Another Igor's photo

Hello!
I am a mom of 14-year-old boy, Igor Verbitsky, who needs help.
He started having health problems 1.5 years ago, and we have not been able to leave the hospital walls, because the doctors still cannot diagnose Igor. He is undergoing treatment for tuberculosis of lymph nodes, but his condition had not improved.
Now he got another problem. Igor was diagnosed to have aspergillosis of bone, a rare disease that requires long-term therapy. We really need Vfend medication for Igor's treatment.
He had five surgeries, including two on his ribs and his spine (he got implant). He also needs treatment for inflammation in his bones. Thank you in advance!

Nina Grigorievna Verbitsky
Home address:
St. Petersburg,
Ul. Podolskaya, d. 1/3/5, kv. 32
Contact phone:
+7 (921) 326-39-30

Epicrisis
Medical report

Update as of February 3, 2010. Igor feels unwell. He is scheduled for a visit to a surgeon on February 4. Igor still needs Vfend.

Update as of February 20, 2010. On February 4 Igor had a consultation with a surgeon, the decision on the surgery has been postponed for a month. Then the boy will need an examination followed by CT. After the examination he will need to consult a surgeon again. Igor still needs Vfend.

Update as of March 3, 2010. Igor needs to undergo examination at Phtisiology & Pulmonology Research Institute. He was referred for scintigraphy. The doctors increased his Vfend dosage to 600 mg a day. We are sincerely grateful to Happy World fund for joining our efforts to raise money for Igor's treatment.

Update as of April 3, 2010. Igor's condition is unchanged. He was found to have new aspergillosis lesions in his bones and he is continuing Vfend therapy. He received an invitation from a clinic in Germany for examination and diagnostics. Igor and his mom are preparing for the trip to Germany and are very worried.

Update as of April 16, 2010. On April 19th Igor will travel to Germany for diagnostics and therapy. We are sincerely grateful to Happy World Fund for paying Igor's treatment bill.

Update as of April 29, 2010. Igor mucous will be collected for two more days to establish its infectious origin. Currently, the doctors are in the opinion that it is caused by atypical bacteria. Next week, Igor's bone tissue, lymph node and bone marrow will be biopsied under general anesthesia and he will also have a special lymph node CT scan.
Afterwards, we will have to wait for the fungal growth. The doctors cannot say how long it will take. The family may have to be moved to the apartments for some time, until the fungus appears and can be diagnosed.
The chief doctor, Herr Zommerberg, says that the Russian doctors were on the right path, but probably did not have the right equipment to establish the correct diagnosis.
Igor was taken off Vfend right away, because it affects very limited range of bacteria, but has significant side effects. After its cancellation, Igor's liver counts improved dramatically compared to initial counts during admittance. Igor is now taking only iron supplement.
If the infectious nature of the tissue will not be conformed in a few days, Igor will be transferred to another room. His mom will then be happy to cook Igor his favorite food, because he is not a fan of the hospital food. They go for walks, and sometimes Igor's temperature rises (probably due to necrosis in bone tissue). He receives fever reducing medications, but no other therapy until the diagnosis is established. For now everything goes according to a plan.

Update as of May 19, 2010 (from Happy World fund website): Today Igor had 14 blood samples for various tests. The German specialists are leaning towards the diagnosis of atypical tuberculosis, but the final diagnosis will be possible only after all the test results are back, and this will take several weeks. The fungus needs time to grow and the results of genetic testing need to come back also. Igor does not feel well and stays in bed most of the time. The doctors prescribed him antibiotics. The situation is difficult because to diagnose Igor and start treatment all the test results have to be ready, which takes time. But the doctors are still starting to treat Igor with antibiotics and other medications.

Update as of June 9, 2010 (from Happy World fund website): Dear supporters,
First of all, we would like to thank you for giving Igor a chance to go for an examination to Germany. Be assured, it was very important for us, as in our city we were in a dead end, and it is very scary to think how it could end.
German doctors had quite a challenge. Igor's condition and his disease presentation are not very typical for any known disease, so there were many difficulties and many tests. The first assumption was tuberculosis, and it was not confirmed. The second was atypical bacteria. There was a lot of medical work, initial therapy with antibiotics, waiting, hope… and it was a miss too. Igor did great. He stayed strong despite being in a critical condition. We were pleasantly surprised that Igor's treating doctor speaks some Russian, so it was easier psychologically.
And then, the third theory: a disease called sarcoidosis. There was a careful examination of lungs, bronchoscopy and testing of breath, and finally: a hope for recovery and a discussion with doctor, during which he asked whether Igor took Prednisolone in Russia and how he felt afterwards. Yes, he did take it for two months together with tuberculosis drugs and he felt much better. It was very important for doctors to know that. On May 28th Igor started therapy with Prednisolone. Since then Igor gained 4.5 kg, and he feels better. Today he had breathing test and the results had improved. This week Igor will be able to go home to St. Petersburg for 1.5 months, and then we was asked to return to the clinic for a checkup and prescription of different therapy, if all goes well. So this is our news.
Once and once again we would like to thank all of you. As a mother, I am very grateful to you for saving my son.
Igor's mom

Update as of July 30, 2010 (from Happy World fund website): Dear friends,
Many of you remember Igor Verbitsky. Several months ago, thanks to your help, Igor went for diagnostic tests and treatment in Germany. He underwent numerous examinations, tests and analyses and was prescribed preliminary therapy.
Igor's test results were sent for a second opinion to London.
Recently we got a response. The preliminary conclusion that Igor's illness was caused by atypical bacteria was not confirmed. He urgently needs to travel again for further examination and treatment, to check whether prior treatment was appropriate and possibly change his therapy, and to test function of his lungs, bones and other organs.
Yesterday, we made a partial payment for the new bill for Igor's treatment for 20,000 euros. It became possible thanks to donations sent to our fund for all patients. This first installment allowed the clinic to accept taking Igor for treatment without 100% prepayment.
Igor and his mother will fly to Germany on Monday, and for Tuesday he is already scheduled for very complex tests.
We are asking our supporters to respond and help us pay off remaining debt of 17,160 euros. It is usually more difficult to raise money for the same child for the second time, but we cannot refuse Igor help because of that.

Update as of October 25, 2010. At the end of September, Igor went for a checkup to Germany. The German specialists are happy with the response: Igor's lymph nodes have gotten smaller and he has no new lesions. Igor started gaining weight. He now needs to go for weekly tests and sent results to Germany. The news about Igor is posted on Happy World fund website at. This fund paid for Igor's treatment by German specialists.

Update as of March 14, 2011. Igor currently feels well. On March 20th Igor and his mom will fly to Germany for another examination. Happy World fund paid for the cost of the tests, but there were difficulties with obtaining the tickets. Igor will have to fly our of Moscow. The plane tickets were paid for, but the taxes for 5,000 rubles Igor's mom will have to cover herself. In addition, to get to Moscow by train, the family had to buy tickets for the night train (they cost 4500 rubles, because Igor cannot travel in hard berth).
So on the night of March 19th Igor and his mom will take a train to Moscow, then fly the next day from Domodedovo to Germany. They do not yet have return tickets and it is not clear who will buy them. Igor's mom cannot afford the tickets or living expenses in Germany. She would like to thank everyone for support they received before and ask for help with paying for the tickets and their living expenses.

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