Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi Connie -

Welcome to our group. Glad you found us. You are doing great, even with a little gain. Just keep on doing what you know is right and the scale will work out.

No rules. You can weigh and report it here, or not. I take measurements because it does help to see those numbers changing when the scale doesn't move. I measure anything I can (LOL) and try to get in the same place each time. Since I am just using it for guidance, it's ok if it slips from time to time.

Journaling helps a lot - either on here to the group, or in a blog or diary of some kind so you can look back and see what worked, what didn't, etc and how to tweak things.

Have a great weekend,

See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.

[Guest guest]

Welcome Connie

NH. See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.

[Guest guest]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

> >

> > Hi all, just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Connie. I

> > accidently found this group while doing a random search. This

> seems

> > exactly what I need!!! I started dieting and some exercises the

> first

> > of the year, my new years resolution. I started with a weight of

> 255

> > pounds. I got down to 233 pounds, but it seems that I have

> started to

> > gain again. I am not sure why, I haven't changed my eating

> habits. I

> > do the exercises the doctor says I can...so, I don't really know

> what

> > is happening. At any rate, I am 5' 7 " . My ultimate goal weight

> is 150

> > pounds. I have set mini goals every 10 pounds until I reach my

> goal.

> >

> > What day does everyone do weigh-in, or does it matter? What all

> does

> > everyone do, just weight or does measurements too? If

> measurements,

> > what all does everyone measure? I really need some guidance and

a

> > whole LOT of understanding, patience, and motivation!

> >

> > Thank you for reading my post. Have a GREAT day all!!

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Kristi! I'm in KY, too. I have 2 teens who, unfortunately, were

fully vaxed through their kindergarten shots. Now they have a religious

exemption in place for school. We've never been questioned about it.

How wonderful for your children that you've come to the point you have,

learning that a strong immune system is the key to good health, NOT a shot

or a pill.

Kay

Re: Introduction

> My name is Kristi (24), my DH is Mike (23) and we have two children.

> will be 20 m/o in about a week and out DD is almost 20 weeks in-

> utero. We live in KY and I really don't like being out in the middle

> of nowhere - I'm more of a big city girl and I think 45 mins out of a

> big city is far enough! I stopped vaxing about 6 months ago

> after further research. I was going to do delayed/slow schedule but

> after reading more about each " disease " I'd rather just eat and live

> healthier than subject myself and family to unnecessary pokes.

>

> -Kristi

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the list!!!

Introduction

Greetings,

I am new to this list and just wanted to send out a hello to everyone, a

brief introduction and the story of how I ended up on this list.

My name is and my husband and I live in Hermosa Beach, CA with our 9

month old son, Caleb. My husband is a physicist by training and works in

aerospace. I am a mathematician and policy analyst by training and worked

in health and international health before Caleb was born. I decided to stay

home after trying rather half-heartedly to return to work after Caleb's

birth and am thoroughly enjoying his first year. I have been using

homeopathy for almost 6 years now and my husband grew up with it and he and

his siblings are not vaccinated. My mother is studying to be a homeopath

herself and offered homeopathic support to me throughout my pregnancy and

since.

I found this list and joined after being lectured for the 4th time in under

a week about vaccinating my son who is now 9 months old and not vaccinated.

We have had enormous trouble finding a pediatrician who will even see our

son because he is not vaccinated and several rude encounters in our search.

Right now we are driving an hour each way for him to see a UCLA resident

because at least they will take kids who aren't vaccinated. Last week my

son was got sick for the first time and ran his first fever. His fever

spiked to 105 and, being a first time parent and raised with entirely

allopathic medicine, I was nervous. The Dr. was unconcerned until she heard

our son was unvaccinated and then talked about how unvaccinated children get

more severe symptoms even with common colds. It is interesting that this

what you would expect with an unvaccinated child treated homeopathically.

Anyway, four Dr. visits, an unfilled prescription for presumptive

antibiotics, a chest x-ray and a blood panel later we only got a diagnosis

when I went to the ER because I was panicked by the Dr.'s vague insinuation

that something was terribly wrong with our son. The result,

Roseola-harmless infant rash with fever. In between all this, add several

visits with perspective pediatricians who asked me if I would be upset if my

son died from a vaccine preventable disease and how they wouldn't want to

live with that guilt.

We read Dr. Cane's book on vaccines before Caleb's birth and started out

just sure we wanted to delay vaccinations until at least four months. Once

Caleb was here and we looked at more information on vaccines, we have just

continued to delay. I have just ordered Dr. Feder's book for a homeopathic

perspective. I am just frustrated with my encounters with allopathic Dr.'s

and tired of not having a good response ready for the many arguments against

our decision.

Hopefully, that wasn't too long of a rant. I have enjoyed the information I

have seen come across this list so far. This is such an important and

personal decision for parents and it is so important to be well-informed.

Best,

[Guest guest]

Got a lot going on right now but welcome. It’s amazing how the word

“unvaxed” kid can make them go from acting normal to acting crazy! It’s

like fever in a baby… it’s really bad until you say “yeah, he had his

shots today” and then it’s OH OK.. give the kid some Tylenol and call it

a day… the fever is no longer anything of concern. It drives me nuts.

I also recommend “raising a vaccine free child” by lydall.

To the “what if”….. even a “vaccine preventable” disease can gain

foothold in a child and they’re vaccinated..so if the kid is vaxxed

“it’s not as bad as it would have been”… if it’s in an unvaxxed kid “you

know it wouldn’t have been as bad”.. to cover their butts b/c their

premise is shot to hell.

Vaccine-preventable. I die laughing every time I hear the phrase! 100%

vaccinated populations still are getting the diseases they vaccinate

for! Duh.

I have 2 100% unvaxxed kids. They’re very healthy and one is about to

turn 7.. well, sorta. He’s 6.5. the other is 2. your kid d/n need

vaccines to be healthy and shame on the doctor for being like a Gestapo

agent!

