RLS LIFE: Drugs, Side Effects & Everything Else

[sardsy75]

Hey Jan

Yup, Fidget was my lil "man" and I loved him dearly. I have a photo of him above my bed along with his two favourite toys, a lil pooh bear and an elephant. His collar is on the elephant and i've tacked the cards i recieved from his old vetinary clinic beside his photo. He was my "baby".

I should've mentioned in my earlier post that the cast is now off and i've got a mouldable thumb splint on my left hand and a metal finger splint on my right index finger. Both have to stay on 24/7 unless i'm washing my hands or having a shower.

I wish this "rough time" would just pack its bags and bugga off. I'm tired of it. Troy keeps sayin he's sick of it and the kid are sick of it ... i just say "try livin it!" but the selective hearing always seems to kick back in just as i start talkin.

The MRI reports shud get faxed to my orthopeadic surgeon by the end of the week and if my gut instincts are right i shud be getting a call from his p.a. sometime to make an appointment to see him. I got a bit of "inside info" from the MRI guy today when I saw him again ... he said that my right index finger is just a mush of bones and everything else so it will probably be very painful physio to correct that unless they find anything else. As for my thumb he said there was at least one ruptured tendon and i'm not sure if ruptures are left to heal on their own or if surgery is required. I'll find out soon enough.

My mood swings ... I dunno ... I hate them. Troy keeps saying "they're kids, why are they getting punished?" ... well um ... when i was 8 or 10 if i was caught stealing, lying or whatever, yep i got a good belting. Now its all "touchy feely" cr@p "don't do that johnny, it hurts people" and they wonder why kids are out of control at school??? Go figure. Troy, well he's got the problem of having been wrapped around their little fingers and at their beck and call for so long, they get away with "blue murder", however, it was not long after i came onto the scene that he said to me, "Gee its nice not to have to yell at the kids so often!" ... No joke!

So, I feel like Ms Hitler and apparently the girls ask every day, "Is Nards in a bad mood dad?" Yet, if they need a shoulder to cry on, a hug or someone to talk to, who is it they all come to first? ME! I give up!

I've been told on numerous occassions now that I'm not a parent because I dont have a child of my own ... so I haven't "spat one out" as the colloquial saying goes ... sue me then for gawd's sake! Anyone who says that is insulting every adoptive, ivf, surrogate, etc parent in the world. Including people like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.

Honestly Jan, I think its the thyroid (Hashimoto's). I've not yet found a GP here in my new "hometown". Troy said to just go through the phone book, but that has its own set of problems as you have to get past the receptionist first.

Maybe i should start in the psych listings first.

I'd better get to bed. My hands aren't coping too well with the typing, hence my staying away from the computer for so long. (If anyone else replies to my post, pls understand that typing is a lil complicated right now but i'll get back to you ... i've been so neglectful of everyone)

Love n hugs to you my dear friend, Jan

[ctravel12]

I've been told on numerous occassions now that I'm not a parent because I dont have a child of my own ... so I haven't "spat one out" as the colloquial saying goes ... sue me then for gawd's sake! Anyone who says that is insulting every adoptive, ivf, surrogate, etc parent in the world. Including people like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.

Oh Nadia I can so relate to this quote. I do not have any children either (by choice) and have been told that too. They do not understand that I do have common sense and know what is right and wrong and do not have to be a parent to understand that. I hope that all is ok with you.

I also understand about your dog and sorry to hear about your loss. We have a dog that is 14 and not too sure how long we will have him and cherish each day that we do have him.

Have a good day and good to see you posting again.

[ViewsAskew]

I'll second Charlene - I raised my ex's two boys for 6 or 7 years. But, I didn't really know because I wasn't a parent. Bollocks.

I take it the Hashimoto's it diagnosed? It can be so difficult because the levels change. My son (that wasn't my son) had it.

Nadia, have you tried diet as a way to control any of this? It's probably nothing, but I've read some people who have auto-immune issues can do better when elimintating gluten/wheat. No studies, just anecdotal, but might be worth a try.

I just dont' know what I'd do with the kids - it seems that in kid's eyes, anything less than perfection is a problem. Egad. I hope you get through this patch soon.

[jan3213]

Ahh, kids! Even when you "spit them out", they can be....uh, terrible! LOL And, BTW, just because you "spit them out", that doesn't make a parent. A parent is someone who nurtures, loves, teaches, disciplines! And, I figure, if your kids don't hate you from time to time, you "ain't" doing your job! LOL I used to tell mine I was trying to win the "Worst Mother of the Year Award" when they told me I was horrible! LOL

Nadia, you hang in there! It will get better. Even at this stage in my relationship with my husband, even though things are much better in the understanding department, he STILL doesn't "get it" all the time!

