new member

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/23/2006 10:19:28 A.M. Central Standard Time,

angierenae2001@... writes:

My name is Angie and I am the mom of a 9-year-old, hard-of-hearing boy. He

has a 90% loss in both ears and has been that way since birth. He's a 4th

grader now and time for making lots of decisions about his education and

helping him to gain independence. I'm excited to join this group and hopefully

get

some ideas from what other parents are doing.

Hi Angie, welcome! I'm , a deaf mom of three deaf and hard of hearing

kids-- is 12, is 10 and is 8.

Putz

Illinois Families for Hands & Voices

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

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

Email: support@...

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the site!

My name is Keisha, mother of a 10 year old with a unilateral loss in the left

ear. Aided only recently-last month. This site is a wonderful resource. It has

helped me a great deal!

Angie Sauer wrote:

Hello,

My name is Angie and I am the mom of a 9-year-old, hard-of-hearing boy. He

has a 90% loss in both ears and has been that way since birth. He's a 4th

grader now and time for making lots of decisions about his education and helping

him to gain independence. I'm excited to join this group and hopefully get some

ideas from what other parents are doing.

Looking forward to talking with you all further!

Sincerely,

Angie

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

New Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC for low, low

rates.

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie - adding to the welcomes! I'm Barbara, mom to Tom (13) and Sam

(11). Both my boys are deaf. Tom recently received a cochlear implant

(4 months ago); Sam wears two hearing aids but is scheduled for implant

surgery May 10.

Please ask away - we all were where you are at one time or another and

always happy to answer questions.

Barbara

angierenae2001 wrote:

> Hi again,

>

> Thank you for the warm welcome. This does sound like it will be a

> good and helpful group of people to connect with. Forgive me if I am

> a little ignorant on the acronyms. Can you tell me what TOD means?

> I bet it'll be something really basic that'll make me look ridiculous

> so just forgive me in advance for that :-)

>

>

>

>> Welcome Angie,

>>

>> I'm Jill, mom to 2 kids. Our son, Ian, is 15 and mainstreamed as a

>>

> sophomore

>

>> in our local high school. Ian is aided for a progressive bilateral

>> conductive loss currently in the moderate range. He has an Fm

>>

> system at school as well

>

>> a TOD and other services appropriate for his needs. Ian was

>>

> diagnosed very

>

>> late (7-years-old) when he was in 2nd grade. Our other child is

>>

> , a

>

>> 12-year-old in middle schooler with no hearing loss. In fact, no

>>

> one in our family

>

>> or extended families has a similar hearing loss. A great aunt lost

>>

> her

>

>> hearing due to scarlet fever as a child, and grandparents wear

>>

> aids now, but

>

>> that's due to the usual age issues.

>>

>> We were not lucky enough to have an EI program or infant screening

>>

> identify

>

>> Ian's loss. We're not even sure when his loss began. So, we learned

>>

> everything

>

>> from lists like this and through the kindness of total strangers.

>>

>> You'll find this place top be wonderful. Parents and caregivers

>>

> supporting

>

>> each other and sharing ideas, resources and the occasional bragging

>>

> or whining

>

>> that we all need to do now and then. What's really great is the

>>

> attitude here

>

>> is that the " right answer " is what works for your child. I'll

>>

> share what's

>

>> worked for Ian, but that doesn't mean it'll work for anyone else.

>>

> But people

>

>> here are more than willing to share their ideas and their

>>

> resources, and by

>

>> reading about those we get ideas about what may work for our own

>>

> kids. It's a

>

>> great place.

>>

>> There are no protocols about joining the ongoing discussions. Just

>>

> jump in

>

>> with your experiences or even to ask a question. We just always

>>

> try to

>

>> remember to respect each other's choices and opinions. You'll

>>

> rarely, if ever, find

>

>> a flame war going on here ... which is a wonderful change from

>>

> some other

>

>> lists.

>>

>> Welcome again,

>> Jill

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie - adding to the welcomes! I'm Barbara, mom to Tom (13) and Sam

(11). Both my boys are deaf. Tom recently received a cochlear implant

(4 months ago); Sam wears two hearing aids but is scheduled for implant

surgery May 10.

Please ask away - we all were where you are at one time or another and

always happy to answer questions.

Barbara

angierenae2001 wrote:

> Hi again,

>

> Thank you for the warm welcome. This does sound like it will be a

> good and helpful group of people to connect with. Forgive me if I am

> a little ignorant on the acronyms. Can you tell me what TOD means?

