not to play with

okay all you loved ones in new mexico, oklahoma, and hot southern states. stay away from armadillos. they are the only non-human creatures which carry the bacteria which causes leprosy.

coughing is the pits

MOS and the grandkids came up a couple of weekends ago. that was a fun time. they're 2 and 4 now and gorgeous kids. after they went home i came down with a cold. that was bothersome for a few days, then i started this cough. oh good lord. this was a horrendous cough and i drank water and put heat on my chest and slept as much as i could. the cold is gone and the cough is retreating, but it lingers. i hear that whooping cough is going around. since i was immunized way back when, i wouldn't think it would be a problem for me, but this cough sounded a lot like how i imagine whooping cough would. kind of a bark. and omnipresent. and annoying as hell 'cause once it started up it just wouldn't quit. i didn't call the doctor for any meds, since we're having such a hard time getting my blood pressure meds figured out and since i already know i'm allergic to codeine, so i took some of those burt's bees cough drops and amazingly they worked pretty well. lemon drops also worked. fisherman's friend worked for the husband. i have no idea how those could have made a difference, but no sense in arguing with what works. and one of these days it will be all gone. thank heavens.

validation

and, i have to say... oh. no shit.

finally there's an article which says that chemo may damage the brain of a woman undergoing therapy for breast cancer. oh. no shit.

like the article says, "cancer patients have long complained of neurological side effects such as short-term memory loss and, in extreme cases, vision loss, and even dementia following chemotherapy." true.

and it goes on to say, "doctors have traditionally dismissed these complaints attributing them to stress caused by cancer diagnosis and treatment." also true. typical doctors.
the study was done using the drug 5-FU which, of course, was one of the three i had (cytoxan and methotrexate were the other two). you can read about it, but mainly it shows that doctors often ignore what women say. oh. no shit.

and yes, it did affect my brain. i never again was quite as quick, quite as accurate, or quite as confident of my work. goddammit all anyway.

really??

it seems like all of a sudden, doctors here in the northwest are worried about people having enough vitamin d. the husband and i both have to take supplements. yes, it's cloudy here most of the year but no one suggested we have that checked until recently. it seems strange, but then there's been speculation that mozart died of vitamin d deficiency. you not only can die from lack of vitamin d, it increases your risk of infections and a whole host of health troubles.

we're thinking about moving.

don't scratch it

so. you've had that little dark spot on your arm for awhile and you're not sure if you should go see a doctor about it or not? well, go ahead. might as well find out what's going on and do something about it.

if you're still not sure you really should go to the doctor, take a look at these pictures. you just really don't want to mess around with melanoma, and the other types need to be treated, too.

i have a couple of little places that i have checked every couple of years. they just say to keep an eye on it. hmmm, that makes me feel so much better??

what price health?

i have felt stressed lately. not happy with things at work, and very not happy with losing my hard drive and everything which went with it. there have been other things -- i started using a treadmill at work and was really enjoying it until i realized it was making my body (the lymphedema) swell up, i was enjoying playing some games until it started affecting my computer, i haven't been happy with my bed for quite awhile, i get frustrated listening to the husband talk about the unfair things at his work.
it reminded me that before i was diagnosed with cancer i had experienced three or four major adverse life events. the stress i've felt in the last 10-12 months seems to be similar to those previous feelings. you just never know when it comes to your health, but i'm not looking forward to another round of chemo.

and i could retreive the info on my dead hard drive but it would cost between $2,000 and $10,000. the husband scoffs at the idea of paying that money. but i have to wonder .... if it relieved some of my stress, maybe lessening the possibility of a new cancerous situation, wouldn't it be worth it?

healthy -- yay!

i just ran across an interesting article -- the rankings of the health of all the counties in the country. my county is really healthy -- #6 of 39, my older son's is a touch less -- #12 of 39, and my younger son's is number one -- #1 of 32.

i need to get ready for work, but later i want to peruse this site more and see what exactly they're talking about. how healthy is your county?

these drugs don't make you look better

do you know anyone who needs to be warned away from drugs? the multnomah county, oregon sheriff's department has made a new documentary which they're hoping will make an impressions on kids. and believe me, it's yuck. i am soooooooo glad i never wanted to get in on the drug scene. take a look, but not while you eat.

preggers?

are you trying to get someone pregnant, but just can't seem to get the job done? maybe you should make some adjustments in the way you deal with the environment. prevention magazine has some tips, e.g. never touch a cash register receipt, avoid canned food like the plague, turn off your heated car seat, and always go organic. there are a couple more, but really, it seems like good advice for all of us. well, except for the heated car seat ... those of us without testicles should be okay.