Posted on 12/03/2004 9:52:59 PM PST by Cableguy
When the once-robust, telegenic man was wheeled in through the sliding glass doors of the plush Rudolfinerhaus hospital in early September, he was severely ill, conscious but groggy and complaining of terrible abdominal pain. Multiple blood tests were abnormal, doctors here say; his skin was covered with odd-looking lesions; his digestive tract was dotted with ulcers from top to bottom.
Europe's most illustrious doctors were stumped; the patient's many symptoms defied a unifying diagnosis. Eight days later, Viktor A. Yushchenko, Ukraine's opposition leader, checked out against medical advice, determined to return to the business of winning the presidential election in Ukraine.
In less than two weeks he was back, crippled by excruciating back pain that required such huge doses of morphine to control that he almost ended up on a ventilator. Once again, a week of testing found no medical explanation.
Mr. Yushchenko and his doctors agreed on a risky plan: Doctors threaded a small tube through the skin of his upper back, into his spinal canal, so he could receive constant pain-killing medication while campaigning.
And so it was that Mr. Yushchenko flew back to Kiev with a catheter lodged in his back, escorted by a team of Austria's most elite doctors. He campaigned with the tube in place for a week, attending several large rallies, according to his press secretary, Irina Gerashchenko.
Dr. Michael Zimpfer, the medical director at the hospital here, personally supervised Mr. Yushchenko. "I went with him because I had serious security concerns and I wanted to make sure he was handled properly," he said. Indeed, the doctors had become increasingly suspicious that foul play, possibly an unusual poisoning, could be the cause of their patient's problems, a charge that Ms. Gerashchenko repeated.
In interviews this week, the Austrian doctors were quick to emphasize that, scientifically, they could not say that the candidate had been poisoned. They tested only for common agents, and found none. But the medical team became so concerned about the possibility of an unconventional agent that they consulted biological and chemical weapons experts.
"A poisoning without the poison is like a murder without a gun," Dr. Zimpfer said. "But if someone said to me, 'Look what we found!' I wouldn't be at all surprised.
"In this case, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," he said.
He continued: "As I've said to the family, if this is a poisoning, it's going to be very tricky and tough to discover. They are not going to use some regular household agent."
Ms. Gerashchenko said Mr. Yushchenko was continuing to receive treatment from Ukrainian doctors. "He feels much better than he did two months ago, but he's far from ideal," she said.
New details of Mr. Yushchenko's hospital admissions in Vienna raise disturbing questions: Was the candidate poisoned or infected with some biological agent, and, if so, with what? What is his current state of health, in the middle of a pivotal battle for power?
In September, Mr. Yushchenko immediately said he had been poisoned, but that charge was lost among the heated political debates and demonstrations in the final weeks of the campaign, which culminated in the disputed election.
"Look at my face," Mr. Yushchenko told the Ukrainian Parliament on Sept. 21, after his first stint in the Vienna hospital. "Note my articulation. This is one-hundredth of the problems that I've had. This is not a problem of political cuisine as such. We are talking about the Ukrainian political kitchen where assassinations are ordered."
Opponents dismissively suggested that the cause of Mr. Yushchenko's hospitalization was bad sushi or too much alcohol; doctors here said there was no evidence of either. But some doctors point out that it is conceivable Mr. Yushchenko had the bad luck to develop a rare illness, difficult to diagnose, at the height of the campaign.
The issue has persisted because of the obvious disfigurement and discoloration of his face, which is swollen and pocked with large bumps and cysts, and is a dusky grayish color. The left eye is bloodshot and sometimes waters.
Last week a British toxicologist, Dr. John Henry, suggested that Mr. Yushchenko's symptoms were consistent with dioxin poisoning, which causes a severe form of acne called chloracne. The condition occurs months to years after exposure, when the body seeks to eliminate residue of the chemical through the skin. But cases of dioxin poisoning are extremely rare. Scientists debate whether a huge one-time dose could be delivered as a poison.
Doctors at Rudolfinerhaus said they did not test Mr. Yushchenko for dioxin in part because his skin changes were much milder in September, not suggestive of dioxin. The candidate refused a biopsy of his face - which doctors suggested to try to narrow down the causes - because he did not want to campaign with stitches. But dioxin and related toxic chemicals are detectable in the body years after exposure. Ms. Gerashchenko said tests for such substances had still not been performed.
