Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
GAH! Seriously, People??!?
This GRINDS me!
"I didn't want to give up my fast food."
ARGH!
First...Taco Bell is just gross!
Second...while you might actually lose weight doing this, you probably won't be healthy!
Third...just....EW! Ick! Yuck!
You didn't become a tub-o-lard overnight, and you're not going to be a size 8 overnight. Use your brain, if the chemicals in your fast food haven't petrified it yet! Fresh fruit is tasty. Fresh vegetables are yummy. Eat some good, filling protein. Water is your best friend. Don't get hooked on this season's American Idol - spend that time walking.
GAH!
Oh, good grief!
(and for the record, I am overweight...)
Monday, March 23, 2009
It's Monday and Sometimes I Just Rattle
THIS article is goofy! Do we really need to be told these things? I can go a step or two further in pointing out what should be obvious, but apparently isn't, since a news article has to be written to address these issues. Did they just need filler for this edition?
Bottled Water -
Everybody knows it's cheaper, short term, to drink water from your kitchen sink. (I say "short term", because over the course of your life time, you'll drink lots of water. You'll also be consuming fluoride in that water, if you live in town. So are you really saving money? How much fluoride does the average person take in during their life span? It ain't good for ya, you know! Highly toxic crap there, people.) I cringe when I see people buying those big 24-packs of water bottles. Even on sale, you rarely find them cheaper than 4 dollars a case, and that's for the store brand! Unless you're going on vacation and need the convenience, quit buying those bottles and go to your local Culligan water supplier, and fill up a few reusable containers. It's 25 cents a gallon. You do the math. (And if you're drinking filtered water for health reasons, you should be cooking with filtered water as well, by the way.)
Gym Memberships -
I think I have more friends who do NOT use their gym memberships than those that DO. "I haven't been to the gym in three months. I just can't find the motivation." Well then, can you just cancel your membership and give the fifty bucks to me every month? Go for long walks on warm days, and pick up a set of weights at a garage sale this summer for cold days. You'll be further ahead, plus you'll have the added benefit of improving your arm muscles by dusting the weights off once a month. We all know you're really not that into physical exercise, anyway.
Organic Produce -
WHAT??!?? "Here, Deanna - we only put a little rat poison on this broccoli. It will only make your left eye twitch for ten minutes after you eat it. But mind you, if you eat the apple that we full-on sprayed with the junk, watch out for full body convulsions followed by your tongue protuding out your mouth and wrapping itself around your neck causing death by strangulation. Don't bother suing us, because we warned you. And besides, it would probably be considered suicide."
For real organic stuff that won't cost an arm and a leg, and even if you have VERY limited space, check out Square Foot Gardening. We have big plans this year that hopefully will yield much better results than last year's space-wasting attempts to be more healthy!
Music Downloads, Insurance, Warranties, Overdraft Fees - Don't we know this stuff already? Must be the fluoride...
Bottled Water -
Everybody knows it's cheaper, short term, to drink water from your kitchen sink. (I say "short term", because over the course of your life time, you'll drink lots of water. You'll also be consuming fluoride in that water, if you live in town. So are you really saving money? How much fluoride does the average person take in during their life span? It ain't good for ya, you know! Highly toxic crap there, people.) I cringe when I see people buying those big 24-packs of water bottles. Even on sale, you rarely find them cheaper than 4 dollars a case, and that's for the store brand! Unless you're going on vacation and need the convenience, quit buying those bottles and go to your local Culligan water supplier, and fill up a few reusable containers. It's 25 cents a gallon. You do the math. (And if you're drinking filtered water for health reasons, you should be cooking with filtered water as well, by the way.)
Gym Memberships -
I think I have more friends who do NOT use their gym memberships than those that DO. "I haven't been to the gym in three months. I just can't find the motivation." Well then, can you just cancel your membership and give the fifty bucks to me every month? Go for long walks on warm days, and pick up a set of weights at a garage sale this summer for cold days. You'll be further ahead, plus you'll have the added benefit of improving your arm muscles by dusting the weights off once a month. We all know you're really not that into physical exercise, anyway.