> I bet it'll be something really basic that'll make me look ridiculous

> so just forgive me in advance for that :-)

>

>

>

>> Welcome Angie,

>>

>> I'm Jill, mom to 2 kids. Our son, Ian, is 15 and mainstreamed as a

>>

> sophomore

>

>> in our local high school. Ian is aided for a progressive bilateral

>> conductive loss currently in the moderate range. He has an Fm

>>

> system at school as well

>

>> a TOD and other services appropriate for his needs. Ian was

>>

> diagnosed very

>

>> late (7-years-old) when he was in 2nd grade. Our other child is

>>

> , a

>

>> 12-year-old in middle schooler with no hearing loss. In fact, no

>>

> one in our family

>

>> or extended families has a similar hearing loss. A great aunt lost

>>

> her

>

>> hearing due to scarlet fever as a child, and grandparents wear

>>

> aids now, but

>

>> that's due to the usual age issues.

>>

>> We were not lucky enough to have an EI program or infant screening

>>

> identify

>

>> Ian's loss. We're not even sure when his loss began. So, we learned

>>

> everything

>

>> from lists like this and through the kindness of total strangers.

>>

>> You'll find this place top be wonderful. Parents and caregivers

>>

> supporting

>

>> each other and sharing ideas, resources and the occasional bragging

>>

> or whining

>

>> that we all need to do now and then. What's really great is the

>>

> attitude here

>

>> is that the " right answer " is what works for your child. I'll

>>

> share what's

>

>> worked for Ian, but that doesn't mean it'll work for anyone else.

>>

> But people

>

>> here are more than willing to share their ideas and their

>>

> resources, and by

>

>> reading about those we get ideas about what may work for our own

>>

> kids. It's a

>

>> great place.

>>

>> There are no protocols about joining the ongoing discussions. Just

>>

> jump in

>

>> with your experiences or even to ask a question. We just always

>>

> try to

>

>> remember to respect each other's choices and opinions. You'll

>>

> rarely, if ever, find

>

>> a flame war going on here ... which is a wonderful change from

>>

> some other

>

>> lists.

>>

>> Welcome again,

>> Jill

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie - adding to the welcomes! I'm Barbara, mom to Tom (13) and Sam

(11). Both my boys are deaf. Tom recently received a cochlear implant

(4 months ago); Sam wears two hearing aids but is scheduled for implant

surgery May 10.

Please ask away - we all were where you are at one time or another and

always happy to answer questions.

Barbara

angierenae2001 wrote:

> Hi again,

>

> Thank you for the warm welcome. This does sound like it will be a

> good and helpful group of people to connect with. Forgive me if I am

> a little ignorant on the acronyms. Can you tell me what TOD means?

> I bet it'll be something really basic that'll make me look ridiculous

> so just forgive me in advance for that :-)

>

>

>

>> Welcome Angie,

>>

>> I'm Jill, mom to 2 kids. Our son, Ian, is 15 and mainstreamed as a

>>

> sophomore

>

>> in our local high school. Ian is aided for a progressive bilateral

>> conductive loss currently in the moderate range. He has an Fm

>>

> system at school as well

>

>> a TOD and other services appropriate for his needs. Ian was

>>

> diagnosed very

>

>> late (7-years-old) when he was in 2nd grade. Our other child is

>>

> , a

>

>> 12-year-old in middle schooler with no hearing loss. In fact, no

>>

> one in our family

>

>> or extended families has a similar hearing loss. A great aunt lost

>>

> her

>

>> hearing due to scarlet fever as a child, and grandparents wear

>>

> aids now, but

>

>> that's due to the usual age issues.

>>

>> We were not lucky enough to have an EI program or infant screening

>>

> identify

>

>> Ian's loss. We're not even sure when his loss began. So, we learned

>>

> everything

>

>> from lists like this and through the kindness of total strangers.

>>

>> You'll find this place top be wonderful. Parents and caregivers

>>

> supporting

>

>> each other and sharing ideas, resources and the occasional bragging

>>

> or whining

>

>> that we all need to do now and then. What's really great is the

>>

> attitude here

>

>> is that the " right answer " is what works for your child. I'll

>>

> share what's

>

>> worked for Ian, but that doesn't mean it'll work for anyone else.

>>

> But people

>

>> here are more than willing to share their ideas and their

>>

> resources, and by

>

>> reading about those we get ideas about what may work for our own

>>

> kids. It's a

>

>> great place.

>>

>> There are no protocols about joining the ongoing discussions. Just

>>

> jump in

>

>> with your experiences or even to ask a question. We just always

>>

> try to

>

>> remember to respect each other's choices and opinions. You'll

>>

> rarely, if ever, find

>

>> a flame war going on here ... which is a wonderful change from

>>

> some other

>

>> lists.

>>

>> Welcome again,

>> Jill

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Hi there Barbara,

Would you mind sharing with me why you decided on cochlear implants? I only

knew one child who got them and he didn't benefit from the hearing aids. Did

your one boy ever benefit from hearing aids? I'm curious because my son's loss

is pretty severe but still wears the aids and seems to function quite well with

them - I think he's also a pretty swift lip reader because sometimes they won't

be working and he'll never tell you and it'll take a long time to notice it

myself. I don't know what it takes to be a candidate for an implant and it

seems from what I've read, your hearing is almost better w/the implant than

w/aids - is that true?

