Cathy T

I have a small (lentil-size) bump on the inside of the knuckle joint of my middle finger, where the finger meets the palm. It's under the flesh, and feels hard, almost like a bump on the bone. It's very tender if I press on it, which I do during normal daily activities, e.g. lifting the kettle, pushing the stroller, etc. It's not a blister, and I don't wear a ring on that finger. Any idea what it could be? Will it go away on its own or do I need to see the doctor? Thanks in advance!

We took on a builder after getting several quotes. Three of them were similar, so we concluded this was a fair price for the job. We are almost at the end of the project and the final payment is coming up. Our builder just told us yesterday that he realised he forgot to include some items in the original total for the quote (although these were in the itemised breakdown, they didn't make it into the total). These come to an extra £20k + VAT. Obviously we would not have chosen this builder if his price was so much higher than the others. Can we insist he sticks to his original quote?

Urgent! We have a meeting with him today! Thanks!

They may even be the year before! They are the "Angel" 2nd class stamps. Obviously I don't want to saddle all my card recipients with a 70p surcharge, so do I need to add extra postage or are these stamps still valid? Thanks!

I need to get from Chicago O'Hare airport with a 2 yr old, a stroller, a big backpack and hand luggage, across the city to a hotel in Deerfield, TOMORROW!

Please help, I've just discovered that I would need a carseat in a taxi, and I will NOT be bringing it as it is too big and bulky to carry on the airplane.

The CTA routeplanner can't find the hotel address in its system, the Subway doesn't seem to run that far north, and the Metra would take me two hours - not great when we've already been travelling for 12 hours and our body clocks think it's midnight! Please help! Thank you.

I am using a MacBook laptop with Word to write my PhD thesis and Endnote to manage my references. My Word document is large, containing many tables and inserted pictures. I don't know if this is relevant to the Endnote problem. Whenever my Endnote library gets over 300 references I start getting problems - inserting a new ref into my document crashes word. Formatting the refs crashes word. I REALLY need this to work so that I can finish my thesis. Any help would be HUGELY appreciated! Thank you!

He smacks himself on the head or in the face with both hands. It's very distressing to watch and he hits himself hard - it must hurt him! I can tell it's an outlet of frustration but how can I deter him and encourage more positive and less self-harmful ways to express himself?

I currently have an old cylinder Dyson which has never been as great as I hoped. It's very LOUD and emptying the barrel is disgusting! I don't want another Dyson.

I keep seeing the new red Vax wet/dry advertised. Anyone with any experience of that?

I have a cat and a toddler, so I need it to be able to pick up pet hair, and get congealed thrown babyfood off carpets and curtains if possible!

I previously posted this qu in the Trying To Conceive thread and got a bunch of answers telling me to get on birth control. (TRYING to conceive - it's a hint!) or that breastfeeding a toddler is gross (check out the WHO and AAP recommendations). Hopefully I'll get some more informed scientific answers posting in the science forum!

I am breastfeeding my toddler (17mo) twice a day. I got my periods back 9 months ago, and we have not used contraception since. I have been cycle-tracking for the last 4 months and I seem to be ovulating fine, and we are timing intercourse for the fertile time. We got pg very easily (contraception failed!) the first time. Is there a biological reason why it is taking longer this time? Is breastfeeding responsible, by some hormonal mechanism or something? Will I have to wean in order to conceive?

Please, sensible answers only. I have faith in you science answerers!

It's for my work leaving do! Either I was more popular than I thought, or they're REALLY glad to see the back of me, because nearly everyone wants to come! It's for 4th Jan. Many thanks!

In nearly every category I see people wanting "unique" baby names or a "unique" hairstyle or a "unique" idea for a business. Why are people so obsessed with "unique" that they will saddle their child with an unpronounceable, un-spellable name or get a stupid haircut or risk all their savings on some doomed-to-fail business plan?

You're in a public restroom (at work, say) and you have your period. You take your applicator tampon out of the wrapper and then accidentally drop it on the floor. It's the only one you have. Would you still use it?

Ladies only to answer please! And no silly responses!

Does anyone know the mechanisms, if any, by which breastfeeding a toddler a couple of times a day can reduce fertility?

I know that exclusive breastfeeding can delay your periods coming back and prevents ovulation. But what about after your periods come back? Especially as I have been tracking my cycle and appear to be ovulating fine. Been TTC for 9 cycles now, and thought it would happen quickly as with my first it was an "oops" when contraception failed.

I'm not suggesting that locking up and starving an obese person is a good idea! But what nutrients are not stored in body fat, so that they would be required as supplements? Also would there be any other side effects of living entirely off one's own body fat? Release of fat-soluble stored toxins maybe?

Sensible answers only please. And no, I'm not obese, not thinking of starving myself or even dieting at all. So I don't need "the sensible way to lose weight is...." advice. Thank you!

I have been "stalked" in this minor but irritating way for the last four or five years. Explicit sexual suggestions and recently photographs. I have changed my mobile number twice but the person, who I believe to be the on-off boyfriend of an old college friend of mine, gets hold of my new number through mutual acquaintances. He has also hang-up called me at home on my landline a few times, but not in the last couple of years.

I have tried telling him to get lost, and tried ignoring him completely. He stops for a few weeks or even months then starts up again out of the blue. I have a feeling the police wouldn't be interested as it's such a low level thing and he hasn't made any actual threats, just been a nuisance. But I just want it to stop. Any sensible ideas welcomed! Thanks!

I have been "stalked" in this minor but irritating way for the last four or five years. Explicit sexual suggestions and recently photographs. I have changed my mobile number twice but the person, who I believe to be the on-off boyfriend of an old college friend of mine, gets hold of my new number through mutual acquaintances. He has also hang-up called me at home on my landline a few times, but not in the last couple of years.

I have tried telling him to get lost, and tried ignoring him completely. He stops for a few weeks or even months then starts up again out of the blue. I have a feeling the police wouldn't be interested as it's such a low level thing and he hasn't made any actual threats, just been a nuisance. But I just want it to stop. Any sensible ideas welcomed! Thanks!

I am so tired of being sick. I've had sore throat, chesty cough, sinus pain, runny nose... one thing after another!I have been sent home from work a couple of times. My nose is so sore. I have forgotten what my normal voice sounds like because I have been hoarse and croaky for so long. I have had one course of antibiotics from the doctor (for an "atypical chest infection") after being sick for 4 weeks but I am no better now.

Do I need another course of antibiotics? Is it the same bug or lots of different ones, one after another? How can I shake it off and boost my immunity to avoid catching another one? Could I be anemic or something which is why I can't seem to get better?

Many thanks for reading my whine and for any advice you have to offer!

We have a not-terribly-expensive but nice dining table with a veneered top. Unfortunately it has a couple of ring watermarks from plant pots and a couple of scratches, as well as one area being a bit faded from the sun through the window. What is the best way to restore it? I don't want to sand the top down because I might go right through the veneer. Is it something I can realistically do at home or should I grit my teeth and pay a professional restorer more than the table cost in the first place? Thanks for any info!

Why couldn't the lining of the uterus be re-absorbed or just remain in readiness rather than being shed each month? How many calories/other nutrients does a woman waste over her lifetime in lost blood from her periods, on average? Is there an evolutionary reason why human females bleed? (NB I am posting this in biology, not religion, I do not want a religious debate on evolution in this thread please. There are plenty of other questions for that!).

Do any other animals bleed to the same extent?

Ok, we are TTC, I know the only true way to tell is by a pregnancy test, but I have to wait another week for that, so to pass the time I thought I'd ask here and see what you all think! LOL.

Here is the evidence on both sides:

We BD'd several times during my "fertile window", BUT I am still breastfeeding 2x a day which may impact my fertility. I am ovulating though. We have not used any birth control since I got my cycle back (6 cycles so far).

The morning after I "felt" pregnant., but now I'm not so sure.

My tummy is getting fatter - but that could be just eating too much.

I took a HPT this morning (8DPO so pretty early) and it was -ve, but it could just be too early to tell.

My friend messaged me out of the blue saying she had a dream I was "hugely pregnant!" and she didn't even know we were trying - but last time she said I was "definitely" having a girl and I had a boy.

No rude answers please - this is just to for fun. I do not need to be told to go take a sex ed class.

Yahoo tells me I can extend the time of my question by clicking on the edit (pencil icon) in my action bar but I only have the "star" (interesting) and "envelope" (email) icons, no pencil. Please don't point me to the Yahoo help or previous answers to similar questions. I've read them and while a lot of people seem to have the same problem, I haven't seen anyone offer a solution yet. Thanks for your help!