Wiggles Oi On Front Page Of Yahoo

[2manyfurkids]

I know there were other posts about this topic but I just thought it was interesting to see that pop up today on the front page of Yahoo! Wow! Very sad for Greg, but on the up side this could really help raise awareness! If his symptoms are bad enough for him to have to quit, then maybe others can see what we are going through. My hubby says that now when people ask what is "wrong with me" he can say she has what Greg from the Wiggles has. I guess this will help with our doctors too. Not so easy for them to brush us off as if their is no such thing as POTS. : Karen

[Michelle Sawicki]

I think this will definitely lead to greater awareness. Let's hope that Greg will personally work to get more research underway and to spread awareness. He has the means to do so.

Michelle

[briarrose]

This was exciting on many different levels. When he was first sick I sent the producers and the news reporter that broke the story some information about different Dysautonomia's and said they might want to look into this. Doubt they took it seriously but still.....

[MomtoGiuliana]

Here's an article--if it ok to put this here--if it is a copyright infringement, I understand it needs to be deleted. Jessica (ethansmom) e-mailed this to me yesterday...

Greg Page Leaves The Wiggles

30 November, 2006

GREG PAGE LEAVES THE WIGGLES

Thursday November 30

The Wiggles have sadly announced today that Greg Page, also known as the Yellow Wiggle, is unable to continue performing with The Wiggles due to a chronic condition and has reached the decision to leave the group.

Greg has been suffering symptoms for many months, affecting his ability to perform. The condition is related to blood pressure and while in no way life threatening it affects his balance, breathing and coordination at unpredictable times and with varying severity. Greg has discovered he is genetically predisposed to this condition and that he now needs to focus on managing his health.

Greg is a founding member of The Wiggles and has devoted 15 years to the group. The whole band, crew, and all Wiggles staff, have expressed their sadness and their wishes for Greg to overcome his health problems.

The Wiggles this year have continued their worldwide success, just completing a tour of the US, and have announced Greg?s replacement with his understudy Sam Moran to ensure the continued future of one of Australia?s most successful entertainment troupes.

?This emotional decision was one which was very difficult, as I have dedicated almost half my life to the Wiggles, and with a question mark over my health, I feel that this is the right decision. I will miss The Wiggles and the other guys very much, as well as seeing all the children in the audiences that we perform in front of. I wish the guys continued success, and welcome Sam Moran with open arms to the Yellow Skivvy ? I know he is a great performer, and is well equipped to be the Yellow Wiggle,? Greg said.

Sam has been performing with The Wiggles for the past nine years and as understudy has performed over 150 shows as the Yellow Wiggle. Educated at the Conservatorium of Music, Sam has been a Wiggly dancer, Wiggly band member and will be a wonderful addition to the group.

Murray Cook (Red Wiggle) said, ?I know I speak for all The Wiggles and our staff in expressing our sadness at Greg?s leaving. The four of us started from humble beginnings 15 years ago and we?ve been through many adventures together. We will miss Greg as a superb singer, performer and songwriter but mostly we?ll miss him on the road as a friend and ally. We wish him well in dealing with his illness and in future.?

?We welcome Sam in his place in the Wiggles. We know first hand that he is an extremely talented performer and is already well-loved by our Wiggly audience?.

The Wiggles will continue to tour the world, record and film new DVDs with Sam Moran as the new Yellow Wiggle.

For further information, please contact:

Dianna O?Neill Publicity

Phone 02 9337 2288

Mobile 0418 468 148

Email dioneill@ozemail.com.au

MEDICAL CONDITION BACKGROUND

Greg Page is afflicted with a condition known as orthostatic intolerance. Put simply, it means that when Greg stands up, his heart does not compensate for the change in posture by pumping more blood around his body for it to function properly. A similar problem occurs when there is a change in the environment such as a warm room or hot weather.

This condition is causing problems with his walking, balance, speech and coordination. It relates to the proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system, which is the way the human body regulates things we don?t consciously have to think about such as heart beat and temperature regulation.

As many as 30,000 people in Australia suffer orthostatic intolerance at varying levels of severity. The condition is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Greg is currently suffering a severe and chronic case but episodes, specialists now believe, date back some 12 years. At that time, testing was inconclusive, because the symptoms were mild to moderate, sporadic, and could have been attributed to a number of causes. All major organs in his body were functioning properly, so there was no further testing done. It is possible that his most recent bouts of illness with two hernias (prior to Oct 05) brought on the orthostatic intolerance with increased severity.

There is no diagnosis of the cause for this condition in Greg?s case yet. It is clear, from extensive testing, that his heart is perfect and functioning normally, however his brain is not communicating properly with his heart and, from time to time, in unpredictable circumstances, results in the onset of symptoms.

Greg is still seeking further prognosis and advice on how to manage his condition from specialists. Although it is not life threatening, it is also not likely to be cured so will require careful management to keep it under control. Stepping back from the very strenuous live performance demands of being part of the Wiggles is now his only option.

