Introduction

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group !

I can't say much for the negative aspects of this WOE (way of eating) but for me not craving so much sweets & carbs has been a real blessing. I feel I have more control over my eating too. Glad to have you aboard!

God bless,Jeanie*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*I have no formula but faith, no gospel but God, no creed but Christ,and no love but the Lord. There can be no joy without Jesus. (Helen Steiner Rice)

[Guest guest]

Welcome, , and I'm glad you found this WOE and this list!

> weeks I did some research on the net and decided to try it for myself. A lot

> of what Dr Atkins says in his book about carbohydrates, cravings, blood

> sugar levels etc makes sense to me although I am having a hard time

> believing that I can eat eggs, bacon and cheese again.

When I found myself just nodding at everything about the carbohydrates and

cravings and blood sugar levels, that was the first indication that his

approach might really be right for me.

I still have a hard time believing it. I sit down to a big steak and some

green beans and I feel absolutely spoiled! And yet, the weight

(mostly) steadily drops. Sometimes I really do a double-take on the

scale. Even when I have weight fluctuations, I know that on the whole,

my health is improved, and in the long range, I'm doing quite well on the

weight too.

> I read some negative stuff about the diet on the net today, about how it can

> be dangerous for your health so naturally I am a bit concerned, but there

> are so many success stories that it must be worth trying, mustn't it?

YES!

I'm not going to say that there aren't a few side effects that take

getting used to... and for me the first week of induction is *always*

difficult as the body adjusts and detoxifies all at once... but hang in

there for a few weeks and see if you don't feel great! I think some

people have reported a spike in cholesterol early on, but over time it can

actually drop below your pre-WOE levels. Sometimes on induction I get a

bit nauseous but when I can increase the carbs it gets better. Most

people have to watch to make sure they get enough fiber, and enough water.

But speaking as one who has gone through all this, and stayed on it for...

gosh, my 2-year Atkinsversary was yesterday! I think that if you give it

a few weeks, you'll soon find it to be very worth the effort! And after

awhile, it gets easier to stick to, easier to keep a positive attitude,

easier to recover from those " moments " we all have. And of course, we're

all here to help you with that!

--jen

284/219/160

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group Gena. I usualy starts at the oldest post from

where I last left off at and work my way to the newest but your post

really touched me. I am so sorry for what that guy said to you and

believe it or not you could of been any weight and he would of said

it. I have known some guys who know that that will really rub a

woman the wrong way and when they get pissed off at them they go for

the throat so i would not let what that guy says determine what you

are. You are better than that. You don't have to do this for other

people the fact that you are reaching out for help kinda tells me

that you want this for you. You know what men like..a confident

woman. When we are unable to be confident in ourselves because of

our own body issues that is when we are the less atractive I think.

Not because of our weight but of our ideas and attitude towards

ourselves really shows in our actions and others see that. So

finding a guy is not about your weight and a guy that is going to

like you for you is going to notice you for how you carry yourself

and how confident you are.

Since you have a couple medical problems it is probaly best if you

talk to your Doctor and tell him what a hard time you have sticking

with a plan that is best for you. Maybe between the two of you you

can come up with something that will fit better into your life and

still work well for your medical problems. Also maybe discuss with

him some ways to alter your exercise but yet still stay within the

limits of your heart condition. Some things that will be more fun

for you and that you will want to do that won't cause any health

risk. If it is an activity you enjoy you are more likely to stay

with it.

I am an emotional eater too. So I can sympathis with you there.

Since I was a teen I have went back and forth between not eating and

purging and everywhere in between. I am liek a rollar coster I

guess. For the first time in my life thou I am getting a handle on

my emotional eating. It hard I won't lie to you but you are worth it!

What i can tell you thou once you make some good habbits stick and

replace the old ones it gets a little bit easier everyday. At first

it seems like you are not getting anywhere then one day you wake up

and a few weeks or months have passed and you will start to think a

little different about alot of things. One day at a time!

Rhonda

> Hi,

>

> I'm new to the group and just joined after a very hurtful

experience

> tonight. I am about 5'1 and I weigh about 170 pounds. Although I

> know that I'm overweight, I really didn't think I looked that

bad. I

> try to dress well for my body type and I felt fairly confident

about

> how I look. I am single and haven't dated for a while, but I

> honestly just thought that I was in a slump.

>

> Anyway, I have wanted to lose weight for a while, but I get

started

> and then get depressed and cheat and end up gaining more. I guess

> you could say that I am an emotional eater and when I'm dieting, I

> think about food even more. I was bulimic in college and so I try

to

> be very conscious about not purging after I eat. But, of course,

> then I REALLY gain weight.

>

> Anyway, something happened tonight that really upset me. I had

been

> at the mall and was at a four way stop. I stopped made my turn

and

> the person on the other side ran the sign and almost hit me. I

> beeped my horn at him. Anyway, the passenger rolled down his

window,

> he was a guy around my age - mid-to-late 20s I guess - anyway, he

> just started yelling at me and kept yelling at me that I was fat.

He

> kept calling me a fat b---- and just taunted me.