Remember, we're here for you!!!

Love
Jan

[sardsy75]

Hey Charlene,

I'm doin the best i can. A LOT of people voiced their "concerns" and told me "you're nuts" when I said that my new boyfriend had full custody of three children. Yup, its been much harder with me bein sick all the time as well.

As for their real mother ... well ... there's no nice words I can think of to say about her so I won't say anything at all. All I will say is that the 2006 diary makes for rather interesting reading, and 2007 is pretty damn good as well.

I have plenty of common sense; know the difference between right and wrong ... but apparently that still doesnt qualify me to be a parent. I know where you're coming from.

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Hi Ann

I got a copy of the report the vampire lab sent back and whoever the pathologist was wrote at the bottom of the report that all indicators in the test pointed to Hashimoto's.

You're the person i needed to give me a boot up the bum in the diet area. I had read about the gluten/wheat thing. However that comes with its own problems when you're living with four other people. I clearly remember how difficult it was in our family when I was a kid and on a totally milk-free diet ... it was a nightmare. One lot of food for me, another for them. I'll give it a go though.

I've booked a "long" appointment with my GP up in Rocky for Monday and hopefully we might figure something out; see if we're missing something. I dunno ... find some sort of answer, or start towards one anyway.

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Hey Jan

It was my birthday last weekend. No, i wasn't in the best mood when I finally gave up waiting for breakfast in bed. Troy ... still asleep. So I got in the car, and went to a park nearby and had McDonalds pancakes by myself instead.

In the previous 10 days before this, we had had both Fathers Day AND Troy's Birthday. On both occassions I made sure I had my alarm set, the girls all knew what they had to do, which presents they were bombarding him with in which order, what they were going to cook him for breakfast. Nothing was left out.

Get to me ... nothin ... I got an ear bashing for going out for breakfast. I couldn't do a thing right for the whole day. My own birthday. I finished the day off by sittin in the garden pulling out weeds.

Things changed though when in the middle of another ear bashin i was told what do I know about bein a parent. Well, that did it. I've been in these girls lives for over 18 months now. (Been in the youngest's life for longer than her own mother has!) I started packin my bags. The girls all gathered at the bedroom door and i said to them "why should I not walk out that front door like your father wants me to?" It was the eldest who responded with "We dont want you to leave Nards. You take better care of us than our mum does and ever did. You listen to us. You buy us stuff when we need it. You buy us presents." I asked if she could go out to the loungeroom & repeat that to her dad, which she did.

So, what a birthday. Not one of the better ones i've had, but you get that. Yeah, nearly a week later, i'm still "Worst Step Mother of the Year" so I've decided i'm just gonna shuddup and say nothing unless absolutely necessary.

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Thanks for understanding my frustrations and not treating me like i'm a crazy witch. I wish I could give you all a hug in person. I'll just have to settle with sending cyber ((((((hugsgles)))))) instead.

Love, hugs and lots of moonbeams to you all

[jen13]

Hi Nadia,
I hope you are feeling better. I used to post from time to time earlier in the spring but my life got pretty much turned upside down so I haven't been around in a few months.

Forgive me if I'm bringing up an issue that's already been discussed, but I noticed you mentioned your thyroid issues a few times. I have an underactive thyroid and I currently take Levothyroxine each morning on an empty stomach. That's currently the only medication I take. (I take nothing at all for my RLS because nothing has helped and I'm trying to "tough it out" by changing my diet and taking B-Complex and Calcium supplements.)

Anyway...does your thyroid issue aggrevate your RLS or is it hard to tell? I am assuming mine does because I know that one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism can be muscle/leg aches. If you know anything about this, please let me know. My soon to be ex-doctor is of no help at all. I am just a name on a chart to him; he barely makes eye contact with me and I've noticed that he is rude to his nurses. (What a jerk).

Any information you could share would be appreciated.

Oh well...I'll be on my computer all morning continuing my job search, which is one reason why I haven't been around here in a while. After five years of working my butt off and not missing one day of work; I was called into the boss' office and told: "Our budget is tight so we have eliminated your position...have a nice life." I've been on unemployment since late May, and I have sent resumes to countless employers. Just a reflection of Michigan's lovely economy right now; the job market here is horrible. And of course now I have no health insurance because that kind of went with the job, you know? And I've loaded up my credit card...spending money I don't have...trying to pay for doctor's appointments and presciptions.

