Culprit symptoms and conditions

I was put on a small dosage of Lisinopril about 6 months ago for extremely HBP. At first I thought I wasn't having any ill effects but about two months after the initial does I started breaking out in hives and would have an incident every 4 or 5 days of extreme swelling in my mouth and lips. IT never dawned on me that the meds might be to blame but after extensively eliminating all other factors I called my doctor and asked to be taken off. She agreed that was a good idea and had now put me on a beta blocker instead. I actually started to relax a bit thinking my problems were over but a few days ago it happened all over again. I woke up to extreme facial swelling so now I don't know what to think. I had been off of the Lisinopril for almost three weeks when the last reaction happened, could that STILL be the culprit???

can captopril cause itchy ears and erectile dysfunction, i have been taking 25mg for 1 yr now for hpb, i also take atenolol and norvasc, which of these drugs is the culprit

Lisinopril works! I have been taking 5mg three times a day for years. No side effects. The Dr. told me to take 15mg once a day. Is this a time released tablet? I am 77 years old and a diabetic. I test my blood sugar 6X a day. This way I can control what I eat. Sugar problem was diagnosed 5 years ago with levels running from 40-385. I was depressed & worried about my health. This drug resolved the problem. My best advice is talk to your Dr. and your pharmacist. Friends, family & neighbors mean well. Consider the source!

I haven't finished taking the medicine yet because I'm only on day 4, but I must say that it's clearing up the staph in my right armpit. My left armpit is still swollen and hurts like hell. My mother is an RN, and she's been trying to drain the pus and blood from the wound. It hurts so bad that I'm ready to just drive up to the local ER and have them lance it. How long does it usually take for Bactrim to clear up the infection? I'm taking 2 pills once a day for 10 days.

And another thing, I think why people are having nasty side effects to the medicine is because it's not mixing well with their body chemistry. My sister took Bactrim last year for MRSA, and she cleared up beautifully without any horrible side effects.

Thanks guys!

Had my mirena removed yesterday after spending the weekend in the hospital for "cardiac telemetry" (observation). This was my 2nd major event this year that made me feel as if I were in need of immediate medical attention. I have had too many days of dealing with "cloudiness", blurred vision, headaches, waking with body aches, abdominal "flutters", irritability, chest pain, numbness/weakness/tingling in arms and legs, thinning hair, and horrific weight gain! The sad thing is that I didn't realize all these things had a single culprit until the end of my 5 years. I'm just glad that it is out, and I have brighter days ahead!

i went to the doctor for blood work because i was tired all the time, no energy, cold even when it was 80 degrees, and i had breathing problems, so i thought i was anemic. the doc wanted me to have an xray and i got diagnosed with pneumonia. i didn't even know i was sick! so i got prescribed avelox for 10 days 400mg, i feel worse now then what i did before. im extremely tired, i sleep all day, i feel like a stoner, i get dizzy at times and confused. i cant seem to go to bed and iv have dream after dream i even had one about a potato.last night i just started crying about nothing and could not stop then when it was over i just stared off and it was like i was a crazy person. im on the 8th day and im going back to the doctor. oh and im only 18 and i read tests haven't even been done on this drug for 18 - ppl.

I'm on Lamictal for minor bipolar, with Adult ADHD, OCD and anxiety. I went on Lamictal around 2005. It has been 4 years. At first I did not like how it made me feel. It made me feel like euphoric almost like all my emotions were caged up inside, both good and bad. When I say good I mean, the normal emotions of happiness and sadness were gone. I became more or less numb. I no longer cry when it is appropriate to cry, and I am no longer a happy outgoing person. Yet the "bad" emotions is what I mean by it holds in the extreme moodiness, outrages, anxiety and depression. Now my attitude is more like, yeah whatever. I accepted the good with he bad because this medication has helped me enormously and I would rather go without the good normal stuff than to have the extreme back. I am not a zombie, I am not high strung or low strung.....just a even keel which is how supposed to be how Lamictal works. It is the first thing since 1994 which has worked and a wonderful doctor who is top notch knew immediately what I needed. Unfortunately I had to go through years of BS and being a guinea pig to get to this point and finding the right doctor. She is a pharma psychiatrist which is better than a psychiatrist. She is a specialist in psychiatry but also pharmacology (medicine), so unlike most doctors that know how to treat, she is a expert in understanding medications.

