eek! I was going to ask if the bumps looked fuzzy thinking maybe a fungal infection. But I guess you have it under control. I hope the Proform LA works for you. I dont know about it, but judging by your '(ouch)' I'd say its expensive. btw, my Koi jumps too..man can they jump! And nothing is wrong with him. When I first got mine I had read in many dif places that Koi are known jumpers, so I never thought twice about it. I love it when I am right at the pond when he jumps. You will be treating the whole pond correct? I dont agree with just treating the sick fish in a hosp tank, or whatever. Better to treat the whole pond and rid the pond of the parasite, then to have to keep treating fish over and over again individually by not getting to the root of the problem. Good luck and I hope all goes well.

To Sunflowerrose - I had the same experience with soy milk! Recently I stopped drinking milk and started drinking soy milk and without changing anything else my acne began to clear, and my skin was the clearest it had been in ages! I'm in my 30's. I looked into "the benefits of soy" online and found various references stating that soy contains a form of estrogen and depending on how much you take it can act similarly in your body as birth control pills. It also affected my periods - less bleeding each period and longer time between each period - went from a 27 day cycle to a 40 day cycle. Talked to my doctor who also confirmed that soy can affect your hormones. For me the effect was good - improved acne and less frequent periods. I actually stopped taking the soy milk about a month ago and guess what - the acne returned, so for me I am convinced the soy is what did it. I am now back on the soy milk and can't wait to see the reduced acne effect again (took about 3 weeks for me to notice a change before....) Anyway my point is - you might want to try soy! At least it's natural. Here are some links to articles about soy and hormones and estrogen: http://www.isoflavones.info/isoflavones-abstracts.php?article=119 http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/soy.html However it's also important to note that there are critics of soy, some say it's downright unhealthy altogether, so do your own research. For me, the benefit outweighs any "risks" because I don't necessarily believe the critics.

I heard a doctor on the radio the other day talking about mothers and sons. She said that the son learns by the age of 12, all the good things his mother can pass onto him. That is how to live his life, how to be a good, kind, compassionate human etc etc. The doctor went on to say that from around 12 onwards, until about 21 (or even older, can't really remember) the son just doesn't "need" his mother. He needs her for practical things but emotionally he is finding his own way. Basically a mother has to tread very carefully around those years, otherwise her son will totally shut down and not speak to her ! It is a nature thing where the son is learning to be a man. Mind you this is where the father comes in, and the "man" teaching goes on for those years. I thought this was really interesting as I tip toe around my own 17 year old son. It explained a lot, to me. I thought this information might be useful to you, in your situation, as you are tortured by the antics of your son. Is his father around ? Really I am not sure there is much you can do. The worst you can do is lecture him, or tell him what to do. I really think you just have to work really hard at keeping the communication channels open, so he will come and talk to you about anything that could be bothering him. You just do not want to shut him down, by criticizing him or getting all upset in front of him. I think you have to think about putting your, very valid, concerns aside and trust him. You know how you have brought him up, you know he won't let you down. He is testing the waters, at this point, and he will come to realize it is a very murky water he is wading into. I know this is not easy - as I am in a similar situation with my DD - but you have this forum to vent. There are people here who will listen and sympathise. So try not to worry.... All the best to you. Popi

Don't have insecurity per se, but definitely feel like I'm headed away from 20 - not as comfortable as I'd like to be with that. It's not because of age; I KNOW I don't want to be 20 again - EVER. But, somehow I keep thinging that the end is near, even if it's 30 years from now. I miss enjoying the things that I did, or could do when I was younger. It's not to say that I sit in a rocking chair all day because I don't - work all day, then sit in the rocker - LOL. But when I'm around younger folks, I really feel different and can't get used to that. When I'm around people my age, they do things that feel like old folks things - that I don't like. Maybe I have a few more years to go before I mellow out some more. But then I'll be OLD!! As far as a relationship, it's harder when you are older. I'm pretty independent because my dad left when I was 12 and my Momd didn't remarry until after I did. So, even if it was difficult, my sister, my Mom and I got it done.. Some guys tell me that they don't know how to take me because of that. So I'm up against that curve too. But, I was also taught that women don't go places alone and all that old fashioned garbage. So I guess I'm not used to getting out so I can meet someone. I'm used to someting so much different - hard to meet someone when you are independent and have old-fashioned values. Plus, the older guys just don't seem to want much - they are just happy with good company. I guess that's the romance that you get when you are older, but it would be nice to have someone wink an eye at you every once in a while too. Oh well - I'll get use to this age at some point.