Introductions! OT

You might find her on MK now. Haven't looked into that group lately, don't know if it's still over run with tr*lls or not.

Kalera,

Thanks!!

1) I feel it isn't done yet (can't order online or anything) but mostly 2) I always write to the newsgroup from work and I already have trouble with changing back and forth between my real email address and the phone newsgroup one. People at work are always trying to respond to my emails, whcih bounce because snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAM.hotmail.com of course doesn't exist, and write to me that I shouldn't send work-related email from home!

Anyhow, thanks a lot for the complement! I really should spread it around, because I'm pretty sure noone ever uses the site; I've never made a single sale or even gotten a single query from it.

Marisa2

Kalera Stratt> Marisa, your website is gorgeous! Hello! Why have I never seen this

hee hee paper bag and used wrapping paper collections- I have those. I also a have a very extensive empty box collection!!!!

When I got married I got rid of my paper bag collection and used wrapping paper collection. I still have way way way to many knickknacks (sp?), "fancy"

may someday be useful for a party, birthday and holiday cards from everyone who ever

This cracked me up. Poodle deprived - yes I am!!!

Yikes. I'm not a Mom - but the BF has a 9 and a 13 year old. I can't imagine either of them in skimpy clothes or asking to be pierced. Don't know about Mom, but I know what Dad would say to either of those requests!!!

Kathy K (who tried the "but everyone else" ploy maybe once! My Mom was having none of that!!!)

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "KDK" :

]Kathy K (who tried the "but everyone else" ploy maybe once! My Mom was ]having none of that!!!)

**grin** didn't work for Jamie, either, much to her disgust at the time.

however, both she and Johnny did come back later and say "Thank you, Mom!"

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

newest creations: ----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "KDK" :

]hee hee paper bag and used wrapping paper collections- I have those. I also ]a have a very extensive empty box collection!!!!

and "packing materials" of all kinds.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

newest creations: ----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.

Okay, this cracked me UP. ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

The tragedy, long denied in polite society, only continues to grow and fester. Here on RCB, we consider our efforts to be in the service of recovery, though of course never a cure. (sobbing) ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

I hate to throw cold water on some of these rants, but having worked in mental health for 40 yrs I have learned that serotonin(a key neurotransmitter in depression) is also active in pain control. The docs you have seen are probably well intentioned, but GPs and surgeons only know enough about psych drugs to be dangerous. They vastly under prescribe ( doses way too low) and often use the wrong antidepressant for the situation- they really are different. If you think you are depressed, and most chronic pain patients are at some level, get a consult with a psychopharmacologist who really knows the pluses and minuses of each med and how it might apply to you. GPs and OB/GYNs unfortunately are victims of the hype of drug salesmen. These guys are on commission, the more their docs Rx their drug the bigger their bonus. Is this a conflict of interest? You bet your bippy it is. AND, they have almost unlimited expense accounts to sway your doc.. My nickel's worth.

What **I** hate is when I sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes and watch 5 drug reps go in and out while I (and others) wait! GRRRRRR....... Then, when I get back to my room to wait some more, all I can hear is the chatter of drug reps. ARGH. I'm about ready to go to my next appt in a dark suit carrying a sample case and breeze right through the reception area.....

How about when you find a doctor that really HAS A CLUE and then your insurance says, oh, we don't cover him/her any more?!

I am dropping $180 every 3-6 weeks to continue to see the doctor who has made a HUGE difference for me.

After taking me off of the Zyprexa that pushed my weight from 148 to

213 lb in just under 9 months... (huh, ya think there might have been a problem there?) And working WITH me and LISTENING to what I have to say about drugs that do or do not work for me, I have been pretty stable for the first time in years. I tend to be very medication resistant, and he realizes this and has been constantly tweeking or rotating the meds we've found that work.. seroquel, wellbutrin, prozac, effexor, etc... as well as heavy duty sleeping pills to keep me rested and stable. I am actually going back to work for the first time in 2 years! yipee!!!