Organic Produce -
"Sure, buying organic makes you feel like you’re doing the right thing, but it isn't always the best choice for your wallet. Fruits and vegetables like kiwis, sweet corn and broccoli require very little pesticide to grow. Others -- like avocados, onions and pineapples -- have thick or peelable skins that reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals. “Any pesticide that remains is not getting through,” says Lempert."
WHAT??!?? "Here, Deanna - we only put a little rat poison on this broccoli. It will only make your left eye twitch for ten minutes after you eat it. But mind you, if you eat the apple that we full-on sprayed with the junk, watch out for full body convulsions followed by your tongue protuding out your mouth and wrapping itself around your neck causing death by strangulation. Don't bother suing us, because we warned you. And besides, it would probably be considered suicide."
For real organic stuff that won't cost an arm and a leg, and even if you have VERY limited space, check out Square Foot Gardening. We have big plans this year that hopefully will yield much better results than last year's space-wasting attempts to be more healthy!
Music Downloads, Insurance, Warranties, Overdraft Fees - Don't we know this stuff already? Must be the fluoride...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
One Renal Calculi, Morphine On The Side, Please
Today I am thankful for smart doctors, good drugs, and healthy children.
A few days before Christmas in 2006 (it's late, so in case you don't feel like doing the math, that's nearly 2.5 years ago) Savannah got really sick and spent a night in the hospital. Stomach cramps, vomiting, blah blah...
Lab work, xrays, CT and ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis, and about $8,000 later, the gist of the story was: "Yes, Savannah has gastroenteritis. It also appears that she may have a slight problem with her right ureter being enlarged and having a possible blockage, but we can't define the problem."
Her symptoms went away, and so did the testing. We were told the problem must have resolved itself, if indeed there even was a problem.
Several times over the next nearly-2.5 years, she would experience episodes of severe stomach pain, but it would only last for a short while and I would think "Well, she's getting close to being a teenager. All kinds of things are gonna start happening around here."
Last month, the pain returned more forcefully, so I scheduled an appointment to see a new doctor to whom we're in the process of switching all of our family care. He ordered several lab tests and more ultrasounds, upon seeing her past history. Only one test was abnormal - the urinalysis. And still the pain persisted, intermittently.
Last Tuesday, Savannah was in such bad pain I took her to the emergency room at around 10:30 PM. Now when I say "bad pain", you'd think an 11 year old girl would be visibly crying, making at least a small scene. Not my daughter. She curled up in the middle of the gurney and, barely audible, just whimpered occasionally. Lab work. CTs of the abdomen and pelvis. IV fluids. Pain medicine. Puke medicine. Infection medicine. Because, you see, she was still having issues with the urinalysis.
After whipping through seven or eight lovely little airsick bags, and naturally receiving no help whatsoever with any type of oral medication, and waiting for the results to be sent from the radiologist-we-never-saw, lo and behold....
My 11 year old daughter was diagnosed with a kidney stone of 5.5 millimeters.
Go get a measuring device.
STOP!
Stop what you are doing and go find something that has that "Everybody's going to be using this someday! You'll be glad you learned it!!!" metric measurement system on it, and look at how big 5.5 millimeters actually is! Grown men scream and roll around on the floor for lesser stones than that! (I know - I'm related to one! As my sister says, "He never will let me forget that I had to wash my hair before I took him to the emergency room. He wasn't dying! He could wait a couple more minutes.") - Did I just digress, there?
Being 50 miles from the nearest pediatric urologist, Savannah and Mama were treated to an ambulance ride to this wonderful place called St. Vincent Mercy Children's Hospital.
Now, let me point out - my husband works at our local hospital. Has for over 17 years. Our boys were born there. I've had surgery there. I was there following my car accident. I worked there for a few years as a unit secretary. Our community is small. Not Mayberry-small, but close. When you go to the emergency room on the right night, you almost expect fellow patrons to call out "Norm!" So needless to say, but because it's me I'm gonna anyway, everybody pretty much knows who we are. If the kids are admitted, the nurses that pop into the room aren't always there to push drugs. They just know us, and they're stopping in to see what's new with our family. I like that.
