From the address by JULIE LONCAR,
Hypnotherapist, to The IN Group Winter Luncheon, held Sunday 17th
June 2001 at the Glen Waverley home of Margaret and Doug Lawrence.Home | About | Newsletters | INvoice
From the address by JULIE LONCAR,
Hypnotherapist, to The IN Group Winter Luncheon, held Sunday 17th
June 2001 at the Glen Waverley home of Margaret and Doug Lawrence.
I was first introduced to The IN Group in 1994. My son Richard, then aged 12, suddenly became unwell. At first the doctors did not know what was wrong with him. We took him to the Epworth Hospital as he was having difficulty walking. The doctor who examined Richard said to me that it could be some kind of virus but he felt that Richard was probably "attention seeking."
Dissatisfied and unhappy with the diagnosis, we took Richard home, hoping he would be better the next day. By the next morning he could hardly stand up or walk at all.
We took him straight to the Children’s Hospital where they fairly quickly diagnosed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). There was another young boy in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with GBS.
The hospital staff couldn’t give me very much information on GBS. They told me it would have to run its course. However, I did gain some very import-ant information from one of the nurses. She said that at all times when I was with Richard, to be positive and to tell the family and visitors the same.
I was given the phone number of The IN Group. At my first opportunity I rang James. His lovely voice showed concern and interest, and that was a comfort. He immediately posted out the information on GBS and I shared it with family and friends who were as confused and bewildered as myself about Richard’s illness.
Richard’s GBS certainly "did run its course" and the weeks I spent in ICU were extremely worrying ones. However the plasmapheresis treatment appeared to dramatically improve Richard’s condition and, as research shows, children tend to make a much quicker recovery. The following year Richard returned to rep basketball. He is now 19 years old, 6"8" tall and plays senior football with Montrose.
After Richard’s illness I became more and more aware of health and well being. I also became more and more interested in the mind and body and the interconnection of the two. That is when I first be-came interested in Hypnosis. I had some personal experience with it and found it to be very beneficial, so much so that I wanted to become a hypnotherapist.
I was very fortunate to find a wonderful teacher in Col Evans. He heads the Academy of Clinical Hypnotherapy Australia and is the president of the Australian Clinical Therapists Association.
Hypnosis is a proven, natural and very gentle non-invasive therapy that helps to heal and restore harmony in an individual.
The goal of Clinical Hypnotherapy is to help people overcome behaviours that are holding them back, preventing them from achieving their full potential, and to promote healing and good health, physical, emotional and spiritual.
Hypnosis is in fact very natural. It is an altered state of awareness, similar to what we do when we day-dream or meditate. Clinical Hypnotherapy simply facilitates this process in a structured way.
It is a very gentle and safe therapy that doesn’t involve the application of mind-altering substances, chemicals or drugs. It is most effective when carried out in a nurturing, confidential and non-judgmental environment.
One of the most important aspects of hypnosis is that it is self-empowering. The simple act of entering hypnosis entails physical and mental relaxation. Some experts claim that 15 minutes of hypnosis is the equivalent of 4 hours of natural sleep.
During the session the hypnotherapist gives many positive suggestions to the client. These suggestions enable the client to rediscover their strengths, confidence, inner power, motivation and increased self-esteem.
My clients are taught how to place themselves into self-hypnosis thus enabling them to dissipate and man-age negative stress, and to reduce and relieve the symptoms of anxiety.
The subconscious is indeed extremely powerful. I believe that it not only holds the information required to understand the problem but often also knows how best to solve the problem for that person.
Except for a few cases, the majority of people are capable of being placed into hypnosis if they allow themselves to be. Because hypnosis promotes inner strength, self-awareness and motivation, I believe that it can benefit everyone.
Pain control, Relaxation, Phobias, Stress and Anxiety reduction, Increased self esteem, Motivation, Stuttering, Smoking, Promote Healing, Breathing disorders.
If you wish to be referred to a suitable hypnotherapist in your area please ring Col Evans at the Academy of Clinical Hypnotherapy on either (03) 9444 7454 0r 0419115350.
I would like to congratulate James and Betty Gerrand and The IN Group for the wonderful and extremely valuable work they do.
On a final note we were of course delighted with Richard’s recovery from GBS. His body was back to normal but several months later he had no facial expression at all. We started to wonder whether it would ever return to normal. His face was quite deadpan. Then one afternoon I was at Richard’s school when one of his classmates loudly exclaimed "Look everybody, Richard is smiling." We turned to see that his smile had very suddenly returned.
Low blood supplies continue to limit the product-ion of Intragam - a vital treatment for CIDP and GBS patients. Intragam is a blood product made by CSL from whole blood donations. To assist with in-creasing the supply of Intragam, all IN Group members are asked to encourage family members and friends to consider donating blood.
Every year the IN Group participates in the Summer Blood Challenge where we actively promote blood donations from November to February. Each donation for the IN Group is recorded and tallied at the end of this time to see how many donations were made. Prizes are given to community groups with the highest number of donations during this time and hopefully donations will continue after this period.
Given the reliance on Intragam by our members, we hope you will consider asking your friends and families to donate to this very worthy cause. Further information is available by calling the Red Cross Blood Bank on 13 14 95 or by calling James Gerrand on 9853 6443.
