Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi, . My name is Sheila, and I am new to this process of

treating my diabetes, too. Being blind certainly offers you even more

of a challenge, in testing and in cooking.

My husband was blind the last 11 years of his life. So, I have some

idea of what you must be going through! I am so glad you reached out

and wrote to all of us. Good for you!

> Now, I have the main question for every one. Especially for thos, if

> any have also recently been diagnosed with diabetes. How do you get

> through the Holidays and avoid to much depression. It doesn't matter

> if my sugar is normal or high, I can get depressed over nothing. I'm

> not to the point of depression to wear I don't want to take care of

> myself. I don't think I would ever get like that. But its a

> depression, that I can't talk to my family or husband about, because

> it doesn't make any since to me, sometimes so how can it make since to

> anyone else? I know I may not be making since to you all either. I

> figured anyone else having to deal with diabetes might be going

> through some of the same thing. Most of the time, I'm ok, but

> sometimes I'm not.

>

I understand what you are saying. I have struggled with depression,

too, as I work toward accepting my diabetes. What works best for me, is

to take it just one day at a time. Sometimes, an hour at a time. I can

accept for the next hour that I really am diabetic. I can accept for

the next hour, that I need to change my life style. I can do whatever

is required, just for today.

The holidays are still two months away. I subscribed to the low carb

recipe list, on egroups. I have been reading their recipes for

Thanksgiving for the past month. I have some good ideas. Some of their

stuff, won't work for a diabetic, but a lot will work.

I don't know of any lists for diabetics who are depressed. But, feel

free to email me if you would like, and perhaps we can help each other

with the depression. It is helpful to me, just knowing that I am not

the only one who struggles with depression.

> Also, does anyone know of any good up-to-date diabetes books on tape,

> or of any organizations that send out free information about diabetes

> in print or cassette? I know about the National Library Service For

> The Blind, but there information is not usually up to date. I went

> to a wonderful diabetes seminar that lasted about 8 hours long, and

> got lots of information from different companies that were sponsoring

> it. I had fun and learned a lot.

>

My late husband, Ralph, used the talking books. I remember that when I

read a good book, I would tell him about it, and then he would ask his

" reader " at the Library for the Blind, to order it for him. It took

some time, but they were able to get most of the books on tape that he

wanted. Perhaps if the people on the list will tell you the names of

some good books on diabetes, you could ask your reader to get them for

you????

Do you have a local center for the visually challenged? We have one

here, in Sacramento, CA. May I suggest that you call the one nearest to

you, and ask them if they know of any email lists for the blind and

diabetic? Or, for the blind and depressed? In my area, there are many

support groups that meet regularly at the Low Vision clinic.

My depression is lifting. It was a combination of wanting to not accept

that I really am a diabetic, combined with my dog's death, my mother's

dementia, and some other family problems. Today, I think I have reached

a place of acceptance about my diabetes. That has resulted in me

finding a level of hope for the future. I think being on this list is a

big reason. All of the good information, and suggestions. I have also

gotten into action, about taking better care of myself, and that has

helped, too.

You are not alone. Please write to me, whenever you feel like

" talking " about this. BTW, (by the way) how do you read your email? Do

you use some equipment and talk what you want to write? I am very

curious. I have thought so many times how much Ralph would have enjoyed

using the computer. He died in 1988, and nothing was available for the

visually impaired, at that time. I think it is wonderful that you can

now benefit from the newest technology.

Sheila {:-D

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm 61, live in Northern California, am married, have three daughters and six grandkids so far, a rescued abused rabbit, and a feral kitten who showed up in our side yard last June.

I hope you're doing OK with your lungs now. Do you do chest percussion daily? It consists of pounding on the front, sides, and back of one's chest while laying in an inverted position with the head lower than the rest of one's body. Having someone to help do it is the best way, but I do a modified version when I'm alone. It really helps me keep fluid from building up in my lungs. Keeping my acid reflux under control is key for me, too, and exercising. I've had trouble for two years now, but I believe it got a start six years ago when I developed severe atypical (in my throat instead of the typical mid-chest pain) acid reflux.

