DH's German colleague has a question, and I don't have a proper, precise explanation for him. In hotels, he often sees signs that say, "Did you forget your [toothbrush, etc]? He wants to know why it is not, "Did you forgot your [etc]?" I gave him my explanation, but not sure it was adequate, or properly articulated. Can you state this simply and appropriately for him? Thanks!

I killed my old 3rd gen Keyboard Kindle today. :sad: To replace it, I am looking at the basic e-ink kindle (the $69 version, no keyboard) or ... the paperwhite ($119). Anyone here have the Kindle Paperwhite? Pros/cons? Do you like it? Do you like it better than the old versions? I don't want the Fire, I don't use it for websurfing or apps. I use the iPad for that. The kindle is only for reading, no pictures - color is not an issue for me. I don't even use audiobooks. I'm really only looking for a reading device here. I like e-ink. :) I don't like anything backlit, so reading with the kindle app on the ipad is never optimal for me. But... The paperwhite is tempting, as it looks as though they have the lighting so that it doesn't appear to be backlit (light bouncing into one's eyes, like watching TV), and I like the increased contrast. Thinking that might be easier on my eyes, which are showing signs of, a-hem, being just over 40. DH is thinking it's the way to go, because I might not leave the light on reading all night! Any thoughts?

We saw it recently, too! I think we passed it on Rt 66, west of DC. :)

Some places my phone has turned up, after being confiscated by the 17 month old: pots and pans cabinet, inside a lidded pot; toy basket; bookshelf - between two books; and, of course, the trash can. Good luck!

Jean, MTHFR diagnosis/treatment wasn't the answer I needed - it has not been the silver bullet for me. I find it interesting, but in the grand scheme of getting back to wellness, it has not been the most significant step. But it's part of the puzzle, one of the layers of the onion. I don't attribute any of my great recovery leaps to it, though it's nice to know. Looking back, it looks like my insurance covered the MTHFR test. Yours might be covered as well, if you choose to test. Mine was ordered by a doc who is covered under my insurance though. I know several people with both MTHFR and Pyroluria, and was diagnosed at about the same time, so I suspected a connection - again, though, it's all complex and things are inter-related like layers of an onion. I'm not sure that one causes the other, or maybe people who are predisposed to one are predisposed to the other. But it is recommended here that if one has the MTHFR gene mutation, one consider testing for Pyroluria, among other things (note: I know nothing concrete about the lab I just linked).

That part of your post applies to me, as well. No visible signs of clotting issues, heart is relatively healthy (I do have a valve issue, not related to MTHFR). Chemical sensitivity and liver/detox issues. I have heard of Methyl Guard, but don't know what's in it. Is it possible that it contains some anti-viral or anti-bacterial components? Do you know if you have a high viral load? I do, and treating for the hypercoagulation includes some viral treatment components... because of that, I will likely feel worse for a month or so. As the viruses die off, they give off toxins etc, which make one's immune system go into overdrive, as well as needing to be detoxed. Makes the inflammation worse, along with general fluish feelings. Just a thought about why you might have felt worse, then better when you discontinued the supplement. It might be totally unrelated to a viral load, of course. ETA: I don't know that your folate levels would be off, necessarily. I think the supplementing is not to address a deficiency (I don't recall my levels being off either) as much as to supplement to somehow help prevent future cardiac issues due to the mutation. I'm not sure I'd want to treat just based on a hunch, either, though. How much is the test the naturopath mentioned? Is it prohibitive? What about exploring other options first?

:grouphug: We have multiple LTFA here, too. The advocating and education aspect is exhausting. And living life on hyper alert... Oh my. There is just no way to explain it, is there? Sometimes you just need to throw a good pity party before you can deal with people and situations. We've been known to hole up at home with our safe cupcakes, too! ...If we were neighbors, I'd say let's meet at the park to play... No snacks! :) :grouphug:

No gluten - instant GI issues there. Doc usually wants me on a Mediterranean type diet, lots of veggies, very little meat. No wheat (obviously), but even if I tolerated gluten, she'd say no wheat due to GMO issues. No GMO corn. Mostly organic veggies and fruits. No sugar. No eggs or spinach after testing showed issues there. At the moment, because of the protozoa we're treating, I'm supposed to consume no more than 15 gms of fat per day. That is harder than it sounds. Can't say I do all of it, all the time though. :o

