I am so sorry for you and your daughter. What a tough road this is. I don't have any advice, but I hope you find a workable solution.

Ooh! Good luck @ sassenach, I hope your application goes well. I'me heading into week 3 of classes and I am overwhelmed. I spent a good 10 hours making quizlets for this week's quizzes. I am loving every minute of this. Now, if I could just get our group text to quiet down so I can finish studying.

Could you post 2 pictures where you crop her out from either side so that everyone you want in there is shown? This doesn't answer the larger questions in life, but it may be a way of posting this memory.

So, last week I started classes for the Medical Sonography program. I am loving it. Long days, but I am so happy to have something that occupies my mind and where I am getting to know new people ... inside and out, literally. So, we have scan labs where we scan each other to learn scanning techniques, protocols, and what those grayscale swirly images really are. Yesterday, we were practicing trans abdominal pelvic scans. We often find differences that are often not clinically significant. But sometimes, we find things that need to be checked out. When it was my turn to be a patient, when they were searching for my ovaries (hard to find on postmenopausal women), they found a rather large cyst where an ovary would usually be and was approximately the size of an ovary The instructor told me it was probably nothing, but given my age and menstrual status, it would be a good idea to get it checked out. So, I got in to see the PA today so that I could get the referral for an official scan and a referral to a gynecologist. My scan is scheduled for Sunday. Please pray that this turns out to be nothing. (No family history of ovarian cancer that I know of and I am asymptomatic.) I staying busy enough not to worry too much, but the waiting between appointments is really hard. My other issue has to do with K. We had a serious issue last March and K was arrested for assaulting dh. She has been out of the house and life is calmer and less hostile at home. She has chosen to go to trial (why, I don't know ... I think she just hasn't had any good legal advice despite my efforts to get her some through back channels.) Which means dh was issued a subpoena to testify. We had some reports of less hostile feelings towards us since she has been out of the house, but this may put her over the edge and may escalate any danger ... and make things worse for herself. The trial is in 3 weeks. In the meantime, she has really struggled ... couch surfing, squatting in a rental house with friends who then abandoned her. I have been putting small amounts of money in her account to make sure she can get medications and food, but not enough for her to do something stupid. My heart is breaking ... for the loss of relationship with her, for her lost future, for the difficulties she is facing now, and for what may come. UPDATE: I had the scan yesterday. As much as I tried not to worry, I started imagining all the horrible things that could happen, especially since this is a postmenopausal finding. The tech took a long time visualizing things that were not this cyst, so of course, I made myself pretty crazy. However, it is amazing what a good night's sleep can do. I woke up able to put it out of my head and study like crazy for 3 quizzes I have this week. I wasn't expecting the results until Wednesday, but I received a notice on MyChart that they came in. Nothing else on there but a nearly 5 cm cyst on my right ovary. It looks like a fluid filled sac, nothing bad in there and nothing else remarkable in the entire area. So, I just need to check in with a gynecologist and will likely just need some follow up scans to make sure it doesn't become something more troublesome. I think you for your prayers and good thoughts. We still don't know what will happen with K. Trial is in 2 weeks. Not sure if she will be homeless by then. I hope she was able to connect with some of the resources we sent via backchannels.

It's not that hard to say ABCTown near a major intersection/point of interest. Really, not hard. I had subscribed to a bunch of statewide groups and promptly unsubscribed because they were flooded with notices for events, classes, coops that would not even give you a general region of the state, let alone county, city, or general vicinity in a town. I have a friend who runs a coschool out of her house. She gives the price options up front on her website, lists all the offerings, and tells them that it is held in a private home and gives the town, and general area of the town (near some landmarks) so people make a decision on whether or not they are still interested without wasting their time and hers with inquiries from people who would never sign up. I had stayed in some groups who made it a requirement to list the town and price of the offering before being allowed to post. I love moderators like that.

