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Okay, this isn't about us, put I'm asking for your help for this family. Below is an article outlining the abduction of Jim Cockman. We need help getting this in the national press. It has been difficult but Fox News is carrying it this evening and Today on NBC is doing a story on Sunday. Any help on the internet would be more than greatly appreciated. For picture of James Cockman please use the link below: http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2004/09/1...04091539270.htm Police fear businessman may have come to harm Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 9:14 pm By E. Richard Walton STAFF WRITER rwalton@greenvillenews.com James Cockman, the Greenville businessman who disappeared this week, "may have come to some harm," according to a Greenville County Sheriff's Office spokesman. "We've investigating this as a missing persons case," said Sgt. Shea Smith. But "based on the circumstances and evidence coming forward, we think there's a strong possibility he may have come to some harm. He could have come to foul play." Smith said investigators had a number of tips in the case, but declined to elaborate. The FBI also has joined the investigation of what happened to the 71-year-old Cockman, the former Greenville County Chamber of Commerce president who was last seen buying a cup of coffee at a service station at the intersection of State 11 and 14. Cockman had gone there Tuesday morning to complete the sale of a Suburban he had parked in an empty lot across the road. The Sheriff's Office has set up a 24-hour command center at the intersection to get tips from people who may have seen something related to the case. Tom O'Neill, a FBI spokesman in Columbia, said federal agents are assisting Greenville County in the search for Cockman. Smith said the FBI was asked to help with the search roughly 36 hours after Cockman vanished. "They asked for our assistance," O'Neill said. He would not discuss the FBI's role. "We don't discuss specific steps that we're taking," he said. "We will follow logical leads we receive." Deputies have increased patrols in the area, where Cockman was last seen, a spot near the North Carolina border. Smith said anyone with information about the case can call investigators at 23-CRIME or 467-5240. Deputies were unable to use their helicopter Thursday to search the woods in the area because of the bad weather, Smith said. Cockman was scheduled to meet a potential buyer of a 1996 GMC Suburban at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. The buyer gave a deposit of $100 and was expected to pay another $8,400 to purchase the vehicle. Cockman was driving a 1999 Jaguar and stopped at a nearby Spinx Station for a cup of coffee shortly beforehand, officials said. His wife, Cathy Cockman, told authorities she suspected something was amiss because she said her husband always showed up for appointments. Officials at Tryon Federal Bank contacted her after Cockman failed to appear. His wife went to the meeting spot after Cockman failed to show for the bank appointments and found Cockman's Jaguar with the door ajar. A prayer vigil for him will be held starting at 11 a.m. today at First Baptist Church, at Cleveland and Faris streets, a church spokesman said. All faiths are welcome. ? Staff Writer E. Richard Walton can be reached at 298-4317. Missing man's family and friends post reward for information Posted Friday, September 17, 2004 - 3:42 pm By John Boyanoski STAFF WRITER jboyan@greenvillenews.com Friends and family of a missing Greenville County businessman are offering a $50,000 reward for any information on his whereabouts that can lead to his finding. Authorities also released more information Friday about a couple seen with James D. Cockman at the intersection of Highway 11 and 14 the night before he vanished. Sheriff Steve Loftis described a white male, 6-feet, 250 pounds with shoulder length brown hair, tattooed legs, and a full beard; and a white female, about 5 foot 7, petite with reddish/brown hair in a pony tail, as persons of interest. The two were seen in a older model white sedan that had two children in it around 6 p.m. Monday, Loftis said. Cockman was last seen leaving a Spinx station at the intersection of Highways 11 and 14 Tuesday morning, said Loftis said. Cockman was planning to sell a Chevrolet Suburban across the street to an unidentified couple. Cockman's wife found his 1999 green Jaguar at the scene a few hours later, but Cockman and the Suburban were missing, Loftis Authorities believe Cockman, who was the former head of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, may have been abducted, Loftis said. He declined to discuss motives or scenarios Friday. But he did say no one has demanded ransom. "We are chasing every lead that comes in," Loftis said. Anyone with information should call a special tip line: 1-866-839-6241. The FBI is monitoring that line. The Sheriffs Office also has a 24-hour mobile command center at the intersection in Landrum in case people have information, Loftis said. About 12 people have brought information there so far, Loftis said. Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office is also assisting by chasing down leads in that county. The agency lent its helicopter to help in the search Wednesday. However, bad weather the last few days has grounded an aerial search. Investigators are reviewing video tapes from the Spinx station, but Loftis would not say what if any information they revealed. He also wouldn't say if call records from Cockman's home phone number have shown anything. Cockman's wife, Cathy, told police a man called the home around 6 p.m. Monday to ask about the GMC Suburban that was parked in a vacant lot about five minutes from their house. Loftis did not say why they were selling the SUV. James Cockman drove to the site alone where he met with the couple Loftis described. They paid him $100 cash Monday and said they would complete the deal Tuesday morning. Cockman left his home at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday wearing a white Polo shirt with H. L. Hunley on it and dark slacks. Spinx employees said he bought a coffee there, but they did not pay attention to what he did next. After a bank called Cathy Cockman twice to say he had missed appointments, she drove to the scene. She found the Jaguar's door open, and the Suburban's bill of sale and title inside. She then called the Sheriff's Office to report the disappearance. Loftis said no usable evidence has been found on the Jaguar.

