Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonnie, welcome to the group! I'm a single mom, 3 sons, one

diagnosed at around age 11.5 with OCD (he's 13 now) when his, too,

seemed to come on suddenly with ongoing behaviors. (Tho he'd

had " little " OCD behaviors always, but nothing interfering with daily

life 24/7 like began at 11.5) I've read where traumatic events can

bring on OCD & wondered about my son (something I didn't

know???) but apparently it just hit at 6th grade and puberty! Don't

know why.

I wish I could advise on the meds but we're still not trying the

prescription meds yet. I'm sure those who are can give you their

experiences. I know I've read here where each person reacts to meds

differently so it CAN be tough trying to find the correct one for

your child. I've also read where they sometimes get worse behaviors

before the meds start working to ease them.

Wish the mental health center had worked out! I work as an office

assistant in one here. Keep us posted on how things go!!

> Hi It's been so nice to read all the posts this past week. Thought

I would

> introduce us. My son has ocd. He is now 7 and 1/2 He has

onset at 5

> yrs and 9 mo when the kids accidentally called 911 and a police

woman banged

> down the door and yelled at the kids. He immediately started saying

he

> couldn't get it out of his head and It's all escalated ever since

then.

> I've known what we were dealing with but it's been like eating a

big bowl of

> sand and a slow process for me to take in all the facts.About a

month ago he

> had a full blown anxiety. ocd attack. I took to the ER, the

next day

> the p-doc put him on risperdal..25 mg per day and a week later he

started

> Prozac. 10 mg a day. It's all helping. When we tried to cut back

the

> risperdal by half and he said his head felt all goofed up and was

afraid,

> angry and had many more symptoms. So far no weight gain. In

January we

> tried to put him on Zoloft since his dad and my mom are taking

Zoloft also

> with good results and no weight but he was a mess. It activated all

his

> symptoms and he couldn't walk through door ways without jumping,

Tons of

> hand washing. Lots of symmetrical sitting, difficulties with shoes

and socks

> hand licking ect...So with the Prozac he was on risperdal first and

we don't

> know if there was much of an activation phase. Something is working

but he

> still c/o symptoms a lot. Were thinking of attending the St. Louis

> treatment program this summer. Have any of your kids attended the

program

> there? The mental health center here has a decent p-doc but they

really

> encourage you to attend their counceling center and the lady were

hooked up

> with isn't very good. We did find a CBT in the area and are

starting to see

> her. Oddly enough...my daughter is terrified of the opperation

game and my

> son is not. Bonnie Mom of ,7 Fiona 5

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonnie, and welcome to our list. OCD is such a cruel disease, effecting so

many of our children in so many ways! You are wise in finding a qaulified CBT

therapist as CBT and ERP are the tried and true ways to find a way to boss back

the symptoms of OCD> Dr. Tamar Chansky, one of our professional list advisers

has authored a book by name, Freeing Your Child From Obsessive Compulsive

Disorder. This book can be of great help in working with your son. Another

resource is the OC Foundation. You can reach that site at www.ocfoundation.org.

The OC Foundation conference is in Philadelphia this summer and it is always a

great event with sessions for kids with OCD as well as for parents and

professional. I am just a Mom on the list who happens to be one of several

parent moderators. My son's ocd started to appear somewhere around the time he

was 2-3 years old. We have experienced issues with hoarding, germs, " just so "

type of behavior - except it is not always clear what he thinks has to be done a

certain way. He has also had problems with clothing, shoes and socks, picking,

ripping, the list goes on. Ocd has a nasty way of inventing new symptoms, just

when you think the current ones are finally under control! Tommy is now doing

much better (at least until school starts back up tomorrow)with the benefit of

medication and a great CBT therapist. School is still torture for him, but we

are slowly working on that issue! Hang in there and as I was told when I first

joined this list, try to do something good for yourself every day. It can be

so emotionally exhausting to parent a child with this disorder and we need to

guard our health so that we are able to handle what is ssent our way.

