Im bitchy, I moan, I groan.....anyway.
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Hi All,
Sorry I can't check in regularly but my computer keeps slowing to a crawl. My husband has beensaying he is going to get me a new one but.........I just paid $2500 to my PS. Good news is that I have met my out of pocket Max so everything is now paid for 100%.
Deb, glad to see you posting as well.
Luanne, I hope you have heard from your son. My nephew was in Iraq for 9 months. He never wrote or even sent e-mails. We stayed on pins and needles. That is just him. I know I am late on the wedding stories...but my nephew came back and got involved with this girl. He paid all her back bills and rent and basically spent all the money he saved while in Iraq. They were to get married. I was too sick with chemo and could not go. My parents said it was the wierdest wedding ever. The bride wore a low cut gown and had two guns tatooed on her chest. The best man had about 20 piercings on his face. Anyway, that night, she told him she did not want to be married to him anymore. It had been 6 hours. So he left and filed for divorce and went back to NC where he had put down deposits for an apt and lost all that. Then her mom calls and says she wants $1000 for all she spent on the wedding. After 7 months of not hearing from her and the divorce final ($500), she calls and says she misses him. She wants to go back to school...will he pay for it. Of course he will......He is such a fool! So desparate for love. He spurns his family and turns to this little copper digger. Sorry he has no gold.
My IOS is my nerves. I get my implants on 9/22/08. I am getting antsy. I am trying to get all my plants that need transplanting done, the house cleaned, the car taken care of (oil change, tires rotated), laundry done, etc. so I can have a rest. My DH, bless his heart, just cannot clean house. Or maybe he just can't clean Iike I like it.
Debbie
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I'm at work....will catch up later but had to post this!!! LOL!
Dave Barry's Colonoscopy Journal
... I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment
for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color
diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place,
at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis .
Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough,
reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear
anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TOSTICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for
a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a
microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it
to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's
enemies.I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.
Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance
with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken
broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder
together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water.
(For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.)
Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because
MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and
urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great
sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery bowel movement may
result.'This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may
experience contact with the ground. MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I
don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle
launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle.
There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several
hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate
everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have
to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your
bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not
even eaten yet.After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.
The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not
only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional
return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on
Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not
be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and
totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a
room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little
curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments
designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you
feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand.
Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already
lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their
MoviPrep.
At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered
what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom,
so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no
choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where
Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the
17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I
was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and
the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.
There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was
'Dancing Queen' by Abba. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be
playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the
least appropriate. 'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind
me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for
more than decade.
If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in
explicit detail, exactly what it was like. I have no idea. Really. I
slept through it. One moment, Abba was shrieking 'Dancing Queen! Feel the beat
from the tambourine .....'. and the next moment, I was back in the other room,
waking up in a very mellow mood.
Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I
felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my
colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an
internal organ.ABOUT THE WRITER Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor writer for the Miami Herald
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Shirley-
I had a diabetic cat tht was not supposed to live past the age of 3. I gave him insulin shots for nearly a year. And he was prone to UTI's being a neutered male as well. He got to where he cringed whenever I went to pet him. Long story short, Cats make their own vitamin C normally, but when they are ill, obviously they aren't making enough. I would give him an adrenal gland tab (pure- no preservatives or ther vitamins etc and a a half dropper of liquid vitamin C. usually about once a month. Within 24 hours I had a cat that was active and felt as good as a 12 week old kitten. I used to work for a chiropracter that was real big into nutrition. He had a film that showed eskimos eating the adrenal glands of the caribou for their vitamin C source. So I figured it would work for the pussy cat. Tic -Cat passed away nearly 15 years ago this year 3 weeks before his 18th birthday. I never gave him another insulin injection. Just the vitamins and I watched his diet better than I did my own.
Helen
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First, I must tell you all that I am a regular lurker on this thread. I get the IOS and relate to so much of it. I send you all a BIG THAT SUCKS!
Traci, thanks for that Dave Barry piece. I LMAO. And it felt so good to have a good laugh this a.m.
