willows

So tomorrow I'm off to the royal eye infirmary to have my critter taken out ..................I'm not worried about this in fact I have been looking forward to it ................unlit now Clever clogs here is now running a temperature of 101 and felling like I've run a marathon holding six bags of shopping and wearing plaster casts on each leg ............to the hip I ache at this time in some very strange places !!!! The back of my legs at the joint to my bum is killing me ............like I've run up and down 1000 steps or been working out on one of those 'step master 'things ................and my back like I've been hauling bags of coal up the stairs all night Mind you I did have some strange dreams last night, which is something I never do , so now I'm wondering if may be I have been hauling coal or running around the village all night in my sleep Oh , my ..........I hope not ........... ...................my hairs not quite long enough to cover everything !!!!!! I've have just dragged myself down stairs for a while having slept most of the day and now dont know why I bothered as I'm now feeling worse than I did in bed ....................bye, bye I'm going to lay down again. Willows.

Name ; Ami. Age; 50 years 5 months! What is it; As indicated at the bottom of this page . When started; Tricky this one as I was told that I had A.N.D. when I was in my early teens . Diagnosed; Tested for assorted conditions over the years since teens and added on Actually DX 2002 A.N.D. by chance when a geriatric consultant tested me on the TT by chance after he heard a conference about me at local hospital . Place of Res; Plymouth UK. Symptoms at worst; Bradycardia so bad pain reaches level of 10 /10 causeing lack of oxygen +blackout . Unable to walk with acute stiffness ; hips, legs ,arms, hands and constant pain through out body. Unable to swallow. Acute migraines with loss of vision and constant vomiting . Sweating that drenches all clothes 24/7 loss of water = dehydration = constipation = bowel contractions. Tiredness 10/10 bedridden 24/7 for 3-4 days. Acute face , neck, shoulder pain. loss of appetite. Symptoms at best; Sweating 6-7 /24. Joint pain ( lower body ) stiffness all joints. bowel contractions. tiredness. Drugs that work ; see below plus wrist supports, walking stick and various appliance around the house like bath aids, bed lifts and special mattresses etc. Drugs that are useless;...........you name it I have tried it over the years, compression stocking leave me in pain sweating more, heart drugs act against other drugs I take. After 35 years of trying new drugs I'm still no better off then I was at the start , except for pain control. Willows.

Thanks all, I must admit that it is a great weight of my shoulders now getting the full amounts and not having to fight for it again. We dont use solicitors in the UK, you can get help filling the forms in by calling the DLA , they will fill them in on the phone for you, but I do feel that even though this is a great help for some people , I wouldn't trust that they put down all that I had said to them. You can also go to the Citizens Advice office ( almost one in each town) and they to will help you, but there again, do I want every 'tom, **** and harry' knowing at times I get incontinent ? or that I roll around the bed crying in pain? I also help a lady with her forms as she to has difficulty writing and her understanding of some of the questions is not that good either. She had sent her first lot of forms back having filled them in herself and was instantly refused 'outright' when I asked her what she had written in the section about bathing ...............she had written ' No problems as I dont bath '....................when in fact she could not bath, shower or wash herself all over because she cannot stand up at all, and her bathroom had no handrails or shower seats !!!! So the DLA took what she had said as 'fact' .............no problems !!!!! So all I do now is each month **** drugs and health and change each section as I need to, it is SSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOO much easier than trying to write in those silly little section of those huge stupid forms . Oh ! I also sent pictures ( just remembered ) of my hands , my unwanted critters ( tumours needing removal) and the box I keep all my drugs in ( 15 sections all marked with what, when and why) !!! and I really horrible picture of myself on a bad day with a bucket with contents !!!!!!! Willows.............bet that shocked them !