Blessings to you and your family, in Southeastern PA

Slater wrote: Hi It's been so nice to read all the posts

this past week. Thought I would

introduce us. My son has ocd. He is now 7 and 1/2 He has onset at 5

yrs and 9 mo when the kids accidentally called 911 and a police woman banged

down the door and yelled at the kids. He immediately started saying he

couldn't get it out of his head and It's all escalated ever since then.

I've known what we were dealing with but it's been like eating a big bowl of

sand and a slow process for me to take in all the facts.About a month ago he

had a full blown anxiety. ocd attack. I took to the ER, the next day

the p-doc put him on risperdal..25 mg per day and a week later he started

Prozac. 10 mg a day. It's all helping. When we tried to cut back the

risperdal by half and he said his head felt all goofed up and was afraid,

angry and had many more symptoms. So far no weight gain. In January we

tried to put him on Zoloft since his dad and my mom are taking Zoloft also

with good results and no weight but he was a mess. It activated all his

symptoms and he couldn't walk through door ways without jumping, Tons of

hand washing. Lots of symmetrical sitting, difficulties with shoes and socks

hand licking ect...So with the Prozac he was on risperdal first and we don't

know if there was much of an activation phase. Something is working but he

still c/o symptoms a lot. Were thinking of attending the St. Louis

treatment program this summer. Have any of your kids attended the program

there? The mental health center here has a decent p-doc but they really

encourage you to attend their counceling center and the lady were hooked up

with isn't very good. We did find a CBT in the area and are starting to see

her. Oddly enough...my daughter is terrified of the opperation game and my

son is not. Bonnie Mom of ,7 Fiona 5

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonnie, welcome. My daughter is now 8 with onset at 4.11 years. She is

doing really well on a combo of SSRI, Risperdal and cbt--something I really

couldn't even envision back in the dark days following her abrupt onset. It is

amazing how normal our kid's lives can be once med issues are straightened out

and cbt has had a bit of time to work its magic! :-) It's great you could find

a competent cbt therapist for your son, even if she is not at the " right "

clinic...good job not wasting time and money on the wrong type of therapy. So

many of us have learned that lesson the hard way...

We used to have a list member whose OCD granddaughter went to the St. Louis

clinic. However she has not posted in quite awhile. If she is still reading

the list, perhaps she'll jump in with her experiences there.

So very many of our kids have or had the sensory problems with socks and so on.

My daughter was so bad at one point that she literally could not get dressed in

any fashion. The SSRI that was prescribed for her OCD seemed to help some, and

erp (over a long period) took care of the rest. She worked hard on the clothing

problems because she was very motivated to wear things such as thights,

leotards, barettes, etc. Other list kids have done well with Occupational

Therapy for their sensory problems.

We're glad to have you, thanks for writing :-) Keep us posted about 's

progress.

Kathy R. in Indiana

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

From: Slater

To:

Hi It's been so nice to read all the posts this past week. Thought I would

introduce us. My son has ocd. He is now 7 and 1/2 He has onset at 5

yrs and 9 mo when the kids accidentally called 911 and a police woman banged

down the door and yelled at the kids. He immediately started saying he

couldn't get it out of his head and It's all escalated ever since then.

I've known what we were dealing with but it's been like eating a big bowl of

sand and a slow process for me to take in all the facts.About a month ago he

had a full blown anxiety. ocd attack. I took to the ER, the next day

the p-doc put him on risperdal..25 mg per day and a week later he started

Prozac. 10 mg a day. It's all helping. When we tried to cut back the

risperdal by half and he said his head felt all goofed up and was afraid,

angry and had many more symptoms. So far no weight gain. In January we

tried to put him on Zoloft since his dad and my mom are taking Zoloft also

with good results and no weight but he was a mess. It activated all his

symptoms and he couldn't walk through door ways without jumping, Tons of

hand washing. Lots of symmetrical sitting, difficulties with shoes and socks

hand licking ect...So with the Prozac he was on risperdal first and we don't

know if there was much of an activation phase. Something is working but he

still c/o symptoms a lot. Were thinking of attending the St. Louis

treatment program this summer. Have any of your kids attended the program

there? The mental health center here has a decent p-doc but they really

encourage you to attend their counceling center and the lady were hooked up

with isn't very good. We did find a CBT in the area and are starting to see

her. Oddly enough...my daughter is terrified of the opperation game and my

son is not. Bonnie Mom of ,7 Fiona 5

[Guest guest]