Hey Steph Thanks for your thoughts, but please don't feel sorry for me. The way I figure is, it could always be alot worse. Have a good day and talk to you soon. Bren

Okay, here's the weird thing, the rash is totally symmetircal, so the dermatologist says it has to be coming from something internal.

Amy, I have been trying to think of something different in my diet, but I can't come up with anything. The doctor did say that you can develope any allergy at any time. Thanks for your suggestion. I think that I'll try it. Bren

She did check for all types of insects, just to be sure. Everything came back negative. She said that it is some type of reaction that comes from something internal, because the rash is symetrical. Now they are doing blood work for a lot of different autoimmune diseases.

I just found tis website and I thought it might be useful to others. It contains a lot of links for disability info and resources (things that could make our lives a little easier). Bren Resources

I was hoping someone out there might have some ideas for me. I have had this weird rash for about a month now. The bumps are red and round and eventually they sort of look like the center blisters. It itches horribly. And it is totally symetrical. I have it behind both of my knees, on my inner thighs, on the tops of both arms by my elbows, on both shoulders and a few on both sides of my torso, and now I'm starting to get them around my cuticles and I think I'm getting them on my tongue, too. At first, the dermatologist thought it could be a gluten allergy and she did a biopsy, but the biopsy didn't really work because I was on prednisone. Then she did a blood test for gluten allergy, but that came back normal. I've been on prednisone, zyrtec, atarax, benedryal and a topical ointment (all at the same time) and I keep getting new spots. She's having me go off every thing and then she's going to do another biopsy. I can't identify a trigger and it is driving me crazy. I can't sleep because I itch so bad and then I'm even more tired than I normally am during the day (not to mention that when I do sleep I sometimes scratch my skin raw, sorry for the details). Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bren

