20 Jul 1999

From: GSwain8953@aol.com

I really love your website. I always knew there were other thumbsuckers like me out there. Attached are some pics of me that you can add to your site if you want. Thanks.

First off, I have been a thumbsucker all my life. I suck my left thumb as you can see in the pictures I sent. I sometimes place my finger against my nose and sometimes I don't. It just depends on the mood I'm in at the time. I always sleep with my thumb in my mouth and quite often will suck it after a long hard day at work, or if I'm working on homework (I'm back in college working on a degree in Public Management).

I normally suck my thumb only when I'm at home, but will also suck it if I'm in a private place where I feel no one will see me. On trips when I'm driving on the highway I also will suck my thumb quite often.

As I was growing up I endured much harassment about my thumbsucking. I was called inmature, a baby, and many things much worse. If I was to believe all that I heard all my life, then it must apply to all thumbsuckers. You know as well as I do, this is not the case. It's a habit, but one that I find very relaxing and a good way to unwind (if all those who suffer from stress only knew how relaxing it is).

My teeth are slightly bucked. I never had braces, but did endure wearing a retainer for about 2-3 years to push my teeth back a little straighter. My parents attempted to get me to stop sucking my thumb by taping my thumb to my index finger. I found the way around this was to suck my right thumb. When my parents saw that, they ended up taping both thumbs. Found ways around that also, but the masking tape left a bad taste on my thumb. Being the die-hard thumbsucker I was, I endured that anyways.

Take care and keep up the good work on this website. Gary

<For more photographs of thumb calluses as a result of thumb sucking click here.