Hi redcat. I hope you're doing well today.

I hadn't thought about asking for a volunteer in the pool. That's not a bad idea. Thanks. Last time I went I was still able to get out of the pool by myself with some help but now that my legs don't do what I want them to, I may need a hoist or something to help me out. (I'm not thin......understatement). I didn't notice if the pool had that kind of equipment but bearing in mind it is for hydrotherapy I'm sure it must have that kind of equipment somewhere.

My two cats and a dog are my reason for living. They are the reason I struggle out of bed every morning, they are the reason I worked hard at physio so I could come home from hospital. I used to have two dogs and one cat but my little girl (Teeny Dog) got sick two weeks before her 13th birthday. She got sick one day and was euthanised the next. Very quick and thankfully not painful. It turned out she caught a virus off fruit bat saliva from half chewed date palm fruits. She got progressive paralysis until her breathing was starting to be affected and so I pulled the plug. (Sounds a lot easier than it was, it was 20 months ago and I still miss her every day). A few months later my father gave me a little kitten from the local Council rescue pound. She had had a hard life until then and now I promise her a good home for life. So now I have Gidget (11 year old Kelpie), Betty (10 year old domestic cat) and my new girl, Baby Boots. They all get on well together except when the cats try to pinch the dogs bed. Gidgets basket is her territory and it's a brave cat that tries to lie in it.

Both cats like to play "catch the dogs tail" although Gidget isn't as keen. I find it very entertaining.

Redcat, have you listened to any Toni Child's music? I find it touches my soul.

Now for the challenge of vacuuming from my wheelchair....love it

Could also be my lack of culture.

Asperger syndrome or something else? A few of my in-laws have that; my side of the family is just socially inept. Help me out here—does chromosome analysis actually prove something like that, or just indicate a genetic predisposition?

Thanks, so are you. I've worked in education and written professionally (among other things). Alas, my skills in those areas are not what they used to be. The ravages of illness and a few medications have taken a toll. I struggle a lot with vocabulary, usage, and grammar—particularly in choosing words to convey my meanings, hence I use a lot of "/"s between words/terms (and sometimes they just mean "and/or")...

That blundering bungling bubble-headed booby? He was just called, "Robot".
You can be the first kid on your block to purchase one (full-size replica) of your very own for only USD $24,500!
http://www.lostinspacerobot.com/index.html
(No affiliation—I just came across this site while looking for a clip of him on YouTube)

Doc

Hi Doc. I'm on a Forum for people with bone marrow diseases as well and one of the Forum members is a small town newspaper publisher/editor and dogsbody. He once wrote a sentence I just could not decipher and as he was usually very easy to understand, I assumed he was using publishing jargon.

I quoted the sentence back to him and apologised for my ignorance because I didn't understand. He was embarrassed because he had unwittingly inserted an advertisement for a sewing machine attachment he had been checking out for his wife.

It's a bit late here and my antispasmodic is kicking in so I'll get to the point before I become incoherent.

I have a part of chromosome 15 q missing. It's actually called del 15q11.2 and there are break point references as well. There are something like 500kbs of genes missing. This specific chromosome deletion is associated with autism, aspergers and schizophrenia. Some people with this deletion are either not affected or mildly affected and some are profoundly disabled. They have not been able to determine why it affects some more than others. I have applied for and been accepted into a research study being conducted by Associate Professor Brett Abrahams (geneticist) at Yeshida (sp) University in New York.

I'm still dithering at the moment though because I need to persuade one of my friends to provide a saliva sample for DNA and to undertake Brain Game testing (Lumosity). This is because they need people without the deletion for comparison/reference points. I don't really have anyone who is willing to participate. To Dr Abrahams credit, he invited me to participate anyway because I have the exact gene break points that's he's studying.

I really must stop procrastinating and sign the consent form and send it back.

Anyway, I have always been socially inept and communicate better in writing than verbally. I quite often can't think of the word that fits a certain situation at the time I need it. I tend to be blunt even though I'm not trying to be rude. I can read people's emotions and I can read facial expressions. I do feel sympathy and empathy although I find it hard to express it. I don't like physical contact very much and I have to work very hard to do the "let's have a group hug" thing. I always worked better by myself than in a team. Those touchy freely, group therapy team building weekends used to freak me out. I never once in my entire working life attended a social function that was work related. No Christmas parties, no baby showers, no retirement parties etc. on my last day at work when I retired, I didn't tell any one I was leaving and at the end of the day I just popped my work mug in my handbag and walked out and never went back. I had been in the same job for the previous 26 years.

I was once referred to a Neuroscience Clinic for assessment to determine a specific diagnosis but when I hadn't heard from the clinic for 6 months, I rang them and found out that they had decided not to accept the referral. Consequently, I have never been assessed. I have just added my chromosomal abnormality to what little insight into my own personality that I have and came up with mild Autism or Aspergers. I don't think that my life will change with an official diagnosis but if participating in this research study reveals something useful for others it will be worthwhile.

Doc, I hear you when you say that you feel as if you are not quite as sharp due to meds and damage. My cognition is definitely deteriorating. I have done a couple of IQ tests in the last few years and my IQ is definitely declining.

Really, have to sleep now. One very beneficial side effect of antispasmodics is the sedative effect.

