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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
ok im 14 Female and i love to bike and run and hangout with my friends but lately its been really hard because once i start running around or getting moving i start gasping for air and i can barely breathe now my mom said she would take me to the doctors but she is the worst about taking me to the doctors but it is really important to me to figure out if this is asthma or if it is a lung condition or if its just me not being fit or something stupid
-sleepiesheep
If you are normally quite active and your fitness is not in question, it does sound as though it could be asthma. However, no one here is going to be able to diagnose you accurately so you really do need to persuade your mother to take you to the doctors to be really sure.
I have no wish to frighten you but asthma needs to be taken seriously as it can kill. There are around 5000 deaths from asthma in the US each year. If you do have this very common ailment, it can be easily controlled with the correct medication.
They will probably want to do a few tests on you, (non-invasive) to check if it is asthma. This is nothing to worry about and does not hurt.
I have included a website with more information to read, you could also show your mother. It is important that you see a doctor as soon as possible so good luck talking to her.
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/Mosby_factsheets/asthma.html
i smell like fish "down there" & i dont know what to do. im only 14. HELPPPP.
It sounds as though you may have Bacterial Vaginosis. It is not sexually transmitted but is the result of an inbalance in the natural bacteria that lives in the area. You will probably need antibiotics to clear it up though. Excess cleaning such as douching can cause the problem or make it worse.
I have included a website that gives you more information on this condition.
http://www.medicinenet.com/bacterial_vaginosis/article.htm
my gil friend was killd in a car reck 6 days ago how can i help get over her faster cause i cant do anything right since she died
I am so sorry for your loss, that is a terrible thing to have happened.
You need to give yourself time to come to terms with what has happened. This could take a while and you need to be prepared for this. Grieving takes different forms with different people. Expecting to be functioning properly at the moment is just asking too much of yourself. If you don't let the grief out you are likely to become ill.
Talk about her if you want to, if it hurts too much now to do that, wait a while. As it happened without any warning, you could write her a letter saying everything you never had the chance to say. When you've finished it, burn it in a safe place and let the fire take some of your pain with it. It might sound crazy but it works. It won't get rid of everything but it's a start.
Be close to the people you love and who love you, try to share your feelings with them. There are going to be others who are also mourning her loss, so try to see them and you can consol each other.
Slowly, things will start to get a little easier. You may not notice at first but one day you will think about it and realise that you got through that day a little better than the previous one. Keep in mind though, that some days are going to be tougher than others, and allow yourself a relapse into pain - it happens.
You may never get fully over this but you will, in time, learn to accept it and live with it. There is nothing wrong with getting on with your life but don't expect it to happen all at once. The most important thing is to give yourself time.
do you know any songs that remid you of going back to school? or just highschool?
bahaha
thanks =]
School's Out by Alice Cooper does it for me every time. It was played at all the discos and takes me straight back there.
Is there any over-the-counter medication that helps calm you down?
If you go to your local pharmacy they should be able to advise you on the ones that are best suited to what you need. You could also try health shops for the same thing.
They will take into account any other medication you are taking and your lifestyle. Some calming tablets could make you feel sleepy which is not good if you drive. Some should not be taken at the same time as other medications. It is always best to check first.
ok this may be a stupid question but i need to know do you need a passport to go from the US to the UK and if so how do you get one and do they cost money or anything is there a certain age you have to be to get one just could someone explain to me like the process of gettin one and stuff please and thanks in advance
You usually need a passport to leave your country. I have found an online application form for US citizens, about a 1/4 of the page down lists the fees for different age groups.
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DS-0011.pdf
Sorry about that.
