Dee

Dee was a professor of teacher education in Michigan when she went into hospital to have tubes surgically inserted into her ears for hearing problems. As she was coming out of anesthesia, she suffered a severe asthma attack for the first time in her life.

This turned out to be ARDS and she spent 29 days in hospital on assisted breathing. When she returned home she had to take 3 liters of oxygen per minute 24/7. She underwent physical, occupational, and speech therapy and also entered a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. It took one year to wean her off the supplementary oxygen and today she leads a relatively normal life.

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Ian Robb

Pastor Ian Robb went in for gall bladder surgery in Ontario – 24 hours later he was back in hospital with severe pain, was admitted and after week diagnosed with ARDS. He spent eight weeks in ICU, underwent a tracheotomy, was treated with thirty different antibiotics and steroids, but still developed sepsis.

He spent almost 5 months in hospital and lost 60 pounds – when he came back home, he was oxygen constantly. After some physical rehabilitation he grew a little stronger, when another setback occurred – he developed Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibroses which would be fatal if not treated.

He and his wife decided that he should go in for a lung transplant, he applied and finally had it done in Toronto, when it was available. He also underwent three months of extensive rehabilitation. Now he can breathe on his own.

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Bernie Britton

Bernie Britton has suffered from epilepsy for most of his life. While in many patients seizures can be controlled to a great extent with medications, Bernie’s case was the exception and he would sit down whenever he felt a seizure coming on so that he would hurt himself or others.

He finally got help from the Mayo clinic thanks to a new diagnostic test called SISCOM (subtraction ictal SPECT co-registered to MRI) which could find out where the seizures originated. Britton had two surgeries. In the first electrodes were implanted in his brain to trace the path of his seizures. The second surgery untangled the nerves and blood vessels that proved to be the origin of his seizures. Before the surgeries, Britton was having two to 10 seizures a week, with many more dizzy spells in between – now he has had only four since 2003.

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Melissa Bruesehoff

Melissa Bruesehoff was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was only four years old. She had to lead a very restricted life and the seizures only intensified as she grew older. Melissa began seeing Gregory Cascino, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist, when she was in college.

The doctor agreed that she was a good candidate for surgery, which she had 16 years ago. She has not had a seizure since, nor does she take medication for epilepsy. She has a job, drives and leads a very active life.

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Mark Kellaway

Mark Kellaway used to drift off or look blankly or start dribbling but nobody thought anything of it. Finally when he moved in with is girlfriend (now his wife) she told him she though something was wrong. The first doctor he went to did not diagnose him, but the second one sent him for tests and he was diagnosed with left temporal lobe epilepsy with complex partial seizures.

He was put on medication to control his seizures and he lost his licence to drive. He has been on various combinations of medications and has suffered from some memory loss and also a fair amount of weight. He is now the stay at home dad to his two daughters.

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Chanda Gunn

Chanda Gunn, Olympic participant and an ice-hockey goalie, was nine years old, very sporty when her teachers noticed that she used to blank out, with no memory of what had happened. Her parents were called and her doctor diagnosed epilepsy. From swimming, she switched to ice-hockey and her parents were happy because she would be wearing heavily padded clothes along with a helmet.

She has been on anti seizure medicines, which after modifications, have been keeping her seizures under control. She continued with her sports ambitions and won silver and gold medals from the 2004 and 2005 World Championships, a silver medal from the 2005 Four Nations Cup and a bronze medal from the 2006 Olympic Games. She is now also spokesperson for the Epilepsy Therapy Development Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing new treatments for people living with epilepsy.

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Kelly Neuschwanger

Kelly Neuschwanger was still in high school when she woke up one morning with blood in her mouth – she had bitten her tongue while asleep. She was taken to a doctor who said it was ‘no big deal’. It took nine months of visits to doctors and tests before she was diagnosed with epilepsy.