St. V's is not so small. While we had one nurse for each twelve hour shift, there were no extras dropping in to check on Savannah's progress or ask if Gabe still has his little yellow blankie at home. But by golly, did we see doctors! Right off the bat, 3 students and/or residents barged into the room to begin bombarding us with questions. They were all writing. One had no clipboard. (Huh? No wonder President Obama is pushing for bigger Pell Grants!) I don't know if they planned to coordinate their papers once they left the room or not. One of them was never seen in Savannah's room again. Just as quickly as it came in, the whirlwind left. Apparently kidney stones in children are somewhat rare, so perhaps Savannah was a little like the albino rhino you hear about but never see, and they wanted their chance to say they saw history. Who knows. She slept through the whole interview process, anyway.
Surgery was scheduled for later that day, but because of emergencies, was postponed until the following late-afternoon. In that waiting time, her pain again completely disappeared. While I slept the morning away trying to recuperate from having NO sleep the night before, Savannah ate breakfast, cleaned the room, rearranged furniture, and watched some movies. Funny kid, that girl.
She is funny, too. Especially when she's been doped up with Demerol and Phenergan. Not only is she comical, but she's quite bossy. I was told to "Sit down!" and "Drink it yourself!" and given several stern looks by a normally fairly docile young lady. She vaguely remembers stating some of these orders, but she does not remember relaying to me her thoughts on her pain level. It is common practice in medical settings to ask people to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. I think it's completely arbitrary, and rather stupid, because honestly, HOW in the world can you recall what childbirth feels like 11 years after the fact? Sure, you know it hurt back then, but you aren't in the throes of labor, so to reply to "Considering the WORST pain you've EVER had in your LIFE, how would you rate THIS pain?" is basically pointless. However, to remain politically correct and insure that this medical bill would actually BE insured, I was encouraging Savannah to "rate her pain".
"Now Sis, you told the nurse that it was 7 a while ago, and after your medicine, you said it was 5. What would you say it is now?"
Savannah very groggily muttered, "I don't know what time it is."
Folks, this is why Deanna isn't a nurse.
Deanna would love to collect a paycheck by picking herself up from the floor after a rousing round of raucous laughter, but she wouldn't want to find an NG tube shoved up one side of her nose and out her left ear by an angry patient who doesn't find the humor in his temporary drug-induced insanity, so hence Deanna remains a non-paid working mother who blogs, for no pay, about people's pain. And when my daughter flung her head back and glared at me because I told her "Ya know...this is GONNA find it's way onto my blog one way or another." ... Deanna was glad the real nurse had stepped out of the room momentarily, because Deanna was beginning to feel like the nurse thought Deanna was a bit heartless. Maybe it was the tears running down my face.
So to sum this whole episode up the best I can, Savannah is now down one kidney stone. Unfortunately, a second one was found on the opposite side, so she must return for further surgery in the next few weeks. She's much more comfortable, she's feeling much better, and she got to ride in an ambulance, although she doesn't remember much about that. Except she loves to say that every time she woke up and looked for me, I was happily chatting away to the ambulance driver, flinging my hands and yakking about something. When I laughed at her and asked her if I really talk that much with my hands, she raised her eyebrows and smirked. I'm not sure what that means.
I just can hardly stand the suspense of how much this excursion is going to cost. Yeah for health insurance. And I'm trying not to be overly angry at the doctors who, two years ago, didn't further investigate the suspicious evidence on her CT, even though the surgeon told us last week that this stone has probably been there the whole time...
A few days before Christmas in 2006 (it's late, so in case you don't feel like doing the math, that's nearly 2.5 years ago) Savannah got really sick and spent a night in the hospital. Stomach cramps, vomiting, blah blah...
Lab work, xrays, CT and ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis, and about $8,000 later, the gist of the story was: "Yes, Savannah has gastroenteritis. It also appears that she may have a slight problem with her right ureter being enlarged and having a possible blockage, but we can't define the problem."
Her symptoms went away, and so did the testing. We were told the problem must have resolved itself, if indeed there even was a problem.
Several times over the next nearly-2.5 years, she would experience episodes of severe stomach pain, but it would only last for a short while and I would think "Well, she's getting close to being a teenager. All kinds of things are gonna start happening around here."