Hi Corina....................... We live just outside of Plymouth in one of the most beautiful area's here called 'the south hams' our village is almost set back in time with its steep hill down to the quay , we only have a chemist, post office and a small grocery store for us all. We are always having hoards of 'grockles' come to see our village and stay for the day, they all seem to love going to the waterside pubs that we have, I must admit it is so lovely sitting in the gardens of the pubs with a meal watching the water and all the boats go by. If you look up Plymouth on a map you will see that on the east side is all small villages , we are one of these. Last night we had the most horrendous storm here, it lasted most of the night and was so loud with thunder and lightning , our church got struck twice by lightning , but thank God no damage was done to it as it is such a beautiful old building and pretty church yard all full of flowers . We are not going to the beach as I have been awake all night 'dripping' sweat becuase every lightning flash or thunder rumble made me jump ..............and if I'm surprised at all I sweat, sweat, sweat, , it is almost as if my clonidine drugs are not working again , and I only started them again this week !!!! so Mike , Chris ( his mate) and I are going to have coffee in a little coffee shop in Plymouth and the boys are going to play basketball on a place called 'The Hoe' ..........you can look this up as well ( Google earth) Right better go now , more drugs to take and more drips to mop I'll be back on again on Wednesday night ( hopefully ) after I've waved 'bye....bye' to my eye critter and he's gone of to pathology ....................Willows.............getting slimmer bye the day

As we are going to attempt to go out to our local beach tomorrow morning for an hour or so Mike and I have weighed into today . Mike has now lost a total of 9lb's in 4 weeks , he is SO pleased with himself for sticking to it , today a couple of his mates have come round to spend the day with him and they have said how Mike is very popular at college at the minute 'with the girls' becuase he can natter on about calories and 'good foods' vs 'bad foods' or as he puts it ' I'm cutting the fat to build a lean mean Mike machine ' ............boys I am still running slow but I think it has to due with my bowels and the fact that I am struggling to get them 'moving' then when I do , I wish I hadn't as I then spend hours in the loo. I to have lost a total of 9lbs' in 4 weeks . Total left to 'get off ' before the 20th August for us both to look and feel good ( 7 weeks left) Mike wants to loose another 12 lb's .............so he will weigh in at 11stone 7 lb's which for a person of his age ( 15 ) and height ( 5 feet 11 inches) and build ( med/lg) is right . I want to loose another 14lb's ..................so I will weigh in at 10 stone 2lbs which for a person of my age ( 50+) height (5 feet 2 1/2 inches) and build ( ave) is exceptable . However , I will carry on afterwards to get down lower as the less weight I carry the better, but to get into my wedding suit I have to be as near to 10 stone as I can . For us both to achieve our goals we have to loose between 1-2 lbs a week , so keep your fingers crossed as the weeks are ticking by now . Willows.................getting smaller every week ............and loving it

Well my idea does work, hubby thought they would send it back and not except it ....ha! proved him wrong !!! I had so many problems when I first applied for DLA ( uk ) , they refused to believe that this illness existed and this went on for over a year . I was then awarded 18 months DLA which will be due to run out in a month or so. Five weeks ago I received another claim pack for the same DLA and if I didn't fill this in I would have my DLA run out in August 2006. As I have real problems writing with a pen now and spend most of my time 'two finger typing' I decided that if the DLA were going to force me once again to fill in this long laborious page after page of silly questions about things such as ; exactly how long do you need help for in the night ? .............as I've never timed this and sometimes cant remember it how on earth am I supposed to know , I ask you !!!! So this is what I did; I made up a file in 'mother here' and divided it into sections headed with the relivent subjects. 1. Drugs and appliances used. This is anything and everything that I use in the house from special footwear to bath aids ...........the lot . 2. Daytime problems. From the time I open my eyes until I go to sleep, everything in a normal day , who helps me, how I do things etc. 3.Nighttime problems. From the time my bum hits the bed until I get up , the pain , sweats, sicking up , any thing to do with the bed or who is helping me. 4.mental health problems. If I feel down at all, how I feel about my condition and how it effects what I can do or not do anymore . 5.Out and about problems. Why I have to have someone with me all the time, any trips , falls or attack episode's. 6. List of all hospital consultants, local doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists I am seen by. When my DLA paperwork arrived I pulled up the file ( by now I have worked on it for months and months adding bits that happen or are relivent new drugs / doctors etc) printed it off and sent the sections stapled to each relivent section of the huge forms I was supposed to fill in...........having signed the end of the forms first !!!! Today I got my reply back from the DLA.............................. They had written to my own doctor and she had agreed that I had all the conditions , they had not bothered after this to contact any other doctor who deals with me , I have been awarded the full amounts of all for the longest amount of time they can give me , also was a note enclosed from the person who assessed my case, they said that it was so helpful to be able to sit and read in clear print a full account of my problems and that it was such an insight into my condition and the effects it has on me , So much so that they had no problem in awarding me the enclosed.

