Daily Inspiration: 6/30/08

Woman is the salvation or the destruction of the family. She carries its destiny in the folds of her mantle. Henri Frederic Amiel

Daily Inspiration: 6/26/08

I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me. -Dave Barry

Daily Inspiration: 6/25/08

Most people are too busy living life to ever put life in their living. - Doug Firebaugh

The Chronic Cat Teaches Another Lesson: Be Vigilant

I don't know if these things happen for a reason or I just notice them for a reason. Either way, it's time to get back on the horse when it comes to taking good care of The Body Chronic....and The Chronic Cat.

For the first time in a long time (long being a month or so), I got pelvic pains with no trigger whatsoever on Friday. I was sitting here at work minding my own business when out of nowhere I realized it felt as if someone was stabbing me in the pelvic region. These pains used to be more prevalent before physical therapy, but having a refresher course in them is not something I had hoped to do. I gritted my teeth for a minute to get through the first wave of pain, and then promptly took my medecine--something I've been forgetting to do as of late. Then on Saturday the pain struck again, just as the mood was about to strike. (Remind me to tell you in depth how being a newlywed and having pelvic issues is rather depressing.)

I didn't think much of this. I'll admit it--complacency usually gets the best of me, whether I notice it or not. So a few pains here and there (and when I say pain, I mean the noticeable pain that stops you from doing something, not the everyday pain people with chronic illness/chronic pain face) isn't usually enough to really strike me as interesting.

Then an accident happened. As I was sitting on the couch on Sunday, Lucy, The Chronic Cat, decided it was time to sit with me, as she usually does when I'm on the phone or the computer. So she jumped up and immediately I knew something was off...then I felt it...and smelt it. Lucy had wet herself. I'd like to say this is the first time this has happened--but this is the third time (and the second time since she's last seen the vet). I used to think she'd just get startled easily, but now I wonder if it isn't something more. So after cleaning her, the couch and myself I got to Googling. Sure enough, spayed female cats are known to have this problem. I'd venture to guess that it's even more prevalent in cats with known urinary tract issues already. I e-mailed the vet and tried to not get too hyped up about it. But I believe that Lucy has one of my problems--pelvic floor dysfunction (something about the cat's anatomy when they get spayed leads to it).

I realized throughout all of this, though, that I've been lax on giving Lucy her meds too. In the rush of life and the unconcious desire to escape The Body Chronic, I've not only let my own health slide, but Lucy's as well. Granted, I don't think Lucy's problem this weekend was directly related to her other issues, but it was a wake-up call.

Sometimes, for those of us in The Body Chronic, it's a helluva lot easier to ignore the signs and even our better judgment and just pretend as if everything were normal. I skip pills more often than I'd like to admit and way more often than I should, but then I complain when I have an issue. I can't have it all--either I treat myself properly or I fall back into the pain that got me here in the first place. The same goes for The Chronic Cat.

I'm happy to say that Lucy has had her medecine for two days in a row now and I have set out my pills for the week in my elderly-inspired-pill-box. It may be a pain, but it's better than being in pain. And I will not let the issue drop again. We're going to find a fix for both of us...even if it's just a patch..and we're going to be consistent.

Or at least we'll strive for consistency and settle for something more than complacency.

Daily Inspiration: 6/23/08

Scientists announced today that they have discovered a cure for apathy. However, they claim no one has shown the slightest interest in it.
- George Carlin

Friday Chronic Roundup

PCOS/Insulin Resistance/Diabetes

• Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston have found a defect in beta cells that make and release insulin that has implications in the development of diabetes.
  
• Once a week Byetta is on its way--in one form or another.
• Is an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant agent going to be the next step in treating diabetes?
• Men and women process fructose differently.
• Does Actos keep diabetes at bay?
• Metformin slows early-onset puberty in girls.
  
• 
  

Interstitial Cystitis/Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Vulvodynia

• Defining and treating IC--are we dealing with "a heterogeneous and poorly defined spectrum of disorders? (I think so!)
• IC drives managed costs up--2.4 times.
• Pelvic Floor Prolapse associated with levator trauma
  

Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Celiac Disease

• Irritable bowel syndrome linked to an overactive chili pepper pain receptor?
  