Rabbits make wonderful companions. Ours have been lots of fun and are very affectionate. I didn't know they could use litter boxes and live in the house till I joined the House Rabbit Society. Have you heard of the House Rabbit Society? It's a wonderful group of folks who have rabbits as house pets. The web site is www.rabbit.org. You'll find everything you ever wanted to know about rabbits, fabulous adorable photographs of adoptable bunnies, and meet other people who love rabbits, too. I've belonged to HRS for many years and have made many rabbit-loving friends on-line. There are many local chapters and a quarterly newsletter.

Best of luck to you,

Kay

Introduction

I joined this group right after I was diagnosed November 18 so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 50, married, have a 19 yr old son in college, 3 cats and 2 rabbits. I had pneumonia 15 years ago and have had trouble getting rid of the cough part of a cold ever since. For the last two years I've coughed daily. A year ago I saw a GP who gave me antibiotics after finding something on my xray that might have been an infection. That didn't clear it up completely but he said that my follow up xray looked good and if I still coughed that's just the way my lungs are. I'm on Advair now so according to the ads on TV, I should be ready to chase grandkids. But from what I can tell, all it does is cause asthma. I hardly ever wheezed before I started taking it but now I notice it all the time. My FEV1 result was 78% which puts me in the category of 'moderately reduced' lung function. This shocks me. I don't notice a decrease in function and the damage is only in one small part of my left lung. I work out four or more times/week and my lungs are fine. My blood test results were normal, all seven vials of them. But with the most important one, the bacterial culture, not all the tests that were ordered were done (I assume this means they didn't test for mycobacterium avium), so it must be repeated. This isn't so easy. Now that I have my 'strange fruit' acapella device I don't cough up as much as I used to. I forgot to ask the doctor if having bronchiectasis means I have COPD. Does it?

[Guest guest]

While visiting NY, I had a 3 hour period

of amnesia. Am going for a CT scan this morning. Am assuming there is no

connection to bronc, anyone ever have a similar experience. Not a black out, I

functioned but have no recollection of the people I spoke to, and places I was

at. I didn’t drive because the folks where I was staying wouldn’t let me., I don’t

remember then driving me to amy daughter’s and seeing the kids.

From: bronchiectasis [mailto:bronchiectasis ] On Behalf Of ericnkayn@...

Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009

3:16 AM

To: bronchiectasis

Subject: Re:

Introduction

Hi ,

I'm 61, live in Northern

California, am married, have three daughters and six

grandkids so far, a rescued abused rabbit, and a feral kitten who showed up in

our side yard last June.

I hope you're doing OK with your lungs

now. Do you do chest percussion daily? It consists of pounding on

the front, sides, and back of one's chest while laying in an inverted position

with the head lower than the rest of one's body. Having someone to help

do it is the best way, but I do a modified version when I'm alone. It

really helps me keep fluid from building up in my lungs. Keeping my acid

reflux under control is key for me, too, and exercising. I've had trouble

for two years now, but I believe it got a start six years ago when I

developed severe atypical (in my throat instead of the typical mid-chest

pain) acid reflux.

Rabbits make wonderful companions. Ours

have been lots of fun and are very affectionate. I didn't know they

could use litter boxes and live in the house till I joined the House Rabbit

Society. Have you heard of the House Rabbit Society? It's a

wonderful group of folks who have rabbits as house pets. The web site is www.rabbit.org. You'll find everything

you ever wanted to know about rabbits, fabulous adorable photographs of

adoptable bunnies, and meet other people who love rabbits, too. I've

belonged to HRS for many years and have made many rabbit-loving friends on-line.

There are many local chapters and a quarterly newsletter.

Best of luck to you,

Kay

Introduction

I joined this group right after I was diagnosed

November 18 so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 50, married, have a 19

yr old son in college, 3 cats and 2 rabbits.