Thank you so much for your reply anna, I know how hard it can be when you first start on the forum, so well done you. I eat as much fruit and veggies as I can that are organic , we also have organic bread and when I can get it porridge oats . I have a problem with the amount of 'oils' I take into my system each day as I had to have my gall bladder removed in 1990 and since then I have struggled with fats , oils and high fatty foods , I was told so try and stay clear of them as I no longer have to ability to digest this part of my diet . I had what can only be called 'an epic clear out' last night !!!!!!!!! I has almost got once again to the point of stopping eating because I was feeling so full and had such pain. But lo and behold ..................I spent most of last night in the bathroom, my hubby recons that I have worn a groove in the carpet shuffling back and forth from my bed all night, but I feel ............SO much better now ( except for my bottom ) Thanks all for your suggestions .............Willows.

Thanks for your reply Ithomas 521. I suppose I'm stuck 'between him down there and the deep blue sea' The pain gets so bad at times I have to have my strong painkillers , without them I am unable to even lay in bed its so bad. But in taking them I then cause problems with my digestion system. If I didn't take the morphine I dont think I would be here now , when the pain gets to level 10 ........thats out of 10 my heart just drops so much and I can go into heart block which is very painful and scary not just for me but for hubby and son who are trying to keep me alive until an ambulance arrives . So I think I'm just gonna stick with the painkillers and stuff in as much laxative as I need , you'd think with the amount of stuff I already take I could 'move a mountain' .............nope !!!!! Willows.................still hanging on to the radiator!!!

Radha................does yours go into all the teeth on that side , the nose and the neck ? I get headaches to , on one side or the other or full top of my head, but this 'face ache' isn't like the normal headache feeling , its so much more 'there' when you move the eyelid or try to eat . Its almost like a line has been drawn down the centre of my face and everything on one side is effected , from the top of my head to my collar bone...................it used to be just on the right side only ( I hit my head on this side about 4-5 times in the past ) but now I get it on the left side ...............but instead of just stopping at my collar bone it takes in my left shoulder, arm, hand then travels to my hips, leg and foot. My doctor is concerned as this side is now weaker than the right and this can mean big trouble............never mind at least one side of me is working . Willows.

I just dont believe it...................... men !!!!! Here are son and I struggling to loose the weight , trying are hardest not to eat all the things that we are craving for like ; ice-cream, fridge cold chocolate and cheese on toast ................ And hubby's on this 'pick and nibble' diet without either of us knowing !!!!! He got on the scales this morning and 'hey presto' he's lost 6 1/2 lbs in two weeks ..............totally unfair I call that he should be made to 'suffer' like we both are doing , be made to eat prunes and boiled cabbage Mike ( son ) tried on his wedding suit again last night , boy, oh, boy can you notice a difference in the fit !!!! Next weigh in for us both is this Sunday morning again. I've had some good news yesterday , I have tumors in some strange ( and interesting ) places, well one small one has grown just under my right eye brow and instead of being 'soft and squishy' has hardened off , saw a cosmetic surgeon a couple of weeks ago ( he deals with surgery on the eyes only ) and yesterday I got a letter saying that I'm going into hospital next Wednesday to have it removed !!!! brilliant or what It does mean I will be walking round with a patch on my eye for a week or so , which is a shame as I dont have a parrot to stick on my shoulder , wonder if the local zoo would loan me one for a week , I've got one of my hubby's old arm hooks and some pirate style clothing in the loft!!!!! I can just see myself shuffling down to the village dressed like that , parrot squawking away on my shoulder Well it would give the 'grockles' something to talk about . Willows............................soon to be minus another unwanted 'critter'