>

> I know that 170 pounds is too much weight for someone of my

height,

> but I honestly didn't think that I was obese. I didn't realize

that

> people had such a negative perception of me. I thought that I was

> the only one bothered by my weight - I didn't realize that it made

me

> a pariah.

>

> What's really confusing to me is the emotions that I am feeling

right

> now. Part of me wants to lose weight because I want to

be " socially

> Acceptable " but part of me doesn't. Part of me is just so

indignant

> because who was he to make such judgements about me? Part of me

> feels that I shouldn't change part of me just to fit in with a

> screwed up society with messed up values.

>

> But I am sick of being lonely and I'm sick of being alone. I know

> that if I lost weight, I'd get attention from men again. But part

of

> me feels that if a guy is only interested in me because of the

size

> of my hips, then I really don't want someone like that in my

life?

> Does anyone understand what I mean?

>

> I hope that this hasn't offended anyone. I just joined the group

and

> really wanted to get some feedback on this.

>

> If this is more of a group about discussing diets, I have been on

> Atkins in the past and had some success. HOwever, I always seem

to

> start cheating after a while and I end up gaining all that I have

> lost. I do have thyroid problems that contributes to the problem

and

> I've been told that I'm borderline insulin resistant. My doctors

> have suggested low-carb diets, but as I said, I have a hard time

> sticking to it. Also, I have difficulty exercising because I have

an

> exercise-induced heart disorder. The cardiologists have said that

I

> can do very low-impact exercise such as walking and yoga, but I

have

> a hard time motivating myself to do so. I get so depressed when I

> try to work out and just can't do it as I would like. The last

time

> I went walking on a treadmill in a gym, I had to stop after six

> minutes because my heart rate started going haywire. Sometimes I

> feel as though I am just in a no-win situation.

>

> Anyway, I would really welcome any suggestions anyone could have

> about coping and hopefully stopping this problem. I know that it

is

> self-defeating to ease my sadness over being overweight with pizza

> and ice cream. I just can't see to stop it.

>

> Again, thanks for listening. I hope that I will be able to offer

a

> shoulder for you guys, too.

[Guest guest]

>

> I'm new to the group

#########welcome to the group. we are very supportive, encouraging

and give lots of advice and feedback. you can come here just to vent

even if it's not about your weight. we are all family here. at

least it feels that way to me. sometimes there is bickering but for

the most part we are all very very good at advice and suggestions.

I am about 5'1 and I weigh about 170 pounds. Although I

> know that I'm overweight, I really didn't think I looked that bad.

##############I feel the same way. I don't think I look that bad,

for the most part, and I get lots of comments, thank goodness,

however I know I'm also overweight. I'm two inches taller than you

and weight quite a bit more. 175ish is my goal range though. That

was when I was a size 12 and my goal is around a 10 or a 12.

I

> try to dress well for my body type and I felt fairly confident

about

> how I look.

############It's great that you feel pretty confident that is

something a lot of people have to work on. I have to work on this

personally but it is getting better as my weight goes down. I don't

obsess as much anymore. I also try to dress well though it's very

difficult sometimes.

I am an emotional eater and when I'm dieting

###########when you are feeling emotional please come here and vent

we will listen and give advice and perhaps that will steer you away

from eating.

, he

> just started yelling at me and kept yelling at me that I was fat.

He

> kept calling me a fat b---- and just taunted me.

###############I know how this would bother me, but just think lots

of guys this young age call lots of women this even someone

supersuper skinny so try to not let it bug you. I saw a guy our age

yell to a lady on the sidewalk that's right you fat ho keep on

walking maybe you'll lose that a**, but you know she was pushing a

stroller, and she was probably a size 4 or 6. I know this because

she was skinnier than my aunt who is a size 8. That's just dumb and

ridiculous. He just probably wanted to get the attention away from

himself and upset you so you wouldn't call him in, and isn't secure

with himself.

> But I am sick of being lonely and I'm sick of being alone. I know

> that if I lost weight, I'd get attention from men again. But part

of

> me feels that if a guy is only interested in me because of the size

> of my hips, then I really don't want someone like that in my life?

> Does anyone understand what I mean?

##############I completely understand what you mean, but any guy

who's with you just for looks isn't worth it. So while you're losing

weight for yourself not for a guy and not for society you'll find

someone who is supportive and doesn't care but will encourage you to

lose weight not for himself but for your health because he cares.

[Guest guest]

Hello Gena, welcome!!! I saved this reply for last because I wanted

to make sure you weren't just one of my alternate personalities

(haha!). As in, oh, girl, have I *been* there! Yes, I've had some

jerk on the road, when *he's* at fault, start using the " F " word at

me. (And this was before I even gained all my weight!) You didn't

mention if you did so, but I *cried* (after he was gone, of course!).

So, yeah, this has offended someone, it's offended ME, and if you

happened to get the license number, I'll be happy to drive out and

kick his heiney till it swells fatter than the fattest heiney ever

recorded. (Oh yes, I will.) You mentioned he was likely mid-20s, and

let me assure you, this is typical Fat-Head behaviour for that age.