Bonnie,

Welcome --

I've only been here about a week myself, and already feel a lot of

support. I'm sure you'll feel the same way. And although it's not

your Ocd child with the fear, I see you're part of the " Operation "

club. :-)

Blessings,

> Hi It's been so nice to read all the posts this past week. Thought

I would

> introduce us. My son has ocd. He is now 7 and 1/2 He has

onset at 5

> yrs and 9 mo when the kids accidentally called 911 and a police

woman banged

> down the door and yelled at the kids. He immediately started saying

he

> couldn't get it out of his head and It's all escalated ever since

then.

> I've known what we were dealing with but it's been like eating a

big bowl of

> sand and a slow process for me to take in all the facts.About a

month ago he

> had a full blown anxiety. ocd attack. I took to the ER, the

next day

> the p-doc put him on risperdal..25 mg per day and a week later he

started

> Prozac. 10 mg a day. It's all helping. When we tried to cut back

the

> risperdal by half and he said his head felt all goofed up and was

afraid,

> angry and had many more symptoms. So far no weight gain. In

January we

> tried to put him on Zoloft since his dad and my mom are taking

Zoloft also

> with good results and no weight but he was a mess. It activated all

his

> symptoms and he couldn't walk through door ways without jumping,

Tons of

> hand washing. Lots of symmetrical sitting, difficulties with shoes

and socks

> hand licking ect...So with the Prozac he was on risperdal first and

we don't

> know if there was much of an activation phase. Something is working

but he

> still c/o symptoms a lot. Were thinking of attending the St. Louis

> treatment program this summer. Have any of your kids attended the

program

> there? The mental health center here has a decent p-doc but they

really

> encourage you to attend their counceling center and the lady were

hooked up

> with isn't very good. We did find a CBT in the area and are

starting to see

> her. Oddly enough...my daughter is terrified of the opperation

game and my

> son is not. Bonnie Mom of ,7 Fiona 5

> >

[Guest guest]

Bonnie,

Welcome --

I've only been here about a week myself, and already feel a lot of

support. I'm sure you'll feel the same way. And although it's not

your Ocd child with the fear, I see you're part of the " Operation "

club. :-)

Blessings,

> Hi It's been so nice to read all the posts this past week. Thought

I would

> introduce us. My son has ocd. He is now 7 and 1/2 He has

onset at 5

> yrs and 9 mo when the kids accidentally called 911 and a police

woman banged

> down the door and yelled at the kids. He immediately started saying

he

> couldn't get it out of his head and It's all escalated ever since

then.

> I've known what we were dealing with but it's been like eating a

big bowl of

> sand and a slow process for me to take in all the facts.About a

month ago he

> had a full blown anxiety. ocd attack. I took to the ER, the

next day

> the p-doc put him on risperdal..25 mg per day and a week later he

started

> Prozac. 10 mg a day. It's all helping. When we tried to cut back

the

> risperdal by half and he said his head felt all goofed up and was

afraid,

> angry and had many more symptoms. So far no weight gain. In

January we

> tried to put him on Zoloft since his dad and my mom are taking

Zoloft also

> with good results and no weight but he was a mess. It activated all

his

> symptoms and he couldn't walk through door ways without jumping,

Tons of

> hand washing. Lots of symmetrical sitting, difficulties with shoes

and socks

> hand licking ect...So with the Prozac he was on risperdal first and

we don't

> know if there was much of an activation phase. Something is working

but he

> still c/o symptoms a lot. Were thinking of attending the St. Louis

> treatment program this summer. Have any of your kids attended the

program

> there? The mental health center here has a decent p-doc but they

really

> encourage you to attend their counceling center and the lady were

hooked up

> with isn't very good. We did find a CBT in the area and are

starting to see

> her. Oddly enough...my daughter is terrified of the opperation

game and my

> son is not. Bonnie Mom of ,7 Fiona 5

> >

[Guest guest]

HI :

Welcome to the list and thank you for introducing your family.