Crumbs...............dizzygirl, I do hope you can get some help with this. Mike my son had grommet's fitted in his ears because of infections which have been very bad since he was about 7-8 , now at 15 he's not to bad. But the 'running water ' and the strange sort of 'pressure feeling' I get in my ear ( normally right , but now can be both) is not to do with an ear infection or anything relevant to this part of my anatomy!!!! It makes me feel quite unwell when it hits the whole side of my face, eating with teeth that 'appear' to have all those infections in them is not an easy thing to attempt and I end up just drinking fluids all the time. Laying the bad side of my face against a pillow is not recommended nor is a hot pad or ice , and having warm water from the shower running over it makes me feel quiet sick as the water feels like someone hitting me with a '3 inch long wire brush ' you name it , I've tried it , its just a case of taking the medication and putting up with the pain until it disappears , until next time. Willows.

I've just read the last post, I dont know if dizzygirl gets the same feelings that I get or if hers IS just a sinus problem or an ear infection , these can and do come on very quickly , as I've learnt from my teenage son. If dizzygirl's doctor has cleared her eye's ,ears, nose and teeth then it is worth asking him if it could be the start of ' Allodynia' this nasty condition I have. I'm afraid no amount of ear drains, teeth filing , sinus draining or head being scanned will help , as there is nothing wrong with the eye's , ears, nose or teeth its a simple case of a sort of 'referred pain ' that is unbelievability painful at times and drives you mad. About three years ago I started getting it in my wrists , hands and legs to , sometimes laying in bed and having the bedclothes on me is like torture, and when I broke my ankle, well I apparently turned into a raving lunatic with the pain , it was awful .............still no more falls yet . Willows.

I've had really bad leg pain for years now, sometimes it is so bad I dont know what to do with it . When I go to bed at night it just gets worse , if I lay on my right side the pain then goes into my right hip and runs straight down thigh, knee then back of leg and foot............when I change sides it does the same. Walking has been a bug bear with me as my legs feel like they weight a ton and I get such shooting pains at times I cry out, this can make people jump as I never know when these pains are coming on and I just cant seem to stop myself when they hit me. Night after night I literally 'roll around the bed ' in pain , I take oxycontin for the pain and then if it attacks my joints I have to move onto morphine, not good. I was told by an Autonomic consultant that the pain we feel ( wherever it is ) is far worse than other normal people feel , because are nerves are damaged, this does make sense as I once 'clipped' my little finger on the side of a table and was doubled up in agony, now that joint has moved back in the socket and I cannot bend it more than 40%. I think out of all the things I suffer this leg pain that goes on and on for hours and hours is by far one of the worst , angina coming in second place . Willows.

Thank you for your reply WW2. I'm off to the large supermarket this afternoon with my carer so will get myself a jar and have a go , as long as it isn't to 'yucky' to swallow I'll try anything. I was once given Lactalose by my doctor ( many, many years ago I might add) and having taken the measured amount within 2 -3 minutes went into a form of shock it was then that they discovered that I am allergic to 'refined lactalose' so now I have to be careful with what drugs I take and the amount of 'fillers' that they put in them . I agree with you about the more fiber -more problems, it does seem to me that the more wholemeal bread, pasta, cereals and that type of stuff I eat the more contractions I get . When I was not on any medications as such ( way back in the 80's) my IBS was horrendous and the constantly being 'bunged up, diarrhoea and spasms ' every day, day in, day out left me drained and feeling I couldnt go anywhere or do anything unless a loo was available 24/7 . So in one way I'm better off , but in another way I'm not, its horrible..................sometimes I get so full I can't eat just a small meal , which in tern causes problems with my medication , especially my pain killers , no food with them leaves me talking to 'the fairies' on the wallpaper and seeing 'pretty flowers' walking sideways down the bedclothes................brings back memories of the 60's flower power days !!!!! Willows.

