Comments on: My Pyloric Stenosis at six weeks old, Released with Gratitude! http://golfmindpower.com/2009/08/my-pyloric-stenosis-at-six-weeks-old-released-with-gratitude/ THE ATHLETIC MINDSET... PASSION. PURPOSE. INTEGRITY Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:36:20 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: admin http://golfmindpower.com/2009/08/my-pyloric-stenosis-at-six-weeks-old-released-with-gratitude/comment-page-1/#comment-12 admin Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:20:30 +0000 http://golfmindpower.com/?p=149#comment-12 (These are original comments I saved from 2007, before my site was compromised. They are wonderful, brave people who came forward to share their experiences. Fee free to do the same. Gratefully, Randy) --------------------------- 1. # Aussie Fred on 30 Oct 2007 at 1:10 am Hi Randy, It was really great to read the account of your release! What an experience that session was for you! May its benefits never leave you. Include me among the admirers of your energy and enthusiasm (which living in faraway Oz I have witnessed via the web videos). We are grateful for your sharing of yourself with us. Some reflections – which I write here hopefully to help others and open up more sharing and release. 1 You are privileged in having Dr Birsky as a friend, virtual colleague and soul buddy. I suspect many of those who read your blog with any personal interest would love to be able to work on an issue or two with someone we know and trust to that extent. I have had a few problems with my pyloric stenosis history which seems to run fairly parallel with yours. The issues are always there although steadily reducing as I’ve work on them. But they don’t affect my public life, marriage and family, or work. So despite several folk urging me I find it kinda hard to feel motivated to spend the energy and time to find someone “out there” to be my mentor and guide. So many people with much more debilitating problems take up the time of the helpers I know. And like others in my situation I have chosen to leave my partner out of this. As is true of the Catholic sacrament of confession and reconciliation, there is obvious value in dealing with issues not just in privacy but with a trusted and respected person who can guide and assure us. What to do? 2 The more I interact with people who have struggled with a few issues because of surgery in early life (and let’s face it, p/s surgery is less major than much other pediatric surgery), the more I have been helped by realising that I am not alone. Those who have such issues are probably a quite small percentage, but that doesn’t make our pain less real. Apart from your highlighted issues, the reasons some of us have a few challenges include: 1) a shy nature that is embarrassed over looking and feeling different, 2) some parents’ failure to explain their child’s scar, the reasons behind it, the best ways of dealing with the inevitable questions of the curious, and to help them move from discomfort to embrace their pre-conscious story with gratitude for the skills of surgery and the gift of life; 3) occasionally parents make insensitive and quite inappropriate jokes about their child’s scar, adding to their child’s trauma; and 4) some who went through a major personal crisis before the dawn of their consciousness have difficulty truly “owning” their surgery. For most people who are aware of it, surgery is typically the most positive and lifesaving turning point of a process we experience and in which we were involved, including choices and decisions, preparation, understanding the medical procedure and world, the pain and (hopefully) the recovery. As for me, my p/s scar is part of my body but not of my memory. My parents wanted to “move on” from their personal pain of that time and never to talk about it. My parents are no longer alive, so it was great to identify with your request to your mother, and I even muttered a quiet “aha” at her final “What do you need all this for?” 3 There are also other issues you raise which struck a chord with me. Forgiving - my parents, the anonymous, now deceased medicoes who touched my body without my involvement, and my God who allowed me this extra issue. Gratitude - to all those involved for the successful surgery and the good life it has made possible – a gratitude that overwhelms the negative stuff and that I feel as well acknowledge in my mind. Ownership - I have moved on now from covering up my scar (more difficult for guys) because I couldn’t answer the questions and hated being the focus of attention. It’s somehow just nice to know that others (including the other sex both young and older) can also feel these things. Like you I no longer feel vulnerable, enjoy being myself and am able to talk about my story. I am sad that I couldn’t enjoy this freedom for so many years but revel in it now. Re-enactment - It was interesting that Dr Birsky led you to re-enact your surgery. I have sometimes done this (though alone) and no doubt this helps us to “own” and embrace our story. I trust that your liberation will last as I believe mine will! This response is long and wide ranging. May it give you and hopefully others at least something to respond