Ummm... "PonyTAIL"??

I've been called a Horse's ***** before, but never a PonyTAIL...

You're among the unfortunates, Billie... I've only had 4 whacks in the back...


Here's hopin' you're feelin' better now, Billie!

TOO FUNNY Ponyboy! Thanks for the giggle--I needed that!
Hugs,
Jan

me thinks ponyboy is awful cute. whatta smile!

Sorry Ponyboy, about the name mix up. I do apologize. I will admit I'm not to good with names. Most of the time I come on I am half asleep whether it is day time or night. I am still making up for the sleep I missed at the hospital. I guess that's my only excuse.
Blessings,
Billie

Hey, Hoosier neighbor next door!
I hope yer doin' better lately!
I've been where you're at, and it's no picnic...

Have a great weekend!

Enjoy the short-lived sunshine of the day, okay? I hope it cuts through your meteorological fog as well as your brainfog...

Much love and

thankfully, the insurance i have let me NOT worry about the cost. I don't know if i dare say what i was resposible for - i'd have to dodge tomatoes.
It also came in handy when hubs needed his angioplasty with stents.

Its about the best benefit we have being retired military. And, now that we have made excellent use of it, makes up for the tiny retirement pay he gets after 24 yrs.

Ya know there are people _I_ won't call a Horse's *****, because that would insult every one of the horses I have owned! S'truth!

Gene - I'm not sure I get where you're coming from with this question, but I will take a little whack at, as I may soon be facing another surgery, tho not back-related (which is a relief!).

You see, I have been slowly 'going downhill' since I started work in March. For the first four and a half months my workday included a train ride from central to northern NJ - Trenton to Newark. Maybe that's what started me on this downward path . Whatever, my hemoglobin and hematocrit #s are way low - like 9.1 for hemoglobin, when ref range is 11-14 for women, hematocrit is 25.5, instead of in the mid to upper 30's. Anyhoo, I have a genetic Mediterranean anemia, which leads to the early destruction of my RBC. I may have to have my spleen removed, the only treatment for this disorder, and not sure I want to, but may not have any other choice.... Having no spleen leaves a person more susceptible to infection.

The cost? Not monetary, but hope it's not my life . Any surgery is serious and scary!

This probably doesn't answer your question, but it let me have a chance to vent a little about my current medical problems .

So, are you wrestling with a surgical option, or is this question just hypothetical .

Hugs, Jacquie

Hi, Jacquie!
(Try saying THAT at JFK...)
Two weeks ago, I visited my friendly Orthopedic Surgeon for my periodic "How ya doin'?" visit. I squawked about my neck pain, and he ordered a set of cervical X-Rays; from the flex & extension Laterals, he saw lots of abnormalities: a couple of autofused vertebral pairs, some missing discs, and a couple of joints with spondylolisthesis. In short, a mess. His comment was "I can fix that for you..."
He then ordered another cervical MRI to inspect the condition of the soft tissue, and compare it to my MRI from October, 2004. I had my new cervical MRI last night, and my cervical vertebrae look like a bird's eye view of a train wreck.
My return visit to him is October 10, and I'll wager a cup of coffee and a chocolate donut that he's going to suggest performing a cervical fusion. None of my previous (lumbar) surgical endeavors have been successful tales, so I'm being plenty gun-shy about starting to operate on some untouched flesh. I'm old; just what will I gain from his proposed excursion? Would I be better off investing my resources in my grandchildrens' educational funds? Would I be happier seeing the little ones have an better opportunity to enjoy life than the limited "enjoyment" I might gain from another gash to my flesh? Is my limited return worth the investment?
I dunno...
Is my old, beat-up body worth putting money into, realizing that I'll most likely gain very little or nothing from the surgery?
Heavy thinking here...

Much love and

Oh Geno, it seems like "when you hit 50 God doesn't give a damn" -those are the exact words that my hemo/oncologist doc jokingly said when we were leaving the exam room after my last visit to him ! Now tomorrow, I get to go back to him and see how all the tests came out - tons of weird blood tests, and an ultrasound of my spleen. I saw the nephrologist this past Friday, and he is going to 'monkey around' with my meds to see if we can get my glom filtration rate down - blood result lingo. He also told me that shots of Procrit, tho maybe not the most ideal tx for my blood woes, would probably be a big help to my kidneys....So here I am the human pin cushion/guinea pig.... Then on Thursday, I have to see the cardiologist for my stress test EKG....can you spell o-l-d??

Well, we can commisurate together, along with the rest of us 'older folks here

Have a great week! Hugs, Jacquie