My IOS today is I just gave myself my first Neupogen shot. It was so much easier that I thought it would be but I know bone pain will follow later and another shot tomorrow. Oh well, I have pain meds.
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OMG, that was about the funniest thing I've read in ages. Thanks for the great laugh Traci.
Hugs.
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Traci - Spitting coffee at the computer screen!!! LMAO!!!! Must share...when I can breathe!
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Well, took the cat to my vet this AM. I left her there for him to do the ultrasound. And a physical. And a few shots. Whatever else he did I have forgotten. That was another....about...$190 +. Anyway, the GOOD new IS he says it is a small kidney stone. Very small. We had another cat who just recently went through this. They SHOULD eat Science Diet S/D. It's supposed to help dissolve the stone HOPEFULLY. It didn't dissolve Cleo's (the other cat), and she hated the food. Abby, the one that's just been dxd, is a very picky eater. I gave her some mixed in with her Fancy Feast and she wasn't having any of that. They're not supposed to eat hard food. Anyway, the surgery for Cleo cost almost $900. We already spend $600 on Abby in the last two days..oh well...who's counting those dollar bills!? So, I try to get her to eat that yucky food and take her back next Monday for a check..can't even remember why..LOL No cancer was seen by the US. And, when I got her home and she walked out of the carrier she started shaking her leg. Okay, she peed on herself! At least she got the pee out! LOL She does not smell good. I need to get some of that dry shampoo or something. I wiped her off as well as I could for now and she was not happy with me ONE BIT! He told me not to get the other scripts yet because her bladder was so small right now....wasn't gonna pop like yesterday! And, he said compounding them can be expensive. So, now we wait and see. With four cats in the house it's very difficult to keep up with who pees or doesn't pee and who does the "other business" and who doesn't. We have one litter box upstairs and one down. I'm not having four boxes..PERIOD. LOL Thank you for all your kind wishes for this lttle $hit! And she's just that. But I love her anyway!
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Traci,
Thanks for posting that! I Love Dave Barry! ROFLMAO
Shirley,
I am glad that Abby seems to be doing better. I agree with you about the litter boxes, though. We have Two cats and Two litter boxes, next to each other, in the closet! They seem to have an agreement, and I don't know HOW they decide... but they pee in one and poop in the other... Who knows? and Who keeps track of Who did What?
Good Luck at the onc tomorrow!
Harley
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I'm trying to get caught up on the last two pages.
Tomorrow is my dr's visit so I'll be offline a bunch. I wish I had changed the appointment. It's not that the trip is bad, it's just that I'm TARED!LuAnn, I hope you hear from your son soon. I know when my dd and her dh were traveling throughout Africa I wouldn't hear from them sometimes for weeks. They'd be out in the bush with no way to "communicate." Sometimes my mind would go to a very bad place....Of course that's not like being in Iraq. These young men and women have seen things that would make anyone depressed. I hate war too. I'll be thinking and praying for you.
Harley, have a good time at your surgeon's tomorrow.
Hanna, it seems like I heard about that woman stuck to the toilet seat. How gross! Disgusting! If she was stuck to the seat no one wiped her butt! EEEWWWWWWWWW. TRACI, please don't get stuck in the bathroom! Hanna, a cute story..at least I thought it was cute. My granddaughter's name is Hannah (with an "h" on the end). The other day my dd had some Celtic music on and the guy was singing, "Hosanna, Hossanna..." My grandson, who is three, was sining, "Who's Hannah? Who's Hannah..." Kids "hear" the cutest things. Speaking of adopting a dog...I talked to a woman at the vets today who took in a stray dog. She said he was so skinny. She had to have him shaved. She's had him for two months and he's not gorgeous. He also had heart worms. I told her how sweet she was to take in this poor dog and he's so sweet and calm. Go for it...GET THE OLD DOG! It hurts when we lose the, but think of what you've given the dog..a good home and good luv'n.
I see Patrice found the article about the woman. Should I read it?