Last month, the pain returned more forcefully, so I scheduled an appointment to see a new doctor to whom we're in the process of switching all of our family care. He ordered several lab tests and more ultrasounds, upon seeing her past history. Only one test was abnormal - the urinalysis. And still the pain persisted, intermittently.
Last Tuesday, Savannah was in such bad pain I took her to the emergency room at around 10:30 PM. Now when I say "bad pain", you'd think an 11 year old girl would be visibly crying, making at least a small scene. Not my daughter. She curled up in the middle of the gurney and, barely audible, just whimpered occasionally. Lab work. CTs of the abdomen and pelvis. IV fluids. Pain medicine. Puke medicine. Infection medicine. Because, you see, she was still having issues with the urinalysis.
After whipping through seven or eight lovely little airsick bags, and naturally receiving no help whatsoever with any type of oral medication, and waiting for the results to be sent from the radiologist-we-never-saw, lo and behold....
My 11 year old daughter was diagnosed with a kidney stone of 5.5 millimeters.
Go get a measuring device.
STOP!
Stop what you are doing and go find something that has that "Everybody's going to be using this someday! You'll be glad you learned it!!!" metric measurement system on it, and look at how big 5.5 millimeters actually is! Grown men scream and roll around on the floor for lesser stones than that! (I know - I'm related to one! As my sister says, "He never will let me forget that I had to wash my hair before I took him to the emergency room. He wasn't dying! He could wait a couple more minutes.") - Did I just digress, there?
Being 50 miles from the nearest pediatric urologist, Savannah and Mama were treated to an ambulance ride to this wonderful place called St. Vincent Mercy Children's Hospital.
Now, let me point out - my husband works at our local hospital. Has for over 17 years. Our boys were born there. I've had surgery there. I was there following my car accident. I worked there for a few years as a unit secretary. Our community is small. Not Mayberry-small, but close. When you go to the emergency room on the right night, you almost expect fellow patrons to call out "Norm!" So needless to say, but because it's me I'm gonna anyway, everybody pretty much knows who we are. If the kids are admitted, the nurses that pop into the room aren't always there to push drugs. They just know us, and they're stopping in to see what's new with our family. I like that.
St. V's is not so small. While we had one nurse for each twelve hour shift, there were no extras dropping in to check on Savannah's progress or ask if Gabe still has his little yellow blankie at home. But by golly, did we see doctors! Right off the bat, 3 students and/or residents barged into the room to begin bombarding us with questions. They were all writing. One had no clipboard. (Huh? No wonder President Obama is pushing for bigger Pell Grants!) I don't know if they planned to coordinate their papers once they left the room or not. One of them was never seen in Savannah's room again. Just as quickly as it came in, the whirlwind left. Apparently kidney stones in children are somewhat rare, so perhaps Savannah was a little like the albino rhino you hear about but never see, and they wanted their chance to say they saw history. Who knows. She slept through the whole interview process, anyway.
Surgery was scheduled for later that day, but because of emergencies, was postponed until the following late-afternoon. In that waiting time, her pain again completely disappeared. While I slept the morning away trying to recuperate from having NO sleep the night before, Savannah ate breakfast, cleaned the room, rearranged furniture, and watched some movies. Funny kid, that girl.
She is funny, too. Especially when she's been doped up with Demerol and Phenergan. Not only is she comical, but she's quite bossy. I was told to "Sit down!" and "Drink it yourself!" and given several stern looks by a normally fairly docile young lady. She vaguely remembers stating some of these orders, but she does not remember relaying to me her thoughts on her pain level. It is common practice in medical settings to ask people to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. I think it's completely arbitrary, and rather stupid, because honestly, HOW in the world can you recall what childbirth feels like 11 years after the fact? Sure, you know it hurt back then, but you aren't in the throes of labor, so to reply to "Considering the WORST pain you've EVER had in your LIFE, how would you rate THIS pain?" is basically pointless. However, to remain politically correct and insure that this medical bill would actually BE insured, I was encouraging Savannah to "rate her pain".
"Now Sis, you told the nurse that it was 7 a while ago, and after your medicine, you said it was 5. What would you say it is now?"
Savannah very groggily muttered, "I don't know what time it is."
Folks, this is why Deanna isn't a nurse.