Wow. If it were my kid, I would advise dropping the comp lit major (or see if I could drop it down to a minor and drop the class.) Yes, it would involve informing the medical schools, but I have trouble imagining that a comp lit major is going to have a large impact on getting into med school. She could, perhaps, explain that change in her interviews ... that the school forced her to choose between attending class or attending medical school interviews and that she felt that the interviews were more important. That said, I have no experience with medical school interviews, so I could just be talking out of my @$$. 🤔

Updates, anyone? I'll start. Yesterday was the first day of my 2-year Diagnostic Medical Sonography program. I am in class from 8:30 am to 9pm with one 3-hour break (and short breaks between classes.) It was awesome. Our cohort has become pretty close with all the emailing and texting back and forth and we are like best buds already. Instructors so far are great. And, the clinical director told me that things can be worked out for me to go to Spain during my Spring Break to visit dd who will be studying in Madrid. It has been my lifelong dream, but it was looking like the clinicals were going to interfere with that dream. When I explained the situation she said "You just HAVE to go. We will work things so you don't miss any clinicals!" Yay! But, I tell you, I am exhausted. I thought it was just because I haven't been sleeping much and that I am old and lack stamina. But, everyone else in the class (all younger than me) is complaining of being totally dead today. So, I am not alone.

Yep. When I had a nasty infection in the surgical sites on my foot, the wound clinic used manuka honey to help with the infection and with the healing process. Granted, they didn't have me use the stuff you get from the grocery store, but medical grade stuff in a tube.

I tried tacking the inner seam, but it wouldn't look right on the back. I may have to go with the adhesive. Glad to hear that it works. Thanks for the detailed instructions. I did try starching, but it didn't last. Once I sat in the car (cloth seats), they were drooping again.

Such an important fashion topic ... Any ideas on how to stop the dreaded problem of drooping cuffs? I bought these cuffed shorts from Costco ... I really like them, so much so that I bought them in 2 colors. They fit this middle-aged shaped body well and are flattering. Except for one problem. After wearing them for a couple of hours and sitting in them, the cuffs lost their gravity defying ability shown on the model and start to droop. Especially on the inside of the leg and behind the legs. They were even worse after washing. I tried tacking the inner leg up, but that hasn't solved the back side. I am in the middle of a couple of sewing projects and want to tackle this issue. I have lots of sewing notions out right now. Any ideas?

I teared up reading this update! I am so happy that he is doing well. With all that you have been through, you all needed this positive thing in your life!

Congratulations!!

So, today, I went to my volunteer job where I interact with kids with complex medical needs. Since it is summer, the center currently has a lot of older kids who are there for respite care. So, today, I was reading to a girl who looked about 3rd grade (but probably a lot older ... it can be hard to tell with these kids who have some severe developmental disabilities in addition to their complex medical situations.) I was reading Ramona, the Brave. I remember loving her as a kid ... I identified so much with her Well, while I was reading yet another episode where she was misunderstood by the adults in her life and ... I teared up ... like tears were rolling down my face and no tissues in sight😭. It was like I was a little kid again, trying SOOO hard to please the big people in my life and everyone being unhappy with me. I was so embarrassed. Fortunately, I was able to hide my face behind the book. I was shocked at my reaction. I may cry more than most in private (mostly in the shower), but years of bullying made it very difficult for me to be emotional in public. I'm putting it down to hormones, but that weird emotional feeling is still with me several hours later. Anyone else find themselves unusually emotional today?

The only jeans I see on teens these days that aren't jeggings are the "boyfriend" jeans. And they are usually distressed (ripped up.) https://www.hollisterco.com/shop/us/girls-bottoms-boyfriend-jeans?source=googleshopping&country=us&cmp=PDS:HCO_US_GGL_NON_General_GirlsBoyfriend_None_DSA_C&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkK_qBRD8ARIsAOteukDyaavG8GK2nOgaNw796CQGl1FDIWub0qfGbJZKn8LlFn_t1jjSGvYaAkjHEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Depending on where she is, there are many schools in IL that allow part-time attendance. It may differ district by district, or even different schools within a district having different policies. DD did high school part-time ... toward the end, she attended nearly full-time, doing only one class at home. But, she was considered a homeschooler for graduation purposes, with classes outsourced to the high school, because I didn't want to jump through any hoops to get her homeschool classes approved for credit ( which can be an iffy process.) We have friends who did part-time attendance at the local junior high. But, a school district 5 miles away is way less friendly to homeschoolers taking classes. That said, I think she would probably have more success if she approached it that she wanted part-time attendance rather than as a reaction to the one teacher.