(TODAY'S SHOW IS AT NOON CST)
If you can't make the LIVE show, you can listen to the Archived edition.
Go To: http://www.rsdcoachlive.com to do either.
Dr. Spiegel has been practicing Neurology for 24 years in Palm Harbor, Florida. He is actively involved in pharmaceutical clinical trials to further the availability of new medications to assist in the treatment of neurological disorders.
Dr. Spiegel will explain to us the benefits of the HBOT (Hyberbaric Oxygen Treatment) for those of us with RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy).
Learn More: Dr. Allen Spiegel
CALL IN YOUR QUESTIONS: 347 - 324 - 5661
Showing posts with label Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Shop owner who was found dead had K2, painkillers in system
Shop owner who was found dead had K2, painkillers in system
By JOSEPH BUSTOS - jbustos@nwherald.comMcHENRY – The owner of House of Glass, who was found unconscious and later died in November, had K2 along with painkillers in his system.
The McHenry County Coroner's Office, which completed its investigation this week, said there was K2, and the Painkillers: Methadone, Morphine and Lyrica in Fred Evans' system when he died.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Air Force colonel claims lack of oversight in reserve health care
13NEWS / WVEC.com
Posted on May 13, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Updated Thursday, May 13 at 12:19 PM
Col. Doug Strand injured his leg in a motorcycle accident two years ago while reporting for duty at Langley Air Force Base. Now he suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a painful nerve disorder.
Friday, March 19, 2010
God Has A Purpose!
Do you ever wonder why you are facing all the heart aches, challenges and difficulties in your life?
Watch this Butterfly movie! It has a SIGNIFICANT message for you.
Nothing in life is a coincidence. God has a purpose.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Change the World
This is a very unique video, please watch it all the way through....
You will understand it better once it is completed!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Freedom From Pain
Freedom from pain
A 24-year-old Christiansburg woman is regaining mobility and making plans to attend graduate school after treatment put her in remission from years of pain.
CHRISTIANSBURG -- Brandy Sachs smiles more these days, even after gaining 30 pounds in one year.
For this 24-year-old, weight gain is a blessing and the least of her concerns.
In October 2008, Sachs weighed 76 pounds after she spent seven days in a ketamine-induced coma. She was the 55th patient to undergo the treatment in Germany. She emerged from the procedure with few memories and couldn't perform natural tasks, such as shivering.
The coma was designed to reboot her nervous system, and, doctors hoped, rid her of the decade-long bouts of pain associated with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, known now as chronic regional pain syndrome. The little-known condition she was diagnosed with at age 13 caused her to cringe in pain with any touch even as slight as a flutter of her brown hair. Walking was difficult, and her right foot had turned inward and would often swell.
Today, after a year's worth of ketamine boosters, doctors say Sachs is in remission. She's been RSD-pain free for a year and won't have to return to Philadelphia for infusions of the drug for another year, unless any changes occur.
While she isn't entirely pain, or medicine, free (she is on strong painkillers as a result of a back surgery that touched nerves, but that pain is not related to the condition), Sachs said a little pain is better than her previous state.
Always cautious, she prefers to say the condition is dormant, but she's pleased with her progress.
"I have RSD, and I'm always going to have it," she said.
She walks on two crutches and has become more active. She started driving on her own, went rock-wall climbing and can make two full laps around Walmart.
Mentally, Sachs said she still feels stuck at 16. Many of her memories -- and skills -- are fuzzy. Doctors said some memories may never return.
The physical progression also has been slow, although Blacksburg therapist James O'Connell said Sachs has made great strides. She's now working on the stationary bike and the treadmill to gain strength and tone her unused legs. He's trying to get her to wear regular shoes, instead of the orthopedic shoe created for her in Germany.
Sachs goes to physical therapy twice weekly. Just last week, she took her first steps in years without bracing herself.
"I'm so proud of her," said her mother, Lisa Sachs. For years, the mother and daughter could barely hug. "It still makes you smile every time you see her stand up," she said.
Around the house, Brandy Sachs still often uses a wheelchair. That's mostly to navigate the crowds of cats, dogs and people who swarm her parents' small Christiansburg home.
"It's just easier," she said. If she bangs any part of her body too much, the RSD could flare, and the pain might return.
In August, Sachs hopes to enroll in graduate school at Virginia Tech to study sociology.
Her parents said that step will be good for their daughter, whose life was overtaken by the condition.
Sachs' story has inspired many. In July, People magazine featured part of her story.
The family said the breadth of knowledge about RSD and CRPS is growing.
"When we first started with it, they knew nothing," Lisa Sachs said.
Brandy Sachs spent seven days
in a ketamine-induced coma and
went through months of ketamine
boosters to ease chronic pain.
Her physical progression has been
slow, but she is strengthening her
legs by riding a stationary bike and
walking on a treadmill.
James O'Connell applies resistance
to Brandy Sachs' foot during a physical
therapy session as her mother,
Lisa Sachs, looks on.
Brandy Sachs, 24, takes unassisted
steps Monday for the first time in years
during a physical therapy session with
James O'Connell in Blacksburg.
Raided doctor's patients complain they're "Left Out In The Cold"
Raided doctor's patients complain they're 'left out in the cold'
December 19, 2009 12:00 AM
NEW BEDFORD — "Taylor's orphans" is how they are referred to by some in the local medical community.
When federal and state law enforcement authorities raided the Acushnet Avenue offices of Dr. Michael A. Taylor earlier this month in a drug investigation, hundreds of his patients found themselves without a primary care physician and with no way to get ahold of their medical records or to refill their prescriptions.
The patients say they have called other doctors but are either told the physicians are not accepting new patients or the earliest appointment cannot be made for two to three months. They are referred to emergency rooms or pain clinics to inquire about refilling prescriptions and are then told they will not receive any strong painkillers like OxyContin.
Some patients say they are being blackballed.
"I can't find a doctor. No one will take me, even for primary care," said Carolyn Lavoie, 68, of Fairhaven, who said she is diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a chronic neurological condition that causes severe burning pain over her body. Taylor prescribed her daily dosages of 50 milligrams of oxycodone and 15 10-milligram doses of methadone.
"It seems people consider most of (Taylor's) patients to be drug addicts, and that's just not fair," said Mike Miller, 44, of New Bedford, who has a diabetic ulcer on his foot and peripheral neuropathy in his legs. Miller said Taylor prescribed him a 30-day supply of 150 milligrams a day of oxycodone and 200 milligrams of morphine. Those prescriptions have run out.