Welcome to my world dizzygirl Since 1996 I have had a headache's in my eye, nose, ear , teeth, jaw and neck ............in fact it goes down one whole side of my face and neck . I've had scans , x-rays ..........you name it I've had it and all they can say is 'dont know' My ear sometimes feels like its 'running water' my teeth like they all have abuses under them, my eye like its being pushed out of the socket and my jaw like I've been in a fight with a sledge hammer ( no I'm not doing DIY ) At times the skin on this side becomes so sensitive I cannot bear to touch it and just a light breeze flowing over the area feels like someones taken a high grit sandpaper and rubbed it all over . My 'face aches' last from between 5-6 hours min to 2-3 days max ..............they can become extreme and the pressure on the top of my head so bad I have to lay flat and take medication , but by this point I know I'm in for a bad one , and I normally end up with a 'lay down headache, stand up vomit session' ............mmmmmmm, not my idea of fun . . The doc thinks its some thing to do with my blood pressure when I get this 'lay down , stand up' problem added on. There's not anything I can suggest if it is the start of it , but I take a Maxalt Melt under my touch to assist it when it goes 'stupid' and then top up with my other drugs as and when I need then. I do hope this problem goes away , its not much fun having it . Best wishes..........willows

So there I was last night , handing on to the radiator beside the loo in the bathroom while the contractions surged over me again and again....................sweating , head spinning trying not to fall off the loo again. I have fallen off before when the contractions became so strong I passed out , most embarrassing as hubby told me later he had to force the loo door to get to me, not one of the best positions or places to be 'helped out ' from..............half naked , knickers around your ankles on the bathroom floor I know I take a rather large amount of 'controlled drugs ' each and every day for the pain and a drug to keep the water from my heart , BUT with the amount of fruit, veggies and fiber I eat you would think I would be running to the loo every hour on the hour . Not so................... As well as a 40 gram bowl of fiber every day and a half a pineapple, an apple, pear and sometimes strawberries on top of this along with the broccoli, carrots and sweetcorn, I also take a Movicol in water and a 10 ml spoonful of Picosulphate.................in fact enough fiber and laxatives to move the bowels of the world, let alone my small ones!!!! Yet there I was last night , after yet another 8 days of shoveling in the fruits, veggies and laxatives almost biting a chunk out of the band basin again.................. So any suggestions as to how to get my system working a bit better? the longest I've ever been like this is 21 days ...............I cant tell you how much pain I was getting by then , except to say that I had shooting pain in places you wouldn't want it, along with loud rumbling and grumbling sounded like 'mount etna' was about to erupt ...............................Willows.

Hello tearsinmysoul....................when I read you post I could relate to so much of what you said about yourself, and I'm sure that a lot of others on the site will feel the same . Trying to get a doctor to believe that there is something very wrong is hard , but harder still is trying to get your partner ( hubby) and family to realise that it is a real condition you are suffering from , and yes , you do need help and support , along with someone who will listen to you when you are down, hold you when you feel your heart will brake and comfort you when the pain is so bad you feel you cant go on...........without trying to smoother you, take over your life or treat you like a child. As time goes on you will get used to how your body behaves with pots, sometimes it will surprise you by coming up with a ' new problem' sometimes you may think 'hey, this is a good day' . On the bad days we are here to help you by relating how we have coped in the same situations, give you support and making you feel ( I hope ) that its not just you, you are not alone anymore, on days when you feel good , and there will be good days ahead , we will celebrate this day to, if you share it with us . I have had Autonomic problems for years, many of those years I struggled without medical help or medication. You are one of the lucky ones who has been diagnosed and is getting help , you may not think yourself lucky at this time , because the condition is over whelming you , but given time you will know your limitations. Life is what you make it, I have never let my conditions take over, they are just living with me , like an unwanted visitor who refuses to leave because my house is so warm, happy and inviting................... thinking of you ............................Willows.

