I'm new to the group

May 29, 2001

--- alanlisa5@... wrote:

> Hello, I'm new to this group, I have autoimmune

> hepatitis and was

> diagnosed in April of 1999. I have never met or

> talked to anyone

> with my disease before. Does anyone live in

> Illinois?

>

> , In Illinois

>

>HELLO LISA

I LIVE IN IL. A SMALL TOWN NEAR SPRINGFIELD. I USE

ST JOHS HOSP. AND THE SIU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN

SPRINGFIELD.

I WAS DIAGNOSED 1 MO AGO. I JUST FUND THIS SITE

RECENTLY AND I REALLY LIKE IT. I FIND IT A COMFORT

KNOWING THER ARE OTHERS OUT THERE WILLING TO SHARE

INFO ON AIH.

WELCOME TO THE GROUP. IF I CAN HELP JUST ASK AND IF

I DONT KNOW THERE WILL BE SOMEONE ELSE WHO WILL.

MARY ANN IN ILLINOIS

__________________________________________________

May 29, 2001

Hi , welcome to the group! You will find everyone here is very caring

and full of information. I am also from Illinois---the Quad-City area (just

across the Mississippi River from Iowa) and was diagnosed with AIH in January

of this year, and earlier this month was told I have an overlapping diagnosis

of autoimmune cholangitis. I was scared silly until I found this group and

thank God every day for these wonderful people.

Where in Illinois are you from?

AIH (01/01)

May 29, 2001

--- Ann Long <mimigrits@...> wrote:

>

> --- alanlisa5@... wrote:

> > Hello, I'm new to this group, I have autoimmune

> > hepatitis and was

> > diagnosed in April of 1999. I have never met or

> > talked to anyone

> > with my disease before. Does anyone live in

> > Illinois?

> >

> > , In Illinois

> >

> >HELLO LISA

> I LIVE IN IL. A SMALL TOWN NEAR SPRINGFIELD. I

> USE

> ST JOHS HOSP. AND THE SIU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN

> SPRINGFIELD.

> I WAS DIAGNOSED 1 MO AGO. I JUST FUND THIS SITE

> RECENTLY AND I REALLY LIKE IT. I FIND IT A COMFORT

> KNOWING THER ARE OTHERS OUT THERE WILLING TO SHARE

> INFO ON AIH.

> WELCOME TO THE GROUP. IF I CAN HELP JUST ASK AND

> IF

> I DONT KNOW THERE WILL BE SOMEONE ELSE WHO WILL.

>

> WHAT MEDS ARE YOU ON?HOW ARE YOU FEELING? I STARTED

30MG PREDNISNOE APR 1ST NOW DOWN TO 25MG AND 50MG

IMURAN.IM FEELING GOOD BUT I HADNT BEEN FEELING

ILL.EXCEPT FOR CHRONIC ANEMIA THE LAST 12 MO.

MARY ANN IN ILLINOIS

>

> __________________________________________________

>

March 14, 2002

Welcome Cath,

I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. ;( After I lost my grama (the

light of my life) my thyroid went up to 9. Stress and depression can

elevate the thyroid. I, too, was on anti-depressants and there's no

shame in that for sure. It seems like you have a handle on your health

by educating yourself and that's cool. Keep in touch and take care.

Love,

Reneé and Jerry

rja86@...

March 15, 2002

Hi Cath,

I am new to this group also. My sympathies for the

loss of your mum.

My symptoms got worse following stress at work and the

traumatic death of my uncle I was very close to and

the following coroners inquest. I became depressed and

I never got it treated but I changed jobs and moved

from home which is when I was diagnosed. I don't think

I would have had a diagnosis if I had stayed where I

was as they would have put the symptoms down to

everything else I had gone through and was still going

through so I dread to think what I would be feeling

like now if I hadn't got diagnosed and treated.

I have found useful information from the group so far

and I have only been here a week. Thanks to everyone

so far.

Take Care,

Ali (spindrift)

--- katrusha99 <katrusha99@...> wrote:

<HR>

<tt>

Hi everyone,

I was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few weeks

ago and was

started on Synthroid at .05. & nbsp; The lab's 'normal'

range is .38 to 5.5

and my result was 10.

My long term symptoms were mostly tiredness and

feeling overheated. & nbsp;

My hands and feet would get cold on occasion but

mostly I felt too

hot. & nbsp; I'm overweight to begin with so summers

were a killer. & nbsp; I've

had a few major depressive episodes and been treated

with anti-

depressants. & nbsp; In the past 5 years I've come to

the conclusion my

brain chemistry just slips back down again if I go off

the

medication so I've been taking it regularly since

then. & nbsp; Depression

runs in my family.