to. I look forward to your comments. --------------------------- 2. # Randy on 31 Oct 2007 at 2:29 pm Dear Aussie Fred, Thank you so much for your wonderful comment on my article on Pyloric Stenosis. It’s such a personal thing for those of us that it “happened to”. The funny thing is I didn’t know why I felt compelled to write about my experience until after I published it. The energy work was a wonderful release for me, but writing about it had another component I was not aware of until I wrote it, and then touched someone around the world! I believe sharing our experiences in life, good and bad, enables us to educate and enlighten others thereby empowering each other along the way! Life is a gift. I learned to be grateful and thankful for what is, and now it’s my turn to pass it on. Sending a big grateful hug across land and sea to you and others listening! --------------------------- 3. # jason on 01 Nov 2007 at 6:47 am I had pyloric stenosis too as a 6-week old baby. Still bear the scar ..which is 4″ and runs near horizontal under right rib cage. --------------------------- 4. # Mikeon 12 May 2008 at 5:51 pm i had pyloric stenois also at six months, and my scar is horrible. It’s is horizonal though. Well thanks for sharing, I always feel like a freak with my shirt off. --------------------------- 5. # Randy on 12 May 2008 at 10:20 pm Mike You’re not a freak… you’re special, and alive because of the surgery. Learn to grateful for the scar and appreciate your life as a gift. Use humor if someone stares or asks questions. Most people are just curious because they don’t what it is. It’s our job to enlighten people! Thanks for your comment. Randy --------------------------- 6. # karla on 18 Jul 2008 at 6:31 pm IT WAS NICE TO SEE THAT MY SON WHO WAS BORN ON FEBUARY 27, 2008 ISNT THE ONLY BABY WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM THIS DANGEROUS DISEASE. I WILL LIKE TO TO THANK GOOD THAT THIS WAS DETECTED BEFORE HE HARMED ANY MORE. --------------------------- 7. # Sabrina on 16 Oct 2008 at 11:19 pm I had pyloric stenosis as an infant and had to have emergency surgery on Christmas Eve when I was just 1 month old. I was so severely dehydrated and had lost too much weight. It was very touch and go (from what I’ve been told). My case definitely doesn’t fit the norm though, as I am the last born (not first) and I am female (not male). It definitely runs in my family as my uncle had it and my nephew (both first born males). I am now 25 and trying to start a family of my own, but without any luck. I can’t seem to find any research about women who had pyloric stenosis as an infant. I am so curious to find out if any of them have had trouble getting pregnant. If you have an info that would help me, please e-mail me! beanie4jc@hotmail.com Thanks! --------------------------- 8. # Gene on 21 Dec 2008 at 7:04 pm Hello - I also had surgery for pyloric stenosis at 8 days old. My mother has told me the stories of her worries from her first child’s projectile vomiting and then being rushed into surgery at the local children’s hospital. I am very fortunate in that I’m healthy and always wondered about the procedure, since my mom didn’t remember the details…only the symptoms. My general practicioner “re-diagnosed” me after seeing the small horizontal scar. My question - do any of the adults in this audience have any digestive problems? I have very bad gas that my doctor has possibly associated with pyloric stenosis. However, he wasn’t familiar with many other cases…so didn’t truly know if this was a possible by-product. Any thoughts from this community? Gene --------------------------- 9. # Danielle Salonica on 10 Jan 2009 at 11:08 pm Hi I am 27 F and had Pyloric Stenosis at 2 weeks. my scar is also about 4 inches acriss and on the right side right under my diaphragm. I have been told that the surgery was supposed to be a permanent fix but that also as I age and develop more scar tissue, I will eventually need another surgery to remove scar tissue and release the muscle and fat that has grown on top of and on the scar. I also tend to have spasms and a pulling sensation sometimes during/ after exercise, eating, or just randomly. Mine is not an intense pain at all though just kind of a weird feeling. Whenever I get the stomach flue or drink a little too much I tend to have trouble ending the vomiting unless I take phenigran or another anti- nausea medication. I also have Irritable Bowel Syndrome so I wonder if there’s any correlation there? So two questions- Have any ladies out there who had PS as an infant carried and delivered a baby? Was just wondering if that effected your scars in any way. My hubby and I are considering starting a family soon and that scares me a little, with the extra weight in the belly could it pull too much??? Also, has anyone out there had there scar surgically “released”? If so, for what reasons and how bad was the process? Thanks All! --------------------------- 10. # Aussie Fred on 12 Jan 2009 at 8:41 am All of us “Commentators” thank you, Randy, for your wonderful story which is without doubt the reason you have drawn so many and such varied responses. In the year or so since my first comment, Facebook, the Experience Project and