Question:
I'm a nutritionist, a nutrition writer, andformer part time faculty member at Bastyr University. My undergraduatedegree was in biology from Wayne State University and I used to work therein the W.S. Medical School as a research assistant. I have a masters degreein Nutrition from Bastyr University. I am also a certified nutritionist (CN)in Washington State and a member of the Society of Nutrition Education.Needless to say, I like to post nutrition information here.

I have FM and PPH (primary pulmonary hypertension which is more common inPWFM). I'm a strong believer in alternative medicine - real alternativemedicine- not the junk you find on the web by those with no medicaltraining.

I've been gone for a while to finish a new book on red yeast rice- a Chineseherbal that has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels in several welldesigned studies. (just have to slip in a plug ) While I was gone myhusband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We rented the skylinelevel of the Seattle Space Needle for our party and renewal of vows. It wasquite a party! We had two clergy members for the renewal of vows- an Irishborn Catholic priest who sang us a song after and a Presbyterian ministerwho is a close friend. Both of us started to cry when we repeated our vows.Had a three layer cake with pure buttercream frosting- not a trans fattyacid in sight! The band was an Irish group. Four of the original weddingparty were there. Our son flew in from Washington DC. It was *just* perfect-quite a memory. I even wore the lace top to my wedding dress. The day beforewe took all 14 of the out-of-towners whale watching. And I must say, MSContin made it all possible!

Had another echocardiogram for my PPH. The good news is that I am stable- mypulmonary pressures are still 50 which is down from the 94 they were twoyears ago (normal blood pressure in the lung is 14 mmHg). The bad news isthey probably will not go down any further- my pulmonary arteries areapparently blocked with scar tissue. I had this disease for too long beforegetting a diagnosis.

My weight loss has sort of stabilized. I'm holding at 116-7 pounds. Thedoctors think the Flolan I have to take for the PPH is the cause. With myadvance check I bought some new clothes for my new size four figure.Unfortunately I lost my butt and boobs along with the weight. If anyonefinds them please let me know! I have this saggy deflated look.

So what's been happening while I was gone? Anyone find a cure for FM yetI have been trying SAMe for the past month. Report to follow later inthe week.

Answer: Great to hear from you! I'm so glad you are stabilized. Good luck with your newbook. Is this number nine or ten??Hopefully you will join us more regularly with your good info.Happy about your 25th and the lovely day you had.Oh, I have your butt right here and would love to return it. Mine is more thanample without the new addition.