She was prescribed various medicines which kept the disease under control for two years, when she started suffering from seizures again – as many as 12-13 a month. In the meantime she had started work and also got married. Though her medications were repeatedly changed and given in various combinations and dosages, the seizures did not come under control.

She had an advanced diagnostic test (SISCOM) and after that she underwent brain surgery. She has not had any seizures since then.

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Carla Heulsmann

Carla Huelsmann was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was only 2 years of age. She would go into a trance like state, have slurred speech and lose her train of thought. Her condition was managed by medicines. She grew up with the disease, got married and had a baby. That is when the seizures returned with a vengeance thanks to the changes in her hormone levels brought about by pregnancy and childbirth and she began experiencing them every day.

She suffered for six years before finding out about surgery as an option. She had the surgery to remove scar tissue from the left temporal lobe of her brain and now she does not suffer from seizures any more.

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Harper

Harper suffered from migraines and she one after the other on two subsequent days. Even though she went to hospital they only treated her for migraine and sent her back. She thought she would be able to sleep it off. Finally her migraine got really bad again and she went to hospital where it was found that she had had one major and three minor strokes. She was only 33.

She says: ‘My balance is off, I fall down a lot, I lost a lot of peripheral vision, my short term memory is almost non-existent, I forget words and have to “search” for them, I have forgotten what the simplest words mean and/or how to spell them, and I run words together like my brain is working faster than my mouth or my mouth is working faster than my brain.’ She is currently on blood thinners.

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Mark Acevedo

Mark Acevedo, a fire captain in Ventura, California was fighting a wild-lands fire, when his left leg gave out and his speech started to slur. He was flown to hospital where he was diagnosed with a stroke. Later he was sent to a rehab facility and told to give up his work of 20 years.

Then he found a special fitness trainer who worked with stroke patients. Tom Wisenbaker worked with him to help him get his strength back. And thirteen months after his stroke, he passed all the physical fitness tests and the fire chief gave him his job back.

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Catherine Romero

Catherine Romero loved to run and when she was 39 she had recently participated in a triathlon (one of many) when she was at work, felt dizzy and fell. It took a week to diagnose her with a stroke. A lawyer and mother of two, Catherine led a busy life.

She found out that she had a large hole between two chambers in her heart — one that she was born with but never knew was there – which caused the stroke. She also learned that her heart had enlarged to about one-and-a-half times its normal size because of the strain put on the heart due to the hole between the two heart chambers. She had surgery to correct the heart problem two months later. And she is now back to running.

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Victor

Victor had a farm and for most of his life did a great deal of work outdoors. One day he was feeling unwell and thought he had the virus that was prevalent at that time. Next day he was at hospital and diagnosed with a stroke which had affected his left side. He was a little more than 58, father, grandfather and married and divorced twice.

Apart from his left side being affected, the left side vision in both his eyes, too, was lost and he found it difficult to deal with all these problems. He underwent extensive rehabilitation, first at the hospital and then at home. For him, the major problem was the extent of his loss of vision. But he is back on his feet and learning to cope and be as active as he can be.

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Helen

Helen was having lunch at a crowded Melbourne restaurant when she suffered a stroke. Her life changed forever. When she went to hospital and after tests, she learnt that she had had a cerebral hemorrhage which caused the stroke. It took her many months of rehabilitation to get back on her feet.

However, she has learnt to work within her limitations and cannot play golf or go sailing any more – two things she loved doing before. On the other hand, she feels her horizons have widened and she now surfs the internet instead, written books and designed web pages.

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Scott McPhee

Scott McPhee was barely 15 when he had a headache and soreness on the left side of his body. He went to sleep thinking he would be better in the morning, instead in woke up in hospital. Apparently in the middle of the night he had woken up crying with pain and his family had taken him to hospital – he had been in coma for four days and had to have brain surgery to stop the bleeding.

He underwent stroke rehabilitation in a hospital in Melbourne and eventually returned home. When he was able to walk with the help of a walking stick he returned to school, completed it, went on to university got rid of the walking stick thanks to gym and physiotherapy, went overseas, and went on to his post graduation in journalism where he hopes to pursue a career.