Deanna would love to collect a paycheck by picking herself up from the floor after a rousing round of raucous laughter, but she wouldn't want to find an NG tube shoved up one side of her nose and out her left ear by an angry patient who doesn't find the humor in his temporary drug-induced insanity, so hence Deanna remains a non-paid working mother who blogs, for no pay, about people's pain. And when my daughter flung her head back and glared at me because I told her "Ya know...this is GONNA find it's way onto my blog one way or another." ... Deanna was glad the real nurse had stepped out of the room momentarily, because Deanna was beginning to feel like the nurse thought Deanna was a bit heartless. Maybe it was the tears running down my face.
So to sum this whole episode up the best I can, Savannah is now down one kidney stone. Unfortunately, a second one was found on the opposite side, so she must return for further surgery in the next few weeks. She's much more comfortable, she's feeling much better, and she got to ride in an ambulance, although she doesn't remember much about that. Except she loves to say that every time she woke up and looked for me, I was happily chatting away to the ambulance driver, flinging my hands and yakking about something. When I laughed at her and asked her if I really talk that much with my hands, she raised her eyebrows and smirked. I'm not sure what that means.
I just can hardly stand the suspense of how much this excursion is going to cost. Yeah for health insurance. And I'm trying not to be overly angry at the doctors who, two years ago, didn't further investigate the suspicious evidence on her CT, even though the surgeon told us last week that this stone has probably been there the whole time...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
This Ain't Your Mama's Aspirin
I love this guy!
I recently read that 90% of children who go to see a psychiatrist walk out, after their first visit, with a prescription, generally for Ritalin or something similar.
America, land of the drugged. That War on Drugs idea worked pretty good, didn't it?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
What Happens When I Drink Coffee with Dinner
Of particular interest as I have teenagers, who will NOT be being
vaccinated further.
This guy might have some questionable views on global warming, but his vaccine info is great.
Just Say No!
Contrary to public belief, in Ohio, you do NOT have to subject your children to the state-mandated vaccination schedule. You can declare medical, religious, or CONSCIENTIOUS objection (which is the one we used, since our church just isn't strange enough to assume we can't make rational decisions about our health on our own).
This guy mentions morphine as the wonder drug of the past - (although that isn't the focus of this article) but I can tell you from personal experience - after my car accident, the only thing that stopped the excruciating headaches, despite morphine drip, vicoden, muscle relaxers and I'm not aware of what else, was the visit my chiropractor made to my hospital room. It's a Wonder I didn't develop an addiction!
Have I mentioned lately how very important chiropractic care is for your whole family? If you want to stay out of the medical doctor's office, see the chiropractor. Take your kids. Take your spouse. Take your cat. Well, maybe not, although I did once. Don't ask! Go when you're pregnant. Take the baby when it's born. Ask the chiropractor what they think about vaccines, antibiotics and muscle relaxers. I can recommend a great chiropractor for those of you who are local. They aren't a cure all, but they're a whole lot closer to one than sitting at the medical group for 3 hours waiting to pick up some prescription with a list of side effects 74 miles long. (I'm female, should I be worried that my new drug might cause impotence?)
And last but certainly not least Stay informed!
vaccinated further.
This guy might have some questionable views on global warming, but his vaccine info is great.
Just Say No!
Contrary to public belief, in Ohio, you do NOT have to subject your children to the state-mandated vaccination schedule. You can declare medical, religious, or CONSCIENTIOUS objection (which is the one we used, since our church just isn't strange enough to assume we can't make rational decisions about our health on our own).
This guy mentions morphine as the wonder drug of the past - (although that isn't the focus of this article) but I can tell you from personal experience - after my car accident, the only thing that stopped the excruciating headaches, despite morphine drip, vicoden, muscle relaxers and I'm not aware of what else, was the visit my chiropractor made to my hospital room. It's a Wonder I didn't develop an addiction!