Nita, busy mom to: 14, Jon 13, 10, 8, 6,

Christian (RIP: 7/16/03 to 8/22/04), 2 and Baby Boy due 2/08

I'm like a snapdragon: half of me has snapped and the other is draggin'

-----Original Message-----

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

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12/11/2007 5:05 PM

No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.17.1/1181 - Release Date:

12/11/2007 5:05 PM

[Guest guest]

Goodness, well vaccines are just like vitamin C then ! Right ?

What a shame....all those science classes required for the MD degree

and still no ability to think ideas like this through in a scientific

way. Because IF vaccines work, they would each only work for the

specific microbe they were made for. So how in the heck would they

help reduce symptoms from a completely unrelated microbe ?

Sheesh !

I hope you can find another doctor. I sent you some links offlist

that might be helpful in finding someone. Welcome and good luck !

B.

The Dr. was unconcerned until she heard

> our son was unvaccinated and then talked about how unvaccinated

children get

> more severe symptoms even with common colds.

[Guest guest]

<<I decided to stay home after trying rather half-heartedly to return to

work after Caleb's birth and am thoroughly enjoying his first year.>>

It's the best, isn't it?? :-)

<<I have been using homeopathy for almost 6 years now and my husband

grew up with it and he and his siblings are not vaccinated. My mother is

studying to be a homeopath herself and offered homeopathic support to me

throughout my pregnancy and since.>>

Wow!! You don't know how lucky you are!!

<<I found this list and joined after being lectured for the 4th time in

under a week about vaccinating my son who is now 9 months old and not

vaccinated.>>

Whatever, my 7 yo and my 5.5 mo are 100% unvaxxed, the older two are

only partially vaxxed. They don't need them, they will survive just

FINE without them!!

<<We have had enormous trouble finding a pediatrician who will even see

our son because he is not vaccinated and several rude encounters in our

search.>>

I feel your pain, I've been through hell trying to find good docs that

will see my kids and respect my decisions.

Shame on these doctors for playing on your natural fears! :-( I do

hope you find a decent CP that will not give you a guilt trip every step

of the way. If I were you, I'd look more to your mother when your

little one is ill. :-)

)0(~~~)0(~~~)0(

Mom to Brittany, born 08/31/93, dx'd IDDM 05/28/01; , born

06/28/97; Shayna, born 06/01/00; and Thalea, born 06/24/07.

Vaccine free since 1999.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

That nurse sounds horrible!! I think you will find the information and

strength from this group to make the decision right for you.

You can always change your mind about vaccines and say your " religious

views " have changed. I am sure the nurse would love that The schools

get money for every vaccinated child. I am not sure if the nurse gets

kickbacks or not??

Where in NJ are you? Have you found your local Holistic Mom's group?

There is also a NJ Vaccination group to talk about local issues. It has

been booming with these new vaccine mandates. We are still trying to fight

them. BTW, I am in NJ too

We would love to have you!

NJVaccinationSupport/

Good Luck!

Cora

On Dec 13, 2007 9:18 AM, Rogich <jlrogich@...> wrote:

> Hi,

> I am new to the group and wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. I

> am the mother of a 3 year old girl and 5 month old boy. I have been

> interested in holistic health for some time and when I was pregnant with my

> daughter became aware of the vaccination controversy. To better educate

> myself and my husband on this issue and holistic health in children, we

> attend some seminars held by Dr Palevsky in NYC and found them to be

> enlightening. Through Dr Palevsky we found a practice who did not push us to

> vaccinate and respects our decisions, but now that our daughter is ready to

> go to preschool, we are finding the pressure to vaccinate to be intense. She

> has had the DTAP and got a fever and significant swelling at the injection

> site. She has also had a polio shot with no reaction. She is scheduled for

> HIB but with the recent recall, I am even more concerned again. Despite

> being born 8 weeks premature, she has been a very strong and healthy child

> and

> I don't want to compromise that by injecting potential toxins into her

> system.

>

> I continue to be incredibly worried about the vaccines, but have been told

> by the school that she cannot start until she has had at least one of each

> of the required vaccines. The school nurse is truly unbelievable and if we

> weren't so pleased with everyone else we met at the school, we'd definitely

> look elsewhere. This nurse told me I was a bad mother, crazy, etc. but she

> is not the kind of person that you can argue with....too stubborn and will

> never change her views. The administrators asked that I come back in to talk

> to her about the schedule we had arranged with our doctor and while I was

> waiting, the nurse was in a screaming match with another parent whose child

> is already in the school and not vaccinated (religious exemption). She

> actually told this mother that because her son was not vaccinated, she

> didn't have a perfect record. I find it unconscionable that she is more

> concerned about her record with the state than the health of the

> children and the rights of parents to have a say in the health and

> well-being of their children.

>

> I was doing some research and found this group and decided I'd like to

> join for a couple of reasons. I am looking for information and support as I

> try to navigate this issue with the school. The exemption process is still a

> bit unclear to me. We live in New Jersey, which has recently passed

> legislation mandating all preschoolers receive a flu vaccination. This along

> with all the press on Gardasil and the HIB recall make me feel like now is

> the time to become more active in exerting my rights as a parent for the

> health of my kids and others.

>

> So, that's my story. I'd love to hear from anyone with ideas on dealing

> with the school, especially if you live in New Jersey and can help me better

> understand the process here.

>

> I look forward to being a part of this really important group.

>

>

> __________________________________________________________

> Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

> http://www./r/hs

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Thanks for your message and the tip on the NJ group. The nurse is really awful

and controlling, which is so surprising to me since the administrators and

teachers all seem so wonderful. We live in downtown Jersey City and I know

there is at least one other mom at the school who shares similar beliefs since I

observed the interaction with the nurse and in conversations with the

administrators, it is clear that they are getting a lot more push back on the

vaccinations than ever before. The area has really changed in recent years.

