Category Archives: Health

7 Quick Takes: Back In the Saddle… Sort Of

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Still no laptop. HP is still holding my laptop captive and I now have two case managers working on this because HP sent me through Canada at first. The second one couldn’t find me in the system so he took ownership… and the first one called me on Tuesday to say he was working on this. Yeah… this should be fun. Thankfully, Jon has given me his laptop to use when he’s not home and late at night when he’s asleep… and when I should also theoretically be sleeping. I’ve kinda sorta figured things out but I’m still looking forward to getting my laptop back.

**UPDATE** I talked to HP and because it probably won’t get fixed for another 3 weeks and it’s been 3 weeks since I mailed it in, they’re replacing it for free.

— 2 —

Post-concussion syndrome. Daniel was having a really hard day on Saturday and was melting down quite a bit. He was on my lap and I was trying to get him to calm down when he leaned forward and threw his head and self back into me, hitting me in the face. My glasses thankfully didn’t break (thank God for flexible frames!) but I ended up with what the nurse practitioner at the clinic thought was a mild concussion as I had a headache and nausea the next day. The head pain has gone away but the nausea has still remained. Sigh…

— 3 —

Possible food allergies. I had blood taken on Tuesday to test for celiac disease. It was billed as a food allergy panel so maybe we’ll find out if I’m allergic to anything else? I’m not wanting to give up any foods to which I’m not allergic, mostly because my diet is pretty limited by other things. I’m also dealing with an eating disorder of sorts because I have so many friends doing “real food”, a pale diet, etc. and I’m admittedly dealing with the fact that I’m afraid of eating. I finally asked for a nutrition consult which will be this coming Monday so that maybe we can figure out a diet for me.

— 4 —

Orphans. Do you see these precious children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and their dossier has been submitted to her country.

— 5 —

New Year’s resolution. Because I’m awesome this way, my BIG New Year’s resolution was to pray the Jesuit examen nightly. Yes, I’m a Lutheran and praying the examen. I find the Jesuits have a lot of habits that work well for me. It probably doesn’t hurt that the author of the book I’m reading on it is the official chaplain of the Colbert Report. 😉

Anyway, I’m finding the examen is freaking awesome. I wonder if the Jesuits take married Lutheran women…

— 6 —

OMG Big Bang Theory!!!!! Apparently, I missed an episode of The Big Bang Theory because I did not know that Penny had proposed to Leonard before I saw some previews for this episode yesterday. Oops! Thankfully, I was able to catch up before tonight’s episode.

— 7 —

For those who are frustrated with church things…

Fr. Jim Martin recorded this for frustrated Catholics but I think this applies across the board for Christendom. Seriously, it applies to every parish and denomination I’ve been part of in my almost 20 years as a Christian.

(And yes, I know I’m late to the party on this one.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: My Week, Requests for Help, and World Series Musings

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Relief. Jon is home after being gone since Monday to our denomination’s pastor’s conference. It’s good to have him home and I’m not just saying that because I now have someone to do the laundry/dishes/cat care. I’ve had a sick kid since Tuesday night and had to haul butt to UCD Pediatrics Urgent Care yesterday — it’s good to not be handling this alone.

— 2 —

The sick kid. Daniel refused to go to sleep on time on Sunday and Monday nights. I thought that it was probably due to Jon being gone on Monday night but he went down super early on Tuesday night which would have been great had I not been hit with restless leg syndrome. (Fibromyalgia, you suck!) Wednesday, he got sent home from school with a fever of 100F and I got the call right as I was putting my feet in the warm water for my pedicure. (I know… #firstworldproblems) His temperature started spiking so that it was 102F by mid-afternoon and I called the advice nurse at UCD Pediatrics Urgent Care to ask what they wanted me to do. The answer: “GET. UP. HERE. NOW!!!!” Diagnosis: a bad ear infection in his left ear and an upper respiratory infection which was setting off his asthma. He’s on antibiotics and I was alternating Motrin and Tylenol to lower his fever. I’m hoping he’ll be back to school tomorrow.

— 3 —

Forty to Forever. From my Facebook wall:

OK… I’m the social media person for the Forty to Forever fundraiser and we’re trying to raise money for families adopting kids internationally who have special needs. We need two things:

1.) We desperately need churches who are willing to sponsor families with prayer and also with funding to a degree. This doesn’t have to be costly and there is information on the website about what to do. If you ladies could talk to you church councils/pro-life groups/ missions people/women’s ministries/whoever, I’d greatly appreciate it. If you can’t find the answer to one of your questions, let me know and I’ll get the information for you. You can find most of what you need here.

