Adam.Selene@f269.n107.z1.fidonet.org (Adam Selene) (11/10/89)
Amanda Blake, the talented actress who played "Miss Kitty" opposite James Arness' "Matt Dillon" in GUNSMOKE died on August 16th after a long battle with throat cancer ... according to the press releases. + + + Her physician, Dr. Lou Nishimura of Sacramento has released the information that Ms. Blake actually died of CMV Hepatitis ... or, to be exact: of cardiopulmenary arrest due to liver failure due to CMV hepatitis. Acquired Immune Defficiency Syndrome and Cancer were listed on her death certificate as contributing to her death. + + + So, what do we learn from this ? Well, there's the obvious lession that even the "liberal" Hollywood community feels the stigma of death-by-AIDS ... + + But more importantly: Ms. Blake's death was directly linked to the cytomegalo virus ... as was that of my friend "Dan" ... as are many others both diagnosed as CMV related ailments, and those reported simply as "neuropathy, pneumonia, or organ failure" -- assumed to be caused by HIV. + + Not to get into the rather esoteric debate about the immunosupressive characteristics of CMV ... the central issue is that CMV is associated with a retinitis ... a cause of visual handicap or blindness among PWAs. The approved treatment (which is ONLY approved for the RETINITIS, by the way) is DHPG infusion. The drug has some unfortunate side-effects, including testicular atrophy ( any connection there to the "giving up" pattern noted among late-state PWAs) ... cannot be taken in conjunction with AZT (which is thought of as the 'life-saving drug' of the two) ... and to all intents and purposes requires the surgical installation of a Hickman catheter or a Mediport (tm) to facilitate the daily DHPG injections. + + The ax I'm grinding is this: we need more research into diagnosis and treatment of CMV-related disorders ... Control of CMV may turn out to be as essential to AIDS managment as control of PCP has been. + We also need to determine if the retinitis is an early or late-stage symptom of CMV infection ... and if late-stage ... intiate what treatments we DO have at this point far earlier than is offically permitted. + + Any comments from viroligists with clinical experience with CMV ?? -- Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!stjhmc!107!269!Adam.Selene Internet: Adam.Selene@f269.n107.z1.fidonet.org
Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org (Wounded Bird) (11/12/89)
After 19 daily iv's of Pentamadine and about 7 consecutive days of horrible nausea, vomiting and a change to my sense of taste which made any food unpalatable, I gave up. I refused to take anymore medicine. It made me so sick and the antinausea pills just doped me up so much that my quality of life was unbearable. I truly didn't care at that point if I died or not. Fortunately I got better with no more iv pentam although the trauma caused permanent insulin dependance (Diabetes). The problem is that *most* of the medications necessary to treat diseases common to PWA's are themselves horribly toxic. We each make the decision as to whether we *desire* to live under those circumstances. I never really understood that untill I experienced it. CMV is certainly one of the most common infections after pcp. It can attack the body in numerous places. My doctor warned me of a current trend of CMV colitis. Now that pcp is not killing us on the first attack are we living only to realize other diseases which are not as gentle in their death process? Is treating the resultant symptoms/diseases of AIDS with no hope for prevention of "the next" illness really so important? At what stage of what disease will I again say, "Enough is enough." ? My insurance coverage ends in five years if I am able to lick postage stamps. I am thankful I might have five years. Who is going to hire me if I am alive then? How could I possibly earn enough to pay for all the medical expenses? Do you see that the myth of AIDS maintenance is only for those who do not have it ? Who can possibly afford to maintain it? -- Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!stjhmc!135!38!Wounded.Bird Internet: Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org