Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
I really don't see any point in your responses to my post, except that you want to argue about nothing. My post said:
My guess is that most people who have MC will never join this site because . . .
You then decided to try to prove me wrong by citing other examples that simply add substance to my original point. The issue is not individual reasons why many people who have MC will not join this discussion board (or any other, for that matter). The individual reasons are a subordinate issue (and irrelevant to my main point). The point is, most people are not going to join this board for personal reasons, because joining a discussion group is a very personal decision, and the reasons that I cited are IMO the most common. The reasons that you cited are irrelevant to the overall statistics.
If you want to argue, send me a PM or an e-mail, and we can argue about nothing to your heart's content.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Zizzle wrote:Then there are those who post on other forums, who mentioned they stopped by the Potty People site, and were freaked out by our extreme dietary avoidances. Upon first glance, I'm sure there are people who don't want to hear what we have to say, or choose never to post, and therefore don't "join."
IMO, you are right on target. I/we knew when we first set up this site that this would be a primary concern. However, I/we decided that it is much more important to provide a resource where MC patients can actually find solutions to control their symptoms, than to provide another mindless forum where everyone shares sympathy for/with one another while continuing to suffer and occasionally add more autoimmune diseases to their steadily growing list as they either suffer in denial, or take increasingly powerful drugs in a hopeless cycle of inadequate control plus side effects remedied by even more drugs.
I'm sure that many people who could benefit by my book will be turned off for that same reason, and decide to not buy the book. That doesn't bother me, though, because one can only help people if they are willing to be helped. Every victim of any disease has to have an intense desire to control her or his disease in order to be willing to do what is necessary to get the job done, and many are simply not willing to do that (for personal reasons). I feel very sorry for them, but I see no practical way to help them, since I'm not a medical professional.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Yeah Zizzle!
One giant step for the potty people!
Have we done a survey for average age one comes down with CC? I was 58 when I was diagnosed. It seems many of us are in our 50's.
CoryGut
Age 71
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis Sept. 2010
On and off Entocort(Currently Off)
I was 57 - and it hit three days before my 58th birthday. What a lousy present. I was under a lot of stress at the time so ya gotta wonder if that's what triggered it.
I have a quibble with Zizzle's statement that those over 70 are generally not computer literate and therefore would not find Potty People on line.
I'm 71 yrs old and have been using a computer for 25 years +-. We got our first little IBM when my now 45 year-old son was in college. We shortly thereafter acquired a Gateway for our business and I've been online ever since. I cannot think of one friend who does not use a computer. Think about it, people now 70 were in the workforce 20 years ago when computers were becoming widespread.
My mother was diagnosed with CC at least 12 +- years ago and I found the Malinowski site while researching her diagnosis. I spent a lot of time reading through many of the posts and we decided she should take advantage of the additional information she would get from Entero Lab. She sent samples to Entero Lab and was told to avoid gluten and a few other things. She refused to even consider such a drastic change to her diet. At that time she was in her 80's and wasn't interested in learning to use a computer. However, she had some friends her age who were on the computer all the time. So, making a blanket statement that people over 70 or even 80 are computer illiterate is simply wrong.
I know of one friend who was on this site anonymously for months a few years ago when she was very sick with something very similar to MC. Her colonoscopy with biopsy ruled out MC and after about 6 months her D subsided. She didn't join because she felt she didn't have MC. She said she loved the site and got wonderful information from it. She went GF and felt that helped her. However, as soon as she began feeling well she went back to eating gluten.
So, be careful when generalizing about those of us with MC, our ability to use the internet and why some people use the site but don't ever join.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Sheila wrote:I have a quibble with Zizzle's statement that those over 70 are generally not computer literate and therefore would not find Potty People on line.
I'm 71 yrs old and have been using a computer for 25 years +-. We got our first little IBM when my now 45 year-old son was in college. We shortly thereafter acquired a Gateway for our business and I've been online ever since. I cannot think of one friend who does not use a computer. Think about it, people now 70 were in the workforce 20 years ago when computers were becoming widespread.
Sheila W
I am not yet 70 but I'm close (63). I have been computer literate since the early 1970's when I took a computer programming course. I got my first computer in 1981, an Osborne1, the first portable home computer. In other words I agree with Sheila that computers have been around for a long time and many people of advancing age have been using computers for decades. I too have many friends over age 70 who use computers and have for many years. It may very well be statistically true that older people are less likely than younger people to be computer literate but I don't think it has much if anything to do with the likelihood of people using this site.
Interestingly, I am pretty computer literate (60), using them since the 80's but my kids weren't. My daughter (36) is, now, but my son (39) is slowly catching up. They just missed the learning curve in school. I don't think DH will ever be. I had the Grands on computers nearly from birth and they're very adept (but still occasionally call me for advice. :)
I got an associate degree in data processing back in the '70s when they used the punched cards. I went on to get a mathematics/computer science degree and became a high school mathematics teacher.
When I stopped teaching to become the school technology director, one of my responsibilities was to train the faculty and staff. This was in 1997. The younger teachers grew up with computers and were very comfortable with them and rarely needed assistance. The "veteran" teachers were another story. Some readily embraced technology. It seemed to depend mostly on their intelligence and/or major. Many of the math/science teachers learned quickly, but not all of them did. Teachers in other departments who were pretty intelligent embraced using technology and also learned quickly. It also has to do with right brain/left brain dominance, IMHO.
One day I sat between a biology teacher and the art teacher and thought the air would turn blue from all the cussing. Another extremely effective English teacher quit teaching because she had such a difficult time with the computer. The administration and I agreed that they should all post their grades online. It took several years of training for many of them to finally feel comfortable. I felt like I trained them from the ground up. Now I see that the faculty all have laptops and all students are getting tablets this year.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
I stand corrected about the computer savvy of the over 70 crowd! Lol. Either that or Potty People are ahead of the curve in that regard. I guess I was thinking of my grandparents' generation - the over 90 crowd now. My parents' generation, baby boomers approaching 70, are largely computer literate (but not my mom!).
Gloria, my kids' school is a model for the country on using technology in the classroom. I'm not sure I'm a fan of it all, but I'll get over it. They have 2 Mac labs and 100 iPads for 550 students, iTouches too. It never occurred to me how difficult it must be for some older teachers to adjust to this new environment.
This is great news and progress and I like "The Potty People" personally because "it does exactly what it says on the tin"!! My doctor also liked it! And I just googled that phrase and the site came up at number 4! It is catchy and that is important.
Anne
Wonderful news and results for your outstanding work Zizzle. You have my undying gratitude for all your effort and tenacity! You do ROCK!!
Tex, I can't wait to read your book. Your efforts along with all the others here have made a huge difference in my ability to reclaim my life from this horrible disease.
I Thank You all!
I think it was Zizzle mentioned the various medications that impact us and wonder if there is a list here somewhere? I need to check my meds against it. When I discovered the mast cell involvement in my inability to wean off of Entocourt it was a light bulb moment for me and I was able to get off using antihistamines. I also learned about the Paleo diet here and have been researching that as well.
I don't have much to add regarding the name but wanted to express my appreciation for this website and all everyone does here. What an awesome group we are!
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