Every now and then, for no apparent reason (emphasis on "apparent"), I feel an annoying, painful, pins and needles sensation in my big toe. It's usually only one toe, usually my left big toe, that gets this.

Doing a search online, I found all sorts of possibilities. But, I really didn't fit any of the symptoms. My symptoms are momentary, sudden, annoying and painful. Of the possible causes, a lower back problem fit the best.

Has anyone ever felt anything like this? Did you consult a chiropractor or neurologist? Which helped?

I have arthritis associated with lupus, and also rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. So, I'm accustomed to dealing with a variety of aches and pains due to these conditions. I'm currently on contract at a State agency and read a wonderful story in this week's newsletter about the agency's Arthritis Program Coordinator.

12% of all our babies will be born prematurely!

Everyone has always known someone who had a preemie (a baby born prior to 37 weeks in the womb) but at this rate, we all know a lot of someones! The Center for Disease Control studied 7 million babies over a decade, in an effort to understand why so many babies are born prematurely and any adverse affects they may experience.

Let's not forget that in most cases a preemie baby is not anyone's fault and in most instances there is nothing that could be done!

im average size but a little top heavy from breasts

Tim Russert was like a best friend. I'd watch him every Sunday morning, faithfully. It was like having a cup of coffee with a dear friend.

I considered him to be the most reliable anchor on Television today. He was true to himself. He told it like it was and he had a smile that was infectious.

You will be missed by everyone, Tim.

Heavy hearted,

Michelle

As I try to write this I am Flashing. I had a Hysterectomy 2 and 1/2 years ago. I am 55 years old. Ever since the surgery I have massive mood swings,hot flashes and night sweats. I can't sleep without a sleeping pill and now I add a muscle relaxer because of my resistance to the sleeping pills. I take Estratest but does not seem to help much. I have been on anti-depressants for 20 years my dosage had to be increased since the surgery. I read your article in the newpaper today and copied it at work.

I just read the article about Michelle King Robson and the empowerher website. It was all very interesting and I anticipate spending time on this site for various reasons.

How do you know if you have depression or are stressed or just sad? I just read an article that says depression has many factors (social, financial, biological, mental, etc.), which sounds like stress, right?

I thought depression meant there was a chemical imbalance that occurs in someone's body, with no clear 'reason' for why they are depressed. If there is a 'reason', then it is sadness or grief or another condition.

Please help me understand the differences between these three (depression, sadness and stress), thanks.

If you've started limping because your hip is bothering you, you need to do something NOW. If you just let it go, it will almost surely get worse.

Three of my siblings have had their hips replaced already, so I had been dreading that this hip replacement operation might be inevitable. The orthopedic surgeon wouldn't tell me what to do to slow the deterioration. He was glad to send me to physical therapy, but in my experience, PT tries to treat but doesn't address the causes of pain.

I have FBS and CFS and so does my daughter who has a two year old daughter. The most troublesome symptom is chronic fatigue. We can deal with the pain, but the extreme fatigue is taking all the joy out of our lives. What can we do to boost our energy. We both take vitamin supplements and try to eat a lot of carbohydrates. Suggesting exercising is not a good idea because spending a half hour exercising means we will spend more time being exhausted. Any ideas are welcome. I also have Scleroderma, but my daughter does not.