There are a lot of people having kids now and they are educating themselves

like never before, so I think the schools will see a lot more people looking for

exemptions than ever before. The last time I looked into Holistic Moms there

wasn't anything in the area, but that was quite a while ago. It's probably time

to look into this again. Thanks again for your message!

Re: Introduction

Hi ,

That nurse sounds horrible!! I think you will find the information and

strength from this group to make the decision right for you.

You can always change your mind about vaccines and say your " religious

views " have changed. I am sure the nurse would love that The schools

get money for every vaccinated child. I am not sure if the nurse gets

kickbacks or not??

Where in NJ are you? Have you found your local Holistic Mom's group?

There is also a NJ Vaccination group to talk about local issues. It has

been booming with these new vaccine mandates. We are still trying to fight

them. BTW, I am in NJ too

We would love to have you!

http://health. groups.. com/group/ NJVaccinationSup port/

Good Luck!

Cora

On Dec 13, 2007 9:18 AM, Rogich <jlrogich (DOT) com> wrote:

> Hi,

> I am new to the group and wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. I

> am the mother of a 3 year old girl and 5 month old boy. I have been

> interested in holistic health for some time and when I was pregnant with my

> daughter became aware of the vaccination controversy. To better educate

> myself and my husband on this issue and holistic health in children, we

> attend some seminars held by Dr Palevsky in NYC and found them to be

> enlightening. Through Dr Palevsky we found a practice who did not push us to

> vaccinate and respects our decisions, but now that our daughter is ready to

> go to preschool, we are finding the pressure to vaccinate to be intense. She

> has had the DTAP and got a fever and significant swelling at the injection

> site. She has also had a polio shot with no reaction. She is scheduled for

> HIB but with the recent recall, I am even more concerned again. Despite

> being born 8 weeks premature, she has been a very strong and healthy child

> and

> I don't want to compromise that by injecting potential toxins into her

> system.

>

> I continue to be incredibly worried about the vaccines, but have been told

> by the school that she cannot start until she has had at least one of each

> of the required vaccines. The school nurse is truly unbelievable and if we

> weren't so pleased with everyone else we met at the school, we'd definitely

> look elsewhere. This nurse told me I was a bad mother, crazy, etc. but she

> is not the kind of person that you can argue with....too stubborn and will

> never change her views. The administrators asked that I come back in to talk

> to her about the schedule we had arranged with our doctor and while I was

> waiting, the nurse was in a screaming match with another parent whose child

> is already in the school and not vaccinated (religious exemption). She

> actually told this mother that because her son was not vaccinated, she

> didn't have a perfect record. I find it unconscionable that she is more

> concerned about her record with the state than the health of the

> children and the rights of parents to have a say in the health and

> well-being of their children.

>

> I was doing some research and found this group and decided I'd like to

> join for a couple of reasons. I am looking for information and support as I

> try to navigate this issue with the school. The exemption process is still a

> bit unclear to me. We live in New Jersey, which has recently passed

> legislation mandating all preschoolers receive a flu vaccination. This along

> with all the press on Gardasil and the HIB recall make me feel like now is

> the time to become more active in exerting my rights as a parent for the

> health of my kids and others.

>

> So, that's my story. I'd love to hear from anyone with ideas on dealing

> with the school, especially if you live in New Jersey and can help me better

> understand the process here.

>

> I look forward to being a part of this really important group.

>

>

> ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

> Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

> http://www.. com/r/hs

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi --

Welcome to the group - there's lots of great info here.

I'm , I have two kids, both partially vaxed. Because my DS had a

severe allergic reaction to the DPT, my ped not only commented we won't do

that again (meaning DPT), but was OK with us no longer vaxing. I think it

made it easier for other parents/kids who came after us.

And congrats on your decision to stay home with your son, and to not vax.

Health & blessings,

*Go GREEN with GET CLEAN as featured on Oprah's Favorite Things!

Holiday Special - 33% off, limited time* -

http://www.shaklee.net/EcoClean/product/59262

http://www.shaklee.net/EcoClean/getclean

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

On Dec 12, 2007 8:47 PM, <maria.e.rafael@...> wrote:

> Greetings,

> I am new to this list and just wanted to send out a hello to everyone, a

> brief introduction and the story of how I ended up on this list.

>

> My name is and my husband and I live in Hermosa Beach, CA with our 9

> month old son, Caleb. My husband is a physicist by training and works in

> aerospace. I am a mathematician and policy analyst by training and worked

> in health and international health before Caleb was born. I decided to

> stay

> home after trying rather half-heartedly to return to work after Caleb's

> birth and am thoroughly enjoying his first year. I have been using

> homeopathy for almost 6 years now and my husband grew up with it and he

> and

> his siblings are not vaccinated. My mother is studying to be a homeopath

> herself and offered homeopathic support to me throughout my pregnancy and

> since.

>

> I found this list and joined after being lectured for the 4th time in

> under

> a week about vaccinating my son who is now 9 months old and not

> vaccinated.

> We have had enormous trouble finding a pediatrician who will even see our

> son because he is not vaccinated and several rude encounters in our

> search.

> Right now we are driving an hour each way for him to see a UCLA resident

> because at least they will take kids who aren't vaccinated. Last week my

> son was got sick for the first time and ran his first fever. His fever

> spiked to 105 and, being a first time parent and raised with entirely

> allopathic medicine, I was nervous. The Dr. was unconcerned until she

> heard

> our son was unvaccinated and then talked about how unvaccinated children

> get

> more severe symptoms even with common colds. It is interesting that this

> what you would expect with an unvaccinated child treated homeopathically.

> Anyway, four Dr. visits, an unfilled prescription for presumptive

> antibiotics, a chest x-ray and a blood panel later we only got a diagnosis

> when I went to the ER because I was panicked by the Dr.'s vague

> insinuation

> that something was terribly wrong with our son. The result,

> Roseola-harmless infant rash with fever. In between all this, add several

> visits with perspective pediatricians who asked me if I would be upset if

> my

> son died from a vaccine preventable disease and how they wouldn't want to

> live with that guilt.

