Yes, that Binge, with a capital B.
I can't believe I did this, but I fell headfirst into a lot of garbage carbs! I'm not going to go into details....partly out of embarassment of what I ate. Let's just say Easter is around the corner, and the stores are well stocked!
Anyway I'm back. I decided I had to start this out with a fast, so I'm fasting today and part of tomorrow. I'll start eating again tomorrow at lunch.
I know lots of people will fron on this method, but for me it works. I'll fast for 24-30 hours, then start eating again, keeping to "intervention" level carbs for a week or so, then moving to "transition", where I'll stay until I get to maintenence.
Fasting breaks the cycle for me, especially when I go on a bad binge like I did this time. It's been a tough day. Telling myself that I'm fasting....then wanting to have something. But, I stuck with coffee, tea and water and I'm good now. I probably won't even be hungry tomorrow, but lunch will taste soooooo good! I'm thinking Caesar Salad at my favorite place near work, Baba Ghanoush (Cary, NC).
I've also set a new goal. I'm trying to get up to Massachusetts again this summer. One of my "adopted" daughters (my DD's friend) is getting married and I want to see it happen!!! I also want to have ankles that I want to show off. I want to get a sexy summer dress to wear. I want to look GOOD!!!
So here's my goal. Today is March 5, 2007 and by August 6, 2007 I want to loose 50 pounds. That sounds like a lot, but it's not too bad. That's 5 months to loose 50 pounds. That's 10 pounds per month. If I stick with my plan and do my exercising, I should be fine.
Not sure just yet what I'm going to be doing for exercise, the first few days after a binge I'm usually not good for much. Right now, stick with walking the dogs, and I'll figure out what else by the end of the week. I have to get my weight bench out of my son's room so I can get back into my strength training.
I'd really like to set a size goal, rather than weight, but I have NO idea what size I'll be when I get to goal. I know I'll at least be a size 14, but no idea if any lower. I'm 5'8" and good size build, so I know I'll never be a size 2. And if I ever DO get down to a size 2 there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with the sizes they sell today! LOL
I'll post my weight ticker and exercise goals later this week. I wanted to commit to this and now I have to get to sleep!!!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, March 05, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
I love eggs!!! I eat a fair amount of them. Poached, fried, hard boiled, deviled, egg salad, and so forth. I usually buy large eggs. When I was a kid we only had medium eggs, but even mom switched to large many years ago. We bought our eggs from the local egg farm. The farm was just at the end of our street, and the old guy that owned it (just him and his wife) would sometimes let us watch the egg sorter in action!! What he sold us as "medium" were comparable to "large" in the food stores. When the egg farm closed (they retired), we started buying eggs at the local food store and I think always got large.
Well, I bought some jumbo eggs a few weeks ago because the "large" were tiny. These jumbos looked like large to me. Well, when those ran out I asked my son to pick up another dozen and he again got the jumbo. Boy were those things big!!! I almost choked when I saw the size of the eggs!! Of course I was thrilled! I have 1 or 2 eggs with 1 slice bread when I eat them for breakfast. More egg, more yummy!
I have never, until this current dozen, seen a double yolk egg. I know they exist, but I have never seen one. Out of the 10 eggs I've cracked so far, 4 of them were double yolk!
The last 3 eggs I've opened out of this dozen
The ones I cracked today I also broke one of the yolks, so those will go to the dogs. I was making poached/dropped eggs, and broken yolks aren't good. The one that's a single was a bit smaller than the others, but not by much!
Dropped eggs cooking
Ready to eat. That's whole grain oatmeal bread by Pepperidge Farm with butter.
A little bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Yummy!
My sister had her procedure done and is doing well. There was some question as to whether there was plaque or not. They knew she had scar tissue, but we weren't sure whether they suspected plaque or not. Well, after the procedure it was confirmed that it was scar tissue only. They only opened one artery, the one that was partially blocked. The other one was 100% blocked, but had good collateral circulation, and they were afraid they'd do more harm than good in attempting to open the artery.
I guess this supports my theory about good genes along with bad ones. My mom's side of the family has rampant diabetes. As far back as my great grandmother and her siblings, right through to my current generation, of which I am the youngest, almost all were diagnosed with diabetes. I even have a niece, the next generation, that has been diagnosed.
My sister definitely takes after mom's side of the family as far as body build is concerned. My brother takes after my dad's side, but is also diabetic, so has apparently inherited the "weak" pancreas. But, so far none, including my generation, have developed coronary artery disease. NONE.
