If you really want to in-depth information and analysis, look at hiring an (IH) Industrial Hygienist. An IH will inspect and analyze conditions of the home or workplace for potential health hazards. This could cost one or two thousand dollars for a home inspection but if itÂs a competent IH, they should find the problem if there is one. I have seen mostly false alarms when people have a heightened awareness to environmental issues like this. It usually pops up when they see something on TV or in the newspapers or get bad advice from ill-informed people in the community. DonÂt get me wrong, there are plenty of sick buildings out there and I have seen many of them. The problem is too many look to building issues when nothing can be seen and ignore obvious issues that are glaring. Not trying to be a smart ass but your catÂs age is a glaring one IMO. Now if all your cats were four and five yearÂs old, different story. Also if your cats were adopted, who knows what they were exposed to in their early years and these diseases can take many years to develop. My favorite example of ignoring the obvious was an office building in DC where all twelve floors of the HVAC system had to be cleaned because one office worker started a panic about everyone working in a sick building. The woman was in her 50Âs and was complaining of severe headaches and joint pains after being in the office all day for her new job. The woman smoked two packs a day, was over 350 pounds and supposedly had a drinking problem but she still insisted the building was causing her symptoms. The HVAC system was dirty and needed to be cleaned anyway but the womanÂs symptoms didnÂt go away after the building was cleaned. DUUUUUHHHHH???? Ed McMahon was one of the most notorious to start the "toxic mold killed my pet" lawsuit which turned into mass hysteria about mold and pets. Ed McMahon sued his insurance company for 20 million dollars because a contractor apparently didnÂt clean up a broken pipe in his house properly. Mold developed and EdÂs dog died soon afterwards and nobody had an ounce of evidence the dog didnÂt die from natural causes. Ed settled out of court for 7.2 million dollars and itÂs well known that Ed probably did it because he was broke, not because his dog died. In my experience, the list of false alarms is far, far longer than the list of legitimate sick buildings. Look to obvious answers first such as diet, life style and use of chemicals around the home. Address the basics first because they are usually the problem. Then look at gas operated systems as they are an easy fix if not functioning properly. After all that, if you still have problems, dig deeper for mold, radon or other environmental issues. If you want peace of mind, find a good IH but itÂs going to cost you. After he/she is done however, I wager youÂll need to start at square one anyway because the IH didnÂt find much. Good luck,

For those still reading this thread, here is an example of the types of studies that the Army of Women recruits study candidates for. This came in my e-mail today: Have you completed your cancer treatments? Are you trying to remember what your "old self" was like because you still feel tired and run down? Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are conducting a study exploring whether women who do yoga or participate in a wellness program experience a reduction in their post-treatment fatigue. If you are a breast cancer survivor who lives in Los Angeles, is feeling fatigued, and has completed primary treatment at least six months ago, you might be interested in this study. Whether this study is the right fit for you or not, lets mobilize our Army of Women to help fill this study! Pass it on, blog about it, post it, or tweet it! WhatÂs the study about? The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of a series of relaxing yoga classes to a Wellness Seminar series on energy, mood, physical function, and the activity of the immune and endocrine systems in women who have survived breast cancer. Sixty (60) breast cancer survivors are needed for this study. WhatÂs involved? If you are interested in joining this study, you will be asked to come to the UCLA Westwood Campus for an initial screening that will last about one hour. At this time, the researchers will assess your overall health and physical capabilities to be sure this study is a right fit for you. If you take part, you will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to either participate in a 12-week series of yoga classes or a 12-week Wellness Seminar. The yoga program is deeply restful and uses special poses to target fatigue and promote well-being. The yoga classes will be held twice per week in a West Los Angeles yoga studio and each class will last 1 ½ hours. The Wellness Seminar provides targeted information on fatigue and other key aspects to cancer survivorship, including expert lectures on nutrition, stress management, and sleep. The Wellness Seminar will be held once per week at the UCLA campus and will last 2 hours. After all assessments are completed, you will be offered the opportunity to access information and/or services provided in whichever program you did not experience as part of the research study. This is completely voluntary; no further study assessments will take place. You will be asked to keep a diary during the study to assess changes in fatigue, mood, sleep, pain and other behavioral symptoms. You will also have samples of blood and saliva collected at various times during the study. When you sign up for the study, the researcher will contact you, and will provide a detailed explanation and schedule of all study procedures. Who is conducting the study? Julienne E. Bower, PhD, at the University of California, Los Angeles Where? The University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center in Westwood, California Who can participate? You can join the Yoga and Wellness Program for Survivors study if you match ALL of these MAIN categories: ÂYou were diagnosed with stage 0, I, or II breast cancer (there is no requirement related to date of diagnosis) ÂYou have completed your primary breast cancer treatment at least 6 months ago. (primary treatment includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Continuing to take tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor will be allowed) ÂYou have no evidence of a breast cancer recurrence or having another cancer ÂYou are post-menopausal ÂYou are a woman between the ages of 40 - 65 years ÂYou are not a regular (daily) smoker ÂYou are not a heavy drinker ( having more than two alcoholic beverages per day in a 7-day period) ÂYou are able to go to the UCLA Westwood Campus (and possibly a West Los Angeles yoga studio) to participate in study procedures ÂYou have no physical limitations that might interfere with your ability to do yoga The researcher may ask you additional questions to be sure this study is a right fit for you.