hi my name is shelly and im 15 , going into grade 11. iv recently found out i have pcos wich basicly means i wont ovulate and am infertile. i am over weight, have hair where i shouldnt (chin,sideburns,belly,back), brown patched under my arms and around my neck , ill never have babys, i have horribly dry skin and overall im depressed. what i would like to know is WHY ME?! how do i fix this all? , my whole life through middle school i was made fun of though i had alot of friends, everyone though i was very masculin with my chin hair and brown neck/armpits. and now that im in high school iv mad all new friends, and learned how to cover up what i dont want seen , but iv come to realize, iv also built a barrier where i wont let anyone come close, i have about 6 BEST friends and even they dont know about the stuff i have to go through just to get by the day. i also have ADD and i stopped taking my ridilin when i was about 12, big mistake . im going into grade 11 and im a complete year behind cause i get so stressed out, when im not comfortable in a class i tend to ... well not go . if i have a bully teacher, or no friends in the class , or even if the work is too hard . its just too much stress and i cant do it . theres so much wrong with me , and the thing is , even the people who i let come close to me , dont knwo the shit i have to go through and i dont want them to know. iv told my mom and shes said for about 6 months now , oh ok ill make a doctor appointment. but shes yet to do it. shes too conserned about herself to even realize the stuff i do for myself . i just want to be NORMAL not perfect just your average joe, id like to be able to wear a tshirt and shorts and feel confident. how do i fix myself? im depressed , hairy, not so smart and BROWN. please help me :(
do i need anti depressents? should i consider going back on ridilin? iv heard birth control helps with pcos should i try that? pleas just give me the answers.
sorry for being so long, but i really could use the help.
Please don't worry about asking a long question, that's quite some problem you need to get off your chest. Life is tough enough being a teenager without everything else you are having to deal with. You're going to get a long answer anyway!
Let's do this one thing at a time:
Ritalin - You're right, you shouldn't have taken yourself off it, not just because the doctor didn't say you could but also because you ran the risk of adverse side effects by coming off long term medication too quickly. If you can't get your mum to take to take you to the doctors, is there another adult you could ask? In the meantime, there are studies that show taking fish oils can be beneficial in cases of ADD and ADHD. Also sustained use of Ritalin seems to be unwise due to recent studies linking it to causing other health issues. Again, your doctor would be able to advise on this more fully.
PCOS - This is not a nice thing to have to deal with at any age. The outward symptoms can make you feel very insecure. There are a lot of women who have this and there are many different symptoms, not all of which need appear. Weight issues are also common in PCOS but losing weight can help with periods. A lot of sufferers can go on to have children, although they may need help. There are also recent studies showing a possible link between PCOS and insulin resistence. If this should prove to be the case, there are artifical insulin tablets called Metformin that could be used at some point. Doctors are still holding off of prescribing this at the moment though, as there is still insufficient research to be sure of the results. However, it is looking promising. Alternative remedies like acupuncture have also been found to help regulate periods.
The birth control pill can help but it's not adviced to use it for all of your reproductive years due to the increased risk of some cancers.
It can help with the excess hair as well.
There is also minor surgery if hormones don't work, again, your doctor can advise you fully on this.
For your skin, there are lots of super intensive moisturisers you can try, ask a pharmisist for advice on the best one for your condition. The patches could be disguised with makeup or if they are really bad, you could ask about laser treatments.
Children are cruel, that is a fact. Any child that is different to the rest in some way is likely to be a target. Children like to feel as though they belong to a group and differences between them are not usually tolerated too well. Hopefully this behaviour lessens as they get older and the fact that you now have friends would seem to indicate this. Gradually, if you can learn to open up to your friends, (I know you say you don't want them to know, but try anyway), you will find that you start to relax and things begin to feel better. You'll start to have fun and the natural endorphines from this will ease the stress you are feeling. This, in turn, should help you to pick your grades up, stay in class and deal with difficult teachers. If you can do all this, in a few months you may feel confident enough to wear whatever you like, whether you have sorted out all the problems or not.
There is always hope for the future, as researchers are finding more and more cures for things. So please don't give up, ask your mum or someone else to take you to the doctor, speak to your school councillor, talk to your friends and let them know what's going on. You need support and it doesn't sound as though you're getting it at the moment.
I've given you some websites with more information on how to deal with this, and updates on the latest research, just so that you know your situation isn't completely hopeless. Try to keep in mind that the best cure for depression is talking to someone. A trouble shared etc. You feel totally stuck at the moment with no way out. There is a way, it's not easy, it will take time
and you have to hang in there, but you CAN do it.