Wikipedia have each also attracted interaction on life since PS surgery. There are several common themes, gastric discomfort being the most obvious. Indigestion is of course a very common discomfort, but we PS’ers seem to have it more and I was interested that Gene’s doctor seemed to confirm that. Sensitivity, spasms, and intermittent pain at the scar site are also mentioned quite often, especially after exercise, but these are by no means common, it seems. Why, I wonder. Overeating with either overweight or underweight also seems to be mentioned quite often. This also will be a general complaint, depending on metabolism, but is perhaps significant post-PS. Some have reported a return of vomiting at around age 20 - sometimes along with other medical problems. The cause and remedy seem unclear and may depend on careful diagnostic work. All in all, I suspect it may be simplistic to say there are no ongoing problems after infant pyloromyotomy. In the immediate and short term this is probably true. But as life goes on, the picture seems to become less clear… for a plethora of reasons perhaps. Whether it’s worthwhile doing a careful statistical study of this is not for me to say. But it would be certainly be of great interest to me and many others! --------------------------- 12. # Christina on 05 May 2009 at 1:06 pm It was very interesting reading this articles and the comments… I was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis at 5 weeks old in 1986. I have a scar under my right rib cage and it’s about 3.5 - 4 inches long and it runs horizontally. Danielle mentioned that she was diagnosed with IBS… as was I. I haven’t found any research on the correlation yet. I have successfully conceived but unfortunately could not carry full term. Phenergan (I’m not sure of the spelling) has definitely helped with all of the discomfort that I have experienced. I would also like to know if any one has had a surgery done to remove the scar… --------------------------- 13. # Fred on 22 May 2009 at 8:14 am Christina, a surgical scar cannot be removed and keloid scars are best left alone. Some of those from ps surgery can be reduced, especially if they have become sunken or misshaped in another way. Suggest you visit Angella’s blog on her experience at http://www.dutchblitz.net/2009/03/page/5/ and perhaps see a good plastic surgeon. Best wishes! --------------------------- 14. # Christine on 06 Jun 2009 at 2:13 am I, too, had pyloric stenosis. Since I was female, the doctor was hesitant, if not outright convinced I could not possibly have it. At some point, after much pressure from my mom, there was an acceptance. I had my surgery at 6 weeks old. My scar is horizontal, as well as indented on the right side where one of the stitches didn’t dissolve. I have never had a problem with that scar, and call the indentation my second belly-button. I am glad I have my life, and I am glad my mom persisted when doctors didn’t want to believe. In the movies where Will Farrel is shirtless, I have commented, I bet he had pyloric stenosis, and I guess I was right!! --------------------------- 15. # Wendy Patrice Williams on 12 Aug 2009 at 12:37 pm Randy’s article made me cry. I have a lot of anger about the invasiveness of the surgery. Not only that, but the surgeon’s words to my mother after my recovery room stay, often repeated to me throughout my childhood, proved to move my life in a very negative direction. I was drawn to rereading Randy’s article (thank you so much for sharing it with the world!) because I need to do some work to release anger I have about this early experience and move into more of a place of appreciation. My scar is about 3 inches long, vertical and a bit wide, i.e. the arms of the stitches stretch out quite a bit. My scar is not deep but rides on the surface of my skin. I have had a lot of shame about it. Thankfully, I have not had any problems with digestion or with feelings of constriction. I have no children so can’t really comment on the baby thing. I have been keeping a blog, chronicling my life living in the aftermath of infant surgery and invite you all to take a look (http://myincision.wordpress.com). I would love for you to comment on my blog, so I could get to know you and learn what you think. I created the blog for several reasons. For one, I felt very isolated and hoped to make connections with PS survivors. Two, I am wanting to create a readership since I wrote a memoir, still in manuscript, about my journey to accept and integrate this early pyloric stenosis experience; it’s titled The Autobiography of a Sea Creature. Thirdly, the blog helps me keep up my writing skills :). I really relate to what Mike said about feeling like a freak because of the scar. I have felt the same way, and it’s only recently that these feelings are beginning to soften. Writing about the experience of having suffered from pyloric stenosis helps. I learn a lot and have developed greater compassion for myself. Thank you everyone for helping me get farther along on my journey. (These are original comments I saved from 2007, before my site was compromised. They are wonderful, brave people who came forward to share their experiences. Fee free to do the same.
Gratefully, Randy)

