Tag: United States

A change of Heart


Thirteen years ago, we celebrated Tienie, Vic’s father’s, birthday at his memorial service.  Since the 29th of October Vic has relived every second of her father’s final journey.  It has been indelibly burnt into her memory, her being, and her life.

Thirteen years ago Vic stood up in front of hundreds of Tienie’s friends, family, colleagues, lovers, ex-lovers, ex-wives and delivered a beautiful and moving eulogy!  She honored her father by talking about what he represented in everyone’s lives.  How giving he was…

Tienie gave his family and friends love, laughter, friendship and joy, and we knew he would want to give someone else the opportunity to have a better life.  Vic made the brave decision to honor her father’s unwritten wishes.  She gave permission for Tienie’s organs to be harvested and donated.

As we said our goodbyes we were able to celebrate his generosity.  He had given men and women a heart, lungs, kidneys, retina, bone, pancreas, and skin…  For one or other reason his liver was not used.  Up to today we joke and say that he used up his own liver…

Vic received letters from grateful families thanking her for the gift of life that they had received from her daddy.

I often wonder about the fortunate person who received Tienie’s heart.   I wonder whether elements of a person’s character – or even their soul – are transplanted along with a heart.   CLAIRE SYLVIA, a divorced mother of one, was 47 and dying from a disease called primary pulmonary hypertension when, in 1988, she had a pioneering heart-lung transplant in America.  She was given the organs of an 18-year-old boy who had been killed in a motorcycle accident near his home in Maine.

Claire, a former professional dancer, then made an astonishing discovery: she seemed to be acquiring the characteristics, and cravings (beer and KFC), of the donor.  Claire catalogued her journey by writing a book called A Change Of Heart.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-558256/I-given-young-mans-heart—started-craving-beer-Kentucky-Fried-Chicken-My-daughter-said-I-walked-like-man.html#ixzz2BrWBPp7G 

The recipient of Tienie’s heart could take on a couple of beautiful characteristics; develop a love for beer, whiskey and women…  He/she would also prefer vegetables to meat, be honest to the core of his/her soul…. He/she would not cry… Party hard and work even harder.  He/she would have a wonderful, mischievous sense of humor  be very tidy and lose their ability to dance…

Today I miss my first love.  I miss the father of my child.  I am grateful that he does not have to go through the hell of Vic’s disease.  I thank God for the child he fathered.  I am grateful that he and Danie got on well.

By writing this post I do not want to detract from the wonderful marriage that I have.  I am so grateful for the second chance I had at love and happiness.  I thank God for the wonderful husband He gave me, the Dad that Vic was given.  I thank God for Danie.  He is an amazing Dad to Vic.  Tienie will always be her father but Danie is her Dad.  Danie is the greatest gift I received from God and I love my life with him.  I love Danie with every fiber of my body.  I will ALWAYS love Danie.

But today I miss my first love, my friend, the father of my child.

Happy birthday Tienie.

 

 

 

 

Remission 15.10.2012


Vic and her boys!

On the 17th of September Vicky was accepted onto the Hospice program.  Dr Sue Walters, the Hospice doctor and Sr Ceza, Hospice Nursing Sister, thought she would die within days.  Vic was barely conscious  and too weak to walk.  Vic was breathing but had already ceased to live!

In two days’ time we celebrate Vic’s “One Month with Hospice” and I think she is getting stronger every day.  We still have bad days but her pain control is great!  Vic is reasonably mobile; she laughs and spends constructive time with the boys and the family!  She is sorting out photos and all sorts of things that she has neglected for months.  She is spending less time in bed.  She is sleeping less and eating more.

It is as if she has a new lease on life!

Could it be possible that the pain was killing her? Is it possible that the adhesions have stopped their devastating path of destruction?  That just maybe the sepsis has cleared?

Vic still needs assistance with basics.  Vic could live like this.  We could live like this.  Please let this continue!  Today I pray that this is the case.  I pray for a miracle.  I pray that Vic is in remission.

Remission (medicine), the state of absence of disease activity in patients with a chronic illness, with the possibility of return of disease activity.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remission

September and awareness of pain


 

The month of September is dedicated to help bring awareness to a very much misunderstood disease, Chronic Pain (C/P). In the USA, Chronic Pain has finally been inducted by the American Medical Association as a disease, with its own diagnostic code even though it encompasses multiple over-lapping conditions and diseases.