One aunt had CHF (congestive heart failure) as a result of a viral infection when she was young. This aunt eventually died of CHF. But she'd never had a heart attack or stroke, and was well into her 80's by the time it got her.
What's the one thing they worry about most with diabetics? Yep, heart disease. So, there's no heart disease in my mom's family, despite most being diagnosed with diabetes, and most of those prior to age 50 (some under 40!).
Is it because they are well controlled???? I don't know, but I suspect not. My sister's latest A1c was 6.2 or 6.3. This means her average blood sugar was in excess of 135. That's average. She doesn't take her blood sugar readings very often, on the advice of her doc, but the ones she does record are usually 140-150. The last time we talked she had one that was over 180! (and of course had no idea what may have caused the spike!) She's also on 2 medications. One med she's at max dose, the second one she's very close to max.
Average daily blood sugars
relation to A1c levels
I don't call that well controlled.
My brother is currently 55. He was diagnosed less than 10 yrs ago when they discovered he had severe peripheral neuropathy (PN). He is disabled from the damage. He presented to the doc when he started having trouble walking due to the PN. I have no idea what his numbers are, but he went on insulin immediately and is still taking it. He's thin, but has always eaten a very high carb diet, including frequent large portions of spaghetti.
I don't call that well controlled.
The rest of the family I don't really know about, at least as far as how well controlled they are, but some are overweight and some aren't. One cousin, a few years older than me, has been slim all her life, loves to exercise, and has been diagnosed for a few years. She's in her early 60's.
So....apparently my family has a "bad" gene related to pancreas function. I've long believed that we are each born with a pancreas that has a certain limit. Eventually we will hit that limit and diabetes will develop. If we abuse our bodies with high carbohydrate intake, we will hit that limit sooner. The limit for one person following a reasonably healthy lower carb diet (few or no sweets, portion control, limited processed foods) may be 50 or 60 years. For another it may be 90 or 100 or even higher!!! And for some, it may be as young as 8 or 10.
Whatever your genetic background, limiting carbohydrate intake will help prolong the "life" of your pancreas. If you have "good" genes, you may never develop diabetes, if you have "bad" genes, you may already have diabetes or be on the road to developing it.
I think my family, or at least my mom's side, has "bad" genes as related to pancreas function.
But, apparently we have "good" genes in the heart disease area! Since none of my grandparents, and none of my aunts and uncles, and none of my cousins have developed heart disease, despite a common diagnosis of diabetes, I'd say we inherited some pretty good heart health genes!
My dad's side I don't know as much about, but they too lived mostly into their 80s and 90s, none that I know of having heart disease or diabetes. There is high BP and hemorrhagic stoke on that side, as well as complications of alcohol abuse. Several died of cancer, including at least half of my dad's siblings.
I am 52 and have no evidence of heart disease. I have had several chest scans that showed no calcifications, and have no symptoms of heart disease, artery disease or high blood pressure. I don't have diabetes, but I am insulin resistant and have had symptoms of hypoglycemia.
I know I inherited at least some of the body type from my dad's side. I think a lot as I'm built more like the aunts on that side of the family. I'm actually shorter tho, so I guess I got a smidge of height from mom too. I'm 5'8", most of my aunts were 5'10 and above. My mom was fairly tall at 5'7", but she was the odd one in her family, where most of the men were under 5'8" tall!
I have the build from my dad's side. Larger frame, good size hips and shoulders. I also, I believe, get my bad back from dad's side. My stomach issues, I believe are from mom.
Who knows. Maybe some day we'll be able to have our blood tested and know exactly which disease we are at higher risk for. Until then all we can do is do our best to take care of the bodies we were given. In my case I know that limiting carbs, without eliminating them, is the thing I must do to keep my body healthy.
I'll watch my carbohydrate intake because I don't want to develop diabetes.
I'll watch that my BP doesn't get elevated and also that my cholesterol levels don't get too low because I don't want weakened arteries or high BP that may lead to stroke.
I'll watch my alcohol intake as I seem to be at a higher risk of alcoholism due to family history.
Barbaro has another setback. This is sad. They haven't given up yet, but poor Barbaro isn't doing well. He's had another procedure done in an attempt to save his leg and his life.
A Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways
Mama dog. This is a great story posted on Gather.com about an amazing dog!
Update on my son. Went to the doc again last week, still no definite answers. It appears that the fracture is still unstable, so the doc has ordered another MRI. Depending on what that shows will be the deciding factor in whether the doc recommends surgery or not.
Weigh in day is tomorrow. I think I'll do well. If I haven't lost, I doubt I've gained. We shall see!!!