"There are some of us who are legitimately sick," said Darlene Almeida, 44, of Acushnet, who is diagnosed with fibromyalgia and osteoporosis. She was prescribed four 50-milligram tablets a day of morphine as well as vicoprofen for break-through pain.
"I don't abuse my meds," she said. "I don't sell my medicine."
On Dec. 1, Drug Enforcement Administration agents in conjunction with state police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office executed a search warrant for records at Taylor's office at 3388 Acushnet Ave. The office has been closed since the raid.
Spokesmen for the U.S. Attorney and DEA offices in Boston declined to comment on the nature of the investigation. Meanwhile, Taylor, 58, has not been charged with a crime. His medical license has not been revoked, according to the state Board of Registration in Medicine.
Taylor did not return a phone call seeking comment.
In August, Taylor's secretary, Cathy Pereira, was arrested in a state wiretap narcotics investigation, accused of helping her husband, Paul J. Pereira, and associates obtain painkillers such as OxyContin with fraudulent prescriptions from the office.
An answering service for Taylor's office says someone is collecting patients' names, telephone numbers and addresses to eventually forward them their medical records, which were seized by authorities.
Several of Taylor's patients have gone to St. Luke's Hospital seeking help and have been instructed to call the SouthCoast Physician Referral Line, where an operator will give contact information for several doctors in the area.
When contacted, those doctors' offices say they are not seeing new patients for at least two months.
Taylor's patients have been calling the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center. Cynthia Champagne, assistant director of nursing, said the health center will accommodate the patients as much as possible.
"Anyone who calls for an appointment, we will give them an appointment," Champagne said, adding that she could not answer any questions about the patients' prescriptions.
Almeida said she last saw Taylor a month ago. She received a prescription for painkillers and was told to return Dec. 10. But she then heard from an acquaintance that Taylor's office had been closed. She was told the DEA had her medical records.
"I'm in shock," she said. "I can't believe this happened," she said.
Almeida said she called several doctors in the area but could not find a primary care physician who was able to see her. The best she could do was schedule an April 14 appointment at the downtown community health center. She was told her prescriptions will not be refilled before then.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," she said. "The pain. I end up in a ball. I can't even move... I know I'm going to end up in detox."
Lavoie's insurance company arranged for a March appointment with the community health center. She said she will run out of her pain medications on Christmas Day.
"I have a disease, and I need my meds to live," she said.
After weeks of frustrating telephone calls, Miller found a primary care physician, but his appointment will not be until February.
"Everybody thinks you're out to get narcotics," he said. "A lot of us were using the meds for what they were meant to be used for, to ease our pain."
Patricia Thompson, 65, of New Bedford is still without a new primary care doctor. She broke her sternum and tailbone several years ago and said she cannot sleep at night or walk without holding onto something. Taylor placed her on Percocets, 30 milligrams eight times a day.
Taylor "was a very good doctor. He was concerned about his patients," said Thompson, adding that she went to St. Luke's Hospital after her doctor closed his office. She said she was given 12 5-milligram Percocet tablets and told she would not be given any more.
"I'm being thrown out in the cold," she said. "It's not right. It's not like I abused my medication, but no one's giving me an answer."
This really upsets me!! My heart goes out to ALL of "Taylor's Orphans"!! My thoughts and prayers are with you ALL on coming through this without extremely harmful repercussions!! ~God Bless "Taylor's Orphans"
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Passing of Janice Kay (Schmidt) Everson
SALEM -Janice Kay (Schmidt) Everson, 63, of Salem, died at 11:25 a.m. Monday at her home. Jan succumbed after living with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome and loosing a courageous battle with Cancer.
Jan was a devoted wife. She spoke many times about how she felt her husband was a true gift from God in her life. She and Allen W. 'Butch' Everson were married on Dec. 14, 1991.
She was an animal lover and had three pets: Aries the bird, Kasey the cat, and Blue the fish. She loved gardening and spending time outdoors on her porch or in her yard. Jan was a great decorator and was also a personal financial wizard. She possessed a great sense of humor and was able to always find a reason to laugh. This is a trait she passed on to her children and she always enjoyed family gatherings when the house was full of laughter.
She loved traveling and going on cruises in the warmer climates. Jan had many lifelong friends who were dear to her. Her favorite desert was Moose Tracks ice cream which even in her last days she had the opportunity to enjoy.
Jan was born on Oct. 4, 1946 in Wellsville, Ohio to William Edward and Elsie (Johnson) Schmidt.
Jan has been a resident of the Salem area since 1992. She had previously resided in North Benton, Beloit, Sebring, Lisbon and Wellsville.
She has worked at various places over the years. She had worked the longest at A and J Mold Machines in Akron where she was the vice president and office manager of the company. She had also worked as a Mary Kay consultant, real estate broker with Oesch Reality, hearing aid technician at Miracle Ear in Boardman, HK Paper, and Carriage Hill (Fresh Mark) Foods.
She was a former member and volunteer of the Democratic party and formerly attended the Fellowship Baptist Church in Beloit.
In addition to her husband of Salem, she is survived by three children, William C. (Amy) Hurford of Beloit, Tina L. (Terry) Goynes of Austintown, and Christina M. (Frank) Grezlik of Hudson; three step children, Troyann Hobdy of Mobile, Ala., Valerie L. (Charles) Tonkin of Atwater, and Mark Allen Everson of Akron; a brother, Charles Kent (Janice Ann) Schmidt of Arthur, Ill.; ten grandchildren and one great grand child.
There will be a private family burial in Grandview Cemetery, Sebring, Ohio. The family will be holding a Celebration of Life gathering at 2 p.m. Dec.19, 2009 at the family home in Salem.
The family has requested to have memorial donations to be made to:
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA)
99 Cherry Street
Milford, CT. 06460
( Please note on the donation: in Memory of Janice Everson.)
Arrangements were handled by the Arbaugh-Pearce-Greenisen Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Salem, Ohio.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Woman says doctors' negligence left her disabled
Last Updated: 22nd November 2009, 5:45am
A Fort McMurray woman has filed a $475,000 medical malpractice lawsuit against six doctors in the northern Alberta city after alleging she was left permanently disabled when a fracture in her left foot was not identified.
In an Oct. 9 statement of claim, Karen Stuckless alleges she went to the Northern Lights Health Centre after she injured her left foot and ankle in an Oct. 13, 2007 fall.
Stuckless claims she was diagnosed with a sprained left ankle following X-rays and given Tylenol 3 for her pain.
She alleges she was in significant pain and returned to the hospital eight days later.
Another X-ray was taken and she was told no fracture or displacement was seen and she was discharged with a cast boot on her ankle.
