Not only has my yoga instructor played the Talking Heads song Once In A Lifetime recently in his classes and it always gets stuck in my head, but it seems to have such an appropriate line:
"You may ask yourself, well, 'how did I get here?' "
Well, how did we get here?
It starts with a story from 1978 that takes place in Simi Valley, California.
Mom and Dad were only in Simi Valley for a few months, but Dad was working. Working in the office that originally hired him out of training and moonlighting in the ER at nights. {That's just how Dad operates.} One night, Mom went to pick Dad up from his moonlighting shift at Simi Valley Hospital. [Editor's note: Dad was not moonlighting in the ER on this exact night, but he had for several years. He was admitting a patient and making rounds on this night] Barely two blocks away from the hospital, a drunk driver ran a stop sign and slammed into my parents' tiny VW. My Mom (who was driving) ended-up in the passenger seat and Dad (who was in the passenger seat) found himself outside of the car.
Both of my parents were brought to the emergency room, and my Mom began a lengthy stay in the hospital, with a broken pelvis along with other injuries and broken bones. Dad checked himself out of the hospital (actually, that is a theme in many of Dad's hospital stories)--everything seemed to be okay. However, the next day he noticed all of the signs that he knew as a physician to be internal bleeding. He was rushed back to the hospital where they discovered he had a lacerated liver and ruptured spleen. Dad was wheeled-into surgery right away. After healing from his splenectomy and many blood transfusions, Dad was able to return to working and living in Simi Valley.
Fast forward several years...
In the early 1990s, Dad had routine blood work done. Strangely, his liver enzymes were elevated. Strange? Dad doesn't drink much alcohol nor have any other signs of an underlying problem. He had more blood testing done and he was eventually diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C used to be called "non-A, non-B Hepatitis" (or NA/NB) in the 1970s. In the 1980s they identified the virus, and Pharma started coming-out with treatments (drugs that were not-so-effective with lots of side effects--sure to be another blog post) in the 1990s. According to this History of Hepatitis C, Dad is one of the lucky ("my mazel!") 300,000 patients that contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion before they started screening the blood supply for the virus.
Recap:
Mom and Dad were hit by a drunk driver in 1978 → Dad needed blood transfusions during emergency surgery after the car accident → Dad contracted Hepatitis C from his blood transfusions since they did not screen the blood supply for that virus in 1978.
Q: What happens to people that have Hepatitis C for over 30 years like Dad?
A: Most will develop cirrhosis. Many people identify cirrhosis as a disease of alcoholics. There are actually several other causes, long-term Hepatitis C (along with long-term alcohol use) being the most common.
Q: What does cirrhosis mean?
A: According to the NIH:
A: Dad needs a transplant. Soon.
So, that's how we got here. Irony. Why irony?
A drunk caused Dad's cirrhosis, yet he hardly drank alcohol his entire life.
My mazel.
"You may ask yourself, well, 'how did I get here?' "
Well, how did we get here?
It starts with a story from 1978 that takes place in Simi Valley, California.
Mom and Dad were only in Simi Valley for a few months, but Dad was working. Working in the office that originally hired him out of training and moonlighting in the ER at nights. {That's just how Dad operates.} One night, Mom went to pick Dad up from his moonlighting shift at Simi Valley Hospital. [Editor's note: Dad was not moonlighting in the ER on this exact night, but he had for several years. He was admitting a patient and making rounds on this night] Barely two blocks away from the hospital, a drunk driver ran a stop sign and slammed into my parents' tiny VW. My Mom (who was driving) ended-up in the passenger seat and Dad (who was in the passenger seat) found himself outside of the car.
Both of my parents were brought to the emergency room, and my Mom began a lengthy stay in the hospital, with a broken pelvis along with other injuries and broken bones. Dad checked himself out of the hospital (actually, that is a theme in many of Dad's hospital stories)--everything seemed to be okay. However, the next day he noticed all of the signs that he knew as a physician to be internal bleeding. He was rushed back to the hospital where they discovered he had a lacerated liver and ruptured spleen. Dad was wheeled-into surgery right away. After healing from his splenectomy and many blood transfusions, Dad was able to return to working and living in Simi Valley.
Fast forward several years...
In the early 1990s, Dad had routine blood work done. Strangely, his liver enzymes were elevated. Strange? Dad doesn't drink much alcohol nor have any other signs of an underlying problem. He had more blood testing done and he was eventually diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C used to be called "non-A, non-B Hepatitis" (or NA/NB) in the 1970s. In the 1980s they identified the virus, and Pharma started coming-out with treatments (drugs that were not-so-effective with lots of side effects--sure to be another blog post) in the 1990s. According to this History of Hepatitis C, Dad is one of the lucky ("my mazel!") 300,000 patients that contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion before they started screening the blood supply for the virus.
Recap:
Mom and Dad were hit by a drunk driver in 1978 → Dad needed blood transfusions during emergency surgery after the car accident → Dad contracted Hepatitis C from his blood transfusions since they did not screen the blood supply for that virus in 1978.
Q: What happens to people that have Hepatitis C for over 30 years like Dad?
A: Most will develop cirrhosis. Many people identify cirrhosis as a disease of alcoholics. There are actually several other causes, long-term Hepatitis C (along with long-term alcohol use) being the most common.
Q: What does cirrhosis mean?
A: According to the NIH:
Cirrhosis is caused by irreversible scarring of the liver. Once cirrhosis develops, it is not possible to heal the liver or return its function to normal. It is a serious condition that can lead to many complications. A gastroenterologist or liver specialist (hepatologist) should help evaluate and manage complications. Cirrhosis may result in the need for a liver transplant.Q: What do Dad's hepatologists recommend Dad should do given his current complications associated with his cirrhosis?
A: Dad needs a transplant. Soon.
So, that's how we got here. Irony. Why irony?
A drunk caused Dad's cirrhosis, yet he hardly drank alcohol his entire life.
My mazel.
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