What a small world, Hilary, but goodness, you actually started out
with "one of THEM" on YOUR side!   That's gotta be an historic
first for the SSA.....

You GO, Girl!

Barb Mallut
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-----Original Message-----
From: Hilary Blue <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, August 20, 1999 6:38 PM
Subject: i survived!!!!


>First of all, i am not quite sure if I am being redundant - do i
have to post
>to both lists to make sure everyone (who wants to) can read this
or is it
>enuff to post just to the PIEN list? Does one assume that
everyone in SPARKLE
>still subscribes to the parent list? Well just in case, I'm
sending to both.
>NOW, all you terrific people, who showed me support, and who sent
me notes and
>messages of encouragement, thanks. Knowing that there is somebody
out there
>that cares really helped, because there sure aren't that many
people around
>here. Only two friends  - they know who they are -  showed any
concern  - and
>i am very appreciative to both of them.
>About the interview     :
>I took my last medication at 7pm last night. Ironically, I slept
better than i
>have in years - from 2 am until my daughter woke me at 8 am, to
see if i
>needed any help in dressing. But I was still alarmingly mobile
for 13 hours
>without medication - but apparently i looked awful - so i suppose
that was
>okay.  My friend ANne and her husband took me to the appointment.
>the doctors rooms were in a very unpretentious neighbourhood in
nearby
>Alexandria. When my turn came, Anne came with me into the
examining room.
>While waiting for the doctor, Anne suggested I take of my shoes
and socks so
>that the sight of my dystonic , twisted amd amantadine react;ive
feet would be
>the first thing to greet the doctor on her entrance. Good move
ANne, it
>worked. Also the fact that I was in my Armadillo Phase - ie
tending to curl up
>into a little ball as the dystonisa creeps through the different
parts of my
>body.  This is the kind of state i am in uisually when i fall of
my chair. I
>didnt get much of a look at the doctor antill she started the
actual neuro
>exam - and them i tho;ught she looked vaguely familiar - but it
wasnt until
>she asked whether she kneow me from somewhere that we realised --
in those
>dreadful days when i relied on the county clinic for my total
care ( now i
>onlu use it for primary care and I see Dr SIgmund as my neuro) i
used to go to
>the neurology clinic - which was served by a resident in
neurology, who came
>once  every 2 months for2 or 3 hours and saw everybody with any
sort of
>neurological complaint - well guess who the resident was! SHe has
now
>qualified as a neurologist, and gone into practice on her own.
But gets a lot
>of clients from government referrals. Coincidence!
>She said that she could see that i was quite severely impaired
and that she
>would recommend that i be given disability  rights ! Hooray. Lets
hope
>everybody else agrees with  her.
>And that i don't have to wait too long.
>Once again, I thannk you all for your concern and your support
>Hilary Blue