Jerks know *every* woman is sensitive about her weight (heck, who do

you think made us that way??) so as someone else posted, that's where

they go. They're Jerks, it's what they do. If they had *brains* they

could be more clever with their insults, but then, they wouldn't have

run the sign and been in the situation to begin with. You can always

lose weight, but their only hope is Hooked on Phonics, which might

help them read the word " Stop " but won't actually grow more brain

cells. (and really, I'm not betting any of my money they'll even

benefit from hooked on phonics and learn to read)

Ok, so I've also done the lose weight, get frustrated/depressed, blow

it, bring it all back with interest. I'm still battling bulimia, and

boy do I understand how fighting the purge helps the weight come on.

I'm also single, and think any guy more interested in my measurements

than my mind can take a hike...preferably into a nest of pit vipers.

Now, I *WAS* 170 pounds like you said you're about at. BUT!! Here's

where you're ahead of me!! I cried over being so heavy at 170....and

then kept on gaining! Up till 217. I've now lost 55.2 pounds, in a

healthy way, and think I'll be keeping it off (though I do have to be

honest and admit the holiday season is still being rough on me!).

It's a b!tch, every day, every hour, but it's worth it (I know that

even if sometimes I feel differently). Oh, and watch out for your

teeth...I've broken 5 thanks to the stomach acids wearing away my

enamel through repeat vomiting, so if you need motivation to not

purge, I'll mail you a photo of my mouth! Please please please don't

purge, and don't give up, either. I want to encourage you to post

freely here, it's a very welcoming group, and if there's something

you don't feel comfortable posting but need to get out, *please* feel

free to email me off-list or send me an IM (email = denvermusicplus @

yahoo.com, my Yahoo IM id is vdeokitty, AOL IM id is vdeovamp). I

know so much what pain you're going through and want you to know my

shoulder is here for you any time!!!!

****hugs*****

Catalina

who, again, really will come kick that jerk's heiney!!

> Hi,

>

> I'm new to the group and just joined after a very hurtful

experience

> tonight. I am about 5'1 and I weigh about 170 pounds. Although I

> know that I'm overweight, I really didn't think I looked that bad.

I

> try to dress well for my body type and I felt fairly confident

about

> how I look. I am single and haven't dated for a while, but I

> honestly just thought that I was in a slump.

>

> Anyway, I have wanted to lose weight for a while, but I get started

> and then get depressed and cheat and end up gaining more. I guess

> you could say that I am an emotional eater and when I'm dieting, I

> think about food even more. I was bulimic in college and so I try

to

> be very conscious about not purging after I eat. But, of course,

> then I REALLY gain weight.

>

> Anyway, something happened tonight that really upset me. I had

been

> at the mall and was at a four way stop. I stopped made my turn and

> the person on the other side ran the sign and almost hit me. I

> beeped my horn at him. Anyway, the passenger rolled down his

window,

> he was a guy around my age - mid-to-late 20s I guess - anyway, he

> just started yelling at me and kept yelling at me that I was fat.

He

> kept calling me a fat b---- and just taunted me.

>

> I know that 170 pounds is too much weight for someone of my height,

> but I honestly didn't think that I was obese. I didn't realize

that

> people had such a negative perception of me. I thought that I was

> the only one bothered by my weight - I didn't realize that it made

me

> a pariah.

>

> What's really confusing to me is the emotions that I am feeling

right

> now. Part of me wants to lose weight because I want to

be " socially

> Acceptable " but part of me doesn't. Part of me is just so

indignant

> because who was he to make such judgements about me? Part of me

> feels that I shouldn't change part of me just to fit in with a

> screwed up society with messed up values.

>

> But I am sick of being lonely and I'm sick of being alone. I know

> that if I lost weight, I'd get attention from men again. But part

of

> me feels that if a guy is only interested in me because of the size

> of my hips, then I really don't want someone like that in my life?

> Does anyone understand what I mean?

>

> I hope that this hasn't offended anyone. I just joined the group

and

> really wanted to get some feedback on this.

>

> If this is more of a group about discussing diets, I have been on

> Atkins in the past and had some success. HOwever, I always seem to

> start cheating after a while and I end up gaining all that I have

> lost. I do have thyroid problems that contributes to the problem

and

> I've been told that I'm borderline insulin resistant. My doctors

> have suggested low-carb diets, but as I said, I have a hard time

> sticking to it. Also, I have difficulty exercising because I have

an

> exercise-induced heart disorder. The cardiologists have said that

I

> can do very low-impact exercise such as walking and yoga, but I

have

> a hard time motivating myself to do so. I get so depressed when I

> try to work out and just can't do it as I would like. The last

time

> I went walking on a treadmill in a gym, I had to stop after six

> minutes because my heart rate started going haywire. Sometimes I

> feel as though I am just in a no-win situation.

>

> Anyway, I would really welcome any suggestions anyone could have

> about coping and hopefully stopping this problem. I know that it

is

> self-defeating to ease my sadness over being overweight with pizza

> and ice cream. I just can't see to stop it.

>

> Again, thanks for listening. I hope that I will be able to offer a

> shoulder for you guys, too.