Last week I had trouble trying to get a handicap seat pre-assigned on Norhtwest Airlines. I spent an hour on the phone with an agent and a supervisor trying to explain why I needed to have a handicap seat pre-assigned (I was assigned a seat in the very last row of the plane). I told them that I has POTS, explained my condition (I become very tachycardic even if I stand for short periods of time. I can't stand in lines, period, end of story, I become tachycardic and then I usually get angina.) Well, the supervisor's suggestion was that I "get to the airport early and stand in line and see if you can get a handicap seat at the ticket counter". I went round and round with him and I was very nice, until I got to the point that I told him that it was humiliating to beg for a handicap seat because of my health. I then ended the conversation because I knew that I was going to cry and I didn't want him to know that he got the best of me. After I hung up, I found a very helpful travel website for people with disabilities. I found this info on their website: The Toll Free Hotline for disabled air travelers has been in operation since August 2002 and is available for callers from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.Eastern Time, seven days a week. It is currently not being fully utilized. The Hotline serves two main purposes: (1) education and (2) assistance in resolving disability-related air travel problems. * Many disabled air travelers are not aware of their rights and the Hotline, in part, exists as an educational service to inform air travelers with disabilities about their rights under the Air Carrier * Access Act and the Department's implementing regulations 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382). Hotline operators are well versed in the ACAA and Part 382 and can provide callers with on the spot general information about the rights of air travelers with disabilities. The Hotline operators also respond to requests for printed consumer information about air travel rights of the disabled. * The Hotline can also assist air travelers with disabilities in resolving real time or upcoming issues with air carriers. The purpose of "real-time" assistance is to facilitate airline compliance with DOT's rules by suggesting to the passenger and the airline involved alternative customer-service solutions to the problem. The airline remains responsible for deciding what action will be taken to resolve the issue in accordance with the ACAA and Part 382. Generally, if a caller has a real time problem or an upcoming issue with an air carrier, a Hotline Duty Officer will contact that air carrier and attempt to resolve the issue. For example, there have been a number of incidents in which Hotline Duty Officers have contacted air carriers and convinced them to accept service animals and electric wheelchairs on board flights, to stow folding wheelchairs in the cabin, and to provide requested wheelchair assistance. Air travelers who want information about the rights of persons with disabilities in air travel or who experience disability-related air travel service problems may call the Hotline to obtain assistance at: 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY). Air travelers who want DOT to investigate a complaint about a disability-related issue still must submit their complaint in writing via e-mail at airconsumer@ost.dot.gov or postal mail to: Aviation Consumer Protection Division U.S. Department of Transportation 400 7th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590 To request flyers promoting the Hotline to distribute to your membership, contact (202) 366-1617 (voice) or (202) 366-0511 (TTY). I called the hotline and they told me what to say when I called Northwest back. They said if my issue wasn't resolved with that phone call to call the hotline back and they would contact the airlines for me. Well, I called back and in less than 5 minutes I was preassigned a handicap seat. The link for the website is listed below, as well as, some information about the organization. I hope that you all find this information helpful. Bren SATH "The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) is a non-profit educational organization that has actively represented travelers with disabilities since 1976. SATH's mission is to promote AWARENESS, RESPECT and ACCESSIBILITY for travelers with disabilities and the mature and EDUCATE the travel, tourism and hospitality industry on becoming more accessible for persons with disabilities. SATH works vigorously for the creation of a barrier-free environment (architectural and attitudinal) throughout all segments of the travel and tourism industry, in the United States and abroad. The Society's efforts bore fruit in the access section of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and in the Air Carriers Access Act."</span>

Thank you so much for posting this info. Dr. Grubb felt that my POTS was definately linked to my pregancies (I've been pregnant twice and I have 2 children). He thinks that I developed POTS with the first pregancy but that the symptoms weren't severe enough and I was able to ignore them or attribute them to something else. But after my second pregancy my POTS was full blown and so that's when it was diagnosed. I was put on bed rest during the 7th month of my pregnancy (but I probably should have been put on it sooner) because of hypertension and severe water retention (I didn't even look like a person). The bed rest was to prevent preclampsia. I had to lay on my left side and I was allowed up for 30 minutes every 2 hours. I was monitored twice a week by a perinatologist and ended up delivering 3 weeks early. My first pregnancy wasn't as bad, I suffered from severe water retention, but my blood pressure was okay. It's just so weird because ever since my second pregnancy my health has suffered. Thanks Bren

I wear a medic alert bracelet. I've never taken it off since the day that I put it on. The inscription on mine reads: "Autonomic Dysfunction Call Immediately For Vital Information" Medic Alert has the information on all of my condition including symptoms, meds, allergies, doctors, insurance, and emergency contacts. That bracelet is my piece of mind. I don't faint, but I suffer from severe angina, so if I ever go into an ER and can't talk or remember things, all they have to do is call Medic Alert.

I was taking 400 mg of neurontin 3x a day and I definately noticed a weight gain. I didn't attribute to the neurontin until I went off of it and started losing weight without really changing my diet. It was also causing my vision to blur worse than it already does from the POTS. But it did help with the pain.

Welcome to the board. My main doctors are a cardiologist and a rheumatologist. The decision for me was based on which of my symptoms were most troublesome.