What an eventful day ...........the tumour ( number 16 I think ) which has taken up residence in the right side of my left hands wrist joint ( try saying that after taking some diazepam ) has suddenly had a 'growth spurt'. It was lazing quietly in that little indent bit between end of hand and start of arm , not annoying me , just 'there', all squishy and quiet like Today however it has decided to make itself known , it must have got its hands on a nice supply of blood and had a jolly good feed as its grown from a little thing of just 2 cm X 2 cm to a nice visible 4 cm X 4 cm . I have those black wrist supports on each side ..............you know the ones with the Velcro and metal support in the palm section, that make you look like some 'mad ninja granny ' and older people than yourself give you side ways looks and move away from you in case you suddenly leap in the air doing some crazy 'kung foo 'move demanding there old age pension and there zimmer frame Well this extra lump is now pressing on a nerve and is making me do some very strange things. Picking up my toothbrush this morning , my hand decided that instead of holding it reasonably tightly whilst I try to clean my teeth , my hand somehow went into a spasm and the toothbrush and contents pinged out of my hand , hit the shower wall and shot straight down the open loo , which I was stand beside !!!! needless to say I didn't retrieve it but got hubby to with a big rubber glove on. Later on hubby and I went out to have a bit of exercise and a potter around some of the pretty shops, hubby after 10 mins said ' you look a bit pale dear ' .......whats new..........' lets get some coffee and a sit down' , so off we went and coffee and a biscuit ( not for me I might add ) was served , picked up coffee cup ..............splat .........although I was holding the cup the contents hit the table , hubby and myself. The spilling of the coffee wasn't to bad and all was cleared up quickly, but what was silly was not being able to put the cup down on its saucer , a case of mind willing but hand will not obey. I have noticed this before now , sometimes I take money out of my purse ( along with the moths) and go to give it to the shop assistant, only I can't seem to open my hand to release it , my local shops are used to me now and open my hand for me as I'm normally supporting myself with the other hand with my stick ...........no not a ninja fighting stick , a walking stick !!!! So lets see what tomorrow brings ............yet another new toothbrush or may be something even more extreme???? Diets still going good , better this week than last I feel, this is probably owing to last weeks 'the time of the month' not that I have one as such becuase I'm on the jolly old HRT , but I do know somethings 'going on' as I get 'the munchies' and my boobs feel like they have been squeezed into a 'junior training bra which is made of steel ' and is six times to small ................. Well I'm off , I shall now endeavour to creak away from mother here ( thats our big online computer ) and stagger into the jolly old kitchen for a rummage ................. causeing havoc to all in my way no doubt, keep smiling , and stay away from open toilets then cleaning your teeth , especially if you have removable dentures .............................. Willows.

Sorry we didn't get back t you all on Sunday , but those cold sores and mouth ulcers turned out to be a bit more than an annoyance to me ............... and I came down with the 'flu' feelings and was stuck in bed for 48 hours again watching Dvds. Weighed in this morning and Mike and I have has lost just 1lb each this week ............so this week I am going to try and and aim for 2 lb's my this Sunday for us both, its still a running total of 7 lbs for Mike and 8 lbs for myself in three weeks . Mikes suit is getting looser around the middle , which is what we were aiming for , and I haven't tried my suit on yet ( not until a week before ). I bought a new medium sized suitcase this week for all our shoes , undies and other stuff, the suitcases we have in the loft are all emourmous for when we go on a long haul holiday , it would look really silly turning up for a weekend in a hotel with one of those. I also bought each of us a suit cover ( full length plastic cover with zip in ) so I will not have the problem of creased wedding wear before hand. I haven't heard from my step-daughter this week , but I'm sure she is also doing well on her diet and getting very excited ...........as we all are . Will sort out a couple of 'easy cook' meals in the next three days and be back soon....................minus sores and ear problems I hope !!!!!! Best wishes and have a good week .........Willows.