[Guest guest]

Welcome again Gena... I want to say that I am really sorry to here about your

incident at the mall. It makes me mad how insensitive people can be...

especially young punks as I call them. Gena what really matters is how you feel

about yourself, and how you carry your values. You are a special person and you

will find someone who shares your morals and values. I think you are doing

great just by being here with all who cares so much and who is there with

support and encouragement.

gena712 gena712@...> wrote: Hi,

I'm new to the group and just joined after a very hurtful experience

tonight. I am about 5'1 and I weigh about 170 pounds. Although I

know that I'm overweight, I really didn't think I looked that bad. I

try to dress well for my body type and I felt fairly confident about

how I look. I am single and haven't dated for a while, but I

honestly just thought that I was in a slump.

Anyway, I have wanted to lose weight for a while, but I get started

and then get depressed and cheat and end up gaining more. I guess

you could say that I am an emotional eater and when I'm dieting, I

think about food even more. I was bulimic in college and so I try to

be very conscious about not purging after I eat. But, of course,

then I REALLY gain weight.

Anyway, something happened tonight that really upset me. I had been

at the mall and was at a four way stop. I stopped made my turn and

the person on the other side ran the sign and almost hit me. I

beeped my horn at him. Anyway, the passenger rolled down his window,

he was a guy around my age - mid-to-late 20s I guess - anyway, he

just started yelling at me and kept yelling at me that I was fat. He

kept calling me a fat b---- and just taunted me.

I know that 170 pounds is too much weight for someone of my height,

but I honestly didn't think that I was obese. I didn't realize that

people had such a negative perception of me. I thought that I was

the only one bothered by my weight - I didn't realize that it made me

a pariah.

What's really confusing to me is the emotions that I am feeling right

now. Part of me wants to lose weight because I want to be " socially

Acceptable " but part of me doesn't. Part of me is just so indignant

because who was he to make such judgements about me? Part of me

feels that I shouldn't change part of me just to fit in with a

screwed up society with messed up values.

But I am sick of being lonely and I'm sick of being alone. I know

that if I lost weight, I'd get attention from men again. But part of

me feels that if a guy is only interested in me because of the size

of my hips, then I really don't want someone like that in my life?

Does anyone understand what I mean?

I hope that this hasn't offended anyone. I just joined the group and

really wanted to get some feedback on this.

If this is more of a group about discussing diets, I have been on

Atkins in the past and had some success. HOwever, I always seem to

start cheating after a while and I end up gaining all that I have

lost. I do have thyroid problems that contributes to the problem and

I've been told that I'm borderline insulin resistant. My doctors

have suggested low-carb diets, but as I said, I have a hard time

sticking to it. Also, I have difficulty exercising because I have an

exercise-induced heart disorder. The cardiologists have said that I

can do very low-impact exercise such as walking and yoga, but I have

a hard time motivating myself to do so. I get so depressed when I

try to work out and just can't do it as I would like. The last time

I went walking on a treadmill in a gym, I had to stop after six

minutes because my heart rate started going haywire. Sometimes I

feel as though I am just in a no-win situation.

Anyway, I would really welcome any suggestions anyone could have

about coping and hopefully stopping this problem. I know that it is

self-defeating to ease my sadness over being overweight with pizza

and ice cream. I just can't see to stop it.

Again, thanks for listening. I hope that I will be able to offer a

shoulder for you guys, too.

Question of the Week:

What is your biggest challenge as far as getting motivated?

Challenge of the Week:

Exercise 30-45 minutes 3-5 days this week!!! as far as getting motivated?

Challenge of the Week:

Exercise 30-45 minutes 3-5 days this week!!!

---------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Good Morning, My name is Tammy. I have a daughter who just turned six and

has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears. She has been aided for 2

years. We have had services through the school district and we are at the end of

her Kindergarten year and we just found out that they are wanting to retain her

due to her speech and language. Not academics. She passed all her bench marks to

go onto first grade but they feel for her to develop more speech she needs to be

retained. They want to mainstream her next year with classroom support. I joined

because a really good friend referred me here for support. She says you all are

awesome....We live in Tomball,Tx real close to Houston and there seems to be

hardly anything here for parents of the deaf or hard of hearing....If anyone has

any information or comments I would really appreciate it.

[Guest guest]

As a mom and a former teacher, I personally would not hold my child back,

even for academics, if I could help it. I never saw many students " make up "

what they " didn't get " the year before. I don't know but would be

willing to bet she could fluorish in her speech and language with you over

the summer and do just fine . . . or you could get a speech therapist

involved, perhaps, but unless she is immature for her age . . . I would not

suggest holding her back.

My two cents,

Robin T. in NC

>

> Good Morning, My name is Tammy. I have a daughter who just turned

> six and has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears. She has been aided

> for 2 years. We have had services through the school district and we are at

> the end of her Kindergarten year and we just found out that they are wanting

> to retain her due to her speech and language. Not academics. She passed all

> her bench marks to go onto first grade but they feel for her to develop more

> speech she needs to be retained. They want to mainstream her next year with

> classroom support. I joined because a really good friend referred me here

> for support. She says you all are awesome....We live in Tomball,Tx real

> close to Houston and there seems to be hardly anything here for parents of

> the deaf or hard of hearing....If anyone has any information or comments I

> would really appreciate it.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ummm - gotta strongly disagree here! I was just telling someone that

two times in Tom's life I've looked back and felt like you did the best

thing ever for him - the second time was his cochlear implant and the

first was having him repeat first grade. Tom was doing fine

academically but was very young for his grade (he's a July kid) and was

identified fairly late with his hearing loss when he was 3-1/2. It's

easily the best thing we gave him - the gift of time! Sure, he could be

in 8th grade this year, holding on for dear life. The reality is he's

in 7th grade, has lots of friends, is doing very, very well academically

(he had straight A's last term) and in general is as happy as an

" anguished adolescent " can be.

