Tom, you have my sympathies, but alas, diazepam doesn't flow through the 'net. Perhaps a housecall from one of your fellow medics might help? Stubborn is a trait I know well. I am sitting here nursing a knee injury brought on by my stupidity of riding my bike (a mountain bike, with mountain bike tires that work well on dirt, but not on concrete) to work after a rain, before the ground was dry. http://www.portable-essentials.com/2009/05/crash.html if you want to read it... Makes kneeling while holding c-spine real fun. Would mentioning your blog entry to your mom make her rethink not accepting your or your brother's help? Just a thought...