newbie

March 17, 2003

>I assume you mean 1 gram of protein

> per lb of body weight??? Jane

Jane, I wondered that also --- seems like a LOT of protein. Wanda

March 17, 2003

Sue,

Welcome.

You can only gain by following the program. It is not a diet it is eating

correcly. I have been following it now for over 2 years and it has served me

well. I went to a funeral three weeks ago and all they had to eat after were

rolls and lunchmeat and cheeses. I had 3 rolls with meat and I was miserable

for hours. It is these times that make me stick to it. Before I never gave it

a thought, I just thought that is how it is, and after being off of most of the

avoids and you try it again, is just a reminder to keep it up.

Some of my friends think I am absolutely crazy, however I have much more energy

and am never sick. I use to get sinus infections all the time and have not had

one for two years. I lost weight and have not regained it and lost more inches

than weight.

Keep it up and listen to your body. I believe that traditional doctors want you

to keep coming back for more medication because they treat the symptom and not

the root cause. They give you one medication that has a counter effect and

causes something else and of course there is another medicine for that symptom

and the merry go round never stops. Once you feel good and no longer have to go

to the doctor you are a believer.

Good Luck.

Newbie

I've just recently heard of the Type O diet. My husband is on the

heart transplant list and a friend gave us Dr. D'Adamo's Blood Type 0

book. I have to be honest I read it and figured " Hey, I've done just

fine all these years - why do I need to change anything now " . I put

the book on the shelf but strangly it keep eating at me. I found

your group and have only read about 20 messages and thought

again " Hey, maybe there's something to this " . So the book is

currently on the counter in my kitchen. I figured I might as well

give this a whirl seeing as I need to lose about 10 pounds and we all

want to feel better, right?! I see you can have Manna bread and I am

a bread baker but geez, this bread is pretty involved to make. I

love my bread for breakfast and I love my normal cereal too. What

kinds of cereals and breads do you folks eat? And I really have to

give up milk? I've never had green tea but I'll be adding that to

my grocery list. Cheese will be a problem but I'll deal with it.

Did you all feel overwhelmed thinking you had to change your way of

eating? The 2nd part of my problem is convincing my husband to try

the diet seeing as he has the most to gain. Now that I've totally

bored you all I'll sit back and lurk and try to learn. Any tips

would really be appreciated. We're glad to be aboard!!

TIA

Sue

March 17, 2003

" " " Some of my friends think I am absolutely crazy " " "

That is so sad - it shows where we are on the evolutionary ladder.

These are no doubt are the dark ages.

Love

March 29, 2003

, I'm male, 47, a long time cyclist, and have doing the blood

type diet (BTD) for a little over a year now. Last summer was my

first cycling season on the diet. I try to ride the 2 club training

races every week when I can and catch an occasional weekend ride

too. If I miss one of those organized rides I might do a ride by

myself or even get on the bike trainer if time is limited during the

week. Once warmed up my heart rate will stay above 160-165 bpm for

the rest of a hour to hour and a half training race. My maximum

heart rate last year seemed to be in the 184 bpm range. And yes, I

keep up, frequently lead, and occasionally drop the 20 something year

old riders!

The first change I noticed as a result of the BTD was my knees. Any

knee discomfort that I might have occasionally gotten from cycling in

the past went away completely.

I also noticed my energy level was much better. I felt like I didn't

need a sports drink to keep going during the most intense rides,

although I still always drank a sports drink to keep hydrated. In

the past I drank the sports drinks because I needed the sugar to keep

going.

I think it took several more months and continued improvement in my

diet to get over my borderline hypoglycemia. Now I don't crave

sweets or feel like I have to snack all the time.

I also have to say that the diet has improved my mental outlook too.

I wish you good luck with the diet and with this years cycling

season. Write me if you have any questions.

Regards, Don

> I´ve been lurking in the shadows for a while, so I think I better

present myself. I´m male, 55 years, going on 18, and I´ve led a crazy

life, as they say. I have all the classic type O complaints: stiff

joints, muscle pains, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome( anyone out there been

cured of this, by the way?) depression, probably caused by

hypoglycemia, probably caused by sugar/carbohydrate addiction. Also,

I seem to have some other symtoms that diabetics get, tho´ the doc´s

say I´m not diabetic.

