This Thursday just gone I was at the hospital for a regular checkup and was told that the clot in my leg has now dissolved. So now I can come off the warfarin.

However, since then, I have developed serious lumps in the lymph nodes of my head and neck, the cough I've had for the last eight months shows no sign of abating and my joints ache more or less constantly.

I have visited various specialists over the past week and been poked, prodded and endoscoped. The last down my nose to look at my throat and was a fairly icky experience. Anyone who's ever stuck things just *too* far up their nose will know the feeling. Had a chest X-ray, but it didn't seem to show anything, so I am going to have an MRI instead. The lumps are to be biopsied soon, which involves a day stay at the hospital as it will be under a general anaesthetic. Enough blood has been taken at various times I feel like I have given a full donation.

The fingernails thing seems to be congenital as I can't remember them being any other way and I'm not showing other symptoms, as might be associated with what's called "clubbing" of the fingers.

As an almost throwaway comment the doc mentioned I have arthritis, which explains why I can hardly stand up in the morning and cannot get out of any seat without leverage. Not got any medication for it yet, either.

Well, that seems to be *all* that's wrong with me presently. The various docs are in conflab with each other to find out exactly what's ailing me, because they all seem to be connected. I don't know the results yet, but I'll post them here.

I also have to admit that, so far, 2005 has NOT been a good year for me.

Bea"Turned 35 and suddenly it's all downhill from there.."sty