Happy belated birthday SubRosa! In reference to Acadian's comment that you don't celebrate them, neither do I! That's why my profile does not have my birthday!

I know I posted here a few months ago (June?) about the respiratory difficulties I've been having. Well, long story short, it has been quite the medical journey, and we are getting closer to the answer. I went from two nodules in my lungs to several - appearing in the past couple of weeks. Probably put a few white hairs on the poor radiologist's head when he saw my CT scan from last week!

I'm currently working with an infectious disease specialist who is just awesome. He is thinking (as am I) that these nodules are due to Blastomycosis. I've probably been infected with it for some time, with occasional flareups, but now it's gone postal on my lungs. I'm not coughing as much as I was, but I have even less exercise tolerance and feel tired all the time.

Went in on Monday for a CT-guided needle biopsy on one of those new nodules. Didn't get much out of it, unfortunately, except for a pneumothorax which required a chest tube placed. I spent the night with it, had it removed the next morning once the radiologist was satisfied that the pneumo was resolved for good. But my infectious disease specialist, Dr. H, wants to confirm the diagnosis as soon as possible so we can start the appropriate treatment, so I'm staying in the hospital for a thoracoscopy to get an open lung biopsy. The procedure will probably be done either later today or tomorrow, once the thoracic surgeons have had a chance to review the results of my cardiac workup, which were just completed this morning.

So sorry, no Julian this week. We are saving our strength for the final push on both fronts. Hopefully we'll be back next week!

Rider - Yikes! The very best of luck to you. Know that we'll all be wishing for a good prognosis and sending healing thoughts your way.

Oh my goodness! What Acadian said. I am glad you have an awesome doctor whom you trust. I sure hope Dr. H has some good news for you tomorrow.

Yikes, You've had a rough few months. I hope you can get this kicked, it sounds quite serious.

Happy Birthday Mustard!

Hope you have a great one!


Happy Birthday Verlox!

Long time no see, hope you have a great time!

Happy birthday to Colonel Mustard and Verlox!

Happy birthday Colonel!

A very Happy Birthday to you, Mustard! I hope it's great.

Best wishes to the Colonel (Mustard, that is) and to Verlox. Hope it was a great day.

Happy birthdays, somewhat belatedly, to subRosa and mustard (and the rest I missed). Hope the hangovers have abaited

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, and may I wish a very happy belated birthday to you, Subrosa.

Happy Birthday Griff!

Luring you here with cake to see how you're doing, lol. Hope you have a great one!


Happy Birthday Solo Rollo! Long time no see, hope your birthday ROCKS!

Happy birthday Solo Rollo!

Happy Birthday Intestinal Chaos!


Hope you have a great Birthday! (and eat lots of things that cause...er...intestinal chaos?)

OOooh!!...Chorrol Royalty birthday ahoy!!... ...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACADIAN!!!!...


Hope it's a good one... ...

Ohhhh hail the great Lord Acadian....Happy birthday my friend, I hope you'll have a very good one!

Happy birthday Acadian!

I made a cake for you to enjoy this special occasion and hope the day is filled with warm memories and laughter <3 - Cindy

Acadian, I hope your birthday is magical!






<-- The crew in party hats with napkins around their necks hoping for cake!

Aww, thanks for the warm wishes, friends! I had a wonderful day today!

Belated birthday wishes to you, Acadian. One would think chasing a rabbit with a bum wheel would not take so much effort....

Nevertheless- hope it was a day filled with family, friends, and celebration.

WOO HOO !!!! Happy Birthday Ureniashtram !!!!


Hope your birthday marks a season of all great things in your life !!! You ROCK !!! (and are missed!)

Oooh!! Oooh!!...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY
JACK CLOUDY!!!!!...


Hope all is good for you today...

Many bests!!... ...

Jack- whut the Badger said!

Happy birthday to you and I hope it is filled with good things.

Happy Birthday Jack Cloudy! - Here's to hoping this Birthday year brings only good things your way!

A very Happy Birthday to you, jack cloudy!


And belated best wishes to you, ureniashtram!

Happy Birthday, Jacki Dice!

Happy Birthday Jacki Dice! You are missed! Hope you have an awesome day!

Ms Jacki Dice....

Happy Birthday to you AND

Come ON DOWN- you are missed.

Happy birthday Jacki!

Happy Birthday Liliandra Nadiar and Lord DoomsDay! Hope it is a great one!

Wonderfully warm birthday wishes to you, liliandra!

Happy birthday liliandra!

A very Happy Birthday to you, liliandra!