>

> We read Dr. Cane's book on vaccines before Caleb's birth and started out

> just sure we wanted to delay vaccinations until at least four months.

> Once

> Caleb was here and we looked at more information on vaccines, we have just

> continued to delay. I have just ordered Dr. Feder's book for a

> homeopathic

> perspective. I am just frustrated with my encounters with allopathic

> Dr.'s

> and tired of not having a good response ready for the many arguments

> against

> our decision.

>

> Hopefully, that wasn't too long of a rant. I have enjoyed the information

> I

> have seen come across this list so far. This is such an important and

> personal decision for parents and it is so important to be well-informed.

>

> Best,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi --

Welcome to the group. I saw your comment about your DD having an allergic

reaction to the DPT. My DS also had a severe allergic reaction to DPT.

Fast forward to 9th grade, and he got whooping cough - so much for immunity

from the vax! Thankfully he's got a great immune system and he was able to

practice and play lacrosse despite the cough.

Since you're new, may I suggest you go through the archives using the seach

engine on the group site, there's some good info on the flu vax.

And I have to admit, NJ is scaring me with this law they're looking to pass

- I'm in NY and fear they'll try the same. In the meantime, you may be able

to get an exemption due to the allergic reaction DD had -- we did. Ped just

said we won't be doing that again. After that, I just said we weren't doing

" whatever " now.

Health & blessings,

*Go GREEN with GET CLEAN as featured on Oprah's Favorite Things!

Holiday Special - 33% off, limited time* -

http://www.shaklee.net/EcoClean/product/59262

http://www.shaklee.net/EcoClean/getclean

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

Try these website for exemption information:

http://www.909shot.com/state-site/NewJersey.htm

http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/newjersey.htm

>

> Hi,

> I am new to the group and wanted to take a minute to introduce

myself. I am the mother of a 3 year old girl and 5 month old boy. I

have been interested in holistic health for some time and when I was

pregnant with my daughter became aware of the vaccination

controversy. To better educate myself and my husband on this issue

and holistic health in children, we attend some seminars held by Dr

Palevsky in NYC and found them to be enlightening. Through Dr

Palevsky we found a practice who did not push us to vaccinate and

respects our decisions, but now that our daughter is ready to go to

preschool, we are finding the pressure to vaccinate to be intense.

She has had the DTAP and got a fever and significant swelling at the

injection site. She has also had a polio shot with no reaction. She

is scheduled for HIB but with the recent recall, I am even more

concerned again. Despite being born 8 weeks premature, she has been

a very strong and healthy child and

> I don't want to compromise that by injecting potential toxins into

her system.

>

> I continue to be incredibly worried about the vaccines, but have

been told by the school that she cannot start until she has had at

least one of each of the required vaccines. The school nurse is

truly unbelievable and if we weren't so pleased with everyone else we

met at the school, we'd definitely look elsewhere. This nurse told

me I was a bad mother, crazy, etc. but she is not the kind of person

that you can argue with....too stubborn and will never change her

views. The administrators asked that I come back in to talk to her

about the schedule we had arranged with our doctor and while I was

waiting, the nurse was in a screaming match with another parent whose

child is already in the school and not vaccinated (religious

exemption). She actually told this mother that because her son was

not vaccinated, she didn't have a perfect record. I find it

unconscionable that she is more concerned about her record with the

state than the health of the

> children and the rights of parents to have a say in the health and

well-being of their children.

>

> I was doing some research and found this group and decided I'd like

to join for a couple of reasons. I am looking for information and

support as I try to navigate this issue with the school. The

exemption process is still a bit unclear to me. We live in New

Jersey, which has recently passed legislation mandating all

preschoolers receive a flu vaccination. This along with all the

press on Gardasil and the HIB recall make me feel like now is the

time to become more active in exerting my rights as a parent for the

health of my kids and others.

>

> So, that's my story. I'd love to hear from anyone with ideas on

dealing with the school, especially if you live in New Jersey and can

help me better understand the process here.

>

> I look forward to being a part of this really important group.

>

>

>

>

______________________________________________________________________

______________

> Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

> http://www./r/hs

>

[Guest guest]

Awesome! Big homeopath supporters here so that is one less concept you don't

need an intro to. This is a suggestion you'll find frequently but if you don't

intend to treat your child like the average parents, then find a different type

of provider. Some family docs are more vax friendly but naturopaths and

chiropractors and homeopaths are definitely non-vax freindly. I am so jealous

of the unvaxxed adults as I am concerned about the long term effects of my

vaccines when I am much older. Who knows if I am not suffering from damage now?

If you search the files, Sheri had sent some very good info about fevers and

treatment.

Laurie

. I have been using

homeopathy for almost 6 years now and my husband grew up with it and he and

his siblings are not vaccinated. My mother is studying to be a homeopath

herself and offered homeopathic support to me throughout my pregnancy and

since.

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[Guest guest]

Stacey, welcome to this group and I'm glad you decided to introduce yourself. You will end up I think being very thankful that you did.

I am limited in my knowledge, because I have not had surgery, but have had dilations. If I had known better how to research and if there'd been as much information available I'd have made different decisions.

Please ask any questions you may have...someone here will be able to answer them for you. We have people on this board that know far more about Achalasia than most of the doctors you'll be seeing.

We have another member, from Lancaster. I'm sure you'll be hearing from her.

Good luck and ask away,

Maggie

AlabamaIt's Tax Time! Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money Finance.

[Guest guest]

, I emailed you privately with my phone number and the GI

group where my son goes.

Introduction

> Hello everyone,

>

> Normally I'm a silent lurker on mailing lists, but I thought

> I'd

> introduce myself to you guys since I'm fairly certain I'll be

> hanging

> around this group for quite a while. My name is Stacey and I

> live in

> the Lancaster, PA area. I've been tentatively diagnosed with

> achalasia, but I'm still awaiting the results of my manometry

> for

> confirmation.

