New to the Group

[Guest guest]

Welcome Barb you're gonna do great on WW and enjoy the

awesome side effects of getting health ...hm...like

losing weight

Kris

__________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Hello I too am a newbie, I hae lost 40 some lbs on

nutrisystem, but it wasn't always tasty, it's

expensive and not really realistic! I love cooking and

want to lose 50 more lbs. I did WW a long time ago,

moved a long distance and just forgot what I had

learned. I am 53 yrs old and am finally ready to get

back on track eat right, exercise and enjoy life. I am

looking forward to having all of you for support,

recipes and just plain old friends. Tahnks once again

for letting me be a part of your lives. cje

--- kris a projectkris@...> wrote:

> Welcome to the group pam and congrats on your losses

> thus far! Atkins works, just unrealistic. I lost

> 30lbs

> on it 2 years ago and it came rushing back and then

> some! I agree that ww is a much better way to go.

> I'm

> not on a diet..i'm living a new lifestyle:)

>

> Kris

>

>

>

>

> __________________________________

> Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

> http://mail.yahoo.com

>

Charlene

[Guest guest]

Welcome Charlene ur gonna love it

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[Guest guest]

Hi there,

I'm Debbie, mom to two children. is 7 and has a bilateral moderate

sensorinueral hearing loss and is 3 and is hearing (most of the time

;o).

We didn't discover 's loss until she was 2 1/2 and she was aided shortly

before she was three. 's language was far behind when we first discovered

her loss. We've tried a little bit of almost everything, some signing, speech

therapy, and Auditory Verbal Therapy. We've followed 's lead and we

consider her an oral child who knows a little sign and reads lips. She is

mainstreamed in our local school with the support of a Hearing Itinerent.

I think it's good that you are using some sign at this time. This will

definately help his level of frustration and it might help with his speaking.

You mentioned that his receptive language skills are a little behind, so you

know that something is getting through. Is he able to understand simple spoken

directions (no motions)? Does he interact with you or his therapists? Does it

look like he is trying to speak but may be unable to do so? If you know that

he is able to hear you and understand you, then you can look to other possible

reasons for his speech delay. I just read a little something about CHARGE and

it looks like developmental delays are sometimes a symptom. Are you currently

working with a speech therapist or if you plan on being more oral, an Auditory

Verbal Therapist. An AVT works with deaf/hard of hearing kids to teach them to

listen and talk. A speech therapist that works with mostly with children may

also be able to help you discover why

there may be an expressive delay.

I hope that someone is able to help you with the answers to your questions.

Debbie

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

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

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

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[Guest guest]

Our son is now 71/2. He has been aided since he was 3. He hated his

hearing aids until just this year. He would wear them while at school and

for therapies, while now he wears them most of the day. Although if there

is alot going on in the house (other kids over playing) he may turn them off

because the noise is loud to begin with and it is coming from all

directions. He makes noise (I call it his babbling) it is not any words...

although if he signs please, more and mama he will say them when he signs

them. It took us about 3 years of intensive speech therapy to get those

words and they aren't clear enough for most people to understand him but we

do. He also has the vowels and very few other letters. But again this is

after intensive speech therapy. We always sign (ASL signs) and speak when

we are talking so he hears the words with the sign, hoping that he will make

the connection and pick up more words. I don't think that you ever have to

give up verbal communication but you have to give the child a language that

they are able to communicate with.

I work in a D/HOH classroom that the children all sign and the majority of

the parents do not... it is very scary to think something could happen to

that child and they would not be able to communicate with the parent(s) what

happened. Or they can't tell them about the exciting things they learned or

saw at school.

you will decide which is best for you and your family and dive in!

kim mom to in FL

[Guest guest]

I agree it's sad that the parents don't learn sign. Growing up in

elementary school we had a few D/HOH kids- there was one boy I remember

clearly, his name was . His mom did not live in our county so he

stayed with his aunt during the week because our county was the closest

school system that had any kind of d/hoh program. But his aunt signed

very little and his mother didn't sign at all, this was a kid that I

remember wearing the old Body worn HA's. I always thought it was sad

that he couldn't really talk with his mom, and heck I was in like 4th

and 5th grade! I still remember signs from taking Sign Language after

school!!!! Very happy to know that I could at least pigeon communicate

with someone that is D/HOH!!!

Bottom line is it doesn't matter what mode of communication you choose,

but that you choose to communicate with your child in any way possible!

Robin

Memphis (melting hot) Mommy to Constance 6, Breanna 3 (mild HL, toe

walker, exploring AN) and is 2

RE: new to the group

Our son is now 71/2. He has been aided since he was 3. He hated his

hearing aids until just this year. He would wear them while at school

and

for therapies, while now he wears them most of the day. Although if

there

is alot going on in the house (other kids over playing) he may turn them

off

because the noise is loud to begin with and it is coming from all

directions. He makes noise (I call it his babbling) it is not any

words...

although if he signs please, more and mama he will say them when he

signs

them. It took us about 3 years of intensive speech therapy to get those

words and they aren't clear enough for most people to understand him but

we

do. He also has the vowels and very few other letters. But again this is

after intensive speech therapy. We always sign (ASL signs) and speak

when

we are talking so he hears the words with the sign, hoping that he will

make

the connection and pick up more words. I don't think that you ever have

to

give up verbal communication but you have to give the child a language

that

they are able to communicate with.