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia

• Different thalamic (brain) structures have a relationship to sleep problems in CFS patients
• Diagnostic and treatment challenges of CFS
• Cymbalta has been approved for Fibromyalgia.
  

Other

• A primer on food allergies versus food intolerance
• Could tumeric be more than a spice? (I'm skeptical since curry sends my body aflame)
• Is it true? Do gay men and straight women have similar brains? And do lesbians and straight men have similar brains?
  

The AMA Does It Again

In a terrifying move for anyone who is planning to have children biologically or is on their way to do so now, the AMA has passed a resolution that calls for governments to BAN home birth. This is notwithstanding the fact that it is safe, secure and has been done for millenniums. The lengths these people will go to in order to ensure a monopoly over all things health-related is mind-boggling.

You can read the full text of the resolution here. It even references Rikki Lake's amazing documentary, The Business of Being Born which I adored.

But the scary part can be seen in the last sentences of the document:

RESOLVED, That our AMA develop model legislation in support of the concept that the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets standards jointly outlined by the AAP and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers.” (Directive to Take Action)

Ughhhhhhh. No, dear sirs (and I use that term purposefully), the safest setting for birth is not in a hospital or a birthing center within a hospital complex. In fact, women have been safely having babies at home forever. The AMA just had to stick their regulation where it doesn't belong.

So if you want to battle back, check out one of these resources:
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
American Association of Birth Centers
Citizens for Midwifery
The Big Push for Midwives

Thanks to Miriam at Feministing for bringing this to my attention.

And American Medical Association--you are on the list.

Nausea, Heartburn, Indigestion, Upset Stomach, Diarrhea

The American Gastroenterological Association has a somewhat neat function. It's a quiz (like a Cosmo quiz but not sexist) about your digestive health. Though I disagree with BMI being as big of a factor as they make it out to be, the quiz is a helpful tool for those assessing whether it's time to see a doctor.

For the record, 50+ points was a serious problem and I had 170. Yeah...

Daily Inspiration: 6/18/08

Odors have an altogether peculiar force, in affecting us through association; a force differing essentially from that of objects addressing the touch, the taste, the sight or the hearing. -Edgar Allen Poe

Really?!? No food allergies, huh?

Round two of The Forced Allergy Experiment took place this morning with about 48 more pricks in the back. I tested positive for the mold with the interdermal tests (more sensitive). But I did not test positive for any food items.

Now I'm at a fork in the road. I was kind of hoping we'd find a food allergen that was causing stomach problems and we could rule out IBS. I was just not looking forward to another chronic and misunderstood illness. With food allergies you can explain them away pretty easily. It's harder telling someone that your bowels don't like to color inside the lines.

But I guess the food allergy...or should I say food intolerance...experiment is not really over. There is a difference between food allergies and food intolerances. The symptoms are different and seeing as I've rarely had a wheezing fit over food (other than curry, which I don't think they tested), it shouldn't be a shock that I don't have a food allergy. In fact, very few people have true food allergies.

Food allergies cause:

• Rash or hives
• Nausea
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Itchy skin
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Swelling of the airways to the lungs
• Anaphylaxis

Food intolerance causes:

• Nausea
• Stomach pain
• Gas, cramps or bloating
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Diarrhea
• Headaches
• Irritability or nervousness

And maybe since the IBS symptoms are so akin to food intolerance symptoms, I may never know. What an discomforting thought.

In any event, the experiment is over. I was put on a new daily inhaler for my asthma and Singulair in addition to Allegra for good. We'll see how this works out. But in the meantime, my stomach rages on.

Daily Inspiration: 6/17/08

In honor of my attendance at Obama's Detroit campaign stop last night where Al Gore announced his endorsement...

Many people have waited for some sign that our country is awakening once again.

How will we know when a massive wave of reform and recovery and regeneration is about to take hold and renew our nation?

What would it look like if such a change were beginning to build?

I think we might recognize it as a sign of such change if we saw millions of young people getting involved for the first time in the political process.

I think we might just recognize that if we saw that new generation casting aside obsolete and hurtful distinctions and reaching out to one another across the ancient divisions that have frustrated action in the past.

