THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013 • THE BULLETIN
D3
MEDICINE How longdoes anaverage cough last? Overtwoweeks,expertssay Unrealistic expectations of how long a cough should last might be
that people expected their cough to
Acute cough illness, which is typi-
ease in six to nine days.Yet research contributing to inappropriate antibiotic pegs the averageduration of the cough at17.8 days. use, a newstudy suggests.
cally caused byviruses, is one of the most common reasons that patients seek care, the study says. Therewere
The study, published in the latest
The authors hypothesize that this
more than 3 million outpatient visits
edition of the Annals of Family Medi-
gap between expectations and reality
in 2006 in which the chief complaint
cine, looked at acute cough illness, ThihkStOCk
prompts people to go to the doctor commonly called a chest cold. It found and ask for antibiotics.
cough was 50 percent. Antibiotics are effective only on bacterial infections,
not viruses. The study calls for further educat-
ing physicians andthe general public about the viral nature of most chest colds.
was a cough. Yet the rate of antibiotic
— Heidi Hagemeieo TheBulletin
prescriptions the sameyear for the
Stryder Continued from D1 It's uncertain p r e sently whether, and how, these conditions might be interconnected. But they mean the Doeschers are constantly t raveling t o doctors in Bend, Portland and beyond, searching fortreatments to give their son a better life. Two months of intensive therapy in the fall of 2011 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., brought Stryder from grunts to four-word sentences. Soon, Stryder and his mother will travel to see specialists at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The family is also raising funds to purchase a seizure alert dog that will be specially trained forStryder. Whether dogs can detect seizures is debated, but A n g ela D o escher believes it could help the family know when Stryder's seizures arebecoming more frequent, which signals that „E the medication is becoming ineffective. /i The best prognosis for the future is there will be a way to manage some of Stryder's issues, such as the chronic conditions, and he will eventually grow out of the seizures. The The Doescher family, from bottom: Kasiah, 12, Angela, Stryder and worst is that he ends up unable Warren pause in the family living room. to speak, joints so deteriorated and rubbery that he is trapped in a wheelchair. One was a videoelectroenAnother unusual aspect for "He has the potential of los- cephalogram, or an EEG that Stryder is that he appears to be ing everything he has gained," is videotaped. Caregivers at- growing out of his medication. Angela Doescher said. "It's my tached electrodes to Stryder's In two out of three cases, biggest fear." head so they could measure Bell said, doctors can control his brain's electrical activity. seizures once they find the Learning to speak There, they spotted the sei- right drug for a particular paAfter that 2-year wellness zures, some accompanied by tient. For the rest of those with checkup, what had seemed physical movements and oth- seizures, there are usually othlike a nor m a l c h i l dhood ers that are sometimes called er options, such as surgery or changed rapidly. silent seizures: There is little a nerve stimulation device. "We are light years ahead of Stryder s t a rted s p e ech movement of the body during therapy. But by 3, his language these seizures, just a blank where we were in the '70s," he hadn't improved. "Ba" and a look on his face. said. "He was sitting right next s ucking-from-a-straw fac e Stryder, h o w ever, ha s meant he wanted a drink. "Ya" to me, having a seizure, and I needed his Keppra dosage indidn't even know," Doescher creased several times. He is was his word for dad. "We were told over and over sa>d. now at the maximum. Anothand over he would never talk," M ayo C l i n i c er drug was added Doescher said. doctors preto the mix recently "He talked Many tests followed. Doc- scribed Keppra, a to calm hi s s eitors believed Stryder could drug commonly zure activity while almost have autism. Then an expert used to c ontrol sleeping. overnight. tested him and concluded he seizures. S o on, L eft unco n It was magical, trolled, the L a ndefinitely does not. between the "That's kind of the way his m edication a n d dau-Kleffner seijust magical." whole storyis," Doescher said. therapy, Stryder zures cause per— Angela Doescher The family of four — Stry- went from grunts manent d a mage der has a 12-year-old sister, to complex on Stryder's speech to th e l a nguage improvements Kasiah — moved during this sentences. area of the brain. "He talked altime from South Carolina to after being put on Bell is optimistic, Prineville to be closer to An- most overnight," medication to control but Doescher i s gela Doescher's family. Doe- Doescher said. "It his seizures concerned. "He's been rescher now stays home with was magical, just Stryder while her h usband magical." lapsingeverythree works for Consumer Cellular Fox expressed months or so," she as a supervisor. When they ar- as much amazement. said. "He's at the maximum "It's a r eally r are opporrived in Central Oregon, Strydosage now. Soon we'll have der began seeing Fox in Bend tunity that they were able to to switch, and there are only so at KidTalk Clinic, a nonprofit go," Fox said. "Strand is the many drugs to go through." clinic sponsored by Oregon person who does research and Scottish Rite. writes articles and gives talks. Moving forward It's the reason Doescher is Fox said roughly 5 to 10 per- She is the expert in this field. cent ofpreschool-age children And they saw her twice a day interested in a seizure alert have speech-related