thanks everyone..... just before I went to bed bed last night I was chatting with another mudcat friend on ICQ and he said... "you go to bed and leave her with with us, we'll look after her until you wake up" (or words to that effect... which I thought was lovely...

latest word is that it is probably ulcerative colitis (which is what I reckoned all along)... or crohns..... hopefully I'll know by later today

thanks again for all your love and care

love

alison