The many faces of suction

It's been awhile since my last blog entry but here goes. Personally I need my chest/lungs suctioned out everyday as and when needed. 12 years ago as a result of the ravages of DMD I lost the ability to adequately cough away any mucus from out of my lungs. Consequently I had a mini tracheotomy fitted to allow suction catheters to be introduced into my trachea to remove any excess mucus. If this were not done I would surely choke and well you know the rest.
That doesn't mean there's no humour involved as there have been a few funny experiences. Like when Mom gets all prepared with sterile glove only to find no catheter attached to the suction machine! Another aspect is that no 2 people suction me out in the same way which takes some getting used too. Mom is the best at doing it with very fast swift movements to clear my chest out, my Dad uses slower movements and goes further down the trachea. Going back to humour one my elder sisters always makes me laugh by calling my secretions "phlegmbouyant" and describing a horse race as she does it!

Find out more about suction and secretions in my book DMD Life and art!


EBOOK available here; https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69702

Available on Amazon USA here; http://www.amazon.com/DMD-Life-Art-Ian-Griffiths/dp/1907652337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288120811&sr=8-1

Available on Amazon UK here; http://www.amazon.co.uk/DMD-LIFE-ART-AND-ME/dp/1907652337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288105302&sr=8-1

My new Ebook Poetic Diversions available to buy here; https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/206857

All links available in my website here; http://duchennemen.net16.net/Buy-my-books/

My art can be viewed here; www.artwanted.com/thebigG2005


Foreword

I’m Ian Griffiths from South Wales. This book is a story of my life so far up to the age of twenty five years. I live with and suffer from the ill effects of DMD which stands for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is a severe muscle wasting disease and a life limiting terminal illness. It won’t kill you in six months in the traditional sense of ‘terminal’, but it’s far crueller than that, it steals every muscle in your body first and then kills you, anywhere up to the age of thirty. There have been cases of men living past that into their forties and fifties but only with drastic interventions such as ventilators and tracheotomies, more on this can be found by reading on.
I hope to cover a few things in this book, from a history of my childhood years to a more detailed history from sixteen years onwards and finally onto my current problems and triumphs. At times things I write may make you smile or may make you pause and think about the seriousness of life with this devastating disease. I really hope there will be a cure but currently for us supposedly ‘older’ guys with DMD (over twenty one), there seems very little hope. If I don’t see a cure in my lifetime, I hope my campaigning helps in some way bring it about for future generations, so another child won’t have to see their body wither and die before their time 

Things I notice

When I wake up I have no idea what the time is. I've tried electronic clocks but they break often and annoy with their bright lights so they went out lol. I have analogue clocks on my wall but my shortsightedness prevents me from seeing them properly. If conditions are right (if enough light flows in, if I squint and lay in the right place) I can just about make them out. This has led to some funny things happening! Often I call my mother with my environmental control at just the wrong time, the poor thing has missed many cups of tea, been on the phone, been using the facilities or collecting the shopping. My unusual "alarm clock" called my bladder woke me up this morning about an hour earlier than normal so I was very confused to see the time!

It's often the tiny things that you wouldn't necessarily think even relate to DMD that can be vital or very helpful to your life. Again the textbooks are very sparse on this kind of thing. Someone should write a better one ;)

Well you could read DMD LIFE ART & ME to find out more, while not a fully definitive textbook it certainly puts some flesh upon those bones!


EBOOK available here; https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69702

Available on Amazon USA here; http://www.amazon.com/DMD-Life-Art-Ian-Griffiths/dp/1907652337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288120811&sr=8-1

Available on Amazon UK here; http://www.amazon.co.uk/DMD-LIFE-ART-AND-ME/dp/1907652337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288105302&sr=8-1

My new Ebook Poetic Diversions available to buy here; https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/206857

All links available in my website here; http://duchennemen.net16.net/Buy-my-books/

My art can be viewed here; www.artwanted.com/thebigG2005


Foreword

I’m Ian Griffiths from South Wales. This book is a story of my life so far up to the age of twenty five years. I live with and suffer from the ill effects of DMD which stands for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is a severe muscle wasting disease and a life limiting terminal illness. It won’t kill you in six months in the traditional sense of ‘terminal’, but it’s far crueller than that, it steals every muscle in your body first and then kills you, anywhere up to the age of thirty. There have been cases of men living past that into their forties and fifties but only with drastic interventions such as ventilators and tracheotomies, more on this can be found by reading on.
I hope to cover a few things in this book, from a history of my childhood years to a more detailed history from sixteen years onwards and finally onto my current problems and triumphs. At times things I write may make you smile or may make you pause and think about the seriousness of life with this devastating disease. I really hope there will be a cure but currently for us supposedly ‘older’ guys with DMD (over twenty one), there seems very little hope. If I don’t see a cure in my lifetime, I hope my campaigning helps in some way bring it about for future generations, so another child won’t have to see their body wither and die before their time

Humour in unexpected places

Don't forget my FANTASTIC FREE e-book offer is still on!!!! 12 days LEFT!!!!

During my second stay in ICU I was in severe danger yet again. I had to be rushed to the hospital one cool autumn evening gasping for breath and feeling distressed. I eventually had to go back onto a ventilator and have yet another mini tracheotomy inserted. I quickly recovered because I had made the right decision to get checked out at the hospital at just the right time.

As my recovery progressed my sense of humour certainly returned! Also I showed that I do indeed have expensive tastes!

Extract;
...One comical incident happened when he described a drug called Domperidone but I thought he said Don Perignon the Champagne! He [the doctor] was in fits of laughter and liked my expensive tastes, we all laughed at that...

It just goes to show that even in the midst of extreme trials there's always something to smile about.

Read more of my champagne moments in my book DMD LIFE ART & ME!!

Please visit here to buy my paperback version; http://duchennemen.net16.net/Buy-my-book-s/

Don't forget my FREE e-book offer!!!!! For one month only until the 26th of May my e-book version of DMD LIFE ART & ME is FREE, you can get your FREE version here; https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69702

Only 12 days left!!!!!