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1/11/06 Fungus, Bugs, and Parasites From:
Rob Payne <rob@everydayisprecious.com>
Though Marcy and I keep spiritual faith top of mind, today there may be a glimmer of physical hope as well. Marcy is still battling infections. She is now on 2 IV antibiotics for a urinary tract infection. She stopped taking the IV Amphotericin (an anti-fungal medicine that we mentioned in our last update) after about 6 weeks - it didn't seem to be helping. We talked with Dr. Reid last night. He said the bacteria Marcy has now is very stubborn and is bad about mutating. Also, her lab numbers continue to get worse as Marcy contines being off Vfend, her oral antifungal. At the first of the year TennCare stopped providing prescription drugs and Medicare Part D became our drug insurance company - they don't allow Vfend or Marcy's growth hormone shots. We are trying to get that changed, but in the meantime, Marcy worsens. The Vfend is $1,100 a month. If Marcy was in the hospital, Medicare would cover it. Also, Dr. Reid has discovered that he was underdosing patients with the antiparasitic he was using and he said he never pushed the Amphotericin (IV antifungal) with Marcy. He said if we were in the hospital, we would try to kill the bacteria in the UTI and hit the fungus very hard and kill any parasites - all at the same time. In the hospital, Marcy could be monitored more closely. And this treatment could help. Dr. Reid said that fungal/mold mycotoxins often affect the central nervous system and that parasitic infection affects the muscles. ALS is a disconnect/dysfunction between the nerves and the muscles. While on the phone he looked at Marcy's CPK ( creatine phosphokinase, a muscle enzyme) levels back to 2000 - the year she was diagnosed. They have been very high off and on, with the highest level occuring in June of 2000 - she was diagnosed in August 2000. High levels of CPK can indicate parasitic infection. He said that it is possible the levels have dropped over time as the muscles have deteriorated and are less able to throw off CPK. May of 2000 is when Marcy opened the animal shelter and the time leading up to that was a most stressful time in her life. Parasites are always present in each of us, but usually don't cause problems unless there is some weakening of the immune system that allows them to damage the body. Stress definitely weakens the immune system. Parasites are also common in animals/pets and in 2000 Marcy was spending most of her time finding homes for unwanted animals, most of which needed medical attention when she was first exposed to them. An animal shelter also accepts donated pet foods - much of which is out of date or about to become out of date - and can be a breeding ground for mold. Today's news includes the Diamond Pet Food Company recall of tons of dog food with toxic mold contamination that is killing dogs with toxins from the fungus Aspergillus flavus. Dr. Reid has now given somewhat higher doses of antiparasitics to one of his other ALS patients and it has helped him regain some movement. All this, coupled with several people telling us recently that they have felt (and have been told in their prayer time) that Marcy's healing is going to come very soon, leads us to be excited, even though we have been excited before. Please pray with us that we can make arrangements at home, they will find a bed at the hospital for us, and that this one-two punch of high antifungal and high antiparasitic is how God will raise her up again. We are still blessed to be receiving dinners from friends but there are plenty of openings in January. I will post hospital stay dates on this calendar. As I write this, the plan is to fly Marcy's Dad (Dean) up from Florida and ask him to watch the kids for us, so dinners while we are in the hospital would be especially appreciated. We continue to thank God each and every day for your prayer and care. Love. Rob
& Marcy
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