Post-Polio Health, Volume 30, Number 2, Spring 2014. Ask Dr. Maynard Frederick M. Maynard, MD Question: I’m interested in finding out if polio survivors should or should not take beta blockers. I have atrial fibrillation and the doctors keep trying me on beta blockers and I have trouble taking them. Do they work for atrial fibrillation? Answer: Some polio survivors can tolerate, and …
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Facial Involvement and PPS
Post-Polio Health, (Volume 31, Number 3), Summer 2015 Question: What are the symptoms in patients with post-polio syndrome with facial involvement? I am a PT with facial nerve involvement due to polio. Response from Dr. Fred Maynard: Regarding facial nerve involvement after poliomyelitis: It is not common but also not rare. I have seen well over a dozen patients with significant one-sided facial …
Fell: Cracked Vertebra
Post-Polio Health, Volume 31, Number 4, Fall 2015 Question: I am 82 years old and have PPS. Two years ago I fell backward down the stairs and broke my C2 and C3 vertebrae. I still can’t turn my neck enough to drive myself. I get worn out doing nothing, and I am tired all the time. I had two chair …
Restless Legs and Polio; Muscles Tears and Polio
Post-Polio Health, Volume 31, Number 4, Fall 2015 Question: I had what was termed a “mild” case of polio in 1951 at age 7. Other than a barely noticeable curvature of the spine and temporary weakness in the neck, I had no ill effects and was back in full action within a couple months. I played sports throughout high school and …
More on the Mayo Clinic Study of Anesthesia in Post-Polio Patients
Selma H. Calmes, MD, anesthesiologist (retired), Olive View/UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, California A recent Post-Polio Health article reported on the first scientific study of polio patients having anesthesia for major surgery. (1) The study was done at the Mayo Clinic and compared each post-polio (PP) patient to two control patients of the same age with the same severity of preoperative illnesses and having similar …
Questions About Receiving The Polio Vaccine After Having Already Contracted Polio
Question I contracted polio as child age 12 from the live virus vaccine. Several years ago I was diagnosed with PPS. Later in the US Army age 19 I was given a polio vaccination. What would have happened to me? What would have the side effects been? Enhanced PPS? Are there any studies on this situation? Response Marny Eulberg, MD, …
What to do about a bursa?
In mid-August 2016, I bumped my right elbow on the bar of my wheelchair, and it hurt a lot for a few days. But it wasn’t till late September that I developed a bursa. The nurse practitioner at our doctor’s office drained it, but it filled back up. When I went there the following week she didn’t want to drain …
Anesthesia Specifics for PPS
Selma Calmes, MD, (ret) anesthesiologist 1. Post-polio patients are nearly always very sensitive to sedative meds, and emergence can be prolonged. This is probably due to central neuronal changes, especially in the Reticular Activating System, from the original disease. 2. Non-depolarizing muscle relaxants cause a greater degree of block for a longer period of time in post-polio patients. The current …
Health Professionals say: PPS-G14, Sequelae of Polio B91
In 2016, Post-Polio Health International (PHI) surveyed health professionals with experience in post-polio patient care. A PowerPoint of some of the data can be viewed at Survey of Health Professionals with Experience in Post-Polio Patient Care. Post-Polio Health, Volume 33, Number 3, (August, 2017) will feature an article about the results, too. One thought not discussed in either of the above …
Constipation in Polio Survivors
From my standpoint as a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the connection between constipation and post-polio syndrome is academic. i.e., it is an interesting discussion and may be important, but I am not sure it changes treatment. William M. DeMayo, MD Here are some practical thoughts. I would address the issue the same as a partial neurogenic bowel, i.e., in …