Robin Akbar: Asthma Was Only the Beginning
Robin's debilitating asthma and sinus pain cost her a job and custody of her son. Her life is the only thing left to lose.
Robin Akbar is a single mother and healthcare professional who has devoted her life to her son, David. In her down time, Robin enjoys running up to 17 miles a week for exercise. After what she describes as a shaky start, Robyn feels she has a solid handle on life.
One day while running, Robin experiences a drowning sensation and can???t breathe. She rushes to the hospital, where doctors tell her she is experiencing adult onset asthma. They give her medication and send her home.
Robin???s steroid medication works for awhile, but soon her symptoms grow worse. During a particularly bad coughing fit, she coughs up bloody sputum.
Robin returns to the doctor. After further examination, they find strange growths in her nasal cavity. She is diagnosed with nasal polyps, and undergoes surgery to remove them.
After surgery, Robin???s asthma returns worse than ever. She uses so much of her prescribed steroid medication that her weight balloons. Her symptoms are so debilitating her son must perform all the household chores. Robin can no longer run and has a hard time performing her job.
Robin misses so many days at work that she loses her job. With no income, she is forced to send her son to live with his father.
Robin misses so many days at work that she loses her job. With no income, she is forced to send her son to live with his father.
With no means of income, Robin is forced into a homeless shelter. It's there she reconnects with her old friend Delores Guidry. Delores takes her in and helps her get the care she needs.
Robin returns to the doctor who originally diagnosed her nasal polyps. After a new round of tests, he discovers what may be cancerous nodules on her lungs. The diagnosis doesn't stick. After even more tests, he tells Robin she has a rare immune disorder called Churg Strauss Syndrome. In CSS sufferers, the body???s immune system begins attacking and walling off tissue, producing nodes or polyps.
After so many years of illness, Robin finally has an answer. With proper treatment her condition is stabilized and she is able to reunite with her son.
Published 01/05/2011