Our Parents, Moms Ands Dads

[Miriam Poorman-Knox]

]I have been thinking about this for awhile. Started to do research, then got ARDS and 5 years later I remembered.

They were hospitalized for depression, or psych. reasons.

Here is my theory. I will mostly use female terms--rest assured I mean both. My experiences, observations though are of women. I was born in 1955. I remember alot of my friends moms who slept alot, would fall had trouble in the sun...... I remember some of them going to the hospital for a couple weeks. No one visited. They came home and things were the same. I think that before we knew anything about this or MANY other diagnosis were in a psych unit in the 50-60 and 70's. These friends would be at someone elses home for meals etc. Other moms were supportive of them. Sent food. Their children (me) to clean their house.

MAybe no correlation at all, I do remember a few of these peoples husbands would not treat them well and were angry because they came home from work at the plant and there was no dinner. No clean clothes, etc.

Since we know it can be genetic. My dad was a string bean. He had problems with dizziness. Now we didn't discuss this but I always have been an observer. I like just watching people, you pick up alot of things.

Thats my thought for the day....... Miriam

[bjt22]

My grandmother was treated for a variety of ailments. This was a woman who was born at the turn of the century into a large farm family. She also spoke of being "sickly". Her brothers and sisters were jealous because she was not made to go outside and work. She fainted when she did so, so she was allowed to just stay indoors and help her mother. She had only one child, my father. She never had another because, in her words, she "couldn't get well after having him for a very long time". Over the years, she was diagnosed with kidney disease, thyroid disease, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and a variety of female ailments. Finally, while having surgery on her thyroid, it was discovered that her heart would speed up and then slow down. She was given a pacemaker, but no one put this together with her fainting her entire life. She was diagnosed with heart failure in her 50's, but again, I'm not sure what that MEANT.

My father also had a tendency to "spells". My grandmother often talked of the time that they were walking someplace or other when he was a small child and he passed out cold and she thought he was dead. In his thirties, he had some kind of "spell" that lasted for a year. He had horrific chest pain, along with weakness and other symptoms. No one ever figured out what was wrong with him at that time. He did recover, but still had "spells" and went on to develop Parkinsons, or at least something that has been diagnosed as Parkinsons.

[Miriam Poorman-Knox]

Thats what I mean. She didn''t have to do the same chores. And has ALL the classic symptoms of OI. At least she had the support to be able to go at her pace. Having one child, I have found in older (70- ^) people. Many had c-sections.

[firewatcher]

I can trace my family's medical history back to before 1900, and the only ANS dysfunction that is noted would be migraines (all the women on my Mom's side.) My grandmother on my Mom's side would definitely make the "million-miler" in the frequent fainter club and she has a history of anxiety-like symptoms. Other than that, no one on any side showed any nervous system issues and most lived very long healthy lives. I've been the puny one of the family so far.

[Guest brianala]

My mom was always described as a "sickly" child, too. She had fainting spells as a young adult, and had several bouts of serious illness, including pneumonia and rheumatic fever.

She seemed pretty healthy to me growing up, but now at 65 she is in poor health. She has just recently had a stroke, surgery to clip a brain aneurysm, and a seizure. We discovered after the stroke that the cause was atrial fibrillation.

My dad's always been super healthy and strong as an ox.

[MomtoGiuliana]

My grandmother had mystery ailments. She was prone to fainting. She had problems during pregnancy and labor and supposedly nearly died during childbirth (she was attended by a midwife?all we really know is that her bp went dangerously low and she was sick for a long time after pregnancy) and was told by her dr never to have another child. She didn?t. They adopted my uncle when my mom was 6. She never seemed sickly to me when I knew her. She biked and swam and walked the dog?very active. My grandparents travelled internationally and they threw big parties. But she also slept a lot (napped every day). My mom has often described her as disorganized/unfocused/vague . She was into ?health food? before it became as popular as it is now. She tried different supplements. So I think she didn?t feel well for a lot of her adult life. Maybe it was POTS, maybe it was depression?or both. She developed Alzheimer?s and died in her late 70?s.

My mom however, has had none of these complaints. She had 4 normal pregnancies and deliveries.

One of my sisters and I have POTS and both have had severe problems with pregnancy.