Tim

November 30, 2005

Hello, Tim,

Most of us can understand your dilemma. We've been the Hearing Aid

route for many years before considering a cochlear implant. I, myself, tried a

new aid just a few months before going bilateral. My audi told ME that he

wouldn't sell it to me, as it didn't give me enough benefit. We've worked

together

for 20 years and he has always looked out for MY best interests. He knows I

look out for his by referring others to him whom I meet who have asked me to

recommend someone for hearing testing, aids, or other hearing related issues.

At our age, (I'm 55, too) we've earned the right to drop the " guilt/help "

complex and look out for ourselves. Your audi will most probably wish you well

and remind you that she will be there to help you again in the event that you

decide against, or do not qualify, for a CI. ok? <smiles> Good Luck!

) Jackie

Implanted - right ear - Oct.2002 - Nucleus 24/3G

Reimplanted - right ear - Jan.2005 - Nucleus 24C/3G

Implanted - left ear - Sept.2005 - Nucleus-Freedom

February 11, 2006

Tim,

Congratulations on your new life and future new wife. It is great hearing

from you again.

Rhue Green

5/6/04

Dr. Dasher

>From: hughes6766@...

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: 18 month update to Tim

>Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 15:09:17 +0000

>

>Tim! How awesome. I am so happy for you. You are such a great guy and

>deserve all the happiness in the world. Please post pictures of the

>wedding! How exciting!~

>

>~a in Georgia

>

>-------------- Original message --------------

>From: " tsommer_1999 " <tsommer_1999@...>

>Hello all!

>It's been far too long since I last posted to the group. So I'll

>start with an apology to all for not writing more often, and also for

>the length of this posting. To say that my life has been a whirlwind

>would be an understatement of grand proportions!!

>

>Here are my current stats: Pre-op weight 312, highest weight 329.

>Current weight 150 and holding! Total of 162 pounds lost since

>surgery, 179 from my highest weight. Pre-op pants size 54 in waist,

>now 32 in. Pre-op shirts 4x, now medium. By luck of the gene pool, I

>have no hanging skin to speak of, I often have to show a before

>picture for people to believe I was ever that big.

>I have had no complications of any sort since the surgery. Nothing.

>

>2 years ago like many of us who have sought this surgery, I had

>reached a point in my life where I had begun to lose hope. I was very

>sick with all of the co-morbidities you can think of. High Blood

>Pressure, out of control on 5 different meds, Pit edema, more pills,

>Heart disease, Sever shortness of breath chronic back pain. I

>couldn't walk more than 100 yards without stopping to ease the pain.

>My job required me to travel internationally, and some days I was

>barely able to spool up enough energy to make it to my car at the end

>of the day. In addition to all of this I was in a horrible and

>abusive marriage that had been that way for a long time. I simply did

>not have the physical or mental strength to deal with it.

>

>The owner of my company had a MGB with Dr. Rutledge in January 04,

>and was talking to me about it. But it was the doctor telling me that

>I had heart disease and was literally killing myself with the weight

>that pushed me over the edge. That was my threshold moment. I knew

>that I couldn't live that way even one more minute! I sat down and

>wrote out three goals. Fix my health, escape the abusive marriage,

>and have a closer relationship with my 4 kids. I'm happy to report…

>mission accomplished.

>

>By December of 04 I was off all meds except for the surgery related

>stuff. I was walking 3 miles a day, doing sit ups daily (100's). I

>had become stronger inside too, I began to feel like I had reason to

>hope. I filed for divorce in January 05. Moved out in March. The

>divorce was final in December 05.

>

>Along the way as I was preparing for the surgery I had become kinda

>stuck. Overwhelmed a bit by the manual, the letter, the contacts. My

>three younger kids came to me a ask me to go to church with them, and

>that it would help me. I went, and it changed my life in many ways.

>I've found my spiritual bearings, and my involvement has brought me

>closer to my teenage kids that I have ever been in their lives. I

>started give them do-over's, these were things that I was not healthy

>enough to do when I was big. So far we've been hiking in the

>mountains, to Disneyland, and more. I had become truly blessed.

>

>This past July I had a little disaster. On July 20th my apartment

>burned in a fire started in the unit below mine. Everything was lost.

>I had had to go to a trade show in only 4 days. I decided to go

>anyway, and bought another new wardrobe and luggage, and off I went.

>At the show, out of the blue, I met someone. I knew right away, and

>so did she. If there was such a thing as love at first sight this was

>it. Unfortunately she lived in Los Angeles, and I was in Minnesota.

>After 5 weeks of daily emails, and hours and hours on the phone we

>had it pretty much figure out. We're getting married in June!

>Oh, I'm now Tim from California! I've moved to LA, was offered and

>accepted a position as VP of company in the bedding industry, This is

>just the quick story but to say that MGB has made all of this

>possible does say it strongly enough!

>

>The one lesson I've learned through all of this is that hope is never

>wasted!!! Having hope for the future, and that I had something to

>live for empowered me to take action to change my life! I once

>thought that I would never be loved again, or love another. Today 18

>months after my surgery I feel like every hope I have ever had has

>come true. I'm living life instead of enduring it!

>

>Thanks to Dr. Rutledge, and Dr, Walsh, and to all those who helped me

>along the way, To those of you preparing for or considering MGB, keep

>hoping and add some action to it and amazing thing things can happen!

>

>Tim formerly in Minnesota, now in California!

>8-12-04 Dr Walsh, High Point NC

>312 pre op, 329 highest, now 150 at goal.

>

October 13, 2007

That is great news Tim. hugs...pat

Hillbilly Tim <knoxweb1@...> wrote: im was still negative 1 month

post tx,slowly sides are leaveing.my neck was the worst part that still bothers

me.but getting better.depression is gone.and life as good.keep up the fight.its

worth it.

patricia <pandas2@...> wrote: Hey Tim love you too. Losing tons and I

mean tons of hair, pale as a ghost, look like a mummy all wrinkled. Blood counts

slowly coming back up white is now at 1.9 which is still low but not like

before. How are you doing sweetie? Where is Gayle?? Haven't seen her post in

awhile or maybe I don't remember her doing it. Take care..pay

Hillbilly Tim <knoxweb1@...> wrote: i do love ya pat,:-], you doing ok.

patricia <pandas2@...> wrote: 9.2 isn't that bad but mine likes to

keep me at at least 11.1. I am on procrit for second time it usually raises mine

fast and then I can get off for awhile as I react to the stuff. I react strongly

to all meds hahaaa. This time the procrit isn't making me feel as sick as before

but only done it twice now so hope that continues. Good luck and congrats on

showing clear. I have been clear on both viral loads and hoping it will

continue. love...pat

Dorothy <dorv@...> wrote: The nurse practitioner just called and my 4

week blood work shows the HCV is

undetectable. She said that's great at this early stage.

The bad news is my hemoglobin is 9.2 and she's going to order Prescript to

be delivered to me ASAP. I didn't realize that this is something I would be

injecting, but she explained that I'll do it weekly.

The other issue is that I have had some soreness in my upper arm and now

some pain in my left shoulder. I feels like I might have slept on it wrong

or pulled something. It hurts more when I take a deep breath. I told her

that and she was quite concerned. I happen to have 2 appointments tomorrow

- my rheumatologist in the morning and the internist in the afternoon so

she's going to fax the report over to the internist. She told me if it gets

worse, I should go to the ER.

While I'm excited about the good news, I'm concerned about the bad news :-(

October 13, 2007