8 years old is a very good age to get going with treating OCD and

your daughter is very lucky to get on the right track so young. I am

sorry to hear of your miscarriage which must have been hard enough to

deal with without it triggering your daughter's OCD. Hugs to you and

your family.

Your daughter's symptoms are all to familiar to those of us on this

list. Please know that young kids can respond so well to E & RP and

you will be surprised at how well your daughter will manage life when

she gets more skilled at doing E & RP. Take care, aloha, kathy (h)

kathyh@...

P.S. Confessing about OCD symptoms can be a ritual and I suggest you

discuss this with your daughter's CBT therapist. Good luck, K.

> Hello --

>

> I'm new to this list, and thought I'd post an intro. We are a

> Catholic homeschooling family (I also just signed up for the

> ocd/homeschooling list) and just a year ago my oldest daughter was

> diagnosed with Ocd.

>

> Her ocd first flared up at age 5, though we didn't identify it as

> such at the time. She was reacting to a miscarriage I'd had (and

> she's a pretty bright, perceptive child) and although I consulted a

> therapist at the time, we all wrote it off to a traumatic

experience

> (her first real experience with death) because she got so much

better

> so fast.

>

> She's now 8, and a year ago, she had another flare-up, and we had

her

> diagnosed. I have a psychologist I trust, but we don't see her

often

> (she's in another city.) So far, my daughter is not on meds, and

> we're working on a mild appproach of E/RP. It's slow-going. Her

ocd

> manifests as fears with which she'll get obsessed. For example,

she

> once got frightened of the children's game, " Operation " and she now

> refuses to walk down the board game aisle at a store. That's one

of

> the things we're tackling -- trying to reduce her anxiety when

we're

> near that part of the store, etc. We've made some progress -- she

> used to want to avoid the toy aisles altogether, but she's now okay

> as long as she can cover her eyes when we walk past the board game

> aisle. We're working toward her being able to go down the aisle

and

> actually look at and pick up the game, but it's veeeeery slow, and

I

> want to " work " on this more than she does, of course. :-)

>

> She also has a need to tell, confess, everything to me. As I said,

> she's very bright, sensitive and emotional, and sometimes it's hard

> to separate her ocd reactions from her reactions to things that

she's

> understanding intellectually but unable to process emotionally,

given

> her age. She's also experienced intrusive thoughts. Because those

> can be so scary to her, I'm glad she still wants to tell me

> everything because it gives me the opportunity to teach her coping

> techniques.

>

> I'm very happy to have found this group, and hope to benefit from

all

> the wisdom and experience here.

>

> Blessings,

>

[Guest guest]

HI :

Welcome to the list and thank you for introducing your family.

8 years old is a very good age to get going with treating OCD and

your daughter is very lucky to get on the right track so young. I am

sorry to hear of your miscarriage which must have been hard enough to

deal with without it triggering your daughter's OCD. Hugs to you and

your family.

Your daughter's symptoms are all to familiar to those of us on this

list. Please know that young kids can respond so well to E & RP and

you will be surprised at how well your daughter will manage life when

she gets more skilled at doing E & RP. Take care, aloha, kathy (h)

kathyh@...

P.S. Confessing about OCD symptoms can be a ritual and I suggest you

discuss this with your daughter's CBT therapist. Good luck, K.

> Hello --

>

> I'm new to this list, and thought I'd post an intro. We are a

> Catholic homeschooling family (I also just signed up for the

> ocd/homeschooling list) and just a year ago my oldest daughter was

> diagnosed with Ocd.

>

> Her ocd first flared up at age 5, though we didn't identify it as

> such at the time. She was reacting to a miscarriage I'd had (and

> she's a pretty bright, perceptive child) and although I consulted a

> therapist at the time, we all wrote it off to a traumatic

experience

> (her first real experience with death) because she got so much

better

> so fast.

