I cried reading everyone's responses. There is nothing like loosing your mother. I lost my mother on Feb 20th of this year and it was sudden but not unexpected as we knew were living on borrowed time, she suffered from COPD and congestive heart failure. We should have lost her in 2004 but she stayed with us till she had no reserve left, that is what the doc's call it when your lungs no longer have the capacity to store more oxygen. There is one thing I have learned that I would like to pass on and that is not to play the "what if" game with yourself. We can do that all day if we want but the end result is guilt because we create a scenario as we "Think" things may have turned out or may have been and no one knows or has a crystal ball to look back in time and say "yep had I done this or that things would have been better" Our mother's as stated in an earlier post really do not want their children to see them die. They are always thinking of us and I am sure they are thinking "I need to spare them this pain" and I have to say this. I was lucky enough to be with my mom when she took her last breath but that is an image I will never get out of my head. My mother's body once full of life, all of a sudden she was gone, it was the hardest thing I ever had to go through, to watch someone die in front of you is not something I ever want to see again, and yet, I am grateful I was able to be with her when she did pass. it sounds twisted I know, but it was just so truly sad to see her there one minute and then gone the next. Even though I spent 12 hours a day with her for 7 days before she died, I find myself thinking "I should have said or done more" but truly what else could I have said, or done. I sat next to her and held her hand, washed her face, stroked her head and face, massaged her arms and held her hand, kissed her face, made her laugh, shared moments with her, comforted her and gave her ice chips to suck on. I even bought her her favorite flower, a red rose. She smelled it, I brushed it against her cheek, she loved it. And all I did, I would catch myself and say, "if only I did more or said more" but I did not need to, and I remind myself of that all the time because that "What if" thought always pops into my head. Mother's know how much we love them, they see it in our eyes and we see how much they love us in their eyes. The sweetest thing my mother gave me was the look. She and I while I was drawing pictures of she and I when I was a little girl holding her hand, she looked at me and for 6 seconds we just stared at each other and I saw the most amazing amount of love she had for me, and we did not say a word but we smiled and cried and she said "I love you" and I know I will never experience anyone looking at me the way she did. Playing the "what if" game will just make you go nuts, I am sure our mother's knew how much we loved them, they could feel us even when we were not with them, and I am positive they did not want us to see them die, God controls everything for his own purpose and reasoning. And no matter what we may have felt we did wrong, or did not do enough of before our mother's passed, I for sure can say this, as they are in the presence of the Lord, all earthly things are passed and they are not thinking about what we did or did not do and they are for sure not judging us. There is one big party in heaven, a celebration for each child who comes home to be with the Lord, as the Lord knows our hearts, I am sure our mother's knew our hearts and knew we loved them. We are only human, not perfect, and we did the best we could and our mother's loved and love us no matter what. If you think they died alone I can honestly say that I truly believe when someone dies they are never alone, an angle is there to take them to heaven and my mom kept looking around the room before she passed as she said she heard strange sounds and wanted to know where they were coming from and she was so peaceful. I believe she heard the trumpet sounds being made for her entry into heaven. The bible says when we die, those who know the Lord are in his presence and all worries and pain and sadness are no longer. I hope this provides some comfort, just don't beat yourselves up about what you could have done or said. Our mother's know how much we loved them and all we wanted to say and do. God bless

All of my inspiration kitchens had natural cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. I knew before we even started that soapstone was going to be out of our budget--I had a lot of counter space going in, with some other expensive details. Instead, I chose a laminate with a similar vibe and put in huge windows. I have plenty of work space for multiple cooks, all the space I could want for baking and prepping, and I can always see the trees in the yard and the sky above them. I am very happy with my choices. The thing stung a bit was giving up the walk in pantry. In a 20X19 foot space, you'd think that we could fit a walk in pantry, but no matter how we positioned it, it screwed up something else in the layout, so in the end I gave it up and put in a wall of built in cabinets instead. I stash things in the laundry room and mudroom closet when I need to. I'm ok with that, because I got the mudroom and the laundry room in the remodel as well! :-) Again, I'm happy with the choices we made. Cj

I haven't had misdiagnoses but I have had different paths to a solution-- and different prognoses. I understand some of it because no two conditions are the same and vision is a fairly complex function. Are you having vision issues also? I guess regardless of the issue, finding the right dr is key. My first dr said there was nothing to be done-- this is when the symptoms were just developing and perhaps could have been addressed more completely. I am so kicking myself for just accepting his word. I lost two years of critical time. I am normally a strong person-- unwilling to accept that there's nothing to be done.. but I can look back now and say that I accepted it because I was soooo bummed.. and also very ashamed and embarrassed by my issues. Also, I was seeing one of the most highly regarded ophthalmologists in the area-- and I am sure he IS good for a lot of eye issues. Just not mine. I am now seeing a dr at Wills Eye Hospital 2 hr away. If you think you aren't getting good care-- keep seeking the care you deserve! And yes, thanks-- today is good. I am working 3 hr today.. we'll see how that goes!

Some breeds are more prone to eye diseases. Bad breeding is another cause. My dog was originally dumped in a Wal-Mart parking lot as a puppy. Most likely due to her mild hip dysplasia - breeder could not sell. Then at 5yo, she was dumped again, but at a local pet food store. I adopted her knowing she had issues, including corneal lipidosis. She developed glaucoma, then a corneal ulcer which caused a tiny divot. Hers did not get infected, but if it did, it could have ruptured. The vet sent me to the veterinary ophthalmologist, who said of the four treatments, only two were suited to our dog. Of the two, we both agreed removing the eye was the best course of action, so it could be tested and we know how to treat her remaining eye and hopefully avoid serious issues/postpone glaucoma. She said it's not if, but when. Eye pressure should be under 20, and her right eye was 63. The Dr used to treat humans, and is still a professor, and said it's like a bad headache. I felt like a horrible mama not knowing. She was already blind, so removing the eye got rid of the pressure/pain. I opted not to have a silicone ball inserted due to risk of infection and/or rejection. It's purely aesthetic. I can always let her hair grow longer over that side. She will go every 3-4 months to the ophthalmologist for the remainder of her life. She turns 9yo in October, so I wish I could say I am optimistic she will keep the vision in her left eye, but I am doubtful. My advice would be to always have annual check-ups for your pets. Catch the problem as early as possible, and if they start messing with an eye, go to the vet asap. I am going to take photos of her left eye weekly, so I can compare and see any changes. It's hard to notice a gradual change when you see them every day.