Sorry to vent but I felt the need right now. Whoever has a moment to say a quick prayer for a new job please do so...I'd really appreciate it.

(CHARLENE - Hello! You probably don't remember me because I haven't posted anything since May I think. You warmly welcomed me to this site and I haven't forgotten how comforting your messages were.)

Blessings and peace to all.
Jen

[ctravel12]

Oh Nadia I just read your last post and wanted to sit down and cry. You are such a special person and love you for it. I also appreciate the cyber hugs. Hugs are always welcomed and love them. I hope everything gets better for you.

Hi Jen, yes I do remember you and will definitley keep you in my prayers that you get a job. Thank you for the nice post and am glad that my messages were a comfort to you. I just came back from Mich about 2 weeks ago. Was there for my 50th class reunion and had a wonderful time.
Jen please vent whenever you want to and know that the job market is awful in Michigan. I wish I could find you a job as if I could I would do it in a heart beat. That is so sad how companies can be so insensitive. I often said let some of the CEO's get a boot like you did and have no insurance and see how it feels to have the shoe on the other foot.

Please keep me posted on how you are doing. I really do care and will keep on saying prayers for you.

Here is a huge hug for you and Nadia (((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))

[Walking After Midnight]

(In my best Steve Irwin voice......)

"Crikey Ol Girl! Sounds like you've been trudging through the outback!"


OK. enough of that.
Hey, if it's any consolation and I know it aint, you're still one of the more interesting reads on the RLS board, to me anyway. That makes you feel a lot better eh?
Hang in there. Nice to see you post. It'll get better....it always does.
Eventually.
Randy

[jen13]

Thanks so much Charlene - I'll keep in touch. ((((Hugs right back at ya)))

[sardsy75]

(In my best Steve Irwin voice......)

"Crikey Ol Girl! Sounds like you've been trudging through the outback!"


OK. enough of that.
Hey, if it's any consolation and I know it aint, you're still one of the more interesting reads on the RLS board, to me anyway. That makes you feel a lot better eh?
Hang in there. Nice to see you post. It'll get better....it always does.
Eventually.
Randy

Hey all

Randy, I love your light hearted take on things. It cheers me up so muxh when you make comments like the one above

Yup, I know, long time, no post ... again. Some of you know the reason why ... i'll condense it for the rest of you:

... Aug 11th ... playful fun goes terribly wrong and at 10pm I end up in the ER with a left thumb & palm looking more like a giant balloon, and a right index finger that just didnt want to be touched ... the doc FINALLY sees me at 5:30am and throws me out, with a "see you at 9am for x-rays!" ARGH!!!

... Aug 12th ... I swear some hospital staff have NOT been on the "other" side ... I felt like smackin the radiographer upside the head with a frozen trout! I get a cursery once over by the doc & had a temp plaster put on

... Aug 16th ... Fracture clinic ... and the start of what would be a rather interesting "friendship" with the doc and one of the plaster-room guys. Temp plaster removed, x-rays examined ... no breaks ... get a pretty black fibreglass cast put on. NB. I was bawling my eyes out the entire time. The poor plaster guy (who reminded me of "Grizzly Adams") threw joke after joke at me, but it was to no avail. He felt pretty bad, but I just said "you're doin your job mate ... if you gotta move that thumb, you gotta move it, or the doc kicks both our butts ... and keep those jokes comin" My right index finger is put in a "buddy splint" with the middle finger. Doc approves anything and then books me in to see the the "travelling orthopeadic circus" the following week. No chance of driving home, so had to ring Troy at work and get his dad to drop him off at the hosp to drive me home and put me to bed with a "plate-full" of painkillers.

... Aug 24th ... My pretty black cast is cut off and much to the Doc's dismay, the swelling has NOT subsided. The next hour was even more harrowing. I have no idea which orthopeadic circus monkey i saw; I was seen in the main corridor of the ER with every Tom, Dick and Harriette in view. The circus monkey, took hold of my thumb and decided to try it out as a bit of a joystick ... where the F*** was that Frozen Trout!?!?! He let go pretty bl00dy quick when I screamed!! No comment from monkey, just sent back to plaster room for another fibreglass cast ... a nice fire-engine red this time. All I can say is that I'm glad Troy was with me as I was a right mess! Again, I'm taken home & put to bed with a "plate-full" of painkillers.