>

> She's now 8, and a year ago, she had another flare-up, and we had

her

> diagnosed. I have a psychologist I trust, but we don't see her

often

> (she's in another city.) So far, my daughter is not on meds, and

> we're working on a mild appproach of E/RP. It's slow-going. Her

ocd

> manifests as fears with which she'll get obsessed. For example,

she

> once got frightened of the children's game, " Operation " and she now

> refuses to walk down the board game aisle at a store. That's one

of

> the things we're tackling -- trying to reduce her anxiety when

we're

> near that part of the store, etc. We've made some progress -- she

> used to want to avoid the toy aisles altogether, but she's now okay

> as long as she can cover her eyes when we walk past the board game

> aisle. We're working toward her being able to go down the aisle

and

> actually look at and pick up the game, but it's veeeeery slow, and

I

> want to " work " on this more than she does, of course. :-)

>

> She also has a need to tell, confess, everything to me. As I said,

> she's very bright, sensitive and emotional, and sometimes it's hard

> to separate her ocd reactions from her reactions to things that

she's

> understanding intellectually but unable to process emotionally,

given

> her age. She's also experienced intrusive thoughts. Because those

> can be so scary to her, I'm glad she still wants to tell me

> everything because it gives me the opportunity to teach her coping

> techniques.

>

> I'm very happy to have found this group, and hope to benefit from

all

> the wisdom and experience here.

>

> Blessings,

>

[Guest guest]

Howdy all and ,

KD recieves ST and OT about twice a month each, and the ECI lady comes

usually twice a month. Last time I saw our ST I told her I wanted more sessions

for

him. With us being 90 mi from the biggest decent sized town, it's harder for

them. She told me if all else fails they could get the schools involved. I

don't exactly know who I would discuss it with at the ISD. Shoot when I was

pregnant with him I worried about who would tell me when it was time to enroll

him LOL. I'm not the brightest light on the tree... but none the less... KD

needs as much help as he can possibly get and I want it for him. I joined this

loop, in hope that someone in this area could serve as my mentor, as I learn

the " ropes " of who to talk to and about what. I appreciate all the emails and

welcome them with open arms.

Sincerely,

Valrie

[Guest guest]

Hi,

What you should ask for, kind of depends on what treatment therapies you are

doing, or intend to do. Talk to someone at the nearest ARC of Texas chapter

to you - http://www.thearcoftexas.org/Chapter%20Services/CSdir.html

<http://www.thearcoftexas.org/Chapter%20Services/CSdir.html> this is a

web page with a directory of ARC chapters out west. The ARC is a non-profit

group of Advocates. They are aware of the law and what your rights are.

They can advise you on how to get the treatment you want, but you need to

know what treatment you want to do.

http://www.autismndi.com/ <http://www.autismndi.com/> is a good website

for info about Dietary treatments.

http://www.cgiworker.com/danlist/danlist.html

<http://www.cgiworker.com/danlist/danlist.html> is a list of DAN doctors

(Defeat Autism Now) they are supposed to be current on the latest therapy

protocol for children with Autism.

and here are some sites I maintain about Autism

http://www.featnt.org/ <http://www.featnt.org/> is a parent's website

advocating early intervention, focusing on ABA.

http://www.AutismTreatment.info/ <http://www.AutismTreatment.info/> Talks

about ABA, Dietary treatment and other Bio-medical treatments

http://www.StarThrowers.org/ <http://www.StarThrowers.org/> Fundraising

for home treatment programs

I hope some of this helps.

J. P. Reirdon

Webmaster

<http://www.featnt.org/> http://www.featnt.org

" Building a Bridge of Hope "

Webmaster

<http://www.autismtreatment.info/> http://www.AutismTreatment.info/

You CAN treat Autism!!

Get treatment tips for children with Autism, PDD and Aperger's Syndrome from

parents who have successfully helped their children.

Webmaster

http://www.StarThrowers.org/ <http://www.starthrowers.org/>

Fundraising for In-Home treatment programs

Introduction

Hello all,

My name is Valrie. My son, KD, 28 mo old, has just been diagnosed

(yesterday) with severe autism. Right now I'm kinda at a loss as to what to

say. He

runs around the house, he doesn't usually hit himself or hurt himself. His

pain

threshold is fearfully high though. He, thank God, doesn't mind physical

contact in general. He's a climber, which is getting pretty rough on us.