Every child is different of course but certainly for a kid like Tom who

was diagnosed late with his hearing loss, it gave him the time to catch

up with his speech and language. Each child is so different.... I

appreciate your perspective, Robin, as a teacher but at least for Tom,

it would not have been the right thing for him.

Thanks

Barbara

Robin Tomlinson wrote:

> As a mom and a former teacher, I personally would not hold my child back,

> even for academics, if I could help it. I never saw many students " make up "

> what they " didn't get " the year before. I don't know but would be

> willing to bet she could fluorish in her speech and language with you over

> the summer and do just fine . . . or you could get a speech therapist

> involved, perhaps, but unless she is immature for her age . . . I would not

> suggest holding her back.

>

> My two cents,

> Robin T. in NC

>

>

>

>

>

>

>> Good Morning, My name is Tammy. I have a daughter who just turned

>> six and has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears. She has been aided

>> for 2 years. We have had services through the school district and we are at

>> the end of her Kindergarten year and we just found out that they are wanting

>> to retain her due to her speech and language. Not academics. She passed all

>> her bench marks to go onto first grade but they feel for her to develop more

>> speech she needs to be retained. They want to mainstream her next year with

>> classroom support. I joined because a really good friend referred me here

>> for support. She says you all are awesome....We live in Tomball,Tx real

>> close to Houston and there seems to be hardly anything here for parents of

>> the deaf or hard of hearing....If anyone has any information or comments I

>> would really appreciate it.

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

<

>

I could be wrong, but I don't think that Kindergarten is a mandatory retention

year. In fact, I don't even think your child HAS to go to Kindergarten at all.

So I 'm not sure how they can retain her against your will. What options did

they offer besides this? If you feel she would thrive in a regular 1st grade

class and be able to keep up, I would ask them to at least start her there and

reconvene a few months after school starts to see how things are going. It's

not like she would be missing out on the academics of the Kindergarten class if

she ended up going back there in the end (since she already learned them this

year). For some reason the school systems seem much more likely to do something

if you are going to " revisit " it soon after. So far, when things have been

revisited for us, we've ended up on the winning side, either keeping a service

we were trying out or getting services changed that we didn't think were going

to be enough. I personally don't see how doing kindergarten again is going to

help her speech and language, unless maybe they think this time she can focus

more on that and less on academics. If you are going to do that one year,

repeat it for the sake of playing catch up in language, I would pick 1st grade

to do it in. First grade is arguably the most important grade in elementary

school, so doing it twice would be more useful than doing Kinder twice to me.

Rhonda Savage

Mom to Audrey, 9, hearing; and Neal, 6 1/2, CII at 2.9 years

" Hard does not mean impossible. "

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/19/2006 6:26:42 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

mom2savages@... writes:

I could be wrong, but I don't think that Kindergarten is a mandatory

retention year. In fact, I don't even think your child HAS to go to

Kindergarten

at all. So I 'm not sure how they can retain her against your will.

Here in NY they can't retain a child against a parent's will. And

kindergarten is no mandatory and when our school budget went down, the

suggestion from

one person was to drop kindergarten which was shouted down as just blatantly

stupid.

Also, here in NY, theoretically, they cannot retain a child in any grade

without doing diagnostic testing to make sure there isn't an un-addressed

learning disability. I say theoretically because most parents don't know this

and

the schools often make this call without any testing, unless the parents

disagrees

<

>

I'll agree here ... there are actual reading and math skills as part of 1st

grade curriculum. There is very little of that in Kindergarten. Our school had

to start and advanced reading group for the kids who started K already

reading. They expect kids to develop their basic reading skills during K, not

enter with them already in place -- the basic curriculum isn't really prepared

for that. So if we were to have retained Ian (which we didn't) it would have

been there, not in Kindergarten.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

I personally don't see how doing kindergarten again is going to

help her speech and language, unless maybe they think this time she can

focus

more on that and less on academics. If you are going to do that one

year,

repeat it for the sake of playing catch up in language, I would pick

1st grade

to do it in. First grade is arguably the most important grade in

elementary

school, so doing it twice would be more useful than doing Kinder twice

to me.

Tammy,

I think Rhonda makes a good point about repeating first grade. My son

repeated first grade. It was a similar situation to your son's, I was

told that he was bright, but needed language. I have one caution that I

would like to make. While it makes sense to repeat a grade in the early

years (and I think it was helpful for my son to do so), I think it can

be difficult for the kids when they are in high school. At that point,

they are ready to be independent, but have to live by high school

rules. Some kids really chafe at theis.

