Writing a novel...

[writer80]

Hello!

I'm trying to write a novel, and so I was wondering if anyone could please help me. See, for one of the characters, I need the name and discripiton of an illness, an illness that can affect a woman in her 30s, preferably a quite rare illness that would be hard to diagnose. I would need to know what symptoms she would get, and also if there could be a particular reason why she got this disease (took the wrong pills, got stung by a bug or something like that). It would also be good if you could tell me what test one would have to run to diagnose the disease.

The critera the story has is that

a) The illness must be require a long hospital stay
b) It can't be contageous.
c) It can't be a coma or something else that would make it difficult for the patient to interact with another character.

If anyone could please help I'd be extremely grateful, and should the book ever get published I coul dedicate it to you if you'd like.

[writer80]

Thank you.

[writer80]

Gaucher's seems to be just what I'm looking for, thank you very much.

Can I just ask a few questions?
- Did the person you know who had Gaucher's recover completely? I've read around today and discovered that there's no cure just ways to treat the symptoms, so is that enough for the patient to get back to a normal life?

- If so, how long did it take to recover?

Once again, thank you very much! :)

[Pixiangelj]

You're exactly  right, there is no cure for it. It can only be treated to the best of their (doctor's) ability. He would have to get IV enzyme therapy every two weeks. He stayed in the hospital a while and then would have to go back every couple weeks to get IV enzyme therapy treatments. After a few years, he was allowed to have a nurse come to the house. His brother also had it; the brother was younger. He did get back to his normal life; however, he was unable to play contact sports because his bones broke easily. So he could live everyday 100%, just not 110. I honestly believe that depression branched from this also.

[myproblem]

Also, if you highlight an unfamiliar word on emedicine, it will pop open a new window with a definition of the highlighted word. Very useful if you are learning about something totally new.

[myproblem]

I think that emedicine.com always has the best informatn on almost any disease. Here is a link to their article on Gaucher Disease. It even tells what medicines are used, and how it is diagnosed. Good luck with your book.
http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic837.htm

[Pixiangelj]

Hi, I have had many encounters with disorders of all types. With this being said, there is one called Gaucher's (Goe shay's) very complex, affecting many body systems, very hard to diagnose and treat. My ex boyfriend had it (not only in males) but that's how I learned about it. It's basically a liver enzyme malfunction that leads to dysfunction of other systems. Most times it is genetic, (don't know if that's a good thing). Research and see if it's too in depth, or if you want something more like coronary artery disease, or chronic heart failure, apastic anemia. Or do you want something specifically derived from causation? Let me know I love research!! The more details the better...