I like your response. You are always so upbeat. Even with what you are going through.

But I have news about my Alan. Today we went to his doctor to see what this lump he has developed inside his thigh was.

He was sitting in the living room the other day and says to me "melody, come here and feel this thing, I have a lump inside my thigh".

so I go there and squeeze around and I go "it's a LIPOMA". He says "A LI WHATTA??? I said "relax, it's a ball of fat, I've had them, they're nothing, but you're going to Dr. Fred on Monday so he'll check it out".

So we go there this morning, Dr. Fred feels around and goes "oh, it's a lipoma". but the best was what happened earlier when Dr. Fred was with another patient. He was telling the patient "don't eat a lot of protein".

Alan's face goes white and he says "My God, I've been drinking these protein shakes and Dr. Fred is telling this person "don't eat protein".

I said "Relax, she probably has a kidney problem" and people with kidney problems sometimes can't injest a lot of protein because the kidneys are filters". Alan looks at me and says "now how on earth do you know that this woman has kidney problems", when all of a sudden Dr. Fred goes to her "now you're kidney stones are not too bad but we don't want to aggravate them".

The look on Alan's face was priceless. That's all I have to say.

Oh by the way, THEY LOWERED HIS MEDS. He cut his metoprolol in half and took him off the vytorin. His cholesterol is 100 and he doesn't eat any red meat so they feel safe to see what happens until his next test in three months. isn't that spectacular? All the blood work was good except for the ferritin and something called TB something.

The TB something or other was low at 237 and the rage is 250 to something or other.

His ferritin was 689. I asked the doctor if this was hemachromatosis and he looked at the other readings and said: "No, if he had hemachromatosis, the other readings would be off the charts then he was talking about the readings with the nurse practictioner and he said something like "you have to see readings over a thousand, etc. etc. Couldnt hear all of what he said but I distinctly asked him "so this ferritin thing is not serious? and he said "no, don't worry about it". I trust this man.

Alan also had a hemachromatosis test a few years ago at Coney Island Hospital. The ferritin level was high then but they said "no, he absolutely does not have hemachromatosis". Also, he takes vitamins but there is only a little iron in them. He doesn't eat red meat. And the whey protein shakes do not contain iron.

So where the hell is the ferritin coming from, that's what I would like to know.

but his docs are pleased as punch.

His doctor even looked at his feet and foot ulcer and we discussed his neuropathy. His feet sometimes "do a dance" as he puts it.

But every time I give him a deep tissue massage either with the magnassager or my hands, all the tingling goes away.

If only they could find what nerve (or nerves) are being compressed so they could uncompress them.

That's why Alan lost all the weight. 73 lbs so far as of today. He feels that if gets thin enough, Dr. Theirl, the chiropractic/neurologist, may someday be able to find the nerve that is being pinched.

One can only hope!!!

Be well, and keep smiling.

melody