Thank you !! ((F))

CaliNurse and Mike :)
MRI was not covered by the insurance for some reason, but CAT scan was.

Congrats to all with your weight loss. Slow but steady is best (I keep telling myself). Went jean shopping today since all of mine are too big--I'm down a full size since early Jan.--doing the HAPPY dance!!! Ten more pounds to go...oh so slowly!

Scarlett--thinking of your daughter and sending good thoughts your way. Waiting for test results is hard. JJ5, am also sending good vibes and best wishes your way.

Have a great weekend, all!

Scarlett, we must have the same insurance! I had CT too...

rave: jorr, a blizzard sounds so exciting!! I wouldn't mind 1 or 2 big snowfalls a year. But not likely to get it here in socal!

rant: how can anyone love a big oil company like Exxon? A strange thing to have affection for, imo.

Scarlett wrote,

"Baby girl had head CAT scanned.
We keep telling her it will be empty, not to worry
Fingers crossed for just that-empty!"

LOL!! As I've mentioned before, about 10 years ago I had surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. I did not tell my grandparents until it was over and I was cured because I was concerned for their heart conditions. When I finally got the nerve to tell them, I was so worried they would be mad that I kept it from them. But my Granddaddy said, in his deep Southern accent, "I didn't know you had a brain." It was such comic relief!!

:-))

Wishing her the best, please do keep us posted. Also wishing the best to Faina's friend.

JJ5, you are still in my thoughts.

LoveItaly, your grandson must be quite a guy. I know you're proud, and rightfully so. :-)

swalter, many congrats on your new little Fodorite!!

OWJ, I would so love for you to join me in London. I'll send you the money for the plane ticket. The check's in the email. :-))

Rant, but a silly one: Last weekend we left the heater off because it was so warm in the daytime. I woke around 5am Sunday and the house was cold. We have a small doggie-gate between the living room and kitchen to keep the dog out of the living room. I thought the gate was not up and I was half-asleep at 5am, so I was walking very fast in the dark toward the living room to turn on the heater. It turned out the gate was up, so I crashed through the gate and took it all the way down!! I fell flat on the floor, while my left knee and right elbow took the brunt of the fall. DH came running in and helped me up. My knee has a cut, a big bruise, and a goose egg, and my elbow scraped so hard against the carpet it bled!! I felt so stupid. :-[

Rave: For the last couple of years we've talked about pulling up the carpet in the living room and putting down ceramic tile. If we had done that, I probably would have broken some bones last weekend. Ceramic tile doesn't sound like such a good idea any more.....:-(

Rave: Winter Olympics are on!! I'm logging off to watch now. :-)

frankie,
Not if the stock ownership has gone (tax free) through through several generations and...
So many long term financially mindless folks on this forum!!
M

jorr,
I'm waiting for a reply:
What's NOT TRUE????
M

just remember, Mike ... the love of money is the root of all evil!
I have nothing against capitalism, that's for sure!
However, the mindless pursuit of money regardless of cost to human life or the environment is not admirable. There's just more to life than the bottom line.

frankie,
Just enjoying my and my several prior gens' success.
Why do the lib thing and dump on me - condsider the Kennedy fam who have done nothing for the USA, lol.
M

jorr?

enjoy yourself, M. You can't take it with you...and San Miguel looks like a wonderful place to enjoy, hope to visit it someday, since I love the rest of Mexico so much.
But thinking of others is still the most important thing in life...

Had a bit too much wine today, Mmo?

Your attempts to pick a fight in cyberspace is not attractive.

swalter, congratulations! Welcome, Samantha!

Oh PM, your fall sounds so terrible, I am so glad it was on carpeting and not ceramic tile! Hope you are alright.

And Swalter, so many best wishes to you, you family and your new little daughter. May she always have a beautiful life full of good health, many joys and may all her dreams come true. Enjoy every special moment with your precious bundle of joy!!

Mikemo, "Just enjoying my and my several prior gens' success.Why do the lib thing and dump on me"

Get off the booze dude! I don't think you will even remember what you wrote when you wake up in the morning.

Rave: the opening cerimonies of the Torino Olympics were Fantastic. I really liked the way the five rings came together. Wish I could spend a few days there.

Ooops, what I posted came out sounding different from how it was meant. Didn't mean why CT scan INSTEAD of MRI, but rather ""why CT " iIF Scarlett wanted to say the reason for her daughter's test. I had both. In my case, all that indicated a tumor on CT scan was a barely visible, slightly darker area of edema. On MRI, it was as clear as a pen and ink drawing. My understanding is that intracranial bleeds are well visualized on CT, but tumors are more clear on MRIs.
At least we don't have to go through the diagnostic tool for brain tumors of pre-CT days--the pneumoencephalogram, a horrendous procedure so excruciatingly painful that a friend said she'd rather die of the tumor, than ever experience that again.

RAVE: Mikemo, you are so right: the advances that have been made by today's neuroradiologists are truly amazing!!! "My" neurosurgeon was brilliant, AND compassionate; I also had the good fortune to be assigned to neuroradiologist Dr. John Adler, who virtually invented cyberknife in its current form.
RAVE: Hope I didn't forget to thank all for their good wishes last month. It means sooo much! An enormous and grateful rave for caring Fodorites!!
RAVE: specifically in case Mikemo didn't see this last week, but for all, a fantastic website, "IntheshadowoftheBlade" especially for VN vets and their families who went through so much, but also for those who want to learn, understand and respect the price that was paid.

Wishes and prayers for all who are experiencing the pain of worry for loved ones.

What LoveItaly said!

Belle

P_M, I'm so sorry you fell and injured yourself. At Christmas while putting up the outdoor lights I fell off the ladder onto the concrete driveway. Weird experience--as though someone had kicked the ladder out from under me, I have no idea what happened. We were thinking of leaving the driveway concrete but now I think we should carpet it, lol! :-) Take good care--you have a great trip coming up!

Swalter, I just read your news now, and I'm telling you this. CONGRATULATIONS! And a GIRL, you did it right the very first time.

Blessings on your family and I truly hope to see Samantha's little face as well as yours, soon.

And what timing, now you have Italy to watch during your recuperation time.

Thanks all and keep the prayers coming.

CaliNurse, Intheshadowoftheblade- getting it for the collection at my library- absolutely.

And mikemo, you are right about sour grapes and any measures of success. I've finished "Look Away" and have started the sequel.

Good watching for everybody- Torino looks magnificent!

JJ5,
You'll like "Until the End".

Coyle's next "Cat and Mouse" has received good previews and is due for publication in early May.

Have you read "Guns of the South", Harry Turtledove? SciFi History in which the South receives unlimited supplies of modern automatic weapons as the Wilderness campaign begins.

M