You know you are in remission when.....

[carolm]

Apparently I am getting my life back whether I realize it or not. A few weeks ago I was getting ready for work, preoccupied by my thoughts of what was on my schedule that day. Norman showed up but I paid no attention to him, then about 2 hours later I thought "did I poop today?" (cuz you know we ask ourselves that every day). Well, yeah I had--- then realized that it was no longer was the major feature of my day! I laughed at the contrast between where I used to be and where I am.

School started August 15th and I have not had even one day that LC kept me home. I only recall one day that I ended up taking some Imodium for motility issues. I no longer wear out before the end of the week.

It used to be that if I slept poorly my gut motility would be a mess the next day-- lots of spasms, aggressive motility and it was likely to be a day that I've have 8-9 BMs within a 90 minute period. It was miserable. That was true even about 3-4 months ago. Well, drum roll please-- last night, for some reason, I could not get to sleep (I'm blaming a Sudafed I took earlier in the day). As a result I had maybe 5 hours of sleep. A few months ago that would have guaranteed a miserable 4 Imodium morning even with taking Amitriptyline. TODAY- I went to work and by 8:45 ended up having to help carry and restrain an aggressive 70 pound, 47 inch tall kindergartener for 30 minutes. I mean this kid was raging and the special ed teacher and I had to keep trading off- it was exhausting. It was constant wrestling to try to keep this kid from hurting someone else or himself or trashing the room. When he finally was able to get calm, I worked with him on a few tasks and he remained calm. About 11:00 it occurred to me that I would have NEVER been able to function with so little sleep then do something this stressful and rigorous, without my gut completely coming unhinged.
So life is coming back. Some of it I could do without (it's a rare thing to have to restrain a student, but it does happen)-- but it's a relief to know that when things get hectic my gut will still hold together. I wasn't sure that was ever going to happen and yet, here I am.

Thanks for listening. I wanted to share some good news for a change, but who else gets this besides you guys?

Take care all, have a good weekend.

wishing you health,
Carol

[JLH]

Great news! Happy for you.

Now get that child off gluten and see if it helps.

[ldubois7]

Carol,

I taught kindergarten for many years and know how physically and emotionally demanding special cases can be.....so, I think you passed the MC test today! How inspiring to hear your story!

Joan is right....get the child away from gluten!

It IS great to hear good news!

Enjoy!

[Lesley]

YAYYYYY! What great news! Happy for you.

[tex]

Carol,

Awesome!

Thanks for sharing,
Tex

[dfpowell]

Carol,

Thanks for sharing your inspiring story!! I think we all are looking for the formula that turns our life around and puts MC in the back of our minds.

[wmonique2]

Hey Carol,

Great news! Happy for you that you are seeing progress! What meds are you still taking?

Love,

Monique

[Gloria]

Great report, Carol!

Your progress gives hope to us all.

Be careful about carrying a kindergartner. I carried one in my Sunday school class and tore my meniscus.

Gloria

[janet]

OH I'M SO VERY PLEASED FOR YOU AND TO HEAR YOUR EXCELLENT RESULTS.
KEEP DOING WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING.PEACE BE WITH YOU.
ITS ALL OVER.

THANKYOU FOR SHARING
MARIE

[CathyMe.]

Apparently I am getting my life back whether I realize it or not. A few weeks ago I was getting ready for work, preoccupied by my thoughts of what was on my schedule that day. Norman showed up but I paid no attention to him, then about 2 hours later I thought "did I poop today?" (cuz you know we ask ourselves that every day). Well, yeah I had--- then realized that it was no longer was the major feature of my day! I laughed at the contrast between where I used to be and where I am.

School started August 15th and I have not had even one day that LC kept me home. I only recall one day that I ended up taking some Imodium for motility issues. I no longer wear out before the end of the week.