BTW, Patrice, I saw you on C-span with your black and white dress. I wanted a close up of you, but they don't do that. I can't remember who was standing there speaking, but if they had panned over just a little bit more you would have been seen close up and personal 
Sue, I CAN'T stop politicking. I have become addicted to it! So sorry your body is or was hurting. If you're not used to spending a day shopping that's what happens. I went shopping with a friend the other day for hours and the next morning I wondered why my shoulders were a bit sore. Then, I remembered!
Wish, I think I'll disregard the expert's opinions on litter boxes. They're messy. Two's plenty like you said. And, thanks for the "kitty prayer." It must have worked. At least it's only a very small kidney stone. I so hope it can be dissolved or that she can pass it. Poor babies.
Diane, I used to sew a looonnngg time ago. My sewing machine hasn't seen the light of day in many years. It's now a TV stand.
Saint, I took Xeloda for six months. I don't remember hurting. I do know that some women get hand/foot syndrome and diarrhea. My onc scared me so badly that I slathered on that junk and he told me if I had diarrhea to start using Immodium EVERYTIME I had a bowel movement. That only happened once, but I think it was a virus..but I used the Immodium. Perhaps you should call your onc to find out if the pain is a SE of Xeloda. Saint, you are a true SAINT for volunteering at the shelter. I'd want to take every animal home with me. It's all I can do to see the animals at the pet store put up for adoption. I'm a true animal lover. That WOULD be a very worthwhile cause. Only thing is..I don't want to clean up POOP! LOL
Aus, welcome aboard. You may share sucky stuff or happy stuff with us. Just don't be a stranger. I haven't been on this trread since page....I'd have to go back and look. I missed so much and really need to at least catch up with the newbies and see what else is happening with the oldies..like LuAnn..who is worried about not hearing from her son.
Nancy, you're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...it's near. And you will be a happy camper not having to sit in those chairs again!
Cristine, I will say it again. Mom's who go through chemo and have children are one special group of women. I am so happy to hear that you will be done. Oh, the joy!
Debbie, the story you told about your nephew sounds like something out of a weird movie! Stupid, immature girl!
Traci, I've read that before. It's hilarious!
Lilaclady, I don't know if I could give myself a shot. I had to give one of my cats insulin shots, but I don't know if I could jab that needle into my own flesh.
Helen, I had a diabetic at also. That's great that he lived to 18 and you stopped the insulin. Our cat ended up with cancer. He was about 10. I tried to "save" him by using the Budwig diet. He was a mess, but also could be so loveable. I hate when our babies get sick! I hate when we can't make them better! I wonder why I continue to put myself through this, but when I think about the home they have and the love they are given it's well worth it. I adopted two feral cats from outdoors. And adopted two more form animal adoption agencies. I think four's a plenty!
I had my first experience of bidding on Ebay. I was looking for my perfume and didn't want to pay full price. I've got a bid in unless someone out bidded me. If they did they can have it cuz there's more on there. LOL
Hope everyone's rest of the day is without IOSs. I've got to get back in my car and get some gas , and the prices have gone crazy!
Have a good'un.
Shirley
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Can you separate her for her for a week with a kitty litter of her own in a bathroom so you can watch IF she's peeing or not? Just a thought.
We've fed our kitties (cats actually as they are 13 and 12 I think), this food for years and never had a problem, although it is dry. They drink water, though, do yours? I know I'm changing their water often during the day as they do NOT like it stale at all. Can't blame them
It's a Wellness complete product. Contains NO Meat By-Products, Corn or Corn Gluten, wheat, Soy or artificial preservatives, Colors or Flavors. I use the salmon bag which is salmon and my picky girls love this and the one for hair balls formula. The Stuff it didn't have in it, is the stuff our vet said to watch for with allergies and problems with our kitties. Never had more problems after using it. It's a little pricey, but not like the pheasant our temporary CAT vet suggested! Whew!