As a mother of a terminally ill child, who suffers debilitating chronic pain, I have researched pain extensively.  I have argue
d with physicians and meet with pain specialists at the pain clinic every month.  I have bullied hospital nursing staff.  I have witnessed and lived my child screaming like a wounded animal from pain….. Doctors telling her that she is a morphine addict and pharmacists double-checking and verifying Vic’s scripts…

Yet the levels of Vic’s pain force us to eat humble pie.  We have to go back time after time asking and even begging for pain medication.

Tracy at http://ohwhatapain.wordpress.com/ is a passionate advocate bringing awareness about this chronic illness, and this month she has a special project. Please visit Tracy’s blog. Even if you are not directly involved chances are there is someone in your life that is.  I have a headache (maybe) once a year.  I never have a tummy ache, earache, toe-ache or any ache as a matter of fact.  Yet I am a specialist on the subject of pain…  I will therefore participate as a caregiver of someone who suffers debilitating chronic pain…..

So from Tracy’s Blog this month and all month-long;

 Please answer the following questions:

  1. What condition(s) do you have that have led you to living with chronic pain?

Vic has a frozen abdomen, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Addisons Disease and severe Endometriosis.

  • “Frozen abdomen,” is a condition  in which repeat surgeries to remove the fibrous bands create so much internal scar tissue that further surgical intervention becomes dangerous. Inflammatory conditions like appendicitis, internal infections and abdominal surgeries can cause the abdominal tissues to bind together, forming scars.  Adhesion formation in the abdominal or pelvic cavity can cause debilitating pain, nausea, vomiting, cramping. Patients with intestinal obstruction may experience constipation, diarrhea or a combination of both. In severe cases, adhesions can cause intestinal obstruction, bowel strangulation, complications with childbirth and infertility.
  • Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic bone disorder characterized by fragile bones that break easily. It is also known as “brittle bone disease.” The term literally means “bone that is imperfectly made from the beginning of life.” A person is born with this disorder and is affected throughout his or her lifetime. http://www.oif.org

The condition arises from problems with the adrenal gland itself, a state referred to as “primary adrenal insufficiency”, and can be caused by damage by the body’s own immune system, certain infections or various rarer causes. Addison’s disease is also known as chronic primary adrenocortical insufficiency, to distinguish it from acute primary adrenocortical insufficiency, most often caused by Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome. Addison’s disease should also be distinguished from secondary and tertiary adrenal insufficiency, which are caused by deficiency of ACTH (produced by the pituitary gland) and CRH (produced by the hypothalamus), respectively. Despite this distinction, Addisonian crises can happen in all forms of adrenal insufficiency.

  • Endometriosis A major symptom of endometriosis is recurring pelvic pain. The pain can be mild           to severe cramping that occurs on both sides of the pelvis, in the lower back and rectal area, and   even down the legs. The amount of pain a woman feels correlates poorly with the extent or stage      (1 through 4) of endometriosis, with some women having little or no pain despite having extensive            endometriosis or endometriosis with scarring, while other women may have severe pain even           though they have only a few small areas of endometriosis. Throbbing, gnawing, and dragging pain             to the legs are reported more commonly by women with endometriosis.[4] Compared with women with superficial endometriosis, those with deep disease appear to be more likely to report shooting        rectal pain and a sense of their insides being pulled down.[citation needed] Individual pain areas and     pain intensity appears to be unrelated to the surgical diagnosis, and the area of pain unrelated to area of endometriosis.[citation needed]

Endometriosis lesions react to hormonal stimulation and may “bleed” at the time of menstruation. The blood accumulates locally, causes swelling, and triggers inflammatory responses with the activation of cytokines. This process may cause pain. Pain can also occur from adhesions (internal scar tissue) binding internal organs to each other, causing organ dislocation. Fallopian tubes, ovaries, the uterus, the bowels, and the bladder can be bound together in ways that are painful on a daily basis, not just during menstrual periods.[citation needed]

Also, endometriotic lesions can develop their own nerve supply, thereby creating a direct and two-way interaction between lesions and the central nervous system, potentially producing a variety of individual differences in pain that can, in some women, become independent of the disease itself.[2] http:

 2. What do you want others to know about what it’s like to live with chronic pain? (i.e.- what is it no one is saying about life with chronic pain? )

Vic has lost her spontaneity.  She has to plan every single outing well in advance whether it is a trip to the hairdresser or the doctor, watching Jon-Daniel play cricket or having a cup of coffee with a friend.  Vic has lost her ability to live.  She merely breathes.

