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I've been away for a while due to a serious illness and subsequent health issues. Favourite quotes of the moment:
The children of Israel wandered the desert for 40 years - Even in biblical times men wouldn't ask for directions!
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. whatever we do to the thread, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. - Chief Seattle.
We spend the first 12 months of a child's life teaching them to walk and talk. We spend the next 12 years telling them to sit down and shut up!
As you slide down the bannisters of life, may the splinters never be pointing the wrong way.
May you be in Heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.
I've been very happily married since August 1980 to a wonderful man and have beautiful twin girls, now aged 31. Both are married to wonderful young men and one of our girls has recently made us grandparents to a beautiful, smart and feisty granddaughter. I studied geology with the Open University. I am retired from being a manager in a large UK based insurance company which I actually quite enjoyed. (How sad is that?). I love anything to do with the environment and wildlife and try to do my bit for preservation and conservation. I would like there to be a decent world for our grandchildren to inherit. I also have CFS so find life a bit of a challenge at times but always hope for better health in the future.
I have a deep interest in the spiritual and the paranormal worlds, having experienced several incidents myself, and have been involved in meditation groups and groups that (safely) explore the paranormal. There is more to this life than we would normally credit, so an open mind is always the best option. You're not so likely to get caught by surprise!
I have a deep fascination for anything to do with Ancient Egypt, as you can probably tell by my name. I have statues and paintings all around the house. As my hubby has a similar interest in Native Americans, we tend to have a lot of unusual wall decorations, like a tomahawk.
I love cars, especially vintage ones, but my all time favourite has to be the Bugatti Chiron, what a car!
I have had a lot to do with animals over the years. I have fostered many, helped to set up a wildlife charitable hospital and raised a diverse range of young animals from bats to fox cubs and different species of birds, even a baby deer! I have had great pleasure in sharing my life and home with a number of animals over the years, most of them rescues. I am currently sponsoring an Amur Tiger, they are such beautiful cats and desperately need help, there are so few of them left. I was lucky enough a couple of years ago to meet some Aye-Aye's and Livingstone's Bats, a truly wonderful experience. We now have three cats, Oliver and Mollie, a brother and sister, he's a ginger and she's a tortoiseshell and a black and white called Daisy. She arrived in a taxi and was left on our doorstep in a cat carrier with the message that 'they knew we loved cats and would be good to her'. She has settled down well and gets on wonderfully with the other two.
If you have a pet that is showing ANY signs of illness or distress, please, please, please take it to a vet! Even if finance is an issue, work that out later. It is cruel to leave an animal suffering for any reason. Most animals do not show signs of illness until they have been ill for some time, basic instinct tells them it is a display of vulnerability, and certain death in the wild. Their instincts have not caught up with domesticity.
I do feel that we should all treat others as we would wish to be treated. Bad karma comes back to haunt us.
advice
sometimes i feel like i get really bloated, and that sometimes after I eat, I get super bloated. Is there any way that I can help it? Because it hurts so much, and it's not as if I eat things that are unhealthy, because I usually like to eat salads and vegetables. So if one day I decide to have like a slice of pizza, I get really bloated and it takes a few days to go down, so is there anything I can do about this?
Is it just pizza or do you have a similar reaction to other bread products? If you do, you should see a doctor as there may be a food intolerance or allergy causing the symptoms. It could anything from IBS to Coeliacs.
If it's just an intolerance, you could try taking probiotics after you have eaten. They put healthy bacteria back into your intestines and can help to prevent bloating. You can find it in special yoghurts and drinks or in tablet form at a health shop.
However, I would advise getting yourself checked out by a doctor first, so that you know for sure what you are dealing with.
Today I got a great suggestion and I want to know what you think (and dont say it is obsessive or a lot of work because it isnt). After a person posts a question(s) on this site and gets the answer(s) they like they should copy and paste into a word document and then print out what was copied and pasted and read it everytime they need reassurance
That's a very idea.
Another thing that could be done if a lot of reassurance is needed away from home, eg. work, is to slot the print outs into a folder. This way it can be disguised as a work item but can be easily read at work if needed.
does chewing no or low calorie gum for a long time burn calories? like the physical action of chewing the gum?
The effects of chewing gum on calories is fairly neglible. However, a note of caution with this, particularly if it's on an empty stomach. Chewing causes stomach acid to increase in anticipation of food being received. If no food appears, the acid has nothing to work on and can, over time, start to react against the lining of the stomach causing ulcers.
So, if you are going to chew gum, always try to do this after eating.
Anyone know where I can find some poems on the internet written by E.B White?