Anyone been diagnosed with this? I have. What led to the diagnosis? My health history is complex (as is yours, I think?) so I'm not sure which part of it to point to as the causal reason for my doc's decision to test. In a nutshell... I have CFS, FM, migraines as remaining "symptoms" after long-term treatment for infections. The treatment for the long-term infections was torturous, and doc suspected I am a poor detoxer, that I lack the specific pathways in my liver to detox certain meds. Rifampin nearly killed me, for one. That, plus more, led to the decision to test. Plus her continual research into patients like me. :) Were any tests done and how expensive were they? Yes, bloodwork. She tested through a lab, and she *does* often use specialty labs. That particular test... I cannot recall if she used a specialty lab that was not covered by my insurance. Sorry. If you need more info on it, though, I will look through my records and find out who ran the test and how much it cost. What treatment was proposed and has it made a difference in your life at all? Any side effects? I supplemented with a prescription form of folic acid daily, to help prevent future cardiac issues. Per doc's instructions, I take a *ton* of daily supplements though, and I'm not sure which are specific to the mutation. No side effects while supplementing. Hard to tell how much of a difference it made, as I am dealing with a lot of issues (more than listed above, those are just the issues I hope to resolve with continued treatment). I am no longer supplementing, as we had to choose between 2 evils, essentially. Supplementing the folic acid for the mutation or continuing to supplement while I am in treatment for protomyxzoa rheumatica, which is fed in part by folic acid. We opted to stop the supplements till the protozoa is under control, because if the protozoa isn't treated, well, the cardiac issues down the road won't matter much. I also have hypercoagulation issues, and those are related, I think, to the mutation. That testing was through a specialty lab, and ran about $350, if I remember correctly. For that, I take a prescription form of Niacin, along with various supplements. The hope, per my doc, is that treating this will help with fatigue, GI issues, and migraines. The jury's out on that one still, haven't been treating long enough to tell. I believe Pyroluria is also related to the mutation? As for the poor detox issues - I have a list of drugs that I can not take, all related to the pathway in the liver that I don't detox. I am not positive those are linked to the mutation, but I learned about those at the same time and they seem to be related, so anyone with the mutation might want to keep an eye out for poor medication tolerance, too. Not sure if any of this is helpful. Hope so.

2 thoughts: My stylist had me switch to Nioxin products. That helped a bit. My doc ran a ton of tests and found that I am deficient in pregnenelone (sp?) and Vit D. Supplementing those helped a lot! I'm sure you'll get many more leads.

Beautiful! You both radiate such joy! Congratulations!

I think the legality issue is confusing here, too, and could really play into the aunt's responses. Maybe she thinks that the husband is not the "father" either biologically *or* legally? Are you sure the family member put the name on the birth certificate illegally? I have no idea of the legalities of the change your family member made, so I can't hazard a guess on that one. But I do think changing the name on a BC would be rather difficult unless one followed legal procedures - so there must be some reason to think that she followed legal precedent. As for promising that this person is the biological father... Hmmm... My name is on my DS's birth certificate - so is DH's. Everything was legal, all handled by attorneys, and it is typical in adoption to issue a new birth certificate. So, yes, we are on the BC, even though we are not genetically related. Legally, though, we are his parents. The BC is a legal document. Though there is a sealed original BC out there, somewhere, with the birthparents' names - though access to that would be near impossible. Another weird example - in our state, if a child is born to a married woman, but is not the child of the woman's husband... The child has 2 fathers under our laws. One legal father (the husband, with all responsibilities) and one biological. Which one should go on the BC? (I don't actually know the answer to this, as per the law, but it is interesting to ponder. I lean toward the biological father, personally, but I bet there are others who'd say it should be the father raising the child - after all, he has responsibility for the child, and how else would he have decision-making powers/protection in the case of divorce, etc?) Maybe the best option on genealogical issues is to do as others have pointed out, and notate things privately, but make public and accessible to the family only that which will not hurt living people's feelings. It is a conundrum though, as accuracy (meaning complete notes and info) is a good goal.

:iagree: This is not a battle I'd fight, personally. Finding another solution is a great idea. I am in the "sometimes we do hard things" camp, too, but not sure I'd fight the battle over a word search. Other things - yes. Word search - eh, probably not.

