Introduction

January 28, 2006

In a message dated 1/9/2006 6:11:55 P.M. Central Standard Time, theskweez2001@... writes:

Hello from ArizonaMy name is and I am 43 and on Feb 2 I will be having my rightknee replaced and then in about 4-5 months I will have the other onereplaced. I also have had 2 back surgeries, one being a fusion in2001. I live on methadone and various other drugs for pain, bloodpressure, depression and anxiety meds as well as drugs to keep myulcers from bleeding. I am a single mom of an amazing wonderfullyfunny and bright 8 year old girl. I am pretty nervous about thissurgery only because my back is so bad, I know the therapy will betricky but after 30 years in pain with my knees I am looking forwardto a healthier me! What I am hoping to find out is what do I need todo to be ready and prepare myself as well as my home and family to beready? Can someone help and give me some insite? I appreciate anyfeedback and God Bless! in AZ

Hi , are you getting ready for your surgery? I went to Wal Mart and bought some easy to eat foods and stocked up on dog/cat food, and feed for my goats, and chickens. Just wondered how you were holding up. I'm very nervous, but the worst part to me is fasting. Really, the pain isn't fun.

January 31, 2006

Hi ,

I am new to this board as well, I was wondering how was it decided

for you to have your second tkr in four to five months? Is that the

regular routine when both need to be done?

Val

>

> In a message dated 1/9/2006 6:11:55 P.M. Central Standard Time,

> theskweez2001@y... writes:

>

> Hello from Arizona

> My name is and I am 43 and on Feb 2 I will be having my

right

> knee replaced and then in about 4-5 months I will have the other

one

> replaced. I also have had 2 back surgeries, one being a fusion in

> 2001. I live on methadone and various other drugs for pain, blood

> pressure, depression and anxiety meds as well as drugs to keep my

> ulcers from bleeding. I am a single mom of an amazing wonderfully

> funny and bright 8 year old girl. I am pretty nervous about this

> surgery only because my back is so bad, I know the therapy will be

> tricky but after 30 years in pain with my knees I am looking

forward

> to a healthier me! What I am hoping to find out is what do I

need to

> do to be ready and prepare myself as well as my home and family

to be

> ready? Can someone help and give me some insite? I appreciate

any

> feedback and God Bless!

>

> in AZ

>

> Hi , are you getting ready for your surgery? I went to Wal

Mart and

> bought some easy to eat foods and stocked up on dog/cat food, and

feed for my

> goats, and chickens. Just wondered how you were holding up. I'm

very

> nervous, but the worst part to me is fasting. Really, the pain

isn't fun.

>

February 7, 2006

Hi Lynn,

You may remember me from another list we are on together. Welcome! <smile>

Your speech discrimination scores sound like you are *so* close to being a

candidate. Have you thought about attending a different CI center for an

evaluation? I know some CI centers are more lenient than others in terms of

their guidelines. While 50-60% is the standard (for the best ear), I'm sure

there have been CI candidates who have fallen a couple percentage points

above the FDA criteria and were still implanted.

I'm not an audiologist, but based on your scores, it definitely looks like

you are a CI candidate.

Medicare and Medicaid may have lower percentages, but if I remember

correctly, that percentage was raised sometime last year from 30% to 40%.

If you don't mind my asking, do you have an HMO, private insurance or

Medicare/Medicaid? That of course may also influence your candidacy since

some insurance carriers accept higher speech discrimination score

percentages than others.

Sorry I can't answer your questions about the Freedom just yet. However, I

was able to see the Freedom and noticed that it is a little bigger in size

than the 3G, but has a more streamlined fit to the ear.

Hope this helps!

I wish you all the best during your testing in July!

Left ear - Nucleus 24 Contour Advance with 3G

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Right ear - Nucleus Freedom

Implanted: 2/1/06 Activation date: 3/1/06

Deafblind/Postlingual

Severe-profound hearing loss since 1995

February 8, 2006

Lynn,

Hi and welcome to the group. My first thought was " well, she could just not

understand some of the words and her speech discrimination score would be low

enough. " But I don't know your situation or if anyone else has done that or

what. It is interesting to read that knew that some CI centers and

insurance companies have different standards. I had assumed they would all be

the same.

