this is a great site! we had been reducing serving size of meat, and frequency for several years when i was diagnosed a year ago. we spent the month before surgery pretty much eliminating it. i started using our blender to make smoothies of raw ingredients. my favourite is still pineapple and kale, which i still have every day. i kept one vice - diet coke. somehow knowing i could have that helped. but i reduced consumption dramatically. for some people, diet can make a huge difference. eg. terry wahl, who managed to dial back ms symptoms dramatically, using an approach that combined foods/supplements, exercise, meditation, etc. her stuff is worth a read, if only for inspiration. (however, as a doctor herself, she does some explaining of why the approach works. and she has recipes ;). the one thing i did that we all seem to think made a huge difference was exercise. i ramped it up as quickly as possible, so that my body was in the best shape it could be to endure what was coming. i have a friend in year seven now of a "6 month" diagnosis, and her secret weapon is walking. she walks. for hours when possible. she is losing the fight, but has had many more years of joy than she would have had if she had just laid down. that was actually her one piece of advice to me: whatever happens, don't lie down. what she meant was that those who forced themselves to exercise (picture walking with a barf bag) seemed to do much better in the long run than those who waited until they felt up to it. of course there are days when you can't, but i have another friend who beat breast cancer six years ago in part because she only did not exercise one day a week, and even then did isometrics. there is a wealth of info out there, and a wealth of support from survivors. the trick is to find the ones whose manner works best for you. i needed someone who was prepared to fight for me AND with me. there are times when someone else's determination for you is what will carry you thru. and if you smoke, just stop. stop now. as soon as you stop, the outcome becomes something like 20% more favourable really!!! you can do this. :grouphug: :grouphug: ann

http://rt.com/usa/fort-hood-shooting-lockdown-969/ there have been fatalities, including the shooter

wonderful!!!! i am so very glad he found his way home.... one thing we have done is to train ours to a whistle with treats. the theory was that if she got out, the sound of the whistle will travel farther than our voices. we have only had to use it once, but it worked! hth, ann

and now you begin the next stage of the journey.... :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: peace.... ann

first breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses.... we have a free for all on all fruits and veggies, and serving size amounts for nuts, cheeses, peanut butter, etc. we teach that protein + fruits and veggies make you feel fuller. and we do frozen yoghurt with fruit.... hth, ann

well, fwiw, when they are hungry, they eat. it hasn't been fun a few times, but roast chicken just about anywhere seems to work. and for some meals you can always grocery shop and make sandwiches,soup in a hotel microwave, etc, etc. when we were kids, and travelled in netherlands and belgium, my parents chose places with breakfast buffets so they knew there was at least one meal where everyone would be happy. the meat and cheese selection at breakfast was heavenly. now my parents did things for my brother that i have chosen not to do for my kids. one thing was that they always packed a jar of peanut butter. another was that we stayed at many, many, many holiday inns because their food menus were the same practically everywhere. that said, we usually travel with trader joes nuts and jerky which we declare going thru customs. the end result is that our kids have discovered new favourite foods pretty much everywhere they have been. that's part of the gift. hth, ann

not easy, just clear. dh manages to keep boundaries in place for ~ a year and a half, before guilt wins and we visit. however, its now only for 24 hours max. before it was every three months for at least 48 hours. however, the emotional trauma seems to be getting harder to handle, so its a good thing the time between visits is expanding. and now since her move we won't be able to stay with her, so that in itself will be better. plan something nice if you can to do together so that no one is thinking about where they should/could be.... hth, ann

oh my.... tears, happy tears.... we'll all sleep better tonight. ] and i'll be saying an extra prayer for that doctor, who saw his way to do a good and kind thing. ann

i've been thinking about this some more. (i am stuck with a broken knee cap, so am spending a lot of time thinking ;) is it possible they have done you a favour? this makes it clearer, and you don't need to go. and given the history, i think your dh is exactly right in not going by himself. i would support his decision. plan a pizza and movie night with your kids, and have way more fun than you would otherwise. i remember a time when dmil paid to take all her other children, their spouses and families to the galapagos islands. i was so upset at being excluded. except when i thought about it, she had saved me the awkwardness of having to say no, or the disaster of having to go. and that helped me a lot in the end. i was able to turn her rejection into thankfulness at not having to deal with the mess that night, and the emotional mess of dh and kids all the next month or so. this way is better. hth, ann

we found it helpful to have "rules". one of dh's rules is that he doesn't like to party without us. he has so little time with the dc as it is, that if an event takes him away from them, he declines. we do go out just the two of us, but again we try to do it when kids are already engaged elsewhere. (it doesn't always work that way, but we try) so in this case, dh would simply say "happy birthday. have a great time." it is completely up tto hem who they invite, and completely up to you two how you respond. i found that after a few years of dh refusing to go to family gatherings without dc and/or me, they included everyone sometimes, and none of us the other times. hth, ann

i made this sauce two weeks ago. http://pinchofyum.com/creamy-cauliflower-sauce it is to die for. they suggest using it as a pizza sauce or as a pasta sauce or ..... i could not believe how good it was. hth, ann eta:. when i made this i added water instead of milk, and used much less than they recommended. i didn't use the water the cauliflower had cooked in, because i wanted to minimize the cauliflower taste. none of the family could figure out the ingredients :). i think it could be tasty with chicken broth or vegetable broth, too.

