November - 2018

RICHARD SEMELKA, MD. CONSULTING

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Chronic Progressive GDD

Chronic Progressive GDD

The worst category of GDD are subjects with chronic progressive GDD. A condition which is essentially as severe as NSF and can also be fatal. To refresh your memories from an early blog this is the categorization of GDD I have previously described: 1. probably many cases of GDD-type symptoms spontaneously resolve (to a great extent). I suspect that maybe 20% of all individuals who undergo GBCA injection, have prominent symptoms but they resolve in 24 hours, and these individu

Minimize the Chance of Getting GDD Following GBCA-enhanced MRI

Minimize the Chance of Getting GDD Following GBCA-enhanced MRI

How can we minimize the chance of getting GDD when we undergo GBCA-enhanced MRI? I have always loved the quote from Shakespeare in the play Julius Caesar, Cassius speaking to Brutus: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves. I think this applies to most things, but certainly to this condition. This I take to mean that it is not our fate that things happen, it is do to us and what we do. The two critical things we have control of are: 1. do not be dehydrat

Overview of Treatment for GDD as Practiced by Dr Richard Semelka

Overview of Treatment for GDD as Practiced by Dr Richard Semelka

There are 2 components to treating GDD: i) removing the Gd, and ii) treating the host response. Removing the Gd is the most obvious and straightforward, so treatment begins with focusing on that. Patients basically fall into two groups: 1) those relatively easy to treat, and 2) those that are challenging. In group 1, the largest subgroup are patients who have received only linear agents and are beyond 1 year after the most recent GBCA administration. In those patients often j

Disease Modifying AntiRheumatic Drugs: DMARDs

Disease Modifying AntiRheumatic Drugs: DMARDs

Sufferers from GDD should familiarize themselves with this term: Disease Modifying AntiRheumatic Drugs (DMARDs), and the drugs that are members of this heterogenous group. If chelation and chelation with mild autoimmune disease therapy does not work, they may require one, or a combination of these agents (excerpted from Wikipedia): At this early juncture, it appears from preliminary work that TNF-alpha and IL-6 may be integral in the mediation of GDD. I am in the process to

Glove and Sock Distribution of Gadolinium Deposition Disease

Glove and Sock Distribution of Gadolinium Deposition Disease

The main feature shown with NSF has been disease distribution that primarily affects the lower arms and hands, and the lower legs and feet, what has been termed 'glove and sock' distribution. Winter is coming, so glove and sock is an appropriate subject matter. Like with NSF, GDD also shows 'glove and sock' distribution in the subacute stage. GDD also shows a number of other A symptoms (symptoms that are more specific): brain fog, skin burning, pin and needles, boring bone pa

Placebos: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Placebos: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Placebos are extremely important aspect of essentially all health care. Usually when a physician uses the term 'placebo' it is considered derogatory, and maybe often that is the intention. From my perspective, placebo effect, both positive and negative, are powerful tools. Essentially when placebos have effect, it actually is a reflection that the mind is effecting the body function to heal itself (positive placebo) or make itself sicker (negative placebo). Let us begin the d

Children and GDD

Children and GDD

I've had several requests to discuss the subject of children and GDD. I have to preface this by saying I have minimal knowledge of this, so this is one of my blogs which is highly speculative. Surprisingly there is little contact I receive regarding children and GDD, and little in the patient activist internet and Face book sites. This leads me to believe that it is relatively rare (although not impossible, as a few parents have contacted me about their children). How is that

Is it Important if Gd is in the Intact Chelate or if it is Unchelated?

Is it Important if Gd is in the Intact Chelate or if it is Unchelated?

Is it important if Gd is in the intact chelate or if it is unchelated? It appears clear with NSF that it is important if Gd is in the intact chelate (should not get NSF) or unchelated (may cause NSF), and with GSC (notably Gd deposited in brain), however it does not appear to be important in acute hypersensitivity reactions or GDD. In many respects my current thinking is that GDD is essentially a hypersensitivity reaction which over time recruits chronic immune cells into the