On Nov. 9, 2007, Stuckless says she went to her family physician and was told to get further X-rays. She says she did and a different doctor identified a projected fracture in a bone in her foot and she was told to get further therapy.
Four days later, Stuckless claims she returned to the hospital and the cast boot was reapplied to her ankle and she was told to keep mobile. Two weeks after that she went back for a follow-up and alleges swelling was identified in her left foot and she was told to not put weight on it.
She claims she returned after another two weeks and was told the fracture had healed and she should gradually increase her activities and begin physical therapy.
On Dec. 23, 2007, Stuckless went to the hospital complaining of ongoing pain, especially with weight bearing, and alleges another X-ray was taken and she was advised there was no evidence of bone healing and a CT scan was arranged as well as a referral to an orthopedic surgeon.
On Jan. 2, 2008, Stuckless claims she was diagnosed as suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and alleges it was caused by the failure to identify the fracture and offer her appropriate treatment.
Source
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Couple ready to hit road in customized van
By Wayne Laepple
The Daily Item
The Daily Item
 |
Barbara Schaffer and her husband, Paul, arranged for Harvey, their customized van, to have enough room for trips to music festivals around the country.
Liz Rohde / The Daily Item
NORTHUMBERLAND — If you happen to see a large white van parked outside Paul and Barbara Schaffer’s King Street home, you’re looking at Harvey. Harvey is actually a Sprinter van that’s been customized to accommodate Barbara’s wheelchair.
“We named it Harvey after the big white rabbit in the movie,” Barbara said with a chuckle. “Maybe we’ll paint a pink nose and whiskers on it some day.”
Actor James Stewart starred in the 1950 movie, “Harvey,” about a man who befriends an invisible six-foot tall rabbit, or pooka.
The Schaffers never thought they’d ever be interested in a recreational vehicle or a second home, but after a visit to Arches National Park in Utah a couple of years ago, they changed their minds.
“We really wanted to sleep out under the stars,” said Barbara, “but we just couldn’t do that.”
Since 2001, the couple has enjoyed attending half a dozen music festivals every year, and they wanted to be able to join friends who camp at the events and take part in the after-hours jams they’ve only heard about.
“We started thinking about it, but no one builds any that are handicapped-accessible,” Paul said. “What we wanted just didn’t exist.”
Barbara, 60, who suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, a debilitating nerve condition, has been using a battery-powered wheelchair for a number of years as her condition has changed. Paul, 63, took early retirement to care for her following her 1987 injury.
They did see a few motor homes that could have been adapted, he said, but they were all very large luxury units, so large that they would have had to tow their Dodge Caravan behind to transport Barbara from the campground to an event. Besides, those units were way outside their price range. Even an Internet search for a used vehicle came up dry, since their particular needs couldn’t be met in a used vehicle without extensive modifications.
“We decided we had to start fresh,” Barbara said.
She decided they should find the right lift unit to get her and her wheelchair into the vehicle. However, they didn’t want a unit that would occupy space inside the vehicle. She finally found a company, Creative Controls, in Madison Heights, Mich., that assured them they could mount their lift beneath whatever vehicle they chose for their motor home.
Next they found a custom builder of motor homes, Sportsmobile, in Huntingdon, Ind.
“They make custom vans, not RVs,” said Paul. “These are the people who, in 1961, modified the first Volkswagen vans into campers.”
The Schaffers found a perfect ally in Sportsmobile. The company provided an online floor plan that allowed the couple to develop a floor plan using the components the needed where they needed them. For example, instead of a right-hand front seat, a power-operated tie-down for Barbara’s wheelchair was specified.
Because Barbara cannot step over the entrance to the bathroom, they changed the layout so the commode is next to the doorway. She can sit on the commode, then lift her legs and pivot into the space. To make that change work, the hot water heater had to be downsized and relocated.
Working closely with the design team at Sportsmobile, it took nearly two months to get the interior layout completed.
“There was a lot of problem-solving by phone.” Barbara said.
They had already settled on the Sprinter, a vehicle designed by Mercedes and sold by Chrysler in this country, but it took some time to locate a 24-footer, the largest one made, and then have the necessary windows installed. The vans are shipped into the U.S. with only the windshield and door windows, so other doors and windows had to be installed after they purchased it.
The truck was purchased in Michigan and delivered to Creative Controls for installation of the wheelchair lift, then taken to Indiana for the rest of the work. The Schaffers went to the Sportsmobile plant to be present as workers installed the bathroom and kitchen modules to be certain the wheelchair would fit where it was supposed to.
“They were wonderful to work with,” Barbara said. “They wanted to be sure everything was right.”
At one point, the locking mechanism to hold her wheelchair would not work correctly, and a technician from Creative Controls came to Indiana to correct the problem. They wound up having to take the vehicle back to the plant to get it right, which held up work at Sportsmobile for a day or so.
The results, the couple agree, have exceeded their expectations.
They demonstrated the lift, which folds out from beneath the vehicle. Barbara backed her wheelchair onto it, and it hoisted her up to floor level. She backed in and turned around near the folding table where they can take meals. Then she moved forward and the electronic lock snapped into place. She pulled on her seat belt and was ready to go.
In the middle of the unit, the compact kitchen, complete with stove, refrigerator, microwave and sink, faces the lavatory, which features a sink, shower and commode. Behind them are two couches that quickly convert to beds.
“We’ve also got air-conditioning and a furnace,” Paul said, as he swung the rear doors wide to reveal a fabric screen across the doorway that will let them indeed sleep outdoors. There’s also a generator for lights, and they will be able to use it to charge the batteries on Barbara’s wheelchair.
“People told us we couldn’t do this,” she said. “We were persistent, and we found the right people to help.”
The couple drove the unit back from Indiana, and Paul said the 5-cylinder, three-liter diesel engine with a five-speed automatic transmission gave them better than 20 miles per gallon.
“A piece of you asks why you’re doing this,” he said, as he contemplated the cost of Harvey. He wouldn’t say exactly how much it cost them. “This cost more than either of the homes we’ve owned, but will let us do something together that we both enjoy.”
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Medical marijuana supporters rally at Capitol
By SANDY CULLEN scullen@madison.com 608-252-6137 | Posted: Sunday, October 4, 2009 7:40 pm
Hundreds of medical marijuana supporters rallied Sunday at the State Capitol for legislation that would make Wisconsin the 14th state to legalize cannabis for treatment of debilitating illnesses.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, are co-sponsors of the newly drafted Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which would protect Wisconsin patients from arrest and prosecution and allow them or a designated caregiver to possess and grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use, said Gary Storck, communications director for the nonprofit advocacy organization Is My Medicine Legal YET?