>

> My symptoms started a few years ago when I realized that

> occasionally

> I'd have problems swallowing when I ate. It was only a minor

> nuisance

> at the time so I didn't pursue any treatment. When it started

> getting

> worse, I saw a doctor who blamed the swallowing issue on my

> frequent

> heartburn and put me on a 6 month course of Protonix. That

> didn't

> help and I didn't care for that doctor so I never went back for

> further testing.

>

> Fast forward to December of last year when the problems

> swallowing

> finally became more than just a nuisance. I could hardly get a

> bite

> of food down without it getting " stuck " and much coughing and

> gagging

> and drinking of water to get it to go down. I went to a GI

> doctor who

> thought it might have been eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) based

> on my

> description of symptoms and the fact that I'm pretty much

> allergic to

> the world. We scheduled an endoscopy with a dilation if he saw

> the

> tell-tale signs of EE, but he did not. I woke up (yay for

> being put

> to sleep) all excited that I'd be able to eat normally soon,

> only to

> find out that he was wrong and the new diagnosis was achalasia.

>

> I meet with him again at the end of the month to discuss the

> results

> of the manometry, and based on the reaction of the nurses

> performing

> the test I suspect that his diagnosis will stand. So in the

> meantime

> I'm doing as much research as I can on achalasia and its

> treatment

> before that appointment to make sure I ask all the right

> questions.

>

> I'm still looking through all of the information in the

> archives, but

> I'm sure at some point I'll have some questions for you all.

>

> --stacey

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Stacey, I had Eosinophyllic Esoph. and I have Achalasia and I had the Heller's Myotomy and now I am much, much better. Welcome to a great bunch of people who really do understand what you're going through! Deborah

[Guest guest]

Welcome . I'm an army mom and my son's wife is staying here with us

while she finishes her degree and he is in Iraq. She is hoping to return to

his base this summer but housing is really hard to get there (HAAF). I do

hope you can resolve any marital issues that you are dealing with- no matter

what you decide. Try making the best of Germany while you are there- most

people I hear that have been stationed there loved it and the travel

opportunities they took advantage of.

Your kids are close in age - that is a good thing (IMHO) - Nicky will work

hard in trying to keep up with Grace. There is something really special

about siblings, too - their love, patience, teaching and even insight are

immeasurable. There is 6 1/2 years between my two youngest children -

adores and loves his big sister Katey (also other sister and

brother) and she is so good with him. Sometimes the interaction the older

kids have with my youngest is like watching a Hallmark commercial.

About whose fault - I like to think that DS is caused by a fluke of nature

and not blamed on one parent's egg or sperm cell. There are alot of

theories, but sometimes things happen for reasons we will never understand.

I'd leave it at that - no matter what the doctor said.

--

cindysue@...

Introduction

> Hi, my name is Lynn Claridy, I'm 23, I will be married 4

> years the 22nd of March, and involved with my husband for almost a

> decade. I have a daughter who was born July 11th, 2006 (non-ds) named

> Grace , and I have a son, (Nicky) Augustine

> (has DS) (my maiden name) born February 4th.

> I am an army wife, I got sent from Ft. Bragg, NC to Mannheim Germany.

> I don't like or enjoy being here, so I will be relocating back

> hopefully to the fayetteville, nc area soon.

> My marriage to my husband has been very very rocky for all 4

> years; all types of abuse went on, and it's been a constant struggle

> pretty much. Even marriage counseling didnt help, even though things

> were fine until he came to Germany first.

> Nicky's dad is Rob, he is at Bragg too. I thought we were in love

> especially since he was 15 years older than me, and since he seemed

> so nice, until his head games started.

> Nicky came as a surprise pregnancy for me, from his dad, but I was

> going to do nothing but have him and that was it.

> Of course, I had no indication whatsoever that I was having a baby

> with DS. No red flags popped up anywhere. When he was born, he looked

> so beautiful to me. He was 8 lbs 9 oz and 20 1/4 inches. He didnt

> really cry, he did pee on me (his big sis as soon as her head was out

> decided she was going to poop in me as her bum passed through) which

> I laughed, but they took him to get examined and the peds doc came in.

> I heard him ask the results of my triple screen and my heart started

> beating really fast. My husband (long story about Nicky's bio-father)

> told me he was going to be alright, and then the doctor came over and

> said he has his suspicions that Nicky has Down Syndrome judging by

> the features and characteristics.

> Of course, I cried, I was devastated and I felt cheated. I am still

> in shock pretty much, but he is just so beautiful to me. He is very

> loved!

> I thought his dad would send him something, he claims he did but it

> doesnt take over 2 months to get here! His dad is still married but

> seperated and has 3 other kids. Whatever to him, kharma is one of

> those things to watch out for.

> But anyways, the doctor told me that it pretty much came from me,

> even though I have done some research showing that in older fathers

> that they can produce children with DS. Any thoughts or opinions

> please let me know, I dont know what to expect from Nicky and I dont

> want to go by text book things. He has been lifting his head since he

> was only a few hours old, and making crawling motions for about 2

> weeks now and picks his head up and moves it from one shoulder of

> mine to the other and last week, he made a noise that sounded like he

> said " hi " to me!

> Thanks for reading this, I might add even though my husband and I

> dont get along, he loves Nicky and is alot nicer to him than he was

> to our daughter (she had colic)

>

>

>

>

> Click reply to all for messages to go to the list. Just hit reply for

> messages to go to the sender of the message.

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome ! As far as who is at " fault " , I claim all credit for having had

the most incredible little girl!!!!

--

Sue mom to Kate 18 and Karrie 11 w/ds and mild autism

---- Me <cindysue@...> wrote:

> Welcome . I'm an army mom and my son's wife is staying here with us

> while she finishes her degree and he is in Iraq. She is hoping to return to

> his base this summer but housing is really hard to get there (HAAF). I do

> hope you can resolve any marital issues that you are dealing with- no matter

> what you decide. Try making the best of Germany while you are there- most

> people I hear that have been stationed there loved it and the travel

> opportunities they took advantage of.

