Need advice on blood tests

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone. My 21 year old son has MERRF. In April he spent 15

days in the hospital with complications from pneumonia (the docs at

Hershey Med think he may have aspirated after a seizure). He had a

pleural effusion and required a chest tube and a drain in his back.

He was on morphine for the pain, IV antiobiotics for the 15 days and

for 3 weeks at home. Needless to say, this ordeal has been terribly

taxing on his body. He's been out of the hospital for about a month

and although the lung problems have cleared his other mito symptoms

have been terrible. His myclonus has been so bad he can barely eat on

his own, his legs are like cooked spaghetti and his whole body shakes

when trying to sit or stand (he also lost more hearing). We see the

neuro on Tuesday and I am going to ask him to order some rehab to get

some muscle strength back but I would also like him to do some blood

work.

All of you have so much knowledge regarding mito and I was wondering

what blood levels would you think he should have tested. I think

lactic acid but have no clue otherwise. Walter's never been this

sick. I'm sure the neuro will consult with the MDA doc at Hershey but

I'd like some advice from this group also. Thanks.

Kim in Pennsylvania