As of last week:
Well, I bought some jumbo eggs a few weeks ago because the "large" were tiny. These jumbos looked like large to me. Well, when those ran out I asked my son to pick up another dozen and he again got the jumbo. Boy were those things big!!! I almost choked when I saw the size of the eggs!! Of course I was thrilled! I have 1 or 2 eggs with 1 slice bread when I eat them for breakfast. More egg, more yummy!
I have never, until this current dozen, seen a double yolk egg. I know they exist, but I have never seen one. Out of the 10 eggs I've cracked so far, 4 of them were double yolk!
The last 3 eggs I've opened out of this dozenThe ones I cracked today I also broke one of the yolks, so those will go to the dogs. I was making poached/dropped eggs, and broken yolks aren't good. The one that's a single was a bit smaller than the others, but not by much!
Dropped eggs cooking
Ready to eat. That's whole grain oatmeal bread by Pepperidge Farm with butter.A little bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Yummy!
My sister had her procedure done and is doing well. There was some question as to whether there was plaque or not. They knew she had scar tissue, but we weren't sure whether they suspected plaque or not. Well, after the procedure it was confirmed that it was scar tissue only. They only opened one artery, the one that was partially blocked. The other one was 100% blocked, but had good collateral circulation, and they were afraid they'd do more harm than good in attempting to open the artery.
I guess this supports my theory about good genes along with bad ones. My mom's side of the family has rampant diabetes. As far back as my great grandmother and her siblings, right through to my current generation, of which I am the youngest, almost all were diagnosed with diabetes. I even have a niece, the next generation, that has been diagnosed.
My sister definitely takes after mom's side of the family as far as body build is concerned. My brother takes after my dad's side, but is also diabetic, so has apparently inherited the "weak" pancreas. But, so far none, including my generation, have developed coronary artery disease. NONE.
One aunt had CHF (congestive heart failure) as a result of a viral infection when she was young. This aunt eventually died of CHF. But she'd never had a heart attack or stroke, and was well into her 80's by the time it got her.
What's the one thing they worry about most with diabetics? Yep, heart disease. So, there's no heart disease in my mom's family, despite most being diagnosed with diabetes, and most of those prior to age 50 (some under 40!).
Is it because they are well controlled???? I don't know, but I suspect not. My sister's latest A1c was 6.2 or 6.3. This means her average blood sugar was in excess of 135. That's average. She doesn't take her blood sugar readings very often, on the advice of her doc, but the ones she does record are usually 140-150. The last time we talked she had one that was over 180! (and of course had no idea what may have caused the spike!) She's also on 2 medications. One med she's at max dose, the second one she's very close to max.
Average daily blood sugarsrelation to A1c levels
I don't call that well controlled.
My brother is currently 55. He was diagnosed less than 10 yrs ago when they discovered he had severe peripheral neuropathy (PN). He is disabled from the damage. He presented to the doc when he started having trouble walking due to the PN. I have no idea what his numbers are, but he went on insulin immediately and is still taking it. He's thin, but has always eaten a very high carb diet, including frequent large portions of spaghetti.
I don't call that well controlled.
The rest of the family I don't really know about, at least as far as how well controlled they are, but some are overweight and some aren't. One cousin, a few years older than me, has been slim all her life, loves to exercise, and has been diagnosed for a few years. She's in her early 60's.
So....apparently my family has a "bad" gene related to pancreas function. I've long believed that we are each born with a pancreas that has a certain limit. Eventually we will hit that limit and diabetes will develop. If we abuse our bodies with high carbohydrate intake, we will hit that limit sooner. The limit for one person following a reasonably healthy lower carb diet (few or no sweets, portion control, limited processed foods) may be 50 or 60 years. For another it may be 90 or 100 or even higher!!! And for some, it may be as young as 8 or 10.
Whatever your genetic background, limiting carbohydrate intake will help prolong the "life" of your pancreas. If you have "good" genes, you may never develop diabetes, if you have "bad" genes, you may already have diabetes or be on the road to developing it.
I think my family, or at least my mom's side, has "bad" genes as related to pancreas function.
But, apparently we have "good" genes in the heart disease area! Since none of my grandparents, and none of my aunts and uncles, and none of my cousins have developed heart disease, despite a common diagnosis of diabetes, I'd say we inherited some pretty good heart health genes!
My dad's side I don't know as much about, but they too lived mostly into their 80s and 90s, none that I know of having heart disease or diabetes. There is high BP and hemorrhagic stoke on that side, as well as complications of alcohol abuse. Several died of cancer, including at least half of my dad's siblings.