Some doctors not involved with the Yushchenko case, consulted for their opinions, said he could be suffering from an unusual immune disease. Scleromyxedema, for instance, is an extremely rare progressive disorder that produces facial symptoms much like Mr. Yushchenko's. But it is not known to produce pain.
Dermatologists at Rudolfinerhaus initially suggested that the facial lesions could represent a slightly unusual case of a well-known condition called rosacea, where the face becomes swollen and lumpy. But Dr. Zimpfer said Mr. Yushchenko's skin nodules no longer indicated that disease.
Political intrigue is not the norm at Rudolfinerhaus, an elite private hospital that caters to wealthy Austrians and foreigners.
Dr. Zimpfer provided extensive details of Mr. Yushchenko's hospitalizations. He arrived first on Sept. 10, severely ill and unable to walk, after five days of terrible abdominal pain. Initial testing showed that he had a high white-cell count and elevated liver and pancreas enzymes, suggesting inflammation of those organs. His tests were negative for all the obvious possibilities, like hepatitis caused by a virus.
Scans showed that his liver, pancreas and intestine were, indeed, swollen. Internal examinations of the intestine using an endoscope found he had ulcerations - essentially bleeding abrasions - of the stomach and throughout his intestine and bowel as well. Ulcers are typically not spread out in that way.
The doctors gave him supportive care, like intravenous fluid and a restricted food intake to rest the digestive tract. As he gradually recovered strength, he opted to get back to the campaign trail. Already, doctors noticed that he was developing odd lesions on his face and trunk.
Ten days later, the candidate returned, after three days of what he called excruciating back pain. Its source was again a mystery, since related lab tests and scans were normal.
The pain was so severe that doctors had to place a large intravenous line into Mr. Yushchenko's chest and essentially nearly anesthetize him with huge doses of opiates. Because opiates depress respiratory functions, his breathing rate slowed, and his vital signs had to be constantly monitored. More medicine would have required that Mr. Yushchenko be placed on a respirator, Dr. Zimpfer said.
Mr. Yushchenko and his doctors made a difficult choice: They decided to place an epidural catheter between his shoulder blades into the membranes of the upper spine so that medicines could be delivered to the nerves in his back without compromising his mental abilities.
Epidural catheters are common for pain relief in childbirth, but they are far riskier when they are placed for longer periods and in the upper back, closer to the brain and vital nerves.
Mr. Yushchenko was discharged three days later, leaving with a retinue of doctors and cartons of medical supplies. He was still on "plenty" of medication, said Dr. Zimpfer. They arrived in Ukraine, and, after a few hours, Dr. Zimpfer returned to Vienna, leaving Mr. Yushchenko in the care of another Austrian doctor.
"He was severely ill, but this does not all add up to a single disease or even a known syndrome," Dr. Zimpfer said. "At this point his diagnosis is just a description of all his symptoms."
Sounds like something an ex-KGB man might cook up to get rid of a troublesome opposition candidate.
Jeez, did they put a Gieger-Counter on him? Mebbe some plutonium was put into his pocket.
This is likely a program that the Soviets cooked up in the 1960s, and simply had on the shelf for KGB use. Wouldn't surprise me if it was utilized on dozens of occassions. You can't find the problem, because its not a normal disease and I doubt seriously that this guy will be alive in three years.
Botox gone bad...
A friend of mine had something very similar to this problem. He was throwing up blood and had strange lesions for months. No-one could ever figure out what was wrong with him. Perhaps this is a strange new virus.
Weird. Looks to me like something cooked up in a Soviet WMD lab.
Dioxin doesn't sound right?
I would love to see this guy in the same room with Putin. I'm sure Putin's reaction would be very telling.
The ulcerated digestive tract, swollen liver and pancreas, acute abdominal and back pain, and overall skin inflammation all raise HUGE red flags for some sort of poisoning via ingestion. And not just "ordinary" poisonings, but something exceptionally nasty. I'm siding with the folks who raised the possibility of WMD or KGB involvement.
His symptoms aren't typical of radiation sickness.
Not hard to remember that Putin has been KGB. They do marvels.
This man is a true hero to continue the struggle despite horrendous pain. I can't imagine having ulcers throughout my internal organs.
bump!
