When I was 24 and lived all by myself, I read how a woman should carry her keys through her fingers. Not put the key in the hand but have the keys sticking out from between your fingers, so in case you are jumped or mugged, you can gouge the guy's eyes out.

So I'm walking home from work one warm March night. (All those years ago), and YES, I HAD THE KEYS STICKING OUT OF MY HANDS.

I glanced behind me and there were two young men following me. I don't know what I should have done but I kept walking. One of the guys jumped on my back and I was so busy holding on to my pocketbook, I never REMEMBERED I HAD KEYS STICKING OUT OF MY HAND. They never got my pocketbook (by the way, I was screaming my head off and not one person came out of their house (OR OUT OF THE CHURCH, BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED AT 7 P.M. AT NIGHT IN FRONT OF A CHURCH).. Never forgot this...

I screamed and screamed and they panicked but they got my Silver Fox Hat. My beautiful Silver Fox Hat. Of course I went to the police station. It wasn't far from my house. I looked at mug shots but nothing ever happened.

I think I was afraid to leave my house for weeks.

And I had just moved to that apartment TO GET AWAY FROM AN ABUSIVE BOYFRIEND WHO BEAT ME. Gee, you would think I would have been safe, hah???

He came looking for me after we broke up, went back to my original apartment, knocked on my girlfriend's door (she used to live across the street from me) and he was all dressed up and said "I'm looking for Melody, I want to marry her". He was with his friend (they were both italians and they spoke italian). What they didn't know that my friend who answered her door spoke perfect italian. When my ex-boyfriend told her "I want to marry Melody, where is she"??? my friend responded "oh, she moved back to Florida to move in with her mother (in reality, I moved 7 blocks away but she wasn't about to tell HIM this!!!!

My ex then said "but I went to her apartment and her name is still on the doorbell (my old landlord never removed my name from the doorbell). When my friend told this to my ex - the guy standing next to him said IN ITALIAN. "She's lying, we can take her". And my ex-boyfriend said (IN ITALIAN), "Shut up, this one's sister is a police officer". And sure enough, my girlfriend's sister came down the stairs (with her pistol hidden behind her), and said to the two guys "is there a problem"?????

My ex-boyfriend wised up and said "no, sorry to bother you". this happened at 11 p.m and my girlfriend immediately called me and said "you will never guess who just came looking for you???? YOUR EX-BOYFRIEND". "But don't worry, I didn't tell him anything". See, he once warned me, "IF I can't have you, nobody will" and one time when I was still living in my old place, he phoned me up to try and get together and I stupidly said "well, I'm seeing someone else and he said "well, he's never going to see his family again".

I then admitted "listen, there's no one else, just leave me alone" and the next week I moved.

I think all these hooligans who make us females have to move, have to be afraid, WELL I THINK THEY SHOULD ALL BE MEDICATED, LOCKED UP, WHATEVER AND WE SHOULD BE ALBE TO LIVE IN PEACE.

Just my two cents!!!!

I HATE TO BE AFRAID!!!!!

mel

Never scream for help (nobody wants to get involved)
- ALWAYS yell.......FIRE ! CALL 911 !!
(everybody is afraid of fire !
tip from an ex-policeman-friend)

Speaking of nobody wanting to get involved...you may not get a call back from the neuro...he may not want to get involved in a problem that could end up in a courtroom, (likely won't because Alan is OK, but this is how it goes.)

You faxed over the statement to his office and that should become part of Alan's permanent medical record.

I get my pepper spray online as 'dog replent', from an online cycling store...Called 'halt'...pepper spray is pepper spray. I once had to down a dog with it, and it just killed me to do it, but the darn dog bit me in the thigh the day before....I just let it go. I didn't tell the owners, as they were kind of neighbors, farm down a mile a two... but when the darn dog crossed the road and came after me again, he got a snootful....wow, that was that...when he saw me toodling up the hill, he went and hid. Never had a problem with him again....he just knew who I was, and left me alone...of course, dogs are smarter than people at times.

On the grizzly bear spray...I have that too, (huge can-from when we went on a mtn. hiking trip) and my son decided to 'test fire' the spray in the driveway....I was quite far away, however there was a slight breeze, and my eyes were watering and of course, it felt like pepper spray and he was aiming the other way! If you ever have to shoot that grizzly bear stuff, be aware it is so strong you are gonna have to run and shoot behind you.....and be aware of wind direction!! It is much worse than my dog stuff which just comes out in a skinny stream and travels about 20 feet. In my 20 years of cycling I only used it once...I have been chased more times than I care to remember, some of the dogs were viscious....got bitten twice. I love dogs, so I don't spray without being extremely scared, because it hurts to het hit with it, and I am loathe to hurt an animal, when it is the owner who should be held responsible. I have 'Invisible Fencing' to contain my pups in the event they decided to chase, and you never know, it is instinct for dogs. It really works.

I have found that if I bike or walk and let it hang out of my bike jersey or pocket, it discourages any one messing with me. People can see it, it is legal here and it avoids any problems. Avoidance is always better than confrontation.

Cyclelops:
You said:

"you may not get a call back from the neuro...he may not want to get involved in a problem that could end up in a courtroom, (likely won't because Alan is OK, but this is how it goes.)"


I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS CAN EVER HAPPEN!!!!