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

post is the

intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

[Guest guest]

Tammy, we did Kindergarten twice as a planned thing. Maggie was diagnosed at

almost 4 and needed time to catch up on language. She also has a late August

birthday. She is now going into high school and regularly complains that she

SHOULD be in 9th grade already. But she is very happy and has NO friends in the

9th grade and I really think that is just teenage bluster on her part. For me

the question is - what do they propose to do that will help the language gap

decrease?? To me, first grade means learning to read. The language has to be

close to age appropriate to be able to learn to read. It might be hard to work

on bringing language up to speed and learning to read at the same time. It is

often possible to close the language gap but I'd ask some questions. Have they

been closing the language gap?? Or is it getting larger?? Are they going to do

anything different than what they have been doing?? What communication mode are

you using. Is it a public school or a deaf/hoh class in a public school or a

school for the deaf (oral or sign)?? For instance, in AV they say you should

make at least 1 years language growth in one years time. Is your school doing

that?? We noticed that as Maggie's language improved, her maturity level

improved (she was throwing 2 year old style hissy fits at 3 3/4 because she

coudln't hear), and her social skills got better. She really needed that extra

year. But I would be concerned if the language growth hasn't kept pace and they

aren't planning to do anything different to try to close the gap. As Carol

Flexer says, doing the same thing but expecting different results is crazy!

No matter what your communication mode is or what method your school uses, you

could do a lot to foster language growth during the next year. Probably the

most important (and easiest) is to read aloud - whether by speech or sign or

both. I mean like 5 ormore books per day. Read about what they are excited

about. We read every book the library had about " earth moving equipment "

because Maggie was fascinated by it. She learned to tell a front end loader

from a back hoe and also learned a lot of prepositions and verbs and the

concepts that go with them! If we saw a construction site on the weekend and

no one was working, we'd stop and let her look at everything up close and

sometimes even climb on it. Did the same thing with animal books. We'd get

books that emphasized concepts, shapes, colors, and all the parts of speech. One

book had a series of pictures of bigger adn bigger trucks and used words like

giganitic and huge and humungous. We found a great monkey book where the

monkeys did progressively crazier things and each action was described by a

verb/adverb. Not only does it foster language, it also fosters literacy,

listening and closeness! A great win win situation. in GA

[Guest guest]

I agree with this statement also - that's why we held Tom in first grade

rather than kindergarten. Kindergarten here is just half day (actually

goes from 8-11) so it was hard to get a true assessment of Tom's skills

at the end of kindergarten. It was very obvious toward the end of first

grade that retention was a good idea. Again, not academically - Tom has

always been a strong reader (we're currently arguing over who gets to

read Angels and Demons first!). For him it was much more social and

maturity. As I said before, it's the best thing we ever did for him...

Barbara

JillcWood@... wrote:

>

>

>

> <

doing it twice would be more useful than doing Kinder twice to me.>>

>

> I'll agree here ... there are actual reading and math skills as part of 1st

> grade curriculum. There is very little of that in Kindergarten. Our school had

> to start and advanced reading group for the kids who started K already

> reading. They expect kids to develop their basic reading skills during K, not

> enter with them already in place -- the basic curriculum isn't really

prepared

> for that. So if we were to have retained Ian (which we didn't) it would have

> been there, not in Kindergarten.

>

> Best -- Jill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

We held back after first. He was reading since before he was two, but

socially and emotionally he wasn't ready. He also had the teacher from Hell the

first time in the first grade and learned nothing. He was in a first

grade/second grade split the second year. Best thing we ever did. Most of the

kids he talks to in high school are both sophmores and freshman though he's a

freshman. I would never do K over as it's more important to do the academics

twice instead of the playing twice.

-------------- Original message --------------

> I agree with this statement also - that's why we held Tom in first grade

> rather than kindergarten. Kindergarten here is just half day (actually

> goes from 8-11) so it was hard to get a true assessment of Tom's skills

> at the end of kindergarten. It was very obvious toward the end of first

> grade that retention was a good idea. Again, not academically - Tom has

> always been a strong reader (we're currently arguing over who gets to

> read Angels and Demons first!). For him it was much more social and

> maturity. As I said before, it's the best thing we ever did for him...

>

> Barbara

>

> JillcWood@... wrote:

> >

> >

> >

> > <> > doing it twice would be more useful than doing Kinder twice to me.>>

> >

> > I'll agree here ... there are actual reading and math skills as part of 1st

> > grade curriculum. There is very little of that in Kindergarten. Our school

had

> > to start and advanced reading group for the kids who started K already

> > reading. They expect kids to develop their basic reading skills during K,

not

> > enter with them already in place -- the basic curriculum isn't really

> prepared

> > for that. So if we were to have retained Ian (which we didn't) it would have

> > been there, not in Kindergarten.

> >

> > Best -- Jill

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi Tammy,

I'm Debbie, also mom to a who will be 7 in about 3 weeks.. She is

in first grade and has a moderate hearing loss in both ears. My didn't

get her aids until she was almost 3, so she did have a rather large language

delay when we finally discovered her loss.

Retention has never been mentioned to us, but I'd have to agree with some

of the others here. Unless your kindergarten is highly academic, it may be

better to make the decision to hold her back at the end of first grade.

Reinforcing concepts learned in first grade I beleive would be more beneficial.

