| What's wrong with CR |
[Oct. 4th, 2007|09:42 am] |
The current theory by the pulmonologist , based on symptoms and scans, is that he is violently allergic to formaldehyde. I told him not to drink the stuff, but kids these days... and pressure treated lumber is very resistant to bugs, too. Okay, seriously, he was exposed to it at school in his new anatomy and physiology class. It was necessary for his vet tech certification, and now we're at a loss because, well, you can't be in any medical profession without formaldehyde.
CR has decided through all this he wants to be a chef. I think there was always this narrowing down of what he would be capable of in the veterinary field with his asthma. I mean, at our vet's office, two people have asthma, and one of them has like 10 cats and 5 dogs in her house (one of the "calamities" one usually faces working in a vet's office is ending up with a lot of spare animals, ask ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) anyarm). While CR excelled at his chosen profession, it looked like he would never get higher than a vet tech, which depressed him a little. This was sort of the final blow.
On top of all this, they think he got a raging sinus infection during his downtime, which may have led to sleep apnea, and possible acid reflux (which is a genetic issue on his mother's side). So he's on more meds, and will get a cat scan or MRI (I forget which) to check his sinuses because if he has the kind that they think he has, it requires a 45-90 day treatment of various stages of antibiotics. Makes me wonder if he needs a neti pot.
Anyway, that's the story so far. He went back to school again today, after being absent about 17 days out of 20. His school is trying to get him accommodated, and I want to thank Chantilly High for not being bastards about this whole thing. There are some people working there who have really been helpful, and while there are still some bureaucratic snags, we hope to have them resolved by the end of the second quarter so he can graduate in 2008. |
|
|
| Comments: |
Bummer on CR's respiratory problems. You don't actually need a neti pot for sinus irrigation, though-- if you can find a small (4-8 oz) squeeze bottle with an angular spout, that actually works a bit better because you can apply a bit of extra pressue if necessary. The key is to add the right amount of salt to the water to make an isotonic solution, or it'll sting like a mofo.
The good people at NeilMed make a whole mess of products for the discerning nose-flusher. I use the squeeze bottle thing every morning, and a second time in the evening when the tree pollen gets ridiculous in the spring. The best thing is that it helps rinse out post-nasal drip as well, which keeps sore throats at bay. The little packets of salt are the right amount to make an isotonic solution as well.
Damn, that sucks! Why doesn't shit like this happen to people who have no idea what they want to be when they grow up, instead of cutting off career paths for people who do?
Better now than in college, is what I told him.
OH, poor kid! What a sucky thing to have happen.
There's a lot of formaldehyde in plywood, too. If you buy and plywood or pressure-treated wood furniture, let it air out before putting it too near him.
Is there any kind of summer school he can do to make up some of that mess? Or is that just cruel?
Some day I will build my secret evil offshore cloning lab and give you both new lungs, darn it.
Lots of colleges opening culinary programs. It's a rapidly growing field it seems. We have a program that's got about 100 students in it.
I have a friend who has a small side business selling professional level cooking implements if CR needs knives and such. He's got some good off the consumer mainstream suggestions which he uses, and they not too expensive. He's chef at the Georgetown Four Seasons, and been slicing up anything food related for about 15 years now. | |
