Living With Wolfram Syndrome – Lauren Gibilisco

The Ups and Downs of Vision Loss

Photo of Lauren and Megan Gibilisco

Lauren and Megan Gibilisco

My week turned out to be quite eventful.  I am going to give you the ups and downs of vision loss.

It all started out when I knocked some sense into myself.  Inside the house I do not use my cane.  I went to go turn off the television and thought I was walking towards the light.  Unfortunately I didn’t see the wall in front of me and ran smack into it.  It knocked me right on my butt.  I went downstairs to show my mom my mouth.  I didn’t know but I had blood running down my face.  I had split my lip all the way back to the gum. My lower lip had teeth impressions where I bit down.   My upper lip was already starting to get a fat lip.  I am very fortunate that I did not knock out any teeth or break my nose.  So I had my mom take a picture and send it to my phone.  Three days later when I went to work I showed everyone my pictures.  They asked how did I do that.  My reply was I was standing outside and a large bird ran into me beak first.  I couldn’t believe that several people actually believed that.  My mom told everyone that I was fine because I am still able to talk.

My sister came home from Omaha for the weekend.  She brought her new puppy home for us to see.  She is a shorkie.  Her mom was a shih ti and her dad a yorkie.  Her name is Emmy.  This puppy is little.  She only weighs two pounds and will only grow to be five pounds.  I do not like animals much but I have grown fond of this puppy.  She loves to play and I love that I can play with her even though I can’t see her.  The only problem I have is that I worry about stepping on her.  She loves to run beside me when I leave a room.  So if she is going to be around me she will just have to learn not to walk in front of me.

My sister wanted to show off the puppy to her best friend. We drove to her house.  Luckily her brother came over to visit also.  Zach and I have been best friends since we were little.  He is getting married in July.  He wanted me to be a part of the wedding and asked me if I would like to be in charge of the guest book.  I asked him if I had to sign people’s names and he said no.  Zach said I would be like a greeter.  I think the job is perfect.  I just get to sit there looking lovely and greet people as they come in.  Perfect job for someone who likes to talk.

So for a week that I thought would be boring turned out to be quite exciting.  That just teaches you that losing your vision doesn’t mean your life will stop. So you never know what is going to jump in front of you….even if it’s a wall.


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Self-confidence – Adam Zwan

Photo of Adam ZwanHaving confidence in one’s self is as important in life as breathing.  Without an adequate amount of confidence a person suffers throughout life dealing with mental health.  Having a lack of confidence may make it difficult to finish tasks, create new goals, initiate relationships, and can make a person feel severely depressed.  One must be satisfied with one’s self before he or she can enjoy life.
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It’s The Little Things

Hi Everyone,

I have had a couple of busy weeks.  It started out with a trip to Cabela’s.  My father is an avid fisherman and he and I snuck out of the house to go there. When we go there I had to use the restroom.  I was not familiar with this restroom.  As I was leaving I was reaching for the door and flipped off the light switch accidentally.  There was another lady in the bathroom at the time.  She laughed and I apologized and then she told me where to find the door knob.

Since we are on the subject of bathrooms I am going rant a little.  Why can’t bathrooms all be made the same way.  Next time you go in a restroom, close your eyes and try to find where the toilet paper is, how to and where to flush the toilet, find the sink, paper towels and soap.  I can tell you, it is not a place where you want to be feeling around.  They have laws requiring bathrooms to be modified for people in wheel chairs, so why can’t they design a universal way to have bathrooms all be the same for blind people?

Photo of Lauren Gibilisco and her parents

My Dad, me and my Mom

My dad decided we needed a little treat and he wanted to go to Dairy Queen.  The problem is that my dad gets lost a lot.  So he asked me, a blind person, to lead him there and I did! Speaking of treats, I have made the supreme sacrifice of giving up sweets for Lent.  I have a love of ice-cream.  It is the one food that is cold and slides down my throat so I don’t have trouble with choking issues, which is a major problem I have.  So I am sorry if my blogs aren’t as sweetly written as before.

A friend of mine picked me up for lunch one day last week. She took me to a buffet.  She had to walk with me through the buffet naming all the items.  She didn’t think of that when deciding where to eat.  That’s something sighted people don’t have to think about.  It’s the little things.