Side Effects - If I forget to take it I immediately get agitated and get headaches, and twitching in my eye and lip area. Do not mess with this medicine. It can help with seizures, but if you forget, it can also cause seizures! The major side effect I am having is scalp pain, itching and HAIR LOSS . After 3 years of not knowing why I am losing so much hair (and I had a very full thick head of hair), and going to doctors and dermatologists, my psych dr. told me it is Lamictal! Finally I know the culprit. I very upset about this, and I need to seriously think about if I am going to stop it. I do not want to go bald!

Please note to all of you that are new to this drug also, do not drink grapefruit juice or take NSAIDS medications - eg. things with acetaminophen in it. NSAIDS can cause Stevens Johnsons Syndrome. A deadly side effect. If you make it a few weeks up to the right dosage without signs of Stevens Johnsons syndrome you will be ok. But be aware of the signs......... ulcerating wounds. Look it up on Google and google photos. Educate yourself.

This medications has done wonders for me, but at the same time I really have not had a choice. All the other drugs that work for adhd cause a lot of hypertension - causes more agitation, and the other drugs for bipolar and ocd can have side affects like early diabetes or severe weight gain. I wish there was something else out there, without all the side effects because Lamictal is great, but I am not going to be a 37 year old female walking around bald the rest of my life.

I am a Registered Nurse and feel foolish that I wasn't able to connect the dots sooner. Yasmin's effects for me were insidious thereby slipping under the radar as the culprit responsible for all of the side effects I was experiencing. On Yasmin for 3 years:

- feelings of shortness of breath
- heart palpitations
- horrible anxiety and feelings of panic (not good when you're a nurse in the
ICU)
- insomnia (never had trouble sleeping before)
- varicose veins on my stomach??!!
- strange weight gain around my abdomen I could not lose despite my best
efforts
- ear popping and a feeling of fullness in my head
- constant runny nose requiring new prescriptions for nasal sprays and
allergy pills that did not work
- new abdominal bloating (ultrasound was negative)
- UTI (never had one of those before)
- strange colored periods
- agoraphobia (previously outgoing)
- depressed--lost interest in things I previously enjoyed, moody & angry,
- horrible fatigue (unable to jog anymore without becoming drained for days
- sharp debilitating headaches (CT negative)
- breast pain
- cellulite I've never had before
- and last but not least, compromised circulation to my right arm causing it
to go numb and change in color (Doppler showed partial arterial
obstruction that has since improved since quitting Yasmin)

Quit Yasmin 2 1/2 months ago and everything is resolving itself slowly. A big price to pay for good skin.

I have been reading all of your Simvastatin experiences with high interest and would like to share my adventures with all of you as well. My story began seven years ago when I was relatively healthy and enjoying life. My doctor prescribed Lipitor for my elevated cholesterol and two months later I found myself in the emergency room after having a severe bout with vertigo for the first time in my life. I have since spent the last seven years fighting this debilitating illness which continues to haunt me after having seen every top neurologist in my area and having taken every neurological test available. It would be as difficult to convince me that I was not somehow "poisoned" by Lipitor as it was for me to convince my doctor.

I was eventually prescribed Simvastatin 40MG and seemed to stabilize for a few years even though my dizziness problems persisted. Suddenly I began experiencing bouts of upset stomach and severe lower abdominal pain. I allowed my doctor to order basically every nasty test known to man in an effort to discover the cause of this new problem, but all have come up negative so far. Eventually I began to experience total exhaustion in the middle of my work day, not to mention the back, neck, and muscle pain that has been described so vividly in this forum. Basically, I have become a 53 year old man who feels much older, has absolutely no energy, and rarely has a day when I can honestly say I feel alive and well.

I am not a doctor and I can't honestly prove that Simvastatin is the cause of all of my problems. However, I do have common sense and after reading all of your thoughtful comments on the subject I would be foolish to at least not suspect that the drug may possibly be making me less healthy and not more healthy. Thank you all for opening my mind to this possibility and I certainly plan on discussing this with my doctor very soon, who may no longer by my doctor should he continue to insist that I take this nasty drug.

Thank god I found this site! My body has been going crazy ever since I started taking Yasmin two years ago and I didn't put two and two together until reading all of these postings and realizing the Yasmin might be the culprit.