3. Which philosophy do you ascribe to:  Keep hoping that the pain will get better or learn to adapt to life with chronic pain?

Both.

4. What do you miss the most that you feel you gave up because of chronic pain?  What do you do now to fill that void?

Playing with her boys…. Vic was never able to play ball or “touches” with the boys.  Vic spent a lot of time reading to the boys when they were younger.  Now her health and pain is at levels that prohibits any compensatory actions.

 5. What have you heard from others that made you feel better? 

“It is okay to give up….”

 6. Do you feel that people view/treat you differently? How?

People get tired of hanging around people who are always ill and in pain.  They avoid Vic.  The average person does not know how to handle her raw pain and they are scared that pain or “bad luck” is contagious.  Vicky is viewed as someone who is past her “sell by” date.

 7. What coping mechanisms have you tried that worked for you?  Which ones did not work for you? (Traditional and Non-traditional)

Vic used breathing techniques earlier in the diseases timeline.  Now it is too painful.  When Vic has a good day she will do something extravagant like pick the boys up from school and take them for a milkshake.  It allows her for a brief moment to believe that her life is normal.  It is a form of a coping mechanism.  Living the moment and pretending that her life is “normal”

Related articles

 

 

Never Alone


Image

Yesterday I was really angry with Vic and the unfairness of life!!  I know it was because Jared was hurting and I was scared.  I watched nurses put needles and IV’s into my beautiful grandson.  I saw him being wheeled into theater for the second time this year.  I remembered how ill he was as a baby and a toddler.  I felt the same fear strike at my heart as 13 years ago…

I wish I could protect my child and her sons from the pain, fear and uncertainty that they live with every day of their lives.  I wish I could hold them close and ward off all hardship, pain and fear.  I cannot.  I can only promise that I will never desert them.  I will continue looking for brave doctors and cures….

So tonight I dedicate this song sung by Lady Antebellum to Vic, Jared and Jon-Daniel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnNK4Alwbsw

I love you my beautiful Vic.  Your boys are my life.

Pain medication – Dependence or Addiction?


28 days pain medication

What are the different types of pain medication options?

Different strokes for different folk… What pain medication works for one type of pain does not work for a different type of pain.  Simple example: – Morphine does not relieve toothache or headaches….. It relieves bone pain.

Medicines can often help control chronic pain. Many different drugs, both prescription and non-prescription, are used to treat chronic pain. All these medicines can cause side effects and should be taken exactly as they are prescribed. In some cases, it may take several weeks before medicines work to reduce pain. To avoid dangerous drug interactions, tell your doctor all the medicines you are taking (including herbal and other complementary medicines).

Medication Choices

You will likely be given medicines that cause the fewest side effects first (such as acetaminophen) to treat chronic pain. The dose will be increased or the medicines will be changed as needed. Medicines used to treat chronic pain include the following:

Recommended Related to Pain Management

Other therapies that may be used to treat chronic pain include:

  • Nerve block injections. An anesthetic is injected into the affected nerve to relieve pain. The anesthetic may relieve pain for several days, but the pain often returns. Although nerve blocks do not normally cure chronic pain, they may allow you to begin physical therapy and improve your range of motion.
  • Epidural steroid injections (injecting steroids around the spine). Although these injections have been used for many years and may provide relief for low back or neck pain caused by disc disease or pinched nerves, they may not work for everyone.
  • Trigger point injections. These may relieve pain by injecting a local anesthetic into trigger points (or specific tender areas) linked to chronic fascial pain or fibromyalgia. These injections do not relieve chronic pain in everyone.http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/tc/chronic-pain-medications

Vic’s pain medication as at 4.8.2012 (Transcribed from medication received from Pain Clinic