When life is tough, you come out stronger and will be more able to achieve something great. Use this difficult time to build a solid foundation of determination for the future and you could go far. You will have more sympathy and concern for others who are suffering because you know what it's like. Have faith in yourself and you will come through this.
http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/?campain=google&gclid=CK_v7Mvy640CFRcGEgod2iywuQ
http://www.womenshealthlondon.org.uk/leaflets/ovarian/ovapcostreat.html
http://www.ivf.com/pcostreat.html
2 weeks ago i picked up a box of 7 kittens and a mama cat that were on the side of the road. 4 of them looked to be about 5 weeks old and the other 3 looked like they were from an earlier litter of kittens theyre about 3 months. they were fine just a little scared and malnourished and they're coming along great now.
im worried about the mama kitty. she is nursing the younger kittens and i think she was pregnant when i brought them home but im not sure. maybe shes just getting fatter now that shes being fed?
how do you tell is shes pregnant and what do i feed her and how do i take care of her if she is?
shes a tiny cat but its her stomach thats getting bigger it seems to me.
any help would be great
thankyou!
If she was a stray or an abandoned cat there's a good chance she has worms. This would make her abdomen distend, and will eventually make her quite ill. The kittens are more than likely to have them as well. You should treat all of them with an appropriate worming medication, but check with your vet or pet shop first. There are different ones for kittens and nursing mothers so you need to ensure you don't give them the wrong one.
If you think the mother is pregnant again, check to see if there is any movement from that area if she's getting larger there. If you do see any, it's likely she's going to be a mother again soon.
As soon as possible after she has finished nursing, you should have her spayed. You may need to keep her shut in before this if she comes into season, as nature will take it's course and she'll be off looking for a mate. Behaviours to look for include crying a lot, frantically trying to get out, being very affectionate and laying down with her front legs lower than her rear legs and her tail to one side.
I need a home remedy for fleas how do i get rid of them on a rabbit, a cat, kittens, and out of my house? Desperate.
Fleas are difficult to get rid of once you have them, especially if you don't want to use an expensive chemical flea treatment.
The first weblink tells you about the problems associated with fleas, and the second has some tips on getting rid of them naturally.
http://www.jovisca.com/en-parasites.html
http://www.eartheasy.com/article_natural_flea_control.htm
can kids get arthritis? i always had random leg pain when i was little and still do now. its like my bone aches or something usually around the knee. does anyone know what else it could be or how having arthritis feels?
It is possible to have juvenile arthritis and also adolescent arthritis. There are various causes for it but it's not that common. I'm not giving you a web link as there so many different types it would be difficult to know which to choose. You should get yourself checked out by a doctor to be sure.
However, the chances are that if you did have it as a child, you would have seen a doctor at the time and been diagnosed. Try not to worry but get it checked anyway for your own peace of mind, it may be something that can be easily fixed.
in the movie trainspotting are people speaking english or what?
The film is set in Edinburgh, (the capital of Scotland) and they have Scottish accents.
The Scots get quite offended if they are classed as being English, it would be like saying that Americans are Canadian or Mexican.
so it is probly not good idea then is it... umm then i should just let my body do what its gotts do then??
Let nature take it's course, it knows better than we do. However, as I said, if you haven't started your period by the time you get to sixteen, you really do need to see a doctor.
In the meantime, just ensure you keep a healthy, well balanced diet, drink plenty of water, exercise two to three times a week and have fun. You're only young once, don't waste it on worrying about things you can do nothing about for now.
Get yourself checked out at sixteen if nothing has happened, but for now, relax, and DON'T self prescribe, that can have nasty side effects that you really wouldn't want.
what does the pill do???
Do you mean a pill for hyperthyroidism, a birth control pill or a different type of pill?
If you mean hyperthyroidism, only a doctor can prescibe it after testing you to see if that is what you have. Basically it acts as a control for your thyroid gland, (which is located in the front of your throat). Hyper means it over works, making you lose weight or not be able to put it on and hypo means it under works, making you put weight on and it's hard to lose.
If you mean the birth control pill, it's not going to start your periods but it has been known to have the side effect of putting a little weight. If you are not sexually active, I would not really recommend this as a method of gaining weight as it is not a good idea to take this pill for long periods of time. (Excuse the pun)!
If you mean some other type of pill, I'm not sure which you mean, so cannot advise, sorry. It's not a good idea to take any medication without running it past a doctor first, as there could be side effects that he would need to warn you about. Also, if your doctor knows what you are taking and then has to prescribe another medication, he does it with the knowledge of knowing what can be used together without making you very ill.
yea i eat great i eat alot but im skinny why??
