MY HANDI-CAPABLE REPORTER VOLUME 8 ISSUE 5

CHANGING PESSIMISM TO OPTIMISM MAY 2003



We'd like you to meet our dear friend Jerry Kulhavy, our cartoonist. Jerry has osteoarthritis. Jerry Kulhavy was born in 1949 in Iowa and adopted by Jerry and Willma Kulhavy, along with his sister Susan. During the late 1960s at the age of 19 he was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. He only spent 3 months in boot camp before being formally discharged as psychologically unfit for military service. Jerry was constantly going on sick call complaining of severe pain in his knees and appeared at times to have difficulty walking. Just another gold bricking whiner and "mama's boy" type.

In 1970 the year of his military discharge Jerry sought employment through the Iowa State Employment office where he was transferred to the Department of Rehabilitation. After a long application process and x-rays it became clear that Jerry suffered from a bone disorder of the hip joints. Bone was rubbing against bone causing visible deformity. Unfortunately the doctors never gave the condition a name but recommended that Jerry become a wheelchair user. Jerry was soon after seeking out other People with Disabilities, hoping to learn how to cope with this new status. What he found was the Indoor Sports Club which would have a great impact on his future life. He not only met his late wife through their national club newspaper, the Hook-Up, but was introduced to other publications also. The club was also where the passionate fire for Advocating for Disability Rights was lit.

In 1973 Jerry came to California and met his future wife Billie Bea Purkiss who died in 2001. It was in California that his hip condition was given a name: Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a disorder that was commonly referred to as an "Elderly Disorder", though as he later learned could strike children as young as 10. As the years went on his condition became worse and he became dependent on NSAID pain pills, which later would cause a 15% loss of function in his kidneys. After the hip replacements in 1991 the pain in his hips was greatly diminished and he gained greater mobility as well. However severe and tormenting muscle cramps continued. They where so painful that at times Jerry would have amputated his leg if he had the means, just to stop the pain. His doctor recommended Potassium tablets, which worked to stop the pain by relaxing the leg muscles. Though the severity of the leg cramps has diminished they still strike now and then, and are as painful and debilitating as ever. Due to his wife's death and long illness Jerry now suffers from Clinical Depression, which is a brain chemical disorder, and is being treated with medications. However the stress has taken its toll and allowed Osteoarthritis to attack other joints such as: the upper and lower spine, arm and shoulder joints, as well as a joint in his jaw.

These days Jerry paces himself to try to diminish the pain, but still tries to push the boundaries of his limitations. Often having to pay a very painful price, but he is determined to enjoy life as much as he can despite his condition. Jerry continues to draw cartoon characters and pursue other arts & crafts, and other creative pursuits. He also is involved as a volunteer in various community organizations, and continues to advocate for Disability Rights. As Jerry sees it we can see "Disability" as an end, or we can see it as a beginning. Jerry believes that "disability" is natural, as natural as the rest of the diversity of life that God has placed on this world and that in a very real sense People with Disabilities are "normal" and we should see ourselves as such. He believes we need to stop accepting societies standards and create our own standards. As Jerry says: "It's not about what you can't do, but about what you can.".



WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE?


There are many types of arthritis (rheumatoid, degenerative, post-traumatic, auto-immune induced, etc). The most common form is osteoarthritis. It is also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD). While the exact cause is unknown, there are known to be several possible causes including: injury, age, congenital predisposition and obesity. It is characterized by the breakdown of the articular cartilage within the joint.

Articular cartilage is a firm rubbery protein material covering the end of a bone. It acts as a cushion or shock absorber between the bones. When articular cartilage breaks down, this cushion is lost, and the bones will grind together.
This causes the development of symptoms such as pain, swelling, bone spur formation and decreased motion. Osteoarthritis commonly affects weight bearing joints such as the knee, but it may affect any joint.

TREATMENT USING HYALGAN

Hyalgan, administered by injection for the relief of pain from osteoarthritis of the knee, is the first therapy of its kind in America.
It received clearance for marketing in May of 1997 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative non-pharmacologic therapy and to simple analgesics, e.g. acetaminophen.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects more than 15 million patients in America according to the Arthritis Foundation. While the origin of the disease is not known, the onset is usually gradual and is often localized in one or a few joints.

Hyalgan represents a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Hyalgan is a preparation of highly purified sodium hyaluronate. Sodium hyaluronate is a chemical normally found in the body and present in high amounts in joints and in synovial fluid (which is contained in a joint). The body's own hyaluronate plays a number of key roles in normal joint function. In osteoarthritis, the quality and quantity of hyaluronate in the joint fluid and tissue may be deficient.

The Hyalgan injections replace or supplement the body's natural hyaluronic acid that is broken down by inflammation of the knee joint. The injections coat the articular cartilage surface, and thus provides a possible prophylactic barrier for the articular cartilage.

The treatment consists of 5 injections, administered directly into the knee, over 5 weeks. The treatment will relieve pain in the majority of patients for 12 months without the safety concerns of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy.

THANK YOU JERRY KULHAVY FOR YOUR ARTISTIC WORKS