Thank you!

Barbara Mellert wrote:

Hi Angie - adding to the welcomes! I'm Barbara, mom to Tom (13) and Sam

(11). Both my boys are deaf. Tom recently received a cochlear implant

(4 months ago); Sam wears two hearing aids but is scheduled for implant

surgery May 10.

Please ask away - we all were where you are at one time or another and

always happy to answer questions.

Barbara

angierenae2001 wrote:

> Hi again,

>

> Thank you for the warm welcome. This does sound like it will be a

> good and helpful group of people to connect with. Forgive me if I am

> a little ignorant on the acronyms. Can you tell me what TOD means?

> I bet it'll be something really basic that'll make me look ridiculous

> so just forgive me in advance for that :-)

>

>

>

>> Welcome Angie,

>>

>> I'm Jill, mom to 2 kids. Our son, Ian, is 15 and mainstreamed as a

>>

> sophomore

>

>> in our local high school. Ian is aided for a progressive bilateral

>> conductive loss currently in the moderate range. He has an Fm

>>

> system at school as well

>

>> a TOD and other services appropriate for his needs. Ian was

>>

> diagnosed very

>

>> late (7-years-old) when he was in 2nd grade. Our other child is

>>

> , a

>

>> 12-year-old in middle schooler with no hearing loss. In fact, no

>>

> one in our family

>

>> or extended families has a similar hearing loss. A great aunt lost

>>

> her

>

>> hearing due to scarlet fever as a child, and grandparents wear

>>

> aids now, but

>

>> that's due to the usual age issues.

>>

>> We were not lucky enough to have an EI program or infant screening

>>

> identify

>

>> Ian's loss. We're not even sure when his loss began. So, we learned

>>

> everything

>

>> from lists like this and through the kindness of total strangers.

>>

>> You'll find this place top be wonderful. Parents and caregivers

>>

> supporting

>

>> each other and sharing ideas, resources and the occasional bragging

>>

> or whining

>

>> that we all need to do now and then. What's really great is the

>>

> attitude here

>

>> is that the " right answer " is what works for your child. I'll

>>

> share what's

>

>> worked for Ian, but that doesn't mean it'll work for anyone else.

>>

> But people

>

>> here are more than willing to share their ideas and their

>>

> resources, and by

>

>> reading about those we get ideas about what may work for our own

>>

> kids. It's a

>

>> great place.

>>

>> There are no protocols about joining the ongoing discussions. Just

>>

> jump in

>

>> with your experiences or even to ask a question. We just always

>>

> try to

>

>> remember to respect each other's choices and opinions. You'll

>>

> rarely, if ever, find

>

>> a flame war going on here ... which is a wonderful change from

>>

> some other

>

>> lists.

>>

>> Welcome again,

>> Jill

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Angie,

Yes, my children are pretty happy where they are! And so far doing well...

My son is in his home school; there are two other children with hearing loss

in his school. One has a unilateral loss, and one has a high frequency loss

so doesn't wear aids. So while there aren't a ton of kids with hearing loss,

there are enough that my school district is at least familiar with what the

needs are of this group.

Ben also has two other HOH friends in the other town elementary schools, as

well as a number of deaf/HOH friends in the area. I feel really lucky to be

connected to so many kids and moms in the hearing loss circuit.

He's a pretty social and outgoing kids, so he also has a number of hearing

friends. The interesting thing (to me) is that he really doesn't ask a lot

to have friends over, he's pretty happy playing by himself. And I don't know

if that's because of his hearing loss, or if that's just the way he is.

It's nice for your son to be at a school with so many deaf and HOH kids. I

think it really helps our kids to not be the only one.

Take care,

Stefanie

on 3/23/06 4:25 PM, Angie Sauer at angierenae2001@... wrote:

> Hi there Stefanie,

>

> So nice to meet you. Sounds like your kids are doing super well in school -

> that's inspiring. My son is in the 4th grade and is completely mainstreamed.

> He's not at his home school however because the Regional hearing program

> resides at the school he attends so I'm able to send him there. The powers

> that be want to send him to his home school next year and I'm really nervous.

> The difference is his current school has about 200 kids and quite a few deaf

> and HOH. The local school has like 600 students and no deaf or HOH kids.

> Yikes!

>

> Are there any other deaf or HOH students in your kids schools? How are they

> doing making friends with hearing kids?

>

> Thanks for your help :-)

[Guest guest]

Hi Barbara,

Thank you so much for the information and for being so candid. It did answer

a lot of my questions. I was told my son Garrett could not have an implant due

to his residual hearing, because he was able to use hearing aids he was not

eligible to have an implant, from what you said it sounds like this is not

entirely the case.

That's awesome about your son's word recognition! Wow 96% that is so amazing.

