Be prepared....I have a lot to say.

[Guest guest]

This says it all for our little family.

RECIPE FOR FRIENDSHIP

2 heaping measures of Trust

2 well rounded scoops of Respect

2 generous portions of Affection

2 equal amounts of Sharing

Stir together until lumps and bumps are dissolved then carefully pour

into heart-shaped containers.

Sprinkle abundantly with patience, understanding, tolerance, humor,

caring, compassion, tenderness and dependability. Warm gently and serve

generously.

I have so much to comment on and tell you that this will be a long email. Hope

it won't be to much.

Let me start: Congratulations, Gail on finding a soulmate. My husband was my

soulmate and will always cherish the small time we were together and wouldn't

trade the memories for anything! Tess: I have not been able to post for a few

days but I wanted to tell you to hang in there. There have been days like that

for me but somehow my faith sustains me and there comes the morning that I wake

up and realize it has passed and give thanks. Heidi: My prayers are with you.

When you least expect it, yours will be answered, maybe now in the way you

expected, but sometimes with greater blessings. Debs: You named your daughters,

Joy. That says alot. I miscarried at 18 and again at 27, both only 6-8 weeks a

long. I was told that I would never get pregnant and if I did, would not be

able to carry to term because of immature organs. At 30, I adopted a baby girl

that I named Janis and at 34 had a suprise pregnancy ending at a little over 6

months but she survived. Her name is Jeanna and she survived not only a low

birth weight(3 lb)but RDS or Hyaline's membrane (undeveloped lungs - the

Kennedy baby died of this). Both names come from Jane which means God's

Gracious Gift. To Harry and Al: I'm so happy you joined our family. You will

find if you haven't already that everyone here is loving and caring and

supportive. Sue: I've had dropsey for years. I don't think there is a cure for

it. I've been lucky and not really broken many things however, sometimes

instead of hitting the floor it hits my foot and then that gives me something

else to put up with. On Birkenstocks. I have never been able to wear them and

found them terribly unconfortable. They say that they are contoured to the foot

- I must have a weird foot. My feet swell badly with the heat also. I agree

with everyone on the pets. I have two loving cats and a dog that adores me.

Both cats are seniors and the eldest at 14 1/2 years is like a kitten. He

spends more time trying to get a paw resting against me if he can't get his

whole body onto mine. He also sleeps under the covers, on my hip or on my chest

dependending on how I am laying down. My dog, Meatball (I didn't name him), is

nearly 8 years old and was abused for a year when he was a puppy. It's taken

several years to draw him out of scared, run, and hide mode. I have showered

him with lots of love and he repays me in kind. And all of them sense when I am

in more pain than usual. : If you were in the Gulf War and they have

finally determined that there is a connection with your illnesses, shouldn't the

VA be paying for at least some of your medical expenses. I know a family with

three sons(knew them since they were teenagers)that were done in with Agent

Orange in Vietnam. It took many years for the VA to recognize there were

problems steming from AO, but once they did, they received help. Two of them

have passed away in the past 5 or 6 years and the third is still being treated.

I was told that they may have lived longer or would have less problems if the VA

had recognized it sooner. You might give them a try if you haven't already. On

getting insurance, there is virtually no way to get it after you have contracted

a disease unless it is provided by an employer and even now, some carriers put a

pre-existing condition clause when you are hired on. In the state of CA, back

about the very early 90's, they instituted a plan for people with pre-existing

conditions. You cannot be turned down for it, however, it is very expensive,

does not cover as much as regular policy would, and there is a cap to yearly and

lifetime benefits. Another drawback is that they will only cover x amount on

the coverage resulting in a long waiting list. I worked for Blue Cross of CA

from 1985 until 1995 when they shut down 11 of the 14 offices in CA. Tess: You

are amazing! The more I read your posts, the more I marvel. The fact that you

were able to overcome the damage done to you as a child and.....become an

advocate to help others is outstanding. I was abused in all 3 ways as a child

and it was something that you just never talked about or admitted to even in

your own family. It resulted in many things I have had to work through and

still am doing day to day. Speaking out about it, is one of the best things you

can do. Up until about 10 years, I did not even admit them to my doctors. I

read quite a bit and from information I learned, I began to talk about it

slowly. I can now tell someone what happened and not have nightmares because I

remembered. It has been a therapy for me and along the way since, I may have

helped others including some very young people who needed to talk.

I just read in the newspaper they have approved a new drug for IBS called

Zelnorm. Also, they are putting back on the market Lotronex after two years.

Serious side affects halted the sales.

I have been at this email all day. My work keeps getting in the way.......just

kidding. But I have more good news to tell you about my Doctor visit on Tuesday

but it will have to wait until I can get to a computer over the weekend.

Thanks to all of you for being here. Jan in CA :=)

---------------------------------