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1. # Aussie Fred on 30 Oct 2007 at 1:10 am
Hi Randy,
It was really great to read the account of your release! What an experience that session was for you! May its benefits never leave you. Include me among the admirers of your energy and enthusiasm (which living in faraway Oz I have witnessed via the web videos). We are grateful for your sharing of yourself with us.
Some reflections – which I write here hopefully to help others and open up more sharing and release.

1 You are privileged in having Dr Birsky as a friend, virtual colleague and soul buddy. I suspect many of those who read your blog with any personal interest would love to be able to work on an issue or two with someone we know and trust to that extent.
I have had a few problems with my pyloric stenosis history which seems to run fairly parallel with yours. The issues are always there although steadily reducing as I’ve work on them.
But they don’t affect my public life, marriage and family, or work. So despite several folk urging me I find it kinda hard to feel motivated to spend the energy and time to find someone “out there” to be my mentor and guide. So many people with much more debilitating problems take up the time of the helpers I know. And like others in my situation I have chosen to leave my partner out of this.
As is true of the Catholic sacrament of confession and reconciliation, there is obvious value in dealing with issues not just in privacy but with a trusted and respected person who can guide and assure us.
What to do?

2 The more I interact with people who have struggled with a few issues because of surgery in early life (and let’s face it, p/s surgery is less major than much other pediatric surgery), the more I have been helped by realising that I am not alone. Those who have such issues are probably a quite small percentage, but that doesn’t make our pain less real. Apart from your highlighted issues, the reasons some of us have a few challenges include:
1) a shy nature that is embarrassed over looking and feeling different,
2) some parents’ failure to explain their child’s scar, the reasons behind it, the best ways of dealing with the inevitable questions of the curious, and to help them move from discomfort to embrace their pre-conscious story with gratitude for the skills of surgery and the gift of life;
3) occasionally parents make insensitive and quite inappropriate jokes about their child’s scar, adding to their child’s trauma; and
4) some who went through a major personal crisis before the dawn of their consciousness have difficulty truly “owning” their surgery.
For most people who are aware of it, surgery is typically the most positive and lifesaving turning point of a process we experience and in which we were involved, including choices and decisions, preparation, understanding the medical procedure and world, the pain and (hopefully) the recovery.
As for me, my p/s scar is part of my body but not of my memory. My parents wanted to “move on” from their personal pain of that time and never to talk about it.
My parents are no longer alive, so it was great to identify with your request to your mother, and I even muttered a quiet “aha” at her final “What do you need all this for?”

3 There are also other issues you raise which struck a chord with me.
Forgiving – my parents, the anonymous, now deceased medicoes who touched my body without my involvement, and my God who allowed me this extra issue.
Gratitude – to all those involved for the successful surgery and the good life it has made possible – a gratitude that overwhelms the negative stuff and that I feel as well acknowledge in my mind.
Ownership – I have moved on now from covering up my scar (more difficult for guys) because I couldn’t answer the questions and hated being the focus of attention. It’s somehow just nice to know that others (including the other sex both young and older) can also feel these things. Like you I no longer feel vulnerable, enjoy being myself and am able to talk about my story. I am sad that I couldn’t enjoy this freedom for so many years but revel in it now.
Re-enactment – It was interesting that Dr Birsky led you to re-enact your surgery. I have sometimes done this (though alone) and no doubt this helps us to “own” and embrace our story.

I trust that your liberation will last as I believe mine will!
This response is long and wide ranging. May it give you and hopefully others at least something to respond to. I look forward to your comments.

—————————
2. # Randy on 31 Oct 2007 at 2:29 pm
Dear Aussie Fred,
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment on my article on Pyloric Stenosis. It’s such a personal thing for those of us that it “happened to”. The funny thing is I didn’t know why I felt compelled to write about my experience until after I published it. The energy work was a wonderful release for me, but writing about it had another component I was not aware of until I wrote it, and then touched someone around the world!