I'm now completely deaf after being severely HI since birth. I lost the

residual hearing I had right after Christmas. I go Friday to be evaluated at

Charlotte, NC center and then to Columbia, SC center on Tuesday. I am comparing

them on three criteria: how I like/respect the audies since I'll be spending a

lot of time with them, experience of the surgeon with CI surgery and which one

can get me a CI first.

in SC

February 8, 2006

Hi ,

I thought you were on this list, also. We are on several mail lists

together.

I haven't thought of going to another CI center. My " CI Center " is a

doctor's office in Birmingham. I am seeing a doctor who was recommended to

me, and he is the one who really started talking to me about getting a CI. I

like him, and really want to stay with him. The doctor wants very much to

implant me, but I don't want to get stuck with the bill. I have private Blue

Cross insurance (small group plan), so have to abide by their guidelines.

The doctor says they won't give a pre-approval letter, other than to say

that a CI is a covered service. He says they won't specifically approve a

patient without lots of caveats that allow them to still deny coverage, so

he has found it to be a waste of time to even bother with it. He says Blue

Cross has basically agreed to cover the implant if you are at the 50% or

less threshold, and even then, they have given some patients a hard time. He

said he recently implanted one man with zero speech discrimination, and

after surgery, the patient got a huge bill from the hospital. The doctor

says Blue Cross will end up paying this, but he is having to help this

patient force them to pay.

Lynn

February 8, 2006

Hi Lynn,

Welcome. I have the Freedom sitting on my left ear and the 3G on my right

ear. I removed both of them and rested them one on top of the other to

compare them physically. The Freedom is bigger, I am guessing about a 1/4

inch in length and width. The advantage of the Freedom over the 3G is that

it is digital and offers more than the 3g.

February 8, 2006

said:

Hi and welcome to the group. My first thought was " well, she could just not

understand some of the words and her speech discrimination score would be

low enough. " But I don't know your situation or if anyone else has done that

or what. It is interesting to read that knew that some CI centers and

insurance companies have different standards. I had assumed they would all

be the same.

,

My doctor told me that I was too astute as a hearing impaired person. He

felt that I had gotten too good at guessing and filling in the blanks, and

for this reason scored just a little too high on the test. I admit, I did my

best on the test. I probably should not have concentrated so hard. Only a

few less words answered correctly on the sentence tests, and I would have

qualified. Maybe I wasn't as ready for the CI then as I thought. It may be

for the best to wait until July anyway. The timing may be a little better

then, and I will have had a chance to go to the HLAA/SHHH convention. I have

never met anyone " in person " who had a CI, and I would really like to. The

mail lists are wonderful, but there is nothing like meeting and interacting

with someone in person.

Lynn

February 8, 2006

" " <wdywms@...> said:

Hi Lynn,

Welcome. I have the Freedom sitting on my left ear and the 3G on my right

ear. I removed both of them and rested them one on top of the other to

compare them physically. The Freedom is bigger, I am guessing about a 1/4

inch in length and width. The advantage of the Freedom over the 3G is that

it is digital and offers more than the 3g.

Hi ,

The size of the Freedom doesn't sound so bad to me. I had someone tell me

that it was MUCH larger than the 3G, so I feel much better about the size

now. Some others have written me off list and told me that it was very light

and they didn't even know they were wearing it.

Lynn

February 11, 2006

Welcome to the boards Wanda.... I'm in Kentucky myself. Hope how soon you can get things scheduled after making the best decision for your case needs. Long recoverying are hard... I've had a few myself~ but remember to think positive~ all things happen for a reason & have purpose... I'm sure you'll pull through the struggles and hopefully have a better quality of life when all is said & done.

February 11, 2006

Hi Wanda,

I just wanted to welcome you to this group and wish you luck and a speedy recovery. Well you have a nice day .