In January I was in a major car accident - but very

lucky to come

out with only bruises and soreness - and my mom died

just three days

later. & nbsp; It was within a week or more of that when

I started to

notice fluid retention. & nbsp; At first I thought it

was an unusual side

effect from a heartburn med my doctor had me on but we

switched meds

and it only worsened. & nbsp; He put me on a diuretic

and advised me to

take a couple of weeks off to rest. & nbsp; In just

three days I had

dropped 18.5 lbs and in a week I was down 27 lbs -

just fluid! & nbsp; By

then he had the test results that indicated

hypothyroidism.

I've found that fluid retention comes back quite

easily if I don't

keep my salt intake very low. & nbsp; Basically I take

the diuretics 3 days

on, 1 day off if I want to maintain most of the fluid

loss. & nbsp;

It was actually quite a relief to get the diagnosis

cause at least I

knew something was really wrong and I was hopeful that

once I got

the drug up to my proper level that I'd be feeling

fine again. & nbsp; Now

I realize that may not be the case. & nbsp; I've read

Shomon's book

and visited her excellent site and I'm joining this

group to learn

more about how people cope and the differences in

symptoms, etc. & nbsp;

I've read some of the archived messages and found a

remarkable range

of what people endure.

I've guessed my hypothyroidism was probably set up by

long term

stress (my mom had leukemia for almost 5 yrs and I've

had

depression) and then triggered by the combined

stresses of my car

accident and mom's death.

But I'm curious to know if I've got Hashimoto's

disease so I'm

thinking about asking my doctor if I can get tested

for that. & nbsp; I

gather there are more health concerns if its

Hashimoto's.

Thanks for letting me introduce myself. & nbsp; I look

forward to learning

more and welcome any comments.

Cath

(katrusha99)

</tt>

<td align=center><font size= " -1 "

color=#003399>

March 15, 2002

Cath,

The dosage you're on now is pretty low. I'm currently taking .137 of

Levothroid. When I was taking Synthroid I was taking .150 and, when I

was pregnant, my dosage was increased to .2 (pregnancy puts more

stress on the thyroid gland).

Please accept my sincerest condolences on the death of your mother. I

understand what you're going through. I got depressed after my mother

died (of lung cancer) in 1990 and I also had to take an

antidepressant. Depression also runs in my family (my father committed

suicide), but that was the first time I ever had to take medication

for it. Since then I've been off and on antidepressants depending on

what was going on in my life. For instance, I had to go on them again

after my business failed. Please try to be gentle to yourself and to

also find some grief counseling. I found that counseling or therapy

helps a great deal in coping with loss. It's also good to do some

regular stress-reducing technique such as meditation. Daily exercise

is also one of the best ways to help yourself. I run and do weight

training.

I have Hashimoto's so that is what I'm most familiar with. I was first

diagnosed over 20 years ago and never even suspected that I had a

thyroid problem. There are some good doctors out there who understand

thyroid, but sometimes they can be hard to find.

Much aloha,

Celeste

Cath wrote:

> Hi everyone,

>

> I was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few weeks ago and was

> started on Synthroid at .05. The lab's 'normal' range is .38 to 5.5

> and my result was 10.

>

> My long term symptoms were mostly tiredness and feeling overheated.

> My hands and feet would get cold on occasion but mostly I felt too

> hot. I'm overweight to begin with so summers were a killer. I've

> had a few major depressive episodes and been treated with anti-

> depressants. In the past 5 years I've come to the conclusion my

> brain chemistry just slips back down again if I go off the

> medication so I've been taking it regularly since then. Depression

> runs in my family.

>

> In January I was in a major car accident - but very lucky to come

> out with only bruises and soreness - and my mom died just three days

> later. It was within a week or more of that when I started to

> notice fluid retention. At first I thought it was an unusual side

> effect from a heartburn med my doctor had me on but we switched meds

> and it only worsened. He put me on a diuretic and advised me to

> take a couple of weeks off to rest. In just three days I had

> dropped 18.5 lbs and in a week I was down 27 lbs - just fluid! By

> then he had the test results that indicated hypothyroidism.

>

> I've found that fluid retention comes back quite easily if I don't

> keep my salt intake very low. Basically I take the diuretics 3 days

> on, 1 day off if I want to maintain most of the fluid loss.