(09-17-2004) U menya slozhilos' mnenie, chto ego (Yushchenko) khoteli otravit'. On ezdil po Cherkasskoy oblasti s predvybornoy agitatsiey i obratilsya v bol'nitsu, t.k. u nego vozniklo podozrenie na prostudu. Takie simptomy byli. No, kogda proveli obsledovanie, to okazalos' sil'noe otravlenie. On lezhal v bol'nitse, no uzhe vyshel. Po-moemu, ego takim obrazom poka predupredili. Uzhas, chto tvoritsya za portfel' prezidenta. Ehto i ne udivitel'no. Ved' Kuchma i ego okruzhenie teryayut vse. V strane idet otkrytiy grabezh. Prodayutsya predpriyatiya, kotorye predstavlyayut bol'shoy interes. Tsena ikh nizhe, chem oni poluchili pribyl'. I skupaet vse ehto priblizhennye Kuchmy i ego zyat'. Poehtomu budet bor'ba gryaznaya i opasnaya dlya zhizni Yushchenko."I'm of the opinion that they tried to poison him (Yushchenko). He was travelling around the Cherkassaya district with his campaign and went to a hospital, because he thought he had a cold. Such were his symptoms. But, when they performed tests, it turns out that it was a serious case of poisoning. He was hopitalized, but he's already recovered. In my opinion, it was a warning. It's horrible what goes on beyond the president's portfolio (?). It's not even surprising. Obviously Kuchma and his circle will lose everything. There's open theft going on in the nation. They're selling companies which represent a large interest. Their prices are lower then their profits. And all these businesses are being bought be Kuchma and his son-in-law. Therefore there will be a dirty struggle and it will dangerous for Yushchenko's life."
(09-22-2004) U nas seychas strana obsuzhdaet problemu s Yushchenko. S Avstrii dali zaklyuchenie, chto otravlenie bylo ne pishchevym. V rade, vpervye za ves' period ee raboty, edinoglasno sozdali komissiyu po rassledovaniyu ehtogo prestuplenie. A nakanune otravleniya on el s odnim iz samom SBU i svoim pomoshchnikom. Yushchenko vystupil na sessii Rady i skazal, chto on ostalsya zhiv potomu, chto ne ta doza byla, ne to vremya i angely ego spali. No kakoy on opukhshiy, uzhas. Svolochi. A nash Yanukovich, vot debil, na parlament vynes zakonoproekt amnistirovat' osobo opasnykh prestupnikov, kotorye nasilovali detey, ubiyts i drugoe otreb'e. V parlament tsarit uzhas. Ya perezhivayu stress ezhednevno, kogda slushayu nash oppozitsionniy kanal. Khorosho, chto on est' i my znaem pravdu. No ego postoyanno otklyuchayut, kabelya zhgut, podstantsii vyvodyat iz stroya.Her blog (09/17-12/04 2004)."Here the nation is now looking at the Yushchenko problem. From Austria they gave information that his poisoning was not due to food. In the Rada (parliament), for the first in its history, they unanimously agreed to create a commission to examine this crime. On the day before being poisoned he (Yushchenko) ate with one of the directors of the SBU (Ukrainian security service) and his assistant. Yushchenko addressed a session of the Rada and said that he survived because it wasn't the right dose or the right time and that the angels saved him. But, oh how he is all swollen up, it's awful. The bastards. While our Yanukovich, what a moron, has presented to parliament a new law to give amnesty to extremely dangerous criminals, those who raped children, murderers and other rabble. Parliament was horrified. I'm stressed out every day, when I listen to our opposition TV station. It's good that there is one and that we know the truth. But they're always shutting it down, cabels burn out, sub-stations break down."
"On the day before being poisoned he (Yushchenko) ate with one of the directors of the SBU (Ukrainian security service) and his assistant. Yushchenko addressed a session of the Rada and said that he survived because it wasn't the right dose or the right time and that the angels saved him. But, oh how he is all swollen up, it's awful."
-- from the letter translated by FReeper struwwelpeter
This account has been published before and is widely known by those who have followed this story of poisoning. For whatever reason, the "coincidental" meal was ignored by the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times.
Do their editors fear they are witnessing the further crumbling of their youthful dreams of worldwide Communism -- as the advance of freedom and democracy continues -- often slowly, but more often relentlessly and beneficially?
Yes.
The b*st*rd Viktor Yanukovych is nothing more than a thug.
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