Paulette 5/2/2004
Hi There:
I stumbled across your site on a random search for Depo Provera. I am not even sure which way to turn anymore or whether ot believe my doctor.
I started on the Depo Shot in September of 2003. I had been on birth control pills in my 30's not simply for birth control but because of heavy and irregular periods. When I reached the age of 38, I asked my physician to put me on a lower dose pill because I was a smoker and reaching the age of 40. When I was 39, I went off of the birth control pills completely.
My gynecologist retired and I found another one, this time a female. I was having problems at the age of 42 with cramping and 2 periods a month, sometimes heavy, sometimes lasting for more than a week. She told me that in the state of PA they could no longer give a woman who even smoked one cigarette a day over the age of 40 birth control pills that I would have to get the Depo Provera shot.
That was okay, but at the time I was very proud of having lost over 50 pounds in weight, and I was now down to 131 pounds. She told me to keep my same eating habits and I would gain no weight. Well, each time I returned for a shot, guess what, I gained weight!! I am now up to 160 pounds and hating every minute of it!. I am tired all the time, I have aches and pains in my body that I never had before, my hair has not fallen out, but I have been coloring my hair since the 10th grade, and when I color it now, my scalp feels like it is on fire, and it feels that way for 2 days afterwards.
Acne so far has not been a problem for me, but I am not the same person I was before I went on Depo. And even though I get a pap smear every year, last year they called and said my pap smear was abnormal, and I ended up with a biopsy and cryosurgery or freezing of my cervix.
I don't want to get pregnant nor do I have any plans to do so, but the symptoms are driving me crazy and why can't they just be honest and tell you what is going on with your body? My doctor's remark to the weight gain was that Depo contains an appetite stimulant so when you are hungry don't shove things in your mouth??? Well, my diet hasn't changed so what does a person do??
Thank you for listening and email me if you have any solutions.
Jennifer D. 4/29/2004
This means a great deal to me. When I got my Depo shot I really had trouble finding out any information about it. The only thing I did find was the list of side effects in a PDR (Physicians’ desk reference.)
I got my shot at my 6 week check up after my son was born. At the time it seemed like a great option. I was 19 with a new baby and just realized that I was very fertile and worried about getting pregnant again before my husband and I were ready. (My husband is borderline infertile yet I got pregnant with our son the first month we were together despite using Birth Control.) To me no periods and no ovulation meant no risk of getting pregnant again before we were ready. I was told that the side effects were, minor weight gain, (about 5 pounds the first year and none after that), no periods, GEE that did not sound like a negative thing, and spotting for the first shot or two. That seemed like a small price to pay. I did have minor spotting. I was also told that it could take up to a year after the last shot left my system before I could get pregnant again but that the average was only 3-6 months.
One of my male friends made a comment when I was on the shot that anything that messed with a woman’s body THAT much had to be bad news. I should have listened to him. I thought he is a man what does he know.
Well on a fluke my husband decided to see what the PDR said to tell this guy. He read down the list of symptoms and we were shocked at what we read. I had no sex drive at the time and thought it was just from being worn out from being a young mom. My husband teased that was one of the ways that Depo prevented pregnancy. You can not get pregnant if you have no interest in sex. Reading the possible side effects (and that they tended to become more evident with the 2nd shot) my husband I decided for me not to get the next shot.
When I first had my son my ideal was to try to space our kids 2 ½ to 3 years. So when my son was 2 years old and I still had no return of my period and no evidence of a return to my cycle I got disappointed that I would not be able to have another child. I went to my Dr. (a GP) that told me that Depo Provero is horrible stuff and that it could be about a year before my period returned and that the average woman had 2-6 periods before ovulation returned. To be honest I was heart broken. It was September of 97, my son is 2.5 years old and I am now at the point that I hoped would be the earliest I would have a 2nd child and my period has still not returned. I have to be honest I started to think I would not be able to have any more kids, that the depo had rendered me infertile. After all I had been told it would be a year tops before I could try for another baby. My son kicked me in my stomach on accident. I started having such severe pain I knew something was up. I hoped the cramping was a sign that my cycle would be returning. By that night the cramping after he kicked me was still there so I asked my husband to get me a pregnancy test. It was positive. I was so amazed. I had not had a post depo period yet! My little girl was born 1 day shy of 3 years and 3 weeks after my son. I did not have a post partum Period after my son was born, I had some light spotting on the depo, and I had NO PERIOD until my first post partum period after my daughter was born. I had 3 years with no period, 3 years with no ovulation. 2 of those 3 years I spent thinking that I would never have another child. I honestly worry that it would have been worse if I had been on the shot longer then just one shot.
