Biopsy

I finally have scheduled my muscle biopsy.

Here is the background:

My maternal grandfather passed away over 30 years ago unexpectantly while in the recovery room following routine surgery. After some investigating it was determined he had a disorder known as Malignant Hyperthermia, which is basically a deadly allergic reaction to anesthetic.

This condition is hereditary and we were all tested as kids almost 20 years ago. The initial test is a standard blood test, and the results showed that Mom and Jum were positive, Jase and I were negative. However, it is possible to carry a false negative. The only true way to test is to have a muscle biopsy done at an approved hospital with the proper testing instruments.

Thus, Jase and I are having these tests done at Wake Forest Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. We want to know for sure so we can proceed accordingly for our girls, and future children. Amazingly, none of us have ever needed surgery, and thankfully they have actually developed a safe anesthetic to use if they are made aware of the condition in advance.

So they will be taking a 3 inch cut of muscle from my left thigh and testing it, and will be able to give me the results within an hour after the procedure.

One bummer in all this is that we cannot have it done at the same time, so we must go separately.

Please keep our families in your prayers as we prepare to work thru this process.

Peace out

WebMD describes it as follows:

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder in which affected individuals are susceptible to adverse reactions to certain anesthetic drugs.

The characteristics of a malignant hyperthermia episode are variable and include muscle rigidity, high blood pressure, increased levels of carbon monoxide in blood or exhaled gas, rapid irregular heart rate, rapid deep breathing, blue skin, acidity of the blood and muscle damage. Body temperature can rise rapidly, but sometimes only occurs late in an episode.

When an episode is not recognized and treated, internal bleeding, brain damage, skeletal muscle degeneration (rhabdomyolysis), and kidney and heart failure can result.