Susie

-------------- Original message -------------- From: "Wanda" <granny_6@...>

Hello

My name is Wanda

I live in Ohio

I am in the process of scheduling surgeries and thought I would join this list

I am having an osteotomy of the femur to correct gross misalignment due to an old fracture

Then 2-3 weeks after the ostetomy they will be doing my 2nd

total knee revision

I will be non weight bearing for 9-12 months

I also have a total hip on the same leg that is showing signs of loosening on radiographs so it will have to be replaced after the osteotomy and knee revision are healed

It is going to be a long recovery but I am hopeful some of my pain and the instability will be much more tolerable

have a great night all

Wanda

February 12, 2006

Hi Wanda

I live in Ohio too - Marietta. Where do you live?

I am about to have a hip resurfacing with Dr. De SMet in Belgium on March 15. I don't have any insurance and can't afford getting my hip resurfaced in the US. I am 61 and don't want to have a THR and am lucky enough to have enough good bone density to go the hip resurfacing route.

I am sorry that you will have such a long recovery.

I think it is good to join a group like this to have people to talk to. Many here have had THR and knee replacements and understand what you are facing.

There is a lot of good support here.

Keep in touch.

Pat in Ohio

Introduction

Hello

My name is Wanda

I live in Ohio

I am in the process of scheduling surgeries and thought I would join this list

I am having an osteotomy of the femur to correct gross misalignment due to an old fracture

Then 2-3 weeks after the ostetomy they will be doing my 2nd

total knee revision

I will be non weight bearing for 9-12 months

I also have a total hip on the same leg that is showing signs of loosening on radiographs so it will have to be replaced after the osteotomy and knee revision are healed

It is going to be a long recovery but I am hopeful some of my pain and the instability will be much more tolerable

have a great night all

Wanda

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.6/257 - Release Date: 2/10/2006

March 1, 2006

Welcome Warren. Glad you are on the list. I look forward to your input.

On Mar 1, 2006, at 9:57 AM, warren brodey wrote:

> My level of electrosensitivity is mild. Mostly I just get tense and

> tired around machines and dislike the feeling intensely. Have been

> working with reducing these kind of effects with some success. Now I

> can work with my computer most of the day. Before I just had to leave

> it without finishing what I was doing.

>

> I am a medical doctor but now I don't see patients, actually I

> haven't for a long time. When I began working at MIT and NASA in the

> 60's I moved into the field of man-machine interfacing . I have been

> working with engineers and cybernetic solutions to problems. I prefer

> working independently, softly and gently like a cat, since I am not an

> institutional person.

>

> I still help people. That is inbuilt.

>

> For the last 4 years I have been trying to be clear about the

> problems generated by exposure to electrical fields outside the body

> and their effect on the electrical signal fields inside the body.

>

> I have found out that inside the body the electrical fields work

> gently like putting a key in a lock and opening a garden door. Outside

> fields like those that cause electro sensitivity are more like more

> battering ram, sledge hammer stuff comparitively.

>

> Trying to be clear about the process and to be helpful is not so

> easy but I know a lot more than I did when I got interested.

>

> So thats an intro. I will read some of the old materials on this

> forum. Maybe I'll be clearer when I have done that.

>

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

>

> Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

>

March 1, 2006

Welcome, Warren,

Nice to meet you! When you were a doctor treating people, what was your

specialty, if I might ask?

My best to you,

Diane

warren brodey <to.bclear@...> wrote:

My level of electrosensitivity is mild. Mostly I just get tense and tired

around machines and dislike the feeling intensely. Have been working with

reducing these kind of effects with some success. Now I can work with my

computer most of the day. Before I just had to leave it without finishing what I

was doing.

I am a medical doctor but now I don't see patients, actually I haven't for a

long time. When I began working at MIT and NASA in the 60's I moved into the

field of man-machine interfacing . I have been working with engineers and

cybernetic solutions to problems. I prefer working independently, softly and

gently like a cat, since I am not an institutional person.