I am 52 and have no evidence of heart disease. I have had several chest scans that showed no calcifications, and have no symptoms of heart disease, artery disease or high blood pressure. I don't have diabetes, but I am insulin resistant and have had symptoms of hypoglycemia.
I know I inherited at least some of the body type from my dad's side. I think a lot as I'm built more like the aunts on that side of the family. I'm actually shorter tho, so I guess I got a smidge of height from mom too. I'm 5'8", most of my aunts were 5'10 and above. My mom was fairly tall at 5'7", but she was the odd one in her family, where most of the men were under 5'8" tall!
I have the build from my dad's side. Larger frame, good size hips and shoulders. I also, I believe, get my bad back from dad's side. My stomach issues, I believe are from mom.
Who knows. Maybe some day we'll be able to have our blood tested and know exactly which disease we are at higher risk for. Until then all we can do is do our best to take care of the bodies we were given. In my case I know that limiting carbs, without eliminating them, is the thing I must do to keep my body healthy.
I'll watch my carbohydrate intake because I don't want to develop diabetes.
I'll watch that my BP doesn't get elevated and also that my cholesterol levels don't get too low because I don't want weakened arteries or high BP that may lead to stroke.
I'll watch my alcohol intake as I seem to be at a higher risk of alcoholism due to family history.
Barbaro has another setback. This is sad. They haven't given up yet, but poor Barbaro isn't doing well. He's had another procedure done in an attempt to save his leg and his life.
A Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways
A Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways went overboard by treating their crying 3-year-old daughter in much the same way.Of course the parents are outraged! The airline has not only reimbursed the parents, but also given them free flights!!! What about the other people on the plane? Were they compensated too?Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight in Fort Myers, Fla., when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said yesterday. But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.
The Kuleszas, of Worcester, Mass., planned to fly to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers, Fla., after a four-day visit with the girl's paternal grandparents. She was removed because "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.
Mama dog. This is a great story posted on Gather.com about an amazing dog!
I first met Mama Dog two days before Christmas 2005. She showed up at my friend Brenda's house, cold, starving, badly beaten, and very very pregnant. Brenda immediately went and bought a bale of hay, and made a nice warm place for her in the garage. Brenda is very good with animals, and she was determined to nurse Mama Dog back to health.....
Update on my son. Went to the doc again last week, still no definite answers. It appears that the fracture is still unstable, so the doc has ordered another MRI. Depending on what that shows will be the deciding factor in whether the doc recommends surgery or not.
Weigh in day is tomorrow. I think I'll do well. If I haven't lost, I doubt I've gained. We shall see!!!
As of last week:
Sunday, January 07, 2007
5 things
I knew it was going to happen as soon as I saw the first post.
Jimmy Moore's was the first post, and since then I guess I've read another 8-10 posts. Last one was
Yep....I've been blog tagged!!!
OK....so here's the deal. I'm supposed to tell you 5 things about myself you wouldn't normally know, and then tag another 5 bloggers. I'm including links to each of the blogs I tag and I hope you visist their blogs!
So, here goes. 5 things you might not know about me.
1. I'm "the baby" of the family. Yep, the youngest of 4, I have 2 older brothers, and 1 older sister. My oldest brother, Tim (11 yrs older) and my sister, Maureen (13 yrs older) are actually half-siblings, but we were raised to not make this distinction. ( 1 sentence removed by author) I was pretty much the "belle of the ball" growing up, at least as far as my siblings is concerned. As far as I'm concerned, I was treated just like the others.
My brother Tim died as a result of an auto accident at the age of 24. I really didn't know him well as he was a "chronic runaway" and left home for good at the age of 16 (I was 5), after spening a couple of years in "reform school". (2 sentences removed by author) My sister Maureen still thinks of me as a little kid, and often gives me advice, including medical advice (see # 4 below).
Because of the big age difference we really were raised as 2 families, and after the age of 9 it was just me and (removed) at home. While Tim was pretty much absent, and Maureen was more of a mother, (rest of paragraph removed by author)
2. When I was a kid I was a member of a drum corps. Yep, The Amvet Brigadiers. I started late, most of the others had started out in the junior corps, but I started out in the senior corp. This was when I was in junior high, around 1968. I carried a rifle, but mostly stayed with the American flag line, as I really couldn't do all the twirls and throws the rest of the corps did. I was only in the corps for a year, and loved it, but felt like an outsider and gave it up. We had an excellent group and won several contests, but I was only in 1. I followed them for several years, as well as the junior corps, the Buccaneers and the Lancers. My niece was in the Buccaneers for a couple of years and I became one of the "adult" chaperones when I was in high school.