I'm a healthy 31 y.o. who exercises regularly, doesn't smoke and has been on various oral contraceptives for the last decade without too many side effects beyond slight moodiness and minor weight gain. About two years ago I switched over to Yasmin. About two months ago I came across this site as I was researching hypertension which I had developed. I was confused and didn’t know what was causing it as I am healthy, unstressed and have a history of low blood pressure. But as soon as I found this site it all started coming together and I realized Yasmin had done much more than raise my blood pressure. I immediately went off the pill and almost right away many of my side effects went away. Here's what I've experienced since being on the pill:

-Weight Gain: Almost right away I gained ten pounds. I’ve effortlessly lost five of those pounds since going off the pill.
-Seborrheic Dermatitis: After a few months of being on Yasmin I developed a painful scalp condition called Seborrheic Dermatitis. Side effects of this are inflamed scalp, redness and most importantly, hair loss. The doctor said it is generally brought on by stress but on further research I saw that it is also caused by hormones, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to realize Yasmin might be the culprit once I saw this site. Over the last couple years I’ve been using all sorts of prescription shampoos to make the problem go away and nothing helped. But as soon as I went off the pill my scalp condition cleared in only a month without the use of shampoos.
-High Blood Pressure: Before I went on the pill my BP was about 100/70. During the time I took Yasmin my BP slowly climbed to above 140/90. Within two weeks of going off the pill my BP was back down to pre-Yasmin levels.
-Irregular Heart Beat: After about a year and a half of being on the pill I started to suffer from seriously irregular heart beat which went away immediately after I got off Yasmin.
-Hyperpigmentation: I know any birth control can cause this but none of them ever have until I went on Yasmin at which point it sprung up all over my face. I’m hoping the dermatologist can clear it up now that I’m off the pill.
-Tightness in Chest: Happened around same time as irregular heartbeat and is now gone.
-Anxiety: I’m not sure I can blame Yasmin for this one since going off Yasmin has not caused it to go away. But enough posters on this site mentioned it as a side effect and it wasn’t a problem for me pre-Yasmin, so I wanted to mention it.
-Irritability: I’m generally easy going and don’t let the little things bother me, but as soon as I went on Yasmin everything started to bug me. Now that I’m off Yasmin I’ve been in a much better mood.

If anyone is on this pill or thinking about going on it, I implore you not to. Too many risks especially since there are so many other pills out there that don’t have many side effects. I mean, there are close to 5,000 postings on this site, mostly against this pill while if you search the web there are almost no other pills that generate this kind of attention. That alone tells me something. I hope the makers of the pill pull it from the market immediately or doctors stop recommending it.

Our son, who is now 6 was prescribed Singulair at the age of 3 due to asthma/allergies. He was prescribed this by an ENT/Allergist. I thought our sons mood swings were due to the fact that we were expecting another child. He was always so happy/loving and playful. When the baby arrived 2 months later, his behavior worsened. Again, I put it on the new baby sister in the house. His moods/anger/outbursts increased. He hit, threw things etc. I told the doc about this and he said it was due to his enlarged tonsils, and they were then removed. Well needless to say, his behavior did not change because he was still on the Singulair. I mentioned the possible side effects to his pediatrician and she said it was a possibility, but to keep him on it because he needed it. Well, 3 years later, in March of this year I took him to an allergist that I had seen years ago. He immediately took him off the singulair (and all inhalers). His moods seemed to brighten a bit, but not they are worsening again. Is it possible for the Singulair to have long term damaging effects. I understand kids have tantrums, etc. Kids are kids, I get that. But he punches, kicks, screams, cries etc. My husband are at a loss. We don't know what to do. Oh, and he is now on Veramyst as needed (march-june, Aug-Oct.). Has anyone else experienced long term effects due to Singulair?

I am a 46 year old guy, I have been taking Lisinopril for about 6 months, and just started to get "THE HIVES". It started about 3 weeks ago, with all over body itching, then progressed to hives all over. I also had lip swelling & numbness. This is my 3rd day of not taking Lisinopril, hoping that it is the culprit for my symptoms. For those of you who have had similar problems, how long did it take for your hives to go away? Please let me know, thanks!