I take so many meds that it borders on absurb, but neurontin is by far my favorite med because I notice such a difference when I take it. I take 400 mg 3x a day. Some days I think it makes me more tired, but not enough to want to give it up. Bren

GO TO ANOTHER CARDIOLOGIST!!!! My major symptom in chest pain and most of my meds are to try to help control the pain. I had a cardiac MRI 2 yrs ago right after I was diagnosed with POTS. The results were that I have microvascular heart disease which Dr. Grubb said is caused by my POTS. Just for my chest pain I take imdur (a time released form of nitro), neurontin and sublingual nitro as needed (which is a lot). I also take a beta blocker, a calcium channel blocker and singulair. Good luck! Bren

Thanks to those who have expressed interest in a support group. If you haven't e-mailed yet, please do. My e-mail address is seaboardbc@aol.com Thanks! Bren

Hi Justme If you just want to be on our e-mail list that's great. Any level of involvement will be welcomed and appreciated. Hope to hear from you. Bren

Just keeping this bumped, please reply. Thanks! Bren

Along with the help of anothe Twin Cities POTS patient, I am putting together a support group. We are hoping for a big response. If you are interested in participating in the group or if you would like to be involved in the formation of the group, please send your name, e-mail address and how you would like to be involved to: seaboardbc@aol.com We look forward to hearing from you! Bren

Hi Sue You are very welcome. I know I was in your place once and I know how it feels to be a newbie (or worse yet, not even diagnosed). This forum helped me tremendously so my way of saying thank you is to keep posting in order to help others. Feel Good Bren

Thanks Steph, I will. I talked to one of the nurses at cardiac rehab today and she is getting me some info. Her friend has chronic fatigue and is very involved in the chronic fatigue support group so she's goign to have her call me and give me some info also. Bren

Jackie Thanks so much! Bren

Does anyone have any information on starting a support group? I live in Minneapolis and I don't think that there is a support group that is specific to POTS. So, I was thinking that maybe I could start one. Any input anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Bren

1. Name: Brenda (Bren) 2. Age: 42 3. Dx: POTS 4. Age at dx: 41 5. Where you live: Minneapolis 6. Symptoms at worst: HOw much time do you have ? Chest pain that's about an 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, tachycardia, extreme fatigue, Raynauds, neck and back pain, numbness and tingling in arms and hands, dizziness, brain fog, blurred vision, palpitations, erratic blood pressure, joint pain, sleep disturbances, trouble regulating body temp, ringing in my ears, pain in left arm pit (no one can figure that one out), rashes 7. Symptoms at best: slight tachycardia, angina that's only about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, mild fatigue, periodic dizziness 8. Medications/treatments, etc. that didn't work for you: Provigel, Zoloft, Wellbutrin 9. Medications/treatments, etc., that do work for you: Pindolol 5mg 2x/daily, Diltiazem 180 mg 1x/daily, Imdur 60 mg 1x/daily, Neurontin 400 mg 3x/daily, Adderall 90 mg 1x/daily, Singulair 1x/daily, Nitro (as needed for chest pain), a positive attitude and the determination to find a way to have more good days than bad days Comments: I never have "normal" days (days like I had before POTS got me). Now my "normal" days are like I listed under "symptoms at best". When I have my "symptoms at worst", it's almost like my body goes out of "remission" and everything with my ANS goes out of whack and stays that way for weeks and sometimes months at a time (and this happens frequently over the course of a year), but I haven't been able to figure out what sets it off. I've been put on Prednisone a couple of times when this has happened and it seems like the Prednisone helped turn things around for the better, but I've been told by my doctors that I can't have Prednisone every time I have a flare up because the side effects down the road are so bad. So, I guess the next flare up will be treated with "grin and bare it"

I'm not doubting anything that isbeing said here, but how do we explain why POTS seems to affect more females than males? Also, I still think that somehow excessive exposure to Thimerosal could tie into the equation. Even today in my Chem class my professor talked about how mercury can cause neurological damage. Any thoughts? Bren

I was born in Cleveland and grew up in Columbus. I live in Minneapolis now. So, do you think there's some Ohio connection. I'm not ruling anything out at this point. Bren