Personal Perspectives

Louise Adams Hess

It’s hard to believe more than two years have come and gone and our L-serine drug testing is coming to a close. We are anxiously awaiting the outcomes from our efforts. My effort seems trivial… taking the serine 3 times a day was not a problem (even though I don’t like the after taste and would prefer to take it in capsule form instead of the current powder that must be mixed with warm liquid to dissolve…hence the after taste!)

The 7 hour trips to Boston twice a year were sometimes hectic with traffic and storms but when we arrived we had a comfy hotel to rest ourselves prior to testing. The hotel is situated between the neurology offices and Massachusetts General Hospital (walking distance for those that could) where we had appointments for bloodwork and neurological workups. Once each year we had to stay a second day for more testing there and additional testing at the University of Massachusetts Hospital (UMASS) in Dr. Browns arena. These tests were rather unusual …sweat testing, tilt table testing and skin biopsies (that left its little pencil point size scar each time).

The best part of each visit was the potential to connect with a family member we had never met or hadn’t seen in a very long time.

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