One of the things I think is so cool about our kids with hearing losses is the

strengths that they build up around that. Garrett for instance is a really good

reader and well above his grade level - this obviously comes in quite handy in

all aspects of life, including watching TV with captions - now if we could just

get movie theaters to caption their pictures I'd be delighted! Probably have a

bunch of parents mad at me for that one though! :-)

Thanks again for all the information - and congratulations on what sounds like

a pretty amazing kid of yours! :-)

Barbara Mellert wrote:

Hi Angie - Tom is a bit different in that he received his implant as an

" older " kid - he's 13. He had a severe/profound loss all along that

hadn't changed much and then the past year, I noticed a lot more " huhs "

and " whats " and certainly compared to my younger son, you could tell he

wasn't hearing as was. I mentioned it to our audiologist and we

decided to go through the doctor visits to see if Tom was eligible and

during that period of time, we could then make our decision. Tom was

easily eligible - he'd done very well with his hearing aids and the

structure of his ears are normal and his hearing loss qualified him.

Most importantly, he really wanted to have the implant done and was

committed to the hard work we knew would lie ahead. On his last hearing

test, his word recognition scores had dropped from about 50% to 4% -

pretty horrible - so for me the decision was relatively easy.

He had the implant surgery Nov. 16 - longest day of my life! - and was

activated December 12. It was interesting Tom's comments on

activation. At first he said that everyone sounded the same which I

understand is typical, then he said that everyone he knows sounded like

they were going through puberty (I reminded him that everyone he knows

IS going through puberty LOL). At 3 months post-activation, Tom's word

recognition scores are 96% - isn't that amazing? And most of all, he

loves it. He said it's the best thing he's ever done.

As I understand it, the criteria for candidacy seem to be (a) the degree

of hearing loss; ( structure of your ears and if the bones and such

are normal; © supports in place after the implant which I personally

think is probably the most important thing. Tom's having to learn a

totally different way of hearing so that at times has been challenging.

But he loves his implant. He continues wearing his hearing aid in his

unimplanted ear. We were having trouble with the earmold of that

hearing aid the other day so he went to school with just the implant and

did miss the hearing aid. I understand other folks have different

experiences with this.

We felt that it wouldn't hurt to go through the workups prior to Tom

having the implant. That included visits with a social worker, a

developmental pediatrician, a neuropsychologist as well as our

audiologist and ENT. We figured it couldn't hurt going through this

process and it ultimately would give us better information and answers

(which it did).

Every child is different but for Tom at this point in his life, we feel

like it was the right thing to do.

Take care!

Barbara

Angie Sauer wrote:

> Hi there Barbara,

>

> Would you mind sharing with me why you decided on cochlear implants? I only

knew one child who got them and he didn't benefit from the hearing aids. Did

your one boy ever benefit from hearing aids? I'm curious because my son's loss

is pretty severe but still wears the aids and seems to function quite well with

them - I think he's also a pretty swift lip reader because sometimes they won't

be working and he'll never tell you and it'll take a long time to notice it

myself. I don't know what it takes to be a candidate for an implant and it

seems from what I've read, your hearing is almost better w/the implant than

w/aids - is that true?

>

> Thank you!

>

> Barbara Mellert wrote:

> Hi Angie - adding to the welcomes! I'm Barbara, mom to Tom (13) and Sam

> (11). Both my boys are deaf. Tom recently received a cochlear implant

> (4 months ago); Sam wears two hearing aids but is scheduled for implant

> surgery May 10.

>

> Please ask away - we all were where you are at one time or another and

> always happy to answer questions.

>

> Barbara

>

> angierenae2001 wrote:

>

>> Hi again,

>>

>> Thank you for the warm welcome. This does sound like it will be a

>> good and helpful group of people to connect with. Forgive me if I am

>> a little ignorant on the acronyms. Can you tell me what TOD means?

>> I bet it'll be something really basic that'll make me look ridiculous

>> so just forgive me in advance for that :-)

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>> Welcome Angie,

>>>

>>> I'm Jill, mom to 2 kids. Our son, Ian, is 15 and mainstreamed as a

>>>

>>>

>> sophomore

>>

>>

>>> in our local high school. Ian is aided for a progressive bilateral

>>> conductive loss currently in the moderate range. He has an Fm

>>>

>>>

>> system at school as well

>>

>>

>>> a TOD and other services appropriate for his needs. Ian was

>>>

>>>

>> diagnosed very

>>

>>

>>> late (7-years-old) when he was in 2nd grade. Our other child is

>>>

>>>

>> , a

>>

>>

>>> 12-year-old in middle schooler with no hearing loss. In fact, no

>>>

>>>

>> one in our family

>>

>>

>>> or extended families has a similar hearing loss. A great aunt lost

>>>

>>>

>> her

>>

>>

>>> hearing due to scarlet fever as a child, and grandparents wear

>>>

>>>

>> aids now, but

>>

>>

>>> that's due to the usual age issues.

