A fantastic week at the Oley Conference

All I can say is WOW! The Oley conference is an amazing place to learn about about new research and therapy, check out new products and most of all connect with other consumers, caregivers and professionals that deal with TPN or EN day in and day out. This years theme was "Help Along the Way!" a great slogan that we all really need day to day..no matter what our health requirements are!

Besides the ThriveRx booth which displayed our products, educational materials and awesome staff, ThriveRx and the Oley Foundation provided a "Hydration Station". The purpose of this display was to educate Short Bowel consumers on the different types of Oral Rehydration Solutions that are best for us to drink to avoid dehydration hydration. We offered the Jianas Brothers ORS (which I drink) with CrystalLite flavoring, Ceralyte, G2 with salt and plain water. They were ordered from saltiest to no salt. We had many people stop by to try the ORS options and even had a few converts that had never tried them before but found a drink they liked. We also offered samples of the ORS, Ceralyte and Crystal Lite for people to take home and try on their own. Orlando was very hot and humid so having the Hydration table was nice for people to come and fill-up their water bottles to keep sipping all day long.

I also got to sit in on an amazing presentation of SBS treatment, future cures strategies for Intestinal Rehabilitation. Dr. Daniel Teitelbaum is working on lengthening the bowel by using an interal device inserted in the intestine for 7 days which slowly increases the length. Research has show growth of 12cm in just 7 days! They are currently in pig trials and hope to start clinical trials in a year. Amazing stuff! I also heard from Michael Seres, a small bowel transplant patient from the UK, who spoke on the power of social media when working with your medical team. I have followed his blog "Being a Patient isn't easy!" detailing his transplant surgery, so I was excited to connect with him.

Above all, I loved connecting and re-connecting with other TPN/EN consumers. I saw many people I met last year, (Errol, Jo, Duvall, Kat to name a few) and met many new people too. It's a great place to meet others that have gone through similiar health experiences and completely understand what you live on a day-to-day basis.

For those of you that are using TPN or EN, I highly recommend attending next years conference or one of the upcoming Oley Regional meetings. The people and topics are very inspriational.

Remember we all need a litle "Help Along the Way" to keep Livng, Loving and Laughing!

 

Welcome to Oley!

The Hydration Station!

Our Booth!