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saw my cardiologist today. he certainly differed on some of the things the onc told me last week when she pissed me off. she insisted my bloody nose was not from the xeloda and told me to stop he baby asa. he told me today that no way would baby asa cause a bloody nose and with my autoimmune factors for thick blood that i should not stop taking it. the he asked me how much i was taking and when i said 4000mg he didn't say anything but his head shot back and eyebrows shot up. we all know docs will not criticize another doc. but he had the look on his face of "omg".i know i'll probably have to change but there's not many oncs arnd here.
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4000 mg of baby asppirin? Or Xeloda?
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xeloda...baby asa is 81
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Well a big THAT SUCKS to all!!!! I just tried to catch up, Shirley, glad to hear your kitten is doing ok!
Beth - glad you found us! Told you it was fun and I see you changed your name
jerseymaria - I think your onc is off his rocker to be honest!
Ok, yesterday I was happily watching my football game and right on que at halftime remnants of hurricane Ike hit a cold front over Cincinnati. Winds were whipping up to 80 mph it was like tornados everywhere but no tornados. Houses are a mess, shingles and siding tore up, the worst is all the trees knocked down. Our power went out yesterday around 2 pm and just came back on tonight. I whole day and night of no internet! what did we used to do???? My son and I played games by candlelight then I tossed and turned afraid to sleep as I had an early onc appt with not alarm to wake me. All the cells phones were about dead, just one of those days. Luckily my power came back on today, some people aren't supposed to get it back for about 5 or 6 days. I know it is nothing like those of you in Texas got but this wasn't expected. They called for rain from the hurricane and we didn't hardly get a drop of rain, just outrageous winds!
I still have not heard from my son but have to get in my email to catch up on all the happenings in Iraq. I will live with the no news is good news theory. As long as no men in black suits show up at my door I will be fine.
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LuAnn, glad you got your power back. My sister in Cleveland lost hers about 3 today and it's slated to be back on about saturday! Thank heavens it's not 90-100 like a few weeks ago! But they'll lose everything in their frigs at that rate!
As for your son, we'll keep him wrapped in prayers that he calls soon to say he's been busy and not able to call. Then we'll let you give him heck for making us all worry
Rest well tonight dear Ladies! BIG THAT SUX to all in need!
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Wish,
I am so glad you are here. Your posts always make me smile, and feel loved. Thanks.
Love,
Sue
P.S. THAT SUCKS to all who need it--sleep well!!
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[[fedora fedora fedora g'nite sue!]]
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nighty night, rock-o-pal.....
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Good morning and marking my spot. A big that sucks to everyone that needs one. Flooding here in Chicago has made driving in rush hour even more difficult. Looks like Ike has affected many of us.
Hope your day is good
Nicki
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HI everyone:
No biggies going on here - I got the latest insurance claim print out for charges of over $ 36 thousand - MY responsibility is "only" $ 700. This included the port implant, muga scan, chemo, nuelasta, oncologist, and I have NOT had surgery yet... It scares me to think what the politicians want to do to "reform" health insurance... I am sure it will only get worse before it gets better.
Speaking of politics - why does half the people I know have to email me articles about the candidates? I do read the paper, watch the news and I did graduate from college... I do not live in a cave either... In fact, I live in the armpit of the political scene - just across from DC.
I can't remember all of your IOS, - - chemo brain, craft, crs, and psd --- so I give a gentle HUG for everyone and a very loud THAT SUCKS. ♥♥♥ Nancy
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Hi All,
Shirley I am so sorry about your cats. I know how the money adds up. I feed my cats Iams. They won't eat science diet. I also feed them cooked chicken. When chicken thighs go on sale, I buy many packs and then boil them and cut them up. It helps my hypothyroid kitty. she has gained weight. My blind cat does not like any meat except tuna. I just spent $250 on her to find out she was blind. Hell, that is why I took her to the vet. They gave me some medicine and asked me to bring her back in one week to check her eyes again. I knew she was still blind so I never took her back. She will turn 16 this month and gets around just fine. Except I will never see her chase her tail again.
Well, getting the house and yard ready before my surgery. The weather here has dropped to the 70's and it was wonderful to work in the yard yesterday. So nice, I think I will get out there again today. Need to clean the garage and still dig up some more plants and transplant them. So far....no IOS for me except for the expander pain......but that has been going on so long that it seems to be just a part of life.