> The plus side is that I´ve been good at getting lots of exercise, 2

or 3 hrs on my bicycle, 2 or 3 times a week. The problem is, I binge

on carbohydrates after a long ride, usually the wrong sort, and

quickly end up feeling less than good. Good advice from anyone out

there with experience of endurance sports would be appreciated. If I

could even keep up with those half my age, ( Forrester !! ) it

would be terrific. Anyway, I´m going to keep trying to zero in on the

BTD.Thats enough ear bending for one mail. Thanks for the good

company. Regards,

March 29, 2003

Hi , and welcome to the group. I don't have experience with

endurance sports... I'm not even as active as I should be. But I

think you'll find most of us here agree that more protein (or protein

throughout your day) will help your energy levels, as opposed to the

carbohydrates. The protein usually gives a more level output of

energy where carbohydrates gives a quick high, then a low when the

sugars are used up. I think this is why I used to think I was

borderline diabetic for years even though any tests came back

negative. I don't have that problem anymore because I make sure I

eat protein at every meal. It sustains me throughout the day. Joint

pain I think can be a symptom of eating the wrong foods... such as

wheat and dairy. I know mine don't ache and feel swollen like they

used to.

Hope this helps,

I´ve been lurking in the shadows for a while, so I think I better

present myself. I´m male, 55 years, going on 18, and I´ve led a crazy

life, as they say. I have all the classic type O complaints: stiff

joints, muscle pains, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome( anyone out there been

cured of this, by the way?) depression, probably caused by

hypoglycemia, probably caused by sugar/carbohydrate addiction. Also,

I seem to have some other symtoms that diabetics get, tho´ the doc´s

say I´m not diabetic.

The plus side is that I´ve been good at getting lots of exercise, 2

or 3 hrs on my bicycle, 2 or 3 times a week. The problem is, I binge

on carbohydrates after a long ride, usually the wrong sort, and

quickly end up feeling less than good. Good advice from anyone out

there with experience of endurance sports would be appreciated. If I

could even keep up with those half my age, ( Forrester !! ) it

would be terrific. Anyway, I´m going to keep trying to zero in on the

BTD.Thats enough ear bending for one mail. Thanks for the good

company. Regards,

March 31, 2003

In a message dated 3/29/2003 9:29:57 AM Eastern Standard Time,

dacavo@... writes:

<< stiff joints, muscle pains, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome( anyone out there been

cured of this, by the way?) depression, probably caused by hypoglycemia,

probably caused by sugar/carbohydrate addiction. Also, I seem to have some

other symtoms that diabetics get, tho´ the doc´s say I´m not diabetic. >>

Do the diet (don't cheat), in a month you'll never look back and most of your

complaints will go away.

Max

March 31, 2003

Before going on the BTD my carpal tunnel syndrome was so bad that I'd seen a

surgeon and was trying to decide when would be the best time to have the

surgery.

Not expecting releif for the CTS from the diet, I was surprised that after

following the diet 100% for 3 - 4 weeks the CTS was completely gone. That

was 5? years ago.

It didn't take long to find that wheat was the culprit. Even one cracker

will cause a tingling in my hand and a dinner of pizza brings it back full

force. It then takes a few days of no wheat for it to completely go away.

By the way, spelt has the same effect on me.

Hope this help... nancy

May 16, 2003

In a message dated 5/16/2003 5:46:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, drrcc@...

writes:

<< Anyone here married to an " A " ? How do you do meals?? >>

Yeah, I divorced her. Later I found out from ER4YT that, among other things,

she was poisoning me.

Seriously, I think Dr D is an A and his wife is an O. They fix base meals

with neutrals then add the O HB or A HB (ie stir fry vegetables then add red

meat for O and chicken/tofu for A)

May 16, 2003

For recipes, go to the upper center column. Recibase will have lots of

recipes. Be sure to check each item against the list. What book are you

getting your food lists from?

Newbie

> Hello there.

>

> I am new to your group and just wanted to introduce myself. I am a 32 year

> old mom of 7 (4 are foster kids). I am also a hypnotherapist and EFT

> practitioner. I am fascinated by the ER4YT. I would like to normalize my

> blood pressure and loose weight while eating a healthier " O " diet.

>

> I have a couple of quick questions. Is there a good web site(s) someone

could

> direct me to for recipes for type O?

>

> Anyone here married to an " A " ? How do you do meals??

>

> Looking forward to being a part of your list!

> Dana in Denver

>

May 17, 2003

Hi Dana,

Welcome, I am new myself and still have to give the group a proper

introduction. (Sorry everyone)

I am married to an A and it is a bit tricky if you are trying to

stay on mostly beneficials. My husband gets home late so I usually make

dinner for my son and myself, then make dinner for my husband. We eat a lot

of salad, as that is good for both of us. I try to make side dishes that

work for us both and grill steak or a burger for me (Thank you

Foreman!), and grill marinaded Tofu, or make amaranth and beans for my

husband. We do vary this, but this is the easiest by far. I will make a

roast and an A friendly loaf sometimes, then dinner is done for a few days!

