Hello

July 14, 2001

Hi Angie...we all learn our lesson the hard way You can do it!!!

Joya

> I am Angie and am restarting today.

September 13, 2001

Little Joya,

{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} right back at you sweetie. We have missed you and I am so

glad you are back. Our group has banded together beautifully in this recent

tragedy and we all need reassurance from each other.

So far we have not heard of any immediate ones that were lost but my friends

daughter, Kimberlin, is a flight attendant and I can only pray she was not on

one of the planes.

My immediate response was to eat some ice cream, my favorite comfort food,

but I am back on the ball this a.m. I hope you had a chance to read what Kari

wrote yesterday. It was so heartfelt and touching. I told her that her future

is in writing and she should go with it.

Not giving up the Real Estate, of course, because one has to eat, aye,

lo-carb of course.

Love Mom Pudge

P.S. I promised Kari I would turn on the MSN messenger every time I go online

and I see you are on my list if you ever want to talk while I'm online. )))

MP

pudge@...

January 9, 2005

Welcome Amy J., nice to see another Amy aboard...I think that makes 3 of us now.

I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis but happy that you found our group. I'm 35

with two kids so I understand that putting your health on the back burner thing.

My IgAN was found only after a routine check for a sinus infection...which

showed my b/p up at 173/116. When they did bloodwork to get me on some b/p meds

they found my creatinine level at 2.3....from that it was a few months to biopsy

and diagnosis. I have the agressive I get flank pain fairly regularly it sort

of comes and goes...I can go weeks without any pain at all then have a week

where I feel like I'm going thru back labor all over again, then it goes away

once more. I have yet to note a connection to anything I'm doing. With young

kids in your home I'm sure you are doing much bending and lifting which I find

tends to make things worse for me. Sometimes a hot bath proir to bed will help

relax things a bit.

I'd also like to add my thank you to your husband and yourself, your service to

our country is a wonderful thing.

Welcome again, you're in the right place to find answers and support.

Amy G.

Hello

Hi my name is Amy (guess I can go by Amy J). I was diagnosed with IgAN in

January of 2002 following a biopsy. We first saw there was a problem when I was

pregnant with my first son in '95. I had proteinuria and of course was

considered high risk for preeclampsia. They were supposed to follow up on it

after the pregnancy but that kind of fell through and all was forgotten until I

became pregnant with my daughter in Jan '99. Again, high risk with the protein

and such but again I never developed preeclampsia and everything again went

fine. Following this pregnancy they did begin digging around trying to find out

what was going on. I am sure I have peed almost a year's worth of 24 hour

urines!! You need to know that we are a military family and so we do not always

get the most direct route to the care we need. Finally in late 2001 I was

referred to a nephrologist who got the ball rolling. Following a biopsy in the

beginning of 2002, I was diagnosed with the disease and shortly after that got

pregnant again! (the doctor thought I was crazy for wanting another child but

did say it was okay). This pregnancy I was not given the " royal treatment " as a

high risk patient and again, everything went fine. However, with 3 kids, my

health went on the back burner and I did not return to the nephrologist until

about 2 months ago (the last time I saw him was Sept. 02, just before the baby

was born). My protein has increased and I believe I am beginning to see

symptoms. I get swelling in my ankles quite frequently. I am taking fish oil

(but had let that drop for quite some time as when I was taking it during my

pregnancy it seemed to make me itchy!!). I am also experiencing flank pain at

night which I believe is connected to this as it is worse if I haven't had

enough water to drink the day before or if I slack off on the fish oil. Anybody

else experiencing that? My husband thinks the flank pain is from our mattress

as he says his back hurts too, but the pain is relieved a little after I urinate

in the morning and as I said it's not as noticeable if I'm up on water intake

and fish oil.

Anyway, sorry I rambled on, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm rather

shocked to find myself on a support group, but being 38, I'm realizing I need to

get serious about this disease!!

Amy J.

January 9, 2005