Lou 4/28/2004
Hello,
I happened upon your site while trying to find information about what is currently going on with my wife. I have scanned through some of the stories and find many similarities.We have been to many Doctors and she has been put through many tests ...all showing that nothing is wrong.This is not the case .Trying to get answers about this shot and possible side affects is like pulling teeth.My wife was first given this shot to help with irregular and/or heavy cycles.She did not need it for birth control because she had her tubes tied ten years ago.She recieved 2 shots ,when the third was due my insurance changed and this doctor did not accept the new insurance.The last shot was nov.26/03.She has not had a period since.During the last month she has beenin extreme pain and nobody can seem to help.How long does it usually take to start again? How can she make the doctor`s understand what is wrong?They run tests but come up with nothing.
any help would be appriciated.
Thanks
Lou
Amanda B. 4/27/2004
hello, my name is amanda and i was on depo for over a year and i stopped taking it because i wanted to have a baby and when i didnt get a period for 9 months after i stopped taking it i asked alot of questions. the doctors gave me so many different pills to make me have a period and still i didnt have one. i consulted a lawyer to sue because i didnt have any problems before i started taking it. its been over a year and still i am not pregnent and my periods are all messed up. the lawer said that i didnt have a case because my doctor said my problems were not from the depo. I just wanted to know if there is anything i can still do in the way of some restitution for my losses. I really want a baby and i am devistated because i cant. I want to sue but dont know how to go about it. Please e mail me back and let me know if you have any ideas. thank you.
I just recently visited your site and I found some of your stories
disturbing. I know that everyone responds to medications in different
ways
and they always want to express the negative things that happened to
them.
I was on depo for 5 years following the birth of my daughter in 1997.
While on the shot I remember having 1-2 periods total and each lasted
only
3-4 days. I received my last injection in March 2002. I didn't stop
because I wanted to conceive another child but because I wanted to give
my
body a break from the shot. I did eventually become pregnant in
January
2004, which ended in miscarriage. I do not in any way link the
miscarriage
to the Depo Provera injection because there wasn't any bleeding or
cramping...the fetus' heart just stopped beating at 11 weeks. This is
the
only BAD thing that I can say came from being on Depo. As I look back
I
did notice some of the symptoms existed in my life that others claim
they
experienced. I remember being in my doctors office on one occasion and
telling him that I thought I was depressed.....But you know, I was also
a
single parent living in a city (Atlanta, GA) over 400 miles from my
family.
I could have been feeling depressed for any number of reasons,
beginning
with the separation from loved ones. I also experienced headaches -
which
were not light ones either. I had a headache every morning when I woke
up.
But you know what.......if I hadn't have been on depo and gotten
pregnant
before I was ready......I would have had plenty of headaches and
depression
anyway just from becoming a mother once again. I look at it this
way....everyone got on the shot for one reason - not to get pregnant.
Out
of all the stories I've read no one said that the shot didn't work,
they
didn't get pregnant. I think not getting pregnant is worth having a
headache here or there. I would get back on the shot today if asked,
matter of fact I may just make an appointment!
Also if you visit this site all the side effects that were discussed on
your site that people CLAIM were not disclosed to them are listed.....
they probably didn't take the time to read the small print!
http://www.depo-provera.com/depprocirev2001.pdf
Chakita C.
My Response. . .
The link you provided was made of a pamphlet that only the doctors are
privy to in the office.
Let me ask you this, Did you read this pamphlet prior to getting your
first
shot 5 years ago? Are you positive this pamphlet hasn't changed in the
past
5 years? What information did you ask for, prior to getting your first
shot
and what reading materials were you given to read prior to your first
shot
as well? What did your doctor disclose to you as far as side effects go
and
his experience with other patients? Can you honestly tell me you were
given
all the information that was written down in this pamphlet (made in
2001
mind you) to help make your decsion prior to getting your first shot?