>

> It was actually quite a relief to get the diagnosis cause at least I

> knew something was really wrong and I was hopeful that once I got

> the drug up to my proper level that I'd be feeling fine again. Now

> I realize that may not be the case. I've read Shomon's book

> and visited her excellent site and I'm joining this group to learn

> more about how people cope and the differences in symptoms, etc.

> I've read some of the archived messages and found a remarkable range

> of what people endure.

>

> I've guessed my hypothyroidism was probably set up by long term

> stress (my mom had leukemia for almost 5 yrs and I've had

> depression) and then triggered by the combined stresses of my car

> accident and mom's death.

>

> But I'm curious to know if I've got Hashimoto's disease so I'm

> thinking about asking my doctor if I can get tested for that. I

> gather there are more health concerns if its Hashimoto's.

>

November 26, 2002

Hello! I'm Amy...my to (6) who has poly.

We live in Eugene, Oregon.

She has battled this disease since she was 2 years old.

Currently on Mtx.

Welcome to the group!

Amy

Mother to 6, turns 5 on Thanksgiving day, and Maddie (3)

*Inside every little girl is the wise and gentle spirit of a woman of God*

*Inside every little boy is the compassion and strength of a man of God*

November 26, 2002

Hi ,

Welcome to the group. I'm sorry that another child has been

diagnised with JRA. I have a 4 year old daughter with Poly JRA too.

She was diagnosed this time last year. Does she have a positive ANA?

I'm glad your daughter is doing well. Cheyanne is doing pretty good

as well, especially compared to this time last year when she was

first diagnosed. I was glad to find this group also, it made me feel

like I wasn't all alone anymore dealing with this.

Hugs,

& Chey4 Poly

> Hi, I am , mom of (8), poly JRA, since march this

> year.

> I want to introduce myself, I have been reading for a while, I was

> really afraid to join, kind of feel it is a big step for me this

> sharing thing. I hope I can learn a lot from your experiences.

> I feel so many times that I don't have anybody I know going

through

> the same situation, so I don't like to overwhelm people with my

> daughter's illness, so perhaps now, I'll be able to find people

who

> can really understand what we go through.

> Overall, I feel grateful that is well taken care by her

> doctors and Rheumy team, and seems that they spotted her disease

> right in the beginning (at least that's what we think so), and

she's

> been doing very well so far, but if you know the feeling, I'm

always

> fearful of how our next day will be, I try to take one day at a

> time, but sometimes it's difficult.

> Thanks for reading, and so far I've found all your contributions

> very interesting.

>

November 26, 2002

you named your daughter claudia also? ok was almost going to be my name but i refused when my hubby told me lolol i know we named our son after both grand fathers and my hubby sometimes it does get confusing have to ask which one young or older one so when came along i knew i wasnt going to have my name on her so when it came to the day to name her my hubby named her from on days of our lives and her middle name is my middle name lololol

she still gets the tag of little Robbin though my hubby will call her Robbin then say wait lolol guess dads have fun like that to

how do you keep the names straight?

welcome to the group here its like a extra family to help each other

and sometimes its good to run from one to this one lololol

we all have been down the road or going down that road or find a new one and want to tell each other so feel free to let it rip lololol

have a good day

Robbin

November 26, 2002

Welcome to the group Amy

how are yall doing?

Robbin

November 26, 2002

Hi ,

Thanks for the welcome. Sorry to hear about your daughter too, but glad to hear that she's doing good. doesn't have a positive ANA. Do you know if this means she might eventually get one? She is on Naprosyn twice a day and Mtx (and Folic Acid), and we have an appointment tomorrow with the Rheumy, hope it turns out good. She has complained of little pain lately, so I'm guessing that lowering her medication is out of the question. I'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks again, and the best for you,

Hi , Welcome to the group. I'm sorry that another child has been diagnised with JRA. I have a 4 year old daughter with Poly JRA too. She was diagnosed this time last year. Does she have a positive ANA? I'm glad your daughter is doing well. Cheyanne is doing pretty good as well, especially compared to this time last year when she was first diagnosed. I was glad to find this group also, it made me feel like I wasn't all alone anymore dealing with this. Hugs, & Chey4 Poly

Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.

November 26, 2002

Hi Robbin,

I have a good excuse for naming my daughter the same as me. We just ran out of names ideas! I have 5 kids, and at the end, after having thought about it during previous pregnancies, we decided finally to name our two youngests, after mom and after dad (my 6 year old). So we don't get mixed up, we just add a short nick after the name and that solves it, as in , Claud-ita, and in , Jorg-ito (it will work out for a while I guess) lol.

