Diagnosis to Recovery
When we started out to develop our CSS patient advocacy site, it struck me that I might be in a unique position to help communicate important ideas and issues to other people about this little known disease. My focus with these series of articles is to talk about many of the things that can occur along the way after the diagnosis of Churg Strauss Syndrome, creating stumbling blocks in getting back to "healthy" again.
First a little bit about me. I am a fifty one year old female physician, board certified in Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine is the diagnosis and treatment of adult medical problems and diseases). I have been in practice for about twenty years. Eleven years ago I developed something called Samter's Triad or Triad Asthma. Samter's Triad involves the triad of nasal polyps, aspirin hypersensitivity and asthma. While this doesn't sound all that serious, I subsequently developed explosive sinusitis requiring multiple surgeries, intravenous antibiotics and extensive medical therapy and ultimately a very reduced quality of life. I suspect this first diagnosis delayed the diagnosis of CSS, which was not made until the spring of 2002. I then developed extensive medical problems, especially respiratory and neurological and due to this am currently unable to maintain a practice.
Despite all of the things that have occurred I felt I had a golden opportunity to help others with this disease. I have always had an excellent ability to translate "doctor speak" into patient language and I intend to use this skill in this forum.
I envision the "path" from diagnosis of Churg Strauss Syndrome to a return to health as a fairly straight road with many side roads and wrong turns that lead away from the destination that you want to travel. These wrong paths and side roads can many times be prevented, treated or avoided entirely. Addressing many of the side effects of medication used to treat this disease can help get the patient back to health more quickly.
Peripheral Neuropathy by Dr. Phyllis Cullen
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