"It is time that we address medical marijuana as an issue of providing comprehensive health care to all people," Pocan and Erpenbach said in a memo to legislators. "The patient and their doctor should have as many options as possible available when treating a patient's medical condition."
Rickert, a 58-year-old grandmother from Mondovi who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and advanced reflex sympathetic dystrophy, founded IMMLY in 1992. In 1997, she led a 210-mile trek of patients in wheelchairs from Mondovi to Madison to advocate for legal access to marijuana.
Rickert said she began using marijuana to stimulate her appetite after dropping to 68 pounds. "I'm alive because of cannabis," said Rickert, who now calls herself "a heavyweight" at 93 pounds.
"It's got to be this bill, this time," Rickert told supporters Sunday, saying that every time someone else signs on in support of medical marijuana, "It's like saying, 'More hope.'"
Storck, who has been advocating for medical marijuana for decades, said cannabis has helped him retain his eyesight, which he began losing from glaucoma as a child. He agreed that the time for passing legislation could be now or never. "Gov. Doyle has been willing to sign it all along," he said, adding, "The legislature has never been in a position to pass it until now."
Storck said that while there is a lot of support for the legislation from people throughout the state, "We need them to step forward and let their legislators know it."
The act is based on a Michigan law passed by voters in November 2008, Storck said. It also includes provisions from a Rhode Island law that would allow patients to obtain medical marijuana from dispensaries if they cannot grow it themselves.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, are co-sponsors of the newly drafted Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which would protect Wisconsin patients from arrest and prosecution and allow them or a designated caregiver to possess and grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use, said Gary Storck, communications director for the nonprofit advocacy organization Is My Medicine Legal YET?
"It is time that we address medical marijuana as an issue of providing comprehensive health care to all people," Pocan and Erpenbach said in a memo to legislators. "The patient and their doctor should have as many options as possible available when treating a patient's medical condition."
Rickert, a 58-year-old grandmother from Mondovi who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and advanced reflex sympathetic dystrophy, founded IMMLY in 1992. In 1997, she led a 210-mile trek of patients in wheelchairs from Mondovi to Madison to advocate for legal access to marijuana.
Rickert said she began using marijuana to stimulate her appetite after dropping to 68 pounds. "I'm alive because of cannabis," said Rickert, who now calls herself "a heavyweight" at 93 pounds.
"It's got to be this bill, this time," Rickert told supporters Sunday, saying that every time someone else signs on in support of medical marijuana, "It's like saying, 'More hope.'"
Storck, who has been advocating for medical marijuana for decades, said cannabis has helped him retain his eyesight, which he began losing from glaucoma as a child. He agreed that the time for passing legislation could be now or never. "Gov. Doyle has been willing to sign it all along," he said, adding, "The legislature has never been in a position to pass it until now."
Storck said that while there is a lot of support for the legislation from people throughout the state, "We need them to step forward and let their legislators know it."
The act is based on a Michigan law passed by voters in November 2008, Storck said. It also includes provisions from a Rhode Island law that would allow patients to obtain medical marijuana from dispensaries if they cannot grow it themselves.
Source
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sailing Hero Gives The Rest Of Us Food for Thought
September 3, 2009
Having fought the elements, exhaustion and the extreme limitations of her own body, 37-year-old Hilary Lister calmly sailed into Dover as well as in the record books today being the first female quadriplegic to circumnavigate Britain solo.
The Oxford-graduate biochemist, who’s afflicted by a rare, degenerative neurological disorder that has paralyzed the young woman from the neck down, has completed the final portion of a marathon journey undertaken in a string of 40 day-long sails.
With the help of advanced technology, which allowing her to control the sails by sucking and blowing through plastic tube, Lister sailed solo with help of a team only to attend to her when she got into and out of her sailboat, Me Too. She finally sailed over the finishing line to enthusiastic crowds at 6.45pm.
The young woman expressed contentment upon her return to Dover, saying that the highlight of her expedition was witnessing marine wildlife at close range.
Lister, hailing from Canterbury, Kent, has reflex sympathetic dystrophy and is only capable of moving her head, eyes and mouth. Tempted in the past as she went through the darkest of moments to end the physical ordeal she suffers everyday and the frustration which comes from being imprisoned in her own body, she now claims that sailing has saved her life.
3 Ways Your Thoughts Can Help You Heal - Ways You Thoughts Can Help You Heal | Parade.com
By Robert Moss
Our thoughts can make us sick, and they can help us get well.
Here are ways to adjust your mindset to promote good health.
Take A Deep
Take A Deep Breath Hold it, exhale, then repeat for 10 minutes. Take a walk, preferably in nature. Breathe in that fresh air.
Laugh!
When you laugh, you pump more oxygen into your lungs, improve blood flow and boost your immune system.
Keep A Journal
Writing about emotionally charged events helps us deal with them mentally and physically.
Source
Our thoughts can make us sick, and they can help us get well.
Here are ways to adjust your mindset to promote good health.
Take A Deep
Take A Deep Breath Hold it, exhale, then repeat for 10 minutes. Take a walk, preferably in nature. Breathe in that fresh air.
Laugh!
When you laugh, you pump more oxygen into your lungs, improve blood flow and boost your immune system.
Keep A Journal
Writing about emotionally charged events helps us deal with them mentally and physically.
So Keep On Thinking!!
Source
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
What's YOUR Best "Camp Name" Contest!!!!
Alright Everyone....if you listened to the show today you already know what I am about to write, but if you didn't listen....other than; tsk tsk shame on you (see link below and go listen!!)....I am about to share some wonderful info with you!!
Our guest today, Kathy Gruver is a 'Certified Medical Massage Therapist" (among other titles) and she has made an offer to my show listeners!!
Here's the offer:
Come up with a "Camp Name" and send it to me at winninglife@rsdcoach.com with the subject line of: "Camp Name", and I will send to Kathy.
Kathy will then pick the best name and the winner will win a copy of her dvd titled:
Therapeutic Massage at Home -- Learn to Rub People the Right Way™.
Like me, you will be so grateful for this dvd!!
Learn more about Kathy and her dvd at:
www.HealingCircleMassage.com You'll be glad you did!!!!
If you have not listened to the show and have no clue as to what I am talking about in this post, go listen to the show now at: www.rsdcoachlive.com and then send me your best "Camp Name"!!
Our guest today, Kathy Gruver is a 'Certified Medical Massage Therapist" (among other titles) and she has made an offer to my show listeners!!
Here's the offer:
Come up with a "Camp Name" and send it to me at winninglife@rsdcoach.com with the subject line of: "Camp Name", and I will send to Kathy.
