Selma Harrison Calmes MD, Retired Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine INTRODUCTION: This talk * will briefly review the process of anesthesia care, current anesthesia practice, and how these might relate to post-polio syndrome (PPS) patients having surgery. The goal is to make clear that proper preop planning allows post-polio patients to have surgery and anesthesia with a …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
Share your solution:
News about people who have made significant contributions to the disability community.
Share your story:
Tests for Breathing Problems If You Have a Neuromuscular Condition
Reviewed by Nicholas S. Hill, MD, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts If you have a neuromuscular condition such as post-polio syndrome, ALS, or Duchenne muscular dystrophy, you may not realize that your breathing muscles are weak and can become weaker. You may have difficulty breathing in deeply enough to fully expand your lungs or coughing strongly enough to clear …
Options When a Post-Polio Clinic Is Not an Option
Carol Vandenakker, MD Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation University of California, Davis, Health System Sacramento, California Presented at PHI’s 9th International Conference: Strategies for Living Well (June 2005) A. You must start with a good primary care physician. 1. Keys to finding a good doctor: a. Look for a physician you trust and can communicate with. b. Identify the best hospitals …
“Taping” for Shoulder Pain
From the series, Polio Survivors Ask, by Nancy Baldwin Carter, B.A, M.Ed.Psych, from Omaha, Nebraska, is a polio survivor, a writer, and is founder and former director of Nebraska Polio Survivors Association. Q: I have a significant pain problem in my shoulder and I’ve heard about a special taping technique used by athletes. What’s the deal? Could it help me? A: Kinesio® Taping …
Traveling Clinic and Mini Educational Meeting (Colorado)
Margaret Hinman and Marny Eulberg, MD, explain the Grand Junction, Colorado, Traveling Clinic and Mini Educational Meeting held September 2104. Planning and Publicity The target population for the travelling clinic was the polio survivors in the Grand Junction area. Potential patients were identified through the Colorado Post-Polio Connections mailing list and from a list of previous support group members in …
A Better Life
Nancy Baldwin Carter, BA, M Ed Psych, Omaha, Nebraska, is a polio survivor, a writer, and is founder and former director of Nebraska Polio Survivors Association. It’s time we got this straight: palliative care is not the same as hospice. As Karen Rafinski put it in June’s AARP Bulletin, “Palliative care is about making the most of life with a …
Shingles Vaccine Experience among the Survivors of Polio (2013)
Frederick M. Maynard, Chair, PHI Medical Advisory Committee, Marquette, Michigan Members of PHI concerned that polio survivors might have abnormalities of the immune system questioned if taking the vaccine would either increase the risk of complications or make them less effective. In early 2013 PHI distributed a six question survey through its PHI Membership Memo, website (post-polio.org) and Facebook. The PHI …
Post-Polio Medical Care: Post-Polio Specialists and Primary Care Physicians
Joan L. Headley, Executive Director, Post-Polio Health International Post-Polio Health International created a survey asking polio survivors about their post-polio medical care. The survey, Post-Polio Medical Care: Post-Polio Specialists and Primary Care Physicians, was posted online and a version was also published in Post-Polio Health (Volume 30, Number 2). Data was gathered from 632 people; 496 completed the survey online and 136 copies …
Pain and the Pain Patch
Frederick Maynard, MD, retired physiatrist Pain control in people with postpolio problems is highly individualized because there is no one source of pain. I would NOT endorse the use of a Duragesic patch (fentanyl transdermal system) for long-existing pain in a person with PPS because I think it is a “dead end” in regard to long lasting relief from pain. …
Swallowing Difficulty and the Late Effects of Polio
Barbara C. Sonies, PhD, CCC, BRS-S, College Park, Maryland A major polio epidemic in the mid-20th century left many survivors with a wide variety of physical limitations including problems swallowing foods. Many persons with swallowing problems also had original bulbar signs of polio including difficulty breathing, clearing the throat, speaking and singing. Some persons however, had no overt signs of …