[Histonet] Marciafava-Bignami Disease

Tue Aug 4 14:49:41 CDT 2015

This is very interesting.  I have worked in the field for over 20 yrs, and was pregnant while working in a small lab.  Mostly everything was manual, and I did not use all of the safety precautions I should have (my fault). My son had severe speech and language delay as well as a language processing issue when he was smaller, and now stutters.  I have often wondered (as most parents would) if my lack of precautions may have contributed. We stress the safety issues to the students daily, to get it all in their heads.  I often tell  people that I am so happy because I work with xylene, and I feel real good.  So far, I don't see any noticeable symptoms of anything wrong, just the usual-decreased olfactory sensing, repetitive motion issues, plantar fasciitis, and varicose veins.  Hair loss was an issue at one time, but that was attributed to PCOS.  Now that I am not in the lab full time anymore it has decreased since I went natural (I'm African-american).  One thing I have noticed is my C-reactive protein is high, and I take a statin for that.  I have no liver issues, and my functions appear to be normal.  Next time I go in for a physical, I will have my workplace hazards documented in my EMR.  
I will look up Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC), to get some more information, especially since I was born jaundiced and I am anemic.

Sincerely,

Toysha N. Mayer, D.H.Sc., MBA, HT (ASCP)
Instructor/Education Coordinator
Program in Histotechnology
School of Health Professions
UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
713.563-3481

Message: 11
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2015 06:30:12 -0700
From: Eileen Akemi Allison <akemiat3377 at gmail.com>
To: "Edmondson David (RBV) NHS Christie Tr"
	<David.Edmondson at christie.nhs.uk>
Cc: Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Marciafava-Bignami Disease I have re-logged
	into the	system and maybe this will now communicate with Histologists
	out there,	and hope that I do not get twice as many emails from
	Histonet#
Message-ID: <E3D7C5A9-C516-4F0E-B522-61B348820399 at gmail.com>
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GP?s are fine for general health issues, but I would certainly get more conclusive tests done by a neurologist, as well as contacting the best worker?s comp attorney in your area who has dealt with chemical exposure cases.

Studies show we are #1 in this country for the most hazardous professions. It's safe compared to when I 1st started in this field in 1965! Well, I am a dinosaur from back in the day when we had inadequate ventilation, a shortage of fume hoods, inadequate education on hazards, safety and PPE's. 

In 1979 I started to work at OHSU in the surgical path lab, as well as doing research projects. We made up all of our own H&E's and special stains from scratch, as well as made up our own 10% NBF in 55 gallon drums without fume hoods, ventilation, masks or gloves. I also worked with Glyco-Methacrylate embedded tissues without hoods or gloves! Since it was a medical school, we did every special stain under the sun and dealt with about every chemical, reagent, acid and stain you could think of! We also smoked cigarettes and drank coffee in the lab while we embedded and cut! We sure were a naive group back then!

In the early days, the facilities I worked in never had MSDS information available. In 1989, while at Emanuel Hospital, Portland, OR, I researched and compiled the MSDS information on all the chemicals, reagents, acids and stains that we used. That was the 1st eye opener to what me and my fellow histologists dealt with on a daily basis. 

In 1988 I had base line tests done because I was having issues with dizziness, balance, reflexes, and short term memory loss. In 1992, I had extensive neurological tests done, as well as a sural nerve bx taken from my right ankle. It was found that I had nerve damage, loss of balance, no reflexes, numbness in my fingers, hyper sensitivity and reduced feeling on my right side, hearing loss in my left ear, and an aedes pupil in my right eye. It was concluded these were the results from exposure to multiple toxic chemicals in an extremely small room with excessive heat and NO VENTILATION at current hospital I was working at. These health issues are irreversible. I just deal with it. I was the 1st person who won a case for this in the state of Oregon, but it had consequences. I won the battle, but lost the war!  

I now have Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC).  I was 1st diagnosed in 2008 for PBC. I think this condition was caused by my continual exposure to Multiple Toxic Chemicals. You may, or may not agree. A huge amount of the chemicals we deal with in the histology lab targets the liver and is absorbed through the skin or is inhaled. Here is the link for PBC. http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/pbc/ <http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/pbc/>

Akemi Allison BS, HT/HTL (ASCP)
Pathology Manager
Monterey Bay GI Consultants Laboratory
23 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Suite 200
Monterey, CA 93940
W: Email: aallison at montereygi.com <mailto:aallison at montereygi.com>

> On Aug 4, 2015, at 4:47 AM, Edmondson David (RBV) NHS Christie Tr via Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote:
> 
> ______________________________________________
>            From:       Edmondson David (RBV) NHS Christie Tr
>            Sent:       02 August 2015 16:40
>            To: 'histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu'
>            Subject:    Marciafava-Bignami Disease
> 
> Hello out there,
> I have been working in Histology for forty years and am wondering at a cause for this disease.  It was seen on MRI scans and they have told me to ease up on the alcohol, but I have never been remotely alcholic so I am giving up work in October and hope to live a little longer.  Addition to work has been my only problem.
> 
> They have tested a variety of bodily functions, touching my nose and foot movements together with assessing my ability to ride my motorcycle and make toast and tea, and then they let me off the acute neuro ward.
> My bike was chained up outside and making my way between lines of static traffic should have been a good sign.
> 
> I am currently on massive doses of B vitamins but my GP reckons that they are of no use and I should just get better.
> 
> So, is Xylene at the root of all my demyelination??
> 
> Regards
> 
> David Edmondson
> 
> 
> 
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