I managed to find these two, but there are plenty of books with his work to choose from.
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/608.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Beekeeping/ebwhite.htm
i have a heaert condition called SVT. thats the abreviated version i think the long one is Supraventricular Tachycardia
and it makes my heart beat double fast somtimes and makes me dizzy. there is a proecdure to get rid of it, and it burns off one of the things that maks your heart beat because i have two of them but a normalperson has one. has anyone had this pocedure? i want to get it because this ondition scares me but im also scared of the procedure because they would make me unconcious so if anyone has had thi or any other surgerys or anything done could you please tell me about what its been like? the only medical thing ive ever gotten was stitches and i dont know if its wortth it
thank you so much!
I have a niece with the same condition. It is very scary for her when she has an episode, and for her family. Her heart rate can go up to 220 beats per minute. She is scheduled to have surgery as well.
They have to put you out for the procedure so that you don't feel anything. As with all surgery there is going to be an element of risk, but I would say the greater risk is in not having this seen to. When your heart is beating that fast, it is being put under enormous strain, and it won't be able to keep that up for ever.
If you have this done you have every chance of living normal life with no more problems than the average person. If you have doubts, speak to your doctor and they can walk you through it and hopefully calm any fears you have.
I have included a web site that tells you more about it.
I wish you the best of luck in whatever decision you take.
_________________________________________________
Sorry, forgot the web site.
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23069180/
i am 15.. from england.. and i have severe hypochondria.. it affects my sleeping and eating and stuff and at the moment its making me really unhappy and i dont want to end up depressed.
the problem that im worried about is catching stomach bugs and stuff that could make me throw up. people at school seem to be ill ALL THE TIME at the moment like throwing up in corridors or stuff
i have some kinda phobia of it. im not scared of the actual sick just scared of catching it.
ive tried getting proffesional help but it doesnt seem to have worked
am i going mad? :S i feel like i am
its driving me mad
its just making me so unhappy at the moment.
i used to have it when i was like 9 or something then it went away, but recently some unknown thing has triggered it and i dont know what to do
its driving me insane
can anyone offer advice or anything? please :(
You're right in saying that something has recently triggered it. It could be something seemingly so insignificant that you just don't remember it, but it happened at a time when you were feeling quite vulnerable.
You are now experiencing hypersensitivity, where although people are probably not being ill all the time, you notice little things far more than your school friends so it seems that they are all ill.
Phobias are truly awful things to have to deal with, but the sooner you can get help, the better the chances of getting rid of it. The professional help that you have had so far may not have worked, it depends how long you have given it and if there are any underlying issues that are not being dealt with.
If you have given it a good chance, and I mean months, try something else. Different things work for different people and there is a lot of help out there.
Try not to ask for reassurance from friends or family too often, as oddly, the more they tell you that you are fine, the more your sub conscious believes the opposite.
Ensure you wash your hands before eating as most stomach bugs are passed on through contact. Eat healthily and if your diet is not brilliant, take supplements like vitamin c and zinc. These boost your immune system.
Try to do something everyday that makes you laugh, this also aids the immune system, and you can't feel stressed it you're laughing.
You are most certainly not going mad, there are plenty of people out there who have phobias of all types, so you're not alone.
Please don't ever give up fighting this, there is help out there somewhere for you, you just need to keep looking.
Good luck.
I keep crying cause of this and it's making feel so stupid. My father has always yelled/cussed at everyone about the stupidest things, which already upset me. But now, my mom is starting to start yelling at me about the dumbest things. I cried for about two hours cause of it the other day. Do I even have a reason to be crying? My mom used to be the only person I could talk to whenever my Dad upset me by yelling at me, but now I can't even talk to HER about it cause she just does the same thing. Is there something I can do to either take my mind off of it or get them to stop or SOMETHING?
It sounds as though your fathers temper is getting to your mum now, and she is reacting to it by shouting at you. This is obviously not a good situation for any of you.
Your father may have reasons for the way he behaves, he might have had a difficult childhood which influences the way he is now, he could be under pressure at work etc.
It must be very hard for your mother as well as you to live in this environment and not become affected by it. She might not even be aware that she has now started to act the same as your father.
If you can, try to get your mum on her own, a shopping trip, a walk or just somewhere you can talk to her. Work out what you want to say first to her, to ensure it doesn't come across the wrong way. Then try to have a heart to heart with her. Ask her if there is anything you are doing to make her mad at you or if she is under some strain you could perhaps help with. Let her know your concerns about your dad.
If you think you would not be able to speak to face to face without getting overly emotional, try writing her a letter. The advantage with this is that you can read it and rewrite any parts that you think could be misinterpreted.