Thank you very much for your welcome, I feel good already. Thanks for listening, I hope I can learn from your experiences.

The best for you too,

Soto-Eugenin

From: Robbin40@... Reply- Subject: Re: I'm new to the group Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 07:42:03 EST

you named your daughter claudia also? ok was almost going to be my name but i refused when my hubby told me lolol i know we named our son after both grand fathers and my hubby sometimes it does get confusing have to ask which one young or older one so when came along i knew i wasnt going to have my name on her so when it came to the day to name her my hubby named her from on days of our lives and her middle name is my middle name lololol she still gets the tag of little Robbin though my hubby will call her Robbin then say wait lolol guess dads have fun like that to how do you keep the names straight? welcome to the group here its like a extra family to help each other and sometimes its good to run from one to this one lololol we all have been down the road or going down that road or find a new one and want to tell each other so feel free to let it rip lololol have a good day Robbin MSN 8 helps ELIMINATE E-MAIL VIRUSES. Get 2 months FREE*.

November 26, 2002

Welcome, . Stick around - lots of people here know a lot about

jra and we are always a welcome ear to vent to. We all know how you

feel. Michele (mom to 15,pauci & spondy)

I'm new to the group

Hi, I am , mom of (8), poly JRA, since march this

year.

I want to introduce myself, I have been reading for a while, I was

really afraid to join, kind of feel it is a big step for me this

sharing thing. I hope I can learn a lot from your experiences.

I feel so many times that I don't have anybody I know going through

the same situation, so I don't like to overwhelm people with my

daughter's illness, so perhaps now, I'll be able to find people who

can really understand what we go through.

Overall, I feel grateful that is well taken care by her

doctors and Rheumy team, and seems that they spotted her disease

right in the beginning (at least that's what we think so), and she's

been doing very well so far, but if you know the feeling, I'm always

fearful of how our next day will be, I try to take one day at a

time, but sometimes it's difficult.

Thanks for reading, and so far I've found all your contributions

very interesting.

November 27, 2002

Amy,

Welcome to our lil group:) And Happy B-day to your son born on Thanksgiving what a wonderful gift. Keep posting! I have a son whom has poly also so we have something in common and the fact we are mommies whom are concerned with the welfare of their kids:) Takce care

Bye,

Sel & (poly 13)

November 27, 2002

>

>Hello! I'm Amy...my to (6) who has poly.

>We live in Eugene, Oregon.

>She has battled this disease since she was 2 years old.

>Currently on Mtx.

>

>Welcome to the group!

>Amy

>Mother to 6, turns 5 on Thanksgiving day, and Maddie (3)

>*Inside every little girl is the wise and gentle spirit of a woman of God*

>*Inside every little boy is the compassion and strength of a man of God*

November 28, 2002

Sel,

Hello! Thanks.! I'm not new! But I'll take a welcome

anyway. I was send that to the new lady . I think it

went through twice. The computer must of missed up.

Thanks for the birthday wishes!!! He is excited about turning 5. It

isn't my son who has JRA. My 6 year old daughter has poly.

~Amy

Amy,

Welcome to our lil group:) And Happy B-day to your son born on

Thanksgiving what a wonderful gift. Keep posting! I have a son whom

has poly also so we have something in common and the fact we are mommies

whom are concerned with the welfare of their kids:) Takce care

Bye,

Sel & (poly 13)

Mother to 6, turns 5 on Thanksgiving day, and

Maddie (3)

*Inside every little girl is the wise and gentle spirit of a woman

of God*

*Inside every little boy is the compassion and strength of a man of

God*

November 30, 2002

> Hi ,

How did things go at the Rheumy visit? I don't think she'll get a

postitive ANA after testing negative for it. I've never heard of it

happening anyway. What joints bother your daughter the most? Mine

complains mostly about her knees. Hope everything is going allright.

Hugs,

& Chey4 Poly

November 30, 2002

Hi ,

Thanks for asking! The Rheumy visit went fantastic. They found no swelling of joints compromised, so they think she is in remission. She's even out of her wrists splints (she used them at night time), and even in no need for special exercises. So what a Christmas gift I got this year! She's gonna still be on her usual medication, because you know how tricky it can be, leaving the medications anyway gets me nervous, so I don't think they are planning to do that still. They'll check on her in three more months, and from there we'll see. Her blood work came back normal. She stills complain a bit on her ankles and/or knees, every know and then, but she's been more active these days, I really think we're leaving the pains behind for now.