I believe sharing our experiences in life, good and bad, enables us to educate and enlighten others thereby empowering each other along the way! Life is a gift. I learned to be grateful and thankful for what is, and now it’s my turn to pass it on.
Sending a big grateful hug across land and sea to you and others listening!

—————————
3. # jason on 01 Nov 2007 at 6:47 am
I had pyloric stenosis too as a 6-week old baby. Still bear the scar ..which is 4″ and runs near horizontal under right rib cage.

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4. # Mikeon 12 May 2008 at 5:51 pm
i had pyloric stenois also at six months, and my scar is horrible. It’s is horizonal though.
Well thanks for sharing, I always feel like a freak with my shirt off.

—————————
5. # Randy on 12 May 2008 at 10:20 pm
Mike
You’re not a freak… you’re special, and alive because of the surgery. Learn to grateful for the scar and appreciate your life as a gift. Use humor if someone stares or asks questions. Most people are just curious because they don’t what it is. It’s our job to enlighten people!
Thanks for your comment.
Randy

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6. # karla on 18 Jul 2008 at 6:31 pm
IT WAS NICE TO SEE THAT MY SON WHO WAS BORN ON FEBUARY 27, 2008 ISNT THE ONLY BABY WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM THIS DANGEROUS DISEASE. I WILL LIKE TO TO THANK GOOD THAT THIS WAS DETECTED BEFORE HE HARMED ANY MORE.

—————————
7. # Sabrina on 16 Oct 2008 at 11:19 pm
I had pyloric stenosis as an infant and had to have emergency surgery on Christmas Eve when I was just 1 month old. I was so severely dehydrated and had lost too much weight. It was very touch and go (from what I’ve been told). My case definitely doesn’t fit the norm though, as I am the last born (not first) and I am female (not male). It definitely runs in my family as my uncle had it and my nephew (both first born males).

I am now 25 and trying to start a family of my own, but without any luck. I can’t seem to find any research about women who had pyloric stenosis as an infant. I am so curious to find out if any of them have had trouble getting pregnant. If you have an info that would help me, please e-mail me!
beanie4jc@hotmail.com
Thanks!

—————————
8. # Gene on 21 Dec 2008 at 7:04 pm
Hello -
I also had surgery for pyloric stenosis at 8 days old. My mother has told me the stories of her worries from her first child’s projectile vomiting and then being rushed into surgery at the local children’s hospital. I am very fortunate in that I’m healthy and always wondered about the procedure, since my mom didn’t remember the details…only the symptoms. My general practicioner “re-diagnosed” me after seeing the small horizontal scar.

My question – do any of the adults in this audience have any digestive problems? I have very bad gas that my doctor has possibly associated with pyloric stenosis. However, he wasn’t familiar with many other cases…so didn’t truly know if this was a possible by-product.
Any thoughts from this community?
Gene

—————————
9. # Danielle Salonica on 10 Jan 2009 at 11:08 pm
Hi I am 27 F and had Pyloric Stenosis at 2 weeks. my scar is also about 4 inches acriss and on the right side right under my diaphragm. I have been told that the surgery was supposed to be a permanent fix but that also as I age and develop more scar tissue, I will eventually need another surgery to remove scar tissue and release the muscle and fat that has grown on top of and on the scar.

I also tend to have spasms and a pulling sensation sometimes during/ after exercise, eating, or just randomly. Mine is not an intense pain at all though just kind of a weird feeling. Whenever I get the stomach flue or drink a little too much I tend to have trouble ending the vomiting unless I take phenigran or another anti- nausea medication. I also have Irritable Bowel Syndrome so I wonder if there’s any correlation there?

So two questions-
Have any ladies out there who had PS as an infant carried and delivered a baby? Was just wondering if that effected your scars in any way. My hubby and I are considering starting a family soon and that scares me a little, with the extra weight in the belly could it pull too much???

Also, has anyone out there had there scar surgically “released”? If so, for what reasons and how bad was the process?
Thanks All!

—————————
10. # Aussie Fred on 12 Jan 2009 at 8:41 am
All of us “Commentators” thank you, Randy, for your wonderful story which is without doubt the reason you have drawn so many and such varied responses.