Hello
I am 57 years old and my BP has been trying to rise for the last 2 or 3 years. Without meds it is about 145/93. I started taking lisinopril 20mg, and it helped but didn't remedy the problem. My doctor added doxazosin mesylate 4mg and raised my lisinopril to 40mg. It was better but he also added hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg. My pressure is down to 118/68 most of the time now., but my hair has really started to fall out in the last month or so. It was thinning due to age anyway, but this has really kicked it into high gear. I jog and try to eat low fat diet, otherwise healthy. Any suggestions as to what the culprit is? and what to do about it?
Thanks

Hi everyone, I had my mirena put in feb of 2008. Around June 2008 I started having dizzy spells, and headaches. Went to ENT and ruled out inner ear problems, went to neurologist and he said it could be migraines. I never had them before but have a family history. I have in the last couple months been having really bad dizzy spells and nausea, like 4-5 times a week. Has anyone else had any of these problems? Not sure if its the mirena or not, but have been to just about every doctor and no one can figure out why i have been so dizzy and nauseous> Any suggestions?????

Has anyone had side effects pop up after 3 years? Yes, you heard me. Three years. Hair falling out. Joint pain. "Foggy headedness." Chest discomfort. Gotta be that. Please share.

HEllo.. I am a 47 year woman, whom started losing alot of hair all of a sudden... I had been losing, a few to 20, throughout a days brushing.> But the last few weeks a good chunk on and off for months.. I started advair last year.. Just got my 3rd refill... I been on albuterol for about 4 years.. My airways close severely..Allergies to foods, chemical, nature flowers and plants.. I also have Apnea sleep disorder which closes airways.. I take, singulair, albuterol, advair, naproxen, and flonase.. daily... I try to take the advair only if really needed.. BUt usually needed every day.. BUT I got the thought the more recent meds have to be the culprit..Not unusual to lose a 100 hairs a day by studies ! But clumps from same spot, all of a sudden! >YEa something not right ! So I started searching..Found so far nsaids such as the naproxen , and this advair both can make you lose your hair and then some ! I also get the itching for your life itch ! HEad to toe ! Dry, Told the doctor I use ever cream, lotion, gel, To Moisturize and it not help..
I been bloating on and off for years, with bowel trouble(IBS).. And nsaids also give constipation problems it seems , as advair has been said by users. BUt the last few years even more so.. I always excerscized..BUt bloat would make me not even appear as I exercise regular.. I have nerve problems all the time.. NEver had blood pressure... ALways read low if anything..NOW I am rating higher blood pressure when I go the dr.. I noticed in the last year My blood vessels show through my skin aLot ! That seemed weird to me ! Perhaps the meds? I been gettin more backaches than usual.. I always have them along in my life..BUT MOre prevailed Now in Lower back . My Eyes stay dry No matter what I do, Even feels like something in my eye, like a small bug or something... BUt never nothing there.. I get the ringing in the ears quite often now.. I think I will quit advair.. As for albuterol I do not know !? I do not know.>BUt Advair is the only meds I started recent.. And the clumps of hair been recent.>So I assume yes the advair !

THe person saying bad mouthing the advair or any med... that it is as prescribed only etc.. YOUR right ! Some people cannot take wat other persons can.> We take meds from a dr.. Not realizing we can have allergy reactions to the med, other people will not have ! PErhaps that it I have another chemical I cannot take in the advair, And perhaps the albuterol !

And another thing.>>The OZone harming chemical had been taken out the ALBUTEROL... they switched it to something else but calls it Albuterol still.. THat is what my Dr told me ! So if harmful to the Ozone, why not harmeful to humans. IT is about Sales to the medical fields more than HElping humans ! Money talks !

GOOD Luck.. and remember GOD is the 1st Physician.>HE cures still !

I am 40 and done having kids. I had the Mirena put in in Jan 2008 to help with heavy periods. Within 3 months I started to feel numbness in my left arm. It would come and go over the next couple of months. Then the numbness and burning spread to my left breast. I developed a breast lump in Nov.08 which was determined to be thickening of the breast tissue (through mammogram and ultrasound) The breast continued to be very sensitive and the arm pain became worse. In March Through a pelvic ultrasound 2 "tumors" were discovered on my left ovary. The doctor wanted to remove only the ovary. Once in the operating room he decided to do a complete hysterectomy. The tumor was a benign blood fill cyst witch burst and also endometriosis was bad enough to remove everything including the Mirena!! Its been two months now and the numbness and burning are still there! I am going to a neurologist to see what is going on. I always felt like the Mirena had something to do with all of this. Maybe I have irreversible nerve damage?