I work in a D/HOH classroom that the children all sign and the majority

of

the parents do not... it is very scary to think something could happen

to

that child and they would not be able to communicate with the parent(s)

what

happened. Or they can't tell them about the exciting things they learned

or

saw at school.

you will decide which is best for you and your family and dive in!

kim mom to in FL

[Guest guest]

My name is , I am 25 years old. I found this group last week

and woke up for the first time in years with Hope. Hope that I am

not the only one in the world with these issues and hope for a future

with relief.

I believe my problems started 5 years ago when I got on the pill in

college. I was not sexually active, but I suddenly thought I was

dying of some non-sexually transmitted disease. I was itchy,

swollen, couldn't wear tight pants, etc. Back and forth home on

holidays I would visit my OBGYN and get treatment for yeast

infection, bacterial infection, repeat. I graduated, got off the

pill, moved back home, and went back to the OBGYN a couple of times

before he told me I must just be allergic to something, so go home

and figure it out.

After months of trial and error I found a strict routine of very

limited brands of TP, feminine products, detergent, soap, etc. I

could mostly control the symptoms by being very carefully with this

routine.

Two-and-a-half years ago I got married (got an IUD this time- love

it! So much better than the pill). But since I am getting a lot

more " action down there, " I began having a lot more problems.

Naively I returned to the OBGYN and his PA and began another routine

of yeast\bacterial infection treatments in a repetitive loop, until I

got tired of not really having a solution and just stopped going. I

really don't think infection was truly the problem, but that's what

they kept treating me for.

Then one year ago I got pregnant and things went haywire (thus my

theory that this is hormone-related). Now products that had

previously been working no longer worked. I couldn't use my one

brand of toilet paper; I couldn't take baths; I went two straight

months without a day of relief from itching, burning, swelling, or

the like. I wrote my GYN who suggested I go see an allergist, since

this was out of his league.

The allergist (much more familiar with nasal\sinuses issues than

vaginal issues) ran a plethora of tests that established I am

officially not allergic to any food, tree, pollen, etc.

Unfortunately he couldn't test me for the ingredients in toilet

paper! But he did help me find a stricter routine that worked: wipe

only with 100% cotton cloth (cut-up handkerchiefs), wear men's boxers

and skirts for breathability, no baths, no soap, etc. This got me

through pregnancy, and I was slowly about to get back to wearing

women's underwear and pants!

A big part of me hoped I would wake up from giving birth and

magically be cured. But this was not to be. The allergist (who

admitted he had no clue, just theories) suggested a few months after

birth to begin experimenting with toilet paper again and hopefully

things would have calmed down.

My daughter is now 3 months old, and things are actually worse.

Certainly not better. The last three weeks I have been pretty

irritated despite my cotton toilet wipes and no soap, etc. I went

back to the allergist and he was completely befuddled. But God put

an article in his waiting room about vulvar vestibulitis, and after

some online research, I found this group! (The allergist said, maybe

call the TP companies and ask for an ingredient list, but he was

plumb out of ideas. Gave me a steroid cream that I am hesitant to

use, after reading on here that it can actually worsen the issue in

the long run.)

I went back to the GYN PA last week to have my new IUD checked and I

excitedly asked him about VV. He frowned and said it was a disease

diagnosed by the process of elimination, that it was mostly in post-

menopausal women, and that it was unlikely I had it. Okay, then why

do I have these unexplained, uncontrolled symptoms? What DO you

think I have? Why do I have pain with sex? Why can't I use toilet

paper? He didn't have any constructive advice, he just squashed my

theory. (I used a midwife for my birth, but still need a doctor for

some medical issues, and I feel a bit shunned by his staff when I go

there, but that is another debate.)

So I have begun the process of self-diagnosed via the internet.

Perhaps if I gather enough evidence and support and go to him (or

someone else in his practice) with a request for the treatment I

want, I can get some relief.

My husband's 26th birthday is tomorrow and I have been praying so

hard that I will feel healthy enough for sex. He has been

fantastically patient and gracious with this issue, but I surely do

want to be with him! (And I would one day like to go on vacation

without packing my own cloth toilet paper!!) So while I am currently

still itchy, burning, and occasionally swollen, I am so thankful to

have found this group, and I look forward to that day of relief!

[Guest guest]

, I am very glad you found this group. I dealt with VV for

several years with no idea what it was or that anyone else had it.

I have been working to get better for a long time and this group is

the best resource I have found, plus the only group of people who

actually understand what you are going through.

Take care,

>

> My name is , I am 25 years old. I found this group last week

> and woke up for the first time in years with Hope. Hope that I am

> not the only one in the world with these issues and hope for a future

> with relief.

