To Dell’s Mom

I know that it must have been really tough to diagnose a child so young when he/she cannot tell you where it hurts or discuss anything with the doctor. It is bad enough for us “grown-ups” and I have really been through the mill these last few years. The eye problem just popped up suddenly and I really just thought that I had eye strain from using the computer a lot. I am not one to complain and have a fairly high pain tolerance, so if I had not gone to the eye doctor for a routine exam then I still would not know there was a problem until it was too late to save my vision. Anyway, they are keeping close tabs on it now so that makes me feel better. I guess it pays to check out any symptoms even the vague ones might lead to a significant problem.

As a grandmother of seven I worried that I had passed on a bad “gene” to them. I felt really guilty. I was told by the neurologist that CIDP was not caused by genetics but there might be a tendency toward auto-immune diseases. My father and his brother both had very severe rheumatoid arthritis. My aunt (on the other side of the family) was diagnosed with Lupus and now I have CIDP. Go figure!!! I am still keeping a close eye on my grandchildren in case they develop anything unusual. I can only imagine what you and your child affected by CIDP have to endure. I wish you the best in 2011 🙂