... Aug 30th ... Unintentional visit back to the Fracture clinic as the feelin of someone stabbing a fork into the nice soft fleshy bit of my palm and twirling it around like they were eating spaghetti, was just a LIL too much to live with. So, the doc, we were on 1st name basis by now lol, had the cast removed (cut in half so it could be refitted) and checked my hand & concluded that I was experiencing major muscle spasms. Next step ... physio ... oh yay ... NOT!!!

... Sep 3rd ... I like my physio ... Young ... easy on the eye ... nice to talk to ... (nuthin wrong with lookin at the menu!!! ) ... anyway ... he did a thorough examination of both hands, very carefully, as i flinched with every move! He queried if i'd had anything other than x-ray's done on either hand as he was rather wary of doing any real treatment when he felt that there was something undiagnosed in both hands.

... Sep 6th ... Fracture clinic again, however my fav doc wasn't on hand. Thankfully tho the doc I Did see understood my physio's concerns and contacted the doc I had been seeing to get a referral to the private orthopeadic surgeon at the private hospital next door. Doc said no prob and I trotted off home to make appointments.

... Sep 7th ... 1st meeting with the Private Ortho Surgeon. He also examines both hands with great care, sensing my tenseness. The public hosp doc had requested an MRI be done on BOTH hands, but the request goes in for just my Left hand ... ARGH!

... Sep 10th ... My physio did some very gentle work on both hands then told me to ring the surgeon back and tell him that my physio had demanded that BOTH hands be MRI'd.

... Sep 12th ... After much stressing, which ended up triggering an epic RLS attack, I rang the surgeon's rooms. His PA is wonderful! After listening to me get everything out in a muddled crying order she told me to go and have a cup of tea to settle down and she'd call me back. WOW! She worked some magic ... and stood on some toes in the process! I ended up with my two MRI appt's and she ended up with a huge bunch of flowers from me for her efforts. She insisted it was all in a days work, but I know exactly what she did to achieve what she did.

... Sep 14th ... Back to public hosp and my fav doc and gave him an update. By this time, the swelling had gone down a bit, but was still terribly tender, right finger, not much better. He wished me well and commented that it was good to see a smile on my face that day, instead of tears.

... Sep 17th ... MRI of right index finger ... you don't want to know the cr@p that I went through for over an hour

... Sep 18th ... MRI of left hand & thumb ... disaster and disgusting and horribly painful is all i'll say!

... Sep 26th ... Appt with Surgeon ... Good news: Right index finger is only extremely bruised ... Bad news: Left thumb has a partial rupture in the tendon ... SURGERY!!!

... Oct 2nd ... meeting with anethetist. I printed out the RLS & Surgery pamphlet from this site and also did up a list of ALL the medications I was taking, not only for RLS, but Thyroid, the pill and OTC vitamins (I gave another copy of both to the surgeon). He was very interested in the phamplet and was glad to get a heads up on one particular drug commonly used to combat post-anesthetic nausea so made a big red mark against that.

... Oct 4th ... Surgery ... The operation went a little longer than expected as the tendon that joins my left index finger and thumb had been completely ripped off my thumb so the poor doc had to go "lookin" for it in my finger before he could reattach it. I was in theatre by 11:30am and back home by 4pm. No probs with the anesthetic ... Yay!!! Even better ... no RLS!!! WOOHOO!!! That was in the back of my mind the whole time.

Well, i'm wanderin around with a not so asthetically pleasing looking "thing" on my arm. Have been offline for this long as i've been quite "out of it" on painkillers.

Have seen the Surgeon twice since my surgery and he's pleased with my progress so far. I'm not not supposed to drive, but I keep it to a minimum. I'm just waiting for the day that my fingers DONT look like big fat banana's!

As you can imagine, this whole hullaballoo has put a major dent in my job hunting and i'm down to the last of my savings, but at least I know that the problem was found and fixed in the quickest time possible.

My parents came down and stayed at a motel for three days when I had the op and took the girls off our hands during the days. I think it was more a case of the girls entertaining them thant the other way around. They had a great time going shopping, the movies, and wandering around the gardens and marina.