Kathy will then pick the best name and the winner will win a copy of her dvd titled:
Therapeutic Massage at Home -- Learn to Rub People the Right Way™.
Like me, you will be so grateful for this dvd!!
Learn more about Kathy and her dvd at:
www.HealingCircleMassage.com You'll be glad you did!!!!
If you have not listened to the show and have no clue as to what I am talking about in this post, go listen to the show now at: www.rsdcoachlive.com and then send me your best "Camp Name"!!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Brave Hilary nearing finish of her epic journey
Hilary Lister in her boat
Inspirational sailor Hilary Lister is getting closer to setting another world record as she enters the final leg of her trip around the British Isles, Yourswale reports.
She is currently off the coast of East Anglia sailing south towards her final destination of Dover, which she is due to reach on Tuesday.
Hilary, 36, from Selling, suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a degenerative disease which started to show itself when she was a child so controls her craft using a set of straws and her breath.
She is bidding to become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain.
Hilary set off in May, on her second attempt to complete the course, which includes venturing into the North and Irish seas, as well as navigating the Caledonian Canal.
The trip had to be postponed last year at Newlyn, in Cornwall, due to bad weather and technical issues.
Undeterred she returned to Newlyn this year to start again from where she left off, determined to finish it this time.
But this will be far from her first achievement, she is already in the record books as the first quadriplegic to perform a solo-sail across the English Channel.
Two years later, she was able to add another feat to the list, becoming the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight.
Hilary is sailing her boat, called Artemis 20, using a 'sip and puff' system.
This involves three straws, which are hooked up by pressure sensors, controlling a computer already programmed to react to her commands.
Hilary uses her breath to give directions, for example, one straw works the tiller, so if Hilary puffs it will go to port and if she sips it will go to starboard.
Each night she is towed into a port, with a total of 40 stops along the way.
She is expected to receive a hero’s welcome when she returns to Dover Harbour on Tuesday, after three months sailing.
On the day, KCC cabinet member for communities Mike Hill will make a special presentation to Hilary and her team to mark their enormous achievements.
Councillor Hill, also an avid sailor, said: "It has been a real honour to meet Hilary and support her latest challenge.
“I hope her tremendous efforts have inspired other people to have the determination to overcome their own obstacles and we very much look forward to welcoming her back to Kent."
Hilary also has a trust set up in her name, which raises money to help other disabled sailors and is expected to raise £20,000 when she completes her voyage.
Through her round Britain challenge, she also hopes to encourage and inspire people towards achieving their own goals.
She is currently off the coast of East Anglia sailing south towards her final destination of Dover, which she is due to reach on Tuesday.
Hilary, 36, from Selling, suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a degenerative disease which started to show itself when she was a child so controls her craft using a set of straws and her breath.
She is bidding to become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain.
Hilary set off in May, on her second attempt to complete the course, which includes venturing into the North and Irish seas, as well as navigating the Caledonian Canal.
The trip had to be postponed last year at Newlyn, in Cornwall, due to bad weather and technical issues.
Undeterred she returned to Newlyn this year to start again from where she left off, determined to finish it this time.
But this will be far from her first achievement, she is already in the record books as the first quadriplegic to perform a solo-sail across the English Channel.
Two years later, she was able to add another feat to the list, becoming the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight.
Hilary is sailing her boat, called Artemis 20, using a 'sip and puff' system.
This involves three straws, which are hooked up by pressure sensors, controlling a computer already programmed to react to her commands.
Hilary uses her breath to give directions, for example, one straw works the tiller, so if Hilary puffs it will go to port and if she sips it will go to starboard.
Each night she is towed into a port, with a total of 40 stops along the way.
She is expected to receive a hero’s welcome when she returns to Dover Harbour on Tuesday, after three months sailing.
On the day, KCC cabinet member for communities Mike Hill will make a special presentation to Hilary and her team to mark their enormous achievements.
Councillor Hill, also an avid sailor, said: "It has been a real honour to meet Hilary and support her latest challenge.
“I hope her tremendous efforts have inspired other people to have the determination to overcome their own obstacles and we very much look forward to welcoming her back to Kent."
Hilary also has a trust set up in her name, which raises money to help other disabled sailors and is expected to raise £20,000 when she completes her voyage.
Through her round Britain challenge, she also hopes to encourage and inspire people towards achieving their own goals.
POSTED: 26/08/2009 14:00:00
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Debra Stein dies - Berkeley land use expert
Corey Paul, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Debra Stein - a land use expert and attorney who helped developers win over city governments and community malcontents - died July 30 from complications related to a rare neurological disease. She was 48.
Ms. Stein, president of the San Francisco public affairs firm GCA Strategies, represented the wealthy and the down-and-out equally, from corporate Burger King to homeless shelters. She left her mark on the San Francisco skyline, helping to win approval for a number of structures, including the South of Market high-rise at 55 Second St. and Sutro Tower, the three-pronged antenna that pokes through the fog.
Ms. Stein, president of the San Francisco public affairs firm GCA Strategies, represented the wealthy and the down-and-out equally, from corporate Burger King to homeless shelters. She left her mark on the San Francisco skyline, helping to win approval for a number of structures, including the South of Market high-rise at 55 Second St. and Sutro Tower, the three-pronged antenna that pokes through the fog.
She was known nationally as an expert on understanding NIMBYism or what motivates residents who oppose development beneficial to the community.
"The person who deserves credit for my career," Ms. Stein told Affordable Housing Finance magazine last year, "is a woman who spit on me at a public hearing 20 years ago. As I was wiping saliva off my arm, I said to myself, 'I am going to figure out why that happened and never let it happen again.' "
Ms. Stein, a Berkeley resident, published four books and dozens of articles about raising community support and finding political solutions for controversial land use projects. But affordable housing, especially in her last years, was her dearest cause.
Born Sept. 6, 1960, in San Jose, Ms. Stein graduated from UC Berkeley in 1981 with a degree in political management. After graduation, she worked for the San Francisco public relations firm Judith Brown and Associates. She rallied support of the Hacienda Business Park in Pleasanton, which now employs thousands.
For eight years, Ms. Stein ran a public relations firm. In 1986, she met architect Jeffrey Heller while they worked on a project together in City Hall. They married the next year.
At the time she met Heller, Ms. Stein was taking night classes at University of San Francisco School of Law. She graduated in 1987.
In 1990, Ms. Stein founded GCA Group. Four years later, with more associates, it became GCA Strategies.