It could be a number of things: fast metabolism, genetics, the type of food you eat, hyperthyroidism etc. The latter is unlikely but I've included a website that gives you a list of symptoms to check. If a lot of these fit, again, you need to see a doctor as there are tablets you can take to deal with this.
The chances are you're just one of the lucky ones that as you get a little older, you'll end up with a model type figure that will be the envy of everyone.
I always say though, that if ever anything worries you about your health, see a doctor, as without your health everything else is so much harder to deal with.
It is important that if your period hasn't started by the time you hit sixteen to see a doctor. So I would like you to promise to do this?
In the meantime, enjoy not having all the baggage that goes with the monthly curse. It's likely to catch up with you soon enough now.
http://www.endocrineweb.com/hyper1.html
I have not yet started my period and i am 15 i feel left out what should i do ??? to make me feel better i feel like not having my period at 15 is not normal all my omegurlz started and have and i have ot yet started and im to skinny for my age to..
You may just be a late developer, (you're not alone in this), which means you don't have to suffer all the cramps and mood swings like your friends just yet. ]
If you are really skinny, do you eat properly as this can cause a delay in puberty? If you think you may have a problem with food you need to see a doctor to get this dealt with.
If you have a normal diet and your period doesn't start by the time you get to sixteen, you should see a doctor for a check up as there are some conditions that stop periods coming.
in bathrooms theres like an extra light switch but for turning on some fan thingy that blocks out bathroom noise.. what is that called? more bathrooms should install that
Do you mean an extractor fan? As said below, it's designed for removing excess humidity from the room so the fact that it blocks some noise is just a side effect. In the UK all new houses now have these installed but a lot of the older ones also have them, thank goodness. :)
Hello.
I have selective mutism. I'm f/16 and I was wondering if I could ever get a job? I know people are supposed to get "disabled" people jobs at some point.
I can work pretty well, I just have a social anxiety with speaking. I'm okay being around people.. but what about the interview?
Don't say it's impossible. How can I go about this? Should I put that I have "S.M." on the application?
What job could I do though? Something that would work for me? Someone suggested shipping and receiving.. could I?
Is there a support group that could help or advise on this? In the same way that there are deaf societies etc, that can point their members in the right direction.
Failing that and depending on your computer skills, something in IT may be possible. You could also look at research, lab work or data processor. All of these don't usually involve speaking to many, if any people. If you explain the problem before an interview, maybe with the assistance of a society for your condition, with the disabilities laws now, and the right qualifications for the position, you should stand a chance of a sensitive interview.
Edit
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There's no reason at all why you shouldn't be able to get a job in something like a grocery store. If you try the bigger ones, they may have positions available in the stockroom, so that you don't need to speak to too many people.
Have you had some coaching on how to manage panic attacks? If not, this may help you to cope with social situations.
About a year ago I stopped eating meat and wearing leather. My parents are foreign and don't understand it at all. They bought me a jacket and it's lovely. On the tag it says "genuine leather- 100% nylon, 100% polyester."
I know genuine leather means real leather but my friend told me that nylon and polyester are vegan? I don't understand how that works.
Is the jacket real leather or fake? Can leather be REAL if it's not made from animals?What is nylon and polyester??
and the jacket wasn't too expensive and I know real leather is supposed to be really expensive.
Help me please :)
Does the jacket have a lining? If so, the outer part is probably leather and the lining is the nylon and polyester. Or if it has inserts in the design, this could be the nylon or polyester.
Manufacturers would not be allowed to say it is leather if it is not.
Is it okay to feed a dog (yellow lab>8 yrs) plumbs? Can anyone give me a list of human food NOT to feed dogs...thanks sooo much!!!
You should be very careful what you give a dog to eat as they should have a balanced diet especially formulated for them.
However, if you want to give your dog an occasional treat it should be fine as long as you avoid anything in this list.
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_process.cfm?story_no=257
This gives you all the foods that are dangerous to dogs. The only part of the plum it says not to give a dog is the stone or pip.
I am 42 and I just recently got married to a woman I have known my entire life but we both got married to other people shortly after high school. She has three teenage daughters Sam is 19 Meagan is 18 and Audree is 16. Their father left them shortly after my wife had her youngest daughter and so she has raised them all by herself. They have always been pretty affluent because my wife's family has quite a bit of money and she is a magazine editor. She lets the girls get away with murder and they get everything rthey could possibly even dream of wanting. I have a very big issue with this since my three sons (19 18 aand 17) are expected to follow very strict rules. I was in the army for several years and my children are expected to abide by my rules or face the consequences.