The only problem now is my mood swings. Yup, they're still hangin around, although they're not as titanic as they were when I last posted. I've been doing a lot of reading (I go through stages of "eating" books), just walking away from situations, or just sleeping. I saw my GP (back up in Rocky) on Sept 24th and we had a loooong talk. Last time I saw him I was ready to slap HIM with the Frozen Trout! This time, after I'd written him a letter and spelt a few things out for him, he was a LOT more accommodating! (Think the ego came back down a few pegs as well). As we talked we came to the conclusion that my mood swings are the snowballing result of: now ex-hubby telling me we were gonna have a "trial" separation; then being told I was to move back in with my olds whilst now ex-hubby lived it up in my marital home; one month after being told it was a "trial" i was told it was all over and he wanted a divorce; one very ugly and nasty property settlement; selling the marital home; living with my olds for 8 months before finding a house i could afford to move into on my own; numerous run-ins with landlord and property manager; going through a complete DETOX of ALL medications over the course of 8 weeks, pretty much on my own; meeting Troy and his three beautiful daughters; getting to know three beautiful little girls; signing my divorce papers; having a rather nasty run-in with Troy's ex-wife; recieving divorce papers in the mail; making the decision to move from Rocky to Gladdy; being stabbed in the back by two of my bookkeeping clients (lurved that!); Troy's mother dying suddenly in April this year (a week after i'd moved in); being diagnosed with hashimoto's; my ever beloved furry nugget of a cat, my "baby boy" Fidget dying in my arms in July; its just all mounted up and my mood swings are the result of all that ... life ... gotta luv it. So i'm supposed to have looked up a shrink, but have been a lil sidetracked with my hands until now.

So ... that's me for now. RLS is going good ... except for the rain we had a week ago. I was supposed to go to Brisbane WAY back on Aug 27th, but with all this goin on around me i've had to put that on the back burner until now. So i'm goin to tryin to score some seats on a plane with some freq flyer points now that all the school hols are over.

My daily ... or should I say, weekly medication regime hasn't changed from the one I listed a few posts ago and is going well.

To everyone who has replied to my posts ... Ann, Jan, Lynne, Charlene, Jen, Randy, Hazel (who's been lurkin in my emails) , Mark, Susan, Elizabeth, Zach and everyone I've not mentiond ... a HUGE THANKYOU for all your sympathy, cyberhugs, cyberthoughts, moonbeams, and the rest. I love you all for being here and although I dont post as often as I used to, please know that I do read your posts as often as possible and you are all loved dearly from this upside down end of the world.

Love ... hugs ... blessings and positive energy and thoughts to those who need it right now xoxoxoxox

[sardsy75]

PS ... if you spot any spelling and/or grammar mistakes in the above post ... please remember it is a little difficult to type with seven fingers, one thumb and a head-full of painkillers!

By the way ... I must give a HUGE Thankyou to my dear partner Troy, who has stuck by my side through the whole mess. Showering me, dressing me, helping me off the dang loo when I literally couldn't use both arms for a while. He's a blessing. It's also taken a great toll on him as I have been completely useless pretty much since the day I moved in so he's had to not only keep on doing what he was doing BEFORE i moved in, but "squeeze" me into his daily routine as well. It sucks being one handed ... it sucked even more when I couldn't use both hands ... all I can really do is the washing ... put it in the washer then the dryer. I have made attempts at dinner but they've been disasters which were rectified and made edible by Troy. I love him to bits. Yes, this whole "new" ordeal (which is now over two months old & counting) has taken its toll on us and we've had a couple of nasty blow-ups, but everyone needs to vent eventually!

It's near 3am now ... and i've been waiting patiently for him to come to bed. You would think that with all the meds I'm on along with the painkilers i'd be out like a light, but for wsome reason I just can't go to sleep without him beside me. Sounds strange huh. Sucks when he insists on watchi tv in the lounge until all hours. There's a tv in our room. but he complains he caint see it over me. Methinks I might get him to bring a couple of lengths of wood home from work and chock it up a bit highter.

Ok, i'm outta here ... nite all ... and morning all

[becat]

Awwwwwww Nadia, medical karma like mine, yucky! LOL

I'm so sorry for your fingers. I've broken all but one, on the same hand many years back. Wow, that broken bones, torn muscles, etc....it's a whammy of pain.
My cyber kisses to your boo boos and hugs for your fight to get the care early and timely my dear.

I'm so glad your parents had fun with the girls. I'm sure they showered those girls with love and fun, how wonderful of them to come and help out.
That is what a good family does. I suppose like we do around here.

Mood swings come with life my love. Life happens when we've been making plans and it's never mindful of timing. Don't let it hold on to you.
You've had a huge year or two now and it seems fitting that your reactions might be mixed, at best somedays. Give my Nadia a break from the guilt.

