We arrive at the nail salon, with an immediate “Hello! Pick a color!” from the back of the
salon. I look around to see there was
only one customer to the left, with a nail technician. I don’t frequent nail salons, and was not
familiar with the ‘protocol’, so I continued to stand with my daughter, at the
entrance. A lady comes forward from a
backroom and advises us to pick a color, while motioning to the wall on our
left. We make our selection and follow
the lady to the ‘nail chairs’. As we sit
in the chairs, a massage setting is in place and water is running in the bowls
at our feet. We hand the nail techs our
chosen nail polish colors. Almost
immediately, my nail tech begins to ask questions regarding our manicures and
pedicures. The mention of gel continued
to roll off of her tongue as a must, “especially for your daughter”, she’d
say. “It lasts longer”. Well, it didn’t help to have a frequent
customer sitting two seats to my left suggesting it, too. She says it lasts about 6 weeks. I figure hey, my daughter plays basketball
and is heavily active in Taekwondo.
After contacting my husband and communicating with my nail tech, I
agreed to have the “gel”.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Spontaneous Decision to Pamper Ourselves!
I woke up excited on “Black Friday”! The enthusiasm had nothing to do with the usual
shopping that goes on during “Black Friday”, because I neither prefer being in
a lot of traffic nor enjoy shopping in crowds.
As soon as I jumped out of bed, I could hear my mind working on a way to
present the idea of a manicure and pedicure day. Not only did I want to pamper myself, but I
also wanted to include my daughter in the mix!
Why not go and enjoy the experience together? After all, we both had birthdays in the next
five days! I pick up two homemade pumpkin
muffins and brew my version of coffee (half a mug of Starbucks Columbian Medium
Roast to half a cup of French Vanilla creamer) in the French press. This was definitely not my average morning
breakfast, or flow at that. While the
coffee was brewing, I quickly walked to my daughter’s room to wake her. She rolled over, as if she wanted to continue
to sleep in. The moment I told her of my
spontaneous idea, she jumped up and briskly found the kitchen table and
breakfast for her belly. It was like the
mad dash to catch the bus! I called the
nail salon that a close friend frequents.
They were opened and able to schedule the two of us in twenty-five minutes!!! Excitedly, the two of us were off for our
very first manicure and pedicure, promising my husband we would not to spend
$100.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Clostridium Difficile
Visualize this pain in the belly that just won’t stop. Nausea sets in and fluctuates, but you fight
the feeling with determination to continue with your life. You get up, not that you’ve had sufficient rest. Off to work you go, but throughout the day
you are left with multiple visits to the bathroom. I’m warning you that this just might get a
little too descriptive for you. So, read
on if you dare.
Early November, a few years ago, I began experiencing
digestive complications. Did I drink
enough water? I felt really constipated
for several hours. The other visits to
the bathroom were more like runs to the commode. I called my doctor, at the time. He simply though I was “okay”. I was sent home with a little prescription of
Phenergan, from a summer food bug. After
enduring this for over two weeks, and losing over twenty pounds, I felt
compelled to pester my doctor’s office until they took me seriously. Eventually, I was directed to a
gastroenterologist. After submitting blood
and completing a barium x-ray, weeks after the initial onset of my symptoms, the
specialist requested a fecal sample.
This was the turning point. I had
been diagnosed with the superbug Clostridium difficile. I was warned that there were two antibiotics
that may help combat this bug, but that one other alternative would be to
endure a fecal transplant from a family member.
Fortunately, this was just under a month of living hell, and the first
round of antibiotics helped rid my body of this invasion. My Christmas was spent weak and thankful for
my life and the loved ones I was able to spend time with.
I bring this to the blog, because I’m seeing more news over
the years that mention how this is becoming a common superbug. One such article is in the link below. I was the healthy young adult who was neither
hospitalized, nor ingesting antibiotics within five months of the first signs. The only thing I could think of was visiting
two friends in the hospital about a month apart that had just delivered
babies. Antibiotics were for a summertime
food poisoning occurrence. Other than
that, I was clean as a whistle. This
could have been deadly had it continued without the proper medical attention,
and my persistence.
It has taken me a long time to bounce back to eating and feeling 100%. I was concerned for about a year of revisiting the superbug. Thankfully, that was the only occurrence.
Again, we are dealing with more antibiotic drug resistance
bacteria. What will the future
hold?
Bacteria Resistant to Antibiotics
When
you are sick, and just can’t seem to get over whatever the illness is what do
you do? You go to the doctor, right? When the doctor diagnoses your
condition, likely based on some form of a bacterial infection, you are sent
home with a prescription of antibiotics to fight off whatever bacteria was linked
to the illness. Days later, you begin to feel the benefits of the
antibiotic drugs. Unconsciously, you are thankful for the science of
antibiotic treatments. Could you actually imagine a condition that leaves
you fighting for your life, because there are little to no antibiotic drugs to
fight off a bacterial infection that you have been stricken with? Have
you experienced a superbug and the effects of them?
After
watching the Frontline video and reading the Fresh Air links, below, I thought of the concern
presented in the video regarding the lack of support for the research and
development of antibiotics. Will we go down the path that we once
experienced before the discovery of antibiotics? Imagine the
possible effects of amputations, or worse, deaths. This is very real.
The drug companies are giving up on the research and development of
antibiotics. Support needs to come from somewhere, but where? This
is more important than the discretionary spending that we seem to find the need
to shift our dollars towards.
Why is it not common place to find basic toys at a Walmart or Target...Electronics
My husband brought to my attention the lack of basic children’s
toys in stores. What ever happened to
going to the toy section and finding animal figurines, such as tigers, bears,
horses, and birds? Many stores have
shifted towards licensed characters and brand named toys. Electronics seem to be the wave of toys to
stay as a requirement for children.
Imagination is pushed to the tablet devices and through time, fewer
children are left playing with actual toys, or even playing outside. Why is that?
Has anyone noticed how this has left American children disconnected? Look around the next time you go to a store
or restaurant. What are the children
doing? Are they well behaved, next to
their parent or guardian? Is the parent
finding something to pacify their child with, like an electronic device,
whether it be a tablet or their own mobile telephone?
My husband and I have held on to no video games and gaming
consoles for over ten years! Encouraging
imagination is important in childhood development. Allowing our child to read freely and watch
limited television was and still is a goal. (The purchase of a Kindle was made a few years ago, for a reading device. At the age of 7, our daughter read at a high school level. When considering a road trip and books, the electronic book was necessary. Otherwise, we would not have room in a small sedan.) We have actually let go of whatever our focus may be at the present time
to "be in the moment" of playing with our child.
Yes, I've taken the time to get the farm, forest, desert, and jungle animals out to simply enjoy playing with my family. Going outside to teach her how to play basketball, ride a bike, and hike,
among other things is just as imperative as academic learning. My family enjoys it all. What will become of our children’s toys with
our technologically complicated world?
THE ULTIMATE IRONY IS THIS IS BEING PRESENTED THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC MEDIUM.
THE ULTIMATE IRONY IS THIS IS BEING PRESENTED THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC MEDIUM.
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