I'm fed up. About 4 years ago I had a complete thyroidectomy and OMG my life has been a mess ever since, Yes, I needed the gland removed (it was a goiter pressing on my air way and esophagus), it needed to come out but OMG what a nightmare. Synthroid is a drug I can't figure out. I am convinced that this has ruined my life. I have developed chronic/non-stop head pain and pressure. My B.P. has gone up and now I'm on B.P. medicine. (still have severe head pain). It just never leaves me. E.R. visits/hospital stays and on and on. They treat me like I'm a complete lunatic because they can't seem to find anything organically wrong with me. Ummm-it hurts(my head). I am starting with a new Doctor who is a D.O. rather than an M.D. and I am praying that he finds what the **** is causing my pain. I feel like crap. The T.S.H. is in normal range but I have learned that the T.S.H. is not everything (even though my thyroid is gone). The isiots for lack od better description, are just too lazy to go the extra minute to find out what is wrong here. I just want to be able to function and this head pain will not let me do that. It is a nightmare and I have nothing but sympathy and empathy for anyone who suffers with pain on a daily basis.

The only constant is the Synthroid. Maybe I can't take this stuff. It has to be that my body just can't tolerate it and need something else or T3 added (I don't know). I just pray that this new doc can figure it out because I feel so helpless with this. My pain is always there squeezing and pressing. It is horrible. Maybe Synthroid is the culprit. Good luck to everyone.

I just started the NuvaRing, and Everything seems to be going okay with an exception for the extreme breast tenderness. I put it in the day I started my period and, like clockwork, my period was gone, but still with some of the period pain such as ovary pain and breast swelling. I asked to be put on the ring because of my extremely painful periods and cramping and plus obviously I don't want to get pregnant. After being on it for something like..a week and a half, I've only noticed mood swings once, and that was last week during what should have been my period, and I think it's because my body is still working out the period symptoms that I should have been experiencing. I'm really worried about weight gain though. I'm not really that hungry unusually or anything.. just kind of normal but I've only been on this for a short time so I am fearful of increase in appetite and weight gain in the near future.. Has anyone had weight gain issues??

I started taking Januvia in August 2008. I haven't slept throught the night since. I have the pain in my left shoulder with night sweats. No sex drive, my husband of less then 4 years is really happy about this(yeah right)! I on the other hand have developed constant movements of my abdomen and horrible constipation. The spasms or jerking movements start when I go to bed and usually last for hours. I almost jerk myself out of the bed, it's that severe. I now think this is permanent. My finger joints hurt, shake and fingers tap on their own. These things were never present before the use of Januvia. And I am the one who requested it, not my doctor. So I can't blame him. After reading all of the side effects from others, I am convinced that the Januvia is the culprit. I have depression and now it is the worse that it has ever been.
S. M.

Three and a half years ago i suffered a heart attack, i had three stents put in and was put on Aspirin 75mg, Cardicor, 1.25mg, Tritace 5mg and Lipitor 80mg. I was fairly fit at the time, didn't drink or smoke and ate properly.

But now i'm suffering, i've been to the hospital and my GP, but are told there is nothing wrong, my hear tis good. So why am i suffering with light headedness, pains through my body, back, neck, chest, stomach. So much so i thought i had gall stones or kidney stones. My right knee can't be touched, it is so sore. Chest heaviness, eyesight getting worse, slurred speech, depression i could go on.

I've said this to my doctor, he just brushes it off and says i'm on them for life, ....apparently standard treatment for anyone who's had a heart attack. I walk 5 miles a day, eat 5 or more fruit and veg, don't smoke or drink, do all what i'm meant to. My cholesterol is really low, but so is the HDL too. I was never recommended CoQ10 or a vitamin B complex.

It was my mother who told me to research the side effects of all the meds i'm on. I agree, we all want to live a long and healthy life, but at what cost. I am now of the opinion that doctor's are so use to thinking they are near god like, they have forgotten that we are individuals, that we know our own bodies. I'm sick of the fact that the large pharmaceutical companies send out there sales reps to doctor's surgeries and that is what is deciding what the patients end up taking and not the patient's problem.