We are

looking to find some financial help for his therapies, cfgf diet, and day

care. The dr said we needed to keep him around other kids as much as

possible,

for his language development. KD doesn't speak. Our insurance will not

cover

any of this. It specifically states that it will not cover anything to do

with developmental disorders except ADHD. I am in Stratford, TX. Up here

north

of Amarillo, about 90 mi. I'm practically in OK we're so far north LOL. If

anyone has anything they could share with me on getting him the help we need

for him I sure would appreciate it. Right now ECI is seeing him and he gets

to

see a therapist maybe once a week or so. I want him to get more but I don't

know exactly how much more I should ask for. I appreciate your time .

Sincerely,

Valrie

[Guest guest]

Hi Valrie,

I am sorry to hear about your son. I am in exactly the same boat as you are

with your son. My daughter is 28 months old. She has not been officially

diagnosed, becasue the Texas Children's Hospital can't see us until mid january,

but we are definitely in the " Autism Spectrum " . I am still struggling with

which direction to go and what best to do for my daughter. In the meantime i

came across the gfcf diet and decided to give it a shot - at least until we

could get in to see a doctor. We started the gfcf diet 3 1/2 weeks ago all on

our own just off of what we read on the internet. It has made quite a

difference in Hannah's social interaction and her overall awareness, not to

mention her " babbling " and word approximations have slowly started finding their

way back(at a slower pace than I would like, but progress is progress). I

highly recommend that you try it. The first thing I would do would be to go to

www.gfcfdiet.com . It has been a great source of information to us. Also, as

for ECI, we too have a speech therapist coming once a week to work with Hannah.

And, while she is a good sounding board for me I am not sure how much it is

helping. I have already been talking to ECI regarding the PPCD classes that

will start at age 3 once she " graduates " from ECI. I have heard really good

things about these classes. As for how much you should ask for with ECI....ask

away!!! What's the worst that could happen?!?! I totally feel for you and hope

that you can find things that work for you. I know I don't have that much good

info, but at least it's a start. I truly feel that we can beat this if we work

hard to find the right avenue of help for our children. Again, I highly

recommend that you give the gfcf diet a try - you might be amazed as to what

could come of it! Good luck!

brandee

Introduction

Hello all,

My name is Valrie. My son, KD, 28 mo old, has just been diagnosed

(yesterday) with severe autism. Right now I'm kinda at a loss as to what to

say. He

runs around the house, he doesn't usually hit himself or hurt himself. His

pain

threshold is fearfully high though. He, thank God, doesn't mind physical

contact in general. He's a climber, which is getting pretty rough on us. We

are

looking to find some financial help for his therapies, cfgf diet, and day

care. The dr said we needed to keep him around other kids as much as

possible,

for his language development. KD doesn't speak. Our insurance will not cover

any of this. It specifically states that it will not cover anything to do

with developmental disorders except ADHD. I am in Stratford, TX. Up here

north

of Amarillo, about 90 mi. I'm practically in OK we're so far north LOL. If

anyone has anything they could share with me on getting him the help we need

for him I sure would appreciate it. Right now ECI is seeing him and he gets

to

see a therapist maybe once a week or so. I want him to get more but I don't

know exactly how much more I should ask for. I appreciate your time .

Sincerely,

Valrie

[Guest guest]

,

I would suggest that you push ECI for more services. Your

description of your son sounds very much like my youngest son, .

He climbs everything in site and has a high pain threshold as well.

is non-verbal @ 35 months and is graduating from ECI this

month.

Have your ECI rep set up evals for your son for speech and OT

services, if he has not had them already. He should qualify for OT

based on sensory integration needs and speech as he is non-verbal.

Based on my experience, he should receive at least one session per

week with each of these therapists and one session a week from

a 'developmental specialist', sort of a catch-all phrase for a

generalist.

I would also start to research what the programs are that your local

ISD provides. Also, start to research what some of the therapies are

that will provide your son with the most benefit and be prepared to

ask the ISD to provide these services to your son.

I will be happy to let you know what worked for us.

Best of Luck!

