Tri-Valley’s new Book Launch Team Page 14 VOL. XIX, NUMBER 26 • JULY 20, 2018 WWW.PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM 5 NEWS Temporary ban on new massage shops downtown 10 PULSE Pleasanton PD announces promotions, new officers 11 EDITORIAL Documents reveal little on HPMS principal exit Paid for by Stanford Health Care “Stanford Health Care’s ability to give me answers has made a huge impact on my life.” — Rachel who happens to know that people with Marfan Ten Years and Four Diagnoses Later, are at greater risk of developing a leak. After the personal experience I had with it, I started reaching Patient Gets Her Life—Back out to the Stanford Headache Clinic, and the POTS When Rachel was a kid and telling stories about all the blood draws and Marfan Clinics. Now we’re all reading about it and it has created a great dialogue.” explains Dr. leaving scars on her arms, she realized this wasn’t the childhood Carroll. “Th ere is a place in our society for a group experience most other kids had. Th ey fell out of trees and scrapped of doctors that want to see the most difficult cases, that want to spend their time reading about those their knees but didn’t usually endure years of being sick. cases and trying to develop new treatments for those cases and that place is Stanford.” For almost 10 years, Rachel suffered with When Rachel first got the CSF diagnosis, she was headaches, nausea, and dehydration. Sometimes hospitalized since she was having trouble getting Dr. Carroll admits he gets invested in his client’s she would just experience sensory overload with out of bed. To treat the spinal fluid leak, Dr. Carroll wellbeing and says it helps him unlock his own her family around, and have to tell them—“Okay, performed what is called an epidural blood patch internal resources and the institutional resources everyone has to be quiet now.” where the patient’s own blood is injected around at Stanford. the bag of fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. Th is For years, Rachel had been bounced from creates a seal and a scar over the part where the bag Rachel had to laugh when Dr. Carroll insisted she institution to institution, specialist to specialist, is torn. Th is helps the fluid stop leaking and can watch three videos and read a paper about her before an outside institution asked one of the restore normal balance and normal pressure of the procedure BEFORE he would even talk to her. specialists here at Stanford Health Care to take spinal fluid. But in the end, his advice was right: “He involved an active role in her care. Dr. Linda Nguyen, me a lot and kept me updated, which I really, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist, began After her first blood patch, Rachel got substantially really appreciate!” assessing her GI issues but had heard enough about better, and Dr. Carroll was confident they were spinal fluid leaks that she thought this could be the on the right path: “We want multiple dimensions Explains Rachel, “Th is blood patching thing, problem. Interestingly enough, Stanford’s Dr. Ian across her life to be better so she can return to from a nerdy, scientific perspective, I think it Carroll, headache specialist and orofacial pain function, and do the things a young woman wants is so fascinating. I love it.” to do with her life instead of being engaged in the specialist, had just reached out to Dr. Nguyen Two procedures later, Rachel’s headaches aren’t medical system on a semi-continuous basis.” sharing information about how some spinal leaks as common and the sensory overload feelings are were characterized by chronic intractable nausea, Dr. Carroll believes that spinal fluid leaks are often subsiding. Best of all, her music-loving family in addition to ringing in the ears, vomiting, and misdiagnosed, and more common than previously ‘loves’ it when she says this: “Listening to music headache. Dr. Carroll had collaborated with thought. He speaks from personal experience: as loud as I want has been nice!” Stanford’s Neuroradiology and Neurology his daughter had a spinal fluid leak that had gone Headache divisions to create the Stanford spinal undiagnosed for far too long until she got the US News & World cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak program—and right treatment. Th at’s when he really began to Report immediately took an active interest in Rachel’s case. recognizes think about the interplay of different syndromes Stanford Health Care At 24, Rachel was on her fourth diagnosis and had and symptoms, and how important it was for in the top 10 best been on headache medication for years when she a major academic medical center like Stanford hospitals in the nation. met Dr. Carroll. to collaborate across departments. Recalls Rachel, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget doing Most at risk are those with Marfan and Ehlers- Discover more patient stories on the first diagnostic test where he just had me lie flat. Danlos Syndromes, both connective tissue disorders. StanfordHealthNow.org It was really the first time my headache had ever Orthostatic headache, or headache that is worse gone away, and it was a huge a-ha moment for me.” when upright, is a key feature of a spinal CSF leak, but is also a common feature in patients with Rachel believes that had it not been for Stanford postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Health Care’s mindset and Dr. Carroll’s mindset as a doctor at Stanford, she would not have been “Patients shouldn’t have to wander from doctor to diagnosed so quickly. doctor until they randomly interact with a doctor Page 2 • July 20, 2018 • Pleasanton Weekly My Open Homes This Weekend TIM TALK BY TIM HUNT 3 Puri Court, Pleasanton - $1,988,000 Hot election season 5 Bed, 3 Bath, 3,720 Sq Ft - OPEN SAT & SUN 1 - 4 expected in Dublin 856 Palomino Drive, Pleasanton - $1,398,000 he fall election season is it’s possible that the deadline for the Spotless Duplex in Great Location - OPEN SAT & SUN 1 - 4 shaping up to be an interest- November ballot will pass before Ting one locally, particularly any action can be taken. in Dublin where Dubliners United The recalls of Gupta and Biddle can be expected to mount a serious obviously are moot, but Cunning- 1736 Magnolia Circle, Pleasanton - $898,000 challenge to existing city policies. ham will have two years remaining 3 Bed, 2.5 Bath, 1,484 Sq Ft Duet - OPEN SAT & SUN 1 - 4 Incumbent Councilman Arun on his term in November. 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She was appointed in April to re- Much of the angst driving the place longtime Councilman Don unhappiness and frustration that Biddle after he passed away from Dubliners United tapped into stems Gina Piper cancer last winter. from overcrowded schools and then Councilman Abe Gupta has an- is focused on the City Council as it 925.200.0202 nounced his plans to seek re-elec- continues to implement plans for tion, and the leader of Dubliners East Dublin that were approved United, Bobby Khullar, announced more than a decade ago. That’s why www.PleasantonRealEstate.com his candidacy for council recently. the council settled the suit filed by Better Homes & Gardens Tri-Valley Realty / BRE#: 01201349 This Saturday, Shawn Kumagai developer UDR after the council will formally open his campaign rejected its plans for its 220-unit for council with a kickoff at Alamo Ashton development next to the Creek Park. He’s a master chief East Dublin BART station. petty officer in the Navy Reserve, UDR had invested more than the highest rank for an enlisted $1 million to maintain the original man. He is a design consultant for a development agreement and then Bay Area utility company as well as was stunned when the council re- a founding member of the Lambda jected the project. The firm filed the Democratic Club of Contra Costa lawsuit shortly thereafter, and the County and secretary of the API parties reached a settlement that re- Caucus of the California Demo- quires the city to approve the 220- cratic Party. unit project with a five-year devel- The press release announcing his opment agreement. In exchange, candidacy noted that, if elected, the city will receive $600,000 in a he would be the first openly gay community benefit fee that will go council member in Dublin. His to Don Biddle Community Park. kickoff will include remarks from As he announced his candidacy Democrat activists including State for council, Khullar resigned as the Controller Betty Yee, El Cerrito head of the recall movement.