[annapurna]

Blair - it's wonderful that you're making some progress. Slow is okay - you've got plenty of time.

I'm so sorry about the situation with your brother. You're right that the anger, completely justified as it is, will compromise you physical and mental state right now. If you have a spiritual or religious advisor of any kind that you feel comfortable speaking with, it might not hurt to get help. The mind-spirit-body link is very poorly understood, but widely acknowledged to be real. Perhaps you could take advantage of your sugical "downtime" to get some emotional healing for your very difficult family situation. By the way, in suggesting this, I in NO WAY mean to imply that any of this is your fault in any way.

Thanks for keeping us posted on your progress.

Best!
Laura