Hi Jane!
 
JK> I'm trying to.  The Glucosamine and Chonroitin is working, I think.
 
What are these medications?  I've not heard of them before!
 
JK> I have a lot less pain these days, am now weak and exercising in ord
JK> to get some of the strength back I had before the arthritis or
JK> fibromyalgia really got bad.
 
I've got fibromyalgia as well...the summer months aren't as bad on my 
body, but the cold months are and I find myself many times simply 
unable to move the pain gets so bad.  The one thing that really bothers 
with this Fibro other than the pain, is that when I bath or perspire, I 
break out in hives.  I'm constantly itching on my back and shoulders.  
Being in the sun more has also caused a terrible rash on my face and I 
can't seem to get rid of it!  I usually try to only be outside before 
noon, or after 6 in the evening, but none-the-less, the sun doesn't 
agree with me!
 
I also have arthritis and a pinched sciatic nerve, along with diabetes. 
I do the best I can...I have too!  I have two small children, and my 
youngest (7) has Epilepsy, plus I'm home schooling her and keeping them 
about as busy during the summer months as they are me!
 
To catch you up on my brother-in-law...the one addicted to prescription 
medication...it appears all hell broke loose at the house and he 
went into a rage for days, abusing my husband's sister and her girls.  
The girls consequently decided they couldn't take anymore, and packed 
all their clothes in a trash bag and ran away.  My mother-in-law found 
them (thank God) walking alongside the road several miles from the 
house.  They are now living with their real dad who also abused them 
(we believe sexually), and they want to live with him.  Guess they 
figure they are more able to deal with a non-addicted pervert than they 
are a drug addict.  Their mother won't leave this guy for her 
girls...She's in total denial of the problem and blames the problems on 
stress and on everyone else...it's a sad thing to want to be with ANY 
man that bad that you are willing to give up your children, especially 
if he's abusive.  This type of thing seems to run in my husband's 
family, at least with the women.  His other sister also left and for 2 
weeks lied to the family saying she was in a battered women's shelter.  
By the fourth day, I was sure she was lying because no one came to get 
the children from the home.  She lived at home with her Mom and Dad, 
her abusive husband, and her two children.  She too met a guy, and just 
left!  I tried telling them she was NOT in a shelter, but lying about 
it, and that more than likely she was at a friends house or her 
boyfriends house, but my husband's mother didn't think she would lie 
about something like that.  Well...you know Jane, when you go into a 
Battered Women's Shelter, and no one from Social Services comes to get 
your children, and you get a phone call saying you need a suitcase 
packed for ya because the Shelter doesn't provide clothes, red flags 
and bells go off all over the place. 
 
Thus far, she's had no contact with her children.  Their father, whom 
abuses them as well and they have a great amount of fear of him, as 
does the entire Long Clan, is now quite easily getting custody of the 
children.
 
When both the children were born, he wouldn't allow their mother to put 
his last name on the birth certificate, so they have their mother's 
last name "Long".  He's never contributed one dime to the household 
in the 20 years he's lived there, but my husband's father and mother 
never kicked him out due to fear.  Now he decides to go to the 
courthouse and file for custody of the children, and get their last 
name changed to his.  He's in the courthouse and the clerk tells him he 
has to have his wife sign the papers in order for them to proceed.  He 
asks "How can I do that when I don't even know where she's at?  She's 
been gone a month."  Just then a judge comes around the corner and asks 
what the problem is.  Rusty (the kids father) proceeds to explain the 
situation to him, the judge takes the paper, walks over to a 
typewriter, and fills out this paper.  He tells Rusty that he needs to 
put a statement in the paper stating that his wife needs to return 
home, or he will gain full custody of the children, and that she needs 
to sign this paper.  If she fails to show in 30 days, the children are 
automatically his.  Can you believe this?
 
Neither of them are fit to be parents and I find it deplorable that 
Rusty will not have to be found a fit father in order to gain custody 
of these two children.  He's a drug addict, an alcholic, he hasn't a 
job, he's verbally, emotionally, and most of all, physically abusive to 
the children, and the grandparents.  Here's a man who is so evil, he 
could pass as the devil himself.  His wife isn't evil, she's just so 
brain dead from smoking pot like it's going out of style (about $100.00 
every two days worth), that she's neglectful.  She thinks by buying the 
kids material objects that will keep them happy.
 
My mother-in-law has put up with verbal and emotional abuse for 45 
years, they've sat in the livingroom and listened to Rusty beating the 
children and his wife...and did nothing.  :(
 
Too bad there isn't an alternative drug to shape people up who don't 
know any better!  
--- TriToss (tm) Professional 10.0 - #246
---------------