Maybe if she then understands how badly you're being affected by all this, she could talk to your dad, or seek help from someone qualified.
You should not be suffering in this way and you do need to take some form of action to change things.
I hate where I live. The boys here are shallow, preppy, jerks with concrete for brains. I want a boyfriend really bad. Reccently, I've just been making up boyfriends because I feel so humiliated over the fact that everyone has one. Sure, there are boys here that like me and would date me in a heartbeat. And those boys also happen to be A.) Drug dealers, B.) Perverts/Nymphetamaniacs, C.)Pedophiles or D.) Immature Nerds that watch cartoons all day.
So I wanted to ask all of you- where did you meet your boyfriends? Where are places I should look to meet a guy? Without going on internet dating sites, do you have any sugguestions about how to find someone?
P.S. Yes I really want a boyfriend. It's not like I'm just saying this because everyone else has a boyfriend. I REALLY DO want one.
Are there any clubs you could join or charities nearby that you could volunteer for? The types of boys you have described are not really the ones to be involved in either of these, so you should stand a better chance of meeting someone different.
If this isn't a possibility at the moment, however badly you may want a boyfriend, it is probably better to wait until you are able to relocate. Then you should be able to find someone more suited to you and your needs.
However, the 'right one' quite often turns up in the most unlikely of places, so hold on, he's out there somewhere.
Mary (who is very thin) and Sandy (who is chunky) are coworkers. They met in the hallway of their office and
Mary told Sandy she got a parking spot right across the street. As Sandy and Mary parted company for some
reason Sandy decided to scream out to Mary “Exercise”. Later on in the day Mary decided she was curious as
to what Sandy meant so she went to confront Sandy. Sandy said she mentioned exercise because she is
concerned about her heart. However, Mary wouldn’t let it rest and decided to ask “Sandy do you think I am
thin?” As Sandy was putting stuff away in her desk drawer Sandy replied to Mary “You are average, size 8”,
paused to put the other items in the desk drawer and said “size 10.” Sandy spotted a girl not to far away and
called her in and said “What size do you take?” The girl replied “Size 6, why?” Sandy replied “Because Mary
thinks I think she is heavy.” Mary left and went back to her desk. About four co-workers saw Mary and asked
Mary what was wrong and Mary told them the story. Her co-workers said to her “Mary you are thin/skinny
and cannot be more than a size 4, and not more than 110 pounds. Then Mary said “So why did Sandy say
average and size 10 if everyone sees me as skinny/thin size 4?” They replied “Because Sandy is just jealous.”
Do you agree/concur with Mary’s friends that Sandy was just a jealous individual?
Here are so things her
co-workersand friends (I used initials) said after Sandy’s remark:
AS: Mary you are so skinny
BL: Mary you
are thin.
JL: No wonder Mary you are so skinny
TG: Mary you cannot weigh more than 100 pounds YS: Thin I want to feel you Mary
SD: Mary you are thin
PK: Thin not just saying that you Mary are thin - cannot weigh more than 90 pounds
DP: How do you Mary stay so thin - and you have to be a size 4”
JK: Mary you are so
thin
LF: Mary is a thin person
HT: How skinny do you Mary want to be
AZ: He is a big man, however, you Mary I can push IP: Mary you are very thin
It is quite often difficult to judge what size someone is, the best we can do is guess, which is not usually that accurate. This could be the mistake Sandy made.
Maybe, due to Mary being too thin, Sandy is concerned about the strain on her heart from a possible eating disorder.
If 'Mary' is the same size as a person she considers to be a reasonable size, perhaps she could take that fact as some reassurance.
However, 'Mary' appears to have had several issues about her weight and is unable to accept anyones comment that suggests she is not overweight.
Try turning it around and think how 'Mary' would feel and what she would say, if she were being constantly asked by someone she worked with, if she thought they were considered too heavy.
Maybe, as 'Mary' seems to have a lot of self confidence issues, she should seek guidence from a qualified therapist, as I am becoming seriously concerned she is becoming more and more stressed about this subject.
i've been on pointe for about 3 months now- and I have these REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY excruciatingly bad blisters on my toes. And whenever I roll from 3/4 to full pointe they start bleeding more. I always put band-aids and neosporin (sp?) on them, but it doesn't help.
How can I get them to not hurt when i do pointe?
Years ago when I did ballet and pointe work, we were told to bathe our toes in white spirits as it toughens up the skin. It seemed to work. We also used ballet wool to pad the toes a bit, not sure if you can get that wherever you are, but it might help.
Just make sure the raw areas are also thoroughly cleaned to avoid infection.
