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BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no....
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: alison Date: 07 Mar 07 - 06:17 PM good grief you'd have thought that appendicitis would be the first thing they'd have ruled out. glad she has been admitted - don't come home 'til they sort you out. I'm glad to hear the NHS is trying to improve - it needs to. there were over 2 year waiting lists for surgery when I worked in it. thankfully Oz is a lot better. slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: ranger1 Date: 07 Mar 07 - 06:35 PM Thanks for the update, Liz. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Sorcha Date: 07 Mar 07 - 07:27 PM Yes, thanks. Curious to see what they come up with! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: SINSULL Date: 07 Mar 07 - 07:40 PM AAARGHHHH! Appendicitis? Was that idiot waiting for a rupture before he decided her pain was a serious symptom???? This is one of those times when litigious is valid. Hope all goes well. SINS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: mg Date: 07 Mar 07 - 09:25 PM could a person have a subclinical appendicitis for years though? mg |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: alison Date: 08 Mar 07 - 12:36 AM you can have a "grumbling appendix" for a long time. but surely acute appendicitis is page one of the chapter on "lower right sided abdo pain" slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Richard Bridge Date: 08 Mar 07 - 02:23 AM Check your insurance for that litigation cover.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Ella who is Sooze Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:06 AM blimey, I was reading through this lot and had come to the point where I thought, there's seriously something wrong and sounded like appendicitis, or pancreatitis... Stomach pain is awful, and shouldn't be ignored. I've had a grumbling appendix at 3 different times now and the pain nearly drove me insane. I didn't need the op, but they kept an eye on me. It went away eventually. But the pain was so bad I would have done anything to stop it. Got an attack halfway through Les miserables, had to leave my seat to be sick in the loos and slump on the floor and groan in agony - though would have been better suited to doing that in the auditorium as the performance of Les Mis was torture too. Got rushed to casualty by the p's to find that the pain had gone when I got there and they were not willing to do anything. Terrible. I'm glad that she's finally being seen, and taken seriously, I hope they do all the tests they can to find out what's up. Poor thing, send her my best wishes. Keep us up to date if you can Liz. Regards EWIS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:22 AM Apparently she's waiting for surgery this afternoon. Hopefully they'll whip the little sucker out and she'll be right as rain in a few weeks. Will keep you posted. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Hollowfox Date: 08 Mar 07 - 09:49 AM Whew! Thanks for the update. The $#@-reduction candle series continues apace. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 08 Mar 07 - 11:55 AM Hope you've got her parents covere by that candle too... those kids are lovely but they can be a handful! Incidentally, any chance you've been burning an @$$ reducing candle there? My trousers keep fallng down. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Tootler Date: 08 Mar 07 - 03:56 PM I'm glad to hear she is now being treated and I wish her a swift recovery. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Rabbi-Sol Date: 08 Mar 07 - 04:09 PM Here in the USA the appendix is removed routinely with any symptoms at all. Doctors do not want to take any chances of Peritonitis developing, especially with the lawyers looking over their shoulder. When caught early it is a relatively simple procedure which can be done under spinal or epidural without having to put the patient out. SOL |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 08 Mar 07 - 06:32 PM I'm sure I remember posting ... Gizmo, it was horrifying reading about your attempts to get medical help, this thread is a wonderful example of the Mudcat community in action. I'm so pleased you finally have a diagnosis & are getting the help you so obviously needed. Years ago a friend went to the hospital with severe lower back pain. Altho she kept saying it was at the base of her spine, the Doctor would not check that far down & sent her home, telling her to take some common painkiller (asprin? paracetamol? I can't remember) Next day her local doctor checked her properly & started treatment, includng physio. When she complained to the hospital all they could say (legally) was that the Doctor was abrupt & they therefore apologised for his manner. However they did give her free physio! Liz, thanks for keeping us up to date. sandra |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 10 Mar 07 - 03:56 AM Latest report is that yesterdays surgery was cancelled and they're looking at another diagnosis. She's in pain and not liking it, but hopefully she'll be sorted today (Saturday). LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: John MacKenzie Date: 10 Mar 07 - 03:58 AM I wondered about her IUD having come adrift, and lodging somewhere critical. G. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Desdemona Date: 10 Mar 07 - 10:52 AM As soon as I read the initial post I thought "appendicitis", and the only medical "expertise" I can claim comes from having 3 kids! What kind of imbecile must that initial examining MD have been? Any 12 year old knows that extreme pain on the lower right abdomen (esp with nausea, etc.) can be a sig of acute appendicitis; thank God it didn't rupture! My heart goes out to her for what she's suffered already; thankfully she's got help with the children, since she'll need to be taking things easy for awhile. GRRRRR. Infuriating. ~D |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Flash Company Date: 10 Mar 07 - 11:40 AM This does not sound good! Was surgery cancelled because they want to look at another diagnosis or because they discovered a hole in their budget? Hope I'm wrong, the NHS does still produce a few good results, but I get more cynical as I get older. (((((((Gizmo))))))) (((((((Liz))))))) cos you've got troubles of your own. Brian |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 10 Mar 07 - 06:43 PM I understand that they wanted to check out another diagnosis but I've not heard from her today, so I don't know how it went. Thanks everyone, I'll make sure she sees this thread when she gets home. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Sorcha Date: 10 Mar 07 - 06:57 PM Thanks, Liz, for helping her out! She needed somebody!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 11 Mar 07 - 04:00 AM I'm doing nothing, I'm just sitting here typing in the messages I get via a third party... I don't have her surname so I can't even phone the hospital to ask!! LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Catherine Jayne Date: 11 Mar 07 - 01:02 PM Nicci phoned me for a chat and a catch up today. She's in good spirits but in a terrible amount of pain. She is having an internal ultrasound tomorrow to check ovarian cysts. If that shows nothing then they will be thinking of something else. There's various chains of thought going on but no-one really knows and they are all contradicting themselves. She still can't keep food down and is on a drip for fluids and pain relief. Tomorrow she will have been in a week and understandably is worried and missing her children. She did say to say thank you to everyone for all the good wishes and energy, she very much appreciates them. Liz.....she has her mobile on her and it is now charged up!!..... I'll post more when I hear from her again. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: mg Date: 11 Mar 07 - 01:16 PM I hope they take that IUD out just as a precaution. It might be part of the problem, might not...but it sounds suspicious. mg |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Catherine Jayne Date: 11 Mar 07 - 01:23 PM Its not the IUD, I did ask when I spoke to her. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: mg Date: 11 Mar 07 - 04:46 PM I am thinking this is the medicine of the future...where communities go back to practicing medicine on each other..with mostly good results and some bad mistakes...especially with medical resources in short supply in some places. I remember when the internet was first really public..and a woman from China had a mysterious ailment they couldn't diagnose there..and people from all over the world were chiming in..and I think they saved her. mg |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: alison Date: 12 Mar 07 - 12:16 AM I can't help thinking, why has it taken so long to do an ultrasound? She has been a week in hospital why don't they do an exploratory laparoscopy (keyhole) - see whats going on in there? slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Wordsmith Date: 12 Mar 07 - 01:29 AM This thread is incredible. What a sad state of medicine, and it could happen anywhere these days. Blood work, u/a, ultrasounds...all could've been done on the very first day. I'll admit I'm not familiar with NHS, but really. Abdominal scan next. Laparoscopy, or laparotomy, as suggested. Upper and lower GI series with and without contrast. Why make this poor woman, or anyone for that matter, continue to suffer? As was said by someone earlier, medicine is really a guessing game...simply and nonjudmentally, it is a process of elimination as well as trial-and-error. This mainly sounds like error. There have been many good suggestions, especially the ones about bringing someone with you, and also writing down one's symptoms and degrees/classification of pain. I really liked the one about throwing up on the doctor! I did worry about dehydration when I realized how many days went by. I'm still worried. My thoughts and hopes are for a good outcome. Some people, btw, don't register pain the same as others, which makes doctors not believe them when they say their pain is excruciating, because it doesn't appear on their faces. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Catherine Jayne Date: 12 Mar 07 - 03:05 AM Apparently there is a 2 weeks waiting list for the keyhole surgery. I just can't belive the way she is being treated in this hospital. She did say the nursing staff were absolutely wonderful and she couldn't fault them, but it doesn't excuse the doctors themselves. I hope she gets a positive outcome today and she will finally know what the problem is. I think the worse bit is not knowing. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 12 Mar 07 - 04:25 AM Yes, experience has taught me that the waiting in a state of uninformed anticipation is the worst. Once a disease or an illness has a name, then you can work out how to treat it... it's the waiting that rips people apart. Good thoughts and prayers going up here. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: alison Date: 12 Mar 07 - 05:18 AM 2 weeks wait is ridiculous - in the mean time ruptured appendix, peritonitis etc....... I assume if they had diagnosed acute appendicitis the first day it would have been operated on, or do they have to wait for emergency surgery too? I thought the NHS was supposed to be improving ......... good thoughts, hugs and prayers from here to, no one should have to put up with this sort of incompetence. slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 12 Mar 07 - 09:26 AM Giz is in the hospital which, many years ago, my troglodyte sister did her training in... I can't say it sounds like it's improved much. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Bee Date: 12 Mar 07 - 10:05 AM Those of you laying blame on the medical personnel and the health care system might consider that doing exploratory surgeries without knowing at least what you might be looking for is dangerous, and not done lightly. I'm sure blood tests have indicated the degree of infection, if there is any, and although she is unfortunately in pain, it would do her no good to also have to go through an un-needed surgical procedure. MRIs and CAT scans and X-rays are all good for different kinds of diagnoses, but perhaps none are useful in this case. Second guessing doctors is a popular passtime, especially before diagnoses are made, but isn't very helpful. Sometimes it just really does take time to figure out what a person's internal distress stems from. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Rabbi-Sol Date: 12 Mar 07 - 12:52 PM A CAT Scan or MRI plus ultrasound would definitely be definitive in a case like this. Does this rural hospital even have any of this modern day equipment or are they still in the 19th century? Based upon the symptoms as described above by both, the patient herself and others on this thread we could be possibly dealing with a critical life threatening situation. The more time that elapses due to bureaucratic bungling and inaction the poorer the prognosis will be for the patient. SOL |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 12 Mar 07 - 04:45 PM Rabbi - that's the sickening thing... it is one of the largest hospitals in south-east London/Woolwich. To hear that there is a 2 week wait for a surgery is beyond being funny, add to that the initial response of an ER doctor to go away and get a GP to request a scan and the whole thing starts to look like more than just cautious diagnosics. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Becca72 Date: 12 Mar 07 - 06:01 PM "A CAT Scan or MRI plus ultrasound would definitely be definitive in a case like this" Sadly, this is not an accurate statement. There are many times when these tests are not definitive. Each patient can present with varying degrees of symptoms and there are some people whose symptoms are completely atypical for the diagnosis...But 2 weeks wait is outrageous in any case. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Tootler Date: 12 Mar 07 - 06:31 PM I agree with Becca. After I was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year, they sent me for an ultrasound scan, among other things. After the ultrasound scan was complete, the doctor conducting the scan said that he could not see anything there. I knew it was there, however, having seen the tumour on the screen when they did the endoscopy that picked it up in the first place. At the time I took it that the tumour had not spread through the bowel wall which in the end proved to be the case. Before my operation to remove the tumour, although the surgeon seemed fairly convinced that he would be able to remove the tumour completely, he was still cagey as there was no knowing for certain what he would find until I had been opened up. As it happened, the result was a good one and they were able to completely remove the tumour, so I felt I had been relatively lucky. Nevertheless, diagnosis is, has been said earlier, often a matter of trial and error and has to proceed by a process of elimination. I have known people who have been in and out of hospital over quite lengthy periods because the medics were have difficulty pinning down exactly what was wrong. I think we have to trust that they are doing their best and hope that they eventually track down the problem and are able to deal with it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Catherine Jayne Date: 13 Mar 07 - 03:21 AM It certainly makes you think about which hospital you go to if you have a choice in the matter. I've been admitted to hospital twice in the past week and have had a completely different experience. I'll try and give Gizmo a call later today and see how's she's doing although I might not get chance to post until tomorrow. The doctors must have ruled out a ruptured appendix, but it might be a grumbling appendix or a rotten appendix. There is a family history of a rotten appendix and from what Gizmo has said when I spoke to her it does sound pretty similar. I just hope they find out what the problem is and how to fix it soon so she can start to feel better. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: John MacKenzie Date: 13 Mar 07 - 04:49 AM The one good thing about US medicine is that the constant fear of litigation, sharpens up the speed and accuracy of diagnosis. It sounds like Nicci is receiving worse service than my dog Mattie gets at our vets. Still I suppose we're back to the 'You get what you pay for' scenario. Hope you're better soon Nicci. Giok |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Richard Bridge Date: 13 Mar 07 - 11:50 AM Well my vet's never misses the chance to inflate a bill. But here in North Kent the choice of hospitals is Darenth Valley (know as "Death Valley") and Medway Maritime (known as "Medway Murdertime" where the admin staff wear badges sayng "in case of emergency, DO NOT ADMIT TO MEDWAY MARITIME HOSPITAL). Medway Murdertime has just done its level best to give my mother (who is 96) gangrene. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Bill D Date: 13 Mar 07 - 12:50 PM Giok is 'mostly' right about US hospitals, though there are plenty of under-staffed, barely competent ones here too. The fact is, it is WAY too easy to cut corners and use 'busy' as an excuse for negligence. The whole POINT of tests and triage is to determine which problems are real emergencies, and it should not require such waiting to learn the minimal. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: wysiwyg Date: 13 Mar 07 - 01:44 PM A couple in our parish moved here from the UK, in part I believe for the "better" health care. They're moving back, later this month, for "better" health care. In either country, one has to learn how the system works and how to work the system. In either country, those efforts usually go better with some helpful support from friends and family. In either country, who you have as your primary care doc (and how they work the system) makes a world of difference. But the whole health systems in the US and the UK are different. Each one has strengths and weaknesses. In the US I was, for a time, on a gummint medical card; so I know first-hand how bad any subsidized medical care can be. But to judge either system by the standards and learnings from one's own country's system is likely to be as off-base as the misunderstandings US and UK Mudcatters tend to keep running into over music (and so much else). ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Catherine Jayne Date: 14 Mar 07 - 05:10 AM Gizmo has just texted me to let us all know that after all the tests for cysts on her ovaries the doctors finally and reluctantly operated yesterday to remove her inflamed appendix. She is comfortable and in good spirits. I hope Gizmo can now rest and heal well and be home with her children soon. I also hope that she is going to file a complaint about the way she ahs been treated. The appendix could have been removed last week when she was first admitted to hospital. Get well soon Nicci and rest well See you soon Love Khatt, Paul and bump xxx |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 14 Mar 07 - 07:29 AM how many days? how much pain? certainly a reason to give her opinion/make a complaint to authorities. wishing you a speedy & comfortable recovery sandra |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: billybob Date: 14 Mar 07 - 12:16 PM Get well soon, what a dreadful experience!Get complaining as soon as poss! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Hollowfox Date: 14 Mar 07 - 01:04 PM Whew, finally! Get well soon, now that the cause of the problem is taken care of. I'm just glad that the adventure didn't kill you! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Schantieman Date: 14 Mar 07 - 05:38 PM I've been lurking on this thread since it began and I'm glad to see that Gizmo is on the mend. Not all that many years ago (20 maybe?) if someone turned up at hospital in that state they'd've whipped out the appendix the same day. No scans, no laparoscopy, no delay and far less expense. That's progress, I s'pose. I do hope there are no complications and Gizmo has a rapid and complete recovery. But don't let them get away with it. And maybe the compensation should be spent on another doctor? Steve |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: danensis Date: 15 Mar 07 - 04:30 PM So if they'd whipped out the appendix on the first day, just in case, and it had been an ectopic pregnancy, many patients would be sueing for the unnecessary operation, disfiguring scar, trauma, distress, etc, etc. Already too much of the bureacracy about which the tabloids whinge is record keeping 'just in case' someone decides to sue, and every decision has to be justified. Granted there has to be some form of control, and no-one wants a return to the "good old days" when doctors closed ranks every time an error was made (I myself have suffered for 50 years because a surgeon wanted to make a name for himself my operating when all the advice was to leave things alone) but I think the american model of ambulance chasing lawyers is not the way to go. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: alison Date: 15 Mar 07 - 05:52 PM I'm glad they have finally done what they should have done at the beginning. best wishes for a speedy recovery slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Flash Company Date: 16 Mar 07 - 04:07 AM Praise be that everything appears to be over for you, Gizmo! Speedy recovery is what is needed now. It may be painful to laugh still, but I went down to our local Garden Centre yesterday and saw an appeal notice 'Has anyone seen this dog?' Jack Russell! Answers to Gizmo! Go to it Giz, bite their ankles! Brian Q |
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Subject: RE: BS: My tummy hurts - doctor says no.... From: Scrump Date: 16 Mar 07 - 09:54 AM Get well soon, and... ...100! :-) |