I found recipes at Dr D's site and at http://er4ytrecipes.tripod.com

My pantry is over stuffed as I keep things that only one of us can

eat as well as the double duty items. This could be easier if we weren't

trying so hard to keep my husband on beneficials. He has a lot of weight to

lose, so we are trying to keep him on that side of things. I am learning

about cooking for him, pretty strange stuff, but he is so not picky so I am

lucky there! As seem to lose weight at a much slower pace than Os, so if

your husband is looking for that benefit, I hope he doesn't get discouraged

easily. Of course I was living on Avoids and he was already a vegetarian so

I went through the most drastic change in diet, and that might be why it is

working out that way for us.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Alisha

In San Diego

>I have a couple of quick questions. Is there a good web site(s) someone could

>direct me to for recipes for type O?

>

>Anyone here married to an " A " ? How do you do meals??

June 12, 2003

Welcome izarahstar.

I had my original surgery at the Hospital for Sick Childrens in Toronto, but in 1973 by Dr. Gillespie. As for looking for an acknowledgable specialist, chech out www.srs.org as one place. I now live in BC and I'm on the 3-year wait list for VanSpine in Vancouver where Dr. Dvorack practises. If you check the archives, you'll come across other suggestions/resources, though most are in the States, but they will give you the background that what you are experiencing is not in your head. When my doctor tried to say the same thing to me, I asked him "why there were so many others that I've been in contact with on the internet experiencing the same thing?". He was more willing to find an answer then. Don't lose hope and get fiesty!

Llweyn in BC

-----Original Message-----From: izarahstar [mailto:izarahstar@...]Sent: June 12, 2003 4:25 PM Subject: newbiehi there everyone,i am new to this site but certainly not new to the pain and dicomfort of suffering from flatback syndrome. i had my harrinton rod put in in 1979 at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, Canada.i have seen several "top" surgeons in toronto and not one of them knows much about Flatback. Is there anyone on this list who lives in the Toronto or surrounding area who might be able to recommend drs or hospitals that know what flatback is all about? i am told its all in my head and then given a prescription for Tylenol 3. any help/info would be most helpful.thanks!Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

July 14, 2003

,

Try starting with eggs or meat for breakfast. If that is all you want stop

there. As you are able to eat more increase your meat serving to at least 6

ounces and maybe have an egg too. But if you start out slow, I think you will

find breakfast will be the jumpstart you need for the whole day. Some people

have rice in the morning with their meat, but I don't tolerate the grains well,

so I refrain from that. No fruit at all for breakfast. Maybe for a snack

between breakfast and lunch. Give it at least 3 weeks.

Hosoda <monkeegirl@...> wrote:

Hello everyone,

I am new to this group, as well as the way of eating. I have enjoyed all of

your info, and have many questions. First, do you follow the reccommended diet

menus in the books, or have most of you found other menus that seem to work for

you? I have actually thrown up trying to eat the breakfast of fruit and Ezeikel

bread with the seltzer water juice combo. I think it was too much for me in the

morning---I usually never eat breakfast for this reason.

I have been basically eating this way, off and on for a few

months---Somersizing. My main problem with Somersizing was the food combining

.. Do any of you feel the combining is an issue with ERFYT, as I was excited to

be able to eat a few grains, fruits ect. with my protein. I am not sure how to

start--I haven't eaten a complete day as reccommended in the book. I don't

think I have ever eaten that much food!

thanks in advance!

July 14, 2003

Are you over or under weight

newbie

Hello everyone,

I am new to this group, as well as the way of eating. I have enjoyed

all of your info, and have many questions. First, do you follow the

reccommended diet menus in the books, or have most of you found other

menus that seem to work for you? I have actually thrown up trying to

eat the breakfast of fruit and Ezeikel bread with the seltzer water

juice combo. I think it was too much for me in the morning---I usually

never eat breakfast for this reason.

I have been basically eating this way, off and on for a few

months---Somersizing. My main problem with Somersizing was the food

combining . Do any of you feel the combining is an issue with ERFYT, as

I was excited to be able to eat a few grains, fruits ect. with my

protein. I am not sure how to start--I haven't eaten a complete day as

reccommended in the book. I don't think I have ever eaten that much

food!

thanks in advance!

July 23, 2003

Carla Kay,

Welcome to the feisty group!

I am fused from T5-S-1 and am doing fine.

I am not sure if anyone hear has given birth after revision surgery, but we have certainly addressed all your questions in great detail in the past. So you may want to check the archives at the Internet site for the group.