2.) We need people who can commit to being prayer warriors and praying for us/the families/the kids one day a week during Lent. (We could also really use it right now.) It’s a fifteen minutes per week commitment and if it would help, I can send you prayers, a litany, or whatever you need in terms of help in how to pray. The page for sign-ups is here.

The website is http://www.fortytoforever.com/ and we’re also present on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks!

— 4 —

NaNoWriMo fundraiser. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo this year and I’m pondering the idea of making it into a fundraiser for Brett. I’m thinking of offering to let people read my manuscript for a $10 donation. What say you, readers?

— 5 —

World Series. The Cards just took Game 2 and I was happy that they showed up to play tonight instead of sending their middle school doppelgangers. (Obviously, I’m rooting for them and not Boston.) The series goes to St. Louis next and I’m hoping the Cards do better on their home field.

— 6 —

Orphans. Do you see these two cute children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and their dossier is on its way to Iris’ country.

— 7 —

World Series fun. You have to love it when the *ORCHESTRAS* from the cities of the World Series teams start trash-talking. 🙂

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 20, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 20, 2013

Outside my window… sunny and in the low 80’s.

I am thinking… about NaNoWriMo and possibly making mine into a fundraiser.

I am thankful… for the chance to have ice cream last night. (It’s a rare treat for me.)

I am wearing… gray “Run for Hope” shirt and black shorts.

I am creating… NaNoWriMo plans and blog post skeletons for the week.

I am going… to focus on getting through this week with Jon gone. At least he’s only a couple hours away by car instead of across the country.

I am wondering… why drivers in Elk Grove and on CA-99 heading to Sacramento are of the opinion that my turn signal indicates that they should pull up alongside me and refuse to let me change lanes. Seriously y’all, it’s not a race.

I am reading… Pastorix by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

I am hoping… my nausea goes away because it has made today miserable.

I am looking forward to… my pedicure on Wednesday.

Around the house… vacuuming and mopping to do tomorrow while Daniel is at school.

I am pondering… various plot devices to use.

A favorite quote for today… “??…my idea of God is a not divine idea. It has to be shattered from time to time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence?..?? — C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

One of my favorite things… Daniel bringing me blocks and practicing saying words or letters with me. The hearing aids are helping.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy every afternoon from Monday to Friday, pedicure on Wednesday, leading Bible study on Thursday, and massage on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Dinner Fail, Malala on The Daily Show, and Cute Animals

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Only in Montana… I found the following stories in the Great Falls Tribune today:

Canadian man ticketed for driving 154 mph in Montana. (Did he forget that our speed limits are in miles, not kilometers???)

Montana woman too drunk to get out of her car calls 911. (I shouldn’t laugh because drunk driving isn’t a joke. However, this one just boggles the mind.)

— 2 —

A worthy cause. Malala Yousafzai was on The Daily Show this week. She rendered John Stewart speechless. There is an organization started in her name to advocate and raise money for women to receive education around the world. Go check out the Malala Fund. She is also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and I’m hoping she wins. (She’s the youngest person ever nominated.)

— 3 —

Orphans. Do you see these two precious children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are compiling their dossier to send to her country.

— 4 —

Prerequisite baseball take. I’m rooting for the Cardinals because the Giants didn’t make it to the post season. They knocked out the Pirates and will be facing Jon’s team (and mortal enemies of the Giants) the Dodgers. There will be lots of good-natured trash-talking over Twitter and Facebook during this series.

I also just saw that the Tigers beat Oakland. Things are as they should be. 😉 (Oakland is the OTHER Bay Area team and I’m still grumpy about the 1989 World Series.)

— 5 —

The zoo zoo zoo. I saw footage of the surgery that was done on the Sacramento Zoo’s tiger and the pictures don’t do justice to his size. He was sitting in the window of his enclosure and his paw was bigger than my hand! His son, CJ, is getting so big as well!

There’s also the red panda blog. We saw Kodari, the baby last month and he is adorbs!!!

— 6 —

Dinner fail. I got some of ciopinno from Trader Joe’s which I’m sure is lovely but it was too fishy for me. (It’s a seafood stew. Imagine that!) OK… onto the Gardenburgers in my freezer… which tasted weird. I finally gave up and nuked some Morningstar Farms stuff and added some baby carrots to it.