-

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/19/2003 4:58:27 PM Central Standard Time,

Muziqua@... writes:

> Shoot when I was

> pregnant with him I worried about who would tell me when it was time to

> enroll

> him LOL.

Hehehe I am plenty bright but I had this thought too lol.

[Guest guest]

> My name is Barbara and I am a pre op patient. I see Dr. K is

October and I am so excited. I went to my first group meeting in

August and may have seen some of you there and would like to get to

know you better. I have so much to learn from all of you. I was

the one in the front row who came in late, bad girl. There was a

gentlemen sitting to my right and he was so nice to me but I never

*******************************************************************

Hi Barb (who forgot to mention she was late because of me..lol).

Welcome in to the group. its good to see you posting. Im happy to

hear from another pre op because you have a lot of the same

questions i did and still do. Most have been answered here and by Dr

Z and Dee. You will love the staff there- they are so warm and

helpful. They will welcome any questions you have when you go for

the consult.

Talk to you soon

VIcki

13 more days and counting

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 12:45:51 -0700 (PDT), Barbara Mock wrote:

>One of my questions is how long does the drainage tubes stay in and how long is

your stay in the hospital?

Barbara,

Welcome to the group.

I had my surgery on May 1. Dr. K. released me from the hospital on May 5,

but I had to stay in the local area. My first follow-up was on May 7, and

that's when he pulled the drains. He also released me to travel from

Delano back to the Sacramento area on May 8. I understand this is about

the fastest one can expect to have the drains pulled and be released for

travel. While my case may not be the norm, it gives you some idea what the

timeline is.

Jerry

[Guest guest]

HI Barb!

I'm Melisa, post-op 18 months. I had my surgery on a Monday, released from

the hospital on Wednesday, stayed in the local hotel Wednesday night Drove

home, turned around and came right back that Friday, and had my tubes pulled

out. Dr K said, " You heal too quick " YMMV

Melisa in CA

I've lost 147 pounds with the Gastric Reduction with Duodenal Switch weight

loss surgery, Performed by Dr. Ara Keshishian, 3/26/02 in Delano California

www.gr-ds.com

Check out:

ldsfamilyrecipes/

The recipe exchange list, following the Word of Wisdom!

ds4lds/

The Duodenal Switch Support list for members of the LDS Faith!

family-recipes/

Another recipe exchange list! Anything goes here!

latterdaymoms/

The list for Moms of the LDS faith to meet & make friends!

[Guest guest]

> Vicki,

>

> 13 days, don't forget to let me know the time and day of surgery

so that I can be there for you. No one need to know why I was

*****************************************************************

i could blame my son for being late........................nah- wont

work!! lol. i dont mind people knowing why i was late. im so anal

though- i usually try to be early for things but who knew?? lol. i

enjoyed the meeting and was glad to have you there with me.

I will let you know the time of the surgery. its either 7a or 11 a

but i wont know until the 5th. you will be the second to know- i

promise. thank you inadvance for being there. the support means alot

God Bless Vicki

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 18:48:09 -0700 (PDT), Barbara Mock wrote:

>Did it hurt really bad to have to tubes removed? I have a very high tolerance

to pain but I have heard it is really bad.

Actually, it was more uncomfortablw rather than painful. The first one had

a bit of suction when it came out which caused the discomfort. The second

wasn't a problem. But, then, I'm the person that Dr. K. poked a new hole

in my incision to promote drainage and I didn't feel anything. And, no, I

wasn't on meds or painkillers when he did that.

Jerry

[Guest guest]

>

> >Did it hurt really bad to have to tubes removed? I have a very

high tolerance to pain but I have heard it is really bad.

>

> Actually, it was more uncomfortablw rather than painful. The

first one had

> a bit of suction when it came out which caused the discomfort.

The second

> wasn't a problem. But, then, I'm the person that Dr. K. poked a

new hole

> in my incision to promote drainage and I didn't feel anything.

And, no, I

> wasn't on meds or painkillers when he did that.