TABLET NO OF TABLETS PER DAY
TRAMADOL 50MG 4 3 TIMES PER DAY
AUSTRELL PARACETAMOL 500MG 2 3 TIMES PER DAY
STILPAYNE 2 3 TIMES PER DAY
CYMBALTA 60 2 1 TIMES PER DAY
NEURONTIN 100MG 6 3 TIMES PER DAY
SRM RHOTARD 400MG (MORPHINE)   2 TIMES PER DAY
ELTROXIN .1MG 1 IN MORNING
BACTRIM 1 3 X PER DAY
LOSEC 20MG 1 IN MORNING
STEMITIL 5MG 1 2 TIMES PER DAY
MORPHINE SYRUP 25MG/5ML AS NEEDED
JURNISTA 4MG 1 1 TIMES PER DAY
PANAFORTE 1 2 TIMES PER DAY
DEGRONOL 2 2 TIMES PER DAY

This is scary.  The amount of opioids Vic takes would certainly kill most people.  Is Vic an addict?  Certainly not!!

Opioids work by mimicking the body’s natural painkillers known as endorphins. They control pain by blocking pain messages to the brain. Because morphine is an opioid, some people worry about becoming addicted. When you take an opioid to control pain, it is unlikely that you will become addicted. The body uses the drug to control pain, not to give you a ‘high’ http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/cancer-drugs/morphine

I read a heart rendering account of chronic pain and the fear of being treated as an addict written by Tracy Rydzy, a Licensed Social Worker.  http://ohwhatapain.wordpress.com/being-treated-like-an-addict/  Tracy writes a heart rendering blog on chronic pain and prejudge that she faces every day.  Tracy writes: “I may be on medication, but I am intelligent and I know what is going on.  Please understand that I didn’t choose this for myself.  I don’t want these damn pills, but I have no other choice right now as I have exhausted my other options for pain relief.  Don’t hold my condition against me.  I understand the pen is mightier than the sword, so I can’t even ask to change dosages, I can’t request anything different, I certainly can’t be rude in any way (regardless of how you treat me) and I can’t question you because you hold my ability to move and get out of bed in your little prescription pad.”

We are so fortunate that we have access to The Pain Clinic run by very sympathetic professionals.  We do not have a problem getting a prescription for the medication.  Our problem lies in the fact that from time to time the pharmacy of the Helen Joseph Clinic runs out of Morphine both in tablet or syrup form.  Sometimes we are able to get a private script from the Pain Clinic and other times I have to go back the next day, sit in a queue again, get the script and then get it filled privately.  Try and get 4.2 litres of morphine syrup from a pharmacy….  Sometimes I am busy and then find it easier to pay a doctor for an appointment to get a script.  We may get a script for 1 litre….

Fortunately Vic’s eldest sister is a pharmacist and we are known to the staff at that particular pharmacy.  The times we have tried to use other pharmacies (because they do not have morphine in stock) we are treated with suspicion.

“Many people confuse physical dependence, which is the occurrence of withdrawal when the drug is stopped, with addiction. Withdrawal is a physical phenomenon that means that the body has adapted to the drug in such a way that a “rebound” occurs when the drug is suddenly stopped. The kind of symptoms that occur include rapid pulse, sweating, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, runny nose, “gooseflesh,” and anxiety. All people who take opioids for a period of time can potentially have this withdrawal syndrome if the drug is stopped or the dose is suddenly lowered. This is not a problem as long as it is prevented by avoiding sudden reductions in the dose.

Physical dependence is entirely different from addiction. Addiction is defined by a loss of control over the drug, compulsive use of the drug, and continued use of the drug even if it is harming the person or others. People who become addicted often deny that they have a problem, even as they desperately try to maintain the supply of the drug.

Addiction is a “bio psychosocial” disease. This means that most people who become addicted to drugs are probably predisposed (it is in the genes) but only develop the problem if they have access to the drug and take it at a time and in a way that leaves them vulnerable. A very large experience in the treatment of patients with chronic pain indicates that the risk of addiction among people with no prior history of substance abuse who are given an opioid for pain is very low. The history of substance abuse doesn’t mean that a patient should never get an opioid for pain, but does suggest that the doctor must be very cautious when prescribing and monitoring this therapy.