I had pneumonia 15 years ago and have had trouble getting rid of the cough part

of a cold ever since. For the last two years I've coughed daily. A

year ago I saw a GP who gave me antibiotics after finding something on my xray

that might have been an infection. That didn't clear it up completely but

he said that my follow up xray looked good and if I still coughed that's just

the way my lungs are.

I'm on Advair now so according to the ads on TV, I should be ready to chase

grandkids. But from what I can tell, all it does is cause asthma. I

hardly ever wheezed before I started taking it but now I notice it all the

time.

My FEV1 result was 78% which puts me in the category of 'moderately reduced'

lung function. This shocks me. I don't notice a decrease in

function and the damage is only in one small part of my left lung. I work

out four or more times/week and my lungs are fine. My blood test results

were normal, all seven vials of them. But with the most important one,

the bacterial culture, not all the tests that were ordered were done (I assume

this means they didn't test for mycobacterium avium), so it must be

repeated. This isn't so easy. Now that I have my 'strange fruit'

acapella device I don't cough up as much as I used to.

I forgot to ask the doctor if having bronchiectasis means I have COPD.

Does it?

[Guest guest]

Kay, We did keep the rabbits indoors for a while. But it was a losing battle trying to keep every last cord out of their reach. And the female was a terror with carpeting, obsessed with tearing out the tufts. It was her relentless mission. Plus the two feral-born cats had a more than friendly interest in them. Now we let the buns run free in the backyard. They have plenty of hiding places, including a spacious enclosure we built for them in the corner. They've dug burrows. They seem quite happy. They make gardening quite a challenge!

I don't do chest percussion. My doctor didn't mention it. I've been coughing less lately. I'm not sure if its Advair or that the acapella device brought so much up the first few days that there's less infection now. I suspect that's the reason. I coughed up record amounts the day after I started using it.

And I still don't know what the bug is that might be in me. I'll have to wait until February for the results of the AFB smear. Nothing has grown so far but they're going to give it a few more weeks. I'm told that if something does start growing it will be sent elsewhere for identification and that process takes a few weeks too.

We might be neighbors. I live in , CA. Is that close to you?

====================================

Hi ,

I'm 61, live in Northern California, am married, have three daughters and six grandkids so far, a rescued abused rabbit, and a feral kitten who showed up in our side yard last June.

I hope you're doing OK with your lungs now. Do you do chest percussion daily? It consists of pounding on the front, sides, and back of one's chest while laying in an inverted position with the head lower than the rest of one's body. Having someone to help do it is the best way, but I do a modified version when I'm alone. It really helps me keep fluid from building up in my lungs. Keeping my acid reflux under control is key for me, too, and exercising. I've had trouble for two years now, but I believe it got a start six years ago when I developed severe atypical (in my throat instead of the typical mid-chest pain) acid reflux.

Rabbits make wonderful companions. Ours have been lots of fun and are very affectionate. I didn't know they could use litter boxes and live in the house till I joined the House Rabbit Society. Have you heard of the House Rabbit Society? It's a wonderful group of folks who have rabbits as house pets. The web site is www.rabbit.org . You'll find everything you ever wanted to know about rabbits, fabulous adorable photographs of adoptable bunnies, and meet other people who love rabbits, too. I've belonged to HRS for many years and have made many rabbit-loving friends on-line. There are many local chapters and a quarterly newsletter.

Best of luck to you,

Kay

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group, it’s a great way to be able to learn about this strange condition called bronchiectasis, which is one of the forms of COPD, as sputum build-up is often a cause of blocked airways.

We don’t have Advair in Aust (?), so can’t comment, but you’re on track with acapella & postural drainage (important chest is lower than hips, not necessarily the head - esp if you feel dizzy easily). Is Advair for asthma? – it seems common for docs to prescribe asthma meds for bronch, maybe they just don’t understand the disease well...talk to your doc – if a med isn’t helping you don’t need it, there’s lots choice.

Re FEV %, it is possible to have a lung removed and still not have much-reduced capacity, once the body has adapted, also I have heard alveoli can stretch to take up the extra surface area needed for O2 exchange.