DOCTOR'S WAKE UP TREAT THE CAUSE NOT THE SYMPTOMS!!!!!!!

ovarian cysts, weight gain, bloating, gassiness, hemorrhoids, yeast infections, kidney infections, UTI's, panic attacks, depression,I've had them all. I have gone back to my doctor about 5 times just telling them that "something isn't right" and not one time have they told me to remove the Mirena. I even asked if the Mirena could be the culprit of my problems, and they blew it all off. I talked to my sister yesterday who said she has had some of the same symptoms too. I am calling to get mine removed asap. I cannot handle the constant cycle of pain, yeast infection, finally clearing up, getting to have sex, only to develop another yeast infection within a week. I actually thought these symptoms were in my head! Or worse, maybe I was somehow "allergic" to my husband! This must go.

I started taking Welchol in February of 2009. Took 4-6 pills a day. I began to have heart palpitations, and flutterings of the heart soon after. I did not see any connection to my symptoms with the Welchol. I went to the doctor and he did a CT and told me that the heart was fine. He increased my heart medication and still the palpitations went on. Then, last week, I forgot to take the Welchol...didn't take it for a whole day and suddenly the heart palpitations ceased. I'm into 4 days without the Welchol and have had no heart palpitations whatsoever. I will stay off it for awhile...then try it again, and if the palpitations return, I will know who the culprit is. Is anyone else out there having this problem. I did have the tiredness and after reading all these side affects, I now know the reason why.

After reading other people's experiences with Norvasc, I realized that my symptoms are almost identical. I thought it was rheumatoid arthritis and asked my doctor to give me some tests and all came back negative. I started 5mg of Norvasc about 10 months ago and about 6 months in I started to get muscle spasms in my feet, then spasms and muscle twitching in legs, arms and hands. Extreme flushing in feet, small freckle-like rash on feet, lower legs and ankles. Also have what I would call chronic fatigue and just cannot get myself up and down stairs well. I'm 57 and feel like 100. All over body pain is very debilitative. I've gone from an active, happy person to a cranky person in pain 24 hours a day. So, now I have taken myself off Norvasc and am waiting to see if there is an improvement in my health. I'm still on coversyl for my blood pressure and will talk to my doctor again. It is so true that you must be your own health advocate and try to stay on top of all your health issues.

Have been on Welchol for IBS for many years. It stopped my IBS symptoms but does cause constipation. I try to eat healthier in order to help with that. About 3 months ago, I began having pain in my fingers. I thought it was probably due to carpal tunnel syndrome. In the last two weeks, the pain intensified and spread to all the knuckles on my hand; I also had swelling and redness. The pain then spread to my toes, the rest of the bones in my feet, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. Next came stinging and burning and then sporadic numbness. By late afternoon, the fatigue was incredible, and I would become dizzy. I went to the doctor, and he ran every blood test available. Everything came back normal, which was great, but my doctor couldn't pinpoint what was causing my problems. He said none of my medicines would cause such symptoms.

My boss asked me if I was taking any cholesterol medication, and I told her I took Welchol for IBS. She said she had read article upon article connecting cholesterol medication to joint paint and encouraged me to check online to see if I could find any answers. This site was one of the many I found where other people mentioned symptoms very similar to my own. My boss suggested I mention this to my doctor. I was thrilled at the prospect of finding such an "easy" solution since my other medications are not easily replaced.

My doctor instantly said that there was "no way" that Welchol could cause these symptoms since -- as so many of your doctors have told you -- that it is not absorbed into the bloodstream. However, he approved my stopping Welchol as an "experiment". I noticed that many of you mentioned it took a few weeks or more for the symptoms to reduce. My doctor warned me again that this was not the solution and that in a couple days, he wants me to consider taking Neurontin or going on a sedative for stress. He thinks, since all the tests have come back negative, that stress is the real culprit.

I know that stress can cause many health problems, but it just seems too coincidental that so many of you have experienced the same symptoms I'm facing. Do you think I'm making the right decision? My symptoms are difficult to cope with at times, but they are not incapacitating. I would really like to try staying off of Welchol and see if it helps in the weeks to come instead of adding yet another medication to my list.

I would appreciate your advice and thoughts. Thank you for your posts -- they have given me real hope for a solution.