G'night.

'Dogsbody,' eh? Oh, this is going to be FUN!

It's the new hit game show that's not just sweeping the NATION—it's sweeping the GLOBE!
(Drum Roll, please...) Ladies & Gentlemen.... Welcome to IDIOMS!

I used to communicate much better in writing than I do now, but I've always communicated better verbally.
Same here, and it applies equally to verbal & written. It's like I know the word I want to use, and I know that I know it. I haven't forgotten it; I just can't bring it out—like it's hidden in a fog or something. Sometimes I know what letter it starts with, or I can see part of it, or I know a word that sounds kind of similar, but not quite close enough... It's infuriating!

At least when I'm composing/writing something I can stop and bring up a... dang, what's another word for 'thesaurus'?

Uh-oh... I used to design & run some of those... Not so much the touchy-feely type—more the cooperative effort activity type—it depended on what the client wanted, and touchy-feely wasn't (isn't?) politically correct at Megacorp here.

Haven't slept in two nights myself. Pain in my neck has kept me up, and I ran out of amitriptyline (low dose for sleping with chronic pain); it's due any day...

Doc

Oh boy, MENSA!

I was no where near that to start with let alone now.

I have just returned from my physio session. The physio is adamant I need hip and back surgery. He said that even if I don't gain any extra mobility from the surgeries, I will have less pain. Now to convince the surgeons

Doc, I know I shouldn't but I have a sense of satisfaction about what happened to the Department I used to work in.

When I worked there I was always amazed at the amount of effort everyone put in, to avoid doing any work. Even my Manager. They really were incredibly lazy and unproductive. I was happy enough to go to work and do whatever needed doing, I figure if I'm being paid to do a job I may as well give it my best shot. There is nothing to lose by being conscientious. In fact it's quite fulfilling.

Within 6 months of my retirement my old Department was disbanded. No one retained their jobs. I keep telling myself I should feel sorry for them having to look for new jobs in this economic environment but I can't help being a horrible person and quietly rejoicing. For years I did the day to day slog and my Manager took the credit. I didn't really mind at the time because I have never been ambitious. I just wanted a secure job that was mostly satisfying. I never once asked for my name to be referenced on the research documents. My Managers name was all over everything.

I have had one lucky life. Born in a great country in a stable family. Grew up with boundaries and values and principles. I worked in a job I didn't hate. I bought a house at the bottom of the market and sold at the top. I'm financially secure without being rich.

If only my body would co operate, I would have it all.

Hope you get some sleep Doc.

IME, it's an ego-massaging club for people who test well.

Doc

Hi Myleogirl,
I sent you a p. m., I will look up Toni Child's music.
Redcat

I visited my GP yesterday. The Physio report is that my back has not responded to treatment and Physio is no longer a treatment option. Tick, another treatment plan out the window.

Now I really don't know what to do or even if there are any other options available. Apparently, it's not even worth having a new CT because no matter what it shows, I can't have treatment.

On top of that I had a fingerprick blood test for anaemia and my Hb is 95. It was 107 when I went into hospital for my usual treatment which is meant to stop my blood counts from falling. So, something has gone wrong there. I had to have an official laboratory test because of the low Hb and the GP will ring me on Sunday (he is Muslim and works Sundays instead of Fridays) with the results. It looks as if my bone marrow is failing again. Been there, done that....still alive! I can't count how many blood transfusions I've had. It would be in the hundreds.

My GP is a wonderful doctor...caring, smart, quick and best of all he has a great sense of humour. When my old GP retired I searched for a new GP that I could "click" with. After a couple of false starts I found Talib. At first I thought he was very quiet and reserved but extremely knowledgeable but it's been over a year now and his sense of humour is much more evident. I think he's just a little shy at first. Both my parents left their old GP and transferred to Talib as well and they are both happy with his care.

It's essential to have a good PCP on your side.

Yesterday I noticed that when I was standing up, I had a lump over my spine around waist level or little lower. It felt about two inches long and protruded about half an inch. At first I thought it was a lump of fat then I thought it was an inflamed muscle but there really aren't any muscles right over the spine. Last night I tried to find it again but it wasn't there when I was lying down

So I went for physiotherapy this morning and I mentioned the lump to Simon. He tells me to lean forward in my wheelchair and yep, he feels the lump. I feel it then but it's only sticking out half as much as when I was standing. So I stand (with Simons help) and thar she blows...big lump.

Simon says he never felt the lump before because he has always examined me lying down. Anyway it turns out the my L3 vertebra has moved backwards on my L4 (retrolisthesis) and moves backward and forward depending on my posture. In my case (because of my gait problems and previous bone grafts 36 years ago) the only treatment is surgery and that isn't really an option because of my medical condition.

So there we are, another unfixable condition to add to the list. At this point in time pain killers sound good but I still can't overcome my reluctance to have them. I'm frightened I'll develop a tolerance and then when my death approaches and I'm in pain, the drugs won't work.

I saw the psychiatrist today. I've been looking forward to my visit so I could discuss my fears about increasing disability and end of life decisions.

Well, he fell asleep, then he'd wake up, make some out of context response and then fall asleep again. It was a fifteen minute appointment and he slept through most of it.

WTH?