johns Hopkins. Hopkins isn't good at everything but they are good at diagnosing unusual ailments. Which is why House is from Johns Hopkins(in theory anyways).

This was posted today -

They aren't exactly the same symptoms - but perhaps there has been some kind of testing going on that is making people sick.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Also - GET AWAY from the mold. It can be deadly.

[edit on 12-2-2009 by spinkyboo]

Have the mold in the basement checked! Seriously, some mold can maim and even kill. Once they have determined what type of mold it is, it'll be aesier to treat.

*edited spelling*

[edit on 2/12/2009 by darkelf]

Originally posted by Byrd

Originally posted by paxnatus
T Up until then she has gotten the runaround bigtime!! With Dr's doing very little and not having answers. And just scratching their heads.

Let me add another piece of advice: have a "facilitator" go with her. This should be someone older than her who is a relative or close friend who has a reasonable understanding of medical terminology. The "facilitator" should prompt her and should start asking hard questions of the doctors.

Generally this works better if the facilitator is a man, but some of us women can fix the docs with our steely-eyed stare and get a lot accomplished (it's the Southern "Steel Magnolia" thing. I can be terribly sweet and terribly intimidating.)

An upset mother with a very ill child can often forget to ask questions, forget details, and if the doc dithers she can forget to give him The Stare and ask him for a referral to someone who would have a better handle on things. They should also be asked, "well, if it wasn't showing up in a kid, what would you think this is?" Sometimes very obvious diagnoses are overlooked because the patient doesn't fit the "average" profile.

Facilitators can also write down instructions and ask if things aren't clear.

I couldn't agree more. I am her facilitator at this point, I am a nurse and pushed her to take them to MCV Medical College of Virginia, one of the top hospitals in the country. she hadn't even recognized some of older boys symptoms as being neurological in nature, so for the first time a pediatric neurologist is involved. Thank God!! Why this hasn't happened yet is negligible and unheard of!!

I have not asked if I can go along with them. Very good idea! her and her husband are very private and have been dealing with this by themselves. Only a very few know the grave circumstance's at hand. He is scheduled for a battery of nuero. tests tomorrow. i still think he needs to be at Hopkins! Have just text her for update! Waiting to hear! Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions!

Pax

My chiropractor had what sound to me to be very similar symptoms back in the early 1990s and was sick for a very long time, and they could not "figure out" what was wrong with him until the autopsy. It turned out to be hanta virus, which apparently they don't check for routinely because it's not common in upstate NY. The only thing that doesn't fit the symptoms from what I see is how long this has been going on. Just a thought.

[edit on 12-2-2009 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by paxnatus


Did they get checked for mycosis?
Seeing the complaints they have this seems to fit very well.
Mycosis

I am in no way a doctor! Just to make that perfectly clear.
Good luck!