Happy birthday Liliandra!!!

Hope all is well on this special day!!...

Oooooh!! Ooooh!!...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATHYNAE!!!!


Hope all is well and good on this fair day!!...



*Proudly lofts disco balls in honour*

...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATHYNAE!!!!

Hope you're having awesome fun with your grandbaby, watching first steps, etc. and that this day is one filled with love and happiness!

Athynae, I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

A very Happy Birthday to you, Athynae! I hope it's great in every way.

Happy Birthday Athynae! (Do I need to send some new pens and paper? Just checking.)

Have a wonderful day.

GAAAAAAHHH! Lucky I decided to come here TODAY of all days.....OR I'd have missed your BIRTHDAY ATHYNAE!

SO Happy Birthday to : ATHYNAE, Mr CLOUDY, JACKI DICE, Liliandra, ACADIAN

Happy birthday Athynae!

Happy birthday to the King of Beasts! I hope it is a special day indeed!

Happy Birthday King Of Beasts!


Hope this birthday brings something you've always wanted! My wish for you is laughter, health, and love!

Happy Birthday, King of Beasts! I hope it's great.

A very happy birthday to King of Beasts! Have a good one!

Happy birthday King Of Beasts!

Happy birthday, y'all!

Thanks! I had a great birthday. We celebrated it at my friends house, and when his pet snake got loose, everyone but me fled the house. The funny thing about it is the fact that his snake is a corn snake, and they are harmless.

Urk, I wouldn't care if the snake was harmless or not - all it would take would be for that snake to slither by my foot and I'd set up a scream that would be heard around the world. Snakes freak me out completely, in fact I'm pretty much afraid of reptiles in general. I didn't used to know ANYTHING about them and was happy in that ignorance till a certain incident happened when I was eighteen.

I had a friend that (I always thought) loved animals like I did. I didn't visit her often (as in once) because on that visit she informs me she had two 6 foot pet snakes running loose in the apartment! URK! My (huge) purse was on the floor, she informed me that they like to crawl into purses! I couldn't run out of there quick enough to dump my purse out on the ground outside! I was terrified to use the toilet in her house because I'd heard somewhere snakes like to lay around in toilets and pop up when you sit down - GAAAAAH !!!!!

She was always talking about getting white mice from K-Mart (I thought she meant as pets - DOH!), so for her birthday I went to a regular pet store and took hours picking out two (out of hundreds) very adorable white mice that had the best personalities of any others in the large "Mouse Kingdom" they were kept in. I also bought her a fancy mouse cage with exercise wheels and interesting tunnels for the cute mice to play in. She was so excited for the gift, LOVED it (she said).

So, a couple months go by and she is moving from her apartment because her husband's job transferred her. She had 6 months left on a very (low rent) lease in a very nice complex - much better place than I was in, and the lease was renewable with only a slight increase. I jumped on taking over her lease and helping her move out.

The door was open all day, I never saw her carry out the snakes so I assumed she'd let them loose. I spent the day helping her pack the moving van one room at a time, get to the spare bedroom and there is the mouse cage empty! So I asked her if the mice died, and she laughed and said, "In a manner of speaking."

I said, "Huh?" (DOH!) - Yes, she fed them to the snakes, or rather turned them loose and let the snakes "hunt" them. I was sickened.

So, my first week in the apartment I'm cleaning it to remove any trace of snake, and I stuck a mop up to the "over-door ledge" - down drops a 6 foot snake! 2 am, I'm shrieking and running around the complex - woke up the whole place. Had the landlord go in and remove it. It was just a giant snake "skin," turns out they shed their skin - URGH! Multiply that times 4 events (couldn't get the exterminator in for days, and they said on the phone that snakes can't be guaranteed because they hide in the vents and pipes and then slither back out later)! GAAAAAH!

4 times waking up the neighbors and landlord, me running lights 24-7 and afraid to sleep - trying frantically to get hold of my friend where she moved and it was a month before she got a phone and address to me. I gave up my beautiful apartment, had to move back where I was beforehand, too scared to stay there and the landlord said he'd pitch me out if I woke the complex shrieking again.

Turns out she'd moved her snakes to some pet shop while they moved so they wouldn't be "traumatized" by all the strangers in and out and tension of moving. Do snakes get traumatized by strangers? I'd visited once as a stranger! Urk!

After that if anyone had snake type pets (or even Iguanas after a certain biting incident) - I wouldn't even visit just in case they climbed into my purse or hid in the toilet or something. To this day I am creeped out by snakes, lol.