FudgyBear's Den

Talking about Opera star Luciano Pavarotti dies - Music - MSNBC.com

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 06:39:09 GMT

Opera star Luciano Pavarotti dies - Music - MSNBC.com
RIP Luciano Pavarotti
The man with the voice of an Angel has joined them!
Va bene, Maestro!

Talking about Poll: 1 in 4 read no books last year - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:25:22 GMT

Poll: 1 in 4 read no books last year - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com
I guess I must read enough to make up for those non-readers! If I don't average 30-40 books a month, I've been very, very ill!!! My reading is voracious, and to some, mind-boggling. I read fiction of various types, as well as nonfiction. I do not, however, read romance novels. Most of those aren't worth the paper they're printed on in my opinion. I read poetry, too.
I've been in love with books ever since my mother read me my first Little Golden Book, I taught myself to read by the time I was 4, and there's been no stopping me in the 56 years to follow. My one problem with reading as a child was people who tried to limit my reading to age level material. This frustrated me to no end, since I'd read those books a good 2-3 years earlier. When I went to kindergarten, my reading ability tested out at 3rd grade level. By 3rd grade, I was reading at high school levels.
The man in this article who said he only read nonfiction and that if he wanted a story, he'd get a movie probably lacks imagination. When I read fiction, I climb into that world, and virtually leave the rest of the world behind. In other words, if you want my attention while I'm inside, you'd better touch me in some way to break the spell of the story. Otherwise I won't hear you at all! I drive people nuts that way, because although the body is present, the mind is not.

HALLELUJAH!!!!

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:44:47 GMT

My new power chair will be delivered tomorrow!!!!

Talking about Agent: O.J.'s book on killings to be published - BOOKS - MSNBC.com

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 02:15:55 GMT

Agent: O.J.'s book on killings to be published - BOOKS - MSNBC.com
This is outrageous! I hope nobody buys this book. I know I won't!

Talking about New York fixture Brooke Astor dies - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:51:55 GMT

New York fixture Brooke Astor dies - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com
RIP Brooke Astor, a classy lady who had control of a fortune and knew what to do with it! New York will miss her terribly.

Talking about Karl Rove to quit this month - Politics - MSNBC.com

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:57:44 GMT

Karl Rove to quit this month - Politics - MSNBC.com
Hallelujah! Will wonders never cease!

Talking about Merv Griffin dies at 82 - Celebrity News - MSNBC.com

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:02:28 GMT

Merv Griffin dies at 82 - Celebrity News - MSNBC.com
RIP Merv Griffin! A man of many talents, he created my favorite quiz show of all time: Jeopardy.

Talking about My Turn: Let's Think Outside The Box of Bad Cliché�s - Newsweek My Turn - MSNBC.com

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:16:55 GMT

My Turn: Let's Think Outside The Box of Bad Clich�s - Newsweek My Turn - MSNBC.com

"But I have a sneaking suspicion that, from time immemorial, that has been an errand of mercy and easier said than done." (emphasis mine)
Sorry, sir, but I believe you mean "an exercise in futility."
As one trained to be an English teacher, I have come to the opinion that sometimes cliches are a necessary evil, because then those in one's generation know what one means, and one does not have to go into reams of expressive explanation or awkward sentence structure. I always stressed, hoever, that essays should not be peppered with cliches, as though one stood back and fired a shotgun full of .00 cliches at the paper.
Over the centuries, constructions which were cliches in their own time have passed through the filter of language to become first an integral part of the language and then to a designation of being archaic.
This article made me smile throughout, though I don't accept the argument about all the phrases identified as cliches, and I laughed heartilly at the last paragraph, even if I did find a misuse of cliche in it.

Talking about 3-time Super Bowl champion coach Walsh dies - NFL - MSNBC.com

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 04:45:07 GMT

3-time Super Bowl champion coach Walsh dies - NFL - MSNBC.com
RIP Bill Walsh. The whole sports world mourns your passage... My hubby was a 49ers fan, and I rooted for them when they weren't playing my Redskins. (Those games got a singular silence in our livingroom.)

Talking about Talk show host Tom Snyder dies at 71 - Television - MSNBC.com

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:29:18 GMT

Talk show host Tom Snyder dies at 71 - Television - MSNBC.com
RIP Tom Snyder. I loved your style!