Has the aunt specifically stated that she is compiling this info for medical info, to be based on genetics? I lost that part of the thread a bit, and am not sure if that was a tangent introduced later, or a part of the OP's info? I'm not addressing that here, just to be clear. I am not a geneaologist, but my family is in close contact with a group of historians who study our ancestor and preserve his home and effects (founding father). We visited his home again when DS was a baby, for an event, and they immediately added him to the tree. They noted that he was adopted, used his full legal name, and requested *no* info regarding his birthfamily (we have it, but for privacy reasons likely would not have shared it anyway). (That reminds me, I should contact them about DD!) Not excusing the bad behavior of the aunt (deleting a last name altogether, hurtful comments) ... It sounds to me like the question here might be the aunt's understanding of the legality of the child's name. Perhaps she doesn't understand that the change on the birth certificate made the husband the legal father? If, in niece's state, that was all that was necessary to complete a legal change, and to make husband the legal father, then that's baby's name. It sounds to me like aunt is questioning the legality of the change.

DD (17 mos) has bought a book... I didn't notice for a few days, and then contacted Amazon. They refunded it and removed the book from my Kindle. They were not difficult about it at all. I'll have to check into that password, too! BTW, my Kindle is the one with ads, and I think that is how DD bought the book. She's also "requested" info on services, etc several times. Ack.

No one ages out of play silks! (I hope!)

I was thinking of fresh fruit, too. Gift cards and change are nice, but when one is spending so much time in the hospital, the options get old quickly. Something fresh would be so appealing! Something other than the unappetizing wrinkly oranges and spongy apples they might have on hand at the cafe. Do you think a pre-cut container of fruit would make the trip? Maybe some utensils and napkins to go along with it? A cooler with some nice cheeses or drinks? The gift card to Caribou sounds good, too, plus finding out if any local restaurants deliver. Maybe the receptionist at the hospital could point you toward some restaurant options. Besides food items, some minor self-care items might be nice, not sure if that would be too personal for you to send...

Food allergies here, too, so we made the adjustment to non-food or specific foods for that reason. Little celebrations, like wanting to pick up donuts or something like that - DH wanting to bring home a treat or grandparents wanting to bring a goodie - moved to non-food items. Balloons, and el cheapo party supplies from the dollar store can make any dinner fun (though not environmentally friendly, I know). DH also moved to making treats we could all eat for us... It was the sweetest thing to see my non-cooking hubby baking up a storm to make us all comfort food that was safe and healthy for all of us. He's now a much better cook than I am! We make our own steamers at home with our wonderful cappuccino maker, but you could come up with another type of hot drink treat. DH really got into making us all yummy drinks - that was his thing for a while, and he spent hours watching youtube videos on it. I have had caps with all kinds of art work now :001_wub: and the kids have had all kinds of artistic hot chocolate. We do a lot of park visits with new outdoor toys - kites, discs, boomerangs, whatever. Walks with our dogs. New music.

OP, :grouphug:. I have someone in my life who sounds just like your in-law. Reading your post had me nodding and relating. I, too, tend to engage when perhaps it would be best if I ignored her. (I would have called back, too, but in hindsight would wish I had not.) I think you need to protect yourself, and your children, from the verbal abuse. This advice is excellent: I need to tattoo that backwards on my forehead so I see it in the mirror everyday!

Baby dust coming your way! Lots and lots of sparkly, magical baby dust...

That is great news!

We use our Apple TV and AirPlay a lot from our iPad. DH's new MacBook also has the option of everything going on the TV tHrough the ATV, but my older MacBook only air plays. We also use or Apple TV to stream videos and pics from our phones & ipad, watch Netflix and Hulu, and a ton of other stuff. ATV runs about $100.

:grouphug:

DS is 8, and until last week he planned to be the Man in the Yellow Hat, with his toddler sister as Curious George. Or possibly Peter Pan, and she would be Tinker Bell. :) Alas, he's now decided to be a zombie. 3 of his friends will be zombies too, so we will have a small herd of the undead. He did suggest that DH fill in as Peter Pan, so DD can still be Tinker Bell. I texted that to DH while he was having lunch with his CEO, and told him I was looking forward to seeing him in green tights. DH nearly spit out his coffee. :P

Wait! Are you secretly my DH, posting on KungFuPanda's account????