People with chronic pain should understand the difference between physical dependence and addiction. Unreasonable fears about addiction should not be the reason that doctors refuse this therapy or patients refuse to take it.

Tolerance to opioid drugs occurs but is seldom a clinical problem. Tolerance means that taking the drug changes the body in such a way that the drug loses its effect over time. If the effect that is lost is a side effect, like sleepiness, tolerance is a good thing. If the effect is pain relief, tolerance is a problem. Fortunately, a very large experience indicates that most patients can reach a favorable balance between pain relief and side effects then stabilize at this dose for a long period of time. If doses need to be increased because pain returns, it is more commonly due to worsening of the painful disease than it is to tolerance. “

Vic is “embarrassed” the amount of medication she needs to take to control her pain.  She is oversensitive to the point of being paranoid about being called an addict.

Is my child an addict?  Hell no!!  Does it worry me that she needs increasing amounts of medication to handle the pain associated with the deterioration of her little body?  Hell no!!  Whatever it takes for one pain-free moment in her little life!  Tracy to you and all the other chronic pain sufferers out there – I wish you all a sympathetic doctor, nurse and pharmacist!

Who is taking care of the caregiver? 5.7.2012


When my Dad was ill with Alzheimer’s, I subscribed to two forums/support groups.  I suppose I am not good at letting go because I have not left the groups despite the fact that my dad lost his fight against AD on the 20th of May 2011.  On the other hand Alzheimer’s is a terminal illness and there is a lot of synergy between my Dad and Vicky’s journeys.  I don’t think I would have gotten through my Dad’s journey if it had not been for the Caring.com group.  http://www.caring.com/home-care.  The practical advice of caring for an AD patient was of immeasurable help.  The members support helped us as a family in understanding the destruction of Alzheimer’s and recognizing the stages of the disease.

So when I received the latest post: “Who is Taking Care of the Caregiver While the Caregiver is Taking Care?” written By Carol Blackwell Alzheimer’s Reading Room, I was delighted.  I am in such a depression and totally at a lost as how to get out of it. http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2010/05/whos-taking-care-of-caregiver-while.html

I just knew there would be solid, practical advice in the article.

Carol Blackwell’s opening question is: “Are you taking care of yourself? You can’t be there for them if you aren’t there for ‘you.’ Your mood and stress affects their mood. It surely isn’t easy and life is sometimes stressful and difficult. Here are some things that helped me—you can decide if they will work for you.”

Exercise! 

Carol Blackwell wrote “I know you may be thinking you have no time to exercise because you are so busy taking care of your loved one and too tired at the end of the day. I say, that is exactly why we need to exercise.”

Right on Carol.  I don’t have time.  My days are very long and I don’t get a lot of off-time.  Last year Danie and I went for a walk every night.  Sometimes the boys joined us.  It was great and I miss it.  But I have decided that I will start exercising today!

Volunteer for service to others.
Carol Blackwell wrote:  “I imagine you are now thinking I am really weird. How can we find time to work for others when we are struggling ourselves? For me, initially, I found it was easy to sit in the house and feel sorry for us. We didn’t sign up for this disease invading our lives, we had just had gotten to the point where we could be free from work constraints, etc. Etc. Unfortunately, sitting in the house feeling sorry for us didn’t help much. It wasn’t fun and served no purpose except to make me crabby and Bob depressed. No one wants to be around crabby people.”

Carol you are weird.  I don’t have time to sit and do anything.  I have a career, a household to run, two grandsons to fetch and carry, Vic to take care of…  For many years I was very involved in working with the less fortunate.  I however believe that in the Chinese Proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  Done and dusted.  One day I would love to do some community work again but for the time being I have to concentrate on my family and their survival.  Selfish – maybe…  For now that is the way it has to be.

Do things you enjoy—you deserve it. 
Carol Blackburn wrote:  “What do you find fun and what gives you pleasure? It is different for all of us. I enjoy Wii games—I love the Wii Fitness Plus activities. They are fun. “

Tick.  I love my Children and grandchildren.  I love the patter of little children’s feet in the passages of our home, the sound of children’s laughter, and their little arms around my neck.  I desperately miss my UK grandchildren.  I am permanently miserable when I think of them.  I miss them with every fiber of my body.  Sometimes I am so weepy that I cannot even Skype with them.