3. I have no middle name. When I was born my parents couldn't come up with a name that went with my first and last (see #5 below), so they didn't give me one. When I was little I was upset when I found out all my classmates and friends had middle names...or actually middle initials and my dad told me to use NMI, which stood for No Middle Initial. Well, I thought that was great, and used it for a while.
Funny, it wasn't until just 2 or 3 years ago that I actually saw this used in "the real world". My current employer uses it for the few people that have no middle name. (I now sometimes use M for Morrison, which is my maiden name, but mostly leave blank) Having no middle name is always questioned when I fill out forms, and I often get weird looks when I say I don't have a middle name.
4. I am a graduate of Framingham Union Hospital School of Nursing, and have a diploma in nursing, allowing me to be licensed and work as a Registered Nurse (RN). Yes, this is the Framingham of the famous Franingham Heart Study.
I graduated from high school in 1972, when the BS programs were just getting popular. My school was a hospital based program. We had several instructors that also taught at Framingham State College and other reputable schools, but they came to our campus and we didn't receive any "college credit" for out work (although many colleges did accept our courses when attempting to get a BS).
Our program was pretty intense, with long hours on both our class room and clinical work. Our program gave us all the "regular" college requirements of Pharmacology, Nutrition, Microbiology, etc and we had a heavy amount of clinical work as well. Each clinical rotation was preceded with an intense class to cover that area, followed by 2-4 days a week working with patients in the hospital. Our classes were from
A friend and I calculated the number of hours we spent in class vs. a traditional college, and found that we only spent the equivalent of 4 weeks less in school. We did in 3 years what BS programs did in almost 4 AND we had at least 2-3 times the amount of clinical experience. It was intense, and hard, and a wonderful program. Upon graduation I found that I'd had an excellent education, having been exposed to more than the average BS grad.
5. My first name isn't Cindy, that's a nickname. And it's not Cynthia either....it's Alcinda, which is the Portuguese derivative for
There's actually a pretty neat story that goes along with my name. I was named by my dad, who named me after Alcinda Pereira MD, of the New Bedford (MA) VA Hospital, "the doctor that saved my life". Here's how she saved his life. Dad was in the Army Air Force during WW2 and stationed in the Pacific. Due to stress he began to drink and was unable to stop when he returned home. After sometime being back home, with his alcoholism getting worse, he checked himself into the
When my parents married they made an agreement that mom would name the first baby, and dad would name the second. My dad told my mom that if the second was a girl he was going to name it Alcinda, but she didn't take him seriously! This was back in 1948 and people just didn't give their kids such unusual names. (It's actually quite popular in
I went by Cindy most of my childhood, and even teachers usually called me Cindy. I alternated between loving my name and hating it. I was the only kid with an unusual name and got tired of spelling it, and repeating it, and getting junk mail that was obviously for males (I STILL get spam that's obviously for men!).
When I got older I realized how special my name was. I adored my dad, who died at the age of 69 from prostate cancer. He was a very special person to most that knew him, and he gave me a special name for a reason. (As I type this I'm getting teary)
I know use Alcinda for all business. At work that's what everyone calls me. In fact I had a "Cindy" coffee cup that a co-worker was shocked to learn was mine! My RN licenses are in Alcinda, so I've always singed my name with that, or AM, and that sometimes caused confusion. Friends call me both Cindy and Alcinda, depending on their preference.
I love my name. It makes me different. It also makes me know that I was thought to be special enough to be named after a person loved so much.
OK that's it. I'm sure I could come up with a few other things, but I'm only doing the 5 I "have" to do.
I must say thinking of some of these things brought back a lot of memories. A lot of pain and a lot of joy!
OK....so now I have to name 5 people?
Between people already tagged, and that I don't know too many bloggers, this is tough.
1. Emily, of The Furious Dieter blog
2. Sherrie, of the Pinch of blog
3. Dr Mary Dan Eades
4. Suzique, of the No-No NOLA and Waisted in the Wasteland blogs
5. Kate, of Kate's Wellness Blog
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Update on my son
Well, we finally saw the doctor on Thrusday and there's no new news.
This time we actually saw the attending, not just the resident. The first thing they did was more XRays, which we expected. They took several films, from the side and from the front. They removed the collar before the films, and my son had to bend his neck for the films. He had to bend forward, so his chin was "on his chest" and he had to bend back, so he was looking at the ceiling. No "pushing it", he was told to bend his neck only to the point of pain.