OMG. None of those except for the Cheerios would make it in the door at my house. We get stuff like Barbara's and Kashi. The best way, IMO, to make grilled cheese: 1. bread, sliced thin cheese or shredded cheese, and butter. These are the essential ingredients. I like to jazz it up if it's just me eating it and add things like: Rosemary Sourdough bread, goat cheese, havarti cheese, tomato, arugula, prosciutto, etc... Anyway, the basic method is this: Butter both slices of bread, one side only. In a non-stick skillet on medium high place the bread butter-side down until it's melted and the bread is golden toasty and buttery. Turn the bread over, immediately add the cheese and top with the other slice. Both buttered sides are now on the inside of the sandwich (and melting the cheese). Lower the heat on your pan and get a lid that just fits over the top of the sandwich, creating a little tent. Put the lid over it for 30 seconds, flip the sandwich, repeat. Remove the lid. This helps to flash-melt the cheese. Take some more butter, pick the sandwich up with the spatula, and place the pat of butter in the pan and put the sandwich on top of the butter. Move the sandwich around, cook until that side is golden brown. Flip, repeat, serve. I like to add thin sliced tomato after when I'm cooking a basic sandwich. I don't like cooked tomato. But you can add your other ingredients at any time. The basic idea, for me, is to avoid soggy bread and have thoroughly melted cheese. The mayo, when I use it, is used on the outside of the bread in the first step, flipped to the inside. So the cheese is on the cooked mayo side when the sandwich is finished and the outside is buttered. My DH hates cooked mayo, but I think it really adds good flavor. You don't need a lot, just a very thin layer, enough to turn golden on the bread. Serve with really good mustard or ketsup or tomato soup.

I didn't realize that there was any such thing as a benign melanoma, but I sure hope your girl's turns out to be benign. Three weeks seems like a tremendously long time to wait for a pathology report, though. I'm also confused about the anesthesia. Why would they say anesthesia for no more than an hour when the procedure itself is no more than 15 mins? Why would they keep her anesthetized for potentially an extra 45 mins? These are questions I’d be asking. Vets use Metacam because, as far as I know, it is the only anti-inflammatory labeled for any sort of use in cats (bupe, Tramadol, and fentanyl are exclusively painkillers), though that labeled use does not include the type of surgery your girl will be having. Still, I don’t permit its use in my cats. There are far too many reports of serious illness and death associated or suspected with Metacam. The manufacturer of Metacam also has kidney-related warnings in its package insert relative to its use in cats. If the manufacturer is putting these issues in the package insert, I’m certainly not going to dismiss it. Here’s a link to the package insert. I recommend you read it in its entirety: http://www.bi-vetmedica.com/content/dam/internet/ah/vetmedica/com_EN/product_files/metacam/Metacam%20cat%20Injectable%20PI.pdf As far as buprenorphine is concerned, it’s important to note that ALL drugs come with risks. This is especially true with cats who are, as a species, drug-sensitive. It’s just another situation where you have to weigh risks and benefits, and do your due diligence in researching reports of adverse drug events. Metacam has developed a problematic reputation among many owners whose cats have suffered adverse effects from its use. As far as I know, buprenorphine does not have nearly as many reported adverse events associated with its use in cats. Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook, the drug reference used by most practicing veterinarians, offers these precautions relative to bupe’s use, “All opiates should be used with caution in patients with hypothyroidism, severe renal insufficiency, adrenocortical insufficiency (Addison’s), and in geriatric or severely debilitated patients. … Rarely, patients may develop respiratory depression from buprenorphine; it, therefore, should be used cautiously in patients with compromised cardiopulmonary function. …” My animals have been my primary teachers over the decades … but the Internet comes in mighty handy, too. Laurie