Friday, October 28, 2011

Leukemia Wins This Round



Life has been crazy for me during the past two weeks. The craziness began with a trip to the Paradise Dance Festival. I competed for the last time this year. I came in second overall and wish that I had danced better, but that is nothing new. As much as I hate to admit it, I am afraid that this damn leukemia is just going to get its’ wish; to slow me down.

I have been fighting tooth and nail to live my life just like I was before I was diagnosed with leukemia. Dancing was one of the things in my life that I was trying the hardest to hold on to. I won’t stop dancing, but I know that I need to stop competing; at least for now. I just cannot count on feeling good, often enough to practice on a consistent basis, and I never know how I am going to feel when the competition day actually arrives. Not to mention, the competition itself; it has become increasingly exhausting. I do really great for the first four dances, but my energy wanes greatly over the next four. Not to mention, I am completely wiped out by the time the weekend is over. So, for now, I will continue to practice and dance when I am able and will have a tentative plan to compete next May, in Fresno.


Since we were at the dance event in October, I noticed a whole bunch of breast cancer awareness ribbons. I will definitely be looking into getting some leukemia awareness pins to pass out for my type of cancer. The cancer awareness pins were certainly well received. They also held a silent auction to raise money for breast cancer. Guess I need to get on the ball!


Man in Hot Pink Scrubs!



Sometimes even the silliest things can make you smile. For example, when I was in the hospital after being diagnosed with leukemia, I had a procedure done where they placed a jugular catheter into my neck. This procedure followed a bone marrow biopsy that I had just had done without any medication. The pain of the bone marrow biopsy was excruciating, so by the time I had the jugular catheter procedure, I wasn’t in the best of moods! However, the doctor that was performing the jugular catheter procedure walked into the room in hot pink scrubs. I immediately cracked up and told him that he had just made my day. When he asked my why, I simply stated that any man willing to sport a beard and hot pink scrubs was obviously a man with a tender heart and an adventurous spirit!

I told him that my niece was in nursing school and I was going to buy here a set of scrubs for graduation. I asked him where he purchased his hot pink number and he told me at Blue Sky Scrubs:  http://www.blueskyscrubs.com He said that they had really cool scrubs in all different colors and prints. I don’t know what his motivation for wearing hot pink scrubs really was, all I do know though, is that he made my day!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Everything Is Wireless; Including Phones!


While I do love not having wires drug under the carpet, around doorways and through walls, I simply do not understand how things travel through the air without them. Not tripping over wires and having a phone attached to the wall with a long cord, really is awesome, but sometimes the battery issues can be really frustrating.

Take telephone batteries for instance; it seems that my home phone’s batteries never last very long, and often the batteries cost almost as much as it would cost to replace the entire phone. What a disposable society we have become!

Check Out This Video Exposing Floroquinolone Damage


Finally a report that recognizes the potential dangers of floroquinolones: Cipro, Avelox and Levaquinn  are among the front runners of this class of antibiotics. I have personally been floxed by Cipro on two occasions. I, like many, did not even have a clue the first time that i was floxed. I was given Ciprofloxcin for a urinary track infection. On the fourth day of my treatment, I ruptured a tendon in my big toe while dancing. I heard and felt the "Pop" and wondered what on earth had happened. I continued to take my prescription of Cipro without ever realizing that it was what had caused my tendon rupture.

Fast forward eleven months; my ruptured tendon was finally healed. I was "healthy" for exactly five weeks before I contracted another UTI. Once again I was prescribed Cipro. I willingly took the prescribed drug as it had alleviated my bladder infection the year before. On the second day of ingesting Cipro, upon awaking, I went to step out of bed and nearly collapsed onto the floor. My feet felt as though they were on fire and that I was stepping on broken glass. I could not bend my toes, ankles, knees or hips. The pain was excruciating and I needed assistance just to walk to the bathroom.

I did not know what was wrong with me and I continued taking the Cipro. It wasn't until the following day that the pain intensified so much that I began to wonder if the Cipro was causing blood clots or some other reason for the pain. This sent me to the internet where I saw the "Black Box Warning." I immediately stopped taking the Cipro and called my doctor.