The docs poked at his neck, with and without the collar, and also asked him to move and tell them how much pain he was having. Amazingly, he only had "mild" pain when he attempted to put his chin on his chest, but he also didn't get even close to his chest! His range of motion is very limited!
The doc showed us his films, including the MRI that was done the day of the accident. He has a displaced vertebra, and that's what they're worried about. If looked at from the side, the botton of one vertebra sticks out a tad more than the top of the one below. It's very easy to see on the films, and really doesn't look like much!
The doc explained that this displacement usually indicates that the disc (the cartilage between each vertebra) is damaged, although there was no sign of damage on the MRI. He also said that it may take "a while" before the damage to the disc is evident on MRI.
The good news? My son can pretty much do as he pleases, although obviously driving is still out, as he has to continue to wear his collar 24/7. He can remove the collar for shaving and showering, but otherwise must wear it at all times.
The bad news? There is still a very real possiblity that he will need to have surgery! It seems that this particular injury, unless it stabilizes, can and likely will get worse over the years, leading to a steady progression of worsening damage. This will cause him to gradually curl forward....his head will gradually move forward, so eventually he'll look like he's about to topple over!!!
This is an example, more severe than my son's, of the dislocation that he has. Note the top vertebra is pushed forward. My son't injury is similar, but not as dramatic....and it's a lower vertebra that's involved.
If this doesn't stabilize, he will need surgery. Surgery means a scarey procedure and possibly being in a halo for several months! (Doc didn't sepcify, but looking online for info, it seems 50/50 that he could be in a halo or just continue in the hard collar.)
So....we're still in a holding pattern. Brian's been told he can go back to work, if they'll allow him, but has a weight limit of 5 pounds, and will have to continue to wear his collar. I doubt his company will allow him back with the collar, but he's going to try!
We still haven't seen the car. Brian and a friend will be going this week to see if they can get any personal possessions out of it. His leather jacket, all his DVDs and many of his CDs are in the car. He also has about $300 worth of stereo equipment in the car and is hoping at least some of it is salvagable. He'll get pics when he goes to the tow company. When I see the pics, I'll post them here.
This time we actually saw the attending, not just the resident. The first thing they did was more XRays, which we expected. They took several films, from the side and from the front. They removed the collar before the films, and my son had to bend his neck for the films. He had to bend forward, so his chin was "on his chest" and he had to bend back, so he was looking at the ceiling. No "pushing it", he was told to bend his neck only to the point of pain.
The docs poked at his neck, with and without the collar, and also asked him to move and tell them how much pain he was having. Amazingly, he only had "mild" pain when he attempted to put his chin on his chest, but he also didn't get even close to his chest! His range of motion is very limited!
The doc showed us his films, including the MRI that was done the day of the accident. He has a displaced vertebra, and that's what they're worried about. If looked at from the side, the botton of one vertebra sticks out a tad more than the top of the one below. It's very easy to see on the films, and really doesn't look like much!
The doc explained that this displacement usually indicates that the disc (the cartilage between each vertebra) is damaged, although there was no sign of damage on the MRI. He also said that it may take "a while" before the damage to the disc is evident on MRI.
The good news? My son can pretty much do as he pleases, although obviously driving is still out, as he has to continue to wear his collar 24/7. He can remove the collar for shaving and showering, but otherwise must wear it at all times.
The bad news? There is still a very real possiblity that he will need to have surgery! It seems that this particular injury, unless it stabilizes, can and likely will get worse over the years, leading to a steady progression of worsening damage. This will cause him to gradually curl forward....his head will gradually move forward, so eventually he'll look like he's about to topple over!!!
This is an example, more severe than my son's, of the dislocation that he has. Note the top vertebra is pushed forward. My son't injury is similar, but not as dramatic....and it's a lower vertebra that's involved.
If this doesn't stabilize, he will need surgery. Surgery means a scarey procedure and possibly being in a halo for several months! (Doc didn't sepcify, but looking online for info, it seems 50/50 that he could be in a halo or just continue in the hard collar.)
So....we're still in a holding pattern. Brian's been told he can go back to work, if they'll allow him, but has a weight limit of 5 pounds, and will have to continue to wear his collar. I doubt his company will allow him back with the collar, but he's going to try!We still haven't seen the car. Brian and a friend will be going this week to see if they can get any personal possessions out of it. His leather jacket, all his DVDs and many of his CDs are in the car. He also has about $300 worth of stereo equipment in the car and is hoping at least some of it is salvagable. He'll get pics when he goes to the tow company. When I see the pics, I'll post them here.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Dare I hope?
