A Gift from Strangers

Reposted from the Science and Society section of ABCNews.com
March 27, 2009 6:03 PM

They began to show up after the Challenger disaster. In 1988, during NASA's first shuttle flight after the accident, a bouquet of roses was delivered to Mission Control in Houston. Seven red ones, plus one white.

There was a note attached -- best wishes and a safe flight from Mark and Terry Shelton and their daughter MacKenzie -- but it didn't say who they were or where they lived. After a bit of hesitation, controllers put the roses in a vase on top of the flight director's control console, a bit of color amid readout screens and flight plan booklets.

Milt Heflin, a veteran flight director, was touched and intrigued. "Frankly, people didn't send things like that to mission control," says NASA's James Hartsfield. Heflin called the florists who had delivered them. They were at first reluctant to give out personal information.

It turned out the Sheltons were just an American family, like yours or mine, from the Dallas suburbs. Mark Shelton, a computer engineer, had been a space buff since childhood. His wife Terry is in the clothing business. MacKenzie, a toddler in 1988, is now 23 and studying to be a special-education teacher.

"I thought it would be nice to remind them the public is out there, and they care," said Mark Shelton in a phone interview. "It's a dangerous job the astronauts have, and so many people are responsible for their lives, and they take it very seriously."

The flowers have kept coming, one bouquet during every shuttle flight. There will always be as many colored roses as there are astronauts on the mission (most shuttles carry seven), plus one white one. Heflin asked why. In memory of the astronauts who gave their lives, said the Sheltons.

This month's mission, STS-119, flown by the shuttle Discovery, was the hundredth since the Sheltons began their quiet tradition, and NASA invited them down to Houston for a ceremony of appreciation.

"I think it means so much because we never asked for it," said Heflin. "We never expected it. We believe it truly represents the sentiment of a large part of the public, as well as a very personal gesture."

(Photo: the bouquet for STS-114 in 2005, the first flight after the Columbia accident. Courtesy NASA.)

Diagnosis Confirmed - it's NPH

I took Mom to the Neurologist today to review the results of the cisternogram testing last week.

The testing, along with the results of the earlier MRI and neuropsychological testing confirmed a diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.

We will now interview for a competent Neurosurgeon with experience treating this condition and move forward with planning for surgery.

An interesting developement was that Mom's primary care physican discovered that Mom had a Brain MRI in 2003, so we will be getting copies of that test to compare with the more recent MRI testing to see if there was any spinal fluid accumulating in her ventricles at that time. This test would have been closer to the time of her fall in Mexico that I remember being the onset of these problems. The films should be ready for me to pick up next week.

I will also be giving Mom B12 injections for the next 6-7 months. You can say that she is less than thrilled with this news. But I've done this before and feel confident we will have no trouble with the administration. Now ensuring that she takes her other prescription medications as prescribed is another matter.

Mom continues to be confused by the entire process, and I have to continually remind her of the simplest tasks. I pray that we can schedule the surgery in the next few months so the healing can begin.

Radioactive Isotopes

Today Mom had a radionuclide cisternogram which is a fancy way of saying that she had a spinal tap where they injected radioactive isotopes into her spinal fluid then took some pictures to monitor how those isotopes travel through her spinal fluid and brain.

The wonderful radiologist in nuclear medicine, Roy, explained to me that the isotopes will travel through the spinal fluid and the the pictures they are taking will document where those isotopes end up; if the spinal fluid is circulating as it should or if it's leaking or pooling in placing in places it shouldn't.

Roy took two series of pictures today and we go back three more times over the next three days to see how those isotopes disperse over time.

I'll be calling the Neurologist to schedule an appointment to get the results of this testing for next week.

Until then...Mom still doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
Says she feels fine.

Testing 1, 2, 3, and 4

Testing has been scheduled to determine if Mom actually has NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephelus), and if she is a good candidate to have a shunt surgically inserted into her brain to have the excess spinal fluid drained.

On Wednesday, Mom will undergo a Lumbar puncture (spinal tap):

This involves removing a large amount of spinal fluid. The CSF will be tested for abnormalities, but a significant "side effect" of this test is that the "symptoms" of the NPH may be temporarily lifted after the procedure. If this occurs, it is assumed that Mom would likely be a good candidate for having a shunt surgically implanted in her brain to drain excess CSF on a long term basis.

Then on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, she will have a Radionuclide cisternogram.

Essentially, radioactive dye is injected into the CSF in the spine and several hours later pictures are taken to determine how the dye has traveled through the nervous system. This test is repeated over a three day period. As with the above mentioned spinal tap, there should be some symptom relief upon completion of these tests in addition to the actual results of the dye distribution. As I learn more about the differences in what they look for each day, I will update this post.

Continued prayers are appreciated as Mom embarks on this week of difficult and likely painful testing. She is still surprised that she needs all this "medical stuff", as she claims to feel fine. I have emphasized to her the seriousness of the condition, but I fear that since she doesn't "feel sick", she fails to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Some of you are aware of the memory problems my Mom has been having.

We've been having a variety of tests done over the last few months and are finally getting some answers....hopefully.

I spent (most) of today at the Neurologist with Mom. The good news is....Mom MAY not have Alzheimer's. (YEA)

But it appears she does have Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. In short that means she has a build up of spinal fluid in her brain that shouldn't be there and may be causing her memory problems (along with dizziness, unsteadiness & general poor motor coordination).

We need to do some more testing, but there's a possibility that surgery could be done to drain the fluid which MIGHT relieve the symptoms...or at least keep them from getting worse. However, as with all surgery of the brain, there are definitely risks of complications, and it might not help. I'm just hoping she qualifies and is one of the patients that it DOES help.

Please keep us in your prayers.