PA> Greetings, All!!
 PA>   Hi Ed.  Are you the 'Ed' whose messages I recently saw in the InterNET
 PA> post-polio newsgroup?  I did some browsing of that newsgroup and was
 PA> appalled at some of the stuff I found there, and came looking to FIDO
 PA> for a moderated conference on PPS.
Hello Phil,
     Yes,  but  I  plead  the fifth, in case it  was  one  of  my messages 
that caused you to be uncomfortable with the  newsgroup.  I  intend  to  stay 
 connected  to  wherever  I  can  glean   any information  about this 
condition we all face daily.  I will  not let the scum of the earth run me 
off from these resources.
 PA>   A bit about myself.  I was struck with polio at the age of two years
 PA> in 1950.  My left arm and shoulder were affected by the virus.  I was
 PA> lucky in comparison to many.  As I approach fifty years old, I find
 PA> myself easily exhausted by work around the house, and strained muscles
 PA> seem to ache for days.  Although I seem to sleep all night, I almost
 PA> always awake feeling unrested.  A little research into PPS leads me to
 PA> believe that PPS could be the cause of my problems.
     You can't fool me, you've been reading my biography.  I too, developed 
polio at the age of two with the primary affected  area being  my right leg 
though.  I cannot claim to be approaching  50 since I crossed the half 
century mark on Thanksgiving Day,  1994.  Fortunately,  I  haven't, to the 
best of my  knowledge,  had  any sleep problems yet that I have attributed to 
PPS.  All the  other symptoms mentioned are shared by many of us.
 PA>   What is this CPK  number that was being bandied about in one of your
 PA> post?  I am not familiar with that term in connection with PPS.
     Creatine   phosphokinase   (CPK)   is   an   enzyme    found 
predominately  in  the heart muscle, skeletal  muscles,  and  the brain.   
'Insults'  to  any of these areas will  cause  a  marked increase in the 
levels of CPK detectable in the blood.  The total CPK  numbers  include 3 
isoenzymes of which the CPK (MB)  is  the best  indicator  of  a heart 
attack.  When the  CPK  numbers  are elevated,  and  the  CPK (MB) numbers 
are  relatively  normal,  a trained  medical  profession (which I am not) 
might  be  able  to deduce  that the release of the CPK into the blood may be 
 caused by  skeletal muscle deterioration.  Muscle deterioration  is,  of 
course, one of the symptoms of PPS.
     Keep  in  mind, there is no determinative test for  PPS.   A diagnosis 
of PPS can only be deduced if the prerequisite possible causes and symptoms 
are present and other possible causes of  the symptoms  have  been 
eliminated.  The CPK levels  and  evaluation thereof  is  only  one  of  many 
possible  test  used  in  a  PPS diagnosis.
     I  need  to say here that I'm not a doctor or  any  type  of medical 
professional, and any information that I've offered  here has been filtered 
through my own ignorance.  Do not use  anything I've  said  as  a  basis  for 
 self-diagnosis.   Seek  qualified, professional,  medical  help.   Any  
statements  I've  made   are indicative of my own personal experiences; your 
mileage may vary.
 PA>   Can you, or anyone else, confirm these symptoms?  Also, about three or
 PA> four years ago, I received some info from the GINI International Polio
 PA> Network.  A recent letter to them at their old address was returned.
 PA> Can anyone supply me with their current address?
     From the newsletter which arrived yesterday:
          Gazette International Networking Institute (GINI)
          5100 Oakland Avenue #206
          St. Louis, MO 63110-1406     
 PA>                                    \\\ PHIL  AHRENDT ///
 PA>                                     pahrendt@adsnet.com
     Best to you and good luck!  Take care.
   Ed Grey
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