44 years old Lee was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2009.
Sarcoidosis occurs in the lungs and is classified into what is the ‘Scadding Stages’ this is based on the chest X-ray findings. From Stage 0 to Stage 4. In stage 0, the X-rays do not show sarcoidosis in the lymph nodes nor the lungs. Stage 1 has lymph nodes at the centre of the chest due to the granulomas and it usually resolves on its own; Stage 2, enlargement of the lymph nodes and formation of granulomas in the chest x-ray; Stage 3, granulomas are present in just the lungs; Stage 4; permanent scarring of the tissue exhibiting pulmonary fibrosis. He was administered steroids as treatment.
Unfortunately, one of the many harmful side effects of steroids is diabetes. He had to inject himself with insulin, four times a day. He would vomit everyday, and this led to him losing a lot of weight. His entire life revolved around gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach fails to empty at an appropriate rate in the small intestine. His fats and muscles have been eaten away by the disease, and he finds it hard to walk. ‘I find it hard to walk anymore,’ shares Lee, ‘its hard to get upstairs, it’s changed every aspect of my life!’ He now faces dangerous collapses and blackouts, in the last two years he has lost 60 kgs and had to survive on four milkshakes a day and on some days he doesn’t even have one or two milkshakes for a meal. If he continues to remain underweight, he will have to be fed via a tube. Risk factors of sarcoidosis include: living or working near insecticides, dusty or moldy environments, being of African or Scandinavian descent, more likelihood in women, between ages of 30 to 50, a genetics or family history, medications consumed for other health conditions such as HIV and cancer, medical conditions like lymphoma and exposure to burn pits.
He had made a visit to the Broomfield Hospital in Essex. The doctor has agreed to perform a highly experimental operation wherein he will be fitted with a gastric pacemaker that sends electrical impulses to the stomach. After a week in the hospital to get his body strong for surgery, he went under the knife. Doctor Kadirkamanathan hopes that this can give the patient the ability to eat solid foods for 6 years. His wife Alison’s eyes glimmer with hope as she says that she hopes there will be some normality attained as a result of the surgery and smiles nostalgically adding that she is also hopeful for a dinner date with her husband.
After two months post-op, Lee is slowly recovering from his operation. The first thing Lee ate was two slices of toast from the hospital and a peach yogurt. He jokingly says that it’s the best toast he’s had. And ever since he’s been eating normally with no sickness, his diabetes has left him. Incredibly, he has put on weight of 10 kgs and is making good progress. He doesn’t depend on a crutch for walking and is getting physically stronger with his legs day by day.
It has transformed the freedom he once had in ways he did not think was possible!
Credit: REALLY, Discovery+ (TV show).
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