This page last updated August 13, 2006
|
Organized 1995 |
on the Alabama-Florida-Mississippi Gulf Coast |
Organized 2000 |
|
How Clean is Clean? Fans of Tony Shalhoub, the a fussy, obsessive character in the television series, Monk, discover we feel a kinship with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) personalities. To have a personal assistant always close by to hand us antibacterial wipes would be a comforting way to handle our dread of “catching something” but not very practical for most of us. Last week’s episode showed Monk to be an excellent touch football player. Nobody could touch him as he has extraordinary experience bending, stretching and going to extreme measures to avoid being touched. Some have related hugs would be a more preferred method of greeting than the customary hand shakes. This, too, presents problems as we remember our days on braces and crutches when hugs often threw us off balance. One polio survivor tells a funny story of both the hugger and the huggee ending up in the shrubbery as she received a farewell hug. Polio survivors feel we have done our share of “catching something” when our systems were unable to produce antibodies sufficient to protect us for the polio virus. While we don’t seek to become OCD as well as PPS in our efforts to clean up the world around us, there are some precautions we may want to consider to keep ourselves healthy.
The Internet is full of helpful cleaning tips and information. Here are a few favorites: |
|
MOBILE AREA POST-POLIO SUPPORT GROUP meets the 4th Saturday each month except November & December at 1 pm West Regional Branch Mobile Public Library |
PENSACOLA POST-POLIO SUPPORT GROUP meets the 3rd Saturday every month at 10 am Baptist Towers 1717 North E and Avery Streets, Pensacola, Florida |
Notes from the July meeting....Vera Moore reporting Sylvia Bern opened the July 22nd meeting by cutting the giant birthday cookie and invited everyone one to share a piece as we celebrated 11 years since MAPPSG was organized. Our second celebration was having Barbara Gollott with us after her recent hospitalization. She shared with us her experiences of both gall bladder and colon surgery. A discussion of how individual were treated as “crippled children.” One person who loved softball found there was always someone willing to run the bases for her. Several commented they were treated just like everyone else. One was the eldest in her family and became a second mother to the younger ones. One person told of having a “big boy” (no not a boy friend) who daily carried her up the stairs at school. CVS Pharmacy booklet, New LifeStyles, The Source for Seniors, had been recommended by Helen Tidmore and was available for those interested. Sylvia pointed out it is good to know what resources are available to us. Someone remarked they discovered we must know our own rights and we must know what our insurance policy provides. One had discovered “case manager” often means a person assigned to you to be certain to keep the company’s cost to a minimum. The meeting ended and we again played several games of Bingo. Thanks to Carol Wiese and Susan Cobb for providing prizes. For the August 26th meeting, please bring your favorite cleaning or health tips.
Attendance July
|
Notes from the July meeting.... Leigh Dethlefs reporting We had a great turn out of fourteen for the July meeting. Unfortunately Liz Cravatt from Easter Seals was unable to come. She will let us know when she can reschedule. We look forward to her coming. We had a new member join our group. She came by way of her daughter in Georgia. Her daughter found our group information on the Internet and called me, wanting to know about our group. She was calling about her mother in Pensacola who may be having post-polio symptoms. I told her about our group and recommended Dr. Peach in Albany GA for a diagnoses. I was very happy to see her at our next meeting. She already had an appointment with Dr. Peach for the end of this month and was reading The Polio Paradox by Richard L. Bruno, H.D., Ph.D. All of this information was new to her and was alot to absorb. I hope in some way we relieved some of her anxiety and hope to see and hear about her visit to Dr. Peach next month. It's always a surprise to hear that the public has never heard of post-polio syndrome. To us it is a way of life. Polio is still being forgotten as a disease that no longer exist. We have spent most of our lives trying to forget it and go on with a normal life. When we start having trouble later on in our lives, it's a relief to talk to others and find out we haven't lost our minds and there is a reason for our new polio weakness. After being in a group for years and getting a diagnoses we forget the feeling of confusion and fears. Meeting a new person who is just beginning that journey, reminds us that there are still other people looking for the information and support that we can give. Thanks to Clara Norsworthy they can come to our support group meeting and she will provide a whole packet of information. We hope to reach as many people as possible and always feel gratified when someone new comes to our meeting. We hope to see everyone at the August 19th meeting.
Attendance July |
|
The next Mobile Area Post-Polio Support Group
|
The next Pensacola Post-Polio Support Group
|
|
Vera Moore - 251-639-2189 or e-mail Vera Moore |
Clara Norsworthy - 850-944-5834 or e-mail Leigh Dethlefs |
|
These Post-Polio Supports Groups are supported by
|
| Go to Photo Album | Contact Webmaster |
This page last updated August 13, 2006
|