Dawn,

Please accept my apology for calling you by the wrong name; ’tis my greatest fear on boards like this! 😮

Thank you, and Kelly, for responding with suggestions about what tests to request. I’ve pushed for an LP from the first two neuro’s, with basically no response. With my EMG results confirming demyelination, reduced velocities, and prolonged f-waves, it has always seemed the logical next step, to me. But, I am neither God, nor a neuro with a bad case of “mistaken identity”. :rolleyes:

John…are ALL Brits such whiners????? 😀 (that’s poor, American humor/sarcasm)

I refer you back to one of your countrymen (again)….

“Never, never, never, never give up.”

“If you find you’re going through hell, keep going.”

or, my favorite of the day…

“I like a man who grins when he fights!” 😎

“Stiff Upper Lip”, “Rot, Rot”, and all that stuff….

In all seriousness…if this is your first encounter with a chronic illness, a psychiatrist/psychologist/good bartender IS required. Chronic illness often causes grief…you’ve LOST something very near and dear, your health…and it’s just a devastating as losing a loved one. Except, in this case, your former self is the “loved one”.

[B][I]Especially keep that sense of humor; it will be your best weapon and closest ally.[/I][/B]

Elmo

[FONT=”Comic Sans MS”][SIZE=”3″]Sorry Iowagal, for hogging your blood type thread with this Shingles stuff, but I found this article on Medscape by Charles Argoff, MD and just wanted to share it here

. Percentages of Herpes Zoster Patients With Persistent Pain

The percentages of people who experience pain on an ongoing basis after experiencing [B][SIZE=”2″]acute herpes zoster or shingles[/SIZE][/B] increases dramatically as age increases. The percentages of people who will experience pain for longer than a month, dramatically goes up after approximately age 39 or 40. In a somewhat delayed fashion, the incidence of true postherpetic neuralgia, that is, pain that persists for months or years afterwards, goes up dramatically after approximately age 50.

It is important to realize that everyone is theoretically at risk, so you want to treat all people acutely as well as possible. But as one gets older, the persistence of pain is more likely.[/SIZE][/FONT]

As if we didn’t have enough going on?:(
V

Donna,
I remembered a past post about the weddings, so understood why you haven’t been here. It’s a happy time to help wipe away a few of the tears of sad ones.

Hello Eric,
I would just like to add that when we’ve been on this forum long enough, we build up a “silent understanding” of each other. We know when someone is missing, they are doing well (which is what we pray for) or they need an alone time. We learn how to back off gently or to read “rude” posts as if it were a grain.

There is no need to apologize to those who know you. We are happy you are venting here, rather then keeping it inside yourself.