New Doctors


Posted by Lyn Patterson ® , Aug 02,2001,23:09   Archive
Hi Everybody

I last wrote I could not see the new neurologist until October. I sent a fax last Friday and my GP sent a letter to say it was urgent, but to no avail. They did not even answer the fax !! So yesterday (Thursday)I rang up and was told I was on the waiting list for a cancellation. I was not too impressed so I decided to see if I could get an appointment with the ophthalmologist I was going to see before my GP nipped that in the bud and sent me to his cosmetic surgeon friend - and you may remember the results of that - he used frozen Botox which did not work!

To my surprise I can get in next Monday !! The receptionist said she was orderng new Botox that very day and would ring me if there was a problem getting it. Otherwise, Monday it is !!! My only reservation is the ease with which I got an appointment - most specialists have a waiting list for new patients. She did say he was experienced at it so I will just have to wait and see.

Then later that afternoon I got a call from the neurologist to say I could have a cancellation on 23 August. So I took the appointment and will go along anyway, regardless of what happens on Monday. It is only a consultation at that stage anyway. I want to have as meany options as possible and try and find someone who will treat BEB as it should be treated and not when they feel like having a clinic.

To Shirley - two weeks ago I emailed Allergan in Australia and my GP phoned and left a message - neither of us has had an answer !!!!! I was asking for (as was my GP) a list of doctors in Perth who use Botox. Last time he was out of the office he left a message to that effect but this time - nothing! Perhaps he did not like me asking about frozen Botox !!!!!

To Sally-in-Idaho - am still trying to email you but it keeps getting sent back!

To Jenny - did you not get my email to you re your parents or have you changed your email address?

Hope everyone is OK

Lyn




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Re: from Sally ... please keep trying

Re : New Doctors --- Lyn Patterson
Posted by Sally - in - Idaho ® , Aug 03,2001,19:29 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Lyn ... I don't know what is happening, but please keep trying the e-mail. My ISP gives me lots of problems.

I have left my address above, and here it is again: idaholt@nidlink.com

Sorry you are having trouble.

Sally in North Idaho, longing for your cool winter weather!




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Re: New Doctors

Re : New Doctors --- Lyn Patterson
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Aug 05,2001,21:44 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Lyn,
I've been busy with visiting relatives and also made a trip to St.Louis to get my botox injections. I think that all the relatives are gone now for awhile. Peace and quiet (kind of) once again. My eyes need a little R and R.
I guess that you will be going to the new doctor today or have been if I've got the time difference right. I hope that all went well. I think that you made the wise choice of also making the other appointment. Just see who you like best and seems the most knowledgeable. I like to see someone that knows more about BEB than myself. :-)

I would think that the Allergan rep would give your doctor the names of other doctors using botox but then again maybe they are not really supposed to give out that information. Maybe if you could actually get the rep on the phone they might give you that information "off the record". The lady from Allergan that called me was quite nice and we discussed the frozen botox issue at length. They really didn't want to email me with the information that I requested, though. I can hardly blame them. You might ask your doctor for the local reps name and phone number. Here in the US they hand out business cards that usually have their home phone numbers on them. Possible you could get the rep at home and he or she might give you some information.

Hope all went well today. Let us know.

Shirley in AR. with tired eyes




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Re: New Doctors

Re : Re: New Doctors --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Lyn Patterson ® , Aug 06,2001,06:25 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Shirley

I missed you !!!! Yes, today was the day !! I am very impressed with this new ophthalmologist. I was there over 1/2 hour and he first gave me a general eye exam and asked a lot of questions about the spasms which I always find difficult to explain sensibly especially when I am looking quite normal. Then we went into a mini operating theatre sort of room with a couch. I lay on the couch and he switched on a big light. Then he spent quite a while studying the muscles I presume. Prior to this he reconsitituted the Botox !! Then he started injecting very carefully and he said he was trying to avoid hitting blood vessels. He complimented me on not flinching and I said I had 10 years experience !!!The previous doctor did 2 up and 2 down on each lid and 2 in the forehead. This doctor did one I think in the upper lid and then lots around the sides of the eyes. Many more than usual. I asked why this was and he said because of how I described the spasms, this was where the muscles concerned were located. Sounded good to me! He said it would take 2 or 3 goes to determine where I should be injected.