— 7 —

Research study. I got to talk to a researcher doing a project on PCOS on Friday. I wish I’d had better answers for her but it was nice to be part of a study and get to do something that might help out with eventually finding a cure for it someday.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

{Virtual} Coffee Date (vol.10)

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{Virtual Coffee Date}

Once you’re done here, go visit Karianna and the other coffee drinkers.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you how thankful I was that the traffic to UCD Medical Center this morning stayed moving. We were still late but not as late as we could have been. I think my guardian angel is a little irritated with me though (rush hour traffic was a bit daunting) so I’m going to humor them and not try to do any more travel today.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that Daniel’s peds appointment went well today. He does have toes pointed inward due to an issue with his femur but it’s not something that needs surgical correction. (His doctor even has it.) It’s a PT thing so we’ll find out what exercises to do with him after the PT for the school district takes a look.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about how Daniel’s hearing aids have made a difference and how we’ve seen the start of him talking. He’s getting LOTS of praise every time he says a word (or tries to say one) so, God willing, he might be talking by the end of this school year.

Thanks for joining me for coffee (or tea) this week. See you next week!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 23, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 23, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It’s 2:15 a.m.

I am thinking… about my next move on Words With Friends. (I’m writing this in between ads.)

I am thankful… that Thomas’ sons have been able to stay in utero for another week and am praying they can stay in utero for longer.

In the kitchen… dishes to do.

I am wearing… my black “Governator” shirt (I am Californian after all!) and black running shorts.

I am creating… the bare bones of blog posts.

I am going… to hope I can get myself organized for the week tomorrow morning (well… technically today).

I am wondering… when Daniel’s hitting and head-butting will stop. I’m still surprised he didn’t knock out one of my front teeth on Saturday.

I am reading… Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea. I’m hoping to finish it this week so I can move on to Pastorix by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

I am hoping… for a quieter week.

I am looking forward to… all premieres of all my favorite shows.

I am pondering… waaaaaaay too many things.

A favorite quote for today… “The risk in seeking and finding God in all things, then, is the willingness to explain too much, to say with human certainty and arrogance: ??God is here.?? We will find only a god that fits our measure. The correct attitude is that of St. Augustine: seek God to find him, and find God to keep searching for God forever. Often we seek as if we were blind, as one often reads in the Bible. And this is the experience of the great fathers of the faith, who are our models. We have to re-read the Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 11. Abraham leaves his home without knowing where he was going, by faith. All of our ancestors in the faith died seeing the good that was promised, but from a distance…. Our life is not given to us like an opera libretto, in which all is written down; but it means going, walking, doing, searching, seeing…. We must enter into the adventure of the quest for meeting God; we must let God search and encounter us.” — Pope Francis in his interview in America Magazine.

One of my favorite things… iced vanilla whole milk lattés.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, getting Daniel a flu shot on Tuesday, fighting with SSI on Wednesday, and hopefully not much else.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Jaguars, Prayer Requests, and Twitter Personalities

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Colbert does it again. Stephen Colbert takes on allegations by FOX Noise that the Syria conflict is a sign that the apocalypse is coming. You know, I’d believe the verses they were citing… if they didn’t refer to the fall of Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

— 2 —

Orphans. Do you see these two lovely children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are compiling their dossier to send to her country.

Click on their names to see their Reece’s Rainbow pages.

— 3 —

Prayer Request. One of the benefits of blogging is that you get to meet interesting people as well as people who you swear live inside your brain. Thomas in both of those categories. He has the strange habit of saying things to me that make total sense after I’ve been struggling with them and I think the two of us could probably solve the problems of the world if we could sit down for an extended period of time.

Right now, Thomas is dealing with some devastating news. His wife is pregnant with their twin boys and having complications at 21.5 weeks that might cause her to lose the babies. We’ve been asked to take part in a novena to St. Gerard on their behalf, ending on September 24th. If novenas aren’t your thing, please just pray HARD.

— 4 —

Another prayer request. Elizabeth of Keep On Spinning got some craptastic news: the cancer is back. She’s been fighting this for 5 years — since just after the birth of her son George. They’re doing a massive amount of testing but it’s looking like this is a fast-growing one. Prayer is needed.

— 5 —

Anonymous Twitter profiles. Christianity Today interviewed Rev. No Respect and Church Curmudgeon in a two-part interview. Part I is here. Part II is here. I recommend both parts.

— 6 —

Forty to Forever. Wanna help out some orphans? I’m part of the Forty to Forever fundraiser and we need prayer warriors. If you’re interested, here’s the sign-up page.

— 7 —

New jaguar. Nope. Not the car. The Sacramento Zoo is getting a new one and the old one is shipping out on Sunday. I might be persuaded to make a trip to the zoo this weekend to say good-bye. Once the new one comes, it will be mentored by the zoo’s female jaguar, Tina.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.