More important is that infx isn’t left untreated – which causes decline in lung capacity, & increase of bronchiectasis. I was dx age 18 (now 56) but had symptoms since early childhood, and I’ve really had to do a lot of catching up to understand what is happening, finding myself hospitalised now for IV antibiotics 3 times last year! My capacity is definitely linked to infxn. I now do 2x 30min sessions/day of nebulised 6% saline which keeps secretions moving, prevents infx build-up (I apparently have many cysts throughout both lungs). Eg: I can walk up the quite steep hill where I live with relative ease compared to before, I puffed and wheezed, stopping to get my breath. When I sing I can now feel vibration. The only change in my lungs is they’re not plugged full of sputum & bacteria having a field day (for a decade!).

Having bronch isn’t all doom & gloom, & if you work out you’re a way in front!! Keep up the ex’s, activity, enjoying life, it’s the best thing to keep on top of it.

Hope you’re staying well in your cold part of winter... from hot and VERY wet wet wet tropical Oz, (having floods currently – live on a hill, we’re fine...)

cheers

joy

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

Was interested to hear about your 2 X 30 sessions with 6% saline, could you please enlighten me about this, as I am having trouble trying to get a lot of gunk off my chest in drainage periods. I was very interested in your letter. Could you please enlighten me.

Pam

To: "bronchiectasis " <bronchiectasis >Sent: Monday, 12 January, 2009 7:45:01 PMSubject: Re: Introduction

Hi ,Welcome to the group, it’s a great way to be able to learn about this strange condition called bronchiectasis, which is one of the forms of COPD, as sputum build-up is often a cause of blocked airways.We don’t have Advair in Aust (?), so can’t comment, but you’re on track with acapella & postural drainage (important chest is lower than hips, not necessarily the head - esp if you feel dizzy easily). Is Advair for asthma? – it seems common for docs to prescribe asthma meds for bronch, maybe they just don’t understand the disease well...talk to your doc – if a med isn’t helping you don’t need it, there’s lots choice.Re FEV %, it is possible to have a lung removed and still not have much-reduced capacity, once the body has adapted, also I have heard alveoli can stretch to take up the extra surface area needed for

O2 exchange.More important is that infx isn’t left untreated – which causes decline in lung capacity, & increase of bronchiectasis. I was dx age 18 (now 56) but had symptoms since early childhood, and I’ve really had to do a lot of catching up to understand what is happening, finding myself hospitalised now for IV antibiotics 3 times last year! My capacity is definitely linked to infxn. I now do 2x 30min sessions/day of nebulised 6% saline which keeps secretions moving, prevents infx build-up (I apparently have many cysts throughout both lungs). Eg: I can walk up the quite steep hill where I live with relative ease compared to before, I puffed and wheezed, stopping to get my breath. When I sing I can now feel vibration. The only change in my lungs is they’re not plugged full of sputum & bacteria having a field day (for a decade!).Having bronch isn’t all doom & gloom,

& if you work out you’re a way in front!! Keep up the ex’s, activity, enjoying life, it’s the best thing to keep on top of it. Hope you’re staying well in your cold part of winter... from hot and VERY wet wet wet tropical Oz, (having floods currently – live on a hill, we’re fine...)cheersjoy

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[Guest guest]

Hello,

I've been a member of this group for a little while now but haven't posted yet.

I've been married for 11 years and have two children. We've suspected my DH has

AS and finally had this confirmed very recently when my DH received a positive

diagnosis.

I always imagined that the diagnosis would be helpful. I feel like I've read

millions of books on AS/NT relationships and I was hopeful that we might be one

of the couples who feels liberated by the diagnosis and better armed to tackle

the problems in the relationship.

I'm so sad that this doesn't appear to be the case for us at all. I'm worried

that things have been bad for so long that nothing good can be recovered now.

My DH seems so angry all the time and life is just unhappy and miserable. I

really feel that he hates me and in many ways I feel we're only together because

of the children right now. Even that worries me because I know the atmosphere

is horrible at home and is terrible for the children.