>

> Your kids are close in age - that is a good thing (IMHO) - Nicky will work

> hard in trying to keep up with Grace. There is something really special

> about siblings, too - their love, patience, teaching and even insight are

> immeasurable. There is 6 1/2 years between my two youngest children -

> adores and loves his big sister Katey (also other sister and

> brother) and she is so good with him. Sometimes the interaction the older

> kids have with my youngest is like watching a Hallmark commercial.

>

> About whose fault - I like to think that DS is caused by a fluke of nature

> and not blamed on one parent's egg or sperm cell. There are alot of

> theories, but sometimes things happen for reasons we will never understand.

> I'd leave it at that - no matter what the doctor said.

>

>

> --

>

> cindysue@...

> Introduction

>

>

> > Hi, my name is Lynn Claridy, I'm 23, I will be married 4

> > years the 22nd of March, and involved with my husband for almost a

> > decade. I have a daughter who was born July 11th, 2006 (non-ds) named

> > Grace , and I have a son, (Nicky) Augustine

> > (has DS) (my maiden name) born February 4th.

> > I am an army wife, I got sent from Ft. Bragg, NC to Mannheim Germany.

> > I don't like or enjoy being here, so I will be relocating back

> > hopefully to the fayetteville, nc area soon.

> > My marriage to my husband has been very very rocky for all 4

> > years; all types of abuse went on, and it's been a constant struggle

> > pretty much. Even marriage counseling didnt help, even though things

> > were fine until he came to Germany first.

> > Nicky's dad is Rob, he is at Bragg too. I thought we were in love

> > especially since he was 15 years older than me, and since he seemed

> > so nice, until his head games started.

> > Nicky came as a surprise pregnancy for me, from his dad, but I was

> > going to do nothing but have him and that was it.

> > Of course, I had no indication whatsoever that I was having a baby

> > with DS. No red flags popped up anywhere. When he was born, he looked

> > so beautiful to me. He was 8 lbs 9 oz and 20 1/4 inches. He didnt

> > really cry, he did pee on me (his big sis as soon as her head was out

> > decided she was going to poop in me as her bum passed through) which

> > I laughed, but they took him to get examined and the peds doc came in.

> > I heard him ask the results of my triple screen and my heart started

> > beating really fast. My husband (long story about Nicky's bio-father)

> > told me he was going to be alright, and then the doctor came over and

> > said he has his suspicions that Nicky has Down Syndrome judging by

> > the features and characteristics.

> > Of course, I cried, I was devastated and I felt cheated. I am still

> > in shock pretty much, but he is just so beautiful to me. He is very

> > loved!

> > I thought his dad would send him something, he claims he did but it

> > doesnt take over 2 months to get here! His dad is still married but

> > seperated and has 3 other kids. Whatever to him, kharma is one of

> > those things to watch out for.

> > But anyways, the doctor told me that it pretty much came from me,

> > even though I have done some research showing that in older fathers

> > that they can produce children with DS. Any thoughts or opinions

> > please let me know, I dont know what to expect from Nicky and I dont

> > want to go by text book things. He has been lifting his head since he

> > was only a few hours old, and making crawling motions for about 2

> > weeks now and picks his head up and moves it from one shoulder of

> > mine to the other and last week, he made a noise that sounded like he

> > said " hi " to me!

> > Thanks for reading this, I might add even though my husband and I

> > dont get along, he loves Nicky and is alot nicer to him than he was

> > to our daughter (she had colic)

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Click reply to all for messages to go to the list. Just hit reply for

> > messages to go to the sender of the message.

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi, I think that's good to look at each vaccine/disease separately. I suggest

that you're sure the vaccines will work before taking on a risk of side effects.

I personally don't trust any of them to work, but that came after a lot of

research AFTER I vaccinated my first two children. You're right, at least for

me, I am strongly anti-vaccine but I didn't start out that way.

If you're uncomfortable with the vaccine ingredients, or with anything regarding

your child, follow your gut. I commend you for thinking about this now when you

probably have a lot of other things on your mind with a new baby on the horizon.

Good luck!

Winnie

Introduction

Vaccinations

> Hi, I've been on this board for a little over a week but I don't

> think I ever formally introduced myself. I'm 38.5 weeks pregnant

> with

> my first child and I'm very uncomfortable with many of the

> ingredients in vaccines. I'm currently reading Dr. Sears'

> Vaccine

> Book but other than that the only 'research' I've done has been

> through boards like this. I travel overseas at least once a

> year,

> usually to Qatar, sometimes Syria so I'm trying to factor that

> in to

> my decisions as well. The only firm decision that I've made so

> far is

> that I do NOT want my son to be given the Hep B vaccine at

> birth. I'm

> 99% sure I won't be giving varicella, polio, or flu. And I'm

> leaning

> towards not wanting to give DTaP, Prevnar, or RotaTeq. I'm also

> fairly certain that I'll at least delay the MMR until my child

> is

> over 2 years old, at which time I might decide to skip it

> altogether

> or simply give the measles portion of it, we'll see. As far as

> the

> others go, well I basically haven't gotten that far in the

> Vaccine

> Book yet so I have nothing to say about them. I still need to do

> a

> lot more research before I make anymore firm decisions,

> especially

> since I do travel overseas every year and I myself get sick

> EVERY

> TIME I go (probably from the plane ride) so I don't want my

> little

> one to be afflicted with the same things. Just from being on

> this

> board for the short time I have been here, I realize that it's a

> very

> anti-vax environment. I don't have any kind of a stance on

> vaccines

> at this point but I definitely don't like the idea of injecting

> my

> baby with many of the chemicals and other nasty stuff that make

> up

> vaccines, but at the same time I think that some of the diseases

> that

> are vaccinated against are very serious for babies and quite

> scary.