I'm so glad you've joined us.

Newbie

Hi all! I just joined this group because I am in desperate need of advice/direction. I have not been "officially" diagnosed with flatback syndrome, but my posture is pretty much classic. None of the docs in my area have ever heard of it. I was wondering if anyone in this group had any of the same symptoms as me, as from my what I can gather, most flatbackers have a lot of thoracic pain.I am fused from (I think) T3 to (I know) L3. I worked as a nurse for a few years & injured my lumbar area moving a patient about several years ago. I have not been able to work since, & have walked with the assistance of a cane (which ended up causing problems with my neck & shoulder), & later forearm crutches (still on them). My pain has always been primarily in the lumbar area, & radiating unilaterally across one hip & down that leg. Now however, I am bent very noticeably forward at the waist. Whenever I try to force myself into standing erect, I get HORRIBLE pain down into my coccyx, & now BILATERAL pain in hips & legs. I have to lie down to dress myself & dd often. I am starting to become short of breath on mild exertion. I won't even get into how I feel about myself these days. I first started noticing that I was bending forward more about a year ago, but this usually occurred in the evenings. Now I am like this all the time.I am considering (IF I can get the money to travel & pay someone to take care of dd) going to see Dr. Boachie of NY. Has anyone else in here had revision done by him? Also, I'd be interested in speaking with anyone who has been fused from the upper thoracic area to the sacrum. I have a lot of concerns, & if anyone is willing to share, I'd really like to know what it's like not to be able to move your spine at all. Do you have a lot of neck tension/headaches? These are things I feel I must consider, as from the research I've done, if surgery is recommended, I will most likely be fused to the sacrum. Can you shave your legs, clip toenails, tie shoes? How do you look when you walk? Any women who've given birth AFTER revision surgery (from upper thoracic to sacrum) would be especially appreciated. There are issues/questions I have that only a woman with this experience could answer. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you folks with questions. I would sincerely appreciate your honest responses.Thanks,Carla KaySupport for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.

July 23, 2003

Carla,

Welcome to the list! Where are you located?

Banner-Lach, RN, CCM, RN-WCCM

Nurse Case Manager

First Rehabilitation Resources, Inc.

Newbie

> Hi all! I just joined this group because I am in desperate need of

> advice/direction. I have not been " officially " diagnosed with

> flatback syndrome, but my posture is pretty much classic. None of

> the docs in my area have ever heard of it. I was wondering if anyone

> in this group had any of the same symptoms as me, as from my what I

> can gather, most flatbackers have a lot of thoracic pain.

>

> I am fused from (I think) T3 to (I know) L3. I worked as a nurse for

> a few years & injured my lumbar area moving a patient about several

> years ago. I have not been able to work since, & have walked with

> the assistance of a cane (which ended up causing problems with my

> neck & shoulder), & later forearm crutches (still on them). My pain

> has always been primarily in the lumbar area, & radiating

> unilaterally across one hip & down that leg. Now however, I am bent

> very noticeably forward at the waist. Whenever I try to force myself

> into standing erect, I get HORRIBLE pain down into my coccyx, & now

> BILATERAL pain in hips & legs. I have to lie down to dress myself &

> dd often. I am starting to become short of breath on mild exertion.

> I won't even get into how I feel about myself these days. I first

> started noticing that I was bending forward more about a year ago,

> but this usually occurred in the evenings. Now I am like this all

> the time.

>

> I am considering (IF I can get the money to travel & pay someone to

> take care of dd) going to see Dr. Boachie of NY. Has anyone else in

> here had revision done by him? Also, I'd be interested in speaking

> with anyone who has been fused from the upper thoracic area to the

> sacrum. I have a lot of concerns, & if anyone is willing to share,

> I'd really like to know what it's like not to be able to move your

> spine at all. Do you have a lot of neck tension/headaches? These

> are things I feel I must consider, as from the research I've done, if

> surgery is recommended, I will most likely be fused to the sacrum.

> Can you shave your legs, clip toenails, tie shoes? How do you look

> when you walk? Any women who've given birth AFTER revision surgery

> (from upper thoracic to sacrum) would be especially appreciated.

> There are issues/questions I have that only a woman with this

> experience could answer.

>

> I hope I haven't overwhelmed you folks with questions. I would

> sincerely appreciate your honest responses.

>

> Thanks,

> Carla Kay

>

> Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment

Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any

advertised products.