I am so happy that Lanie and Tom have moved to Johannesburg.  Now we see them and the girls on a regular basis.  We spend a lot of quality time together.

Yuri, our youngest grandson asks his Mom whether he can’t come visit his Oumie every day before school…

Liza (the youngest daughter) and her husband have finished sailing around the world.  I look forward to flying down to Cape Town to visit with them.  As soon as Vic is able to cope without me we will fly off…

Vic finds the noise a little distressing.  But the little ones know Aunty Vic is ill and are so good!

Carol is right.   I enjoy having the grandchildren around and I deserve to have my grandchildren around me.  Grandchildren are the joy of my life!  And I love playing Cityville on Facebook.

Consider meditation/yoga.
Carol wrote:  “Research has found that taking time to meditate and to engage in yoga is beneficial in reducing stress.”

Maybe one day when I have time… and the energy.

Don’t be a martyr.
Carol wrote:  “Martyrs may be noble, but they really aren’t much fun. You can’t do it all and you shouldn’t have to. Find help if you need it.  Are you in a support group? Check the Alzheimer’s Association link to fine one near you. Join it—it will help to find others who are going through what you are. “

“Is there someone who can come in for a few hours and let you take a break? Someone from church?  A friend? There are people who would love to help us, but we don’t ask. Ask. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones!”

My dearest friend, Gillian, wrote:”I would like to half your work and cares.  Put you in a bed for sleep therapy.  But I know you won’t trust a soul with your family”.  Few people know me as well as Gillian does.  I cannot leave Vic.  There is that beautiful John Lennon song “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”.  Vic ain’t heavy she is my baby.

I am trying to get Hospice involved.  Danie does help a lot and so do the boys.  Esther bathed Vic on Tuesday whilst I was at a meeting.  The church and I deserted one another some time back.  I don’t have many friends.

People have their own lives.  We live in a world where we don’t have time for other people’s problems.

Only a mother who has watched her child suffer will understand the despair of another mother.  Will understand how difficult it is to face every day, the depth of despair when you cradle your vomiting child in your arms….to say “Just one more hour baby” when she begs you for pain medication…

Smile or laugh each day.
Carol Blackwell wrote:  

We do.  Today I watched Rango with the boys.  It was so funny.

Cut yourself some slack.
The wise Carol Blackwell wrote:  “Everyone has ‘blue’ days. It’s OK to have a ‘pity party’ once in a while. It just doesn’t help to let those days happen too frequently. Also, don’t beat yourself up. We can’t always be calm, patient, understanding and saint-like. We are all just doing the best we can. Wallowing in guilt for occasional impatience won’t help either.”

This week I am truly wallowing in self-pity.  I have been guilty of impatience, I have lacked understanding.  I am petrified that Vic’s pain and suffering will continue for many more years.  It is strange that Vic is having a better week than she has had in three months.  As Esther said, her eyes are bright and she has mobilised pretty well.  She is less tired… What if this vicious cycle of pain and suffering continues?

Don’t lose hope.
Carol Blackwell wrote:  “There IS a cure for this awful disease. Out there—somewhere, someone is working on it. We just don’t know it yet. It will come. Keep the faith, baby!”

Just as there is no cure for Alzheimer’s at this stage there is no cure for Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  But there may just be a cure for the adhesions that I believe will ultimately cause a fatal obstruction.  Today I found a website where a doctor who claims great success with the treatment of frozen abdomens.  On the surface it seems very positive.  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9432209.htm

Anyone who has ever wrestled with God can understand the bargaining prayer. I have bargained with God all of Vic’s life.  If there is a cure I will do this or that…. For MANY years I have put the Church and God ahead of Vic and my family and yet all my love and commitment has resulted in further pain and suffering.  I know this paragraph will result in many emails or comments but I ask of you “Do not judge me if you have not walked ten miles in my moccasins!”

So for today and maybe the rest of the week I will hold onto my new hope.  “Hope removes the blinders of fear and despair. Hope opens up our minds and allows us to think positive under dire circumstances.”  Until I receive a reply to my enquiries…

To all my friends, cyber friends and family thank you for your support and love!  Yesterday I considered stopping the blog as it has opened up fears that I have suppressed for so many years. I however think it is something I must do – for myself.