I think we would know this change was coming if a new generation rejected this special interest politics of the past and the big money that fueled it and instead used the Internet to get small donations and unite Americans in a common effort to realize our common destiny.

If we saw it coming, we would recognize it by the words hope and change. Perhaps we would recognize it if we heard a young leader rise up to say we're not a red state America or a blue state America, we are the United States of America. We would know that change was on the way if that young leader reached out not only to the supporters of the other candidates in his party, but also beyond partisan lines, to Republicans and Independents, and said to us all, America, our time has come.

I think we would recognize it in a candidate who, in response to those doubting our ability to solve the climate crisis and create a bright future, inspired millions to say yes, we can.

- Al Gore

I'm Not Dead

And I didn't forget about Friday's Chronic Roundup. Work got the best of me and I haven't had time all weekend to make it. There's a lot of stuff to sift through sometimes. I'll put the real interesting ones up as their own stories this week and the rest will fall into this coming Friday's Chronic Roundup.

Tomorrow is Allergy Testing Part II, so I'm still sans-anti-histimines. It's getting better with the Singulair though. More info on the testing after tomorrow.

Daily Inspiration: 6/16/08

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. -Stephen King

Daily Inspiration: 6/12/08

Some praise the Lord for Light,
The living spark;
I thank God for the Night
The healing dark.

-Robert William Service

Allergy Testing: Round One

I am officially allergic to:

• ragweeds of almost every variety
• trees of many varieties including birch trees
• grasses of many varieties including "Timothy" grass which is very common around here and is pictured above
  
• cats
• dogs
• dustmites (like extremely allergic)

Round 1 of the testing was pretty simple. They did a baseline lung function test for my asthma. Then they pricked me 48 times in the back which, although it sounds rough, was actually not that bad--it felt like someone tapping you with a ballpoint pen. Only then it started to itch. Afterwards my back was red and itchy and looked like I had been bitten by a bunch of mosquitoes. Nothing much. I can take singulair (which the doc gave me samples of) now, but I must wait until after next Tuesday to take any antihistimines as we are doing the food panel and a more indepth mold panel that day.

Overall the experience was nondescript and not evasive. Of course, these weren't the big worries for me. The food panel was. But I'll have to wait a bit longer for that. (They need the reaction on your back to go down to do another set of tests--so since it's Wednesday, Tuesday was more than enough time.)

I can't tell if the singulair is totally helping--i'm still itchy (not just my back, but all over) but i'm not as congested.

Just another day in The Body Chronic.

Daily Inspiration: 6/11/08

The first law of dietetics seems to be if it tastes good, its bad for you. -Isaac Asimov

The Forced Allergy Experiment: An Inflammation Theory Crash Course

So after much theorizing about how I believe my allergies are one of the root causes of many of my problems, I'm finally going to go to an allergist and get tested. I am going to be proactive and try to rid my life of the things that irritate my body. I believe I'm a good candidate for immunotherapy (allergy shots).

Sounds great, right?

It will be--once I get there. I get tested on Wednesday. In order to get tested and have a proper test, I must refrain from taking any allergy medications for the few days beforehand. This means, that on the hottest days of the year so far, when my allergies are at an all time high, I am without the aid of Zyrtec, Allegra or even Benadryl to help me. I am, in fact, winging it. If it weren't for cold water, saline nose spray and holistic eye drops I'd be dying right now.

Instead, I'm sitting it out. Very impatiently. Wednesday cannot come fast enough.

This should be interesting on many fronts, though. As those with IC and IBS and vulvodynia can attest to, allergies are often a signal that pain is to come. When The Body Chronic overproduces histimines, pain is often the result. Thus, chronic pain is often exacerbated by allergic reactions. A sneeze is one thing--this reaction is quite another.

What's even better is that I somehow timed this as the perfect storm. Being on Yasmin, my cycles are controlled and much more regulated, but guess what week it is? Coupled with an already inflamed pelvic region and no antihistimine relief in sight, I am bracing for the worst. I figured if I could just stay in the air conditioning and avoid anything strenuous, I could make it to Wednesday.