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Rosemary Conley often suffered from nausea after eating a meal high in fat, causing her a great deal of distress. In 1986, she was finally diagnosed with gall stones. However, at time gall stone surgery involve making a large incision in the abdomen and removing the gall bladder. This meant a longer stay in hospital and also a longer recovery period.

At that time, as she was busy, she decided to try and manage her symptoms on her own. She reduced the fat in her diet as a result of which she lost weight and looked better. She even translated her experiences into a book, Complete Hip and Thigh Diet.

In 1991 she finally had laparscopic surgery to remove her gall bladder. She has been fine since then and advises people who are suffering from gall stones to go in for surgery while at the same time keeping a check on their diet.

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While the gall bladder is a small organ, it can malfunction or cause problems, like other organs. A person can get gall bladder cancer or other diseases, but the commonest problem is that of gall stones, which many people get.

What are gall stones?

Gall stones are actually small or large stones which are made from cholesterol or bilirubin, both of which are present in the bile in the gall bladder. Sometimes the stones may be many small stones a few millimeters in size or grainy like sand. At other times there may be just one or more large stones.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Very often gall stones do not cause any symptom, particularly if they are small. However, if you have pain around the area of liver on the right side of the upper abdomen, the pain radiates into the back or arm, or you have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, an occasional choking sensation in the throat or esophagus, bringing up bile in your vomit, you need to get yourself checked for gall stones.

A simple non-invasive test, the ultrasound of the abdomen, will reveal the presence or absence of gall stones. Once you have a diagnosis, the doctor will tell you the treatment options.

Treatment

If you have small, asymptomatic gall stones, you probably don’t need to do anything – people live with gall stones for years. However, if you have a large gall stone, your doctor will advise surgery.

There are gall bladder flushes and other home treatments available, and while people do say that they have been successful in removing gall stones without surgery, there have been no scientific studies to back this claim. And if you do have small stones and the flush tries to ‘flush’ it, a stone can very well get lodged somewhere and cause a lot more problems.

There is also extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) which is sometimes combined with oral medicine to dissolve the stones which are then passed out by the body. However, this is used only if for some reason or the other the patient is not a candidate for surgery.

The gall bladder is removed through laparoscopic or keyhole surgery under sedation, where three small cuts are made and the organ is removed. This can be done on an outpatient basis or the patient may be kept in hospital overnight.  If there are too many adhesions present, the surgeon may have to make a bigger incision in the abdomen to safely remove the gall bladder. This will mean a longer stay in hospital and a slightly longer recovery time.

Complications

As with all kinds of surgery there may be complication related to the surgery. There may be leakage of bile, post-cholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) is possible, and then there may be bleeding, infection or injury to the intestine or pancreas during the operation.

Some people may face a problem eating normal meals and digesting fatty foods. They may also suffer from nausea and vomiting. Prior to surgery, it is important to rule out any other digestive disorder like GERD, Crohn’s Disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is also a good idea not to eat too much of fatty foods or drink too much alcohol.

If you have one or many large stones, the stones can get lodged in the pancreas, the bile duct or the neck of the gall bladder it can result in extreme pain, jaundice, pancreastitis and a trip to the hospital for emergency surgery.

Other Resource:

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/114.html

http://www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderdisease.shtml

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Sara Story is not just another interior designer – she is the creator of Sara Story Design which seeks to project her vision in the world of interior design. She was born in Japan and has traveled extensively all over the world which has influenced her designs a great deal.

When she was very young, she remembers driving her mother crazy with her design ideas – one time, she ripped off the carpet of her room to expose the concrete floor underneath.

She completed a degree in psychology from Texas and then moved to San Francisco. She worked for an architectural firm and a toy manufacturer and then left to study further. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of San Diego, and received a degree in Interior Architecture at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.