I still help people. That is inbuilt.

For the last 4 years I have been trying to be clear about the problems

generated by exposure to electrical fields outside the body and their effect on

the electrical signal fields inside the body.

I have found out that inside the body the electrical fields work gently like

putting a key in a lock and opening a garden door. Outside fields like those

that cause electro sensitivity are more like more battering ram, sledge hammer

stuff comparitively.

Trying to be clear about the process and to be helpful is not so easy but I

know a lot more than I did when I got interested.

So thats an intro. I will read some of the old materials on this forum. Maybe

I'll be clearer when I have done that.

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

Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

March 23, 2006

>

> Thanks for the SmartShelter link I have begun to read the ES

testimonial, very interesting. I know only too well how ES can

dessimate a career. I also will not let an employer kick sand in my

face, when they begin to think about the implications of employing an

ESSER it is only a matter of time before they do ! I think that most

managers have been bodysnatced by Vodafone perhaps they think ES is

contagious.

We talk about DC as not being offensive to ES, but I guess it depends

on how simple the circuitry is, and how its put to use - I am writing

this on a Laptop on battery, and I am rapidly feeling uncomfortable

and fogged/hystamiened out ! It has a wifi card which can be

disabled, on checking available networks I see that my Neigbour has 3

router devices on the go, all day/night no wonder my tinitus has got

worse and I feel like I ve gone ten rounds with Mike tyson in the

morning - Have you got any spare plots at your place ?

best wishes

March 23, 2006

> We talk about DC as not being offensive to ES, but I guess it depends

> on how simple the circuitry is, and how its put to use - I am writing

> this on a Laptop on battery, and I am rapidly feeling uncomfortable

> and fogged/hystamiened out !

As far as I know, all laptops use a florescent backlights,

and that all of these backlights require high voltage AC to run, so there

is a low voltage DC to high voltage/high frequency AC inverter

in your laptop which could be causing you problems. It will be interesting

to see what symptoms will be like when all backlights are replaced by LEDs

sometime in the next several years, as LEDs won't need AC power.

Marc

March 23, 2006

Lol Espaules at the body snatching.

Sorry of your problem there Freika. Sounds like lots of us, too much

chemical/radiation exposure.

Want to look at the smartshelter site too.

I think the MC/EMF problem is probably so entwined, because chemistry

and electricity are themselves, frequencies and all. You can hardly

separate the two really when it comes down to it.

I do think a lot more people have this problem than realize it, as in

post about the high blood pressure. They aren't use to feeling

energy fields, and are still looking for solid defined physical

problems as the cause, when many times that may only be part of it.

Good luck on your adventures.

~ Snoshoe

> >

> > Thanks for the SmartShelter link I have begun to read the ES

> testimonial, very interesting.

I think that most

> managers have been bodysnatced by Vodafone perhaps they think ES is

> contagious.

>

> We talk about DC as not being offensive to ES, but I guess it depends

> on how simple the circuitry is, and how its put to use - I am writing

March 24, 2006

Hi Frieka,

I love the name! I also feel like a Freak of Nature sometimes! I noticed on

another list that someone recommended BioPro chips to you. I didn't find those

helpful at all for me even though I bought the most expensive package and stuck

them all around. I sent them back. If you buy them I hope you have a better

experience.

nn

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

From: freika natur <freikanatur@...>

March 24, 2006

> sometime in the next several years, as LEDs won't need AC power.

>

> Marc

>

Thanks Marc - Cant wait hey ! Out of intrest today I travelled around

Brighton as part of my work as a Building Surveyor, Boy that place is

cooking ! needless to say as I felt really fried on one route I

happened to note that alongside there was one of British Telecoms main

offices, crowned with a myriad of anttenea - nice to know that they

dont mind sharing the radiation with their beloved employees !!