In the year or so since my first comment, Facebook, the Experience Project and Wikipedia have each also attracted interaction on life since PS surgery.

There are several common themes, gastric discomfort being the most obvious. Indigestion is of course a very common discomfort, but we PS’ers seem to have it more and I was interested that Gene’s doctor seemed to confirm that.
Sensitivity, spasms, and intermittent pain at the scar site are also mentioned quite often, especially after exercise, but these are by no means common, it seems. Why, I wonder.
Overeating with either overweight or underweight also seems to be mentioned quite often. This also will be a general complaint, depending on metabolism, but is perhaps significant post-PS.

Some have reported a return of vomiting at around age 20 – sometimes along with other medical problems. The cause and remedy seem unclear and may depend on careful diagnostic work.

All in all, I suspect it may be simplistic to say there are no ongoing problems after infant pyloromyotomy. In the immediate and short term this is probably true. But as life goes on, the picture seems to become less clear… for a plethora of reasons perhaps.

Whether it’s worthwhile doing a careful statistical study of this is not for me to say. But it would be certainly be of great interest to me and many others!

—————————
12. # Christina on 05 May 2009 at 1:06 pm
It was very interesting reading this articles and the comments… I was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis at 5 weeks old in 1986. I have a scar under my right rib cage and it’s about 3.5 – 4 inches long and it runs horizontally. Danielle mentioned that she was diagnosed with IBS… as was I.

I haven’t found any research on the correlation yet. I have successfully conceived but unfortunately could not carry full term. Phenergan (I’m not sure of the spelling) has definitely helped with all of the discomfort that I have experienced. I would also like to know if any one has had a surgery done to remove the scar…

—————————

13. # Fred on 22 May 2009 at 8:14 am
Christina, a surgical scar cannot be removed and keloid scars are best left alone. Some of those from ps surgery can be reduced, especially if they have become sunken or misshaped in another way. Suggest you visit Angella’s blog on her experience at http://www.dutchblitz.net/2009/03/page/5/ and perhaps see a good plastic surgeon. Best wishes!

—————————
14. # Christine on 06 Jun 2009 at 2:13 am

I, too, had pyloric stenosis. Since I was female, the doctor was hesitant, if not outright convinced I could not possibly have it. At some point, after much pressure from my mom, there was an acceptance. I had my surgery at 6 weeks old.

My scar is horizontal, as well as indented on the right side where one of the stitches didn’t dissolve. I have never had a problem with that scar, and call the indentation my second belly-button. I am glad I have my life, and I am glad my mom persisted when doctors didn’t want to believe.
In the movies where Will Farrel is shirtless, I have commented, I bet he had pyloric stenosis, and I guess I was right!!

—————————

15. # Wendy Patrice Williams on 12 Aug 2009 at 12:37 pm
Randy’s article made me cry. I have a lot of anger about the invasiveness of the surgery. Not only that, but the surgeon’s words to my mother after my recovery room stay, often repeated to me throughout my childhood, proved to move my life in a very negative direction. I was drawn to rereading Randy’s article (thank you so much for sharing it with the world!) because I need to do some work to release anger I have about this early experience and move into more of a place of appreciation.

My scar is about 3 inches long, vertical and a bit wide, i.e. the arms of the stitches stretch out quite a bit. My scar is not deep but rides on the surface of my skin. I have had a lot of shame about it. Thankfully, I have not had any problems with digestion or with feelings of constriction. I have no children so can’t really comment on the baby thing. I have been keeping a blog, chronicling my life living in the aftermath of infant surgery and invite you all to take a look (http://myincision.wordpress.com).

I would love for you to comment on my blog, so I could get to know you and learn what you think. I created the blog for several reasons. For one, I felt very isolated and hoped to make connections with PS survivors. Two, I am wanting to create a readership since I wrote a memoir, still in manuscript, about my journey to accept and integrate this early pyloric stenosis experience; it’s titled The Autobiography of a Sea Creature. Thirdly, the blog helps me keep up my writing skills :) .

I really relate to what Mike said about feeling like a freak because of the scar. I have felt the same way, and it’s only recently that these feelings are beginning to soften. Writing about the experience of having suffered from pyloric stenosis helps. I learn a lot and have developed greater compassion for myself. Thank you everyone for helping me get farther along on my journey.

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