>>>

>>> We were not lucky enough to have an EI program or infant screening

>>>

>>>

>> identify

>>

>>

>>> Ian's loss. We're not even sure when his loss began. So, we learned

>>>

>>>

>> everything

>>

>>

>>> from lists like this and through the kindness of total strangers.

>>>

>>> You'll find this place top be wonderful. Parents and caregivers

>>>

>>>

>> supporting

>>

>>

>>> each other and sharing ideas, resources and the occasional bragging

>>>

>>>

>> or whining

>>

>>

>>> that we all need to do now and then. What's really great is the

>>>

>>>

>> attitude here

>>

>>

>>> is that the " right answer " is what works for your child. I'll

>>>

>>>

>> share what's

>>

>>

>>> worked for Ian, but that doesn't mean it'll work for anyone else.

>>>

>>>

>> But people

>>

>>

>>> here are more than willing to share their ideas and their

>>>

>>>

>> resources, and by

>>

>>

>>> reading about those we get ideas about what may work for our own

>>>

>>>

>> kids. It's a

>>

>>

>>> great place.

>>>

>>> There are no protocols about joining the ongoing discussions. Just

>>>

>>>

>> jump in

>>

>>

>>> with your experiences or even to ask a question. We just always

>>>

>>>

>> try to

>>

>>

>>> remember to respect each other's choices and opinions. You'll

>>>

>>>

>> rarely, if ever, find

>>

>>

>>> a flame war going on here ... which is a wonderful change from

>>>

>>>

>> some other

>>

>>

>>> lists.

>>>

>>> Welcome again,

>>> Jill

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

[Guest guest]

Hello, my name is Mikki and I have just joined because I'd like to have people to talk to that are going through some of the same things that I am with my thyroid! I just turned 40, I've had thyro problems since my 20's but the lab tests were never "bad enough" for anyone to think I should get treatment. The first time I noticed problems was after my first miscarriage. At the time I took an OTC thyroid replacement from the natural food store and it's all that kept me functioning. When I had my first successful pregnancy, my thyroid perked back up and I was able to stop taking the stuff.

< snip >

..

[Guest guest]

Hi Spiff,

Welcome and hope you find what you are looking for, all we do is

share the knowledge that we have learned from our years of dealing

with thyroid problems. Take what you read and see which will apply

to what you are going through. We offer a listening ear at all

times and feel free to express how you feel, venting is allowed, we

all have big shoulders when you need one to lean, or cry on.

Largely it will depend on which country that you live in as to what

you can get. But to my thinking you really do need to know where

your starting point is and whether you are in need of meds or not.

There are places in the USA where you can get testing done that may

be cheaper than what you have been quoted. I live in Canada and I

have to have a scrip to get anything to help. Naturopaths will give

iodine which does not help when the thyroid is not or only partially

working. Not sure if you can get it in UK or Aus I'll let those

girls inform there. Have you been on meds or is it something that

you have just lived with? If you are on meds what are they and how

much. Natural remedies may work for allergies but the thyroid issue

is not quite the same, as it means that a vital gland of the body is

not working as it should and allergies are the body's response to

something that it doesn't like. Thyroid irregularities are the

cause of our problems and dust, pollen etc are the cause of

allergies.

Dawn

>

> Hey everybody!

> I'm a new member to the group, just signed on. I've had thyroid

> problems since I was 6, and now it's rearing its ugly head once

again.

> I made an appt with the dr to find out what's going on, get tested

and

> all. $100 up front. I DON'T THINK SO! I can't even afford that.

I've

> been using natural remedies for my allergies and have had

tremendous

> success with that. I'd like to hear what you all have to say about

> natural remedies for thyroid. |

> I look forward to hearing any and all theories!

> Thanks!

> mzspiff ( aka spiff )

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome! You're going to find that the girls in this group are REALLY up to snuff on this, and we'll definetly appreciate any input you can offer! Spiff ( local hic.......lol )maureenapratt wrote: Hi, all,I just joined and thought I'd introduce myself. I have multiple autoimmune illnesses, including hypothyroidism (I started out with Graves' Disease almost 25 years ago and a few years ago became hypothyroid). I also have lupus, cardiovascular disease and

a host of other...Besides manging health (isn't that almost a full-time job?), I'm a speaker and an author of four books (one is on hypothyroidism) and many articles. I look forward to getting to know my fellow group members.Meantime, all the best!Maureenwww.maureenpratt.com

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.

[Guest guest]

Welcome! You're going to find that the girls in this group are REALLY up to snuff on this, and we'll definetly appreciate any input you can offer! Spiff ( local hic.......lol )maureenapratt wrote: Hi, all,I just joined and thought I'd introduce myself. I have multiple autoimmune illnesses, including hypothyroidism (I started out with Graves' Disease almost 25 years ago and a few years ago became hypothyroid). I also have lupus, cardiovascular disease and

a host of other...Besides manging health (isn't that almost a full-time job?), I'm a speaker and an author of four books (one is on hypothyroidism) and many articles. I look forward to getting to know my fellow group members.Meantime, all the best!Maureenwww.maureenpratt.com

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.