I wish now that it can get this good for everyone else, sincerely I wish you the best for Chey and all of you.

My prayers will go for you,

(8)Poly

Re: I'm new to the group

> Hi ,How did things go at the Rheumy visit? I don't think she'll get a postitive ANA after testing negative for it. I've never heard of it happening anyway. What joints bother your daughter the most? Mine complains mostly about her knees. Hope everything is going allright.Hugs, & Chey4 Poly

November 30, 2002

Hi ,

How nice, to read the message about how well your daughter is doing at this time. I hope that things continue to remain stable for a very long time ... or get even better : )

Aloha,

Georgina

----- Original Message -----

From: Soto

Hi ,

Thanks for asking! The Rheumy visit went fantastic. They found no swelling of joints compromised, so they think she is in remission. She's even out of her wrists splints (she used them at night time), and even in no need for special exercises. So what a Christmas gift I got this year! She's gonna still be on her usual medication, because you know how tricky it can be, leaving the medications anyway gets me nervous, so I don't think they are planning to do that still. They'll check on her in three more months, and from there we'll see. Her blood work came back normal. She stills complain a bit on her ankles and/or knees, every know and then, but she's been more active these days, I really think we're leaving the pains behind for now.

I wish now that it can get this good for everyone else, sincerely I wish you the best for Chey and all of you.

My prayers will go for you,

(8)Poly

December 1, 2002

Hi Georgina,

Thanks for the nice thoughts. I extend the good wishes for all of you and your loved ones.

I'm praying for the stability as well.

Best regards,

Re: Re: I'm new to the group

Hi ,

How nice, to read the message about how well your daughter is doing at this time. I hope that things continue to remain stable for a very long time ... or get even better : )

Aloha,

Georgina

----- Original Message -----

From: Soto

Hi ,

Thanks for asking! The Rheumy visit went fantastic. They found no swelling of joints compromised, so they think she is in remission. She's even out of her wrists splints (she used them at night time), and even in no need for special exercises. So what a Christmas gift I got this year! She's gonna still be on her usual medication, because you know how tricky it can be, leaving the medications anyway gets me nervous, so I don't think they are planning to do that still. They'll check on her in three more months, and from there we'll see. Her blood work came back normal. She stills complain a bit on her ankles and/or knees, every know and then, but she's been more active these days, I really think we're leaving the pains behind for now.

I wish now that it can get this good for everyone else, sincerely I wish you the best for Chey and all of you.

My prayers will go for you,

(8)Poly

March 17, 2003

Gwen,

Feeling scared is probably a very normal feeling - personally I felt

like a cat anticipating a bath, and if you've every tried to give a

cat a bath, you'll appreciate exactly the emotion. As in, has

anyone seen the pigs flying yet??

I can only speak for myself on pain, but I went through a month of

NO pain because I'd had three epidural steriod injections. But the

injury was still there, and I definitely feel it now. Some days are

pretty good, and other days can be downright awful - I wouldn't

interpret the presence or lack of pain as a sure sign. One of our

new members has no pain and a very serious neck condition that has

to be treated by a neurosurgeon.

I'm sure others here will tell you that the quality of the doctor

who treats you is everything - along with large groups of praying

friends (at least for me!). You don't want someone who's really a

car mechanic (no offense, my mechanic is #2 on my

official " boyfriend " list, following my carpenter boyfriends - and

yes my husband knows about my extensive list of " boyfriends " - it

means that much less on the honeydo list for him) dinking around

with your spinal cord!

I'm having surgery this Thurs. for L4 & 5, and I can honestly say I'm

not scared anymore - the neurosurgeon is awesome, and I have

complete confidence in the hospital I'll be in, plus my husband,

daughter, mom, sister and best friend from forever will all be

there. Plus I've gotten out of all housework for 6 months now, and

looks like a good roll for another 6 months. ;^)

This support group is great - good information, good laughs just

when you need it, and amazing support.

> Hello everyone,

>

> I am new to this group. Friday I discovered that I have a lage

> herniated disc in my L5. And my L4 is in bad shape. Little

numbness

> in foot. Now I am not in any pain right now, as long as i watch

the

> way i move, just be careful. Does that mean that i am getting

> better? Today I started to do the low back excerises to

> strengthen.

