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concern

  • Oct. 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 PM
starbucks writing
health-related post.
probably TMI, so don't read if grossed out,
but i have a cystic growth behind my ear that needs a quick out-patient incision/removal surgery.
this happened to me about 2-3 years ago, so i'm familiar with what it is. 
Its very simple, just needs to be taken care of like this weekend or sooner, and watched very carefully.
It was uber easy previously because i had awesome health insurance. now i do not. yay recession.
its bad if it gets bigger and isn't treated. hopefully some ibuprofen will fend off the swelling and slight fever.
My doctor told me then that its just something that happens to some people.
Weird cystic growths that become infectious. i'm so lucky. 
So some good friends have given me some ideas about how to treat this without the huge medical bill.
sliding scale, no-insurance type care. planned parenthood and providence, etc. 
for now just trying to put thyme oil on it as an uber-strong antiseptic type of treatment. a lil hyro peroxide. 
whatever home-care i can come up with until i figure out plan of action.
flying home for the doctors my mother works for isn't a practical option this weekend.
waiting too long, like more than a few days, would be potentially bad if it gets worse. 
i'm hanging in there, everything will be ok, i will find a way to take care of things. 
its just slightly scary and of urgent and immediate concern for me to handle.
some prayers for good health wouldn't hurt. just gotta take care of it. 

screening replies but reading. 
thanks everyone.

 

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Asperger's syndrome

  • Jul. 27th, 2009 at 10:58 PM
starbucks writing
I've heard much about it in psychology articles, especially in the last couple of years, and have known a couple of people who shared with me that they identify as having Asperger's Syndrome. According to this two-question quiz, so do I. It's one thing for me think 'hey, maybe my thinking process isn't exactly the same as the mainstream, and I can attribute that this xyz "creative" parts of my personality'. Its another for me to decide if I think I may actually have the clinical description of Asperger's Syndrome.

A few articles popped up on my [info]psychologytoday feed today as a cluster for the daily theme of articles that deserve attention for review, even if just to better understand how the human mind is evolving to survive, or surviving to evolve, on this planet.

One final link from the feed that stood out to me: The paradoxes that define women with Asperger's

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MRSA: the facts

  • Apr. 28th, 2009 at 11:39 PM
starbucks writing
The Swine Flu outbreak reminds me of my experience last summer with MRSA,
which killed more than 19,000 people last year, even more than AIDS.

"75 percent of people who are infected with this rare bacteria don't survive to tell their stories."


Today, Oprah hosted a program all about it: Dr. Oz Investigates: Flesh Eating Bacteria


Sometimes I wonder why I survived.
It still blows my mind to this day that I went through all of that.
It must be for something.

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major HHS fail

  • Aug. 22nd, 2008 at 5:04 PM
jesus called - wants religion back

AP:  HHS: Doctors can refuse to provide abortions

Information below thanks to

[info]bohemianeditor 

The legislation is now in a 30-day public comment period. 
All it takes is
an email to consciencecomment@hhs.gov with "provider conscience regulation" as the subject line
Your comments will be published and viewable to the public at
www.regulations.gov (under Comment or Submission), so you may want to strip out your email signature if it includes your phone number or other identifying info.

You don't have to use the highest-flying rhetoric or even be particularly well-spoken. Just tell them this legislation is damaging to women's health and to take it off the books.


--------
My Message to HHS:
I am a young voting female of age 25, and a good citizen whose parents work in the medical field. This legislation is damaging to women's health and I would like to speak for hundreds of thousands of women who agree with me that it should be taken off the books immediately. Denying a much-needed and very common health service like this, making things complicated for women of varying ages, is truly disheartening. Full access to reproductive health services is a woman's fundamental right, not privilege.
~BM

broken

  • Aug. 1st, 2008 at 2:19 PM
starbucks writing

one bloody day at a time. 
i cry every morning, usually just after the needle pokes through. 
i replace my bandage every day (somehow) and look in horror at the gaping wound left from surgery. 
the dosage was increased slightly as of yesterday, 
and then starting tomorrow, they're giving me some kind of "really expensive" antibiotic. 
the doctor says that this upcoming monday morning will be my last IV treatment. 
this whole ordeal has been physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually exhausting.
 

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ongoing

  • Jul. 26th, 2008 at 2:06 PM
starbucks writing


Friday's surgery went well. I got my surgical report this morning when I arrived at the hospital for my daily IV infusion.

The surgeon made a 4cm incision and apparently the cavity was 'significantly deep', about 4cm as well. The doctor's notes indicate that I 'tolerated the procedure well'. I remember being taken to the OR and placed on the table, and the next thing I remember (thanks to anesthesia) was being taken to the recovery room. The wound must be dressed and redressed daily or as needed. 

My blood work continues to indicate that there is nothing out of the ordinary going on, with the exception of high white cell count due to the infection.

I stopped by Smile Herb Shoppe afterward to get some immune system boosting and detoxifying items, including powdered Triphala (which I will mix with honey to mask the horrible taste), Garlic & Parsley supplement, and Host Defense mushroom capsules. 

Eastern and Western medicine powers, unite!
 

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Infused

  • Jul. 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 PM
starbucks writing
Upon meeting my very nice Infection Specialist, she sent me next door to the hospital.  
I spent nearly six hours in the Emergency Room this evening. 
I was hooked up to an IV for antibiotic infusion. 
Just a couple of minutes after being hooked up, I got what is called "Red Man Syndrome". 
My stomach and torso area started feeling itchy and burning, 
so I lifted my shirt to see patches of red all over my skin and promptly called for the nurse.
They shot me up with benadryl to calm the reaction. 
I finally stopped crying for awhile when it kicked in. 
I layed there for a couple of hours while the IV continued to drip. 

The tube, still stuck in the vein on top of my left hand, is carefully wrapped in gauze. 
I have to go back and do this again, every morning, for the next 5 to 10 days. 

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along came a spider

  • Jun. 13th, 2008 at 9:01 AM
starbucks writing
along came a spider
who crawled into bed
but instead of caressing me
it bit me near my hip
on my abdomen.

day #3 of the spider bite.
covering with peroxide and neosporin and bandaids.
painful and sore to the touch.

note to self:
don't sleep with spiders

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