Just got off the phone with my sister. She's 65 yrs old and in pretty good health. But, she's diabetic and has high blood sugars and high BP.
Here are her meds: "Meds are Glyburide, 5 mg each tablet, 2 in the AM, one in the PM and Metformin HCL 500 mg tabletsan, 2 in AM, 2 in PM" I'm not sure what her BP meds are, but last I heard she was taking 2 different ones.
And here is her most recent A1c: "my last Ac1 or A1C (can never remember proper letters.........was 6.2 or 3 lat April, also they did a finer prick the 18th of October when I was there and that was very good"
I have (gently) tried to talk to her in the past about her levels, but today I said the hell with it and told her that I was concerned about her meds.....what's next? Another med? or insulin? She (finally) admitted that this was also worrying to her.
FINALLY she asked me what I would recommend, and without hesitation, I said LOW CARB!!! We talked for almost 2hrs, which is amazing with conversations with my sister....and I really feel she listened to me! (I'm the little sister, and even at 52 I think she often thinks of me as being just 13yrs old! LOL)
My sister is overweight, but not that much. According to BMI calculators, she's "officially" obese, but to me she's just overweight.....but, she carries almost all her weight in her belly!!! And she always has.....even when she was much younger, she always had a big belly!!! Classic sign of insulin resistance and/or diabetes!!! And also a sign of higher risk for heart disease!!
My sister is also trying.....she's trying to follow her diet as recommended by her doc....and she gets her exercise. But over the years her meds continue to increase (she's been diabetic over 15yrs). So far, however, she has no evidence of heart disease, vascular problems (other than high BP), or kidney disease....the usually complications of diabetes. I guess even with the family history of diabetes, we're pretty lucky as so far there is NO heart disease in the diabetics in the family, and most live well into their 80s.
She seems to be very lucky, in that she's not showing any signs of complications of her diabetes, although I think now she may have gastroparesis, as she says she's rarely hungry. My sister has always had a healthy appetite! She's also lost a little weight recently, which concerns me. Unfortunately, I strongly suspect that her recent improvement in her weight and blood sugars is due to her lack of appetite, not better diet choices. (2 summers ago she visited and her blood sugars were running in the 160's, but now they're in the 140's)
Now, let me tell you a little about my sister. She's my "big sister", 13yrs older than me. She was almost a second mother to me growing up. She married fairly young and had her first child with that marriage, a daughter. She then divorced and lived on her own.....struggled on her own....for about 8 years before meeting and marrying her second husband. They have 2 more children, another girl and a boy. All 3 are now adults with kids of their own.
About 15-20 yrs ago my sister started having problems with sore throats and was eventually diagnosed with cancer of the epiglottis. She was treated with radiation and was actually overdosed, but she survived (her voice is quite hoarse sounding even to this day). Several years later she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy as treatment. Since then she's been cancer free....oh! almost, she's had several skin cancers removed and is watched for that.
My sister is no shrinking violet!!! She's a formidable and very intelligent woman!!! She has pretty much raised 3 children on her own (i don't think her hubby wasn't much help there, but I'm sure she'd disagree), and she's worked hard all her life. Currently she's retired, but still works as a union rep. She's a writer, and keeps saying she's going to write more now that she's retired, but so far I haven't seen any evidence that she's done much. My sister can pretty much do what she sets her mind to!!!
I have only 1 sister.....and actually I really only have 1 sibling. My sister and I are 1/2 siblings, but I've never considered her anything other than my big sister! I also have/had 2 brothers. My other 1/2 sibling died at the age of 24 (he was 11 yrs older) from an accident, and left behind 4 young children. I never really knew him. My other brother, a "full" sibling, has divorced himself from the family and won't have anything to do with me or my sister. He's 3yrs older than me, and I really miss him. Last time I went home to visit, I tried to contact him, but according to his wife (who I don't trust or believe), he was away. I haven't seen or talked to him since my mom's death over 12yrs ago. His loss, I know, but I still miss him!!!
I am praying my sister takes my advice and talks to her doc about changing to a low carb diet!!! I was very careful to tell her (repeatedly) to talk to her doc before doing anything on her own, as the diet will likely require her to cut back on her meds and she needs him to help her there....I just hope he doesn't talk her out of it!!!
I've got together a list of websites and bloggers for her to read up on.....I hope it works!!!
