Athena

We think of external microbes as our worst enemy during an outbreak of influenza or bronchitis but our own immune system is potentially more lethal. When our body detects foreign microorganisms indicating an infection, our body might respond by over-protecting the site of infection. The body may race so many antibodies to the infection site that they collect in a cytokine storm. When the infection is in the lungs, for example, a cytokine storm can potentially block airways and result in suffocation. Medical researchers have identified the causes and stages of the cytokine storm and are working on treatments to weaken an overactive immune response.

For reasons not completely known, too many immune cells can be sent to the infection site. This happens when a particular type of molecule in the body, known as cytokines, activate the immune cells at the infection site and cause more immune cells to flood the site of infection. This propagates what is referred to as a cytokine storm where far too many immune cells are caught in an endless loop of calling more and more immune cells to fight the infection. The cytokine storm ends up inflaming the tissue surrounding the infection

Let’s hope the current research being done with controlling an overactive immune response will be in time for the upcoming flu season. In Athena’s case, her body’s reaction to H1N1 and it’s effort to protect her almost killed her. Unfortunately her immune system was firing blanks trying to fight the virus.

Athena’s chest x-ray when she arrived at Harborview. The white cloudy area shows the extent of the storm.

Normal chest x-ray of a healthy person.

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Athena will be leaving for Providence in-patient physical rehab tomorrow (Wed. July 28th) at 10 am. I will post a new direct address for Athena on the contact page in the next day or so.

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This is a recent picture of Madison (Athena & Robert’s daughter) posing with her bullseye strike when she spent the day/night at a 4H event.

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I will try to update Athena’s blog when I can. I’m in critical financial shape at the moment and must spend all my time trying to find a way to turn this around. I’m confident that if I can just have a couple weeks of breathing room to work around the clock, I can prevent this spiral effect towards being homeless from happening. If you can help out with a donation of any amount and become a sponsor of Athena’s recovery, it will allow me to be there for her while she is in acute care.

Thanks for all the support and prayers for Athena. Without all of you, Athena may not have been able to get through this nightmare.

Update:

Athena is going to be visiting Harborview this upcoming week to close her stoma by a ENT surgeon. The speech team at Regional thinks this will help Athena to start speaking in sentences.

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Athena was decannulated this afternoon and is on her own. She is doing great saturating (99%) and starting to say words. Athena has much more motor control with her arms and hands and able to touch her own face. Her strength has increase as well. In the next few days the care team will introduce Athena to ice chips and drinking with a straw. I have been working with Athena over the last 4 months with keeping her swallowing skills intact and protecting her airway. It seems to have paid off now she is breathing through her mouth and nose again.

I feel strongly that Athena’s ability to communicate will help dramatically with her recovery process. No more guessing what the grimacing, foul looks and silent crying means.

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Athena is now off the ventilator and breathing through her trach. Her trach is connected via a hose to a humidifier/heater and supplements the O2 level to 30%. The air passes over her trach and exits shortly thereafter. The RT tech explained it like breathing with your head out of a car window going 5 miles an hour. This is close to breathing through her mouth and nose till the trach is removed this week. It was great to see Athena breathing on her own again and the vent on standby mode.

I brought Athena some flowers (was told this works with crying women) and it put a smile on her face. Madison talked to Athena and told her what is going on in her life. It won’t be long before Madison will hear her moms voice again after 6 months of silence.

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Athena transferred to the Regional Hospital acute care center this morning. I will miss all the incredible people at Harborview Medical Center that pulled together to save Athena’s life. The saving Athena project turned out to be as challenging as saving the world from alien invaders. When Athena arrived at Harborview, there was little information on treating H1N1 and what modalities would work. Athena was one of the first to try permaivir (an experimental anti-viral from BioCryst) when there were no other options to stop H1N1 at this severity level. I’m so proud of Athena for not giving up and showing the world that there is hope when fighting for your life with H1N1/ARDS in a ICU.

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I just got the word that Athena will be leaving the Harborview ICU at 9 am tomorrow to go to Regional Hospital. I ‘ll post an update tomorrow after I get home.

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Responding to a request from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved emergency use of the experimental intravenous antiviral drug peramivir to treat hospitalized patients with pandemic H1N1 influenza.

Tamiflu, the primary drug used to treat swine flu, is given orally, and Relenza, also used, is given as a nasal spray. Some experiments have been conducted with an intravenous form of Relenza and it has been credited with saving at least one swine flu patient’s life, but it is considered more experimental than peramivir.

The problem with existing drugs is that some people have difficulties tolerating the oral Tamiflu and that the nasal spray Relenza may not get deep enough into the lungs to reach the swine flu virus when it causes viral pneumonia. The emergency use authorization says peramivir can be used when other drugs have failed or when delivery by a route other than intravenous is not expected to be feasible.

Peramivir, manufactured by BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc., is still in Phase 2 clinical trials. Known side effects include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and decreases in white blood cell count, all of which stop when its use is halted. It has not been tested in pregnant women.

Los Angeles Times

Press Release

Final HCP Fact sheet Peramivir IV CDC

Peramivir IV Questions and Answers for Health Care Providers

Requesting Peramivir IV Under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)

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