?Although orthostatic intolerance is not uncommon in the world population, its symptoms can be mild enough to remain undetected or extremely difficult to diagnose, or it can be dormant for a long time and brought on spontaneously by a trigger, sometimes something seemingly trivial, as it seems likely could be in Greg?s case, or it could be the two hernias that he had last year.?

?Then the symptoms can become chronic and incapacitate normally healthy active people to an enormous, and highly unpredictable, degree. Greg is fortunate he is not at the fully disabled extreme of the condition, but he is currently suffering a level of the condition that requires considerable further assessment and development of a plan to manage the condition, as it is not likely to be cured, but we expect we can minimise the impact on his life in the future,? said Associate Professor John Watson, Neurologist.

Orthostatic intolerance

The symptoms for this condition may include the following:

? Excessive Fatigue

? Exercise Intolerance

? Nausea

? Tachycardia

? Palpitations

? Tremulousness

? Weakness - most noticeable in the legs

? Chest Discomfort

? Shortness of Breath

? Migraines and Other Headaches

? Gastrointestinal Problems

[briarrose]

The article here states that O.I. is more prevelant in men then women! I wish magazines would do their research before they write to the world.

http://www.who.com/who/scoop/article/0,19971,1564303,00.html

[ramakentesh]

Greg has now organised a charity that accepts donations for research at the Baker Institute on POTS and related illnesses (NCS, etc). You can review it andor make a donation at the baker institute's website.

[mattsmum]

It was on A current affair on monday night...This article from the website

Greg Page Fund for Orthostatic Intolerance

Former Yellow Wiggle Greg Page was diagnosed in 2007 with Orthostatic Intolerance. Greg has helped establish with seed funding an important research project that you can also contribute to. The Greg Page Fund for Orthostatic Intolerance raises money to support Baker IDI research into this debilitating condition. 100% of funds raised go direct to the research ? donate now.

OI (Orthostatic Intolerance)

When you stand blood tends to 'run to your boots', collecting in the veins of your legs and abdomen, momentarily reducing the return of blood to the heart where it is needed for the pumping action which maintains blood pressure and blood flow to the organs of the body at normal levels. The body has reflexes, involving an autonomic stimulant system called the sympathetic nervous system, which in healthy people almost immediately adjust to these changes with standing, making the veins less stretchy and causing the heart to pump at a faster rate, so that blood pressure falls very little and blood flow to the brain is well maintained.

In some people these automatic responses fail, such as to cause one of several disabling disorders of control of the circulation, because the heart and blood pressure controlling reflexes do not come into play as they should. 'OI', short for Orthostatic Intolerance (the term literally means 'intolerance of standing') is a prime example of these disorders, the one which struck down Greg Page, the former Yellow Wiggle. Symptoms brought on by standing include dizziness, sometimes leading to fainting, a racing heart beat, weakness, chest pain and incapacity to think clearly ('brain fog' as described by some OI sufferers).

There are several other conditions which are similar to OI, almost identical in their disabling symptoms, but apparently different in their basic cause. One closely related to OI is POTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome), special features of which are that the heart really races on standing (as high as 160 beats per minute) and that fainting sometimes occurs even without a fall in blood pressure.

OI and these related disorders do involve a failure in one form or another of the sympathetic nervous system circulation reflexes. Baker IDI is trying to uncover the causes of OI and these related conditions, to provide a clear path to diagnosis of each, and a logical basis for treatment. Our molecular research on the sympathetic nerves is providing some exciting leads. At present treatment is sometimes but not always helpful, as it is often not firmly based on an accurate diagnosis, or on a sufficiently precise understanding of the primary, initiating cause. Through our research we will endeavour to overcome these deficiencies.

You can donate through the Baker Institute. Would be really good if something exciting comes from the research. I'm being treated by a different hospital but I might give them a call and offer to be a lab rat

[MelissaCrystal]

Why haven't I ever heard of the Wiggles? Is it something old or new? Are you guys familiar with it because of involvement with kids?

I'm just wondering if anyone I talk to in my life will know what the Wiggles are...is this a well-known group?

[ramakentesh]

Its probably mainly only us Aussies But we were led to believe they were big in the states back home!

[MelissaCrystal]

Didn't realize how diverse this board was! =)

[kitchmill]

The Wiggles are huge in the US also. But you probably wouldn't know them if you don't have young kids. My kids love them! We've been to several Wiggles shows, both with Greg and one now without him (with Sam, the new Yellow Wiggle).

[Heiferly]

Yes, the Wiggles are huge in the States. I've been on disability (and thus away from "my" kids) for over 2 years now and I *still* get "hot potato ... cold spaghetti" stuck in my head sometimes. But if you're not around young kids, I doubt you'd ever encounter them. Stuff like The Wiggles, Boobah, The Backyardigans, LazyTown . . . it's a strange parallel world that adults never glimpse if they don't have or interact with kids. And probably with good reason, LOL.

[flop]

The Wiggles are big in the UK too, but as above they are well known to pre-schoolers and parents/friends. I have a friend with a toddler so I know about the wiggles but wouldn't actually know any of their songs/dances.

Flop