Hi Ann,
Nice to hear from you.
But sorry to hear about your father. Remember, it can take time to get 
over. Others who have grieved during a prolonged downhill run to 
death may get over it sooner. We each have our own time and 
difficulties dealing with the grieving period. Friendss' understanding 
can help.  I feel for you.
 
I gather from snooping on other echoes that you are from Shreveport 
Florida? 
 AC> Thanks for sharing your story...I hope some of the others will share
 AC> theirs. Sometimes it is important just to be able to talk to others
 AC> about things and not have to explain every little detail...Know what
 AC> mean? You also can relate and know that someone has been and is ggoing
 AC> through the same things, it makes you feel "Not as alone".
Glad it was of interest. I agree, that I find interesting and helpful to 
hear about how other people manage their problems, because, generally, 
the health industry seems to know so little about polio and pps and does 
not yet have enough answers for us. I see the bbs as a means of 
also providing Hints and tips amongst us.
 AC> We don't have a group here that meets that often. I wish we did..
That's not helpful. So many of our members have found it a help to be 
able to work together sharing ideas. One common one, is that families 
find it so hard to cope with a parent who used to be able to do so many 
things, despite their disability, finding that they are now so out of 
energy at times, that they find it difficult to find the energy to do 
even the simplest things, that they would willingly do at other times.
Another point that has come out, is that some of the people who had 
relatively minor disabilities - particularly ones they are able to cover 
up most of their lives, find it most difficult with pps effects.
 
 AC> I had Polio when I was 9 months old, in 1943. Some of the Drs. didn'
 AC> even know what it was then...They said from the damage that it had t
 AC> Polio. It affected me from the waist down, mostly in my right leg. I
 AC> was 1/4 in shorter than the other. I was one of the lucky ones, I di
 AC> and have walked all these years. I have a limp but not bad..
 
ac> 10 years
 AC> I thought I was losing my mind because I was having so many problems
 AC> none of the Drs. had any idea what was going on. I finally went to t
 AC> Dallas Rehab. and was told that I had PPS. At least then I knew what
 AC> happening to me and could deal with it...Us PPS'ers are a hearty lot
 AC> don't give up easily.
 
What sort of problems were you having that sent you all the way to 
Dallas?
What did they tell you to do about them?
I am one of those that don't give up easily too ( as is so common), and 
consequently tend to go to bed too late (12mn. I worked so hard to be 
able to stay up to study when I was at Uni, despite dropping off to 
sleep between 6-10pm wherever I sat). I remember forcing myself to 
get going in that 6-10pm sleepy period, and could feel myself pumping 
willpower into my muscles so that I would get moving to get out of 
the lounge chair.  
The tireder I get, the more "nothings" (eg watch TV, or 
listen to radio, i would not normally bother with, if I had more energy, 
because I would be keen to get on with things.) I do while I stay up 
later and later. Then eventually I Spiral down, until I am forced to 
have an early night 9pm. The next day feels wonderful, but I always want 
to do more and more
this driving of ourselves probably hasn't helped us in the long term, 
but if I had given in to tiredness every time it occurred I feel 
that I would have got very little done with my life.
 But then who knows? Maybe I would have prioritised better?
The good news is that I am now forced to recognise that there is a trade-
off, and I try to balance my late nights - not very successfully.
 I am doing great, compared to a lot of the oth
 AC> I have to be careful and rest a lot and I just started giving in and
 AC> using pain pills.
If you ever had breathing problems, you _may_ be more likely to have 
sleep apnea (which can be tested - I don't know your costs). If it is 
sleep apnea (stop breathing at night, wake up with headache, get tired 
. 
Continued in the next message...
--- Maximus/2 2.02
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