ALERT - Pain Medication Recall

According to American Pain Foundation there has been a "voluntary pain medication recall" for mis-labeling.

They say:

"Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Qualitest, a generic drug manufacturing subsidiary, issued voluntary recalls on June 27, 2011 for certain lots of oxycodone with acetaminophen (Endocet), hydrocodone with acetaminophen (generic Vicodin) and butalbital, acetaminophen and caffeine (generic Fioricet) because some bottles may contain different strength tablets, resulting in individuals taking more than or less than the intended doses of active ingredients."

See lot number information and read the entire article:
American Pain Foundation article
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Higher Doses Justified for SCD Patients

As reported in an article in the the June 2011 Pain Monitor "Researchers from departments of pediatrics at five U.S. medical centers collaborated on a study of 21 SCD patients to determine the impact of the disease on the rate at which morphine begins to effect relief and the duration of relief."

As we already know these researchers found, "Results showed that the half-life of morphine in the SCD patients was 3 to 10-fold shorter compared to morphine clearance in non-SCD patients."

In english....FOR SCD SUFFERERS PAIN RELIEF DOESEN'T LAST AS LONG!!!!

Check out the entire article at:
www.newswire.com/articles/higher-doses-of-morphine
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World Sickle Cell Awareness Day - June 23-24, 2011

The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cordially invite you to join us in the celebration of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day to be held June 23 - 24, 2011 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

The theme of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day:

Educate and Unite highlights the need to increase awareness of the global impact of sickle cell disease(SCD) and the importance of uniting global support for promoting and improving the health of persons with SCD through "increasing global action to reduce child mortality in SCD."

The celebration will begin on Thursday, June 23rd with a national press conference and private reception. It will culminate on Friday, June 24th with presentations by a number of SCD experts and panel discussions with several international representatives.

For more information and registration:

www.scdworldday.eventbrite.com/

Meditation May Reduce Pain

In a recent article by Salynn Boyles for WebMD Health News it was discovered that “after just four, 20-minute instructional sessions in mindfulness meditation, most participants in the small study experienced big reductions in pain intensity and unpleasantness of pain.”

In this study researchers recruited 18 healthy young adults who had never meditated prior to joining the study.

Over four, 20-minute training sessions, participants were taught a meditation technique known as focused attention, which involves paying close attention to breathing patterns while acknowledging and letting go of thoughts.

As part of my pain management I have also used the technique of “mindfully letting go of thoughts” as a way to manage pain.

However, I believe there is something that should be meditated on, the Word of God. As I let go of painful/hurtful/self-pity/anger filled thoughts, I meditate on the promises of God to help, heal and restore me.

Here are a few bible verses that attest to what I believe:

a. Hebrews 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

b. Psalms 30:20 - “O LORD my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me.”

c. Jeremiah 17:14 - “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”

d. Proverbs 17:22 - “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

e. Philippians 2:5 - “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

My conclusion:

God has made promises of health and peace, both physically and spiritually. If we meditate on His word (and) promises, we will receive the peace (he promised), the joy (that comes with knowing Him) and the help (when we suffer).

This is what I know for sure; pain may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Meditate on that.

Kidney Infarctions

Complications of Sickle-cell disease related to the kidney are Sickle-cell nephropathy and chronic renal failure.

1. Nephropathy is caused by the long term usage of analgesics (pain medicines). These pain medicines include aspirin, acetaminophen, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.

Over use of pain medicines can cause a form of nephropathy called "chronic analgesic nephritis," which causes kidney function changes like:

a. loss and shriveling of tubules
b. thickening and scarring of tissue
c. inflammation.

Specifically, long-term use of the analgesic has been linked to death of kidney cells.

2. Renal Failure is the result of a kidney infarction. This is when a kidney artery is being blocked, compressed, ruptured by trauma, or interruption of blood supply which causes the cells to die.

The result of this damage is also known as kidney failure. Kidney failure is a medical condition in which the kidney’s fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood.

Problems frequently encountered in kidney malfunction include abnormal fluid levels in the body, increased acidity in the blood, abnormal levels of potassium, calcium, phosphate, and (in the longer term) anemia, as well as delayed healing in broken bones.

Depending on the cause, there may blood in the urine (people with sickle-cell should always lookout for this problem) and protein loss in the urine. Long-term kidney problems have significant repercussions on other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.

Renal failure can be divided into two categories:

1. Acute kidney injury - acute kidney failure usually occurs when the blood supply to the kidneys is suddenly interrupted or when the kidney becomes overloaded with toxins.

Unlike in chronic kidney disease, the kidneys can often recover from acute failure, allowing the patient to resume a normal life.

2. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can develop slowly and initially, show few symptoms. Renal function measurement is persistently poor. Sickle-cell complication falls into this category.

Where there is little renal function, dialysis and kidney transplantation may be treatment options.

How is chronic renal failure (kidney disease) found?

a. Measuring flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney.
b. Kidney size.
c. Measuring levels of Creatinine (high).
d. Measuring acidity in the blood (increasing).
e. Measuring levels of Potassium, Calcium, Phosphate (abnormal).
f. Blood test for anemia - less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin (red blood cells)

BEWARE:

People with Sickle-cell disease have to be PRO-ACTIVE in their health maintenence. We should keep track of blood test results. Check to see if levels are too high or too low and notify your doctor if you notice blood in your urine.

Overuse of common drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen can cause chronic kidney damage. Pace yourself when taking these medications, AND drink lot’s of water!!!!

Links:
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle_cell_nephropathy
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renal_failure