Do any of you guys on this forum think the NEURO (it's a lady by the way), will never call us back????

I never even thought of that!!!

Melody

Pepper spray in new york is only suppossed to be bought in gun store or pharmacy. It is illegal to buy it from out of state online and have it shipped in. Rediculous but illegal none the less.

Daniella there are some self defense courses around at adult education and also at some karate places. Ten lessons should be way more than enough. Of course you might decide you like it and take up karate.

Melody, you have been through a lot and i certainly dont want to contribute to your angst, but,there goes that but again...haha.....IVIG is a very serious treatment as you well know, with potential reactions everytime you take it, not just if the bag is compromised. Allergic reactions happen etc. For this neuro to prescribe ivig treatment and then to be totally unavailable and not call back when there is a problem, for whatever reason is in my opinion an absolute and utter disgrace. You are calling because something has gone wrong with an IVIG treatment, that should be responded to by her promptly. I would have a serious talk with her the next time you go in and find out if this is how it is going to be and for what reason were you not called back. Personally i wouldnt want to be taking IVIG uner the direction of a non responsive neuro. If its a problem in her office then she needs to straighten that out. it s unacceptable.

I completely agree. But what if Zoya never gave her the message?

I can't believe this could actually happen.

I know it's a religious holiday, but aren't doctors exempt from that?

I will have a good talk with Alan about this.

But I know him. He is so disgusted after having neuropaty for more than 15 years, I don't think I can make him "go to another neuro".

He is just plain worn out with all this stuff.

I really can't blame him.

But I REALLY DO AGREE WITH YOU. SHE SHOULD BE MORE ACCESSIBLE!!!! But sometimes, when WE THINK SOMETHING IS IMPORTANT, THE DOCTOR SOMETIMES JUST SHRUGS AND YESSES US TO DEATH. Now that hasn't happen to us with Dr. Fred and it has not happened with the neuro YET!!!

But I hope someone calls us back. I really don't know what to do!!!
It's now Saturday, 3 p.m. and thankfully Alan is just fine.
I first placed a call to her office on Wednesday. Then I spoke personally to her assistant on Thursday who told me "Doctor will call you back tomorrow" Yeah right!!!

Melody

well thankfully it has lost most of its urgency.......if its Zoya, its up to the doctor to straighten her out. We arent dealing with a minor issue here......contamination of a blood product containing over 1000 people antibodies is not something that can wait till "tomorrow". I feel for you , doctors suck, well most of them in my opinion, if it were her who was getting IVIG you would bet she would make sure she got someone.

Believe me, AS SOON AS ANYONE GETS IN TOUCH WITH US, I'll post here.

Honestly, 20 or more years ago, if you called a doctor, they got back to you, and if you called a specialist, they most definitely got back to you.

I do not understand this at all!!

Melody

Im 60 and really cute honest,always been that big smile bubbly type.
It's odd but even with my walker men hit on me. My oldest said Mom
you are cute,but maybe they think you might not get away fast with
that walker. He was my favorite,now i have to think that through. Now
my middle one gave me that beautiful grandchild. And the youngest
son is there helping her for a week. Well ,where were we. Oh yes i'm
cute,you can get pepper spray,just about anywhere and all 3 of my kids
are my favorite,yes it's possible. Don't spray the spray on a windy day
and in the wrong direction. Here i am with my big smile. Sue

Mel

The docs do hope that the 'urgency' of the situation just plays out, and then they don't really NEED to get involved. If Allan is fine, there is no reason for her to get involved, unless you want a new infusion or home nursing service. There are legally no damages, regardless of what happened...and thank God for that. You don't want damage.

Yes, doctors do, do this type of stuff. Not all, but some. I have seen some brutal stuff.

I fractured my sternoclavicular joint in a high speed head on...it is only a high impact injury. They did not find it for a year...only after I insisted a CT scan be run because I had pain and a weird bump. After that they referred me half way across the country for a specialist to look at it, and he said basically he couldn't guarantee a surgical repair any more at that late date, and it was too close to the heart to wire shut, as wires migrate.

OK, so then what does the *^%$# do at deposition....He says he has no idea how it could happen and that it could happen from a fall on an outstretched arm.....Never in recorded history has something like that happened in a young woman! Why did he say that?? If he said it was from my accident, he implicated himself in medical negligence, so he sold me down the river...
the *#$%. This guy was supposed to be an acclaimed local orthopedic traumatologist...now he works on feet. What I had was a life threatening injury, I could have died, and still could from it, as my collar bone is completely unattached at my sternum! It shredded both the anterior and posterior ligaments, smashed the meniscus, and tore off 5 pieces of bone from the sternum, that are just kind of sitting in there. For the grace of God it did not for some reason sever the arteries on the right side of my chest near my heart. I guess my job here was not done. In not knowing the severity of my injury, I ended up rehabing the arm myself, but it still hurts in my cheat and neck quite badly at times.

I could not prove my devastating injury was from my head on accident. And can you imagine that happening from a fall on an outstretched arm??? If so, maybe a fall from a 40 story building!! Not to mention, the guy who hit me, was on his 4th accident in 2 years, and his insurance company hired private detectives that followed us for years, including getting to my 5 year old son at school!!

So that is how dirty and how nasty systems can be! And this is too darn sick to make up.

BTW I had a seat belt on, but this preceeded air bags.