My family is all in Michigan and me on Long Island--there was a new man in my life, so I thought we might spend it togetherbut, I think not. I'm too old to deal with a man with "Inconsiderate" as his middle name and I told him that up front, gonna lay it all on the line this time around! Ain't messin with me no more! So now, I don't know what I will do. The holdiays are hard when your family is so far away.

I usually visit them in early December, but this year, I have a new grandbaby coming in April, so I am delaying my vacation until then. I have to see a new baby.

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

If you dont want to be alone on Thanksgiving maybe you could volunteer at some place that provides Thanksgiving dinners for the down and out.

HeyJoe:

Alan and I made that call last year. It was before Thanksgiving (a few weeks), I called around to the local Churches and asked 'are you giving out meals for Thanksgiving, do you need any help?" and I was told "oh, we are making gift baskets but we have enough people, thank you".

I was told that by everybody I called. So, because no one needed our help, we coudn't help. I mean, all you can do is make the attempt.

I think if we had called in Manhattan, and volunteered at a soup kitchen or something like that, maybe we might have had more luck, but honestly, because we don't drive and we use the Access-a-ride and on Thanksgiving day, forget about the Access-a-ride not making you wait for one hour, well, we are talking about waiting for the Access-a-ride, a two hour ride to NYC, and then back again. It's too hard on the knees when you have arthritits and with Alan's PN, sitting for long periods is impossible.

And now that he is all wrapped up with the foot ulcer, we aren't going anywhere either.

Oh well, and in my case, it's made even worse because since I was 24 years old, when my parents moved to another state, I have spent every single Thanksgiving day at my best friend's house (along with her 40 relatives).

Unfortunately, she proved NOT to be my best friend and we've not spoken (nor has any of her 40 family members even attempted to find a solution), in the past 2 years.

Very very hard, to spend 36 years at Thanksgiving (along with weekends and other holidays, with people you've know since you are 13, and have it all GO AWAY, in the blink of an eye.

But we adapt. We have to. We have learned that we only have each other and because I can make Alan laugh and he makes me laugh, well, I guess that's what we have to do. It's called making the best of a bad situation.

So to my fellow friends on these Boards, I know it's a bit early, but I do wish all of you a Happy Turkey Day. And if you are alone, please believe that you are not alone in these situations.

We have to continue to reach out and communicate through these forums.

Melody

P.S. I just read about Ernest Borgnine the other day. He looks exactly the same as he did when he played in McHale's Navy. He is now 90, married to Tova for 35 years and just made 2 more movies. One is coming out on tv during the Christmas Holidays. He says every morning upon awakening "Hey, I made it again".

I laughed my head off

you are so right melody, the members here aren't alone.

i have family, but i take some time on the holidays to log on here and go into the chatroom. i even rang in the new year with a member who was "alone".

and all...the camera pill things was really something. I had to fast for two days, then they have me come in at 8:00 a.m. (I don't like being messed with at 8 am by anyone specially when I've had no food for two days, and no tea the morning I had to go.

They had me put on this black harness, sort of like the one that people wear with those big black belts when they have to lift something heavy. Then they put 7 electrodes all over the tummy and abdomen. Then they hook all these electrodes up to this big black harness. The harness also has a big box on it that is the recorder for the camera. This box is about 4 x4 in. and is about 2 in. thick. She turns on the recorder, checks all the buttons, then she unboxes the "pill camera". She pulls this thing out that looks like a finger sort of. She holds the top of this thing and pushes a button, and then puts this thing against a spot on the camera to syncronize them. Then she tells me to put it in my mouth and drink all the water I needed to swallow it. My husband said I said, "The WHOLE THING!!??" I knew there was no way I could swallow it. Then she said no, only the capsule. I then realized there was a capsule on the top of this finger thing....... It was blinking.........Do you have any idea how hard it is to put a capsule that is blinking in your mouth and swallow it??? My husband said I really looked at it for a few minutes, looked at the nurse, and then grabbed it really fast, swallowed with big gulps of water.