[Guest guest]

Welcome! You're going to find that the girls in this group are REALLY up to snuff on this, and we'll definetly appreciate any input you can offer! Spiff ( local hic.......lol )maureenapratt wrote: Hi, all,I just joined and thought I'd introduce myself. I have multiple autoimmune illnesses, including hypothyroidism (I started out with Graves' Disease almost 25 years ago and a few years ago became hypothyroid). I also have lupus, cardiovascular disease and

a host of other...Besides manging health (isn't that almost a full-time job?), I'm a speaker and an author of four books (one is on hypothyroidism) and many articles. I look forward to getting to know my fellow group members.Meantime, all the best!Maureenwww.maureenpratt.com

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.

[Guest guest]

135 lbs is VERY thin for someone 5'9" tall. Sounds like you may have had issues THEN, in the opposite direction.

Re: new member

Well I have to say that personally, for myself, nothing worked after becoming hypo. I do have to predicate this post with the warning that this is *my* experience....and here we go!

I'm convinced that I became hypo in college. I'm 5'9" and had been 135 all through high school. Then came college and after the first semester I started gaining weight. Let me note that I was hitting the gym pretty hard every weeknight with my 4'11" 90lb best bud and it wasn't doing anything except bulking up my calves...grrr...

Flash forward 4 years later...met my hubby in college, he joined the Air Force and we moved to Florida. I tried every diet there was including a few runs with doctor supervised diets-and I mean strict ones, again while always exercising in the primo Air Force gyms. Nothing. Finally came the diagnosis of hypo and the extreme euphoria of thinking that FINALLY I would be able to get the weight off. Nope.

I was 26 years old with borderline high blood pressure, constant swelling in my ankles and hands, bad knees, and close to 300lbs and climbing...I decided to have gastric bypass after heavily researching it for 8 months. I will be five years out from that on Monday and it's worked--FOR ME. I'm not saying it would work for everyone. I would never urge anyone to get gbs-it's a very personal decision and takes a lot of committment. I traded a lot of issues for different ones, though to me taking a handful of vitamins is better than a handful of prescription meds...I get extensive (17+vials) bloodwork EVERY 6 months and always will. I use protein shakes and as I mentioned I take a lot of vitamins.

Also, it's no magic wand-I have to work at maintaining my weight. I'm up against a bit of regain right now and working on getting rid of that. The hypo fatigue isn't helping a bit, but I'm determined to get these 10lbs offa me!!! My thyroid meds were just FINALLY increased for the first time in 6 years so I'm hoping it might help...I'm only a week and half into the new dosage right now. I have noticed that I'm not waking up as easily in the night...I've always been a light sleeper and it seems like it's a bit deeper now. But I'll be happier when I don't feel dead upon waking...

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

____________________________ in *cool again* Jerseyopen proximal rny 9/18/015'9"-31yo297/168I'm not a doc-in real life or otherwise.

[Guest guest]

135 lbs is VERY thin for someone 5'9" tall. Sounds like you may have had issues THEN, in the opposite direction.

Re: new member

Well I have to say that personally, for myself, nothing worked after becoming hypo. I do have to predicate this post with the warning that this is *my* experience....and here we go!

I'm convinced that I became hypo in college. I'm 5'9" and had been 135 all through high school. Then came college and after the first semester I started gaining weight. Let me note that I was hitting the gym pretty hard every weeknight with my 4'11" 90lb best bud and it wasn't doing anything except bulking up my calves...grrr...

Flash forward 4 years later...met my hubby in college, he joined the Air Force and we moved to Florida. I tried every diet there was including a few runs with doctor supervised diets-and I mean strict ones, again while always exercising in the primo Air Force gyms. Nothing. Finally came the diagnosis of hypo and the extreme euphoria of thinking that FINALLY I would be able to get the weight off. Nope.

I was 26 years old with borderline high blood pressure, constant swelling in my ankles and hands, bad knees, and close to 300lbs and climbing...I decided to have gastric bypass after heavily researching it for 8 months. I will be five years out from that on Monday and it's worked--FOR ME. I'm not saying it would work for everyone. I would never urge anyone to get gbs-it's a very personal decision and takes a lot of committment. I traded a lot of issues for different ones, though to me taking a handful of vitamins is better than a handful of prescription meds...I get extensive (17+vials) bloodwork EVERY 6 months and always will. I use protein shakes and as I mentioned I take a lot of vitamins.

