Louise,

To answer the first part of the thread, I love organic food and I’m lucky to live near a large organic food store that is moderately priced plus has coupons to compete with the supermarket across the street. I frankly just feel better all around when I try to eat a majority of organic foods.

Ponder,

I haven’t a problem with the word freak and I honestly think CAH is one of the most freakiest birth defects in the world and I’m glad that I have CAH instead of something else any day . It’s different and when people are presented with someone or something different a natural human reaction is FREAK! 

What I meant in my post is that doctors in my opinion use the code word "interesting case" to describe a nontypical or freaky condition. "Oh, you have four livers?....hummm, interesting case" or "Oh, didn’t know what sex you were when you were born....hummm, interesting case."

If it wasn’t for freaks how would an Endocrinologist make his car payment? Maybe he could make it with just the diabetics and thyroid patients but I like to think that we put him up a little higher $ and thus he has that nicer ride (lol) I never realized how much I liked Endos until I was last in the hospital. I antagonized the Endo that was on call because I was bored and I knew he was the type that would get all worked up but my own Endo is a rather quiet fellow that I could never get away with antagonizing just because "Oh poor me I have CAH (LOL) and he doesn’t react to me be annoying but sure enough the hospital Endo did react with walking out of the room in a huff and I was delighted but the nurse ruined it by coming back in and going on about the Endo’s bad bedside manner. She took all the fun out of it because I felt guilty that the bad freak that I am drove him to it and then I defended him because I didn’t like that she was putting him down.

I like to have fun with CAH and I’ve been known to explain it to people and end it with saying and "Oh yes, I’m a freak of nature" those people are shocked but then they’re fine and usually smile because I’ve taken away that uncomfortable feeling when people hear about how "some" of us look when we are born.

When I was in middle school these guys would tease me about my excessive acne and hair. After awhile I would look at them and ask "Is that all you have? because it is getting old" OTHER kids would beat them up because they didn’t like to see me teased.  These guys couldn’t offer anything else but at the end of middle school the teasing changed to "Aimeeeeeee! he likes you" and I would say to the boy saying it "No Paul, I like you" Sure the teasing bother me but those boys teased EVERYBODY. This girl would tease me but as soon as my acne and excessive hair went away at age 16, she was the one that suddenly had tons of craters on her face. She looked at me expecting me to tease her but I NEVER DID because I could of cared less. What was more of a worry for me was the sinking distrustful feeling that I had that the ped endo and his crack posse of residents were only guessing about how to help me. Looking back, with all things considered they did a pretty darn good job and what the learned in the  70’s & 80’s might be helping some kid with CAH today.

 I don’t know how healthy anybody is but I know that by my existence that I’ve helped make it better for future generations of people born with CAH. I really don’t think that I’ve been ridiculed or rejected anymore or less than someone else. I’m sorry if you have been ridiculed or rejected and maybe if you could tell about it then parents might be in a better position to prepare their children.

Are "ignorant mean people" important to you? Chances are that no matter what you do isn’t going to change them and they have a lot of other issues that cause them to be that way and all you can do is have hope that they find their peace somehow.  I am responsible for my actions in the eyes of God and  I try to conduct myself in a way that I feel that God would want me to be.

Good Luck,

Da Freak#1