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.

     I am a 39 year old woman who was busy running with the corporate world,
all stressed out & not eating right, and two weeks into the new found
pleasure of cigar smoking ( of ALL things) when I came down with mild
flu-like symptoms on Aug. 1,00.  That night I went to a Santana Concert &
couldn't seem to catch my breath & my legs ached.  I laughed it off but the
following morning I felt worse.  I went to my local ER, passed out, & woke up
from an induced coma 10 days later 50 miles away at New England Medical
Center in Boston.  They said I caught pneumonia that immediately went to
ARDS.  They filled me with 14 kilos of fluid to keep the sepsis from
spreading to my other organs.  I wasn't getting any better 6 days into the
coma & fluid built up around my heart.  So they went in through my neck & did
a heart catheterization & switched the antibiotics I was on & added steriods. 
Then I began to improve.  Upon waking up I discovered that I had lost the use
of my right hand, and the skin on my neck, underarms and feet was raw and
peeling off.  I also still have no feeling in some of my toes.  When I was
transferred to a nursing home a few weeks later, I noticed that my hair was
falling out somewhat but again, I didn't think much of it; it's long & very
thick.  Then just last night I discovered a HUGE (I don't know HOW I could
have missed it!)  bald spot on the back on my head.  I wonder - are these
things from the strong meds I was on, or the stress or WHAT??  What else am I
going to find??  I feel like ARDS is like a tornado that hits you & goes
through your body & either kills you or not, leaving you to deal with the
aftermath in total bewilderment.  I came home on 8/22/00, & just got my voice
back last weekend.  I'm still very weak and am in EMDR therapy for the
nightmares I had while in a coma.  I also graduated to outpatient OT & PT. 
All I can say is God bless all of you ARDS survivors - I truly feel for you &
together we can make it.

                                                                       
Sincerely,
                                                                        
Denise Enokian
                                                                         
(edndeenluv@aol.com)


Denise & Husband