Oh Nancy, so sorry you live so close to DC.....My husband and I gave up on politics when Clinton rammed NAFTA through. We are apolitical now and do not even watch the news unless we want to catch the weather. Can't stand all the ads on TV, but then I rarely watch TV anymore.
I went with my gf (bc survivor and just finished tx for throat cancer) to see "The Women". It was more of a get out of the house thing. Not a great movie. I wished Bette Midler would have played a bigger part. I dreamed about her last night. She is so funny. This is a movie that can wait for the DVD if you are interested. Did enjoy looking at all the nice pocketbooks in the movie.
Debbie
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Hefty price to see a movie just to view new handbags, hey? Made me laugh. Thanks for that morning chuckle! It's been cold here and digging in cold wet soil is reminding of the spring Happy thoughts at least! Nancy, thank heavens for insurance! Whew! Do you have a surgery date yet? Keeping you in prayers as you go through this mess!
Speaking of cold and wet!!! Thanks for marking your spot Nicki!
Sue, glad I could put a smile on your face before bed! Always a plus in my book!
{{LUANN!}} Get your mind in a better place lady! No men (well in black suits anyway) are going to come to your front door! But wouldn't that be fantastic if Dson should appear at that front door! Always loved those ads where they come home without telling anyone! Tear jerkers! He too shall return, safe and sound my dear....
Shirley, hope you kitty is doing better today? Did you win your bidding?
And Marie, hope your bloody noses and SE's are getting better and the docs are starting to get with the program!
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Debbie,
I HATE NAFTA! I believe it has caused most of the businesses here in the U.S. to move away from the U.S, because it is cheaper to manufacture goods.
I think it is terrible how you took your cat to the vet, and they only told you what you already knew... that she was blind! That vet sounds like alot of the drs. I have seen, before my bc dx. I told my surgeon that other drs. are 'just a bunch of idiots', and that was my experience.Nancy,
Do you live in Northern Virginia? I used to live in Columbia, Maryland, and my dh was in the U S Navy Band. When he retired, we moved to NC. Well, I moved here a year before he did, and a few months later, was dx'd with bc.... Sorry about your medical bills! But you are right. I am not happy with ANY of the solutions they are proposing, either. Canada and the UK have the National Health Plans, and it is just scary, to think of waiting that long for ROUTINE medical care!!
LuAnn,
Praying for your son, and everyone in the military, serving in Iraq. Hope he calls soon to let you know he's ok.Shirley,
I know someone who bids on EBay, and he is kind of fanatical about it, too! He sometimes stays up late at night, checking to see how his bids are going. Then, usually just when the bids are about to expire, someone comes along and 'snipes' him! He really HATES it when that happens!!
HUGS
Harley
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I use to be a sniper when I bid too
Sometimes when I really want something, it works! SOrry to be the sniper type! I'll be good today though! 0 -
Wish,
Hey, whatever works! I have never shopped on EBay, but it definitely sounds interesting! My dh bought a vacuum cleaner, one of those Dyson Animals, and it is GREAT! He didn't win the bid, so he went ahead and ordered one from the Ebay site... he wanted one that was brand NEW and still in the box, but most are reconditioned. You have to be careful about that.
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My sisters S.O. bought one for the animals (not sure where) but it's reconditioned. Works fantastic she said! HE does the vaccuuming, since it's his dog and does it DAILY! Wow! Not sure how she lucked out with him!
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Psssssst. Otter and I have started a new forum to martial distaste for the marketing of breast cancer by slapping pink ribbons on everything from vacuum cleaners to flotation devices and beyond. It's over on the Moving Beyond Cancer, and is called "Pink: Not just for pepto bismol anymore". So next time you're confronted with a display of pink garden hoses or printer cartridges for BC awareness ---- snap a photo before you knock down the display!