[Guest guest]

I forgot to mention some of the things that have worked to give me

measures of relief:

1) BumGenius diaper sprayer- we cloth diaper our baby, so I got this

diaper spray which attaches to the toilet like a sink sprayer. It does

a wonder on poopy diapers, but the adjustable spray is also fantastic

for me to wash myself off after using the toilet.

2) Dreft baby detergent for undies, sheets, towels, toilet cloths, etc.

3) Dryer balls- these blue nubby balls work great in the dryer to make

my clothes soft and cut down on static, since I don't use fabric

softener.

4) Aveeno oatmeal soap

5) The Diva Cup for menstrual flow (a excellent alternative to tampons)

and also organic cotton menstrual pads from Many Moons Alternatives

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Congrats on finding some support! I know that I was thrilled to find

this group too. I spent my whole life with some issues from VVS and

only got dx by my midwife when my daughter was 6 mths old. I had

been asking 3 different drs about it for 7 years. My pain is 99%

contact pain and appears to be nearly gone or is gone. I got my

relief from physical therapy. The #1 thing that stopped most of my

issues was getting rid of underware!!! Then I had to do some skin

rolling. I well recognize that this is not the cure all for most and

that it is usually more complicated, but the easiest thing you can do

is to stop the underware. It cuts in on nerves, even though you can

barely feel it with the tighty whities. That was all it took for a

lifetime of pain for me. I wish you the best and know that there can

be light at the end of the tunnel!

Oh, one other thing, to rinse myself off after going to the bathroom,

I use my peri bottle from the hospital. It works great.

Take care,

in IL

[Guest guest]

,

It's fun to meet another young mom on here (although I'm sad you have

to be here). I am 27 and due any day now with my first. Sounds like

you are into all-natural things like cloth diapering, which is great!

We are using disposables at first but plan to switch to bum genius in

a few months.

I too, suffered for years and had lost hope till I found these

groups. Doctors unfortunately know very little and you will find many

on here more educated in V issues! I have lichen planus, a skin

condition that causes vulvar and vaginal inflammation, pain, and

atrophy. I have done most of my own research into therapies, as many

here have. I have tried a lot of things and it is always a lot of

trial and error. Most helpful to me have been topical estrogen, emu

oil for daily moisture, gluten-free diet, pelvic floor physical

therapy (which hubby learned how to do on me at home as well), and

other all-natural things like unbleached pads/tampons, getting off

hormonal birth control all-together, etc. My LP was triggered by the

Hep. B vaccine series. I will be starting homeopathic treatment in

October and am very excited as western medicine has so little to

offer to me at this point, as I am not interetsed in merely

suppressing symptoms with steroids.

Anyway, welcome! Glad you have found some hope!

Melinda

[Guest guest]

,

Hi,

I have had different problems with itching etc. It was in remission for a long time.

I took antibotics and it started again. I have been reading all the posts, suggestions that have helped all the other ladies out there.

I am in IL. too. I am about 50 miles south of Chicago.

Donna

To: VulvarDisorders From: ocnstuff@...Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 21:07:01 +0000Subject: Re: New to the Group

Hi ,Congrats on finding some support! I know that I was thrilled to find this group too. I spent my whole life with some issues from VVS and only got dx by my midwife when my daughter was 6 mths old. I had been asking 3 different drs about it for 7 years. My pain is 99% contact pain and appears to be nearly gone or is gone. I got my relief from physical therapy. The #1 thing that stopped most of my issues was getting rid of underware!!! Then I had to do some skin rolling. I well recognize that this is not the cure all for most and that it is usually more complicated, but the easiest thing you can do is to stop the underware. It cuts in on nerves, even though you can barely feel it with the tighty whities. That was all it took for a lifetime of pain for me. I wish you the best and know that there can be light at the end of the tunnel! Oh, one other thing, to rinse myself off after going to the bathroom, I use my peri bottle from the hospital. It works great. Take care, in IL Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. Learn Now

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the warm welcome, ladies.

Lindsey (or anyone)- You said Estrace works wonders for you. Is this

a cream or pill or what? My brother is a pharmacist, so I'm always

asking him questions, so I'll ask about this. From a brief look online

this seems contra-indicated during breastfeeding, but I'll ask him.

I have started some very preliminary self- PT exercises (from the File

section of this site- thanks!!) and they are offering some help so far!

Melinda, I wish you a joyful and healthy delivery! If you want to talk

mommy things and cloth diapers, drop me an e-mail anytime!

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have a question about how you actually go about underwear-free.

Do you only wear skirts?

What about light vaginal discharge?

Do you ever wonder about sitting on something dirty?

Sometimes I wear a skirt of couple of times before washing it, I

supposed you wash your skirts\pants every day?

I have spent quite a bit of time panty-free around the house, but

I've never dared to do it out and about.

Just curious,

[Guest guest]

Sara,

Estrace as used for hormone replacement (a full gram inserted

vaginally) would be contraindicated during breastfeeding. We only use a

tiny amount (about a pea-sized drop) rubbed into the vulva, not even

inserted vaginally. It is not absorbed systemically, just nourishes the

skin. Thought I'd let you know since your brother (and most

pharmacists) are unaware of the way that estrogen is used in this off-

label way.

=)

Melinda