gerbil runner

Nancy, I hope your recovery is swift and complete. Thanks for the update, Fay!

Jane, drive safely. May God watch over you and Alan.

What a relief this must be for you! Congrats!

Phyllis, I can't believe how cold-hearted some doctors can be. I vote for a second (third, fourth, whatever) opinion too. You are such a fighter, have endured so much, surely some onc. will have the guts to allow you to fight as long and as hard as you wish. You will be in my prayers. Don't let the turkeys get you down.

After spending 3-1/2 hours enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, I stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for my son. I brought my selection - a baseball bat - to the cash register. "Cash or charge?" the clerk asked. "Cash," I snapped. Then apologizing for my rudeness, I explained, "I've spent the afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau." "Shall I gift wrap the bat?" the clerk asked sweetly, "or are you going back there?"

A man is stopped alongside a highway, fixing a flat tire. A police car stops behind his, and the officer strolls up to him to offer help. The man changing the tire says he's doing okay and doesn't need help. The officer takes a walk around the car to make sure everything is OK. He spots a large knife with a fancy handle on the passenger seat. When he inquires about the knife, the man says it's his, and he uses it as a juggler at the local circus. To be sure the man is telling the truth, the officer asks him to demonstrate his act, and the stranded motorist begins to go through his juggling routine. Meanwhile a car with two recovering alcoholics drives by. The driver says to his passenger, "Man... I am so glad I stopped drinking when I did. Look! It's amazing what they make them do these days at those roadside sobriety checks."

A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was saying to his lawyer, "If I lose this case, I'll be ruined." "It's in the judge's hands now," said the lawyer. "Would it help if I sent the judge a box of cigars?" asked the defendant. "Oh no!" said the lawyer. "This judge is a stickler for ethical behavior. A stunt like that would prejudice him against you. He might even find you in contempt of the court. In fact, you shouldn't even smile at the judge." Within the course of time, the judge rendered a decision in favor of the defendant. As the defendant left the courthouse, he said to his lawyer, "Thanks for the tip about the cigars. It worked." "I'm sure we would have lost the case if you'd sent them," said the lawyer. "But I did send them," said the defendant. "What?? You did?" "Yes, That's how we won the case." "I don't understand," said the lawyer. "It's easy. I sent the cheapest cigars that I could find to the judge, and enclosed the plaintiff's business card..."

At a special school birthday party, a kindergarten teacher was receiving gifts from her pupils. The florist's son handed her a gift. She shook it, held it overhead, and said, "I bet I know what it is, some flowers." "That's right," the boy said, "but how did you know?" "Oh, just a wild guess," she said. The next pupil was the daughter of the candy store owner. The teacher held her gift overhead, shook it and said, "I bet I can guess what it is, a box of candy." "That's right, but how did you know?" asked the girl. "Oh, just a wild guess," the teacher said. The next gift was from the son of the liquor store owner. The teacher held it overhead, but it was leaking. She touched a drop of the leakage with her finger and tasted it. "Is it wine?" she asked. "No," the boy replied, obviously delighted that he had stumped her. The teacher touched another drop of the liquid and placed it to her tongue. "Champagne?" she asked. "No," the clearly delighted boy answered. "I give up, what is it?" The boy enthusiastically replied, "It's a puppy!"

The Louisiana State Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising hikers, hunters, fishermen and golfers to take extra precautions and keep alert for alligators while in St. Tammany, Jefferson & Orleans Parish. They advise people to wear noise-producing devices such as "little bells" on their clothing to alert, but not startle the alligators, unexpectedly. They also advise the carrying of "pepper spray" in case of an encounter with an alligator. It's also a good idea to watch for fresh signs of alligator activity and be able to recognize the difference between young alligator and adult alligator droppings. Young alligator droppings are small and contain fish bones and possibly bird feathers. adult alligators droppings have little bells in them and smell like pepper.

Laurie, boy are you a terrific friend to those who need you! Don't forget to take care of yourself. Prayers going out for your friends and your mom, as well as you!

Thanks for the news, Ry! I have a feeling that the only way to keep Mo quiet and resting is to keep her isolated . Mo, hope you're outta there soon and feeling MUCH better.

Shelly, I am so sorry. There aren't good enough words to say it right. I pray you will feel some comfort soon.

Shelly, I'm so sorry. May the end of this horrid journey bring peace.

Mo, big-time prayers going out for you. I hope you'll be able to go home soon.

Welcome back!! Sounds like you have a tough situation right now, but that steak will be ready when you are. Wishing you the best and keeping you in my prayers.

Oh, Shelly, I'm so sorry . Hopefully your dad will be more like himself when he's hydrated. It seems that whenever there are family members who are closely involved in care and others who aren't, the less-involved family members find it way too easy to accuse the caretaker of not being good enough. It's not fair, and in your case I'm sure it's not justified. You can't force your dad to drink. You can't affect how his disease progresses. You have sacrificed a lot of yourself to try to give your dad the best. Get some sleep and try to let the nasty family members fade into the background. They obviously can't do what you do, and have no right to be anything other than supportive of you. You are in my prayers.

Congrats on the successful surgery! Hope you recover in record time, Nancy. Thanks, Fay.

Yikes, Cat! I hope the dr. can find an answer for you. Please take care of yourself and get some sleep!

It may be disappointing, but hopefully the next round will do the trick! Getting the pain under control will make everything look a little better for your mom.

Well, they got most of the stem cells needed from my mom, but due to her poor pulmonary performance, have decided to wait and treat her with prednisone before proceding with the stem cell transplant. She's not real happy about it, and concerned about the 40% pulmonary function. The radiation is probably responsible for about 10% decline, according to the onc. Mom still needs to have her stress test and get the stupid stent out, too, so it looks like she'll be getting another round of chemo while waiting. The stem cells can stay frozen for awhile, so that's not a concern. Has anyone else had to work hard at recovering lung function, aside from having surgery? I'm trying to convince mom to get a pulmonologist involved, but I think the drs. want to see the results of her stress test before deciding what to do next. She was constantly monitored on EKG for over 2 days while they harvested the stem cells, and the procedure can be hard on the heart, but she came through perfectly. In the meantime, mom has lots of night sweats and is still very tired, and pretty exasperated. Anyone have ideas on getting rid of the night sweats? She's had about 6 months of intense treatment, so I can understand her frustration. Her platelets are low right now, too - she may get a transfusion today so they can remove the catheter used for the stem cell harvest.

Nancy, good luck tomorrow. I'll be thinking about you.

Fay, it seems your inner strength always shines through in your posts. And I bet it's a big reason you've abandoned the stat pool. Wishing you many more 5-year milestones.

Francine, I'm sorry to hear your news is not better. Hopefully treatment will kill off the pain quickly.

You have my sympathies as well as prayers. It stinks to feel yucky when you have plans made. I really, really hope your dr. has a good remedy for all that ails you. Take care of yourself.

Great, terrific, wonderful!!! May NED stay with you for a LONG time!