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So they call that sniper bidding? That is the only way I bid. I used to sell alot on ebay and no one will bid until the last few hours of the auction and in the last 1 to 2 minutes is the most active. The best way to get what you want at the cheapest price is to not place a bid and wait til the last minute to place your bid. You have to make sure you put your bid as high as you are willing to pay on the first shot though or you will lose out in the end. Sorry if I am a bad guy, just like to get good bargains
Here is a news article I found today about where my son is. I can see why I haven't heard from it but it sure doesn't make me feel anybetter....
US soldiers battling hard in Iraqi city
By PHILLIP ROBERTSON - 8 hours ago
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - The sign was ominous, the humor dark. Iraqis who live in the neighborhood had suddenly vanished, often an indication that an attack is imminent.
"No way is anything going to happen," joked Staff Sgt. Angel Perez, a Humvee commander, as he watched an Iraqi police convoy drive near the outpost of the platoon from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "That convoy is definitely not going to get hit," he said.
Seconds later, a roadside bomb detonated just ahead of the convoy. Nobody was hurt, but the explosion shook the walls of the barracks and sent the men running for weapons and roaring out of the gate in Humvees.
Although security in Iraq has improved, it remains fragile, Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, told reporters in the capital Monday.
And nowhere is the fragility more apparent than here in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. Sunni Arab insurgents, routed or weakened in Baghdad and other urban centers since last year, are making a stand in this former bastion of support for Saddam Hussein.
"Since the start of Ramadan, it's been crazy. We've been mortared, we've had fire come at the guard towers, we've had IEDs," said Spc. Erich Hellwig. The 20 soldiers in Hellwig's unit occupy Outpost Rabiy, a converted salvage yard in a western neighborhood shattered by fighting.
"It's getting to the point where people are leaving their boots on when they sleep. You get worried that someone would come in and take out our gate," said Hellwig, who survived an ambush of his convoy last week. In that attack, a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near a U.S. military vehicle, kicking up a cloud of dust but inflicting no casualties.
Hellwig's company recorded 15 attacks, including car bombs, roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades, in the week before Ramadan started on Sept. 1 in the large area of western Mosul that it patrols. Attacks in the first six days of Ramadan nearly tripled to 42, the unit's figures show. The unit did not suffer any casualties during that time.
After the attack on the Iraqi police convoy, Perez and his comrades searched through ruined buildings for the bomb's triggerman. They found only civilians who claimed they did not see or hear anything unusual.
As the American vehicles departed, an insurgent in an abandoned building fired a grenade that hissed through the air and exploded behind the last Humvee. Turret gunners returned fire, but a search afterward turned up only bullet-pocked walls.
A day earlier, the unit responded to a suicide truck bombing of an Iraqi army convoy near the outpost. That attack killed the driver of a truck carrying fuel drums and an Iraqi soldier, and wounded another five soldiers. Assailants who had waited for the blast opened fire on the Americans before fleeing the area.
"Honestly, I don't know who we are fighting," said Staff Sgt. Tim Carter, who has survived six roadside bomb attacks. "If I see them placing a roadside bomb or firing at us, then that's who we are fighting, but otherwise there is no way to tell if he is a civilian or al-Qaida. Here, a kid can run up to shake your hand and then later throw a grenade at you."
U.S. soldiers at the outpost said some of their attackers had been as young as 11, armed with grenades or firebombs. Carter said his unit had not killed any children.
Senior U.S. commanders see their small combat outposts scattered around Mosul as the centerpiece of a strategy designed to reduce insurgent violence by having troops live within the community and gather better intelligence. Platoons rotate into the outposts on stints of several days from a large base at the city's airport.
Adrenaline flows during attacks, but life on the Rabiy outpost is also laden with unease and boredom.
The soldiers search for weapons caches, discovering one in the foundations of a half-built mosque a few blocks from the outpost. They wait for nearby mosques to begin a call to prayer over loudspeakers after nightfall, often a prelude to volleys of gunfire aimed at the outpost or other targets in what U.S. soldiers euphemistically describe as "contact."
"I think the (American) people think the war is over," Carter said. "But they don't realize the amount of contact that we receive out here."
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