What a nice surprise to find some old friends here this weekend - Florence, I'm glad to see you're doing well - I think of you! We're getting a little break in weather today (spring has been cool, wet). I pruned roses a little late, then found critical deer had done my job over, which led to me pruning again to straighten up what they'd reshaped. Someone has to come to an understanding around here on who gets the final say on the roses :) My fault, I'd been lax in spraying repellent with the uninviting weather, now this afternoon I've got to get that done so it doesn't happen again. (((((hugs)))))

About 20 years ago, while hospitalized, I was given a shot in the thigh- never had anything as painful & I knew the nurse had hit a nerve. Dr. tried to tell me different- but I knew something was amiss- touching the area or running a hand across it was like an electrical shot. That sensation passed, but weeks later while hand sewing I realized I had stuck three straight pins in my leg instead of the pincushion beside me! It still feels weird if touched- tho' not like before. Shoot me in the leg or rear end, but don't come near my thighs with a needle. Suzi

I woke up with right hand swelling and within weeks the swelling included the left hand. Then it was the right and left foot, right and left knee, back of right and left knee, legs, both forearms and elbows, swollen veins under tongue, swollen eyes from the beginning. My hands will not close so I have no grip but I do have muscle strength. Mid Feb 2011, I started to get short of breath. I do have speckled ANA antibodies but that is it. Nothing else in my blood work is abnormal. They did 2 weeks of in hospital testing (Doppler of legs, vascular study, lymphatic study, CT stomach, Ultrasound stomach and liver, X-ray chest, Echo of heart, pelvic ultrasound, mammogram, CT brain). The doc are giving me prednisone to deal with the swelling symptoms but I think the drug has made me as weak as a kitten and raised my resting heart beat since being sick from 72 bpm to 115 bpm. I think the docs are on the wrong track. Not one doctor will agree to a body MRI. All the symptoms just came on too fast. I will be 50 this year. I am hoping someone out there can relate and share their answers.

Hi nannie! I don't usually look at this site but I just had a hysterectomy in July so I was wondering around looking for information. Before I had my hysterectomy I'd had a very heavy period for about 6 weeks. I was willing to put up with anything to not have surgery. That was a mistake. I lost so much blood that my hemoglobin dropped to 6, I beleve the low end of normal is 11. I was in a great deal of pain and couldn't really do anything. Too worn out, out of breath and in so much pain I couldn't move. I ended up in the hospital and got 2 units of blood and then surgery the next day. My uterus was big too but I've had kids so that helped and they where able to do it vaginally. You know you can't go on the way you are now, beleve me I tried hard to keep going thinking it would some how take care of itself. It didn't and it would of been a whole lot better if I had planned this thing out and schedaled things instead of ending up with an emergency situation. I'm 52 so I'm a bit older then you. They gave me a hormone patch which has helped me. I hadn't had any hot flashes or problems with memopause before my surgery but I had them take everything and I sure have had some problems after. I plan to cut the amount of hormone down in the future and eventually get off of the hormones completely. But not now I need to recover first before I can deal with anything more. Well thats my 2 cents!!