The girls however are completely out of control, especially the youngest one, Audree. My wife and i both agreed on a curfew for the all six kids when they moved in. She convinced me to change the curfew of my sons to be midnight for all of the kids. I agreed but with hesitation. Like always before my kids have always gotten here on time or before their curfew while her daughters completely disregard the rules. For example, Audree was late for curfew 4 times out of the 7 days last week. My wife didn't even talk to her about it. When i confronted her al she said was "She is only 16. I think we should just let her live her life." I found out the other day that her girls have never been grounded, never had acurfew, and are very open about teh fact that they go to parties and drink. Sam has gotten in 4 accidents since she has lived here, and Meagan has her boyrfriend over all the time without supervision, all things i dont tolerate from my own kids. Audree came home in tears the other night because she got a ticket for driving 19 MILES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT! My wife just hugged her and tried to calm ehr down the entire night and i never heard a single word about the ticket, which i had to pay for sicne none of her kids have jobs. I almost feel as if she is condoning this outrageous behavior since she never repremands her kids. I don't know how to explain to my kids about thsi double standard in our house but i feel like i can't interfere quite yet with her disiplining (or lack there of)since i am not their real father and have only been in their lives for 3 years. I just don't know how much more of this disrepect i can take from them. They are beautiful girlsand i love them like my own. I wish i could treat them this way though. I feel like i owe it to them to lay down the law and punsih them for things like curfew and partying and bad grades but i dont know if it will just put more stress on our relationship that could eventually cause tension between my wife and I. How should i handle this?
That’s a really difficult situation you have found yourself in. It sounds as though your wife lacked guidance and discipline when she was growing up, and so never learnt how to dispense it. As well as this problem, if she was a one parent family with this lack of experience, she might have found if difficult to say no due to the ‘I hate you, you’ve ruined my life’ syndrome that children throw at their parents when they don’t get their own way. If she felt vulnerable and alone at the time, she may have felt her attempts to discipline her children, could have resulted in them not loving her and this may have been too much for her to cope with.
Obviously, she hasn’t done herself, (or you and your sons), any favours with this inaction, and it may be very difficult to bring the situation under control now.
I would suggest you need to speak to her first, alone, and ensure she fully understands the implications of her lack of discipline. Her daughters are at risk if they are out at all hours with you not knowing where they are. An inexperienced driver driving at that speed is a fatal accident waiting to happen. The fact that the eldest has already had four accidents should have set the alarm bells ringing. Drinking under age is not only against the law; it is putting their health and safety at risk. Boyfriends’ coming around whenever also puts her daughters in a vulnerable position. Rules are there because we love our children and care about their safety and wellbeing, not because we want to ruin their lives. You need to make her understand that fact.
If you can get her on side, you next need to tackle the girls. Try having a family conference where SHE says that the previous way of life has not done them any good. Explain that regardless of how invincible they may feel, the problems that they have already found themselves in would suggest otherwise. Get them to suggest their own curfews etc and punishments for breaking the rules, within certain boundaries set by you and their mother. Try to find out what happens to their friends if they break curfew or otherwise act in the same way. DO NOT pay for any more fines; allow them to take the consequences for their actions, whether it is a court appearance or getting a job to pay for it. Tough love is what is needed from now on. It certainly won’t be easy, there is likely to be tears, tantrums, threats of moving out and so on. But, you must make your wife understand that you both need to stick together on this and stay firm in your decisions. They really do need to understand that for every action there is a reaction and those reactions are starting to come back to them. Tell your boys what is happening; ask them to be patient as this could take a while. They sound like good kids, so they should be fine with this.
If you can influence a change of behaviour and attitude now, you’ll not only be saving them, you’ll be saving the next generation as well. You sound like a great dad and they are all lucky to have you. Let’s hope in the years to come, they will come to understand this and appreciate you for what you are now trying to do for them. I wish you the best luck, it isn't going to be easy, but the longer you leave it, the worse the situation is going to get. You need to put the brakes on before something really serious happens to those girls.