> Alright, that was a really long intro. I look forward to further

> discussion with everyone here!

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jen,

I'm not sure if you received any responses yet.

First, where do you live? In all but one state (WV) you probably have an

out for vaccinating. You do not have to disclose that you ever

vaccinated him, and some states simply don't care that much. CA just has

me sign a line saying " My child is not getting immunizations. " Done.

One of the many things that bother me about vaccines, is that the

diseases they are supposed to protect against aren't that bad! Measles,

mumps, rubella - none of them are generally life-threatening, nor do

they come with nasty side effects.

The pertussis vaccine, even by pro-vax standards, is only 59-80%

effective. So, vaxxed children do get it, often, actually. Whooping

cough is transmitted via the cough itself. To get it, someone would have

to cough in close proximity to your son. My son has been exposed to

people at the tail-end of WC twice with no ill effects. If your

husband's friend doesn't have WC, then he can't give it to your son.

~Robyn

jennilesart wrote:

>

> Hi there. I just joined. I'm in a tough spot. This issue fills me with

> such fear and anxiety I almost didn't join this group because it turns

> me into a crazy person. The " experts " i.e. the folks with medical

> training, my doctor, say that the vaccines are needed. The

> " alternative folks " say that they are dangerous. Naturally I want to

> do the best for my son. My solution (don't slam me for this, ok?) was

> to walk the middle line...we refused the Hep B vaccine that they give

> at birth, and for all the others we not only started them late, but we

> have given them one at a time. (except for those that are combined

> into one shot, like DTaP). As a result, our son is, by all standards

> " way behind " on his vaccines.

>

> I am on a very painful fence. Protect my child? Hurt my child? Which

> do I do? Clearly, I NEVER want to hurt him. How can a parent ever

> choose, when helping him can equal hurting him?

>

> My issues surround MMR. For some reason I am most scared of that one;

> based on what I've read, no doubt. Yet here we are at Age 4.5.....my

> " only child " who is about to be homeschooled, may want to take classes

> at the local school. You know, so he won't turn out into the lonely,

> antisocial freak of nature that people seem to think he will become if

> I homeschool him. (Sorry, a little sarcasm there. He is a lovely, very

> social child already, but he only likes older kids and adults.) In any

> case, it seemed pretty wonderful that a person could homeschool, yet

> selectively take part in what the public school offers, like sports

> teams or science class. But you know the schools...they're all about

> vaccinations! And since I have selectively vaccinated, I cannot (can

> I?) claim some kind of religious opposition to them. I feel I've blown

> my chances of that.

>

> Not only that, next weekend my husband's friend Mark is coming over to

> visit. Mark's wife has Whooping Cough. Mark says he has bronchitis.

> Bronchitis is a bad enough thing to bring into the house, but even

> so...he's coming from a house where someone has whooping cough and my

> son has only had 4 out of 5 of his DTaP shots. I don't know if Mark

> can be a carrier without having it himself. It's tough making

> decisions without knowing HIS full medical situation. But I want to

> protect my son.

>

> Help!? Can you see my confusion?

>

> Thanks for listening.

>

> -Jen

>

>

>

--

Robyn

robyn@... <mailto:%20robyn@...>

http://www.rmcsquared.net/

[Guest guest]

Jen,

My first question is why would your husband's friend and his wife be

planning a visit if they are both knowingly sick? Seems to me they need

recoup time, and you don't need the stress of dealing with two sick house

guests. Couldn't they postpone their visit until they are feeling better?

I don't think it's out of line at ALL to ask them to do that. I would, in a

heartbeat.

Secondly, if you are going to continue to selectively vax (I personally

don't vax at all), you should know that you CAN request that the cocktail

shots such as DTaP be split up and given to your son in single doses each

(Also request that they be given from single-dose vials, to avoid some of

the crap, like heavy metal preservatives, that are in all multi-dose vials

of vaccine. Some vaccines are not preservative-free even in the single dose

vial though.). For instance, you can get JUST Pertussis by itself, JUST

Dyptheria by itself, and JUST Tetanus by itself. Most ped's offices don't

keep them in stock but they can all order them in. I HIGHLY recommend that

you research each vaccine and each disease they are purported to prevent

before you continue with any vaccinations though. Knowledge is power.

Good luck to you!

[Guest guest]

>

>Secondly, if you are going to continue to selectively vax (I personally

>don't vax at all), you should know that you CAN request that the cocktail

>shots such as DTaP be split up and given to your son in single doses each

>(Also request that they be given from single-dose vials, to avoid some of

>the crap, like heavy metal preservatives, that are in all multi-dose vials

>of vaccine. Some vaccines are not preservative-free even in the single dose

>vial though.). For instance, you can get JUST Pertussis by itself, JUST

>Dyptheria by itself, and JUST Tetanus by itself.

No, you cannot

Tetanus always comes with diphtheria and has lots of mercury

and I don't think they even make a pertussis single.

>Most ped's offices don't

>keep them in stock but they can all order them in. I HIGHLY recommend that

>you research each vaccine and each disease they are purported to prevent

>before you continue with any vaccinations though. Knowledge is power.

Exactly

ALL vaccines are dangers in singles or combos

I have seen reactions and deaths from singles or combos, delayed or

on schedule.

The key is to learn about the diseases so you don't have so much fear

about them

Fear is programmed into us to sell vaccine

Sheri

[Guest guest]

Welcome

I'm also

>fairly certain that I'll at least delay the MMR until my child is

>over 2 years old, at which time I might decide to skip it altogether

>or simply give the measles portion of it, we'll see.

There is NO guarantee of safety in delaying

New member here had a 5 yo with reaction to MMR - serious one, just last week.