I'm glad that you, Troy, and the girls are well. Nice to hear. Would you ever have thought this is where you'd be 3 years ago? See, life just happens.

hang in there, lol, down there!
Hugs and Love to you
Lynne

[Sojourner]

Nadia, Good to here from you again as you are one of our indomitable spirits. Me hopes this day/night finds you snuggled up warm with the tely chocked up high!

[sardsy75]

Ok ... try not to laugh too hard at this ... yours truly ... fell out of bed!!

This incident actually occurred last Tuesday, but I cudn't bring myself to tell y'all about it in my last epic post.

No joke! I was asleep, lying on my back, rolled over to my left (not a really comfy position with left arm bein the 1 that was op'd on) ... anyway ... i woke up with a jolt about halfway thru my "trip" when my head connected with the bedside table ... it gave me a split second enuff of time to make sure i was goin to land on my elbows, not my hands, before I hit the floor with a very undignified thud. I thought i'd broken a couple of ribs on my right side as I landed on a cane washing basket, but was just severly bruised.

I knew the phone & my mobile (cell) was on my bedside table and it took about 15mins to get my already injured left arm co-ordinated enough to pull the table-cover over the edge enuff until the phone fell on the floor. I debated between ringin the ambo's or Troy. Troy won the toss as the ambo's wudn't have gotten thru the locked front door ... and although the back door was unlocked, they wud've had a fun time gettin past our Rotty, who is very protective of her "family" (I just lurv her "kisses" ... and she neva misses your lips!).

So i rang Troy, and by this time i was in tears as the shock and pain had set in. When he got home he did have a hard time not laughing ... dont blame him ... last time i fell out of bed was when I was a kid!

By last Friday, I cudn't put up with the pain in my shoulders and back, so I paid a visit to my physio. After I described my ordeal, we both dissolved into laughter. He worked some great magic on my back & shoulders & I can actually sit in a chair or lie in bed a lot more comfortably (btw Mark, I've bounced the chocking the bedroom tv up off Troy, but haven't seen him come thru the door with any inventions yet lol).

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Hey Lynne,

Your post got me thinking!. This time three years ago I was stuck in a marriage that was goin nowhere (my ex-hubby FINALLY admitted last year that he left me to fend for myself simply because he didn't know what to do! Bit late to tell me then ... we were halfway thru our divorce!)goin thru hell with tryin to find a cocktail of meds that would keep my legs under control ... dealing with the deaths of three close family friends within months of each other ... and dealing with the fact that I had had to retire from full-time work - before the age of 30! Yup, a LOT has happened since then ... an entire avalanche of things when I think about it.

Thankyou for being such a fantastic friend and rock. You've never lost faith in me, never scolded me for sinking to the lowest points in life, just sent many many cyber hugs and kisses, positive thoughts and reminders that the moon keeps us all coneccted. You are loved dearly.

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Hey Mark,

My dad commented to me one day, when i was going through a particularly rough patch that i get kicked around a lot healthwise and in some other instances, but always manage to pick myself up with a "OK, i'm back ... Next!" kinda attitude.

The fact that my hand injuries have dragged on for over two months has REALLY got me down, but, stubborness and patience are two attributes I rely on to get me through.

In early 1999, I FINALLY convinced my GP to give me a referral to an orthopeadic surgeon. I had an undiagnosed injury on my right wrist which had dragged on for close to 2 years. All x-rays came back showing nothing. My GP requested Cortisone Injections, but after a mile long list of questions and an examination, the surgeon said "stuff the cortisone, I'm goin in to have a look!" So. a few weeks latter i underwent an exploratory arthroscopy. When I woke up in recovery, the doc said, "see you in six weeks ... no wonder you were in pain! You've got nothing holding the major bones together in your wrist." Oooook! So, now i have the wrist-end of my radius & ulna bones fused together ... and no pain! It took a lot of persistence, but it paid off in the end!

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To finish ... for anyone livin within a 75km radius of where i live ... there is some MAJOR rain on the way. My legs were a lil twitchy when I went to bed last nite, but this morning ... holy cr@p ... they went MUNYA!!! It's been disgustingly humid all week so far, but this was way different. So I guess there are some good storms on the way.

To anyone living in the Southern Califirnian area who reads this, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and hope that some kind of reprieve from the situation is on the way.

Love n hugs to all

[Sojourner]

Nadia, You are so real. We can all learn from you and only hope to be as resiliant and full of life (and other things) as you. By the way, I loved the colloquial use of the word "bounced." I think that word usage is one of the best things I like about reading posts and meeting people from other places. Best wishes.