Thank you so much guys ...............I do have a somewhat 'crazy ' out look on life and that is why I think I'm still here, I try to never get down, let anything defeat me, pick myself up after a fall and smile ..........smile ..........smile............ Here that sounds like a line from a song out of one of those old time movies...........you know what will happen now dont you ????? I'll be singing that in my head all night Cold sores that have decided to take up residence on my lower lips today ,along with their little friends mouth ulcers which are now on the inside of my lip and just to add insult to injury I've an abscess in my left ear !!!!!......................but thats not half as bad as when I had shingles up my nose..............ouch, ouch, ouch ....... Yes............I know I'm run down , its not the diet thing as I eat so much greenery I wonder I've not been mistaken for a tree by the local dogs and as for iron, I take tablets which like going in ............but dont like coming out , if you get my meaning When I cook I use a hi-stool to sit on and hubby cuts and chops as best he can for me, also Mike helps to cook with me , so thats a great help , mind you we do have a lot of things like pressure cookers ,slow cookers , microwaves and such which makes it a lot easily. Its just me going through a ' nasty month' again..............one day , one day ( look of hope in eyes here ) I just might have a good month I'm slightly lactose intolerance, the slightly is to do with having just a 'little' bit to much' I can have about a cup of milk or a yogurt or about a large slice of cheese anymore and I look like quasi mo-do ( except for the hump back) eyes bulging...........face twice the size turning scarlet ........scratching myself all over with graphic urticaria lumps coming up making me look like I've also been attacked by a swarm of mad bee's ...............mmmmmmmm,lovely , but not the sort of thing you want to happen to often!!!!! Did I tell you what Mike is amining to do after he leaves college and then uni ???? I dont think I did. Well when he was just 4 years old he turned round and told me ' Mummmy I'm going to be a policeman when I'm older'...............and that has been his one aim in life , to join the UK police force and then go into the 'armed responce unit' !!!!!!!!!! I know he'll do it as he has his mum's determination in life..............I can, I must , I will.............Willows.

Nadine, thanks for reply . Mikes much better now, just waiting for his new consultant to call us in. Mike had his college parents evening last night and hubby and I went to speak to all his tutors and his head of year. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of him , not ONE bad report, every tutor sang his praises of his hard work, appearance , capability ............ well just everything. In fact his English tutor ( hubby and I were amazed at this ) was bursting with pride for him, apparently his going to take an A** ( highest exam level) which made me quiet tearful as she says his writing abilities are the best she has ever seen...............I'm a writer!!!!!! so look out world another one is the making Given the fact that last winter Mike was off from late November 2005 to the begining off March 2006 with a run of ; first ear infection + flu then chest infection and on Christmas eve double pneumonia which took 7 lots of antibiotics to clear , and then when he went back to college it was one day on , one day off for another month as he was so weak.................... given all this ,he has excelled himself. Anyhow , we had a treat last night after the college ( well treat for Mike ) we took him to Mc D's for burger , BUT mum here did look them all up for calorie content and he was allowed only a double cheeseburger + normal fries + diet drink ..............but he thought this was heaven !!!! I'm going to try and make a low calorie Lasagna today .............I'll note the amounts and calories ( made for 4 people as Mikes mates coming over , again ) and if anyone wants a recipe , let me know . I used to cook for some famous ( in UK) people when I was younger and ( blow my own trumpet here guys) was the youngest winner of the milk marketing board 'cook of the year' at aged 14............cooking's in my blood.................food in my mouth ........... SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm still being good. Well bye for now next weigh in for us both ( mike minus his pod now !!!) this Sunday again. So fingers crossed . Willows