I began a fifteen month journey full of pain and frustration. The amount of people that I have met who have suffered from the same symptoms as I have, are staggering. The most staggering realization of all is that very few of them correlated their pain and suffering to the antibiotic. It is my belief that the supposed 1% of people affected by these antibiotics is grossly under-reported simply do to the fact that affected people simply cannot even begin to imagine that they have been crippled by an antibiotic that was intended to cure them.
The below video is one of the first videos that I have seen that acknowledges the possible dangers of floroquinolones.

RV Vacation


In about eight months Joe will be officially retired. One of our goals is to get an RV and travel from one dance event to another for an entire year. A really good friend of ours has done this for years and years. His number one piece of advice is to be sure to have an awesome emergency roadside assistance plan and to be sure to go to events in the south during the winter months! I can hardly wait to get on the road; I sure hope that my body is up for the trip!


Interestingly enough, Good Sam's actually has a medical assistance program in addition to their roadside service. I am guessing that I will be looking into this further!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Boost Your Alkalinity



Once you have become ill, disabled or incapacitated in one way or another, you find that your life begins to revolve around your health and your condition. You will find that your friends and family will all react in their own special way. Some will empathize, others will sympathize and others may just not deal at all; some will actually even blame you for your current health conditions. Often time’s people will try to help or cure you.

Ever since I was poisoned by the antibiotic Cipro, I have experienced all of these interactions from people I know, to complete strangers. Throughout my research, I have come to the awareness that I prefer a medical professional that chooses to treat the whole body as an entire identity as opposed to treating a symptom or side effect without finding the underlying cause.

One of the agreed upon findings of the alternative medical community is that the body needs to maintain an optimal ph balance. When your body maintains a high ph reading, the more alkaline and oxygen-rich your bodily fluids become. This is important in order for your body to absorb vitamins and minerals and to ensure proper and sufficient waste elimination.

When your body’s ph drops, and becomes more acidic, your body’s ability to absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients is compromised. It is essential that you boost your alkalinity in order to maintain your optimal health and to ensure that you are doing everything possible to sustain and maintain a happy healthy body.

A higher ph is helpful in maintaining a lower psa, thus protecting men from prostate cancer. I am curious about the studies that include other cancers, as well.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Troubled By Acne?


So many people are troubled with acne. I don’t know whether it is better to be an adult with the problem; or a teenager. Either way, it is a nuisance. My son has tried many different treatments and has his acne under control for some time, but does get an occasional flare up.

I recently ran across an item from Tanda, that is used for acne and also anti-aging. It is an acne light treatment that uses a blue light LED treatment to cure acne. The blue light is for acne and the red light is for anti-aging. It seems as though the blue LED light kills the P.acne bacteria, resulting in fewer breakouts and the red light boosts cellular energy increasing the production of collagen, elastin and microcirculation; the result is plumper, firmer and more youthful skin. Hopefully acne free!

I found Tandem’s explanation on how and why a pimple forms to be very interesting; they explain that hormonal changes cause our sebaceous gland to produce excess sebum and P. acnes bacteria feed on the sebum and multiply, clogged pores trap the multiplying P.acnes bacteria and white blood cells move in to fight off the invading bacteria resulting in a pimple. So, if the light is able to kill the bacteria, then hopefully the acne will not develop.

The Green Bug


My youngest son now has his driver’s license. You would think that he would be chomping at the bit to drive and get a car, right? Wrong. He has been given the keys to a practically new “green Bug,” yet refuses to drive it because it is a “girl” car. I know that when I was his age I would have driven anything that had four wheels and an engine! I suggested volkswagen touareg custom floor mats  in an effort to help make it more of a boy car, but he said that that would just make it worse! Kids these days….I just don’t know about them!

Dancers': Beware of the Antibiotic Cipro

I am writing this article based on my own personal experience. I am hoping to bring awareness of the side effects of the antibiotic Cipro or Ciprofloxin. I understand that Levoquin and Avelox have the same side effects.

I will preface this article with the knowledge that I have been dancing regularly, 4-5 times a week for 3 years and that dancing is not a new activity for me.