glad to hear that her doctor was able to admit her!! hope results are clear and that there is an easy fix. praying....

medi-cal has an ombudsman who may be able to help you navigate the system. here's a link http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/MMCDOfficeoftheOmbudsman.aspx i would start by telling them you need help navigating the system, and don't have a complaint yet. the "i think we fell thru the cracks at a time when that could be disastrous" might work well. good luck! ann ps. when you call, ask the name of the person you are speaking with. keep a running record of times, names, numbers etc. at the end of a call, ask them if you can call back in a few hours, or if they will call you. then, call, and ask for them by name. ask if there is anything else you could be doing or should be doing to help this happen faster. i would also ask which mri they use, and if they could put you on the schedule now so that her waiting time is reduced. (they likely won't, but it may help them think of other approaches).

i think i missed something. are you waiting for authorization or for the mri appt? if its for authorization, calling your insurance company may bring good results. it may not, but its worth a try. we have friends who had much longer waits with blue cross than we did with kaiser, because with kaiser it is all "in house". but i would just lay it out for the insurance folks. "i have a child who is in agony, and who is scared besides. we have been at this for eight months now. (or however long it is). i understand you folks are swamped, but what can we do to speed up the process". rinse, repeat.

last year during our cancer scare we learned things we wish we didn't need to know. a) most mri have cancellations. i called each morning and each afternoon after lunch to see if there were any cancellations. one time it took 3 days, one time it took 5 days and one of those times they called me as soon as they had a cancellation. one time it didn't work the first week. unfortunately, i ended up in emerg in agony. the emerg doctor ordered an emergency mri right then. we didn't ask for it, but he felt he needed it in order to treat me. my hunch is that that is the only way to get an emergency mri. b) i also pursued the private mri firms. they said they could do it if kaiser sent the referral. kaiser wasn't keen, but "miraculously" kaiser was able to get me in the next day ;). c) the hospital social worker may be able to help, too, due to psychological trauma on a child. its worth a try. d) i would also ask the original doctor to request an emergency mri rather than an urgent one, due to pain. e) advocating became a way of life. i'm sorry. hth, ann

we just use roast lamb, or lamb chops, or whatever looks good and is less expensive. then we cook, cut/slice, eat :)

it just dawned on me that i could use ground meatless meat with the spices for a vegetarian version. has anyone tried that? we are tending towards a vegetarian diet that doesn't use meat substitute, but we tried morning star sausages last weekend, and are looking for more things that tasty! ann

we just cook lamb, and put it in the pita with tsatziki. no spices, because i use left overs for other things. recipes: tsatziki: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/tzatziki-sauce/ pita: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/03/pita-bread/ hth, ann

i would just slice them raw and freeze them. i'd also grate some and freeze. raw carrots freeze well and then you can just toss them into anything when you need them :) hth, ann

fwiw, we find a free standing dome tent works most easily in most places. if its going to rain, then we tie it down. we have rules ;) a) clips, no sleeves b) dome c) at least three poles, four are better (for wind resistance). we often see people's tents blowing almost flat d) i like to have my gear with me, so we tend to go with a four person tent for the two of us, but with no large vestibules, etc. e) and no little plastic bits that poles fit into one another on the tent (these are things that can break) this looks like a good one: http://www.mec.ca/product/5027-674/mec-monadnock-4-tent/

claire Bee's "Chip Hilton" series.... because they are all about life and all about sports and simply a good read besides. and anything by farley mowat, starting with "the dog who wouldn't be"... humour, animals, outdoors, life... and for you, Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael series.... because i don't know how to do life without them ;) ann

hi there.... :seeya: we miss you when you are gone! ( :leaving: ) hope you can stay for a while and :party: what's new? :lurk5: ann

we school all summer so we can take a break when the weather is nice. we get up early, are outside early, and back inside once it hits 100 (circa 8am or 9am if we're lucky) then we do school. then once the sun sets, we are back outside.... i hang laundry up outside after the sun sets. we have different foods in summer than in winter. i dont use the oven, pretty much ever but we do have a convection toaster oven that doesn't kick out too much heat which we use for short times. a george forman grill works inside, the barbeque works outside, and the crock pot can be used, too. but mostly we go for raw, fresh, cold in the summer. hth, ann

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

we like lamb with tzatziki in pita......