issues. for two months. And he came dog. Only about 5 percent of these back and he was talking in Already, Doescher has seen children have apraxia, and three- and four-word sentenc- Stryder slip before when his very few have it as severe as es. It was incredible." Keppra dosage becomes too Stryder. low. He starts subbing words "The first couple of times I Controlling the seizures for others he can't bring to the saw him, his speech was reNumerous conditions can fore:Jack-o'-Iantern becomes ally significantly limited," Fox lead to seizures, from genet- jack-o'-light. The farmers marsard. ics to tumors to brain lesions ket becomes the moo market. In other a reas, however, during birth. Dr. Bell said epiOne day while making him Stryder excelled.Fox said he lepsy therefore can present a breakfast,Doescher asked if can easily group like items to- c hicken-or-egg question i n he wanted a favorite, cottage gether or perform other visual each patient: Is the dysfunc- cheese. He said, "What is cottasks. tion causing the seizures or tage cheese?" In an effort to help, Fox and are the seizurescausing the Another time, she told Stryseveral others suggested the dysfunction? der his dad would soon be "In Stryder'scase, I'm con- home from work. "He said, family take Stryder to Dr. Michael Bell, a neurologist with vinced the seizures are con- 'What's dad?'" "I don't think he actually Bend Neurological A s soci- tributing to his dysfunction," ates. He connected them with Bell said of his issues with doesn't know his dad," Doethe Mayo Clinic, where he had language. scher said. "He just has forgotserved as chiefresident. Dr. Yet Stryder doesn't have a ten what the word means." Edythe Strand agreed to ac- classic case of Landau-KleffKaren Shirk, f ounder of cept Stryder into an intensive ner syndrome, Bell continued. 4Paws for Ability, an Ohio nonlanguage therapy program. Usually, a child who was fully profit organization that trains Doescher and Stryder spent speaking at age 4 or 5 sudden- therapy dogs, said t r ained two months there doing inten- ly starts forgetting language. dogs can sense seizures besive speech therapy and unStryder struggled with speech forethey occur. She said they dergoing tests. from thestart. detect chemical changes in the
I
f+ .tt t
Stryder'sstory To learn more about Stryder Doescher, visit strydersstory.com.
t
Where Buyers And Sellers Meet •
•
•
•
Class f edt
t
Warren Doescher gets a hug from his son, Stryder, as he arrives home from work. At first glance, 5-year-old Stryder seems like a healthy child. He readily chats and plays.
I
I
Lounging on the living room couch, Stryder's ankle braces peek out from his shoes. Without the braces, his tissue is so overly flexible that Stryder can turn his feet backward.
said. "He knows he doesn't understand everything and he's so eager to please. That can be hard on a kiddo." So Fox is teaching him how to ask for help. "Could you show me?" and "Will you give me a minute to think'?" are phrases they're p r acticing. They are also incorporating
an iPad and sign language body in the minutes or hours leading up to a seizure. Bell said not all research supports that. But Shirk said the organization's dogs have been able to help families. The goal for some families, Shirk said, is to make sure the child is in a safe place before the seizure happens. For Stryder, Doescher said the goal is to know when his seizures return, since the majority of them happen while asleep. Then, she will know when it's time to change his medication. She said some medical providershave recommended theseizure dog. She hopes the dog will signal the family earlier than waiting for his speech to backslide. "Every day I'm on heightened awareness," she said. "Is he not hearing me or is he not understanding me?" The family needs to pay $13,000 for the dog. The Crook County Middle School Sparrow Club has adopted Stryder, trying to help, and other area fundraisers are under w ay. Once t hey h ave t h e money, training will then take 11 months. The visits with medical spe-
cialists also continue. Stryder's conditions might very well be related, experts say, but it's not certain yet how they all connect. In the meantime, Fox said she is trying to teach Stryder some ways to communicate to others what is going on inside of him. Stryder is extremely eager to learn, she said, and tries his best. "I think he's worried," she
1Q~+
into the therapy. For his part, Stryder wants to play. His new favorite character is Batman. The family is getting ready for him to start kindergarten in the fall. "We want him to be able to run and play and have those childhood memories," Doescher said. "Because as an adult, he possibly won't get to." — Reporter: 541-617-7828, hhagemeier@bendbulletin.com
A Free Public Service
0 p< Oreyon Newspaper
Publishart: Associatittn
I
Over 80 Oregon Newspapers, from 36 Counties, 'i I
I
I
I
ci ©K55)[93jIEQ7I33i5 or use the o QjjEg©3K65) service to be automatically emailed of notices that match your needs. Qa
M~
tmttt tttttttt •
~
•
•
•
•
WATER; THE LIFE-GIVING LIQUID Friday, February 8, 2013 ~ Noon to 1:00 pm
SESSION OBJECTIVES AND TOPICS g g g g g
Understanding how our bodies use water The ABC's of drinking water (why, when, how much is best) How to make water tasty! Learning about filtering water for drinking, cooking, showering Discuss the question: Is it OK to drink Bend water from the tap, or should I filter it?
PRESENTER: Bonnie Skakel, ND, MSOM, LAc Naturopathic Physician 8 Acupuncturist Three Sisters Natural Health; Collins Orchard Wellness Center
•
•
RSVP I CONTACT Seating is limited. Lunch Provided with RSVP. Call Lisa H. at: 541-382-5882 Or email her at: lisamh@partnersbend.org 541-382-5882
Location: Partners In Care; large conference room
•
•
www.partnersbend.org
•