I didn't figure the weather would play a part in this. I was wrong.

Yesterday, in Michigan, there were severe storms in the afternoon, knocking out power to many. Guess who had a brownout with no AC and only one fan? That's right, me. And today's heat index promises to be about 95-100 degrees.

Surprisingly, though, I am not too bad off right now. My allergies are cracking, but not too bad.
I'm indoors (for now). But my back is hurting, which often stems from my pelvis and it's no small miracle that I'm going to the chiropractor this afternoon anyhow. If it weren't scheduled it will be.

I have an outdoor concert tonight to attend. That should prove interesting.

Ahhh...life in The Body Chronic. Always keeps you on your toes.

Debt Puts Your Body in a Crunch

This is no shocker to me (and nor should it be to anyone who reads this blog), but a recent poll shows that debt can negatively affect health. For example:

Among the people reporting high debt stress in the new poll:

• 27 percent had ulcers or digestive tract problems, compared with 8 percent of those with low levels of debt stress.

• 44 percent had migraines or other headaches, compared with 15 percent.

• 29 percent suffered severe anxiety, compared with 4 percent.

• 23 percent had severe depression, compared with 4 percent.

• 6 percent reported heart attacks, double the rate for those with low debt stress.

• More than half, 51 percent, had muscle tension, including pain in the lower back. That compared with 31 percent of those with low levels of debt stress.

Not so suprisingly:

Indeed, the survey found that upwardly mobile, middle-class families were among those who had the most debt stress. Others were women, couples with small children, low-income working families, Democrats and those who graduated high school but haven't taken college courses. Those least likely to be stressed from debt include men, retirees, empty nesters, college graduates and Republicans.

Not good news at all, but at least we're not alone.

Daily Inspiration: 6/9/08

Geniuses are like thunderstorms. They go against the wind, terrify people, cleanse the air.
Søren Kierkegaard

Friday Chronic Roundup

There's a lot of stories out there this week. Enjoy!

PCOS/Insulin Resistance/Diabetes

• Another Inflammation Theory alert--researchers ID the inflammation fighting pathway in fat cells.
• The prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in women of "child bearing" age.

Interstitial Cystitis/Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Vulvodynia

• A fun and good quick and dirty primer on vulvodynia for those who are searching for a reason for their pain.
• An overview of incontinence and the physical therapy versus surgical treatments.
• A chronic pain in the vage--at Feministing.
• A surgical robot helps solve Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia

• A new fibromyalgia drug enters phase III of testing.
• Is it CFS or is it electrosensitivity?

Other

• When are antibiotics necessary to treat Lyme disease?
• Gluten free products are gaining popularity.

Daily Inspiration: 6/6/08

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day. - E.B. White

Progress and Moving Forward

Sometimes keeping up with my body's never-ending problems is exhausting. Sometimes I wonder if the times with pain aren't easier than the times trying to figure out what to do about it. At least then I have a focus--rid myself of the pain.

Over the past few weeks I've been trying to gather the motivation to start taking care of myself better. Even if it's step-by-step, it's something. It is extremely hard for me to do this because the last time I was able to achieve any sort of health I dove into it head first and didn't look back. But now I just don't have the energy.

So if I don't have the energy to do something to make me feel better, then where am I going to go from here?

I've been doing very small things. Step one was that I needed to take my medecine regularly (including the Byetta) for one week. I did well for that one week but almost immediately screwed it up the following week. So now I'm back to step one--but with a bit of an addition. I've added back my vitamins (B complex and B 12) and supplements (chromium) back into the mix as well. So maybe that is progress.

I just can't help but wonder what The Body Chronic is in need of. Do I really need to dive in head first again? Can I muster the strength? Or am I on the right path to long-term change by doing this slowly? Do I need to bribe myself with prizes? Or is the prize in the achievement in and of itself?

I wish there were some empirical evidence to guide me. But I must forge my own path.

I just can't wait until that path is more habit than anything.

Daily Inspiration: 6/5/08

Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game. - Johann von Goethe

Daily Inspiration: 6/4/08

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- or at least, most of the time. Barack Obama, at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

Daily Inspiration: 6/2/08

One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -Plato