I want my sister to live a LONG life!!! She's currently financially comfortable and seems to be enjoying her "retirement". I know in my heart that a low carb diet can help her.....and I just hope she follows my advice and gives it a try.
Here are her meds: "Meds are Glyburide, 5 mg each tablet, 2 in the AM, one in the PM and Metformin HCL 500 mg tabletsan, 2 in AM, 2 in PM" I'm not sure what her BP meds are, but last I heard she was taking 2 different ones.
And here is her most recent A1c: "my last Ac1 or A1C (can never remember proper letters.........was 6.2 or 3 lat April, also they did a finer prick the 18th of October when I was there and that was very good"
I have (gently) tried to talk to her in the past about her levels, but today I said the hell with it and told her that I was concerned about her meds.....what's next? Another med? or insulin? She (finally) admitted that this was also worrying to her.
FINALLY she asked me what I would recommend, and without hesitation, I said LOW CARB!!! We talked for almost 2hrs, which is amazing with conversations with my sister....and I really feel she listened to me! (I'm the little sister, and even at 52 I think she often thinks of me as being just 13yrs old! LOL)
My sister is overweight, but not that much. According to BMI calculators, she's "officially" obese, but to me she's just overweight.....but, she carries almost all her weight in her belly!!! And she always has.....even when she was much younger, she always had a big belly!!! Classic sign of insulin resistance and/or diabetes!!! And also a sign of higher risk for heart disease!!
My sister is also trying.....she's trying to follow her diet as recommended by her doc....and she gets her exercise. But over the years her meds continue to increase (she's been diabetic over 15yrs). So far, however, she has no evidence of heart disease, vascular problems (other than high BP), or kidney disease....the usually complications of diabetes. I guess even with the family history of diabetes, we're pretty lucky as so far there is NO heart disease in the diabetics in the family, and most live well into their 80s.
She seems to be very lucky, in that she's not showing any signs of complications of her diabetes, although I think now she may have gastroparesis, as she says she's rarely hungry. My sister has always had a healthy appetite! She's also lost a little weight recently, which concerns me. Unfortunately, I strongly suspect that her recent improvement in her weight and blood sugars is due to her lack of appetite, not better diet choices. (2 summers ago she visited and her blood sugars were running in the 160's, but now they're in the 140's)
Now, let me tell you a little about my sister. She's my "big sister", 13yrs older than me. She was almost a second mother to me growing up. She married fairly young and had her first child with that marriage, a daughter. She then divorced and lived on her own.....struggled on her own....for about 8 years before meeting and marrying her second husband. They have 2 more children, another girl and a boy. All 3 are now adults with kids of their own.
About 15-20 yrs ago my sister started having problems with sore throats and was eventually diagnosed with cancer of the epiglottis. She was treated with radiation and was actually overdosed, but she survived (her voice is quite hoarse sounding even to this day). Several years later she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy as treatment. Since then she's been cancer free....oh! almost, she's had several skin cancers removed and is watched for that.
My sister is no shrinking violet!!! She's a formidable and very intelligent woman!!! She has pretty much raised 3 children on her own (i don't think her hubby wasn't much help there, but I'm sure she'd disagree), and she's worked hard all her life. Currently she's retired, but still works as a union rep. She's a writer, and keeps saying she's going to write more now that she's retired, but so far I haven't seen any evidence that she's done much. My sister can pretty much do what she sets her mind to!!!
I have only 1 sister.....and actually I really only have 1 sibling. My sister and I are 1/2 siblings, but I've never considered her anything other than my big sister! I also have/had 2 brothers. My other 1/2 sibling died at the age of 24 (he was 11 yrs older) from an accident, and left behind 4 young children. I never really knew him. My other brother, a "full" sibling, has divorced himself from the family and won't have anything to do with me or my sister. He's 3yrs older than me, and I really miss him. Last time I went home to visit, I tried to contact him, but according to his wife (who I don't trust or believe), he was away. I haven't seen or talked to him since my mom's death over 12yrs ago. His loss, I know, but I still miss him!!!
I am praying my sister takes my advice and talks to her doc about changing to a low carb diet!!! I was very careful to tell her (repeatedly) to talk to her doc before doing anything on her own, as the diet will likely require her to cut back on her meds and she needs him to help her there....I just hope he doesn't talk her out of it!!!
I've got together a list of websites and bloggers for her to read up on.....I hope it works!!!
I want my sister to live a LONG life!!! She's currently financially comfortable and seems to be enjoying her "retirement". I know in my heart that a low carb diet can help her.....and I just hope she follows my advice and gives it a try.
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