Also, it's no magic wand-I have to work at maintaining my weight. I'm up against a bit of regain right now and working on getting rid of that. The hypo fatigue isn't helping a bit, but I'm determined to get these 10lbs offa me!!! My thyroid meds were just FINALLY increased for the first time in 6 years so I'm hoping it might help...I'm only a week and half into the new dosage right now. I have noticed that I'm not waking up as easily in the night...I've always been a light sleeper and it seems like it's a bit deeper now. But I'll be happier when I don't feel dead upon waking...

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

____________________________ in *cool again* Jerseyopen proximal rny 9/18/015'9"-31yo297/168I'm not a doc-in real life or otherwise.

[Guest guest]

Colleen wrote:

> Hello. My name is Colleen and I don't know, after reading a lot of

> the posted messages, if it is appropriate that I be a member of this

> group, but I got accepted, so here goes. I am 51 years old,

> peri-menopausal, with a high risk of breast cancer. My eldest sister

> got it at 33, and fought it, and eventually died at 43 (1987). My

Welcome to the group! I believe you are very welcome here as you've

been effected by breast cancer. Information is the best weapon against

this disease and you've come to the right place to get this info.

I'm sorry to hear about all your female relatives having breast

cancer. I know you didn't ask for advice, but I think if I were in your

shoes I might at least look into a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy.

Presently I have a large tumor in one breast (likely stage III) and HAD

a Stage I in the other (chemotherapy has made it such that the Stage I

cannot even be detected by an MRI, which was the only thing that found

that one. Yes, I'm having chemo first which, while accepted, is not

standard most places.). Even though the Stage I is gone and there is no

" lump " to be removed in a lumpectomy, I am having a bilateral

mastectomy. I already know that there are cells in both breasts that

" can't play nice, " so decided to go the " better safer than sorry " (there

is no such thing as " safe " with cancer).

This is a great group of ladies and a few WONDERFUL men who love

their ladies very much and want to care for them the best way they know

how. You'll learn about more than just breast cancer. You'll learn

about relationships, eating right, and heaven knows what else. :-)

Again, welcome.

-Frances

--

-Frances Bartels *** ki0dz@... (((#))) ^ ^

http://www.qsl.net/ki0dz Central Ohio | ^ - ^

Watkins Products www.watkinsonline.com #092389 ------- (o o)

Internet ONLY $9.99/mo. **Free accelerator** |ooOoo| >{ | }<

http://continue.to/internet ------- RRR)*

[Guest guest]

Hello Collen!! my name is and I am almost 49. and I have two reasons

to be here, My twin aunts of 65, currently fighting BC, my maternal

Grandmother died of vaginal cancer, her sister died of stomach cancer, one of

my moms cousin died at 18, stomach cancer, and at least two more close relatives

on my maternal side have died of cancer. as you would guess, this is very

scary for me.

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

[Guest guest]

Hi Colleen and welcome! You will find this to be a friendly and

highly informed bunch of folks : ) Happy to have you (smile)

- Jen

On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:14:59 -0500 (CDT) Ramos

writes:

> Hello Collen!! my name is and I am almost 49. and I have

> two reasons to be here, My twin aunts of 65, currently fighting BC,

> my maternal Grandmother died of vaginal cancer, her sister died

> of stomach cancer, one of my moms cousin died at 18, stomach cancer,

> and at least two more close relatives on my maternal side have died

> of cancer. as you would guess, this is very scary for me.

>

>

>

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

>

[Guest guest]

--- hi mary i,m donna also from pennslyania, i just got home from my

surgury on the 16 th so i,m sore n very tired. i,m in western pa near

meadville sharon area... have you had yours surgury yet ? ok look

forward to hring from ya. i,m only on here few minutes a time i need to

be walking or sitting n all i want to do is sleep. eating is hard n

drinking water seems impossible right now, but i,m trying to get it

done. c ya donna In GastricBypass-

LOSERS , " angelmolly43 " wrote:

>

> Hi....Im Ann from Pennsylvania and im a new member. I have been

> reading some of the messages here and what an inspiration. This is

what

> it takes to keep strong in this new found way of life....isnt it

great.

>

[Guest guest]

--- hi mary i,m donna also from pennslyania, i just got home from my

surgury on the 16 th so i,m sore n very tired. i,m in western pa near

meadville sharon area... have you had yours surgury yet ? ok look

forward to hring from ya. i,m only on here few minutes a time i need to

be walking or sitting n all i want to do is sleep. eating is hard n

drinking water seems impossible right now, but i,m trying to get it

done. c ya donna In GastricBypass-

LOSERS , " angelmolly43 " wrote:

>

> Hi....Im Ann from Pennsylvania and im a new member. I have been

> reading some of the messages here and what an inspiration. This is

what

> it takes to keep strong in this new found way of life....isnt it

great.

