(((((((((((((((((((((((((((kelly, brett, rach))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
no wonder you don't know where to start.  boy, hon, it continues to be a
wild ride for your family.  i'm sooo sorry.  my condolences and best wished
to brett's family, and to you guys.  i'm glad the osteopath is helping you
and resolving some of your old rom issues.  i hope the job vs. home
situation falls into place nicely, for you.  keeping you all in my prayerful
and healing thoughts.

gentle squishes,
kate

Hi everyone. I'll bet you never would have guessed that I read every post,
every day, huh?:)

I really have been keeping up on all of you, and hoping for recoveries and
miracles. I think of you all as my extended family and I've been missing
your support lately, but haven't felt up to putting it all in writing. Then,
the more time went on, the harder it got to know where to start.:P

Maybe it would just be easiest to address the events on a person by person
basis.

Me: RA is doing well right now. I really have no pain or ROM issues, other
than what I've had for years from old damage. Whee! The problem with my neck
is slowly being resolved by the Osteopath I'm seeing. Don't worry, I was
referred to him by the RD and he is wonderful, very gentle and not doing any
type of major adjustment. Lots of pressure point and resistance and
distraction. He says I'm fixable. Yay!

We still don't know if I'll be able to quit my job this spring in order to
be more available for Rachel next year, but we're working on it. I may have
a bit of income by taking care of a friend's son after school. He'll be
going to school with Rach every day and we've known him and his family since
the kids were 3, so I'm not worried about having him for a few hours until
his parents get home.

Brett: The day after Christmas Brett's grandmother was diagnosed with a rare
form of uterine cancer that her doctor thinks may have been caused by her
use of Tamoxifen (sp?) after a breast cancer lump was removed several years
ago. She had a radical hysterectomy at the end of January, after which we
were told she would have several good months, but the cancer was expected to
return somewhere else. March 3rd she was expected to have her first
radiation treatment, which would help keep the cancer from potentially
reaching her liver and lungs. She was admitted instead when a CAT scan
showed a very large mass in her upper abdomen, which was constricting her
bowel and putting upward pressure on her stomach. She died early in the
morning on the 9th.

Brett's mom was at her side for the entire week, then went home with
grandma's husband, to help him make arrangements for the memorial. Friday
was her 60th birthday. Brett called last night to talk with his mom and see
how she was doing, but couldn't track her down which is unusual. He finally
got ahold of grandpa who said that Mom was at the hospital ER with her
husband, who has cirrhosis and diabetes. We're still waiting this morning to
find out what's going on with him. This has been a very long and stressful
week for Brett's family.

In the midst of all the family trauma, Brett's employer decided to make some
massive overhauling of the scheduling and supervisory positions. Brett will
be returning to graveyard shift, which isn't a big deal for him because he's
a nightowl anyway, but really screws up some plans we had for childcare
during Spring Break, etc.

Rachel: Doing okay, seizure-wise. Still having 'clusters' of activity about
every two weeks or so. The latest news is some problems at school, which we
are going to have evaluated as possible ADD. Because of all the seizures,
meds, etc. we don't know if this is a problem she's just always had, or if
it's related to something else.

The other thing with Rachel is the possibility of the VNS implant, which we
are still considering, but won't be sure of until next month, when we see
the neuro again. Rach seems to also be having some problems with ovulation,
which causes a lot of pain for her. We discussed this with the ped., but he
said that's not unusual for new women and to let him know if it seems to
continue beyond several months. Last night she had to have Advil and was
really having a hard time. I haven't seen any correlation between her
menstrual cycle and her seizures, but I'm keeping track of everything on a
calendar for the Dr.

I think that pretty much sums things up. I'll be taking Rach to a movie
today, since it's just us girls, then we'll be buying some clothes for
grandma's memorial next weekend. She liked bright jewel tones, so maybe
we'll honor her memory by wearing something in our ensemble that reflects
that.

Kelly C.

Kelly, you have had a lot going on.  Sorry about Brett's grandmother and
mother.  Hope his stepfather is doing well very, very soon.  Sorry his boss
is messing up spring break plans.
So good that your RA is not doing too badly right now.  Hope it will stay
that way.  You have enough on your plate otherwise.
I can sympathize with Rachel's pain problem.  Until I had children, I had
terrible cramps every time I had a period.  Hope hers doesn't last very
long.  And still hoping for the best with the seizure problem.
Take care of yourself and know I'm praying for the family.
Gwen

{{{{{Kelly and family}}}}}

DeeTee

(((((((((Cobb family)))))))))))  May you all have some calmer days ahead.

Kelly,

sending my best to all areas and all your family. I feel for you all. Hope
things do get better for you all soon.