In 2004, Ms. Stein wrote to friend Cindy Wilson: "I'd actually like to get out of the rat race a bit. The opposite of ambition is satisfaction - I've been on the ambition route. I'm starting to enjoy the sit-back-and-enjoy-life side of things more."
She delegated work at GCA to others so she could focus more on her passions: traveling the world with her husband and fighting for affordable housing.
By then, Ms. Stein was co-chair of the Northern California chapter of the Jane Austen Society, an avocation she pursued after reading Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and becoming drawn to the novelist's themes of ethics, morality and marginalized women.
Development and architecture organizations frequently booked Ms. Stein to speak at seminars. It was on one of these routine ventures, in San Jose, that she died, Wilson said.
Ms. Stein had reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, suffering chronic pain for about 15 years.
"She was remarkably stoic," Heller said. "She never let it get in her way."
Ms. Stein is survived by her husband, stepdaughter Rebecca Heller of Los Angeles, and brother Doug Stein and sister Sharon Moerner, both of San Jose.
A memorial service was held last Wednesday.
E-mail Corey Paul at cpaul@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page D - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Lyric Contest!!
I know there are some very talented people out there, and I wish I were one of them....but, I'm not, so I am turning to you!!
If you, or someone you know, can write lyrics - you are gonna want to read this!!
I am holding a contest for someone to write lyrics for my radio show as a theme song! If you have never listened to my radio show, here is the link: www.rsdcoachlive.com go on over and listen to a few of the previous shows and you will know in what direction you will need to go when writing those lyrics. The name of my radio show is: "Winning Life Through Pain" and every show is full of helpful information for so many.
So now I bet you are wondering what kind of prizes are there for this contest, right?
Well, that's a real good question and one I would be curious of as well, so here ya go:
1st Place:
One Month Coaching -$100.00 Value
2nd Place:
Gift Card for Amazon - $50.00 Value
3rd Place:
Gift Card for Amazon - $25.00 Value
****UPDATE****
There has been a winner named as well as the 2 runner ups....Thank You ALL for sending in so many WONDERMOUS suggestions....I was right....there are LOTS of talented people out there!!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, etc.!!
So get your pens or pencils moving and write up some lyrics that would fit with what my radio show is all about and send it to me at: winninglife@rsdcoach.com
Contest starts July 22, 2009 until August 5, 2009.
I am so excited about the possibilities you all will be sending me....it will be so much fun for all of us!! SO put those thinking caps on, write down your thoughts and make the best darn lyrics you can!!
Looking forward to reading your lyrics....I know they will be absolutely fabulous!!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Where have I been?? =)
I have received numerous emails from you, my readers and followers, asking where I am; what I'm up to; and if I am doing alright. I can't begin to tell you how very sweet that is of you, and you know who you are, and how blessed it makes me feel. I couldn't believe it once I got to each of those emails and read the words of encouragement, prayers of well being, and outreach of concern - support, and all around love that each one held. I was so moved, they brought tears of joy along with a few chuckles, and I loved them all!!
So I am going to update you all on what all I have been up to that has kept me out of pocket for so long....
As you know, at the first of the month I participated in a Sleep Study to try and get some solid answer as to why I keep uncontrollably falling. I did that on the 3rd through the 4th and on the 10th I went to hear the results, here's how that went;
I woke up at 6:30 am to start getting around and ready because my appointment was at 10:15 am and the drive over is about an hour. So I showered, fixed my hair, got dressed, and went into the kitchen with my make-up kit (it looks like a make-up artist should own this kit...hahahaa) and sat at the table with my mom, enjoyed the a/c & fan blowing in the room - but not on me, and put my make-up on. We talked, drank coffee, and ate some toast, and we both took our meds at the same time, of course her's are different than mine, but it was kind of funny that after we finished our toast we both reached for our medicines. Usually my mom goes with me to my doctor appointments, but this morning she wasn't feeling very well so she decided to stay home. So about 10 minutes to 9:00 am I left out starting my drive with all the other morning drivers, and man there was more than I thought there would have been.
I get to the doctor's office, check in and begin reading a couple of magazines. One of which was called "Fort Worth, Texas - The City's Magazine" and the cover had these huge words "Top Docs 2008". Well of course I had to check to see if any of my doctor's were listed and if this Sleep Medicine doctor was listed. Much to my delight, all of them were listed and this Sleep Medicine doctor was the number one in the area....I was feeling pretty confident about what this sleep study was going to provide. Good, bad or indifferent, the results would be pretty definite one way or the other....in my mind anyway.
Finally I was called back to speak with the doctor, yes....I took that magazine with me into his office!! I walk into his office, which is something new for me; usually it is into an exam room when you have a follow up. Anyway, I walk in his office and look around this really beautifully decorated office. There were two chairs in front of his desk so I sat in the one on the left, while I was waiting for him to come join me in his office, I continued to look through the magazine. Why is it that you always have to wait 10 minutes or more for the doctor to join you, either in the exam room or his office?? UGH!!
When he came in he sat in the chair next to me instead of behind his desk, which I thought was so odd..comforting, concerning, but still odd. hahahaha. He started by asking how I liked doing the sleep study and if I had any questions about it before we get started on the details of it all. Of course I had to tell him how much I loved the mattress..hahaha, and how nice everyone was to me and I appreciated that!! Then he asked me to go over to the computer so we could look at the graph reading from all the electrodes that were placed all over my body, and take a look at the actual video. Talk about interesting!! To see yourself sleep is really something everyone should experience!! I really don't move around much, just my head and one arm or the other is all that really moved....which I knew I didn't move very much because it hurts, but I had no idea just how still I could be. He began to tell me that during the night when I was sleeping that I did go into REM sleep multiple times, and during the day with the naps every 2 hours that I did go to sleep 3 of those times and very quickly and 2 of those times I did go into REM sleep.
Ok, so now I bet you are asking the same question that I had....What does that all mean?
Well, it means that I do have signs of Narcalepsy which goes along with the diagnosis my other doctor gave me of Cataplexy. He went on to say that the reason for my unexpected and uncontrollable falling is due to Cataplexy. I felt really good to finally have a definite answer for all that has been happening to me for the past several months. I asked if I could have a copy of the video, graphs, and his findings. Yes, I also asked if I could have the magazine of the Top Docs, to which he said yes to all. YAY!!
I walked out of there with my head in the clouds and my eyes set on DSW Shoes again....but I didn't stop this time...hahahaha. I drove back to my mother's, but first I stopped at Subway and got foot long subs for my mom, dad and myself. I was excited to let my parents know that we now have an answer for which could be controlled.
But once my Neurologist heard of his diagnosis, she totally disagreed....greattttt, just great!!!!