She worked for Victoria Hagan and then handled her first project on her own, merging two apartments which had been completed gutted – the completed project was featured in Interior Design and she has not looked back since then.

http://www.sarastorydesign.com/bio.html

http://www.1stdibs.com/articles/style_compass/sara_story/index.php

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Lactose intolerance basically refers to a disorder which many people suffer from where they cannot have many milk or dairy products. There is a large percentage of population which has this disorder. Fortunately in advanced countries there are enough products available for those are lactose intolerant and all the dietary information is available on the labels of foods.

What is lactose intolerance?

Lactose intolerance occurs when the body lacks lactase which helps in the digesting on milk and milk products. It may not produce lactase at all or it may produce less lactase and cannot digest the milk sugar (lactose).

Sometimes babies are born with the inability to digest milk. Sometimes people develop lactose intolerance as they grow older. Sometimes this may happen in childhood and other times it may happen in adults.

The types of lactose intolerance

Basically lactose intolerance is only of one type, but there are some people who can digest certain types of dairy while can tolerate no dairy altogether. However, there is a lactose allergy which can be mistaken for lactose intolerance – a person who is allergic can even die if he or she has any product with dairy.

And then there are people who are allergic only to particular types or quantities of dairy products. There are people who can tolerate yoghurt for instance. Or who can have butter, but not a glass of milk. Some people can have goat’s milk and cheese made from that milk, like feta or aged cheeses which have less lactase, but this depends on the individual’s ability to digest the dairy without any problem. Basically a person who is lactose intolerant will just have to experiment and see.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Symptoms of lactose intolerance are nausea, cramps, bloating, gas and diarrhea, which can begin a short time after having any dairy. Of course these symptoms can occur due to other conditions (like GERD) or digestive disorders, but if you notice that every time you have some dairy you are having these symptoms but not otherwise, you can conclude that you are lactose intolerant.

Your doctor will ask you to get some investigations done to diagnose lactose intolerance. These tests may include the lactose tolerance test, the hydrogen breath test and the stool acidity test. Once your diagnosis confirmed the doctor will tell which foods to avoid and which you can safely have.

Treatment

There are two kinds of treatment for this. One is dietary restriction. There are some foods you should avoid and these include:

1. butter and most margarines (contain whey, casein, or lactose)
2. chip dip
3. baked items, including bread, doughnuts and muffins which may contain milk or butter
4. cream sauces
5. cheese in all forms
6. ice cream and some gelato and sherbet
7. most chocolate (read the list of ingredients, you just may get diary free chocolate)
8. whey protein powder
9. non-dairy coffee creamer (casein)
10. some mayonnaises, mustards, and other condiments
11. canned chicken broth often contains whey, so things with chicken broth should be avoided by those with allergy (canned tuna, for example)
12. instant potatoes, soups and breakfast drinks
13. lunch meats (other than kosher)
14. candies and other snacks
15. mixes for pancakes, biscuits, cookies, etc.
16. processed breakfast cereals
17. curries (may contain yoghurt, milk or whey)
18. mixes for pancakes, biscuits, cookies

You can have other foods and you can also get lactose reduced milk and have it if you can tolerate it. Or you have to switch to non-dairy milk like soy milk and even dairy free ice cream. Alternatively if you cannot avoid all milk products you can have a tablet like LactAid or Lactase or you can get in a liquid to help you digest the dairy products that you have ingested.

Complications

The complications of being lactose intolerant are that you will not be able to get a sufficient amount of calcium in your diet, so you may be at increased risk for osteoporosis, malnutrition and weight loss. Talk to your doctor about taking a suitable calcium supplement.

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An interior decorator uses his or her creative abilities, sense of style and aesthetics to make a house look better, maximize the use of space and usually remove clutter. He or she works with many people, contractors, builders, carpenter, and painters, suppliers of upholstery and curtains, lighting fixtures, furniture and accessories to help bring out the personality of the owner in the house.