He also said he was using a stonger form of Botox. I asked if it was Myobloc but he did not seem to know the term. I asked if it was Botox A and he said it was but was more potent than it used to be. Do you know what he is taking about?

Still haven't heard back from Allergan. My GP rang to speak to him personally but only got a machine. I might try another email.

I am really happy with this new doctor. He seems prepared to work with me in finding the right way to go - I think the previous doctor injected everyone the same regardless of individual needs.

Glad you are back on the BB - have a good rest now. I am now waiting for this to kick in. I will keep a careful record of progress so I can discuss it with him fully next time.

Lyn




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Re: New Doctors

Re : Re: New Doctors --- Lyn Patterson
Posted by Lynn Yarbrough ® , Aug 06,2001,13:38 Top of Thread Archive
>I asked if it was Botox A and he said it was but was more potent than it used to be. Do you know what he is taking about?<

It may be that he is doing what my doc and many others are doing: using less-than-recommended normal saline solvent to reconstitute the mix. This reduces the injection pain as the mix fills the muscle tissue, but increases the potency per unit volume at the same time.

--- Lynn




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Re: New Doctors

Re : Re: New Doctors --- Lyn Patterson
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Aug 06,2001,19:32 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Lyn,

The only thing that I can figure that the doctor meant by a stronger botox is what Lynn Y mentioned in his post to you. There are only two strains of botulinum toxin available to the public and that is Botox A and Myobloc. They do not come in different strengths.

I'm glad that you like the new doctor. As you described, he seems to be doing the right things and individualizing your dosage and sites. Like Lynn was saying, many doctors will reconstitute the botox using less preservative free saline than is normally used. Dr. Perlmutter, who does my injections, does this. My first doctor that did my injections did not and I could always see a bleb of solution where he had injected me. It would disappear fairly quickly but I've never had that happen with my current doctor. If I don't look quickly at where he injected me, I'm not able to find the sites later.

Did you ask him how many units of botox you got? I hope that they help you this time. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Shirley in AR-who was just outside picking scrumptious figs off my fig tree. The birds love them, too.




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: New Doctors --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Sally - in - Idaho ® , Aug 07,2001,18:46 Top of Thread Archive
Hey, Shirley ... Do you have a fig cookie recipe to share? Do the fig leaves sell well as alternative life style clothing? Maybe we could have a fund-raiser of them, since most of us can't see what others are wearing anyway.

Sorry, just one of my wackier days! (The recipe question was serious.)

Sally in North Idaho

--modified by Sally - in - Idaho at Tue, Aug 07, 2001, 18:49:27




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Sally - in - Idaho
Posted by Joann Humphrey ® , Aug 07,2001,21:31 Top of Thread Archive
Sally, I loved your humor. We need more of it.



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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Sally - in - Idaho
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Aug 07,2001,21:36 Top of Thread Archive
Sally, the only thing that I make out of the figs is fig preserves-when I get a large harvest at one time. They don't keep very long. I usually just eat them. I just wash them and leave them out on a paper towel and snack on them through the day. I love them. I've never tried making any type of cookie out of them. I might have to look into that.

The fig leaves are quite large but I've never bothered to do anything with them. I think that you can even cook things in them. Oh, No, That was Martha Stewart who did that! We should probably check with her about the alternative clothing made out of fig leaves. I'm sure that it would be a good thing.

I do believe that you have lost your mind or I have eaten too many figs.
You can't grow figs up north, can you? I would imagine that it is much too cold in the winter.

