Hi, James!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

JB>  Dropping the narcs; was a good thing I remember so
JB>  little of it. Even the parts I was lucid for, I
JB>  remember mostly through the frantic notes I took.


          Hmm.  It certainly sounds as if you're better off now!  The only
time I've had a drug which obviously affected my mental/emotional state was
prior to surgery... a shot of demerol.  While some people love the stuff, I
hated it.  I couldn't keep track of my thoughts & found that very
frustrating... [wry grin].



JB>  I expect there will always be that percentage of stuff
JB>  that I will never be able to pronounce, nor fathom what
JB>  orifice it fits into. Even though my curiosity gets the
JB>  better of me, I quickly know when I'm getting too much
JB>  information. [-;


          I hear you.  Although I examined Nora's blood counts in detail at
the time she was in treatment for leukemia & made sure I understood
what all of the words & numbers signified, I would have reached
information overload a lot more quickly under normal circumstances.  As for
pronunciation... I studied Latin in high school.  I'm convinced medical
professionals use a subtly different system of phonics, so they know who
does or doesn't belong among the "in" crowd.  :-))



JB>  How people like yourself deals with patent care, while
JB>  dealing with limitations of your own, astounds me. I'm
JB>  pretty sure you do *not* possess super-human strength,
JB>  but adapt to the task at hand.


          Uh-huh.  You do what you have to do.  I've heard stories about...
for example... some gal (who weighs 98 lbs. soaking wet) lifting a car when
her son is trapped underneath.  Under ordinary circumstances she wouldn't
be able to do that, nor would she need to.  But if scrubbing the mission is
not an acceptable option & she can't lay hands on a jack or obtain help
within a reasonable time, what other choice is there??  I heard not long
ago that I may have been lifting Nora with a dislocated shoulder.  In
retrospect, I was quite astounded as well.



AH>  It seems to me that if you overestimated what you could
AH>  do you have plenty of company....  ;-)

JB>  Wha??? There's more nuts like me? 


          "Remember that the mighty oak was once a nut like
you"... [D&RFC].



JB>  My gauge has been, when I forget how it feels to be
JB>  'normal', I'm at the cusp of feeling better.


          Okay.  I can relate....  :-)



JB>  Say, is it true that influenza is *not* contagious once
JB>  the carrier shows symptoms?


          Well... as I understand the situation, a lot of communicable
diseases are probably most contagious during a period of about forty-eight
hours *before the affected person realizes* there's something wrong. 
Coughs & sneezes spread diseases.  Nowadays most people know that.  If
they're coughing & sneezing they may avoid others, while others may
avoid them....  ;-)

          Once they've stopped coughing & sneezing (or tossing their
cookies or whatever) their own immune system has had enough time to
increase production of white blood cells & the virus is in a weakened
state.  Viruses generally spread via fine droplets of moisture too...
meaning they're much less likely to become airborne or lurk unnoticed on
doorknobs when any remaining mucus has thickened.



AH>  I got rid of a lot of stuff when I was pregnant with
AH>  Nora... then I had some intensive parenting to do.
AH>  Since her stroke we've also added a wheelchair & various
AH>  other pieces of equipment, often on short notice.

JB>  This is what has me in awe.


          Thankyou.  A lot of people have no idea... (sigh).




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+