You say that she is doing well academically. Do they think that her language

delay will cause her problems in first grade? I'm guessing they do, but if she

is on track so far, why do they think that all of a sudden she will fall behind?

There are language tests that will actually give you and the school an idea

of how far her language skills lag. Have they done this testing? I think that

might be beneficial to see if she is really delayed in language or is it more a

speech thing?

I hope that makes sense. Good luck.

Debbie, mom to , 6,moderate SNHL and , 3, hearing

aj gonzalez ajtammygonzalez@...> wrote:

Good Morning, My name is Tammy. I have a daughter who just turned six

and has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Be a chatter box. Enjoy free PC-to-PC calls with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/31/2006 3:28:54 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

manytimesblessed@... writes:

I am hoping to learn more about communication options, schooling and

getting involved in the deaf community. Mostly, I just want to learn

everything I can so that we can raise Lillian to be a confident and

self-sufficient person.

Welcome to the list!

I'm Jill, mom of two. Our oldest, Ian is 15 and a sophomore in our local

high school. He is D/HOH with a progressive bilateral conductive loss currently

in the moderate range (quite a mouthful huh?). Our second child is , 12

and hearing but often not listening (I may not survive HER puberty process,

LOL)

A lot of your decisions about communication options and schooling will need

to wait until you have a reliable evaluation of Lillian's hearing loss and her

current capabilities. Plus there's her personality. I have two kids who are

polar opposites when it comes to personality. What would work for one, even

given identical circumstances, would not have worked for the other.

Lillian's about the age our son was when we learned about his hearing loss.

At that point, he wasn't a really little kid anymore. He had a say in

decisions that concerned him because that's how we'd raised him (even though as

parents we always had the final veto or approval).

For instance, Ian refused to sign at first. Rather than force it and have

him hate it, we dropped for a while and then came back to it. But each kid is

going to be different. Lillian may already have a style for communicating and

you're going to learn that when you get to know her better.

In the meantime you can certainly check out the resources in your area and

talk with your school district about the process you need to go through to sign

her up for school and make sure support is in place for her. Where are you

located? There are people from all over the country on this list and perhaps

we can steer to you to some local places.

Also, once you have a medical evaluation, perhaps we can help make

suggestions on things related to school. There are all kinds of evaluations that

can

be done to assess everything from intellect to language. Finding out what

Lillian needs will probably mean testing once she is literally here, living in

your home. Our kids have all been through some version of this to determine what

they need and what will/could work for them.

If you talked with each of us on this list, you'd get a different

description of what our kids need and get at their schools. There are some

things which

are very common: FM systems, Teachers of the deaf (TOD or HI), speech

language pathologists (SLP), etc. But there would also be a world of difference

as

you move from one child to the next. Every one is different and we struggle

to fit the solutions to our kids. This list help us by giving us a place to

talk about it all and to get advice.

I know it seems overwhelming but I am certain that you'll discover what

Lillian needs and we'll try and help you along the way. So, please, ask lost of

questions. It's how we all learned to find our way through the maze.

Again, welcome to the family,

Jill

[Guest guest]

Hi Stefanie,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I wish you luck on your decisions with an

implant for your child. It's a difficult decision. It's scary! Trust me,

I did a lot of research before I decided to move forward with an implant.

Even though I had little understanding in my right ear that was implanted

(5% of the words they presented and less than 40% of the sentences), I still

had reservations of having the implant done because it was better to me to

have that than not have anything at all if it didn't work. But after

weighing in the success rates of my doctor, and deep discussions with him,

and the hope, and lots of prayers, I felt it was the right decision for me.

It's definitely a personal decision. Now that I've experienced it, I don't

know why I ever hesitated. Having said that, not everyone has the great

results that I have had. When they performed the same testing they did

prior to implant 3 months after activation, I understood 80% of the words

and 97% of the sentences. A little over a year after activation, I

understood 97% of the words and only missed one word in the sentences they

presented and I told her it was either oven or other. Either word would

have worked in the sentence. I wish I had done it a lot sooner because I

really didn't realize how much of a difficult time I was having with

communication except on the phone - it was nearly impossible. I knew it was

difficult but I didn't realize it had been SO difficult; especially now that

I'm conversing with such ease. It was also a gradual change for me from

being able to do pretty well in conversations to not doing as well. It

happened over a 4-5 year period when I developed tinnitus. Prior to that, I

performed well with my hearing aids. Even with my implant, I still have

difficulties. Not as many but mostly when we're in noisy situations. They

say a 2nd implant helps with that. So, we'll see! Oh, I also should say

that my speech even prior to the implant was very good. Most people

wouldn't notice that I was HOH. We're not sure how that happened other than

the fact that my hearing was possibly a mild degree in my early years but we

don't know for a fact because we didn't learn of my hearing loss until I was

5. However, people who are in the professional field and those close to me

that knew of my hearing loss could detect my hearing loss in my speech and

they now say that my speech has improved since my implant. I notice I don't

stumble over my sentences or words as often.

I'm curious. What is Connexin 26? I recently read of someone else having

hearing loss because of that, but hadn't heard what it is or why it causes

the problems. Is this a medication or something genetic?

Best of luck in making the decision for your child. I know that it will be

a difficult decision to make.

