1 November 2001

Happy November Birthday To:

05 - Sheryl  - SherylKir

10 – Dusti - Chantelle

11 – George - Magyardad1

15 – Amanda Leanne

Because we respect the privacy of our friends we do not give out e-mail addresses unless specifically asked to do so. Please stop by our message board to post your birthday wishes! And a note to you birthday people! Don't forget to check the message board to get all your well-wishes soon - birthday posts are removed after one month in order to conserve space!

Topics,Topics,Topics!!!  We have gotten some feedback about topics, but would like to hear more.  This is your group and we really need to know what direction to take it in.  Please either email me or post on the message board at http://pub54.ezboard.com/fchronnieschatfrm1 . 

 Thanks for your input. - Debbie

Stayin' alive – From Terry M

I know I have been MIA on the boards and chats lately. This was in part a technical problem, as a virus put my computer out of commission for a couple of weeks. (I had to wipe it clean and start all over). But I was also making some changes in my lifestyle. About a month ago I went to see a new Gastroenterologist. After reviewing my medical history, he said I was at a crossroads. Besides being 50 years old, I had a major illness which was greatly affecting my life. I had never thought about the Crohn's in this manner before, and his comment about being at a crossroads really got me thinking. I will get back to what the doctor and I decided to about the Crohn's in a little while.

When I got home from the doctor I sat down and thought about my life, as it was now and as it had been BC (Before Crohn's). I decided I really didn't like my life now, but there were some things I could do about that. Most of you know I was a teacher, and I really miss being around children. So I decided to start volunteering a couple of hours each morning at the Child Development Center at the University where my wife teaches. This is an all day four year old program. And  I knew I wasn't getting much exercise, it being hard to just walk most of the time. However, since my wife likes to walk I also decided to walk a mile with her every evening, thus getting me exercise and more time with her. In order to do these things I needed to feel better, so I have had my pain medication increased. I am now taking the Oxycontin every 8 hours instead of every twelve. This gives me a few hours after each dose when I can move about. (And no, it still doesn't get me high, and doesn't even last until the next dose.)

With this new schedule most of my energy was being used up in my new activities, so my time on the computer was limited. And it was shortly there after that the virus took me off line. By the time I got it back on line, I was used to not using it so much, and thus my absence from the chats, etc. And of course the Sept. 11th tragedy happened, which also set us all to thinking. (I did read the most recent newsletter and thought Diane expressed some of my thoughts exactly.) During  this "think time" I have come up with several things to write about, including a one act play. But my brain is usually too muddled or tired to do much actual writing. So I just have a list of things, which I intend to get to later.

After a few weeks of my new schedule I realized that my body was not going to allow me to continue much longer. Even on the high doses of Oxycontin, the pain was tough to deal with at times. And as much as I enjoy being around the kids, and as much as they raise my spirit, they were also draining me. So now it is back to the Gastro guy and what we decided. After a few tests, we figured the only options I had were trying the Remicade again, or surgery. My surgeon was against any more surgery unless absolutely necessary, so Remicade it is. I will have the infusion next Tuesday. If nothing comes of this, I am not sure what will happen. At this point I am not thinking beyond then, but only having good thoughts that it will help me.

I thank all of you who have read this far in the epistle. As I said I haven't written much for a while and thought this might be a good opportunity to that while catching up with some good friends. I won't tell you how long it took to write this, but just be glad there is a spell checker on my e-mail. I hope to be able to get back to the boards and chats, but still need to re-arrange my daily routine a little bit more. So take care and good health to all,

Tom's Recommended Links:

http://www.dogpile.com  is a fairly new search engine, and works very well.  I first heard about it last winter from a co-worker that liked it so much  he made it his home page.

http://www.freeality.com/maps.htm has ALL kinds of maps, and satellite pics too.  I've just started exploring it, but for me at least, it's going to be used a lot I think.  You can NEVER can have enough maps I've always thought ;)

For Fun,  http://www.go2sleep.be    This is a GREAT one, I love it!

And this link from Sheila: http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/games/chicken.htm .  These are the coolest games....start with the 'chicken" one!

BIG FANFARE!!!

Chronnies Chatter of the Month

Terry M.

Our Chatter of the Month is someone who has been thru so much in his life and can express a feeling so well thru the written word.  We don't see him much but he stays in touch.  It is with pleasure that we announce Terry M. as our chatter of the month.  Some of you may not know him, he is not able to make all the chats, but he has contributed a couple of times to this newsletter and in this particular instance has expressed eloquently some of our passages thru our Crohn’s journey. 

 Thanks Terry for being part of our group.

Thought for the day:

When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your friends will be there.

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