I'd really love to hear from people who have managed to salvage some sort of

happiness from many difficult years. Does a diagnosis take a while to help

sometimes?

How do I get him to work at things? I feel that it's always me doing everything

and I'm just worn out and can't keep it up any more.

Thanks for reading this!

Pencil Tin.

[Guest guest]

wrote:

> Hi Everyone,

>

> I am a new member and have been reading here off and on for a few weeks now.

I am so happy to see a group where people come together to support each other, a

group which includes both AS and NT, and one that isn't filled with nothing but

angry, hostile people.

>

> My husband and I just celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. Tom got his

first unofficial diagnosis about three years ago. I say unofficial because the

therapist Tom was seeing had no experience with AS at all. We have read several

books on couples dealing with AS and I am confident this is what we are also

dealing with. Tom got the name of a therapist who has worked with AS kids,

adults and marriages, and we go to our first appointment in July.

>

> Our problems are really no different than anyone elses. My main issues with

Tom are lack of communication (I am a HUGE communicator! We used to openly

communicate before our marriage, but we did so much of it online as we both

worked for the same software company. ) and Tom has issues showing emotion. I

had an extremely difficult time when I became a stay at home, homeschooling mom

because I was stretched beyond my limits, and it was excruciating trying to get

Tom involved with the kids. Now that my two boys are out of the house and we

only have two girls at home, I can see how hard it was for Tom living in a

chaotic home with four kids, one adopted and with severe behavioral issues,

along with a son who was always difficult and hard to reach (not AS) and was

diagnosed with conduct disorder. My difficult son never opens up to anybody but

he is extremely social and has a large group of friends. He is also an

extrovert, class clown, etc. He is not AS. Now that it is just a fam

ily of four at home, I can see that it is easier for Tom having fewer kids. I

never knew he had AS, never knew how a quiet and controlled environment was so

important to him. But hindsight doesn't help our situation. We are now living

in a quieter, controlled household and it is really nice focusing on our

marriage again and having the time to even go out on dates together.

>

> We have had some horrible times, but Tom and I remain strong and dedicated to

each other. We plan to renew our wedding vows in two years for our 25th. He is

my best friend and I am his best friend. I can see, now, how important it is

for him especially that we take time to be alone and just focus on each other.

And I love our time alone together.

>

> Because Tom doesn't share openly, I have often times felt despair and felt as

though I was married to a stranger. He never understood this. He has always

said he takes our vows seriously and he is loyal to me. But when we were lost

in raising kids, two with behavioral issues, and stretched too thin taking care

of our ailing parents, we just both neglected each other. After a period of

time went by, when all the hard times seemed to have passed, I felt like our

marriage was dwindling away. Then I found out that Tom had caused a horrible

upset in our finances. Had I not intervened, I am onfident bankruptcy and

possibly the loss of our home were in the not too distant future. FOr what ever

reason, Tom has NEVER been good at paying bills and handling finances. He is a

brilliant man, can make wise investment decisions, knows all about the business

side of they why's and how's to do, but the simple aspect of paying bills and

having a budget is where he failed. He is incapable of

managing money. Even early in our marriage I remember getting shut off notices

from our utilities. I never understood this because he is so brilliant. He

took over paying the bills six years ago after I suffered a head injury, and

they were in a complete mess when I insisted I pay the bills from now on a few

months back. When I saw what a mess was made, how debts were at an unbelievable

amount, I was ready to leave. The lack of communication made me believe he was

leading a double life and spending away our money, even though he is home every

night by 5:30 like clockwork, and is home on weekends. He was shocked at my

assumptions, I was shocked that he didn't understand where I was coming from.

So now I have taken over paying all our bills and by this time next year, we

will be in a much more comfortable place. We won't be debt free yet, but we

will be well on our way. I have spent countless hours going through the credit

card histories and can find no spending on his part to

drive up our bills. I honestly don't know what happened, but I do remember

that even in the beginning of our marriage bill paying was not something he

could do. I have not read this is an AS thing, per se, and if anyone can share

some insight, I would greatly appreciate it.

