So have you ever found yourself saying something like this....
"Oh the kids get that from my side of the family...or "She is so like her dad when she does that."?
I have said that plenty of times...usually in relation to a habit or personality trait that is a little annoying !
Well back in the early 90's when I was 22 years old I along with my two sisters I learnt that we had indeed been given something "special" from my dad and his lineage.
That "specialness" came in the form of a condition called
Malignant Hyperthermia
{Which is an inherited muscle disorder that may be triggered in sensitive people by many commonly used general anesthetics and muscle relaxants.
Those sensitive to MH may develop uncontrolled muscle spasm and a rapid rise in body temperature. Breathing may become deep and fast and heart rate can become rapid and irregular.}
All three of us girls were found to be positive or sensitive to this condition.
The procedure was a Muscle Biopsy whereby a piece of muscle was removed from the leg and tested under controlled conditions to determine it's sensitivity to the anesthetic agents
It was a painful process and rendered us off our leg for a few days and a further few weeks of light recovery.
Other than that I have never needed any surgery or incidents to put me at danger.
What we always knew was that one day we would have to learn if we pass this condition on to our children....
Fast forward twenty five or so years and we now have 12 children between us and 3 of those are teenagers who are beginning to make a way for themselves.
So three weeks ago my nephew was the first to agree to be tested...NEGATIVE.
Our Meg was the next that volunteered to find out....in preparation for her up coming plans she felt it was important to know for sure one way or the other...
finding a time that would allow for her to be potentially out of dance for 6 weeks was tricky but with all her audition work finished now was as good a time as any.
So yesterday she bravely faced up and underwent her own procedure....
Negative!!!
We were all pleased {none more than her grandfather I am sure} that she can now go forward not having been blessed with the gift from my family.
So 2 grandchildren down.....eventually 9 more to go.... age plays a part in being able to undergo the procedure so until then we take the necessary precautions and pray that they will stay far away from any emergencies.
