Tuesday, February 28, 2012

CUSTOM NIKES


This is a guest post!

Authored by Rickey Combs

I have recently been in the market for some new athletic shoes. I feel like athletic shoes are a place where you can buy something with a lot of flair. Whether tacky or not, nobody really cares what kind of shoes that you wear to the gym. I have used my clear 4g to search eBay for some old school kicks and other sites for the newest and coolest. I think that I have finally decided that I am going to make some custom kicks on Nike.Com. I didn’t even realize that you could custom mix your shoes until my brother in law made some. You can pick the shoe style (they have a lot of different types) and all of the colors. You can pick the lining color, the mesh color, the leather colors, and the shoe lace colors. The coolest thing is that you can write things on the shoes. You can get your name on the back if you want. I think that I am going to customize some airmax ’95. They are going to be pretty expensive, but at least I know that the shoes will be mine and that no one will be able to swipe them! They will be my colors and will have my name. I can’t wait; these are going to be awesome.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Cipro Side Effects Return


I continue to take a type of “chemo” pill every day, and my leukemia is beginning to stabilize, and my blood work is returning to much more normal state. What has me distressed at this point is the return of some of my Cipro side effects; the outer ball of my right foot is once again very painful. The balls of my feet were the hardest hit areas, after taking Cipro. The pain is odd; it feels as though the area is severely bruised, and that someone is constantly pressing on it. Fortunately, it does not extend all of the way across my foot, to the big toe area, so I am still able to walk fairly “normally”.

The other area that is so painful is the back of my right thigh; that area feels as though it is on fire! It is not a muscle pain, but more like a skin pain; like the skin is completely raw. I really had no idea that these symptoms/side effects would return, but hopefully they will not last very long.

The first time around, the pain was so bad that I was quite immobile for many weeks; as a person that is typically and constantly on the go, it was not easy to just sit around and heal. Now I am slowed down by the leukemia, and the drugs that I must take, so I find myself sitting around again. My poor brain is so tired of the inactivity, that I started knitting, sewing and building model planes. Funny hobbies, huh? I like building old planes and bi-plane models; it is like a three dimensional puzzle; it keeps my mind and hands busy, and helps to avert my attention away from the pain.

I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised to have the Cipro pain return, but I will tell you, it sure is depressing! If you are offered Cipro, Avelox or Levaquinn; do yourself a favor, don’t take the risk…..ask for a different antibiotic; you have many other choices, and take it from me, an upset stomach or diarrhea is way better than being crippled!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Exercise Improves Quality of Life


Guest post written by,
David Haas

Physical activity helps control weight and helps you to maintain healthy bones, joints and muscles and it reduces your risk of becoming diabetic and having problems with high blood pressure. In addition, physical activity allows you to live a longer, healthier life. The biggest benefit of exercise for someone going through a comprehensive treatment like mesothelioma treatment might actually be the fact that exercise promotes psychological well being and provides patients with a reason to feel good rather than bad. The National Cancer Institute cites research that proves physical activity after a cancer diagnosis improves quality of life and reduces fatigue, which balances energy and makes the patient more capable of handling the stress of cancer treatment

No matter what stage of cancer you are experiencing – from diagnosis to treatment to remission – physical activity plays a crucial role in your ability to handle stress and improve the quality of your life. Once you are cancer free and living in remission, your doctor will tell you that you need to include exercise in your daily life to keep yourself as healthy as possible to help prevent the onset of other diseases. However, your doctor will also tell you that you need to exercise no matter what and no matter when. The benefits of exercise are too numerous to ignore.

Research indicates that adults need at least two and a half hours a week of physical activity; broken down that equals 20 minutes every day, which is not too much to ask. Additionally, the type of exercise you do should include something you enjoy. If you do not enjoy running, running is not the best exercise to take up because you will dread doing it and eventually quit because of your dislike for the exercise. Instead, take up something you enjoy, such as dancing, walking or swimming. Biking is another great form of exercise that is beneficial to your overall health.

Health matters aside, getting a little exercise will help you feel better not only about yourself but about everything. The hormone produced when you exercise rids your body of the hormones caused by stress, which not only improves your immune system but your mood as well. With an improved immune system your body is able to more adequately attack your cancer during treatment and your prognosis will improve. A positive attitude can change more than just your outlook on life; it can change your life. Exercising is not going to rid your body of tumors or cancer but it will rid your body of other toxic hormones that do not promote quality of life, which is something that matters most when you are undergoing treatment for cancer. Get up and exercise when you have the energy.

