Looking for answers!

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I have started reading your messages again and discovered non-happy

(very bad) news. We lost Graham in a very unfair way (justice please...

justice!). My prayers and good thoughts to and husband again.

As I wrote in a message some days ago, I lost my middle brother in April

2003 (thanks for your messages, I forwarded them to Argentina).

was not CF, at least not ill (may be carrier). We learned

about CF with my son, but my brother never tested him self. He was 25

y.o., excellent soccer player. This message is to ask you for some

help, some guidance of references where to look for appropriate

information.

My father is a physician dedicated to psychiatrics for 25 years. He was

with during his in Hospital treatment, and after day 6, he

presented an anaphylactic shock and passed away in few minutes. He

started with pneumonia two weeks before. A physician told him to go

home and stay in bed for one week. He gave him a generic drug. After

day 7 Ale felt better and walked from his bed to the kitchen to drink a

glass of water. Sent me an e-mail saying he was ok and could not

breathe when intended to go to the rest room. His friends called the

ambulance. After two hours, they came (remember it is Argentina, there

is no 911 and definitely much less appreciation for life...). When the

urgency doctor saw him, they put him in the ambulance and took him to

hospital.

It was then when my parents found out that, he was complicated, they

live in a province 12 hours away from Buenos Aires, Ale lived and worked

for a Senator in the National House of Representatives there (as the

bright young lawyer that he was). My father traveled that night and

found him under treatment in a Hospital's general room (a place where

there are several other people. About 50 or 60 beds). Near Ale was a

homeless man, my brother used to give this person his sheets at night

because he was cold. (My stupid/kind brother I think now... crying

again, sorry!)

After 3 days, they took a sample of mucus from lungs with a little

gadget that allows seeing inside of lungs as well. They found out that

he had tiny injures bleeding away. After this, they moved him to an

intensive-care room to monitor him better. My father told me that after

the second night, they gave him valium to calm down his pain. Ale

coughed a lot during nights and could rest well (during all six days).

This was difficult since he needed to breathe and rest to fight the

infection, and he could not make it.

After valium injection, Ale started to cough and had an attack. It

lasted only minutes.

At the beginning, my father thought it was a heart attach caused by the

excessive cough. Moreover, after researching on the symptoms and

thinking once and again on Ale's episode in comparison with regular

heart attacks (my dad is a physician, remember) he started thinking

about an anaphylactic shock.

Now the trial is on the way, and we are looking for some insights about

allergies, pneumonia, anaphylactic shocks and so and so forth. I

apologize for this e-mail. Remember, I am an MBA student, Bachelor in

Business, Spanish speaker, translating what my father told me several

times with cries in the middle (both of us). I clearly understand if

you just cannot do it.

Here are the questions. Feel free to refer me to any sources/people for

more information.

1. Can allergenic rhinitis be considered an allergy?

2. Should an allergenic person under pneumonia be treated only for

pneumonia ignoring the allergenic component?

3. Do an antibiotic block antihistaminic? My brother was receiving

only antibiotics since doctors said those would block the effect on

antihistaminic medication anyway. Is it the other way? Antihistaminic

block antibiotics?

4. My brother presented an anaphylactic reaction when he was put

under valium (we estimate). It was day number six on his treatment but

first time for valium. Is this possible?

5. Should a person under pneumonia be treated with analgesics?

What about anti-cough medication to reduce cough excess at night and

allow him to sleep and have a good rest to fight back a dangerous

infection?

6. If you have an allergenic patient with pneumonia, should the

patient be on a general room or in a special room to prevent other

pathogen agents?

7. Do you know any sources about quality conditions on

medical/nursing/intensive-care facilities? I am researching the WHO but

some shortcut would be much appreciated.

8. Do you know any study about biology and physiopathology of pain,

cough, and dysponea?

9. The following is very challenging (at least for me). Do you

know if a non-treated pneumonia can make toxic substance and affect

heart, and/or the central nervous system?

Thank you very much in advance.

Regards,

Lucas E. Wall

MBA Class 2004

College of and

Virginia - USA