Try reading from this site. It is from a doctors point of view on the
drug
Depo-Provera http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/2/depo_provera.htm
From your pervious e-mail you stated that none of the stories posted on
my
site contained stories of women where the shot didn't prevent a
pregnancy.
You also claim that depo- must be doing it's job of preventing
pregnancies
because of your "findings". I beg to differ. There are several stories
in
which women were given the shot and then found out they were pregnant
weeks
and even months later. I know there are about 8 pages with aproximately
25-40 stories on each page so I wouldn't think you had read all of
them,
yet.
If you'd like I could find people to e-mail you with their personal
stories
on how they became pregnant while on the shot. Even if you can't find
"stories" the stats are as follows, Depo-Provera has a 99%
effectiveness.
Meaning that 1 out of every 100 women will become pregnant while on
"the
shot". Now if you consider that if even 500,000 women are on
Depo-Provera
that means there have been AT LEAST 5,000 women who became pregnant
while
using depo-provera. That's at least 5,000 unwanted pregnancies that
were
trying to be prevented. Now we both know that there are many more women
out
there using Depo-Provera so those unplanned pregnancy numbers are even
higher.
I get e-mails monthly from women who ask me questions about side
effects
for their unborn child because they became pregnant while on
depo-provera.
Science here and the mathmatics of it will prove that depo-provera is
not
100% effective, you can't argue with that fact.
I will post your story when I get around to it. I have been busy with
my
own children and 5th pregnancy, but I enjoy posting both sides of the
story
for eveyone to read.
Thanks Again for your POV.
Stephanie M
Chakita's responses. . .
You are welcome....
As with everything....nothing is 100%. I know that and so does
everyone.
Also, yes all the side effects were disclosed to me when I got my first
shot in 1997. Even though the pamphlet was updated in 2001 not much
was
changed from the one I got to read. Honestly, I was given a copy of
the
pamphlet and I also obtained the copy from the box that the vial came
in.
I was well aware of the side effects that could happen to me, I just
felt
that I would rather have a headache or maybe gain a little weight
(which I
didn't) in order to prevent pregnancy. A lot of people that I know are
out
there looking for miracles. They want something for nothing. Just
like
with depo. If you are going to put something in your body that can
amazingly prevent pregnancy you just know that it can DO something
else.
Everything we put in to our bodies has some type of effect or reaction.
There is always someone that is going to find something negative to
say. I
just feel that your website scares people into believing that they too
will
have the same experiences as you are having. I can understand that you
are
trying to put your message out but when you check the stats....you will
see
that the people on your site only represent a few. You all fall in
line
with the stats of people that have the bad side effects while people
like
me and some others on your site experience the good (majority). I
guess I
just had a good doctor who cared about his patients because he made
sure I
knew what I was getting into. Also, if the drug was that bad....it
wouldn't still be around and I definitely would not be using it.
And about your comment "The link you provided was made of a pamphlet
that
only the doctors are privy to in the office." Where else would you be
getting your depo shots? I hope you are going to a doctors office. If
the
doctors have access to it you do too. Just like I looked it up on the
internet someone else can too. People are not doing what they need to
do
to make sure that they are aware. They are in control of their own
bodies
and no one person can be held responsible for their lack of knowledge.
Every time I get a prescription from a doctor and I have never heard of
it
before I look it up on the internet or in the library before I take it.
I
make sure I know what I am putting in my body, it's the only one I
have.
The information is out there....it's just a matter of whether you are
going
to look for it.
I read that site with Dr. Lee and I find it very opinionated.
Everything
he says is based on him own way of thinking. Especially this line
"Depo-Provera is the worst possible way to provide birth control.
It's a
long-term continuous release form of Provera. It lasts three months.
There's a terrible incidence of side effects and it should not be
used."
How is it that one man can make a blanket statement like that without
having supporting facts? I for one am one person that contradicts his
statement and I am sure there are others.
Chakita C.
I found your website and wanted to comend you on doing such a good job on your website. I was very impressed that you posted all comments and not just ones supporting your ideas. I was on depo for 6 years and had a hard time getting pregnant and wanted to share my story but I also wanted to say that I think many of issues with Depo could have been prevented by people doing their research on medications they are taking. Asking a doctor is not good enough, although maybe it should be. Many of the side effects mentioned on your page are side effects listed on the Depo-Provera website and pamplets. Any how, here goes.
I was on depo for 5 1/2 years before I had any complaints. When I got on I lost weight, no complaining there, which is not a side effect of Depo (neither is weight gain) But appetite changes are. I wasn't hungry anymore and nothing sounded good. But I made myself eat anyway so that I would not get sick. The first 4 or 5 months I spotted. It was pretty horrible but I knew to expect it, it is a very common side effect. Afterwards I had no period, WOOOHOOO! I loved it, I still had PMS like symptoms but no period. I was on Depo all through high school and forgot that I was ever on it. Until about 5 1/2 years after getting my first shot. I lost my sex drive, I turned into a raging bitch, I was miserable. All horrible symptoms of Depo, right? Not exactly, they are however symptoms of women with constantly changing bodies and raging hormones. But I was getting married that summer and I knew that I was going to want to have babies soon so I got off Depo.
My last shot was May of 2002. I called and canceled my Aug. appt. for Depo. I started getting horrible, cyst like acne all over my body and my skin was so oily. I hated it! But nothing worked to clear it up and I slowly began to gain weight. But then again, this does not sound that uncommon for girls getting out of high school and going off to college. These are very common symptoms of hormones in women under 20. In Dec. of 2002 I had my first period in 6 years! But was still not all back to normal, I knew that it could be up to a year before I was able to get pregnant (thats why I got off it so early, I was only 19 and knew that I didnt want a baby for at least another year, married or not!) My husband and I decided that instead of getting me on birth control we would start preparing ourselves for children. I guess you could say we decided to let it happen when it happens. By the Summer of 2003 I was worried. I would get online and hear horror stories of women who were now infertile because of Depo. It scared me to death. I called my doctor, bought books, and ovulation kits and spent hours online investigating the effects of depo. I thought "I'm 20 and already infertile!" Which did nothing to help me get pregnant. I was ovulating just fine so Depo had nothing to do with how long it took me to get pregnant. It was easy to blame depo but it had nothing to do with it. Almost a year exactly after I started having periods again I got my first ever positive pregnancy test and I'm due in Sept.!
I think that your site does a good job warning people of the possible side effects of Depo but I think it has to be said that Depo is not horrible. It does work for some women and I would rather see all of the 16 yr old girls having sex without B/C or with pills but forgetting to take them, take something like Depo than nothing at all. Depression is a very common side effect of almost all forms of Birth Control and it just hast to be watched very closely by your doctor or the wonderful staff at planned parenthood.
Thanks for listening
Laura 4/16/2004
Is there ANYTHING I can take to detoxify myself from being on the depo for more than 5 yrs??
I didnt realize how many of my symptoms are- or could be from this drug!! The inventor of this drug needs to be sued in a major way; although this wont return our lives back to the way it was before.
thank you for your time and hopefully advice.
Cyndi H. 4/13/2004
I can't explain the feeling I am having after reading all of the horror stories about depo provera. I have been on the shot for at least 10 years and have not had any of the terrible problems except I have gained weight which I also blame on the high stress job I had at the time I started taking the injections. I can lose the weight with just a little effort of eating right and exercising.
I have an occasional headache but still work in commercial insurance and when I am not at work do not experience the headaches.
I can only image the horror that these women go through. I will keep them in my prayers.
Do you know the percentage of women who have side effects as opposed to the number of women taking the injections?
Sharla 4/13/2004
I received my first and final injection Feb 04. I have been on my period every since. Yes, I was told of possible spotting , but I am bleeding heavily and clotting every day after day after day. I went to the doctors office and all they commented on was possiblilities of STD's mainly chlamydia being the driving force behind the bleeding. They neither did a STD test nor enure if my blood level was low until over a month later. Of course the STD test came up negative and praise God my blood level was great. She even had the audacity to ask me if I wanted to schedule another shot in May!!! I have to take at least six showers a day to ensure my body does not smell of blood. I even have to use a wash cloth as a napkin for my vagina gets sore from the constant use of tampons and sanitary napkins. I praise God for my fiance for he is being so patient and supportive. But he does indeed hate that I number one did not do my research prior to the shot and two have to suffer from my ignorance and lack of truth. I recently found out my sister is suffering bone loss due to this legal toxin. To whomever may read this message, consider this as a warning. DO NOT BE A STATISTIC. Please adhere to the many stories so many other woman and young ladies are passing on.
Vanessa 4/10/2004
I started on Depo-Provera in December of 2003 after a laprotomy to check for hemorrhagic tubal cysts and endometriosis. I am 49 years old and am perimenopausal, was having a hard time with cysts and irregular periods. After the surgery I was given Depo-Provera shot to lessen the cysts. The OB knew I had a benign mass on my adrenal gland and kidney cysts. Just this March I got the flu and afterwards kept having violent headaches. Went to the ER last Friday to be checked for viral meningitis, which my physician thought might be the reason, and found out I had intercranial hypertension. My blood pressure, normally low, has spiked up to 175/98, this after a normal BP of around 110-120 over 70-60. My cerebral spinal fluid pressure is twice what it should be. Unlike most of the other women whose doctors have told them that it isn't the Depo, mine are saying it is likely the Depo (and only I think to keep me from worry over my adrenal cyst). In December I weighed 140, I now weigh 170. I have PTSD and take Prozac, since the Depo I've gone from 20mg daily to 40mg daily, and still get depressed and feel suicidal. I have dark blood spotting for a month about a month after the shot. I also have acne now (never before) and dry skin (which makes my psoriasis worse). I'm due for another shot in June, think I'm going to do it? NO WAY! This has ruined a semester of graduate school and I've had to quit my part-time job. If I had read all the stories before the OB ordered that shot I would have balked big time. I'm reporting all of this, and want to be involved in a class action suit because this drug has cost me money and big heartache. I would advise any woman not to do the Depo shot.
Natalie, age 24, 4/9/2004
Hello and thank you so much for the web site. I took my second Depo shot on April 5. The shot wasn't due until April 12th but I started spotting on the 2nd. The doc told me to come in and get the shot early and it would help with the spotting and cramps. I have since not stopped bleeding and are now experiencing dime to quarter, and sometimes larger blood clots. I wasn't very concerned until this morning when the clot was an outrageous size. That is when I began my internet research and came across this site. I found that so many woman are experiencing similar effects from this shot. That is when I decided to think back over the past few months and realized that some of those milder symptoms have been plaguing me as well. Of course, like other I assumed it was "just me". Now I know better. I called my doctor's office and was given the run around about it and told I could not come in to see anyone until next week. They did not seem at all concerned with the clotting. I, on the other hand, am extremely concerned with the fact that I was not given a pregnancy test either before my first shot or anytime after. I've experienced pregnancy symptoms but thought I was imagining things. I haven't taken a test because I have been too afraid. I'm now afraid that I may have been because I did not have a period between the birth of my son in the beginning of Dec and receiving my first shot in the end of January. I never experienced a period after the shot either until the bleeding started on April 2nd. I'm now worried I may have miscarried. Has anyone else experienced extreme clotting? Will update when I find out from my doctor next week. Again thank you so much for your wonderful website!
Susan W. 4/2/2004
Hi,
i've been reading your site about the horrors of depo provera, and i had to write and see if any of this sounds familiar to you:
for just over a year, i've been suffering from deep, gnawing pains in my muscles, LITERALLY, from head to toe! those pains feel like badly strained muscles, even though they come on with no provocation.
i've also had sharp, shooting pains that would jump from one wrist to another, my ankles, knees, hips, etc...
my fingers tingle or get stiff... and as time goes on, new areas of pain seem to be turning up, every day!
i get the stiff neck and shoulders a lot. i get aching headaches at the base of my skull, as well.
sometimes, i can go days at a time and feel GREAT!! then, of course, the days i hurt can range anywhere from fleeting, mildly annoying 'twinges' to crushing, gut-wrenching agony, where i barely want to move!
those days are the days i get SO depressed! i try not to cry, but i do think about death a lot, and how i will prepare my family, if something is really wrong.
now, this has been going on, as i said, for a little over a year.
i've had bloodwork to check for every type of arthritis, Lupus, etc...
i've had bone scans for cancer. i've had an MRI on my lower back and nerve conduction tests. everything has come up normal.
i've recently started seeing a chiropractor. so far, he's not helping, either.
i'm on b/c pills now, but i've used depo, before. the last time was about half a year, around 2 years ago.
i stopped, because my period started immediately after the last shot, AND DIDNT STOP!!!
is it possible to have symptoms like what i've experienced that show up almost a year after stopping the shots, and last this long, at least, from what you may have experienced or heard about?
i have to tell you, i'm beginning to get a little excited at the possibility of FINALLY, MAYBE, finding a solution to my problem!
thanks so much for putting this site out there!
Lacey W. 4/2/2004
Right now I am in shock, and about to be in tears. I've been on Depo since May 2001, that was the month my daughter was born. I received the shot the day we went home from the hospital. My last period was the month that I conceived my daughter which was September 2000. My last Depo was August of 2003 and I still have not gotten my period back. That was my whole reason for looking up information on the Depo shot on the internet. I wanted to see if that was normal. Of course the doctors say it is, but I wanted to read some about it. Then I came upon a website about Depo horror stories. I began to panic. I had ALOT of the same symptoms as these other women, but when I went to the doctor for them they said NOTHING about Depo. They ran test after test and I never suspected it could even be the Depo. Well, until today.
Iam tired all the time. I have horrible migraines, everyday of my life. I am extremely irritable and everything sets me off. I get very dizzy when I bend over and also if I move my head around alot. So that means that my activities have to be limited because I began to feel very "car" sick. Dramamine seems to help that, but still its very hard to deal with. I feel almost paralized. When I first went into the doctor for headaches they put me on all kinds of triptain medications and eventually put me on a beta-blocker which helped but made me ever more tired. So I had to stop taking that. Now the headaches are back and I have to eat Excedrin Migraine like candy. I'm always hungry. I've gained over 30lbs total while on Depo. And half of that was after I stopped the injection. My breasts are also always very very sore. I even started to get acne and oily skin even though I never had a problem with it before. I couldn't beleive my eyes when I stumbled upon your website. I never even thought to suspect Depo because nobody ever told me that it could cause all these things. I'm so tired of always being in pain. And being dizzy every time I move (literally) is driving me to tears. I have a three year old daughter and its hard to even look after her. I also want to have more children some day but now I don't know if that will ever happen. At first the missed period was good but now I'm starting to get worried. I stilled had cramps while on Depo, but now that Iam off of it I have them about every two weeks and they aren't so nice. At the same time my breasts hurt very bad. I had taken about 100 pregnancy tests thinking this was what was wrong. But its never possitive. I just want to get back to normal.
Thank you for your website. I believe you are helping alot of women.
Many F. 4/1/2004
Hi. I only took Depo once. I can't remember the exact date, I just know
that I was supposed to go back at the end of January for my second shot
but
I decided against it. The thing is...while on depo i only had my
period
one time and it was for about 3 weeks. That was in December. I have not
had
my period since. I've taken 2 at home pregnancy tests and they both
turned
out negative. Is this normal and if so when should i expect my period
to
start again?
Tina H. 3/27/2004
im writing to give my story on being on the depo shot. when i started i was 112lbs. After being on it for 1 yr and gaining 32 lbs i couldnt handle it. i spoke to my sons physician who told me to get off of it ASAP. he informed me that since i was underweight the depo would get me to my max weight and give me a few extra pounds. I am currently at 142lbs which was what i weighed when i delivered my son!
Aprile W. 3/27/2004 Fort Worth, Texas
I used Depo on and off for 2-3 years. I had stopeed taking it around the time I met my now husband. Once he proposed to me and we set a date, I realized that even though I was on the pill I would be on my period the night of our wedding. I decided to take the shot one last time becasue the way it affected me was that I wouldn't have a period at all as soon as I had the shot. I was due for the shot in October 2003. I did not take it. I got my period back in December for 19 days straight. Didn't have one in January. Had a five day one if February and still have not had another one. I am not pregnant. My husband and I want to be pregnant very badly and I have taken pregnancy tests like candy. I bought the ovulite and tried to start using it. But then it hit me, even if the ovulite says that I am indeed ovulating, am I really ovulating if I am not having cycles? Your web site suggests many herbal choices. But which one and which one works the fastest. (Ok, if I get pregnant the sooner I can stop working and be a PTA mom to my now 10 year old son, and do the whole house wife thing for awhile since I have never had the luxury). I am very scared afetr a few things I have read on-line that I may never get pergnant. 6 months may not be long, but it seems like for ever when you are trying to get pregnant. I have considered getting back on the pill to get regular cycle sback but tha is even more depressing since it will prevent exactally what I want. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
