Connie, I can ask some questions of PJ who went through a self donation bone marrow transplant many years ago, if you would like.

Yes, I would love to hear about people who went through it successfully. How did she cope with the loss of all acquired disease resistance?

She's gotten some weird (for adults) diseases, honestly, and had to suffer through them. Her kid gave her Hand, Foot and Mouth disease a few years ago. And she gets vaccinated. Due to the whole new immune system, she also gets her titers tested before vaccinating.

But she's doing great. Does an insane boot camp at her gym a few times a week, runs after two kids they adopted after the transplant and is so very alive. Adopting kids did take out her surfing habit but that was just being a parent, nothing to do with the bone marrow transplant.

I'll email you. It's a scary place but there are good stories too. They really happen.

Fortunately the odds of Hubby running into malaria, scarlet fever, and Denguy fever again are low. A white, American young man in the 70s with a pass that let him take any military flight to anywhere went a lot of places.

Bonny- that dream was amazing, thank you for sharing! Made me cry a little. Possibly because my hormones are already wonked, but also because it's such a lovely, healing metaphor. There's a lot to be said for the unflagging devotion of a canine companion. Sometimes I'm a little sad that early experiences scared me off dogs for life. But I bed my cats would be down with eating some debt cake for me, should the need ever arise.

Thanks, everyone. I had a massage today (which had been rescheduled for 3 weeks running, so long overdue for my current treatment schedule) and my out of control heart rate has magically disappeared. Apparently I just needed a massage to get rid of the racing heart and nausea. Good to know! I'm gonna have to put that on a sticky note someone to remind myself next time i start freaking out about things over which i have zero control (I really don't respond well to not being in control of my life or body. See: no children.)

Behold my diminutive scholar:

Adorable! He looks like he's going to Postal Academy.

On Discworld.

But I bed my cats would be down with eating some debt cake for me, should the need ever arise.

Harvey totally would, no questions asked. Sammie would if it were made of chicken.

Steph, I hope things are looking a bit better today.

Dana, both of those pendants are lovely, but I'd probably go for the carved one over the beads because it would go with more of my outfits. YwardrobeMV.

Dana, I like the first one best.

I agree that Teppy is awesome for all of the reasons listed above.

My crutches are in my mother's car, which is in another state. There goes any plans I had for the weekend that don't include just sitting on the couch.

So I have to share a piece of good news since you have all been so supportive through the last 14 months of money and loan woes. ND and I found a Florida based mortgage broker to work with us to refinance the condo, and we have finally been cleared to close. In a couple of weeks, for the first time in my life, we will be (aside from cars and this new mortgage) debt-free and even have a savings account. I...can't quite conceive of this as a reality at the moment. The crippling credit card and tax debt we've struggled with over the past eight years has been a constant, heavy weight and stress, and I feel like we will finally be able to breathe. Sure, the debt has just been transformed, not erased, but now at a reasonable interest rate with a manageable monthly payment. It feels like a miracle.

That's great, Pix! Congratulations!