Later we went to a potluck for our church.  My mom had to help serve so she was busy and my dad had to help me.  My dad is not used to helping me.  My mom is usually always around to help.  He went to my mom and said “what do I do?” She replied “you go pick up a plate and fill it with things you know Lauren would like to eat.”  Then she turned to the other ladies in the kitchen and said “Lord help if I die first.  Lauren would probably starve to death or never leave the house.”  Going out with my dad and having my mom not there is always an adventure.  He often just walks away and expects that I will follow, so he turns around to talk to me and I’m not there.  He then panics and runs back to find where he left me.  My dad is a little helpless but I love him for trying.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Lauren

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I enjoy the challenges learning how to adapt – Lauren Gibilisco

Photo of Lauren Gibilisco

People think that when you are blind your other senses kick in to compensate. But when you are living with Wolfram Syndrome, that is not true.

When I still had my sight, I was colorblind.  When I was in first grade, I used to wear one purple sock and one blue sock.  My mom told me to go change my socks and I told her I like it like this.  My mom thought that I was showing that I was confident and independent and wanted to be different.  Then when I was in sixth grade and my mom had me at the doctors, they asked my mom how long I had been colorblind.  She told them that I wasn’t.  They then proceeded to have me show my mom how I matched up the color blocks.  She couldn’t believe it.  She never knew.

When you go to cross an intersection you would normally listen for the traffic since you can’t see it.  I have high frequency hearing loss and wear hearing aids.  I can hear traffic but can’t tell which direction it’s coming from.  So it takes awhile standing there to hear no traffic. I have trouble hearing little kids because they talk in a high pitch and I really can hear older guys better because of their lower toned voices.

I have been diagnosed with Anosmia.  It is the inability to perceive odors.  I have trouble determining what I am smelling. I would have trouble telling if I was smelling a rose or smelling a lilac.  But there is one odor I can smell.  It is ONIONS.  I don’t know if it is because I hate onions.  But the smell makes me sick.  I don’t know if it is in my head, but don’t bring an onion near me.  So I would greatly appreciate St. Louis doctors if you would take the onion out of the smell test next clinic. 🙂

I have the same trouble with taste as I do smelling.  I have trouble determining what I am tasting.  I love cinnamon, but if you gave me a piece of cinnamon candy, I would have trouble knowing what I was eating.  I went out for breakfast with a friend last week and they didn’t have any of the cinnamon muffins left.  They did have a roll with a little cinnamon on it, but I couldn’t taste it.  My mom told my friend next time to just say it was cinnamon and I would believe that’s what I was eating.

The last sense I have trouble with is touching.  I have learned to read Braille.  My problem is that I am very slow at it.  I have had diabetes since I was two and I have real difficulty in feeling what I am touching.  Poking your finger for 25 years at least 5 times a day causes the nerve endings in my fingers not to feel as well.  I also have trouble with the force of my touch.  I think I am just tapping your arm and everyone says “ouch” because I guess I am punching them hard.  So I am apologizing in advance for anyone I may touch too hard.

So living with Wolfram Syndrome causes problems in my life but I enjoy the challenges learning how to adapt.

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It’s Only A Theory! – Adam Zwan

Photo of Adam ZwanWith the abnormal cold weather that is occurring in the United States for the past few weeks there have been a high number of comments regarding Global Warming. Just a few of the comments that can be heard all over the United States are:
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Hypersensitivity to Heat – Lauren Gibilisco

“Some Like It Hot and Some Sweat When The Heat Is On”- Hypersensitivity to Heat

Hello Everyone,

I told you last week the main symptoms of Wolfram Syndrome.  Today I am going to talk about a lesser symptom that greatly impacts my life. This symptom is hypersensitivity to heat. My body has a problem regulating temperatures.  “Some Like It Hot” only begins to describe my house.

Photo of Lauren GibiliscoFor those that don’t know me, I am from Nebraska.  The weather here can be very windy and unpredictable.  This last week has been extremely cold (for normal people).  The temperature was in single digits with wind chills below zero.  We also had three days where the regular temperature was -10 to -15 with wind chills -20 to -30. In simple terms, I hate the heat and love the cold.

Here is where I have a constant argument with my mom.  She wants me to wear a coat in the winter.  She lectures me on how the cold can affect my skin.  I hate wearing a coat.  It always makes me hot no matter what the temperature.  Here is how I respond to people.  “I never wear a coat unless I can see my breath.”  Ha-ha, I can never see my breath so I always win that argument. I like to exercise at home, especially during the winter, so when I get hot I can just go outside to “chill out”.