Hello, I to have raynaud's , was first diagnosed 30 years ago . My hands, feet and the tip of my nose.................. Sometimes just having a slight wind blowing over my nose makes it go first bright red then blue .............my hubby likes to kid people that its not the raynaud's but the excessive amounts of 'gin' I drink each day !!!!! ( I'm tee-tottal) .............thats OK as I get him back by asking ( who ever it is ) if there's a public loo near as hubby needs his incontinence pad changed soon................ that shuts him up !!!!! Mine has basically said the same all these years , winters the worst time ....or........going into the fridge /freezer ................its gloves , hats and scarves for this . Willows............by the way hubby and I have a strange sense of humour and are always teasing each other, its how we have kept 'sane ' all these years.!!!!

Took Mike my son for his blood test yesterday, he is not scared of this sort of thing as he has been having blood tests and other tests since he was about 5 years old, also he's had three operations in his 15 years of life so far as well, he doesnt have a fear of blood , in fact he loves watching those operation programmes on the TV and the more blood the merrier he is ...............like most 15 year olds I expect!!! Having sat down and started to chat to the nurse ( who he knew) the nurse stuck the needle in...............son went first as white as a sheet, fell forwards and was out for the count................for all of 45 seconds or more. When he came round he didn't know what, where or who we were and was trying to fight both the nurse and I who had hold of him to stop him falling to the floor, 35 minutes later having placed him on the nurses bed he looked more like himself again, but boy, Oh ! boy did he look ill, sweating , almost gray in colour and trying to vomit . The nurse did get her blood in the end . Today Mike was supposed to have a tetanus at college ( his booster shot ) but they have refused to give it to him on the grounds that if he 'has another turn ' it would scare the other college students , which makes sense. So I'm going to have to book that poor nurse again for this now. Mike cannot understand why he's doing this, its not because he's dieting ( I checked and he's on more than enough calories a day) ...............alarm bells are starting to ring in my ears at the minute because I started getting strange 'happenings' at his age and we all know what that led to !!!! Oh ! by the way my hubby has said as my heart is bradicardic am I now suffering from 'BOTS' ..............and started rolling around the settee...............men! dont you just love them Willows.

Have just come back from a meeting with local doctor who has confirmed that I now have very high cholesterol again, I did manage to get it down last year , but its now well up again and so I'm starting on a cholesterol control drug tonight. Also that pain in left side I had last weekend she thinks is a bit suspicious and is more like a warning of stroke, so I'm also on aspirin each day as well...............at this rate I wont have any space for food each day with the amount of drugs I take !!!!! So for now I'm going to go veggie and stay of fat laden meats , just some nice fish, salmon I think ..............mmmmmm smoked salmon with lemon and black pepper , cucumber and brown bread , yep, I could go for that , right where's the nearest supermarket to my house......... Willows ...............slowly falling to bits, if you find any of my parts please send by return post .XXXXXXX

Hello Jacquie, yes I did have a TTT ..............am I thick or what ( dont answer that !!!!) with interesting results as my blood pressure went onto my boots . Well guys , it is now official ..............I am falling to bits, slowly and with purpose ( haven't figured out what the purpose is yet though ) my body is out to get me !!!!! Why ? you are ask ? Well having had that really bad session at the weekend with pain at level 10 +++ I saw my GP today who has confirmed the following to add to my now growing list of 'whats she got now' ......................... My cholesterol is very high so I'm now going onto Simvastatin. And her concern is that this left side 'happening' is a warning of .....................stroke. So I'm now going to merrily stuff Aspirin Dispersible down my throat every day. Never mind at least our local village chemist is making a nice sum out of me , by now I must have had enough drugs of him in one year to pay for a caribbean cruise, is that why he rubs his hands every time he sees me I wonder !!!!!!! Shopping spree I think is now needed to boost the old confidence and make me feel 100% better ( well thats my excuse ) Still as silly as ever Willows.