>As far as the

>others go, well I basically haven't gotten that far in the Vaccine

>Book yet so I have nothing to say about them. I still need to do a

>lot more research before I make anymore firm decisions, especially

>since I do travel overseas every year and I myself get sick EVERY

>TIME I go (probably from the plane ride) so I don't want my little

>one to be afflicted with the same things. Just from being on this

>board for the short time I have been here, I realize that it's a very

>anti-vax environment. I don't have any kind of a stance on vaccines

>at this point but I definitely don't like the idea of injecting my

>baby with many of the chemicals and other nasty stuff that make up

>vaccines, but at the same time I think that some of the diseases that

>are vaccinated against are very serious for babies and quite scary.

>Alright, that was a really long intro. I look forward to further

>discussion with everyone here!

Once you learn more you will see why we are so concerned. So feel

free to ask and we won't bite your head off ;-)

I encourage to research the reality of those diseases

Is a girl child at risk for problems from mumps?

For that matter is a boy - rarely does it affect the testicles and

even MORE rarely, both testicles, and even MORE rarely sterility (in

teens or adults)

Is an infant girl at risk for problems with rubella? No...........it

is a mild disease - if you want to worry about it for when she get's

pregnant, you have a long time

Is a boy at risk at all for problems with rubella disease? NO

Is a child at risk with measles - please read the reality. Everyone

got the measles, including myself, all my family, all my cousins, all

my school mates and all my ancestors. All were just fine. The

seriousness of measles has been INCREASED SINCE the vaccine was developed

So is there a need for MMR at all or any of the separate ones?

Does it actually work or just sensitize, leaving more problems in its wake.

Those parents of autistic children who saw the problems come right

after the vaccine, would take the chance (and there really isn't much

chance of damage) on measles any time at this point. We have traded

an acute, relatively harmless in most well-nourished children,

disease for a plethora of chronic illness. Not a good trade in my opinion.

I suggest that if your child gets measles and there are concerns that

a homeopath is able to work very nicely , in most cases with the

child, and help then through any rough spots,. Homeopathy is very

individual and depends on the particular symptoms that are unique to

your child - that is what determines the remedy

For more info on how a homeopath works see

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm

>

Weigh all the factors

And remember all the effects of MMR and other vaccines are not always

known immediately. And certainly some children are more susceptible

to problems than others. The problem is how to know if this child is

or isn't. Russian roulette

I have seen children & adults damaged, with autism or death, from

each of the single vaccines that are out there; live vaccines or

killed vaccnies. All vaccines are dangerous. There is NO evidence

that they work as they say they do - provide immunity as the disease would.

There is so much more to this than MMR........that is the tip of the

iceberg. There are concerns that all the mercury laden vaccines that

are given before the MMR lay the groundwork of damage and some

develop autism, damage or death from any of those alone and others it

takes the MMR to put them over the age (and this could be any

vaccine). Certainly combining 3 live vaccines is very stupid - vets

see this with animals all the time and animal vaccine researchers

know this to be true, too.

But that does not mean singles are safe.

Sheri

>------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> > Hi there. I just joined. I'm in a tough spot. This issue fills me with

> > such fear and anxiety I almost didn't join this group because it turns

> > me into a crazy person. The " experts " i.e. the folks with medical

> > training, my doctor, say that the vaccines are needed. The

> > " alternative folks " say that they are dangerous. Naturally I want to

> > do the best for my son. My solution (don't slam me for this, ok?) was

> > to walk the middle line...we refused the Hep B vaccine that they give

> > at birth, and for all the others we not only started them late, but we

> > have given them one at a time. (except for those that are combined

> > into one shot, like DTaP). As a result, our son is, by all standards

> > " way behind " on his vaccines.

And there is no guarantee that that is safe - to give selectively

You never know which one will put you over the edge

> >

> > I am on a very painful fence. Protect my child? Hurt my child? Which

> > do I do? Clearly, I NEVER want to hurt him. How can a parent ever

> > choose, when helping him can equal hurting him?

You can choose easily once you have educated yourself

Learn the true reality of each disease with a vaccine associated with it

Learn the true reality of the risk of even catching the disease

Learn the true reality of the risk if you do catch the disease

Learn the alternative treatments available

Learn the dangers of all vaccines - everything about them and the

danger of each individual one

And once you realize that NO vaccine gives immunity, then there is

nothing to decide.

> >

> > My issues surround MMR. For some reason I am most scared of that one;

> > based on what I've read, no doubt. Yet here we are at Age 4.5.....my

> > " only child " who is about to be homeschooled, may want to take classes

> > at the local school. You know, so he won't turn out into the lonely,

> > antisocial freak of nature that people seem to think he will become if

> > I homeschool him.

YOu can easily get exemptions except in WV and MS states

> (Sorry, a little sarcasm there. He is a lovely, very

> > social child already, but he only likes older kids and adults.) In any

> > case, it seemed pretty wonderful that a person could homeschool, yet

> > selectively take part in what the public school offers, like sports

> > teams or science class. But you know the schools...they're all about

> > vaccinations! And since I have selectively vaccinated, I cannot (can

> > I?) claim some kind of religious opposition to them. I feel I've blown

> > my chances of that.

No, you haven't, if you stop now and never get another

> >

> > Not only that, next weekend my husband's friend Mark is coming over to

> > visit. Mark's wife has Whooping Cough. Mark says he has bronchitis.

> > Bronchitis is a bad enough thing to bring into the house, but even

> > so...he's coming from a house where someone has whooping cough and my

> > son has only had 4 out of 5 of his DTaP shots. I don't know if Mark

> > can be a carrier without having it himself. It's tough making

> > decisions without knowing HIS full medical situation. But I want to

> > protect my son.

You have to say NO visit.

How ridiculous that anyone would come to visit anyone, with whooping cough.

They should be home...................

You have to protect yourselves - not just because not vaccinated -

more vaccinated get pertussis than unvaccinated..............that is

insane that someone would dare to expose you other others out there.

> >

> > Help!? Can you see my confusion?

> >

Yes, I see,

I just takes lots of reading.

Sheri