This is a board certified, 'highly regarded' MD. He's in practice with his wife, also board certified. I don't know if their 'nurse' is a licensed nurse practitioner, but...she's HIS nurse and when she calls in a prescription she's giving HIS licence, evidently authorized BY HIM. If she didn't note the Metrogel on DH's chart, is that the patient's fault? If the MD didn't *read* the chart, is that the patient's fault? Exactly who, if not the MD, 'prescribed' the Metrogel? This is *sloppy*! If you call this office you can NEVER speak with or receive a call back from either MD. You have to first tell a receiptionist the whole problem, then -- if she feels like it -- she will pass you along to the nurse so you can tell it all over again. My late MIL, an RN and hospital administrator, always said that dermatology is the ideal practice: Your patients don't die (do to anything you do) and they don't get well; you have them *forever*. Well, not this patient in this case. We think the practice is so large -- and so lucrative -- that it is an assembly line. There's a nine month wait for another appointment should you need to cancel a semi-annual checkup -- even calling a month in advance to re-schedule. Jodi -- Thanks for the Kukui Nut Oil tip. I'm ready to try anything, once DH gets over this nasty reaction. I've seen that stuff all over when we are on Maui. Does your DH have to keep using it, or did the condition clear up and stay clear? My DH is also very fair-skinned, with light blue eyes. His birthmom was Irish and birthfather Northern Italian. Years ago a dermatologist who was seeing him for precancerous stuff said he had the palest shade of skin. (He has to see a dermatologist regularly for screening. Too many years on the tennis team in HS and earlier days outdoors at a summer camp on a lake.) Ordinarily I would have some blistering remark to relate to you: DH's reply to the MD. He'd spent time in the waiting room calming himself, reminding himself that getting angry wouldn't help him. He couldn't think of a reaonable reply to that stupid question -- only to say the doctor's office prescribed it; here's the (useless and worse) tube of Metrogel; now what?

"his ex hates my husband she is not sad they they are not together. She likes to cause trouble though." I didn't mean that she is pining away for him, but you said, "My husband was fooling around with the mother of his other child for years on top of everything to start off. I stayed with my husband because I believe in love and 2nd chances." & I thought you are saying that he was fooling around with the mother of this 8 year old & if he was doing that while he was seeing you, then yes this child saw his parents 'together' at least in some way, unless they were so sly that they hid it from their own child. And even if the mother hates him & is not sad, that does not mean she does not let her son know how angry she is (anger is also a feeling that is much easier to express than hurt, so who knows if she truly hates him or is hurt he finally ended it with her and married you) but I'm sure the child picks up on those feelings because children are little sponges & know more than most people give them credit for. If mommy is angry all the time at daddy, of course it's going to affect how he feels about daddy's house & the new wife, baby, etc. "I think that it's good to be proactive and encourage my stepson to be nice to my son. I don't try to force it upon him. To me to encourage him to love his brother should be a good thing. I agree that yes he is eight and may be frustrated which is understandable. I just don't think that it should be ok that he takes it out on my 2 year old son. If their our any mothers out there you know how you are protective over your children no matter who it might be. If it was my neice , my friend son. I would not stand them to be nasty to my children." If you want to protect your 2 year old, then never allow the 8 year old to be alone with him. It's THAT simple. If dad refuses to acknowledge the problem, then it rests with YOU to protect the baby & make sure he's always in your sight when big brother is around. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a happy little family, but if he (the 8 year old) does not want that, it is going to backfire to force it. I believe he does know right from wrong & he has anger, resentment issues... maybe from how his mother expresses, directly or inadvertently. He is manipulative if he changes face when dad comes around the corner & I agree with Sylvia that is a dangerous child that does that. (reminiscent of "the good son") Lovehadley has a great point that leaving is probably not the best idea since the child only comes over every other weekend and leaving could place the younger child in jeopardy when he would visit. The bottom line is that unless mom & dad are willing to work together to find out why their son is so aggressive & deal with it, then the only solution is to never allow your baby to alone with him. Yes, he was part of the package as you & your kids were part of a package, but YOU and your DH accepted each other's package... the kids don't get a choice. He didn't choose the package so how can you expect him to accept you as you've accepted him. You are the adult.

I've owned and used one for the past ten years...love it especially for cutting potatoes when making scalloped potatoes. EXCEPT I took the whole side of my ring finger and nail off about 2 months ago and have been fearful of using it since :( I'd always been uber careful, but the potatoes are too round at first to use the guard and I'm too lazy to cut them in half. It happened so fast I really don't know how it did happen. Sheesh, it took a good month for it to heal and wore a finger guard round the clock so as not to bump it...cuz that hurt like all get out!

I'm thinking RA is more likely, though. I woke up with pain in my wrists this morning, and I learned that the weird taste I've had in my mouth on and off for weeks could be an RA symptom, too I never had any taste symptoms, only bouts of extreme pain and stiffness, accompanied by severe swelling. The swelling comes from the immune system attacking the joint. Never chills with a flare. RA flares are so painful, it overwhelms. My first flares were in the shoulder....family Dr said it was probably Bursitis. This went on for years. When I finally got a DR to order a test for RF, it came back at 2300. Any idiot can diagnose that one, and I finally got treatment. I had a bad flare while out of town...wrist swelled up so bad, ER first thought it was broken. In fact, had a flare a couple of months ago, and even though I said it was a flare...insisted on an Xray. Only thing that can calm a bad flare for me is a shot of Demerol, and these days they are years apart. Now, with RA, morning joint stiffness is normal. When I get up in the morning, I have to pull myself on my feet by holding onto bureau, and the first few steps are excruciating. And my RA is under control :)