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| 31st
January; 2000
My father has recently developed a serious respiratory disease
that has left him permanently dependant upon a respirator. It has
also effected his ability to swallow and is now fed exclusively by a
tube through his stomach.
The doctors have no idea why this has
happened to him and can give us the name of no disease to account
for his condition.
I have recently learned that he experienced heavy exposure to
asbestos in the navy during WW11. He was involved in working on a
condensation device which was used on board ship to produce drinking
water.
In this process, he would coat a metal screen with a paste
made of a powder containing asbestos. From what I understand, the air
would be thick with the powder and the work was performed in a
confined area with very little ventilation.
Have you ever heard of an asbestos case like this before? Do you
know of any good sources of information where I can further the
possible link between my father's illness and his exposure to
asbestos?
Thank you for your help.
Don.
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1st
February; 2000
Hi Deidre,
Thanks for answering my message. My
father has had several xrays, and a cat scan. At this point, the
doctors can find nothing wrong which would cause his condition. The
doctors say his diaphragm is paralysed, but there is no obvious
reason why this could be true.
Also, the diaphragm cannot be
completely paralysed as the respirator only helps him breath; he is
able to do some himself, just not deep enough.
My father's breathing is very difficult. There is no sound as
such; though he has had several sessions with pneumonia. At this
point he is unable to clear out the carbon dioxide, which means he
can't get enough oxygen.
The ph level of his lung becomes to
acidic and the lungs cannot make a transfer of oxygen into the lungs
or carbon dioxide out of the lungs.
As far as my father is
concerned, he just can't seem to catch his breath. He now has a
tracheotomy and breathes only with the assistance of a respirator.
I am interested in your question about his neck. Before his
breathing became so bad that he needed a respirator, he was having
trouble standing straight up. His neck was bent over. The doctor
told him to wear a neck brace to straighten out his neck, but he
found it too painful to do.
Another doctor ran a tube down his throat for some procedure
and when he pulled it out the tube had an S shape to it, indicating
some sort of bend in his tracheal passage.
The second doctor agreed with the first that there was some type
of bend in my father's neck, but still at a loss to explain it. I
don't see any sort of bend in his neck, but evidently one does
exist.
Besides not being able to breathe on his own, my father is also
having trouble swallowing. Again, no real reason why, but much of
his food ends up in his lungs rather than his stomach. They couldn't
get enough nourishment to him through normal eating, so they put a
tube into his stomach and feed in liquid this way.
At this point I am trying to figure out if my father's exposure
to asbestos could be the cause of his condition. I haven't been able
to find any cases like my father's.
If you have ever heard of
something like this or know anyone I should contact, I would be
grateful for the information.
I am writing you from Georgia in America. My father served on an
American aircraft carrier, where he was exposed to asbestos. There
is no doubt he suffered heavy exposure. The question is whether this
could be the cause of his illness.
Thank you again for your help
and interest in my father's case.
Don.
2nd February;
2000
Hi Deidre,
Thank you for responding and the URL address.
I will check out the site and see what more information I can
gather.
My father's pneumonia came with a lot of fluid in the lungs. The
fluid also contained a lot of blood, but some heavy antibiotics
finally cleared it up. At this point he has very little fluid and it
is all clear (ie, no blood) of course he is under constant care at
this point, so any hint of pneumonia is dealt with
immediately.
Thank you for your help and I will let you know what
I find out.
Don .
12th February;
2000
Hi Deidre
Please feel free to put my information on your
web site. I would be interested in knowing of any similar cases. I
am still trying to understand what caused my father's
condition.
Don. |
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21ST
February; 2000
Hi Deidre,
I want to let you know that last Sunday, my father's request to
be removed from the respirator was honoured.
He died quietly after
the tube was removed from his throat.
I will be interested in hearing any news you might receive
concerning my e-mails to your site.
At this point though, my
father's suffering has ended.
Thank you for your
assistance.
Don.
21st February;2000.
Hi Deidre,
Thank you for your prayers
and good wishes. No, we did not have a post mortem performed on my
father. He would not have wanted that and it would have been too
hard on my mother.
I believe you are right though, that it was
the asbestos, which caused his death. However, even if the doctors
had known that, there was little they could have done for him. At
the end of the day,
I am just happy that his suffering is over.
Please feel free to keep my messages on your web site, but I
don't think I will add a memorial for my father. He was a private
man and I don't think it would be something he would have
wanted.
Thank you for your help.
Don
Don,
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family at
this very sad time, as must everyone who has been privileged to read
your story.
I sincerely thank you for sharing your story with us
and for allowing it to stay on my site for others to be able to read
and learn from it. I will leave you with a verse
I Cannot Think.
I cannot think of them as dead,
Who walk with me no
more
Along the path I tread....
They have but gone before.
And still their silent ministry
Within my heart hath
place,
As when on earth they walked with me,
And met me face
to face.
Their lives made forever mine;
What they to me have
been
Hath left henceforth its seal and sign
Engraven deep
within.
regards Deidre
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