On April 16th, 2010 I started taking Cipro for a bladder infection. On April 17th, 2010 we taught a 4 1/2 hour dance workshop, something we do every other weekend. On April 18th, 2010 I could barely walk. Upon getting out of bed, my feet felt as though I were walking on razor blades and the joints, muscles and tendon in my legs were in excruciating pain. As the day progressed, the pain remained and I was puzzled as to how the workshop could possibly be responsible for my inability to walk. I continued taking Cipro.
On April 19th, 2010 I awoke with the same pain, plus additional hip pain. I just kept thinking that something was really odd and that this leg pain could not possibly be from dancing. That evening I started getting sharp, stabbing pains in my left leg. I began to wonder if I could possibly have a blood clot, so I went to the internet to look up the side effects of Cipro. While I was pleased to realize I didn't have a blood clot, I was appalled that my muscle, joint and tendon pain was a side effect of Cipro. I stopped taking the drug immediately and contacted my doctor and two pharmacists.

My doctor was shocked and claims he has never seen this side effect and offers no management, treatment or prognosis. The pharmacists are more aware but have a "it might get better, it might not " attitude. After hours of research I have found that Cipro has landed many in wheelchairs and walking with canes. It can hit your body while taking it or months later. For some it seems that the side effects reverse themselves as soon as the medication is out of their bodies, for others the suffering lingers for years. You can develop symptoms months after you stop taking the drug. If you have or have had unexplained muscle, joint and tendon pain, or ruptured tendons or been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis and have taken Cipro, be sure to alert your Dr. and never take it again.

I believe that the percentage of incidences that the drug companies report are way understated. It occurred to me, after this episode, that one year ago I suffered from a popped tendon in my right foot. It took 7 months for that injury to heal. I confirmed the dates and sure enough, I was on Cipro when the injury occurred. I never put 2 and 2 together to make the correlation of the injury as a side effect to the antibiotic. I know know differently and have reported my side effects to the drug manufacturer and the FDA.

Industrial Bearings



I don’t know much about ball bearings, other than the ones in the wheels of my car, but from what I understand, the place to get industrial bearings is at Reid Supply Company. My truck recently started to shimmy when I put on my brakes and someone told me that it might be the bearings. Guess I am going to have to trust the mechanic to be honest in this instance, as I know little about cars.

Shopping for Games?



Halloween is right around the corner and you know what that means; Christmas was yesterday! I know a whole lot of people that love to shop, but I am not one of them. My least favorite stores of all are technology stores. There are so many different departments and so many different game systems that I am always confused. Luckily, my kids are of an age that I can just ask them what games that they want and then I can order them right online. Right now there are Gamestop coupons available, so I think I will get started. Happy shopping!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Who Pays: Me or My Health Insurance?


One thing that I will never understand is medical billing. Being that I have leukemia and was poisoned by Cipro, you can only imagine the number of time that I visit a doctor of one sort or another. Of course, I get statements from my insurance company and I often see many, many different codes and explanations of the services rendered. Sometimes it states that there was a fee, but my insurance did not cover the fee, and yet I am not responsible to pay the fee. My question is, then who DOES pay the fee, or is the physician just simply forced to write off his service.

I imagine that this is where medical billing consulting comes into play. I would guess that they would either advise medical professionals of fees that are not legitimate or guide them into billing such fees, so that the insurance companies will cover them. I often think that our medical benefits and services are so confusing and often, unreliable due to the lack of clarity between the physicians, the patients and the insurance companies. It seems that as the patient, we are often left out in the cold due to the lack of clarity between our medical professionals and our insurance companies. The last thing that any of us needs when we are sick or injured is to have to work through tons of red tape with our insurance company in order to be treated. Maybe medical billing consulting should be available to patients, not just doctors. I don’t know, just food for thought!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Terrific Invitations!


With birthdays and weddings galore, it seems as though I am always looking for a simple, yet great cards and invitations; whether it is Sweet 16 Invitations, a Baby Shower, a Wedding or a First Birthday party, I want easy, inexpensive invitations that I can purchase online, without having to leave my home. For me, I can become easily overwhelmed by too many choices, and viewing the cards and invitations online helps me to be able to view them sided by side, helping me to make my choice quicker and simpler. One of the many benefits of being online!