Which means I still have to keep my appointment with UT Southwestern Medical Center on July 31st. I sure do hope they can come up with either the same diagnosis or something that can be controlled as well!!
I stayed at my parents house through the weekend, because I had another doctor's appointment on the following Monday. I let him know of the results from the sleep study and he was pleased with himself because he was the one who had that thought in the first place. So he prescribed Imipramine and I went merrily on my way back to my parents house for the night. But I didn't leave until Wednesday because I was exhausted and didn't want to rush to make it home before doing my radio show or leave afterwards and be driving in the dark, so I hung out with my parents one more night. =)
Wednesday morning I loaded up my suitcases, yes that is plural....I had been there for a couple weeks ya know.....anyway, got all my things packed up, got the dogs things packed up and ready to be loaded up in the car. My dad and I toted everything outside and sat things beside my car, I went back in the house for the last little bit of things - my purse, cell phone, keys and to give out hugs. Only one problem....I couldn't find my keys!! We all searched everywhere for them, and I do mean everywhere, but couldn't find them. After an hour of searching and bringing everything back in the house because it was way too hot for them to be left outside for long, I searched through my purse one more time....which made it the 9th or 10th time.....and what do ya know....I found my keys in the outside pocket of my purse....someplace I never put them!!
So....my dad and I toted everything back out and in the car, I got the dogs in and straped in, gave out my hugs and kisses, and away we went, making our way back home.
Three hours later we arrived home to find all my plants in the house from the greenhouse because they weren't tended to the way they needed to be....go figure....They all looked half dead or at least headed in that direction. But I was way too tired to fuss with it right then!! So I unloaded everything out of the car and dropped it all off in the closet and quickly changed my clothes for comfort and made my way into my nice, comfy bed!! WOW did it ever feel nice to be back in my own bed again!! I raised the feet up and lowered the head, put the tv on relaxing music and closed my eyes.....I drifted off to sleep so quick!!
Ever since, I have been either sleeping.....babysitting my two grand-daughters, tending to my plants, or sitting out on the boat dock relaxing and watching the cows!!
Well, until this week that is!! This week has started off with me putting key notes and a speech (of sorts) together for my speaking engagement for the Abilene Holistic Association on Thursday evening. I am really looking forward to it and hope open the eyes of those who are blind to the effects Chronic pain, be from RSD or something else, causes on the mind, body and spirit. If any of you have something you would like for me to add to my speech, please email it to me and I will be sure to include it .... if I don't already have it!!
So, I guess that pretty much gets you up to speed with all that has been going on with me this past month....and for those of you who are on my mailing list for my Newsletter, sorry to have you read the same thing twice....that is if you read my blog also....hahahahaa.
Again, I appreciate all your emails of well wishes.....they truly made me feel so much better!! It is so nice to have you all as friends!!
So I am going to update you all on what all I have been up to that has kept me out of pocket for so long....
As you know, at the first of the month I participated in a Sleep Study to try and get some solid answer as to why I keep uncontrollably falling. I did that on the 3rd through the 4th and on the 10th I went to hear the results, here's how that went;
I woke up at 6:30 am to start getting around and ready because my appointment was at 10:15 am and the drive over is about an hour. So I showered, fixed my hair, got dressed, and went into the kitchen with my make-up kit (it looks like a make-up artist should own this kit...hahahaa) and sat at the table with my mom, enjoyed the a/c & fan blowing in the room - but not on me, and put my make-up on. We talked, drank coffee, and ate some toast, and we both took our meds at the same time, of course her's are different than mine, but it was kind of funny that after we finished our toast we both reached for our medicines. Usually my mom goes with me to my doctor appointments, but this morning she wasn't feeling very well so she decided to stay home. So about 10 minutes to 9:00 am I left out starting my drive with all the other morning drivers, and man there was more than I thought there would have been.
I get to the doctor's office, check in and begin reading a couple of magazines. One of which was called "Fort Worth, Texas - The City's Magazine" and the cover had these huge words "Top Docs 2008". Well of course I had to check to see if any of my doctor's were listed and if this Sleep Medicine doctor was listed. Much to my delight, all of them were listed and this Sleep Medicine doctor was the number one in the area....I was feeling pretty confident about what this sleep study was going to provide. Good, bad or indifferent, the results would be pretty definite one way or the other....in my mind anyway.
Finally I was called back to speak with the doctor, yes....I took that magazine with me into his office!! I walk into his office, which is something new for me; usually it is into an exam room when you have a follow up. Anyway, I walk in his office and look around this really beautifully decorated office. There were two chairs in front of his desk so I sat in the one on the left, while I was waiting for him to come join me in his office, I continued to look through the magazine. Why is it that you always have to wait 10 minutes or more for the doctor to join you, either in the exam room or his office?? UGH!!
When he came in he sat in the chair next to me instead of behind his desk, which I thought was so odd..comforting, concerning, but still odd. hahahaha. He started by asking how I liked doing the sleep study and if I had any questions about it before we get started on the details of it all. Of course I had to tell him how much I loved the mattress..hahaha, and how nice everyone was to me and I appreciated that!! Then he asked me to go over to the computer so we could look at the graph reading from all the electrodes that were placed all over my body, and take a look at the actual video. Talk about interesting!! To see yourself sleep is really something everyone should experience!! I really don't move around much, just my head and one arm or the other is all that really moved....which I knew I didn't move very much because it hurts, but I had no idea just how still I could be. He began to tell me that during the night when I was sleeping that I did go into REM sleep multiple times, and during the day with the naps every 2 hours that I did go to sleep 3 of those times and very quickly and 2 of those times I did go into REM sleep.
Ok, so now I bet you are asking the same question that I had....What does that all mean?
Well, it means that I do have signs of Narcalepsy which goes along with the diagnosis my other doctor gave me of Cataplexy. He went on to say that the reason for my unexpected and uncontrollable falling is due to Cataplexy. I felt really good to finally have a definite answer for all that has been happening to me for the past several months. I asked if I could have a copy of the video, graphs, and his findings. Yes, I also asked if I could have the magazine of the Top Docs, to which he said yes to all. YAY!!
I walked out of there with my head in the clouds and my eyes set on DSW Shoes again....but I didn't stop this time...hahahaha. I drove back to my mother's, but first I stopped at Subway and got foot long subs for my mom, dad and myself. I was excited to let my parents know that we now have an answer for which could be controlled.
But once my Neurologist heard of his diagnosis, she totally disagreed....greattttt, just great!!!!
