Been off the board for a while

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:41 pm

Hello All:

I am sitting in my hotel room and decided to catch up with the potty people. And boy do I feel lost. So much has happened that it will take me a week to catch up on all of you.

I see I have also been a member of this board now for over a year. So that brings me back to the official diagnosis that occurred in September of 2010 after 5 years of being told I had IBS. How quickly time flies.

In the words of Dave Ramsey, I have been doing better than I deserve. I have had a couple mini flares over the last quarter and am still very thin, but I feel better now than I have in years. Have been eating gluten free and dairy free religiously, but the occasional soy sneaks in but I have found it is not a trigger for me.

I have figured out how to traverse the country on a weekly basis without getting sick and can apply myself, most of the time, fully to my commitments.

So as I look back over the course of the last year, I can actually see and feel significant progress. And I thank all of you for that.

Regards,

Rich

P.S. We have a new German Shepherd puppy who is a spitfire with huge paws. He is no replacement for my "once in a lifetime" dog, William, but he is a neat little guy in his own right. And he is growing like a weed. I am guessing he will be about 100 pounds. His name is Casey.

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:01 pm

Hi Rich,

It's good to see that you're doing so well, and that you've resolved the problem of not feeling capable of handling the rigors of your demanding schedule. You've made a heck of a lot of progress. Good for you.

And congrats on the new addition to your family. I'm sure you'll earn each others love, and respect, and admiration, as he grows up.

Thanks for the update.

Tex

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:03 pm

Rich!!!

So good to see an update, especially such a positive one. It really does help to look back at yearly intervals to fully appreciate progress. It sounds as if you are still as busy as ever but have managed to find more balance. Congrats to you on your hard-earned success!

Love,

Polly

P.S. You and I both lost our very special dogs last year, so I am particularly happy to learn about Casey, who sounds adorable. How about a photo? We adopted a rescue golden retriever 4 mo. ago named Buddy.

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:06 pm

Hi Tex,

It is so good to hear from you. I was thinking about what a pain in the $&@ I was on this board a year ago...whining about all my problems like I was the only one in the world who has MC. Thanks for your patience and guidance. I am really learning how to moderate my life and my eating, and have found better ways to cope with stress.

Been hopping in and out of your state quite a bit. Going back to Conroe in a couple weeks and then, yuck, Brownsville.

See you down there some day perhaps.

Rich

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:11 pm

Hi Polly,

I love Goldens. My first dog as a child was a Golden and that dog was so gentle. We thought long and hard about a rescue dog. Even looked into rescuing a retired military shepherd. But I don't have the mental stamina to go through all the throws of an old dog again, at least not now.

I did find, and I recall you did too, that losing a loved one, even a pet, can cause a flare. It was a bad time for me but after reading about your loss and your reaction, I found it to be a normal reaction.

Now I just have to figure out how to post a picture from my iPad. Joe, if you are out there, do you know how?

Nice to hear from you Polly. I hope things are going well for your brother.

Rich

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:44 am

Rich,

I was wondering where you were. You were so busy and dealing with your pelvic floor issues a few months ago - is that situation any better? Glad to hear you are managing your MC and figured out how to travel so much. My husband is also GF and he is a pilot, so I know how hard travelling can be. You could probably write a book on how to travel with MC.

I responded on another thread about your new little cutie - he's just precious!

Mary Beth

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:40 am

Rich,

So nice to hear from you, and I'm so glad you've made such progress in this past year. It's good to know that with patience and perseverance, we can solve the demands of life with MC (even if we sometimes seem to have to solve the same problems over and over again...).

Congratulations on the new pup! Long may he run - can't wait to see more pictures.

Love,
Sara

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:48 am

Hi Rich,

What a cute puppy! It's nice to read that you're doing OK and still managing to eat GF while travelling. You're a role model for others here who must travel for their jobs.

Thanks for the update.

Gloria

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:18 pm

Hi Rich it's great to hear from you and it sound like you are able juggle MC and all of the traveling, that certainly good news. How are you making out with diet and any meds?

I am so glad that you have gotten another puppy, what a good looking young fellow, I'm sure he will be properly spoiled.

As far as posting a picture directly from an iPad I would wait until iOS 5 which is due out in just another few weeks, it's supposed to have the missing it of software which will allow a direct link to the photo folder.

Now with that said I have found that a better way to handle photos, and also share them is to use photobucket.com they have a free app that makes it very easy to snap a photo with the iPads camera and then easily upload to your online folder. From the photobucket app you click a single button to copy the image link and you just paste it into your PP post. Overall just about 5 clicks including taking the picture to posting the image. PM me if you would like more info.

Take care Rich and safe travels

Joe

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:27 pm

Hi Rich! Good to hear from you!

Dave Ramsey is a wise man.

We can all agree with him, I think.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:00 pm

Hi Rich,

How wonderful to see an update from you and congratulations on your first star, as well as on your new, adorable puppy. It is so good to hear that you're doing well, and are able to function well on the road - that's quite an accomplishment.

I'm also at about the one year mark, and would summarize my progress the same way as you about feeling better than I have in years, but still being too thin. I never knew that gaining a couple of pounds could prove to be such a challenge :).

Hope you continue to feel better and better as each day passes.

Love,
Kari