>

July 24, 2003

Hi Carla Kay,

I'm new to this group too, but I've already had revision surgery and

it was the best decision I ever made!!! I live in Tucson, Arizona

and went to St. Louis for surgery with Dr. Bridwell at -Jewish

Hospital. He's fantasitc and is one of the most prominent surgeons

in the country for flatback surgery. I am fused from T9 to the

sacrum and can clip my toenails, tie my shoes and shave my legs. It

did take a while to be able to do all of these things. I had a

series of three surgeries in October and December of 2001 and was in

a body brace until June of 2002. (The rehab center in St. Louis

built me a special handle for my razor that allowed me to shave my

legs while sitting. Now I can use a regular razor, but I do need to

sit on the corner of my tub and it does take a bit longer than

normal.)I stand straight now and really don't notice a difference in

my walk with regard to the fusion to the sacrum. The only time I

noticed it was at a wedding last summer when I went on the dance

floor. I couldn't really move my hips to the music and felt I was

dancing a little odd. But, it's a very small price to pay for being

mobile and pain free!

I haven't worked since 1998 and will be starting a job in August as

an instructional aide at an elementary shcool. I'm really looking

forward to it. For the most part I am pain free. Once in a while

I'll get a muscle spasm that lasts a few days, but it's very minor

compared to all the pain I was in before the surgeries. Prior to the

surgeries, I was on tons of medication and now I only take something

occassionally for the muscle spasms (which happen very

infrequently). I have my life back!

As far as pregnancy goes, I'm 36 and thought I'd never be able to

have a child of my own because of my back, but Dr. Bridwell told me

last summer that in two to three years I should be able to carry my

own child. His nurse told me they have a number of patients who had

the surgery I did and who successfully had a child afterward. I

don't know if I'll be one of them, but time will tell. I'll see what

he says in a couple years.

It's definitely worth traveling to see a good surgeon and to get a

second opinion. This surgery is very specialized and there are only

a handful of sergeons in the U.S. who have significant experience

with this type of surgery. My husband and I were very financially

strained and were trying to recover from a bankruptcy, but we found

a way to get to New York City to see Dr. Jean-Pierre Farcy (who is

someone you might want to look into)and to St. Louis to see Dr.

Bridwell. Gather as much information as you can and see at least two

surgeons who specialize in surgery for flatback syndrome, before you

decide to have the surgery done. For me, it was the best decision I

ever made and even though its a difficult recovery process, the

results are so worth it!

If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask, I'd love to

hear from you.

Best of luck,

Anne Mink

> Hi all! I just joined this group because I am in desperate need

of

> advice/direction. I have not been " officially " diagnosed with

> flatback syndrome, but my posture is pretty much classic. None of

> the docs in my area have ever heard of it. I was wondering if

anyone

> in this group had any of the same symptoms as me, as from my what

I

> can gather, most flatbackers have a lot of thoracic pain.

>

> I am fused from (I think) T3 to (I know) L3. I worked as a nurse

for

> a few years & injured my lumbar area moving a patient about

several

> years ago. I have not been able to work since, & have walked with

> the assistance of a cane (which ended up causing problems with my

> neck & shoulder), & later forearm crutches (still on them). My

pain

> has always been primarily in the lumbar area, & radiating

> unilaterally across one hip & down that leg. Now however, I am

bent

> very noticeably forward at the waist. Whenever I try to force

myself

> into standing erect, I get HORRIBLE pain down into my coccyx, &

now

> BILATERAL pain in hips & legs. I have to lie down to dress myself

&

> dd often. I am starting to become short of breath on mild

exertion.

> I won't even get into how I feel about myself these days. I first

> started noticing that I was bending forward more about a year ago,

> but this usually occurred in the evenings. Now I am like this all

> the time.

>

> I am considering (IF I can get the money to travel & pay someone

to

> take care of dd) going to see Dr. Boachie of NY. Has anyone else

in

> here had revision done by him? Also, I'd be interested in

speaking

> with anyone who has been fused from the upper thoracic area to the

> sacrum. I have a lot of concerns, & if anyone is willing to

share,

> I'd really like to know what it's like not to be able to move your

> spine at all. Do you have a lot of neck tension/headaches? These

> are things I feel I must consider, as from the research I've done,

if

> surgery is recommended, I will most likely be fused to the

sacrum.

> Can you shave your legs, clip toenails, tie shoes? How do you

look

> when you walk? Any women who've given birth AFTER revision surgery

> (from upper thoracic to sacrum) would be especially appreciated.

> There are issues/questions I have that only a woman with this

> experience could answer.

>

> I hope I haven't overwhelmed you folks with questions. I would

> sincerely appreciate your honest responses.

>

> Thanks,

> Carla Kay

July 24, 2003