In the summer, it can get very hot and humid here.  This makes me a prisoner in my home.  I sweat profusely and I am unable to be outside for any length of time. I can no longer take walks, go to amusement parks or baseball games. The only activity that works for me is swimming.  The cold water keeps my body cool.  My parents had to install a separate central air conditioner upstairs just to keep me cool.  I don’t like it to be any warmer than 65 degrees.  So picture this, it is 100 degrees outside and my mom is wearing a sweater and socks trying to stay warm inside the house.  So what a family we are.  I hate to wear a coat in the winter and my mom has to wear a sweater in the summer.  Oh well I’ve always loved being unique.

Have a great week everyone and enjoy the weather. ☺

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The Gift Has Already Been Given! – Adam Zwan

Photo of Adam Zwan receiving his latest Taekwondo belt.Starting in January 2013 I was asked by a gentleman to help him run his academy teaching Taekwondo.  Being physically active and enjoying exercise as much as I do, I did not blink before I agreed to help out.  I was told that class members would range from 3 to 16 years old and that I would be using the art of Taekwondo to teach self defense as well as improve behavioral aspects within the community, at home, and at school.
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Diabetes, Wolframs and Botox, Oh My! – Lauren Gibilisco

Photo of Lauren Gibilisco

Lauren Gibilisco

Hello everyone.  My Botox surgery was a success.  I am happy to report that I am getting up only two or three times a night instead of every hour. I don’t feel as tired anymore through out the day.  This has made me feel so much better. I am able to drink a lot more and hold a lot more than every before.  This gives me a lot more energy so I can talk a lot more which is just what my mom needs. LOL.

I was also able to go back to my volunteer job this week where I shred paper.  Who better to shred confidential papers than someone who can’t see anything on them. ha-ha.  I’ve had this job since high school which I really enjoy.  The people there treat me like anyone else.  They don’t pity me.  In fact quite the opposite.  They love to give me a hard time and tease me.  It’s hard to know who is getting more harassed, them or me. My mouth is the only part of me that is not affected by WS.

I should back up and tell you a little about me.  I am affected by all aspects of DIDMOAD.  DI (DIABETES INSIPIDUS), DM (DIABETES MELLITUS), OA (OPTIC ATROPHY, D (DEAFNESS).  I am legally blind and use a cane to get around. I wear hearing aids for high frequency hearing loss. I was diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus when I was two years old and take insulin shots.  The Diabetes Insipidus is controlled by medication. I take 20 prescription pills every day to control my WS. I was diagnosed with WS when I was 12. I have other symptoms but I will talk about them another day.

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Being Sick and Having Surgery, NOT A Good Combination – Lauren’s Story

Hello everyone!  As you know I was going to have my surgery on Wednesday, but unfortunately on Monday night I was up every hour throwing up.  I luckily didn’t feel sick but couldn’t keep anything down.  My blood sugar started to drop a little so I drank some juice but threw it up right away.  Luckily this happened later in the night so my blood sugar started to go back up again because I needed to give my insulin shot.  Fortunately I stopped throwing up around 8:00 am.  This was good so I could probably have the surgery if I didn’t get sick again, but bad because I was tired and weak.

Photo of Lauren and Pat GibiliscoI was able to sleep most of the day, but my mom who stayed up all night with me, had to stay awake during the day so when I needed up she could help me because I was so weak.  She was very exhausted and still had to drive me two hours in the next morning for my surgery.  She had to wait for me during the surgery and then drive 2 hours home that night.

I feel bad that my disease has to affect others in my family. My surgery went well.  I got to go home that day so that was good.  The surgery did not paralyze my bladder so this made me very happy.  It’s still too early to tell but everything seems to be working well and better than before.  I didn’t feel good for the next two days after the surgery but I am feeling good now.  Hopefully next week I can tell you that the botox is working very well.

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Living With Wolfram Syndrome – Adam’s Story

Photo of Adam Zwan

Sacrifice it or never experience it?

Early in life I began having to face several limitations and make many sacrifices due to Wolfram Syndrome.  With the diagnosis of Type I diabetes at 7 years old I was asked to limit and sacrifice enriched white flour and sugars in order to manage glucose levels.  Staying away from sugary and or starchy foods, like pasta, candy, cookies, and rice, I gained a passion for high fibrous fruits and vegetables along with drinking over a gallon of water each day.  As time went on I allowed initiating a network of friends and getting involved in intimate relationships to be placed on the back burner so I could manage my health through nutrition and physical activity.
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