Aloha from your new group attendee

[Guest guest]

Yeah, I know...that subject line sounds so silly. I actually refer

to myself as a new " group attendee " . Still, it has a much

better " ring " or you might say; has a much better " sound " than just

new " member " . To me, who has a rather strange mind anyway, the word

member reminds me of a " digit " , like in ... " The finger is an

extension of the hand and is known as a digit most generally referred

to as a finger " . Or, the phone code used to

gain access to another party is a series of numerical digits. As I

am NOT a finger, nor a telephone NUMBER, I prefer to be known as

your " new group attendee " . Now,I know that actually this stand I am

taking in reference to my newly acquired status as your new group

attendee is just plain silly...I just wanted to say, " HI, you all! "

I became your newest group attendee about a week or so ago, and I

must admit that, like Cassandra, I actually expected " to have at

least one person say, " HI " back to me. Didn't happen! Have I, in

some small way, mortally lost my dignity over this, and am resorting

to " name calling " , like...you pack of stuffed shirts/blouses who are

just way too big for your britches/skirts, thanks for the " silent yet

deafening " welcome I didn't receive from any of you guys/gals. Too

busy to let loose a little bit of emotion and welcome a brand

spanking new group attendee to your group where all of you " members "

write to one another with sincere kindly words of encouragement and

love. Hey man/woman...I " need " some of this love and encouragement

too. Now, don't all of you write to me at once, because I probably

won't have the strength to sit here and read all hundred(s) or so of

them. Sincerely, your newest group attendee, Ken, from out here in

the middle of the wide Pacific ocean.

P.S. I am just kidding here. Hi, glad to havejoined your group as I

have read lots of really positive messages here, and witnessed many

generous acts of kindness and love being exchanged. I'd like to get

one of those " welcome messages " though, so I can see what it is you

have to say to new members. I am looking forward to many years of

being your computer " friend " . In a way of introducing myself, here

is a brief introduction. I fell from a ladder in October of 1996,

which caused some pretty severe damage to my left foot; requiring

three surgeries to " put my foot back together gain. " Along the way I

acquired RSD in my left foot which later " jumped " to my right

foot/left hand/right hand/both arms and shoulders/and, finally

(though maybe not) my left knee as well. Aloha, Ken.

[Guest guest]

hello ken. i DID sned you a welcome letter. where it went i do not know.

cathy

[Guest guest]

Dear new group attendee,

Sorry it is my personal policy not to speak to persons who live in nice warm

places when I am suffering in frigid cold temperatures in Midwest. Send

sunshine and tropical breezes or plane ticket if you want love and

friendship. Or move where it's cold and suffer along with us, that's what

you must do.

sincerely,

digit beth

just kidding, did I not say hi? Thought I did, that's the pitfalls of being

on a chronic pain group, we tend to forget the things we mean to do:) Can

you relate to that!

I am to have surgery in Denver next month for thoracic outlet surgery and

have so much to do, am making lists like crazy so don't forget something

important to pick up, get ready, or tell Mom who will watch kids, like

science fair on Wednesday, take projects to school day before, etc.

Welcome, attendee Ken, glad you're here, post away and tell us your story -

free pineapple is another good way to get love:)

beth

[Guest guest]

Hey man/woman...I "need" some of this love and encouragement too.

Ken,

I'm sorry I have not welcomed you. Must have been that jealousy of where you live!

Hope you really will find us as caring.

My RSD started in my left foot by a can falling through one of those darn plastic grocery bags onto my foot on 12/31/99. I ended up with a neuroma, which was removed surgically. About 7-8 weeks later, this real creepy feeling came along so the doctor started treating me with nerve medication. Another neuroma was found and removed. A couple days after the surgery the burning started. That's when she got me scheduled to see a pain specialist/P.T. We had a trip planned so it didn't start until Feb. 2000. Fortunately, mine hasn't gone anywhere except from the ball of my foot to the ankle. The pain doctor I had at the time is hoping we got the blocks in time to keep it from traveling, or as fast. Sometimes it almost seems like a "punishment" for getting treated before it left a lot of the symptoms because other doctors think I don't have it because a certain symptom isn't showing. I have dealt with depression and was recently in the hospital for 10 days for it. Sometimes it seems worse than the RSD in itself. In Feb. I'm going down to FL to visit a friend for a week. She will be my "therapist" while I'm gone! I know it will be good for me to get away. The airline just about freaked me out a couple days ago. I checked my status since I had to send in a voucher, which they should get about today--but someone took my code # and told us how to send it in and it should have shown as having been purchased. Tom called and they got me back on. They don't have a seat for me coming back to the airport in Chicago, but on to Champaign they do. Obviously they are filled up and are hoping for a cancellation. Maybe I'll end up in FL an extra day! But it wouldn't have been good if they had said "sorry, we can't do anything about it" because it was hard enough to get the dates set. I've been married 27 years to a super great guy, have two daughters, 23 and 18, and a cat named Socks. Animals are definitely therapeutic! She's laying across my arms right now and curls up with me if I take a nap. I love to read, do cake decorating for others, and have recently taken on scrapbooking w/o taking any course--just have fun playing around. Have you told us your interests?

Love

Aloha from your new "group attendee"

Yeah, I know...that subject line sounds so silly. I actually refer to myself as a new "group attendee". Still, it has a much better "ring" or you might say; has a much better "sound" than just new "member". To me, who has a rather strange mind anyway, the word member reminds me of a "digit", like in ..."The finger is an extension of the hand and is known as a digit most generally referredto as a finger". Or, the phone code used to gain access to another party is a series of numerical digits. As I am NOT a finger, nor a telephone NUMBER, I prefer to be known as your "new group attendee". Now,I know that actually this stand I am taking in reference to my newly acquired status as your new group attendee is just plain silly...I just wanted to say, "HI, you all!" I became your newest group attendee about a week or so ago, and I must admit that, like Cassandra, I actually expected" to have at least one person say, "HI" back to me. Didn't happen! Have I, in some small way, mortally lost my dignity over this, and am resorting to "name calling", like...you pack of stuffed shirts/blouses who are just way too big for your britches/skirts, thanks for the "silent yet deafening" welcome I didn't receive from any of you guys/gals. Too busy to let loose a little bit of emotion and welcome a brand spanking new group attendee to your group where all of you "members" write to one another with sincere kindly words of encouragement and love. Hey man/woman...I "need" some of this love and encouragement too. Now, don't all of you write to me at once, because I probably won't have the strength to sit here and read all hundred(s) or so of them. Sincerely, your newest group attendee, Ken, from out here in the middle of the wide Pacific ocean. P.S. I am just kidding here. Hi, glad to havejoined your group as I have read lots of really positive messages here, and witnessed many generous acts of kindness and love being exchanged. I'd like to get one of those "welcome messages" though, so I can see what it is you have to say to new members. I am looking forward to many years of being your computer "friend". In a way of introducing myself, here is a brief introduction. I fell from a ladder in October of 1996, which caused some pretty severe damage to my left foot; requiring three surgeries to "put my foot back together gain." Along the way I acquired RSD in my left foot which later "jumped" to my right foot/left hand/right hand/both arms and shoulders/and, finally (though maybe not) my left knee as well. Aloha, Ken.