Son, Jake, 2, moderate/severe HOH, bilateral hearing aids

Self - Severe/Profound - Hearing aid Lt side, CI Rt side

[Guest guest]

Connexin 26 is a genetic mutation ‹ my son inherited two mutated recessive

genes from my husband and I. Hearing loss is the only thing caused by this

mutation.

It was really interesting to hear what you had to say about the implant.

Your ability to hear more easily is what makes me think it would be a good

choice for my son. But currently he does so well with his aids, we aren¹t in

a rush to do it.

Stefanie

on 6/25/06 9:52 PM, at smilesalot@... wrote:

>

> I'm curious. What is Connexin 26? I recently read of someone else having

> hearing loss because of that, but hadn't heard what it is or why it causes

> the problems. Is this a medication or something genetic?

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/24/2006 3:34:12 P.M. Central Standard Time,

smilesalot@... writes:

I think that is about it. Looking forward to getting to know the rest of

you.

Hi , welcome to the list!

Putz

Illinois Families for Hands & Voices

_www.handsandvoices.org_ (http://www.handsandvoices.org/)

_www.ilhandsandvoices.org_ (http://www.ilhandsandvoices.org/)

Email: support@...

[Guest guest]

Hi - welcome! I'm Barbara, mom to Tom (13, nearly *gasp* 14)

and Sam who is 11. My boys both are new implant recipients and sound

much like you - they had clear speech before receiving their implants

(although it's clearer now). Both were excellent hearing aid

wearers... Tom lost a lot of hearing in the year before his implant

which he received Nov. 16, 2005. He went from a 50% score on word

recognition tests to 4% - ouch! So we went ahead with the implant -

like you, we found the decision and the time leading up to the implant

to be extremely scary. And like you, we wish we'd done it much sooner

for Tom. At his three month mapping, his word recognition scores went

up to 96% - phenomenal! Tom has found it's much easier for him to

listen - he doesn't tire as easily and seems to not have to work as hard

to listen. His last report card was good news/bad news - he's finally

contributing in English class but at times makes " inappropriate

comments " (I'm sure he's the class clown) and I'm thinking " but at least

he's hearing what's going on to be able to make a joke in class " . Sure,

we'll chat about it but inside I'm thinking that this is overall a good

thing. Now we just need to temper it. :-)

Tom wears his Supero hearing aid in his left ear still, BTW.

Our younger son Sam was implanted last month (May 24), activated June 5

and is doing well. We had his 2 week mapping session last week and he

already can understand all the Ling sounds with no visual imput.

So while it's not for everyone and your mileage may vary, it's easily

the best thing we could have done for Tom and hoping it's the same for

Sammy.

Barbara

wrote:

> Hi Stefanie,

>

> Thanks for the warm welcome! I wish you luck on your decisions with an

> implant for your child. It's a difficult decision. It's scary! Trust me,

> I did a lot of research before I decided to move forward with an implant.

> Even though I had little understanding in my right ear that was implanted

> (5% of the words they presented and less than 40% of the sentences), I still

> had reservations of having the implant done because it was better to me to

> have that than not have anything at all if it didn't work. But after

> weighing in the success rates of my doctor, and deep discussions with him,

> and the hope, and lots of prayers, I felt it was the right decision for me.

> It's definitely a personal decision. Now that I've experienced it, I don't

> know why I ever hesitated. Having said that, not everyone has the great

> results that I have had. When they performed the same testing they did

> prior to implant 3 months after activation, I understood 80% of the words

> and 97% of the sentences. A little over a year after activation, I

> understood 97% of the words and only missed one word in the sentences they

> presented and I told her it was either oven or other. Either word would

> have worked in the sentence. I wish I had done it a lot sooner because I

> really didn't realize how much of a difficult time I was having with

> communication except on the phone - it was nearly impossible. I knew it was

> difficult but I didn't realize it had been SO difficult; especially now that

> I'm conversing with such ease. It was also a gradual change for me from

> being able to do pretty well in conversations to not doing as well. It

> happened over a 4-5 year period when I developed tinnitus. Prior to that, I

> performed well with my hearing aids. Even with my implant, I still have

> difficulties. Not as many but mostly when we're in noisy situations. They

> say a 2nd implant helps with that. So, we'll see! Oh, I also should say

> that my speech even prior to the implant was very good. Most people

> wouldn't notice that I was HOH. We're not sure how that happened other than

> the fact that my hearing was possibly a mild degree in my early years but we

> don't know for a fact because we didn't learn of my hearing loss until I was

> 5. However, people who are in the professional field and those close to me

> that knew of my hearing loss could detect my hearing loss in my speech and

> they now say that my speech has improved since my implant. I notice I don't

> stumble over my sentences or words as often.

>

>

>

> I'm curious. What is Connexin 26? I recently read of someone else having

> hearing loss because of that, but hadn't heard what it is or why it causes

> the problems. Is this a medication or something genetic?

>

>

>

> Best of luck in making the decision for your child. I know that it will be

> a difficult decision to make.

>

>

>

>

>

> Son, Jake, 2, moderate/severe HOH, bilateral hearing aids

>

> Self - Severe/Profound - Hearing aid Lt side, CI Rt side

>

>

>

>

>

>