>

> Jerry

~~~~~~~~~~~~``

LOL, Jerry I remember when dr.k did his famous Q-Tip thing

with me. I just looked at him so surprised and ask if that

was suppose to hurt.He ask me if it did,and I said no,then

he said no it's not suppose to hurt...This man is so funny

at times...

Pat

[Guest guest]

I think that the " pain " or " uncomfortableness " is really because we

don't know what to expect. We can prepare your for it, but when it

starts happening, you have NO CLUE that it would feel like that! More

shock than anything else?

Jim

Re: Introduction

Actually, it was more uncomfortablw rather than painful.

[Guest guest]

Hello Barbara!

Welcome, welcome, welcome! So nice to have you with us. Ask all the

questions you want -- both preop and postop patients are full of questions as we

go

through our experiences!

Hugs and blessings, Ann

[Guest guest]

> Ann,

>

> Thanks for welcoming me into the group. I will ask questions

believe me. I know that each persons body reacts different when

they have surgery. One of my questions is:

>

> How soon do they get you up and walking after the surgery?

>

> Barbara

>

> **************************************************************

oh oh oh!!!!!!!!!!! i actually have the answer for that one. they

want you to walk 4-5 hours after surgery. the quicker you can get

up, the better.

vicki

[Guest guest]

Hi Barbara, I know you didn't ask me but I hope you don't me chiming

in here. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain also (having lived

with a pinched sciatic nerve for about 25 years and crippling

arthritis for a couple of years before WLS) and it really wasn't a

big deal when I got my drains out. It was like a deep stinging and

then a hard tug and then it was over. No lingering pain. So, it may

be easy for you. Cross your fingers!

Tracey

Did it hurt really bad to have to tubes removed? I have a very high

tolerance to pain but I have heard it is really bad.

>

> Barbara

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/27/2003 12:31:56 PM Central Daylight Time,

ptforme2002@... writes:

How soon do they get you up and walking after the surgery?

Barbara

ASAP!! LOL....About what guys? 4 hrs? And then you can do like some of us and

walk every 45b minutes to 2 hrs....Only because I thought I had been asleep

for 4 or 6 hrs....LOL

in Bama

My story- http://hometown.aol.com/mdl1031/myhomepage/profile.html

Pictures- http://f2.pg.photos./Melleedawn

Surgery- RNY to DS revision on12/6 -377.5

12/17 - 346.5 ( minus 31lbs)

02/12-330.0 (minus 47.5 lbs)

05/12- 304.8 (minus 72.7 lbs)-BMI now 48

06/22- 290.8 (minus 86.7)BMI 46.

08/11- 285.4 (minus 92.1)

[Guest guest]

Hi Barbara!

I do have one bit of advise for when you have your drains out. Take

a couple of vicodin about half an hour beforehand. (Or whatever

painkiller Dr. K gives you.) It will help you to relax and if

you're more relaxed, that will make things easier. (At least,

that's my theory. LOL! It worked for me.)

Tracey

> ,

>

> Thank you for letting me know about the tubes. I know that each

of use are different but it is so good to hear how it was from

different ones. I appreciate any advise you can offer.

>

> Barbara

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/6/2003 10:44:59 AM Central Standard Time,

shelly@... writes:

> My lifestyle is somewhat sedentary. I work out of my home at a desk.

> Consequently, we end up going out to eat quite often because it's a quick

> way to get out of the house.

>

> My husband will also be pursuing the DS procedure.

>

> I look forward to meeting and learning from you folks.

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

....You are going to be so glad you ended up with Dr.K and a DS. I am a

3rd tim surgery pt, and I think the old saying " the 3rd times the charm " is a

good summary of how I feel. I am 11 months out and down 111 lbs...Still have

70 or so to go for my goal of less than 200 lbs but working on it!

We can be a rowdy bunch....a bunch of friends teasing and messing with

each other and have lots of fun along with the serious stuff. I have laughed

and cried with these guys.

So .....Where are you in the process? Have you had a pre op visit yet?

in Bama

<A

HREF= " http://hometown.aol.com/mdl1031/myhomepage/profile.html " >

http://hometown.aol.com/mdl1031/myhomepage/profile.html</A>

Rny to Ds revision 12/06/02

Down109lbs!!

Thanks to Dr. K!