Good luck.
hey can someone please explain this quote for me
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
He used it as a metaphor, an eye for an eye is to do something equally bad to someone who has wronged you.
He believed in turning the other cheek and loving our neighbours. If we lash out in anger we eventually become immune to the hate and resentment that is building up in the world -the 'blind' part.
If we all respond in this way things will never get better and we would all eventually spiral down into being 'blind' from retaliations.
For the past two days I have had this little prick on my shoulder which I thought was cool because my muscles get stiff sometimes when I don't strech properly. Put this one felt like a sting every time I moved. It's kind of on the lower shoulder a little towards my back and moderately close to my neck.
So I had my friend try to massage the crink out. He was doing it and all of a sudden I started getting dizzy and felt faint. I thought it would pass but it didn't so he told me to lie down on the floor on my back. My ears were ringing very loudly. I closed my eyes until the feeling passed but my ears still rung for another twenty minutes.
The crick is still in my neck/shoulder/back and I don't know what to do about it. It's painful. Was the dizzyness connected to it and should I be worried about this? How do I get it out?
If it's that painful you should go to your doctor. It may just be muscle spasms, which can be very painful, it may be a trapped nerve, which is worse. It could be something else. No one here is going to be able to tell you for sure as you need to be examined.
The sooner you get it checked out the sooner the pain should start to ease.
Good luck.
I have a little 11 year old shih tzu, who is in still, very good health. The only problem is her teeth and breath. Her breath is so bad right now and her teeth will fall out very soon unless they are taking care of. Today, I went out and bought toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mints for dogs. I tried to brush her teeth but she just wasn't having it. She rarely opened her mouth and she went into this physicall fit. Turn her head every direction possible so that I could not brush her teeth. I tried to keep her head and body in place while trying to keep the brush steady but she was starting to fight with me. I didn't want to be too forceful because I felt like she'd get hurt, so I stopped. How can I get her to stay calm or at least let me brush her teeth? I don't want her to lose teeth because of this.
I also have a very adorable but stubborn 11 year old shih tzu. It is a little late to try to clean her teeth now but firstly, if you haven't already, take her to get checked over by the vet to ensure there is no gum disease or rotten teeth that need to be removed.
If all that checks out ok, forget the toothbrush for now, put a little toothpaste on your finger, try poultry flavour, (shih tzu's tend to suffer from allergies and beef is one of the main culprits), and let her lick it off. After she gets used to that, gently rub her front teeth with the paste. Because of the way they are built it is very difficult to get anything large between their teeth and gums, so it can be painful for them to try.
If she accepts the front teeth being cleaned, gradually extend the gentle cleaning further round her mouth until you can reach as many as possible. Do this a couple of times a week to start with and if she is fine with it, you can start to build up the frequency.
You may never be able to use a toothbrush, but even paste on your finger is better than nothing. If she won't accept even this, you will have to resort to the chews designed for teeth.
Keep in mind that as YG says, they do tend to smell as they get older and their breath is only a part of it. However, they are such funny, loveable and individual characters, it more than makes up for the pong!
If she does have or develops itchy skin, keep to her off anything with beef or beef extract in it, try hypoallergenic food and treats, (she should be on a senior diet by now), and there are also specialist shampoos you can try.
Good luck.
I recently dropped out of a college course which was working with children, I was over half way though the course. Ive been looking for a job for a while and 2 job offer have come up. One is working in a store for less hours and more money but the other one is moving out of my parents home and moving in with a friend of my mums and being like a house wife and taking her daughter to school as she is on the road alot because of her job this is less money but i wouldnt have to pay rent or for the food but its more hours. The moving out job sounds more like the one i would enjoy. But im only 17 and have never spent more than a week away from my family. If i go with this job do u have any tips that would help me not to be so home sick? And which job sounds like a the better one?
Firstly, I guess it depends on the reason for you dropping out. If it was anything to do with looking after children the job in the store would be the more sensible option.
If it was for any other reason there are a couple of ways you could decide.
1. Take some time to think a few months down the line on both jobs. How do you feel about the thoughts of being in either of them? Does the thought of the responsibility of the children, being away from home, little money and restricted frredom of movement still appeal? Does the thought of less hours, more money, more time for yourself, freedom of movement and living at home feel better?
2. Make lists of the pros and cons of both jobs - see which is the better list. Don't forget to add in the fulfilment factor, that is quite often better than money etc. In doing this, it should also help you to clear your thoughts and analyse the situation rationally.
Also, you could consider this; have you ever been away from home before on your own for more than a week? If so, how did it feel, did you cope? Which job offers the better prospects career wise? Do you want to work with children or does a different path call you?