Shirley in AR. enjoying Sally's wacky ways. :-)




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Billie Lowe ® (billie lowe,Billie Lowe), Aug 07,2001,21:55 Top of Thread Archive
Shirley do you have a fig tree? I don't know if we can grow them here or not. Let me know if you are going to start a new clothing line, I might be interested, or do I need to check with Martha Stewart first. You shouldn't let her get in this ahead of you, she has her name on a lot allready.
Has it cooled off down in your part of the country yet?
Billie



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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Billie Lowe
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Aug 07,2001,22:18 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Billie, Yes, I do have a fig tree. When I was a little girl, my grandparents had one in southern Arkansas next to their log cabin. I always had fond memories of it so I got one when we bought our home. The first one froze and died the first winter. I bought another and it has done very well. It gets lots of TLC. I prune it and reshape it every spring so that it doesn't get too tall. If I faithfully water it, it produces yummy figs for me. I'm glad no one else in my family really cares for them. It is their loss.
One of my sons friends came over the other day and asked if that was a fig tree in our back yard. His grandfather used to have one, too. I gathered up a bunch of freshly picked figs for him and he happily sat there and ate every one of them with a huge smile on his face. I like nice memories.
I don't think that I am quite dedicated enough to start a clothing line out of figs leaves. I will be happy to sell lovely green leaves to anyone that would like to buy them to undertake this endeavor. I would probably have to start some new shoots growing though to keep up with the demand.

It was a little cooler today. Still yucky muggy, though. Thanks for sendind the cool air.
I do believe that everyone has gone to bed but me. That means I get to lock up. Nite, nite,

Shirley in AR.




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Sally - in - Idaho ® , Aug 08,2001,20:00 Top of Thread Archive
I'm sure we couldn't grow fig trees here. You've seen Fig Newton cookies, have you not? That's why I thought of you possibly making cookies.

Strange coicidence: I broke down and went to the Senior Citizen Lunch today for the first time, and they had bags of FIGS to give away. I thought of Shirley and her fig tree, but did not take any. My mother took some.

Do figs have that same little side effect as prunes? That's what I was afraid of, so left them there. I'll probably wish I'd taken some to try in cookies. Must be a recipe on the Internet.

I have heard of using the leaves as a wrap for cooking ground meat/rice recipes. In fact, I believe my Egyptian penpal sent such a recipe to me. It might even have been included in OUR cookbook.

I know this does not pertain to BEB, but it's nice to think of other things now and then. Who knows ... maybe figs might fit into a nutritious cure or the leaves could be dampened to relieve dry eyes, or ... the possibilities are endless, so hang on to that tree, Shirley.

P.S. I doubt it would survive in Colorado, either.

Sally in figless North Idaho




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Sally - in - Idaho
Posted by kathy ® , Aug 09,2001,10:38 Top of Thread Archive
i love figs also and they are really good for you. dried fruits in bags that you buy at the store are something you can eat as a healthy snack and don't have to prepare. i'm sure fresh ones are much better??
phil has a superb recipe for fresh homade sausage ground with figs and apples , if it ever made it to the cookbook.



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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- kathy
Posted by Sally - in - Idaho ® , Aug 09,2001,23:41 Top of Thread Archive
I'm getting eager for my cookbooks to arrive. I will look for his recipe. Might be sorry that I didn't accept any of the figs that were offered at the senior center this week!

Sally in North Idaho, where it's too hot. Think I'll go down under and enjoy some winter!




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Re: fig or date recipe for cokies

Re : Re: Figs --- Sally - in - Idaho
Posted by kathy ® , Aug 09,2001,12:25 Top of Thread Archive
sally, i have an old fashioned recipe for date filled cookies that i'm sure figs would also work equally well for. it was given to me 30 years ago. let me know if you want it.



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Re: fig or date recipe for cokies

Re : Re: fig or date recipe for cokies --- kathy
Posted by Sally - in - Idaho ® , Aug 09,2001,23:42 Top of Thread Archive
Thanks, Kathy. Please send. I left my e-mail above. Now I'll have to find those figs!!!

Sally




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Re: fig or date recipe for cokies

Re : Re: fig or date recipe for cokies --- Sally - in - Idaho
Posted by kathy ® , Aug 10,2001,10:02 Top of Thread Archive
okay, i just sent it to you.



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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Sally - in - Idaho
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Aug 09,2001,20:07 Top of Thread Archive
HI Sally,
The figs don't seem to have the prune-like effect or at least they don't cause that problem with me and I eat lots of them.
If my figs won't grow in Colorado, I'll just have to take that into consideration if we decide to relocate. Hubby's last day is the 15th. The whole family is a bit ancy about it as we don't know what the future holds for us. My husband has taken an early retirement buyout from the company that he has worked for since college. He will be looking for another job. Stressful times for us.