> My current doctor is recommending surgery and sending me to a

spinal

> specialist. I am not going to beat around the bush here, I AM

SCARED.

> I do not want surgery. My current Dr. says that Pyhsical Therapy

> will not work but to discuss it with my new Dr.

> I am the stay at home & homeschool Mom. The youngest is 2, a

very

> active boy. I also have an 11 year old and a 7 year old.

> I haven't been sleeping very good since i found out, worried to

> much.

>

> Well Thanks for listening

>

> Gwen

March 17, 2003

Gwen,

Feeling scared is probably a very normal feeling - personally I felt

like a cat anticipating a bath, and if you've every tried to give a

cat a bath, you'll appreciate exactly the emotion. As in, has

anyone seen the pigs flying yet??

I can only speak for myself on pain, but I went through a month of

NO pain because I'd had three epidural steriod injections. But the

injury was still there, and I definitely feel it now. Some days are

pretty good, and other days can be downright awful - I wouldn't

interpret the presence or lack of pain as a sure sign. One of our

new members has no pain and a very serious neck condition that has

to be treated by a neurosurgeon.

I'm sure others here will tell you that the quality of the doctor

who treats you is everything - along with large groups of praying

friends (at least for me!). You don't want someone who's really a

car mechanic (no offense, my mechanic is #2 on my

official " boyfriend " list, following my carpenter boyfriends - and

yes my husband knows about my extensive list of " boyfriends " - it

means that much less on the honeydo list for him) dinking around

with your spinal cord!

I'm having surgery this Thurs. for L4 & 5, and I can honestly say I'm

not scared anymore - the neurosurgeon is awesome, and I have

complete confidence in the hospital I'll be in, plus my husband,

daughter, mom, sister and best friend from forever will all be

there. Plus I've gotten out of all housework for 6 months now, and

looks like a good roll for another 6 months. ;^)

This support group is great - good information, good laughs just

when you need it, and amazing support.

> Hello everyone,

>

> I am new to this group. Friday I discovered that I have a lage

> herniated disc in my L5. And my L4 is in bad shape. Little

numbness

> in foot. Now I am not in any pain right now, as long as i watch

the

> way i move, just be careful. Does that mean that i am getting

> better? Today I started to do the low back excerises to

> strengthen.

> My current doctor is recommending surgery and sending me to a

spinal

> specialist. I am not going to beat around the bush here, I AM

SCARED.

> I do not want surgery. My current Dr. says that Pyhsical Therapy

> will not work but to discuss it with my new Dr.

> I am the stay at home & homeschool Mom. The youngest is 2, a

very

> active boy. I also have an 11 year old and a 7 year old.

> I haven't been sleeping very good since i found out, worried to

> much.

>

> Well Thanks for listening

>

> Gwen

March 17, 2003

Gwen

> I am new to this group.

Welcome, and sorry you have to be here.

> Friday I discovered that I have a lage

> herniated disc in my L5. And my L4 is in bad shape. Little numbness

> in foot. Now I am not in any pain right now, as long as i watch the

> way i move, just be careful. Does that mean that i am getting

> better?

That you are not in pain is good. The numbness in your foot, is it

tingling? You need to see a neurosurgeon. I don't know what type

of doctors you have, but only a neurosurgeon should say you need

surgery. An EMG should be performed to see if there are any other

places where your nerves are having problems. As a test, when your

legs are not covered, take an old hairbrush and gently run it up and

down your leg, and over the numb place on your foot. You should

be able to 'feel' the difference. Wherever you 'feel' the sensation is

somewhat lacking, that may be where a nerve might be compressed

by the disc material expelled.

>Today I started to do the low back excerises to

> strengthen.

Always good. If the exercises hurt, ask to be put in aqua therapy.

Less impact, but same workout.

> My current doctor is recommending surgery and sending me to a spinal

> specialist. I am not going to beat around the bush here, I AM SCARED.

> I do not want surgery. My current Dr. says that Pyhsical Therapy

> will not work but to discuss it with my new Dr.

Do NO surgery without speaking with a neurosurgeon.

> I am the stay at home & homeschool Mom. The youngest is 2, a very

> active boy. I also have an 11 year old and a 7 year old.

> I haven't been sleeping very good since i found out, worried to

> much.

>

If you end up having surgery, there will be a minimum of a month of

recovery time. Hospital stays range from 2 days to a week. It depends

on the surgery. I hope you have a husband to take over the kid duties for

a while.

joe (not a doctor, just a patient who has been cut on twice)

March 17, 2003