If you choose to take the job with the children, you will probably be busy most of the time, but it can be very fulfilling. You might also be able to find the time to take something like a correspondence course to further your education. You could use msm to keep in touch with your family, or invest in a webcam. Everyone leaves home eventually, it is hard on all concerned, but if you go, you should be able to settle down fairly quickly. Also, if things don't work out, your family will still be there.
No one can really tell you which job to go for, only you can decide, it's your future. I would suggest though to go with your heart and everything else should fall into place. And if it goes wrong, don't worry, everyone makes mistakes and you're young enough to try something else.
Good luck.
i'm 13 but I have wrinkes under my eyes (and i have good sleep but its been 3 months and it won't go away) and on the forhead! help!
Use a good moisturiser morning and evening, wear sunglasses when you're in the sun and try not to sleep on your sides as the pressure on a pillow can cause wrinkles. Always apply moisuriser gently from the outside edges of your eyes towards your nose and let the last bit soak in, as rubbing in completely can damage the fine tissue. If there is a family tendency towards early wrinkles, you'll probably not be able to avoid it for long, but you can help to keep them at bay for a while.
What are some good shampoos and conditioners that aren't tested on animals?
Anything by The Body Shop or Lush are animal friendly.
Be wary of products made by Proctor and Gamble, although a few things are safe, as a company they do do a lot of product testing on animals.
what is cervical cancer? because its manditory for me to get a shot for it and my mom doesnt want me to have it so what is it?
A couple of web sites for you to read up about it. It's quite nasty if not caught in time so it's a good idea to have the shot, it can stop you worrying about it.
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Cervix
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_cervical_cancer_8.asp
On myspace, i see people that have captions under their pics saying things like " Zelophobia- Fear of jealousy" and also " Mnemophobia- Fear of memories" Where can i find these?
Try this one. :)
http://phobialist.com/#A-
Hi, I've been riding english for about 5 years, but i still don't know what a 'leg yield' is? Can someone please explain?
The leg yield is when you're walking or trotting and your horse moves forwards and sideways by crossing his inside legs in front of his outside legs whilst keeping his body as straight as possible, all without getting tangled up and falling over!
I've included some sites with pictures included to help more.
Good luck.
http://www.newrider.com/Library/Riding_Tips/leg_yield.html
http://www.artofriding.com/articles/leg-yield.html
Does he look thinner around his haunches than he used to?
***NO, HE HAS ACTUALLY GAINED WEIGHT, LOL :)
How much water is he drinking?
***ABOUT 1 CUP TO 2 CUPS DAILY
How much milk, what type of milk and for long has he been drinking it?
***WE GIVE HIM WHOLE MILK ON OCCASION SINCE WE GOT HIM (WE'VE HAD HIM SINCE HE WAS ABOUT 7 WKS.)
Check his coat, does it look odd? Clumpy, 'starry', etc.
***NO-BUT HE DOESN'T GROOM AS MUCH AS HE USED TO.
Is he eating as normal?
***HE EATS WAY MORE THAN HE USED TO.
Do you have him on a senior diet?
***NO.
I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but about 1 yr ago, we got a dog. They are completely separated most of the time. We've never had a dog with him [my cat]. My cat is petrified of the dog! IE: He won't go outside (that's where the dog is usually), he'll growl at the dog, etc.
Thank you!!
Thank you. Ok, first you need to get him onto a senior diet, there is too much protein and phosphate in adult cat food for a cat over seven years. You should also cut out the full milk, it's actually not good for any age, but it's worse for the senior citizens, and they don't get enough nutrients from it. If you have to give him milk as an occasional treat, stick to cat milk. You'll be doing his kidneys a favour by following this. If he is eating dry food, he would drink more water to compensate. However, if he is on a wet food diet, that does seem like quite a lot of water. (Understand that I am from the UK and we have different measurements over here).
So onto the symptoms. He is showing some signs of hypothyroidism but cats with this tend to over groom, but the rest fits, although it is rare for cats to get this.
He only seems to have a couple of kidney problems symptoms.
He could be depressed due to the dog, he also has some of these symptoms. Are you giving him lots of extra affection? If his freedom has been compromised by the dog this could have an effect on his health and well-being. Living in fear is not good for anyone. If it is the dog, you will need to sort this problem out.
I would have to say that if you are ever in any doubt about the condition of an animal it is always better to get it checked over by a vet. Animals tend to hide illness until they're quite bad. Their primeval instincts are to hide any weakness as it shows vulnerability, leading to them being attacked by a bigger animal.
Good luck