Wednesday, March 20, 2013
New diagnosis 9/12
We just went and had our neuro appt to discuss the findings from the
muscle biopsy. What are the findings? Well the good news is he said that
all the mitochondria were functioning at good levels. He said that it
may be because where the mitochondria in his body is attacking the upper
part of his body, not the lower part where they took the muscle from.
However, it showed that there was particles of fat in his biopsy and
thats not supposed to be in there. And that is a big sign of
mitochondrial disease. So thats why the neuro said that the mitochondria
in his lower part of his body could be working fine but that doesnt
mean the top part is.
So because of this he said that he has officially diagnosed Jake with
kearns-sayre syndrome. Here is a little bit about it:
Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a rare neuromuscular disorder with onset
usually before the age of 20 years. It is the result of abnormalities in
the DNA of mitochondria - small rod-like structures found in every cell
of the body that produce the energy that drives cellular functions. The
mitochondrial diseases correlate with specific DNA mutations that cause
problems with many of the organs and tissues in the body. KSS is
characterized by progressive limitation of eye movements until there is
complete immobility, accompanied by eyelid droop. It is also associated
with abnormal accumulation of pigmented material on the membrane lining
the eyes. Additional symptoms may include mild skeletal muscle weakness,
heart block (a cardiac conduction defect), short stature, hearing loss,
an inability to coordinate voluntary movements (ataxia), impaired
cognitive function, and diabetes. Seizures are infrequent. Several
endocrine disorders can be associated with KSS.
Thankfully, right now, Jake only has the eye problems. His droopy eye
lids and his eye muscles are very weak. But I believe he is on the road
to having kidney problems. He is having some kidney issues right now
that the docs are having issues figuring out whats going on. So they are
putting that to the side for now until something becomes more severe.
This new diagnosis is pretty hard on me. I am not quite sure why. I knew
going into it that he had mito. But I guess I just kept thinking that
maybe the doc was wrong and that it was just a fluke. But when tests
start to become abnormal...it scares me! But it FINALLY shows me that we
have FINALLY found what we have been looking for, for so long. Jake
FINALLY has an answer to everything. But that still doesnt make me feel
any better. Mito is a BAD disease!! It is not something we want Jake to
have. There is no cure for it. There is nothing we can do to make it
better. No diet, no meds, NOTHING. We can change some things to make him
comfortable and help the disease not progress as fast...and we will try
everything possible for him to feel better. I know that there is not a
day that goes by that he is not in pain. And so I am trying so hard to
lessen that as much as I can.
So I guess until we know more...we just keep on doing what we have been
doing!
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