Have I mentioned lately how very important chiropractic care is for your whole family? If you want to stay out of the medical doctor's office, see the chiropractor. Take your kids. Take your spouse. Take your cat. Well, maybe not, although I did once. Don't ask! Go when you're pregnant. Take the baby when it's born. Ask the chiropractor what they think about vaccines, antibiotics and muscle relaxers. I can recommend a great chiropractor for those of you who are local. They aren't a cure all, but they're a whole lot closer to one than sitting at the medical group for 3 hours waiting to pick up some prescription with a list of side effects 74 miles long. (I'm female, should I be worried that my new drug might cause impotence?)
And last but certainly not least Stay informed!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Advil Not Needed
Why is it that my husband worked 80 hours last week, yet I'm the one who winds up with a sore back?
Since my car accident, I've had to learn to be very careful with my back. Most days I succeed. But every once in a while, the slightest mis-movement can trigger several painful days.
Last Wednesday, I was helping Gabe stand up, and always mindful of my position, I thought I had my feet planted where they needed to be. Nope! Gabe didn't turn at the same speed I turned, so I managed to dislocate a rib. Fortunately it was during my chiropractor's working hours.
Saturday, I tried to lift a relatively light-weight Bissell carpet cleaner 2 inches over a threshold. Nope! Fortunately, the pain didn't last long enough to require a trip to the chiropractor, as it wasn't working hours.
Sunday, I'm getting ready for church and for NO reason, my back just snapped. Let's just say the breathing techniques didn't work, and if people perspire during heart attacks because of the level of pain, I hope I never have one! Naturally, our chiropractor doesn't hold office hours on Sunday.
This morning - ahhhhhhhhh...thank you, Eric! Sometimes, Mondays are great!
Here's to chiropractic care, heating pads, and people who don't blow through stop signs and re-arrange other people's life plans!
Since my car accident, I've had to learn to be very careful with my back. Most days I succeed. But every once in a while, the slightest mis-movement can trigger several painful days.
Last Wednesday, I was helping Gabe stand up, and always mindful of my position, I thought I had my feet planted where they needed to be. Nope! Gabe didn't turn at the same speed I turned, so I managed to dislocate a rib. Fortunately it was during my chiropractor's working hours.
Saturday, I tried to lift a relatively light-weight Bissell carpet cleaner 2 inches over a threshold. Nope! Fortunately, the pain didn't last long enough to require a trip to the chiropractor, as it wasn't working hours.
Sunday, I'm getting ready for church and for NO reason, my back just snapped. Let's just say the breathing techniques didn't work, and if people perspire during heart attacks because of the level of pain, I hope I never have one! Naturally, our chiropractor doesn't hold office hours on Sunday.
This morning - ahhhhhhhhh...thank you, Eric! Sometimes, Mondays are great!
Here's to chiropractic care, heating pads, and people who don't blow through stop signs and re-arrange other people's life plans!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Does Trying on Clothes Count as Aerobic Exercise?
I've mentioned elsewhere around here that I hate to shop for jeans. I have a very hard time finding jeans that fit correctly, don't make me look stupid, aren't old lady-ish, are long enough (I'm 5'4-1/2" - just a bit too tall for petite and too short for regular length)...shopping for clothing is not a fun experience for me. For the past 3 years, since my car accident, shopping has been an even less fun experience for me, because my hips were dislocated and I've been working with the chiropractor to get them back to the way they're supposed to be. Try finding a pair of jeans that accomodate one hip being 4 inches higher than the other!
However...
When you lose 20 pounds, something must be done about the sagging problem in the posterior region, so off to Kohl's I went this past week. I lucked out and managed to find a couple pair on the clearance rack that actually fit. (About 4 years ago, I was attempting to shop at Penney's, and was bemoaning my physical shape to a clerk standing in the dressing room. I told her I wished I could just lose my baby fat. She dutifully asked, "Oh, how old is your baby?" She got a chuckle out of my answer..."7".)
Now the whole losing 20 pounds can be attributed to a combination of things. Last fall, we picked up a new cleaning contract that requires two evenings a week of the family bonding via work ethic, so that's helped with the weight issue. Several months ago, we started making some health and food changes in our home, so I've discovered that not having a constant availability of brownies and no-bake cookies will aid in weight loss. Then ya toss in the illness, which will increase lost poundage by, apparently, about 6 pounds, and voila! Ya get me! Not svelte, but any stretch of the imagination, but at least I've dropped a size.
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