Then we had to wait until 4:00 in the afternoon and go back to have the harness taken off. So I'm wearing this big black harness, with three different colored blinking lights right on my belly, and my husband says, "Would you like to go somewhere else?" You gotta love men.

I had to watch the blue blinking light all day. If it had stopped then it had a problem and we would have to start all over a different day.

Really not a difficult test. The question is:.........Is there a camera inside of my septic system photographing all the radioactive soup gobbling down bacteria or producing bacteria?. Or is that little stinker lurking in my bowel watching for the opportunity to grab on to some kink and stay there?

They said that if I had nausea, or cramps or such, to call and they'd xray me to see if it was stuck. I said what happens if it's stuck and the nurse told me, "I don't know, you'll have to ask the doctor." I'm hoping I'm one of those lucky ones who have a film industry in their septic tanks.

Sorry, I know this is long, but some people had asked how it went.

Billye

I forgot to tell you in the last post. I inquired about Meals on Wheels. Seems we are too far out for Dallas and our little town isn't listed on the website. The local township sponsers something similar and my husband even volunteers once a week to deliver them. On the days he delivers, if there are any meals left over, we get them. So occasionally we get one or two of them. They are usually a ground meat patty with dark gravy, over cooked veggies and pretty unpalatible. But it is a meal I don't have to struggle with. But they won't deliver in the rural part of the town.

But I did find some interesting places I can order things from on the web site you posted. I'm checking them out. Thanks for posting.

Anyone heard anything about Bob and Shiney Sue?

Billye

Melody wil you email I think her name is Antonina she made the Mayo post. She was interested in the meeting. I told her you go and she lives in NY.
I'm so confused about Sue and who Bob is. I hope all is ok.
I have no clue on Thanksgiving. I'm out here in Ca but if my pain allows and unfortunatly I have had a relapse and my pain so high I may volunteer at the hospital. Its hard on the patients.I hate holidays I'm sorry to be a grinch. I always have even before pn. I count down till after New year.
Silverlady random ? and I know this may not be possible but have you thought of moving. It seems your so trapped out there and with your pain level it may be physically and mentally better to live near things. I may be in a dream land but an idea. Could you have a young person like a nursing student come in your home and maybe help cook? It may be more affordable someone trying to get some experience.
As for me like I said my pain is higher then its been. Its so random my ups and downs. I feel very frustrated and finding a good doc who will not push me off or just want to do a huge invasive procedure is like winning the lottery.
Sending thoughts to everyone.

Billye:

I had to ask!!!

What happens to the camera after it takes all the pictures.

You must have looked like a person out of Star Trek!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!

Melody

Daniella (and everybody who knows about the neuropathy meeting in NYC).

Alan and I never got to go. I am so mad I could punch someone (I'm actually very gentle, NORMALLY, but really, this stinks).

Alan and I were to be picked up by Access-a-ride at 4:05 p.m. We were all ready, all spiffied up and Alan even had his shoe boot thingee shiny and all. I even got to put on something nice and my makeup, and well...we were all ready to go. Nobody showed up. We waited at the front door for one hour (I tried to get Access-a-ride on the phone) and I was on hold for 45 minutes.

When 5:05 rolled around, I looked at Alan and said "forget it, it's an hour now, we'll never make it). I finally got through to Access-a-ride on the phone, explained we were cancelling because the guy never showed up. She then proceeds to ask me 'do you want to cancel your return trip too??" I said 'obviously, since I can't get there" (ooh, punch time).

So we walked around the corner, came back with some steamed chinese food stuff, and would you believe at 5:35 p.m., my doorbell rings and the Access-a-ride guy is there!!!!

I looked at him and said "I beg your pardon but do you know you are 90 minutes late, and I called and cancelled"?? He goes "nobody told me, don't you want to go to NYC??" I said "I'd love it, IF YOU CAME WHEN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO COME".

I then politely closed the door, went back in and ate my chinese food.

I sent my regrets vie email to everybody I knew at the meeting.

Tomorrow I shall call up Access-A Ride headquarters, and I shall draw and quarter them.

jeez...

Mel