Friday, January 11, 2019

Autoimmune Illnesses(& Other Diseases) & the Worry over whether you pass down the "genetic" makeup to your Children


After ME getting through the Christmas holidays and New Years starting without some type of "accident", being ill, or having a major disaster as has been the past sEVERAL holidays for me.


...my washer and dryer going out last year, year before fell and broke my hip in two places two weeks before Christmas, before that my Pain Pump went out and I had to have surgery to get it replaced between the New Year and Christmas Holidays, and the LIST of what seem to be "mishaps" go on and on around the holidays.


So, once January 1st, 2019 rang by and the 2nd came, I took a "small breath of relief" thinking just "maybe" I made it through. Then the phone rings about 5PM on New Years Day. I saw it was my daughter. Which immediately concerned me because they had gone to their deer lease for the weekend. So, either they were calling to "brag" about a big buck one of the Grandsons got OR something was WRONG! they barely have cell service out there so I knew things were causing them to be closer to town.


It was my daughter, and her first words were, "Mom, don't get freaked out", and of course I thought OH MY, what has happened, My daughter had turned in their travel trailer that morning to hand over some plates of food to the kids, and somehow tripped and landed right on the top of her left arm and shoulder! She had already been to the ER (so I knew it was not good), and I ask her good gosh, you are not having surgery? She told me the shoulder was "shattered" into several pieces, they had sent her to the larger hospital in Corpus Christi, and it was overflowing due to a massive pileup of a wreck, and all of the nurses, surgeons, doctor's were tied up with extremely critical patients (of course my daughter's was also crucial), but they did a CT scan, and sure enough it was "shattered" into about 4 pieces, broke off" the "ball" of the shoulder, then it was in pieces basically. But, no Orthopedic surgeons were available, for one the major holidays, for two the car accidents and other things that arise during the holiday season, so they put a sling on it, told her NOT to move it if at all possible, and they would get hold of a surgeon the following day to see her. Well, I went ahead and looked for the BEST Orthopedic surgeon, who SPECIALIZED IN SHOULDERS, because after my ordeal with the shoulder replacement, and finding out there is a "shortage" of shoulder specialists, I wanted to make sure she got into the right type of physician.


Sure enough I found one that even did "reverse shoulder replacements" like the one I had, that I thought I would NEVER FIND A SURGEON who could do one... so I knew from his ratings, his schooling, he was a bit younger, so he knew the latest types of things, and she went to him. BUT, she could not even get in to see anyone till that Friday!


She and my son in law really liked him, other than his price for a visit. Because since it was "shattered' BUT NONE OF THE PIECES had "moved out of place" they were just as they should be just broken away from one another, he decided it would be better possibly to "wait" for a couple of weeks, and see if it would begin to heal on it's on. My daughter is 35 years old, so if she could avoid surgery, she may not have as many issues with another surgery to take out plates and screws, and then scarring down the line, and I am sure as time goes on she may have issues with pain, range of motion, arthritis etc, BUT hopefully later when she is older.


At first I was upset that he did not do surgery. Then when I thought about it, I felt it made sense, Plus this meant he is not some "cutting" surgeon, who wants to do surgery first thing rather than trying something else to "avoid" surgery.


BUT, what CONCERNS ME..... IS THAT SHE IS ONLY 35 YEARS OLD, SHE DID NOT TAKE THAT HARD OF A FALL, OR HIT ANYTHING, ETC, SO WHY DID THAT SHOULDER BREAK, AND ESPECIALLY SHATTER LIKE THAT????


My st thought IS THAT OSTEOPOROSIS, RUNS ON MY SIDE OF THE FAMILY, ON MY MOM'S SIDE. I have had it for a LONG TIME, WAY BEFORE THEY CHECKED FOR IT, FOR YEARS, Which may have led to all of my joint problems, etc. so early in life,  I HOPE he thought the same thing also or SHE TOLD HIM, like I asked her to do. My FEAR IS THAT ARE MY SON AND DAUGHTER GOING TO POSSIBLY "SUFFER" FROM SOME OF MY OWN HARD ILLNESSES DUE TO GENETICS?????


I went for years and years like many, with "arthritis" at the age of 30 or younger, no one bothered to "check" or see what could be going on... they just did surgeries, and "fixed" what tore all to heck, and just said I had "bad joints"..... Never found the Lupus, RA, Sjogren's, Osteoarthritis, and so on... that I may have "hereditarily" received from possibly BOTH sides of the family.


Of course back in my 20's, 30's and even 40's doctors tended to think "women" were "cry babies" and we just "made things up" and could not handle a little pain (WHAT ABOUT HAVING 2 CHILDREN NATURALLY WITH NO PAIN MEDS)... AND THAT IT WAS "all in our heads" etc. Lupus was "barely" heard of, or RA, etc. I am sure the information was out there, BUT they had no "specific" way to check for it... which still today, it's not really all that easy to "find from blood tests" etc.


So, now I am so concerned my daughter may have "osteoporosis" or the start of it. I asked her to please mention it to the doctor when she was there. From what I have seen and researched, since she is that young and she did not take a very severe fall or MVA, etc... this is an unusual type of fracture, it's in "4 pieces" the proximal humeral fracture" with the 4 part type...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZO-fWOlFGE




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