Ryan's PKU Foundation - Holly's Blog

Author:	Holly	Created:	10/3/2008 8:02 PM
This is a unique support group started because of my experiences as the spouse of a PKU adult. There is hardly anything out there for adults with this condition and nothing for their significant others. I do not want others to feel alone in the battle to keep a loved one healthy.

A Christmas gift

By Holly on 12/28/2009 12:05 PM

With working a couple of jobs, it has been dificult to maintain this site and all the other things I do on the side. However, I had to stop in and share the great news. Owen is starting to put on weight again! It started with him deciding to start fixing up the basement. He wants a workshop down there and has been building shelves and counters. Then, it continued with that large snowstorm last weekend. He tried so hard to be outside shoveling and clearing paths, even though the effort sent his heart rate way...

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When a PKU person is ill

By Holly on 11/6/2009 6:36 PM

We have just seen first hand what it is like when a PKU adult gets ill. Now, you must remember that Owen has complications that many PKU adults do not have (chronic low weight and hypoglycemia). However, you are still dealing with a person whose body does not work the same way ours do. You cannot give them chicken noodle soup. With their limited diets, not feeling well and not wanting to eat because of it can be a bit more risky.

Last Monday, Owen came home complaining of chest congestion and...

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He loves it

By Holly on 10/10/2009 10:11 PM

At the UVA picnic we signed up for a free box of the Loprfin rice. It came in and Owen LOVES it! It was really easy to measure and make. I served it with Tasty Bite brand Pubjab Eggplant. It is a spicy blended eggplant sauce that he likes. It made a fairly large meal, but he cleaned his plate. Looks to me like we will be ordering a case of the stuff. YEAH!

We went to the DC Green Fest today and came home with more samples and more recipe ideas. It was at the festival last year that we were given...

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Busy Busy

By Holly on 10/3/2009 7:26 PM

We had the UVA PKU picnic a few weekends ago. It was great to see familiar faces and catch up on the latest and greatest. I did a presentation for Ryan's PKU Foundation and the NPKUA. It went well. However, it also was a wonderful example of why Diet-For-Life is so important. Visiting with us that day was the first baby diagnosed at UVA with PKU. He is now 60 and it was heartbreaking. The brain damage was very, very apparent, he is....well, he is very low functioning. It was so sad. There was a 19 year old who...

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Welcome....again

By Holly on 9/6/2009 6:05 PM

It has been nearly a year since I stared this blog as a support site for the loved ones of PKU Adults. While it looks like there has been hardly any activity here, quite a few people have responded via my Facebook page or in person during various PKU events. Recently, I sent information to NPKUA and hope that they might link this page to theirs. The UVA PKU picnic is next weekend as well, and along with hte NPKUA survey, I will have cards out with the info for this blog too. Now, more than ever, is the time to show support for the adults with this condition. They are being left behind and so are the ones who love them.

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Not sure what to do

By Holly on 9/4/2009 10:16 AM

It has taken me a few days to rewrite the lost blog page. The longer I waited, the more it became apparent to me that some of what I wrote was not entirely honest. It was hard to face and will be even harder to put into words.

Owen has been trying a little to eat a little more. This has been showin in attempts to eat breakfast and a evening snack. Some days he does, some he doesn't. While I am happy with the attempt, it has not been consistant enough to help with his need to put on weight. I...

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Try again later

By Holly on 9/1/2009 7:13 PM

I wrote a nice update tonight. But then I had to step away from the computer and it logged me out. I lost all of it so will try again tomorrow

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Setback

By Holly on 7/27/2009 5:35 PM

Owen had his annual appointment at the genetics clinic at UVA. He has not been there in three years because we have been communicating with his nutritionist via email nearly every month. We felt that he really needed to go see Dr. Wilson and his nutritionist because the ineveitable consequences of being underweight plus the damage that PKU does was becoming too much. Owen is suffering from true hypoglycemia as well as depression. He was able to deal with the latter but with my unemplyoment and our recent home...

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A benefit from a tick...

By Holly on 7/18/2009 3:49 PM

Thanks to a tick bite that needed to be checked by his primary care doctor, Owen has been diagnosed with hypoglycemia (and I probably spelled that wrong). We had already figured out what triggers most of the attacks and, with the Doctors advice, are working to eliminate some of them. The hardest part is getting Owen to eat 6 small meals a day. He barely eats two meals and a snack. I can see this becoming a long battle, but it must be done. I do not know of anyone with blood sugar issues and PKU. He will be seeing...

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A Long Break

By Holly on 6/25/2009 8:41 AM

Owen and I have been in the midst of a insanely long move. The closing on our house was delayed five times, but finally, we own our first home! We moved in over the weekend and internet was just hooked up.

The whole process has been very stressful for Owen. We have not checked his levels in awhile, but his nutritionist just realized that it has been ages since he has been to UVA. I hope that when Dr. Wilson hears about Owens blood sugar issues, he takes action. We also just had his annual neurology...

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