The Work

The work requires extreme creativity, use of imagination and visualization. Interior decorators usually work on project to project basis and often work on a consultancy basis, but there are large interior decorating firms which usually get big jobs and may specialize in homes, offices, hotels, restaurants, spas, resorts, hospitals or other places.

You have to have a sense of color, aesthetics as well as space, because something which looks good in a shop, may not look good in the home or place you are designing. You have to be able to coordinate looks, styles, colors of wall paints or wall papers, curtains, upholstery. And you must have an adequate knowledge of period and modern ‘looks’ and furniture.

Personal qualities

Apart from having a good imagination and being creative, you also need organizational skills and people skills to direct and work with various suppliers on the one hand and please your clients on the other. You should also be able to network and do a fair bit of public relations to get more work.

Academic qualifications

You don’t need any specific qualifications to become an interior decorator. However, if you have taken subject like business studies, accounts, finance, public relations and art in school or some vocational course in interior decoration, it will help you a great deal initially.

There are also short courses in interior decoration which are available at private institutions and also online. If you are keen on studying there are four degree courses in various universities and community colleges also available.

Jobs and prospects

Jobs are available as assistants to established interior decorators, in interior decorating firms and other companies which may employ an interior decorator full time. This gives a good grounding to freshers and novices and a few years’ work experience will help you build your portfolio and branch out on your own when you have developed enough confidence in your abilities.  Once you have experience you can even teach and work with interior decoration magazines full-time or part-time. You can also work in furniture stores and high end service apartments to ‘design’ rooms or even whole houses for sale.

While an office helps, this is work you can even do from home. However, when you take on a project, you have to see it through from start to finish. So it is hard work. Prospects in this line of work are very good, considering how many television channels now feature interior decorating shows.

Earnings

The average interior decorator earns $48,000 per year, but this is an average figure. You may start out with as little at $20,000 a year. Those who have their own clients can make a lot more depending on how much work they do annually. The top interior decorators can virtually name their own price.

Some interior decorators also make a commission on sales if they tie up with various contractors, furniture suppliers, painters, and even artistic painters and antique furniture suppliers. If you start your work from home, you don’t even need a great deal of investment apart from advertising, transport and phone expenses.

Other Resource:

http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol112/interior.htm

http://www.interiordezine.com/index.cfm/Products/interior_decorating_ecourse

http://www.interior-decorating-schools.com/

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Zoe Bastion is an assistant content producer with BBC and says that she has been lactose intolerant for most of her life. When she looks back, she remembers that every time she used to have cheese she would she would feel gassy and when she used to have milk, she used to get a cough.

When she would eat dairy, she would invariably get diarrhea, but she was finally diagnosed when she was 26. She says that it took her over a year to give up dairy. As she is vegetarian, her normal food comprised cheese, milk, potatoes and bananas and bread, Even now if she eat a pizza, she suffers from stomach cramps and diarrhea.

She went to a nutritionist to get a healthy, lactose free diet. ‘I have been eating a healthy, balanced diet ever since. I eat lots of beans, pulses, tofu, vegetables, fruit, Marmite and soya milk, which is enriched with calcium and B12. I’m a good cook because I’ve had to experiment so I don’t get bored with my food,’ she says. As most places in London cater to vegans and vegetarians it is not difficult for her to eat out and she indulges in Thai,

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Paula Corrigan is a company manager working in Cumbria. One day, while at work, she was holding a heavy box and turned – immediately she felt a shooting pain from her hip to leg. It was so bad that she had to be off work for a few days. She rested and felt better, but then on and off the pain would flare up.

Her doctor recommended pain killers and physiotherapy, but she did not feel better after all these treatments. Finally she was diagnosed with a slipped disc pressing on her sciatic nerve which was causing so much pain. She was referred to Christopher Gerber, a consultant neurosurgeon at Newcastle General Hospital, who advised her to go in for surgery.

She underwent the microdisketomy and had two large fragments the size of a squashed pea removed from her disk. She is now feeling much better and can walk normally, without the help of a walking stick or a limp.

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