>

[Guest guest]

--- hi mary i,m donna also from pennslyania, i just got home from my

surgury on the 16 th so i,m sore n very tired. i,m in western pa near

meadville sharon area... have you had yours surgury yet ? ok look

forward to hring from ya. i,m only on here few minutes a time i need to

be walking or sitting n all i want to do is sleep. eating is hard n

drinking water seems impossible right now, but i,m trying to get it

done. c ya donna In GastricBypass-

LOSERS , " angelmolly43 " wrote:

>

> Hi....Im Ann from Pennsylvania and im a new member. I have been

> reading some of the messages here and what an inspiration. This is

what

> it takes to keep strong in this new found way of life....isnt it

great.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

What is Meadville near? I am a little familiar with Western Pennsylvania

since my wife's relatives live near Indiana in a small town named sburg

and then her other relatives live in Salzburg, so I am somewhat familiar

with that part of the country and it is beautiful up there.

I hope you continue to do well.

You will be sore and really tired for a little while, but once you really

start losing weight, you will find you will definitely have more energy.

Lin

Lhsh@...

American by birth,

Saved by the grace of God.

Re: new member

--- hi mary i,m donna also from pennslyania, i just got home from my

surgury on the 16 th so i,m sore n very tired. i,m in western pa near

meadville sharon area... have you had yours surgury yet ? ok look

forward to hring from ya. i,m only on here few minutes a time i need to

be walking or sitting n all i want to do is sleep. eating is hard n

drinking water seems impossible right now, but i,m trying to get it

done. c ya donna In GastricBypass-

LOSERS , " angelmolly43 " wrote:

>

> Hi....Im Ann from Pennsylvania and im a new member. I have been

> reading some of the messages here and what an inspiration. This is

what

> it takes to keep strong in this new found way of life....isnt it

great.

>

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

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----------

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[Guest guest]

Hi Donna and welcome to the group.

I think you will definitely find us fun and informative all at the same

time.

Lhsh@...

American by birth,

Saved by the grace of God.

New Member

1. Name: Donna Dees

2. City and state:Katy, TX

3. Are you a Southern California resident? No

4. Would you like to be added to our in person luncheon guest list? No

3. Email address:deesdonna@...

4. Obesity Help Profile name and/or OH URL: twinpletmom

5. Are you: Considering Surgery, Pre Op or Post Op: Post Op

6. Date of WLS: Thursday, November 16, 2006

7. Surgeon's Name: Dr. Kodali

8. Type of Surgery: Gastric Bypass

9. Highest Pre Surgery Weight:278

10. Insurance or self pay:Insurance

11. What is the name of your insurance company that covered your

WLS:Aetna

12.Birthdate:7/24/69

13.Occupation:teacher

14.Hobbies:camping

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

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.14.10/541 - Release Date: 11/20/2006

----------

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.14.10/541 - Release Date: 11/20/2006

[Guest guest]

My son was diagnosed at 11 with PSC and Crohn's. He got a living donor tx at 19. I too am a nurse in the ICU and did research. Make sure you have a GI that knows more than what the post script in a book says about PSC. 's GI Dr knew enough to say this is bad let's send him somewhere where this is their thing. We drove from upstate NY to Boston alot. Get a notebook and write your questions and answers in it. Also as you will see on this site, insurance can drive you crazy. Everytime you talk to anyone at the insurance co, get their first and last name and write down what they say and read it back to them. If you don't like what they say ask politely for a supervisor. They try to avoid spending $ but can if you push. I got at a hospital out of netwrok and they pay for it all. It took threats. As far as questions, you will see that everyone on this site progresses at a different rate and has varied symptoms. Keep a diary of your son's

symptoms to track them to see if there is a theme. Ask the dr if he has a usual plan of attack for this disease. Ask how much experience he has.If you ever want to talk off line, email me at marti0355@.... What state or country are you in? Marti I am a new member. My son, 17, has UC and PSC. He was diagnosed at the age of 14 (2003)and is on Remicade 4 weekly, Imuran, Ursochol. Up until now the PSC has not been a problem. Oh he also has Gilbert's.Now to cut

a long story short he will go in for ERCP on Wednesday this week as the docs can see an obstruction (ultrasound) and the LFT's and SBr are raised. To make it worse this is his last year at school and he has university application, interviews and portfolios to do.It is very easy for me, a registered nurse and midwife, to search the web for PSC and scare myself silly. I shall see the GI and Heptologist on Wednesday - what questions should I be asking of them??Thank you for your understanding. I was directed to this site by mothers on the Dragonpack site. Belgium

Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debatein the Yahoo! Answers Food Drink Q&A.

[Guest guest]

Hi, My name is , I'm 23 years old and have been married since May. I have just recently been diagnosed with a possible vulvar vestibulitis. I have my apt with a specialist in late October. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions to reduce pain during sex that i can try until i see the gynourologist. My husband and I almost never have it at all because it is so painfull for me, and it is really starting to take a toll on my marriage. I get really depressed that its all my fault and that I'm not living up to what i should be. Thank You Suprise AZ

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