>

> This last crisis is where I put my foot down and told Tom that we needed help.

Our previous pattern is that when I got distraught, he would become much more

attentive to me. When things were going well for awhile, he would back off.

Now in his defense, I truly do believe having four kids was just too much for

him. I am thankful for our kids, as is he, but I can see how much more relaxed

he is now with only two left at home. He was on sensory overload, too. Loud

noises are awful for him and recenty he had a hearing test. I was shocked when

he told me the woman administering the test said he had quite unusual hearing as

some of the sounds he heard were close to a ZERO decible level!!! I remember

how hard it was for him when he came home from work, tired after a full day and

a 45 mile commute each way, and we would be laughing and acting silly at home.

He didn't like it, and the kids didn't like him coming home grouchy. I started

to make sure it was quieter for him and that h

elped. This is just one example of having a larger family being hard on him.

With more kids there was more noise and more chaos. It was harder on Tom than I

realized.

>

> The kids always joked about how we would have one big fight per year, and that

fight would be quite a horrid one. Tom needed to retreat into his own world,

and I would get angry for him not being involved with me or the kids. Our

family has definitely suffered because Tom was not much of a father to his boys.

And too many times I was an angry wife. He is learning from his mistakes, as

am I, and he trying the best he can with them and with his girls now. And, he

is realizing that it is important to SHOW me that I am a priority in his life.

This is why we are looking forward to working with a therapist who knows AS

well.

>

> I know that if I hold Tom accountable and tell him I need time with him, he

will always give it to me. Sometimes I am too tired to have to ask for it.

Sometimes I resent having to be in that role. But the truth of the matter is

that we love to be with each other more than anything. Tom is, by far, the

most loyal husband I have ever seen. We look forward to growing old together.

I hope that the therapist can give us both tips and suggestions for making that

work easier.

>

> Sorry this got so long!

>

>

>

>

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

>

> " We each have our own way of living in the world, together we

are like a symphony.

> Some are the melody, some are the rhythm, some are the harmony

> It all blends together, we are like a symphony, and each part is crucial.

> We all contribute to the song of life. "

> ...Sondra

>

> We might not always agree; but TOGETHER we will make a difference.

>

> ASPIRES is a closed, confidential, moderated list.

> Responsibility for posts to ASPIRES lies entirely with the original author.

> Do NOT post mail off-list without the author's permission.

> When in doubt, please refer to our list rules at:

> http://www.aspires-relationships.com/info_rules.htm

> ASPIRES ~ Climbing the mountain TOGETHER

--

WD " Bill " Loughman - Berkeley, California USA

http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm

[Guest guest]

I just barely joined this group myself. I can relate to much of what you

have mentioned. I too am looking for ways to adjust accept and move on with

life. My husband has been self-diagnosed since my teen son was diagnosed at age

13 and is now 18.

We are approaching our 19th year anniversary. We have had our ups and downs. I

am learning to ask for what I need. I became severely depressed within a year

of my sons diagnosis.

I don't want to go to much into my life at the moment just wanted to let you

know that someone else is struggling to make the most of their marriage and make

it work.

[Guest guest]

spectator71 wrote:

> I just barely joined this group myself. I can relate to much

> of what you have mentioned. I too am looking for ways to adjust

> accept and move on with life. My husband has been self-diagnosed

> since my teen son was diagnosed at age 13 and is now 18.

>

> We are approaching our 19th year anniversary. We have had our ups

> and downs. I am learning to ask for what I need. I became severely

> depressed within a year of my sons diagnosis.

>

> I don't want to go to much into my life at the moment just wanted to

> let you know that someone else is struggling to make the most of

> their marriage and make it work.

Welcome, " spectator " !

I wanted to tell you that some of us AS here *have* been able to

achieve and *keep* very satisfactory marriages. Even after decades of

our own, ...uh, " ups and downs " .

- Bill AS ( " official " ), married 45 years

--

WD " Bill " Loughman - Berkeley, California USA

http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm