Category: Health

In Crisis Lies Opportunity for Growth 15

In Crisis Lies Opportunity for Growth

Just over a week ago, I had my fourth ear surgery since October.  I was braced for a tough recovery.  The surgery was a bit more invasive than the one three weeks ago so it was definitely uncomfortable afterwards. As far as we know the surgery went well. Right now we’re in a long waiting game to see how things settle down.  If you have followed my story, you know...

My 4th Ear Surgery Tomorrow 9

My 4th Ear Surgery Tomorrow

Actually, this is my 11th ear surgery (plus 2 others for other things) if we’re truly counting… but tomorrow is the 4th surgery on my left ear since October.  It’s supposed to be a doozy. I have been spending a lot of time day dreaming about all the amazing things I’ll do when… I can drive again. I can talk again (without the sound reverberating around my head). I can...

My Debilitating Medical Problems and Crazy Symptoms 4

My Debilitating Medical Problems and Crazy Symptoms

This note made me choke up the other day. ED brought it along with breakfast one morning when I had fallen back asleep on the couch: This blog has been an incredible outlet for me the past couple of months because I have had some debilitating medical problems — all ear related.  I’ve really tried not to pour out my woes too much on the blog, but life has been...

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My Ear is Broken. Sigh…

I’m in the process of creating a more optimistic, upbeat post but couldn’t get started with that until I vented about my ear issues again. I’ll pour my heart out here and then move on to more positive things.   Last week I wrote about my ear surgery 10 days ago and explained that the surgery was only partially successful. My doctor was able to drill out and remove the...

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Good News; Bad News with My Surgery

Just a quick update about my ear surgery on Monday.  How’s this for a new fashion look?! The good news was that my doctor was able to remove all the bone filler (which I seemed to be having an allergic reaction to from the surgery in October).  Unfortunately, the bad news was that once he got into the inner ear area it looked so bad that my doctor simply wasn’t...

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Living with Dizziness, Vertigo, and Balance Issues

Have you ever spun around on a swing or something and when you get off you feel dizzy, can’t focus your eyes, feel out of balance and sick to your stomach? That’s what life has been like for me for over a week. It’s a complication of my ear surgery from three weeks ago.  It has made life very tough.  It has been difficult to walk straight. The ceiling and...

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My Skin Cancer Scare

Here in the U.S. we hear about the importance of staying out of the sun during peak hours and using sun screen.  Over in Australia, there was a HUGE campaign to get people to protect themselves from the sun.  “Slip, Slop, Slap” was an advertisement we saw ALL the time on TV. Slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen, slap on a hat.  The kids in our small town...

Kids and Sports – Don’t Train Too Much 0

Kids and Sports – Don’t Train Too Much

My kids are quite involved in after-school sports and I worry a lot about them over-doing it as youngsters.  I really want to make sure that when they are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s they can be active and do the sports and activities they’re interested in.   I really love running and backpacking and am thankful that my high school and college sports didn’t leave me with any...

I’m Worn Out 0

I’m Worn Out

We had a crazy busy weekend and it ended with LD being sick all night. We stayed close to home yesterday.  Last night, DD came down with the same bad tummy bug and tossed her cookies all night and into the morning.  I’m just feeling tired and worn out and have a bit of a headache myself.  I can think of twelve things I should do … especially yard work...

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Choking! An Important Lesson for the Kids…

No, no one choked at our house recently, but we did go into a lot of detail about swallowing and choking a few days ago. I wanted to find a way for the kids to really understand how choking happens — and then to know what to do about it.  Now, don’t take this as expert advice… if you really want to know details about doing abdominal thrusts (Heimlich Maneuver)...

Health Tips to Live Longer and Better 2

Health Tips to Live Longer and Better

I love reading little articles that have tips for living healthier and longer.  There were some neat tips in Parade a couple weeks ago (Sunday, Jan. 27).  As a busy Mom, I can certainly use all the advice I can get! Here are a few things I learned: Do you think smoking or watching TV will shave more time off of your life?  According to an analysis of health records,...

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Nearsightedness Is on the Rise — Sending Kids Outside May Help Prevent This

We’ve all heard the experts tell us that time outside has huge benefits for kids.  It helps them concentrate and focus in school, boosts learning, helps fight obesity, and is even beneficial for social development. Research has proven that recess is good for kids: “A recent multicenter study of more than 11,000 eight- and nine-year-olds, led by pediatric researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, showed...

When Kids Want to Quit 5

When Kids Want to Quit

You’ve bought the supplies, paid the dues, your child starts an activity… only to announce not long after that he doesn’t want to participate. The shoes are too tight, the coach is too mean, the drills are ‘boring,’ it’s just “not fun.” Yes, extracurricular activities can be enriching and rewarding, but sometimes your child wants to quit not long after he’s begun. What’s a parent to do? We’ve handled this...

Fitness Game for Kids —  Bakari 0

Fitness Game for Kids — Bakari

A couple of months ago I featured a fitness board game called Flip2BFit.  My kids really loved it.  Today I’m going to review a similar product they put out called Bakari.  It is a fitness memory game. The kids have been itching to play that as well and we finally got a chance to play it. It was a huge hit too!  I thought it’d be perfect to feature today as we’ll...