A grand total of $815.10 was raised at our annual Summer Luncheon held Sunday 11th November at the Balwyn Library Meeting Room. The 32 members and friends first enjoyed the very tasty food and drink (returning $288.00) and then the hilarious Dutch auctioneering by maestro BARBARA BUR-ZAK-STEFANOWSKI of the many gifts contributed (returning $377.10). Finally a number of members kindly donated a further $150.00.
Our very special thanks are due to those who prepared the luncheon – BETTY GERRAND, MARGARET LAWRENCE, ROSEMARY MACQUALTER, BARBARA RIVETT, DOR-OTHY BRENNAN and BARBARA CLIFF-ORD.
To the surprise and pleasure of the recipients, VILMA CLARKE, President of the Council of Australian GBS/CIDP Support Groups, presented Certificates of Appreciation to a number of the IN Group committee as acknowledgment of their eff-orts in the International Year of Volunteers – 2001.
CSL is sponsoring the Neuromuscular Research Fel-low at St Vincent’s Hospital and the Royal Children’s Hospital to undertake research, under the direction of Dr Andrew Kornberg, into neurological disorders (particularly GBS and CIDP) using Intragam P.
Thanks, CSL, and congratulations, Andrew.
The IN Group was most pleased to receive a donation of $340.00 from the Highett Bowling Club Ladies section to help research into GBS and CIDP. The Club, knowing of their (and our) member, Hugh Cafarella, suffering from CIDP, decided to allot their monthly donation to our cause. A fine initiative.
Thank you for the response to our form requesting detail as to whether a patient was getting the medically prescribed amount of Intragam.
Of the 17 members who reported Intragam treatment, only 4 received the prescribed amount (1 GBS and 3 CIDP). The remaining 13 (all CIDP) received only an average of 76% of that prescribed. Also there was some indication that some doctors, aware of the shortage, tended to prescribe alternative treatment.
The In Group must continue to encourage more blood donations and press Federal and State Governments to allot more funding for processing into Intra-gam - the Working party into the Supply and Use of Immunoglobulin recommended an additional amount of $14 million to overcome the shortfall.
Kate Mangion, Occupational Therapist at the Sunshine Hospital, contacted The In Group to seek sup-port for a patient suffering from GBS in their Inpatient Rehab section. With the help of our Questionnaire for matching, JAN LANE has kindly agreed to visit her.
Information material – brochure, newsletter, GBS or CIDP booklet, has been sent to David Connolly (GBS) of Reservoir, Denise Younger (MMN) of Chirnside Park, Alec Dohnt (GBS) of Port Pirie SA, Jodie Hewett (dad with GBS) of Forrestfield WA and Jeanne Reggio (friend with CIDP) of Glen Ellen California, USA.
And a letter
The In Group,
I would like to say how very informative and helpful the articles are in your newsletters.
I am going to try reflexology soon as an ongoing therapeutical treatment. After a much-needed should-ers massage yesterday (because of one week in hosp-ital as part of a stem cell procedure) the masseur spent a little time doing reflexology on my feet. I can already feel a difference today.
Also your newsletters have mentioned the value of treatments for neuropathic pain as an ongoing pain treatment My neurologist prescribed Tegretol for me about 16 months ago but I did not give it a fair go.
As a result of re-reading your newsletters I have now started to take Tegretol and will include it with reflexology as part of a long-term therapeutical plan.
As I said earlier I have just completed a stem cell recovery procedure and I will let you know how this went in a few months.
Len Liddelow, Bently WA
Some of our members may be eligible to claim the Mobility Allowance. This is paid to people with dis-abilities, illnesses or injuries who:
need to travel to and from their home as part of these activities.
If you consider you meet the above criteria then you should obtain a Claim pack from Centrelink. There are two forms in the pack; one is the Claim for Mobility Allowance and the other is a Treating Doctor’s Report for Mobility Allowance. The Treating Doctor is the one who normally treats you.
Mobility Allowance is paid fortnightly to bank or other account. The current payment is $61.90. A lump sum advance equal to six months allowance may be paid once a year. There is no income or assets test.
When you are walking floppity
And your speech goes all slopathy
You may be having
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.
There’s not just one tonic
When its chronic.
The myelin attack ceases
Following plasmapheresis,
Immune suppressants and IVIG,
All part of the pharmacopoeia pot pourri.
Stem cells offer some hope.
We could stop taking all this dope.
The Neurontin helps ease the pain.
It keeps one from going insane
While anticipating
More demyelinating.
David Campbell, gbs.etal@gbs.org
Associate Professor NEIL BOYCE
Transfer Medicine Specialist
Australian Red Cross Blood Service (Victoria)
Wednesday 13th February 2002 at 8pm
Balwyn Library Meeting Room 336 Whitehorse Road Balwyn
Dear Member,
Our next GET TOGETHER of The IN Group will feature Dr Neil Boyce of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. His talk will particularly be welcomed by The IN Group members, so many of us being so dependent on the blood product immunoglobulin, manufactured by CSL Limited under the trade name “Intragam”, for the treatment of GBS and CIDP.
It is suggested that members bring a small plate of food for the following supper.
RSVP 6th February tel (03) 9853-6443.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 13th February.
Kindest regards,
James Gerrand, Director.