The only thing I can't talk him into is vallium. I first had it for my back during a really bad time(I have multiple ruptured and disintigrated discs) and not only did it relax me enough to drop the pain by a few degrees, it also took the edge off of my anxiety. Didn't make me loopy, or sleepy or anything, but he is afraid I'll become addicted. HAW!!! I've been on Oxycontin for years without an addiction. (probably because it doesn't do squat) but I can't sway him. Oh, well. I get by for now.

Umm...tja...but I didn't have to mention THOSE collections, right, because 1/2 front closet full of used packing materials and little boxes is bound to be USEFUL at any moment...

marisa2

Kerry likes that year too, especially August

Kandice, You already know we love your work. The fact that you have been doing it for less than 2 yrs is awesome. Someday we will be able to say "we knew her when". Having more work than you can keep up with is the best confirmation I can imagine of your talent. Keep up the good work and the development. Thank you for sharing your gifts.

Roxan quoted my intro post, but it does not show up on my browser. Is everyone else seeing it but me???? Just curious Armand(Kerry's gofor)

Thanks, Armand,

I've been working on this for quite a while. My disabling Depression (the disease as opposed to the feeling) is not related to pain. Ironically, I've been working on it long enough that my mental health is actually very good -- same as an amputee can have very good physical health. The psychologist is outstanding, and I've seen psychiatrists for the meds, but I'm very resistant to medicines, seeming to have more side effects than good effects, making it hard to get a really therapeutic dose going.. Thyroid is also key (Free T4, since I produce the thyroid just don't fully convert it).

Unfortunately we have only one neuro-psychiatrist in town and he hasn't taken any new (psych) cases in 5 years. Next closest one would be in Anchorage, almost 400 miles away.

Tina

I have to agree with Armand here. I take a low dose of Effexor, an antidepressant, which is the only thing that allows me to enter stage D sleep. Not entering stage D sleep would give anyone chronic pain. (I don't take Effexor for depression.)

You have to keep these things in perspective. Drugs of every variety are used for off-label therapies -- Botox, for instance, is used for migraines, excessive sweating, and wrinkles. (How different can those uses possibly be, you know?)

~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

This is something I think cannot be said often enough! ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

Times have changed and I think the deregulation of the drug industry is horrible. Those ambiguous TV and magazine ads make me cringe. Get the (generally unknowing) public just curious enough to demand something 'as seen on tv' of their doctor. And those commercials about rocket science vs. drug research and its costs. Puhleeeeze! Pull the damed ads and spend THAT money on research, idjit!

But anyway. I have to say a few good word for drug reps, too. Many docs, including the very first one I trained with as a medical assistant, and my current one, spend time TALKING with the reps, learning what they wouldn't otherwise have time to learn about the newest and coolest (part of one of my many jobs was winnowing journals for useful data points on meds). Plus they get samples which are frequently given to patients to save them money...as trials or just because it's something new that the doc (or staff) knows the patient can't otherwise afford. If you have a doctor like this, let them know how valuable this assistance is! Samples ARE a good thing. I had to try

3 meds before I found one that worked right for my blood pressure. Now I'm happy and well, and didn't have to spend a fortune getting there.

Once upon a time, when I was new and working for my first doc, my Mom had a heart attack. Her docs put her on a new med on discharge (Inderal). It made her depressed, emotionally a mess, and gave her palpitations and panic attacks. My Mom is known for being a very level, stoic person. One day a different drug rep came into our office. I'd just gotten off the phone with my Mom and was rattled. Dan (bless him, I still remember his name) asked what was wrong, and I gave him the short version. He made a face, told me there were negative reports about Inderal and mentioned another, also new, alternative. I asked him if he ever visited my Mom's docs, and thankfully he did. He went there that afternoon, talked to them, and by that evening Mom was being weaned off the Inderal and put on Verapamil instead. She improved rapidly after the transition, and has survived 22 years and counting since that MI. Thank you Dan, wherever you are.

Not all reps are the same. The field has definitely changed over the last 20 years. But as skeptical as I generally am, I know it's not ALL bad. I'm thankful for new blood pressure meds that don't make me pee constantly AND don't kill my libido. I'm thankful for allergy meds that keep me conscious and downright alert while stopping my sneezes and wheezes. I'd love to see radical changes in the drug industry, but I'm still glad we have what we've got.

KarenK