Driving really tires me out. I drive a year 2000 Fiat punto 1.2 which

does not give me many problems,(cant drive 2.0ltr Renault Scenic -

Thats a killer to me I become like a mad dog after a while) only I have

a dodgy right ankle (to list one suspicious symptom)like varicouse

veins inflamed Dr says ankle is aged for some reason !! this is the

same side closest to wheel arch high EMFS there ! I also have

folliculitis on thighs perhaps this could be attributed to lying belly

down on a metal sprung mattress for years ( Iam 1000m away froma 3g

mast accross open feilds 32db power ?) ? I am about to change to a

foam mattress, have tried a foam topper recently and have awoken

feeling more refreshed could be placebo I know but I am going to go

with it despite my lurking mistrust of foam with so many chemicals

there ?

Back to the driving and cars, I am bored with the fiat I want speed and

perfomance and style I need a change, so I test drove a Ford KA Sport

very quick nippy, guess what - did my head in !!! Transponder in key,

microwaves here there and everywhere, I think that my creator is having

a laugh cos 2 days later a Ford KA Sport, different model turns up on

forecourt with number plate .....EMF, - Thats weird !

Next GRIPE - As you know from my last post I talked about WIFI devices

used in my neighbours house, GEE who is regulating this stuff ! whats

to stop me from going out and buying fifty Wifi routers, transmitters

and turning them on for the heck of it ? This requires positive action

serious and present ! If my neighbour does not relent ie turn off his

wifi at night to offer some compromise I will take this to all the

powers that be, he knows I am ES so I am about to write him a letter

to put him on notice that I feel he is damaging my health and my family

for that matter, I hope to get backing of ES-UK here. We must try to

fight this I am so angry right now !!! and I will not die in a corner !

cheers

March 24, 2006

>

> > We talk about DC as not being offensive to ES, but I guess it

depends

> > on how simple the circuitry is, and how its put to use - I am

writing

> > this on a Laptop on battery, and I am rapidly feeling

uncomfortable

> > and fogged/hystamiened out !

>

> As far as I know, all laptops use a florescent backlights,

> and that all of these backlights require high voltage AC to run, so

there

> is a low voltage DC to high voltage/high frequency AC inverter

> in your laptop which could be causing you problems. It will be

interesting

> to see what symptoms will be like when all backlights are replaced

by LEDs

> sometime in the next several years, as LEDs won't need AC power.

>

> Marc

>

September 7, 2006

Hello Carol,I have not had surgery,but do have neck discs that are messed up.

Sorry that I can't help you with that. I just wanted to welcome you to the group

and let you know that there are a lot of good folks in this group.

Someone will be able to answer you question about the surgery.

MAY YOU HAVE A BETTER DAY TOMORROW THAN YOU HAD TODAY.

TAKE AS BEST CARE THAT YOU CAN AND BE SAFE.

LARRY

carol herbin <cherbin1@...> wrote:

brand new to the group -- so glad to find it!

i'm looking for information about cervical fusion surgery -- its successes,

its challenges and the process.

i went to a neurologist about other issues (mostly carpal tunnel) and

through the MRI's and x-rays, was referred to a neurosurgeon who is telling

me i should have both anterior and posterior surgeries to remove disc(s) and

fuse vertebrae because i have cervical instability, stenosis and

spondylosis. my spinal cord seems to be compressed from about C-5 to T-1.

i had multiple whiplash injuries over the years (lucky me -- i seem to have

a target on the back of my car!) so i've dealt with neck pain for a very

long time, but was more than surprised at this call for immediate surgery.

i've never known anyone who was completely satisfied and/or pleased with the

result of it. and i'm hoping i'm wrong and there are successes out there to

encourage me -- OR someone with some other alternatives to the situation.

so -- here i am. hoping to learn.

thanks for reading a post that turned longer than i expected.

carol

REMEMBER ALL OF OUR MEN AND

WOMEN IN THE ARMED SERVICE OF OUR NATION

PRAY THAT THEY MAY BE SAFE

AND SOUND IN BODY AND MIND

September 7, 2006

Thank you, Larry!

I'm looking forward to lots of input so I can make some kind of reasonable

decision(s).

I appreciate the friendly welcome.

c

Re: introduction