Which means I still have to keep my appointment with UT Southwestern Medical Center on July 31st. I sure do hope they can come up with either the same diagnosis or something that can be controlled as well!!
I stayed at my parents house through the weekend, because I had another doctor's appointment on the following Monday. I let him know of the results from the sleep study and he was pleased with himself because he was the one who had that thought in the first place. So he prescribed Imipramine and I went merrily on my way back to my parents house for the night. But I didn't leave until Wednesday because I was exhausted and didn't want to rush to make it home before doing my radio show or leave afterwards and be driving in the dark, so I hung out with my parents one more night. =)
Wednesday morning I loaded up my suitcases, yes that is plural....I had been there for a couple weeks ya know.....anyway, got all my things packed up, got the dogs things packed up and ready to be loaded up in the car. My dad and I toted everything outside and sat things beside my car, I went back in the house for the last little bit of things - my purse, cell phone, keys and to give out hugs. Only one problem....I couldn't find my keys!! We all searched everywhere for them, and I do mean everywhere, but couldn't find them. After an hour of searching and bringing everything back in the house because it was way too hot for them to be left outside for long, I searched through my purse one more time....which made it the 9th or 10th time.....and what do ya know....I found my keys in the outside pocket of my purse....someplace I never put them!!
So....my dad and I toted everything back out and in the car, I got the dogs in and straped in, gave out my hugs and kisses, and away we went, making our way back home.
Three hours later we arrived home to find all my plants in the house from the greenhouse because they weren't tended to the way they needed to be....go figure....They all looked half dead or at least headed in that direction. But I was way too tired to fuss with it right then!! So I unloaded everything out of the car and dropped it all off in the closet and quickly changed my clothes for comfort and made my way into my nice, comfy bed!! WOW did it ever feel nice to be back in my own bed again!! I raised the feet up and lowered the head, put the tv on relaxing music and closed my eyes.....I drifted off to sleep so quick!!
Ever since, I have been either sleeping.....babysitting my two grand-daughters, tending to my plants, or sitting out on the boat dock relaxing and watching the cows!!
Well, until this week that is!! This week has started off with me putting key notes and a speech (of sorts) together for my speaking engagement for the Abilene Holistic Association on Thursday evening. I am really looking forward to it and hope open the eyes of those who are blind to the effects Chronic pain, be from RSD or something else, causes on the mind, body and spirit. If any of you have something you would like for me to add to my speech, please email it to me and I will be sure to include it .... if I don't already have it!!
So, I guess that pretty much gets you up to speed with all that has been going on with me this past month....and for those of you who are on my mailing list for my Newsletter, sorry to have you read the same thing twice....that is if you read my blog also....hahahahaa.
Again, I appreciate all your emails of well wishes.....they truly made me feel so much better!! It is so nice to have you all as friends!!
~~God Bless You All~~
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Disabled sailor taken to hospital
Page last updated at 21:54 GMT, Saturday, 6 June 2009 22:54 UK
A quadriplegic yachtswoman was taken to hospital after suffering the effects of cold off the west Wales coast.
Hilary Lister, 37, from Kent, is aiming to become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain.
The Fishguard RNLI lifeboat took the sailor off her boat after the weather deteriorated and she had a check-up at in hospital at Haverfordwest.
Her boat was eventually towed to shore by her support boat under the supervision of the lifeboat.
A spokesman for Ms Lister said there had already been a plan with the RNLI to take Ms Lister off her boat when she reached Fishguard but this was brought forward.
There had been no radio contact after the yachtswoman failed to arrive in port at the appointed time.
Peter Kedward from the RNLI at Fishguard explained: "Eventually the coastguard managed to make radio contact and established that she was two miles north of Strumble Head and under tow by her support boat.
"Conditions were becoming very difficult and the tide had turned against her."
The support boat with four on board requested assistance from the Fishguard lifeboat which stood alongside as the tow continued.
Mr Kedward added: "With force five winds and with wind over tide, the sea state became very demanding and the lady requested to be transferred to the all-weather lifeboat as she was becoming hypothermic."
Assistance was requested from a Stena ferry, which was approaching inbound Fishguard from Rosslare.
The RNLI crew made radio contact with the ferry and requested a weather lee so they could transfer Mrs Lister into the lifeboat more comfortably.
But in the end the transfer was not possible because of the conditions and the tow continued into Fishguard harbour where Mrs Lister was transferred to the inshore lifeboat in calmer waters and then taken onto Withybush hospital by ambulance.
Mrs Lister, from Faversham in Kent, is disabled from the neck down.
She is trying to become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain, and - in the process - the first disabled sailor - male or female - to conquer the Irish Sea.
On her website today, she said she arrived at Fishguard at 0130 after an "excellent sail followed by a very difficult end," and that they were remaining in port for another week.
The start of the current bid in Plymouth last month was delayed after she developed breathing difficulties.
She had to abandon her first attempt last August because of technical problems and bad weather.
Ms Lister uses a "sip-and-puff" system of straws to control her boat.
Her specially-adapted vessel, an Artemis 20 called Me Too, has been designed to be operated through three "straws".
Ms Lister, a biochemistry Oxford graduate, became the first quadriplegic sailor to sail solo across the English Channel in 2005 and two years later was the first quadriplegic woman to sail around the Isle of Wight.
She was wheelchair-bound at the age of 15 because of a progressive neurological disorder, reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Injured soldier, bride ready to face hurdles together
ROCKFORD —
The couple were able to follow through on wedding plans today by tying the knot in a small ceremony inside the chapel at SwedishAmerican Hospital. Hillary works as an aide for the hospital’s medical imaging services.
“It’s been canceled twice,” said Mershon’s mother, Christine. “He was supposed to come home Feb. 23. Then he was supposed to come home in March from the hospital for 30 days, but that got pushed back because of his injuries.”
Joseph Mershon proposed on March 6, and the ceremony was held less than three months later so the couple could get hitched before his next scheduled surgery.
“It all happened like a whirlwind,” Hillary Mershon said. “All our parents and family and friends, as soon as we set (the date), they sprung into action.”
On Feb. 19, the explosive device ripped the meniscus in Joseph Mershon’s right knee. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury and suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which causes chronic and progressive pain in his right ankle, Christine said.
Joseph Mershon moves mostly by wheelchair now, but he stood to take his wedding vows.
His next surgery is scheduled for June 22 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, and there is still a 50-50 chance he could lose his right leg from the knee down, Hillary Mershon said.
“I’m relieved,” she said. “But there are plenty more hurdles we have to clear. But we will, together, holding hands.”
Staff writer Kevin Haas can be reached at khaas@rrstar.com or 815-987-1354.
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