Thanks everyone. Only thing is, we haven't mowed the grass yet (probably will have to start this weekend) and we don't use any maintenance companies. However, quite a few of our neighbors have little 4-wheelers for their kids so I am actually suspecting one of them crashed into it. (Don't get me started on the lack of personal responsibility or at the very least telling us what happened.) We didn't plant the tree, but it doesn't surprise me that it was planted too low. Our builder slapped these houses up in no time and I'm sure the landscape company they used operated the same way. I'll see if I can pull back the mulch... definitely not a volcano (I have learned a thing or two on these forums!). Will see if time heals all!

I agree with ginger in terms of getting an assessment, although you should know going into this that you may need to be persistent. I recently read a study that stated most physicians reach a diagnosis within 11 minutes of seeing you - if, of course, they give you 11 minutes. Therefore, your primary care physician may not nail your problem in the first visit. Or the second. There are a number of things that could be going on, including microtrauma to the wrist, epicondylitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, etc. I would work with your primary care doctor and request a consult with a physical therapist (PT) to do an ergonomic evaluation of your work situation. A PT can also do therapy and give you home exercises if required. A chiropractor is not going to be very useful unless there is cervical involvement - extremities are not their forte. Also, despite what their PR states, most chiropractors are quite reductionist - if you want holistic, see a naturopathic physician or a Chinese medicine practitioner that does both herbs and acupuncture. Finally, don't waste your time taking B6 or MSM. I love how people toss supplements around like they are some kind of magic candy. They are not. I imagine this is like how you would feel if someone told your clients to simply "toss in some annuals" or "fill that space with arbor vitae." If you're feeling a bit stressed, fine, take B6. But if you have an actual medical condition, you need a medical protocol designed by a medical professional trained in natural therapies. To use B6 as an example, this means assessing how much B6 you are already getting (for example, in your diet or multivitamin), if you have an intolerance for B vitamins, if B6 is more effective than other natural therapies, if B6 might work better in a specific form or with another supplement, if B6 is contraindicated because of some other medication you are taking, and so on. If you do need B6, it should be taken at a specific dose for a specific period of time. Same with MSM or glucosamine or SAM-e or chondroitin - MSM in particular is tricky stuff that often requires large doses to get the desired effect. Then there is the issue of where you get the B6 or MSM or other supplements. If you are buying the garbage they sell at WalMart, then you will most likely not get the response you are looking for - not unlike what would happen if your clients were to buy their plants there. To use a metaphor I am sure you can appreciate, first you need to get to the root of the problem. Then, hopefully, something actually useful can be done about it. Good luck.

Mmm. I am wondering how you can prevent your dogs from running to the fence and fighting with the other dog because we have the same problem with out two dogs. They are well trained and WILL NOT listen when the other dog is out (our neighbors dog which also barks and growls at the fence) We have tried everything and our dogs still do this. NO ONE seems to be able to help us! Augie: I hope that your dog is doing ok. This is so scary! Your neighbors are probably feeling terrible. Don't let everyone make you upset. Our two boys are adopted also and although we train them and are trying to be perfect doggie parents some times they have habits that are hard to break! Sometimes it takes years to see certain habits die. We don't know how our dogs were treated before we adopted them. One of them still runs away when take off your belt :( although we have had him for years and never have hit him! Anyways, back to the fence issue. Our dogs listen nearly all the time and we do the "nothing is free" method of training yet we can not figure out how to stop them from running to the fence. We can distract them sometimes but this doesn't work all the time. I have posted on this forum about it too and we still haven't been able to stop the issue. Although it is a little better.

I don't know if this is one of those things that differs by location, but I saw something on TV that said that victims of bad injuries should seek at least a basic psychological evaluation straight away because they don't know the longterm effects--what feels understandably shaky now could prove to be a real problem later--and a professional evaluation is evidence, while self-reporting that you're scared of being run over again is not. Additionally, seeking help early may deal with the effects and stave off the kinds of longterm issues that require heavy treatment. From that point of view, if that's accurate, I don't think it's wrong for the lawyer to suggest an evaluation. What would be wrong is if it were a referral to a particular practitioner. While the attorney might have an interest in having the victims seen by psychologists who have experience testifying in this kind of case, the potential for collusion and other forms of dishonesty is too large. The victims themselves could ask APA or a similar organization for referrals if they want that kind of expertise.