Fostering Independence
The essay in Speak Up ("Letting Go," October/November 2017) was very familiar. I too have a 19-year-old with epilepsy. Our daughter was diagnosed at about 7 years old. She's now a college student, and she's fiercely driven and independent. This summer, when she announced she'd be getting a job to earn college trip money, I thought, "How?" But she did it. She applied, interviewed, and took taxis to her shifts at a dog kennel. It reassured me that I can back off and let her live her life. She has a vagus nerve stimulator and takes medication, and she surrounds herself with great people and will not accept defeat. - Karmen Del Pinto, Long Beach, CA
Disaster-ready
Thank you for your editorial about preparing for a disaster ("Contingency Plans," October/November 2017). It reminds people to plan ahead and to have stores of food, water, and medicine. I recently asked my primary care doctor to write a prescription for medication I can keep on hand during an emergency. I live on a series of waterways, and if the bridges are impassable during an earthquake or other natural disaster, I would not have access to medication for at least three months. That could be life-threatening. My primary care physician said he could not write a prescription, and no government agency in our area will discuss the [potential] problem [of a lack of medication] for fear of causing a panic. - Lyn Wessman, Tulalip, WA
THE EDITOR RESPONDS: Thank you for your letter. You are smart to try to plan ahead, especially in ensuring you have enough prescription medication. The laws regarding advanced supplies of medication differ from state to state, however. In Washington, for example, doctors can only prescribe a 72-hour emergency supply, according to Healthcare Ready, an organization dedicated to health care preparedness during an emergency. Only eight states allow a 30-day emergency supply. Until the laws change, you can protect your health by keeping a list of the drugs you take, including the name, dosage, and how often you take it. If disaster strikes, be sure to take your drugs with you.
Plan Ahead
Thank you for providing such a superb article on backup plans for caregivers ("Backup Plans," October/November 2017). I have worked with family caregivers as a social worker and support group facilitator and also as a hands-on caregiver for my parents. It is critical for families not only to have the difficult discussions this article describes, but also to execute the documents and gather all the pertinent information well before a crisis occurs. I hope caregivers will follow the advice and get their ducks in a row. - Nancy Allan, Virginia Beach, VA
Inflammation Info
After a bout with pneumonia, I developed some unusual neurologic symptoms. Every time I changed position-from sitting to standing, for example-I developed numbness in my legs and feet and couldn't walk. This lasted several seconds, but it occurred more than 300 times a day. I consulted with several neurologists, but no one was able to come up with a diagnosis. Eventually, blood tests revealed I had an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, an indication of inflammation) of 78 (normal is one through 20). I was eventually diagnosed with inflammatory neuropathy. Since inflammation seems to be at the root of many major diseases, I hope more doctors investigate patients' ESR. It could be the answer to otherwise unexplained symptoms. - Lee Simonson, Lewiston, NY
Corrections
Stacy Barton, chief of staff for Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) in Washington, DC, profiled in "Juggling on the Hill" (October/November 2017), takes alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) to manage her multiple sclerosis, not dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera). In addition, the MS researcher she spoke with was the father of a previous boss' press secretary, not Congressman Chabot's press secretary.
Amy L. Cornell, author of the essay, "Letting Go" (October/November 2017), lives in Bloomington, IN, not Bloomington, ID.
We apologize for these errors.
