That counts as exercise for me. I have had Dr.'s ask what I do for exercise and I give them a serious look and say "I'm a stay at home mommy of 7 that loves to shop", they laugh and say "Well that counts".

I'm still in semi-disbelief that I found a PCP who listened to me (WHAT??), used logic and actual facts in discussing my symptoms (ASTOUNDING!!), and bid me hello and goodbye while shaking my hand and looking me in the eye (UNBELIEVABLE!!).

This young doctor's rational and attentive way of proceeding took that ugly, crushing, breath-robbing glob of sickening, twisted, excruciating, irresolvable contradictions, flip-flops, patronizing lectures, and silences that preceding doctors had painstakingly built up inside my gut, my inner being, for years and years and years--and made it all dissolve into irrelevancy.

It's sad when a person can be made so happy by a doctor acting like a doctor should: asking the patient questions and listening to what the patient says, without irrefutable preconceived notions about what's going on.

I am thrilled that after many years of complaining about the walking problem I have (extreme strain in certain upper-leg muscles when walking continously, thus inability to walk fast anymore), I'm actually going to get it evaluated by a PT. No one ever took it seriously until now.

And in fact, I didn't even ASK him to investigate this, or anything else--he himself pursued it when I mentioned it in the course of a discussion about losing weight. I had simply given up hope of anyone taking it seriously, but he did, in a perfectly normal way.

On another note, I was bummed to find out that you have to not use ibuprofen for SEVEN DAYS before doing that three-day stool-card screening test (a great privilege of the 50-year-old). I do not think I can survive ten days without Advil. It'll be...interesting!

First of all I have to survive this nasty flu or cold bug. EXTREME achiness, cough, runny nose, watery itchy eyes, constant headache, and did I mention extreme achiness?? It's day 4 and I'm only just starting to feel marginally better.

Tante, good luck with your "throne on wheels." I can't remember, did they ever figure out what was going on with your scare last year (?) that turned out not to be cancer? What the problem was after all? You have had quite a time with everything.

Jan, good luck with your sleep study...I hope you don't have sarcoidosis. Why are these diseases so darn hard to diagnose.

And good luck to everybody--hope everyone has a good weekend and better weather!

Nancy T.