Your Car as Collateral?


So, evidently your car now qualifies as collateral, for a short term loan. Title loans New Jersey will give you a short term loan, it your car is less than ten years old, and has a wholesale value of at least $2,500. You must also be at least 18 years of age. Yes, there are a few other details that must be given, and you must borrow at least $1,000. I suppose if you have desperate needs, this may be of help to you.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Taking antibiotics ruptured my tendon: The hidden dangers of everyday drugs we assume are harmless

Thank you to:

MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories

Taking antibiotics ruptured my tendon: The hidden dangers of everyday drugs we assume are harmless

Last updated at 3:43 AM on 7th February 2012

'The pain was so sharp I felt like I'd been shot or kicked,' said Judy Thomas
'The pain was so sharp I felt like I'd been shot or kicked,' said Judy Thomas
When Judy Thomas was prescribed a strong antibiotic to shift her chest infection, she didn’t think twice about it. 
‘It was a few days before Christmas and I was just relieved to get something before the holidays,’ says Judy, 59, a housewife from Ferndown, Dorset.
‘It was a high dose of 500mg of ciprofloxacin twice a day for five days. My GP didn’t mention any possible side-effects.’
Three days later, Judy woke up with an all-pervading tight feeling in the backs of both calves.
‘I could barely walk; I thought the tendon was going to snap,’ she recalls. 
‘Ten days later, when I was standing making tea in the kitchen, something did seem to snap in the back of my left calf. 
'The pain was so sharp I felt like I’d been shot or kicked, and I blacked out for a few seconds. Afterwards, I was in excruciating pain.’
Next day, she went to A&E with her husband, Geoff, 64, and her left leg was put in plaster because doctors suspected a ruptured Achilles tendon. 
‘I was baffled because I hadn’t been doing any exercise and it’s something I thought you only got with running or sport,’ says Judy.
‘It was my sister Sally, a retired nurse, who Googled it later that evening and discovered tendon rupture can be a side-effect of taking ciprofloxacin. 
'Imagine my horror when this was confirmed by my GP the next day.’
It can take six months on average to get back to normal activities after an Achilles tendon rupture, but in some cases much longer. A month after taking ciprofloxican Judy is still incapacitated. 