Shirley in AR. but maybe not forever from Arkansas




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Re: Stressful Times

Re : Re: Figs --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Christel-California ® , Aug 10,2001,01:24 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Shirley,

Sorry to hear about your worries. We were in a similar situation a few short years ago, but found that things have a way of working themselves out. When one door closes, another usually opens.
As a matter of fact, we were going to move to Arkansas. Have friends living on the White River and managed to buy a piece of property there as well, about 25 min. drive from Mountain Home. But then BEB struck and now I just don't have the energy or inclination for such a move.
Besides, I don't want to be that far away from my little granddaughter.
I didn't get to enjoy the first 2 grandchildren on a regular basis, because they moved to Washington when they were little.

I hope everything works out well for you and your family and you won't have to relocate, unless, of course, you want to. Besides, the BB can't do with your absence for any length of time. And that's the truth!

Christel in Ca. where it was a 102 today




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Re: Stressful times

Re : Re: Figs --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Kelly Saffell ® , Aug 10,2001,09:40 Top of Thread Archive
I'm sorry you are going thru such a stressful time right now. You and your family will be in my prayers. My parents and my sister/nephew live in Nashville. Last April my Dad lost his job (he's upper management of trucking industry) and one month later my sister filed for divorce with a 2 year old. Her husband had no job (following musicians dream no matter what it did to his family) and rarely sees his son. We all prayed very hard for several months and my Dad found a VP job in Nashville and now my parents are able to help Heather with Joshua. I can't imagine how she would do it (she travels some on business with a record label) without their help since she never even knows where Bryan is living. It was truly a miracle to see how God provided.

Kelly in Dallas




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by kathy ® , Aug 10,2001,10:04 Top of Thread Archive
oh no ! you'll still be on this board won't you?? was the weather in Colorado that much better on your eyes?



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Re:Shirley on the BB

Re : Re: Figs --- kathy
Posted by Christel-California ® , Aug 10,2001,11:29 Top of Thread Archive
Kathy, yes she would, don't panic!
But relocating to another state is a pretty big job and time consuming. The way I see it, Shirley wouldn't have much time for the BB for a while. But I could be wrong, have been once or twice!!!:-)

Christel in Ca. where it's going to be 102 again, cooling down to a chilly 79 at night. Put another log on the fire, they told us.




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Re: Figs

Re : Re: Figs --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by Evelyn ® , Aug 10,2001,13:49 Top of Thread Archive
I'm sorry to hear of your changes in circumstances. I wish you the best. I know how the changes in job situations can affect you. We're going through the same thing, just a little different slant on things. Just keep a positive attitude, and I know something will come up that will work out for you.
Evelyn



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Re: Not going anywhere for awhile

Re : Re: Figs --- Evelyn
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Aug 10,2001,16:45 Top of Thread Archive
Evelyn, Christel, Kathy and Kelly, thank you ladies for being so kind. I'll be right where I am for awhile at least. Plans are just very uncertain right now but whenever and where ever we do wind up, I'll be able to be on the bb. We may wind up staying right where we are. We will still have an income from investing the buyout payment but at the ripe old age of 50, we would like to have more stashed away and Roy will be looking for another job. It is just a good time to relocate as we have wanted to do for some time.
Kathy, my eyes were not any better in Colorado, we just like the mountains and lower humidity and snow-yes, lots and lots of snow. You can teach me how to do watercolors where ever I go.

So, if I get testy-like I've never been before! :-) you all will know why. Things will work out-it's just kind of scary not knowing what the future holds. But then, do we ever?




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Re: Not going anywhere for awhile

Re : Re: Not going anywhere for awhile --- Shirley-Arkansas-USA
Posted by kathy ® , Aug 11,2001,17:35 Top of Thread Archive
no, but it's so much harder when your body doesn't function like it's supposed to every day. just finished my first watercolor in four years. it was pretty darn hard, but very satisfying to watch that slow beautiful color go where it wanted to.. kind of like trying to control our eyes.



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