It used to be that if I slept poorly my gut motility would be a mess the next day-- lots of spasms, aggressive motility and it was likely to be a day that I've have 8-9 BMs within a 90 minute period. It was miserable. That was true even about 3-4 months ago. Well, drum roll please-- last night, for some reason, I could not get to sleep (I'm blaming a Sudafed I took earlier in the day). As a result I had maybe 5 hours of sleep. A few months ago that would have guaranteed a miserable 4 Imodium morning even with taking Amitriptyline. TODAY- I went to work and by 8:45 ended up having to help carry and restrain an aggressive 70 pound, 47 inch tall kindergartener for 30 minutes. I mean this kid was raging and the special ed teacher and I had to keep trading off- it was exhausting. It was constant wrestling to try to keep this kid from hurting someone else or himself or trashing the room. When he finally was able to get calm, I worked with him on a few tasks and he remained calm. About 11:00 it occurred to me that I would have NEVER been able to function with so little sleep then do something this stressful and rigorous, without my gut completely coming unhinged.
So life is coming back. Some of it I could do without (it's a rare thing to have to restrain a student, but it does happen)-- but it's a relief to know that when things get hectic my gut will still hold together. I wasn't sure that was ever going to happen and yet, here I am.

Thanks for listening. I wanted to share some good news for a change, but who else gets this besides you guys?

Take care all, have a good weekend.

wishing you health,
Carol

What great news Carol. I too am in remission, strength is back, I don't feel exhausted @ night, sleep is good and I am so much more efficient @ work than I was a year ago. We have been back since the end of August and I am on a roll as far as writing reports, consulting with teachers, attending meetings, etc. I feel GREAT!
It's so interesting that you bring up the restraint...we have gone to a hands off approach with the students in our district (Maine has recommended safety care training) and would've probably removed everyone out of the room and let him destroy it (that's what the administration and the department of education would like special ed teachers to do). An article just came out in the paper listing the amount of restraints that each district had last year as well.
Glad you're doing well!

[tex]

Wow! Education has really changed since I was in school. It's none of my business obviously, and I'm just an ignorant old country boy (mighty thankful that I'm not a teacher today), but to my way of thinking, isn't leaving an irrational child alone to trash a room kind of an expensive, inconsiderate, and dangerous (for the individual) way to handle the situation? My hat's off to you — I don't believe I could do that — I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

On the other hand, it's really great to read how successful both of you have been in your recovery. Obviously both of you have found very effective ways to handle the stress that comes with your careers, and I truly believe that's an essential part of controlling this disease.

Tex

[CathyMe.]

Wow! Education has really changed since I was in school. It's none of my business obviously, and I'm just an ignorant old country boy (mighty thankful that I'm not a teacher today), but to my way of thinking, isn't leaving an irrational child alone to trash a room kind of an expensive, inconsiderate, and dangerous (for the individual) way to handle the situation? My hat's off to you — I don't believe I could do that — I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

On the other hand, it's really great to read how successful both of you have been in your recovery. Obviously both of you have found very effective ways to handle the stress that comes with your careers, and I truly believe that's an essential part of controlling this disease.
Tex

You betcha Tex and I definitely agree with you and we've had many a room trashed. The idea is of course that we try to catch the child before they get out of control and de-escalate (of course that's not always possible) In many cases, I have seen a restraint calm a child very quickly. I believe this "new approach" stemmed from poorly trained people actually harming the child, lawsuits, etc. I could make the arguement that if a child is REALLY out of control-spitting, kicking, throwing items, taking down bookcases, etc., I would not want to put teachers or ed. techs in harms way so clearing the room is safer for the adult. We also have "safe rooms" that don't have anything in them, are padded, etc. that work well for this type of child as well. It's a whole new world and due to the budget cuts in our state and nationwide we are seeing more disturbed, complex children attending public school.
I also firmly believe that stress is what triggered this disease for me so I continue to workout, take daily walks, get massages and accupuncture in addition to eating good clean food.

[Leah]

So happy to hear good stories! I too am doing well. I can't say I'm happy that I have to take antihistamines, but I guess it's a small price to pay to be able to go about my day and not have to think about the bathroom.

Leah

[coryhub]

Carol M thank you for sharing about getting your life back. That is what we all strive for - a better quality of life. If I had to battle a child like you did I would fear an accident in my pants. It seems dangerous like sneezing. Congrats on your good progress!

[DebE13]

That is great news! Congratulations.

I worked in special ed for ten years a lifetime ago. That was long before my MC. I never would have made it then dealing with the health issues I have now. I've worked in K - 8th grade before I changed professions and it definately took a lot of energy and patience.