‘I’ve been left unable to walk properly,’ she says. ‘I can’t bear weight on it and have been confined to the house.
'Now I’m terrified the tendon in my right leg will rupture, too, as the doctor I saw in A&E said it was showing signs of severe damage. 
‘I’ve got pins and needles in my left arm and shoulder, too, which started at the same time. I’m worried this is also connected to the antibiotics, and might be permanent.’ 
One in six of all prescriptions in the UK is for antibiotics, with the drugs given for everything from ear infections to sore throats. 
But what many patients don’t realise is that like all drugs, antibiotics can cause side-effects.
Amoxicillin, the most commonly prescribed antibiotic in the UK, can cause rashes and diarrhoea, but also nausea, wheezing, itching and a swollen tongue. 
One in six of all prescriptions in the UK is for antibiotics, with the drugs given for everything from ear infections to sore throats
One in six of all prescriptions in the UK is for antibiotics, with the drugs given for everything from ear infections to sore throats
Another antibiotic, Flucloxacillin, can cause diarrhoea and nausea, and in rarer cases breathing difficulties, jaundice, bruising and abdominal pain. 
And erythromycin, used to treat middle ear and throat infections, cannot only cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea and a rash, but less commonly temporary deafness, skin blisters, jaundice and fever.
‘There’s been a perception that antibiotics are a bit like vitamins in that it won’t do the patient any harm to take them, even if it’s not absolutely certain they do have an infection,’ says Dr Kieran Hand, consultant pharmacist at Southampton General Hospital and a spokesman for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. 
‘We are realising antibiotics are not completely harmless, and prescribing them is not a decision to be taken lightly.’
This is particularly true for a class of powerful broad spectrum antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, which include ciprofloxacin (the drug Judy was prescribed), levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin and norfloxacin. 
Just under a million prescriptions for these drugs were given out in the UK in 2010 for conditions such as chest infections and urinary tract and gastro-intestinal infections.
Some of the alarming side-effects listed for fluoroquinolines include inflamed or ruptured tendon, chest pain, rapid heart beat, black outs, swelling, hot flushes, sweating, pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas) and tinnitus. 
It’s only the fluoroquinolone group of antibiotics that have been linked with tendon problems and other muscolo-skeletal issues.
These may start immediately after taking the drugs, or months later. 
As a result, doctors and patients often fail to make the link with the antibiotics.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the UK’s drug safety watchdog, received reports of 2,269 ‘suspected’ adverse reactions associated with fluoroquinolone antibiotics, including 67 deaths, since January 2000. 
Four years ago, concern about the potential side-effects led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration telling manufacturers to add a ‘black box’ warning to fluoroquinolones. 
This is the most serious warning, short of pulling a drug from the market, and indicates that it carries a significant risk of serious or life-threatening adverse events. 
In the UK, the British National Formulary, a prescribing guide for doctors and pharmacists, added a specific warning about fluoroquinolones in 2009, stating they should be used ‘with caution’ in patients over 60, those taking corticosteroids, and patients with a history of epilepsy or tendon disorders.
But Judy says she had none of these risk factors. 
Nor did Rebecca Robinson, a 44-year-old self-employed hairdresser from Bristol, who was prescribed five courses of ciprofloxacin over a 12-month period after developing cystitis and then a kidney infection in 2006.
Five years later, she is still suffering persistent lower leg pain and other unexplained symptoms, including pain and burning in her lower legs, cervical dystonia (neck spasms), tinnitus and muscle twitching — some of which are recognised side-effects of ciprofloxacin. 
‘The reaction started immediately after the first dose: I felt giddiness, back pain and needed to pass urine frequently,’ she says. 
‘But it felt just like the kidney infection coming back, so I was prescribed more of the drugs. 
‘I’d never felt right since I took those antibiotics but doctors told me there was no connection. 
'After three years of tests and no answers, I went online and discovered there were thousands of other people who had taken ciprofloxacin and had similar side-effects to me.
'I have lost half my customers as I have balance problems and find it difficult to stand for long periods. 
'I’ve never claimed any disability benefits and always worked to support myself, but what happens if I get worse? 
Doctors stress that we must finish a course of antibiotics and don’t mention adverse reactions, so people continue taking the drugs, not realising they are causing them damage.
Philip Howard, consultant pharmacist and a specialist in antibiotics, says although ciprofloxacin has been around for 25 years, it’s only in the past ten years that more side-effects have emerged.
‘When ciprofloxacin was first introduced, it was one of the first broad spectrum antibiotics which could be given as a tablet, so patients didn’t need to stay in hospital. 
'That was a major advantage but also came to be one of its major failings, because it then was over-prescribed.
‘As with all drugs, the rarer side-effects sometimes don’t become apparent until large numbers of people have been treated with them.’
He says there are few reasons why ciprofloxacin should still be prescribed by a GP except where there is no alternative, such as where the patient has an allergy to penicillin or where other antibiotics haven’t worked.
‘There is this assumption that antibiotics have no side-effects, but all drugs carry risks. I’d say that unless you need treatment, don’t take them.’
Neal Patel, pharmacist with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, says serious side-effects from antibiotics are rare, but patients should be aware of the risks.
‘If patients notice anything untoward while taking antibiotics they should seek advice from their GP or pharmacist as soon as possible.’
A spokesman for Bayer, manufacturer of ciprofloxacin, said the drug has been used in millions of patients worldwide and has a well-established safety profile.
It added: ‘The product information includes information about tendinitis and tendon rupture, which are recognised but very rare adverse drug reactions.’
Judy Thomas, though, remains convinced ciprofloxacin is the most likely explanation for her ruptured Achilles tendon and pins and needles.
‘I feel very strongly that there should be more prominent warnings on patient information leaflets,’ she says. 
‘Antibiotics are something that all of us take without thinking, but we all need to be aware that they have risks as well as benefits.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2097415/Taking-antibiotics-ruptured-tendon-The-hidden-dangers-everyday-drugs-assume-harmless.html#ixzz1lvz7dbpO

Monday, February 6, 2012

Park Model Trailers; Who Knew?


Park model trailers are a viable option to owning a small vacation home, on the land of your dreams. Imagine that you have this quiet little piece of land, right next to a lake. There are trees and wildlife everywhere. Building a home on this site will be costly, but purchasing a factory built, park model trailer home, will make your dream vacation spot a reality.
These homes are recreational homes that are built on single chassis and mounted on wheels; sort of like an RV, without the gas tank. These factory- built homes are built with the recreational home owner in mind. There are many models and options from which to choose and can be a great second home, guest house or even income property.