Talking about Hummus in the school cafeteria? - Diet & Nutrition - MSNBC.com

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 09:50:19 GMT

Hummus in the school cafeteria? - Diet & Nutrition - MSNBC.com
School lunches were nothing like today's offerings when I was in school. They didn't serve "junk food," but the food they did serve was junk, as far as I was concerned: over-cooked, unimaginative, and tasteless. I seldom ate cafeteria food, because I simply didn't like it!
I usually brought my lunch: sandwiches made on home-made bread and fruit. Even if the sandwiches contained meat (ham, turkey, beef), it was home-cooked, and accompanied by lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and sometimes Italian sweet peppers. I also loved my sandiches made with a single veggie: tomato, lettuce, cucumber. There was always mayo on them, but not in inordinate amounts. (I'd like to point out that tomato sandwiches on home-made bread do not turn into mush by lunchtime. The bread is hearty enough to stand up to the juiciness.) Fruit was apples, bananas, oranges, tangerines, and sometimes sour Morello cherries. Sometimes, I'd buy a cup of soup, which was always good, and I always bought 2 half pints of milk. (I have always loved milk!)
Part of the problem these people are upset about may not be as serious as some would think. Many kids choose what the nutritionists deem "junk" simply because they don't get that kind of stuff at home! While fast food tastes good, and is omnipresent in our society, many parents limit their kids' access to it, sometimes from an economics point of view, rather than a nutritional one.
Could someone please explain to me how nutritionists can condemn as junk a baked dish containing bread, tomato sauce, spices, olive oil, cheese, meat, and veggies? As long as portion size is controlled, pizza is a good rounded meal all by itself! The pizza served in most schools is not congruent with good pizza, because they leave off the veggies. I also doubt that olive oil is one of the ingredients.
Hummus in the cafeteria? Why not? And why not Mexican-style salsa cruda? Corn tortillas can be baked into low fat chips, just like pita... (Another good dipper for hummus is raw veggies...)

Talking about 9/11, Katrina search dog dies - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:26:04 GMT

9/11, Katrina search dog dies - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com
RIP Jake! Heroes come with 4 legs and fur coats, too!
(Check out his portrait with the story.)

Talking about Bulgarian medics pardoned - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:38:12 GMT

Bulgarian medics pardoned - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com
Hallelujah and thanks to the PTB!!!!
These people have been imprisoned way too long for acts they did not commit. The fact that the Libyans used torture to get confessions from them is especially heinous.
I congratulate the EU for sticking together for the citizens of one of their newer members. And thanks to Sarkozy of France for sending his Presidential plane (and his wife!) to ferry the released prisoners back to Bulgaria.

Looks like...

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 04:37:38 GMT

I'll be getting a new power chair soon! Yippee! My neuro needs a face-to-face (Tues!) to sign off on it, and then it'll be just a few more days! I can't wait! Gee, I hope they take my old one as a trade in... Otherwise I don't know what I'll do with the darn thing!

Talking about Visitors line up at ex-first lady’s casket - Politics - MSNBC.com

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 03:53:29 GMT

Visitors line up at ex-first lady’s casket - Politics - MSNBC.com
Goodbye, Ladybird! I, for one, will miss you.
Ladybird and I had some interesting parallels in our lives... She was born 12/22/12; I was born 12/22/46. She and LBJ married 11/17/34; my late husband and I married 11/17/83. In all other things, except for the love of beauty, we differed.
Still, I hope for at least as long a life as she, and I hope, that in my way, I will have made some good effects on my surroundings, even if it's just to lobby for more laundry equipment for our apt complex!

Talking about Interview with Prince William and Prince Harry - A conversation with William and Harry - MSNBC.com

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:02:47 GMT

Interview with Prince William and Prince Harry - A conversation with William and Harry - MSNBC.com
I am impressed! These are two young men with their heads placed firmly on their shoulders. Even were they not royal, any parent in his/her own mind would be honored to have their own child matched with them, either as friends or as sweethearts. Their mother would be proud of them!
I don't know if I can explain how I view their mother. Even 10 years after her death, it is difficult to express my feelings. Diana, Princess of Wales, was a breath of fresh air infusing a generally moribund royal family with a breath of fresh air. She was on this earth such a short time, and yet, she has left a lasting impression on millions of people. People were drawn to her by her beauty of physiology, and stayed to bask in the warmth of her beautiful spirit. This is not to say that she was without fault. She was a human being, and all homo sapiens have faults. But her faults seem to leaven the ineffable sweetness of her caring heart.
I am not normally a "royals fanatic." I remember the Queen's coronation the births of her children, etc., but it's as though I were at a mental remove from the story: "OK. Event noted. Now lets go back to more important things, like keeping body and soul together." But there were two who excited my interest: the "Queen Mum" and Diana, Princess of Wales. I cried at both their deaths. I am now interested in the latter's two sons, 2nd and 3rd in line for the throne. Their whole lives are like unto a fairytale. Here's hoping that the wicked stepmother doesn't go about making houses of candy and cookies so that the poor little princes may come to harm!

Another fine mess...

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 02:44:43 GMT

My new internist gave me an echocardiogram after she heard a loud heart murmur which has never been there before. Preliminary results indicate a leaky valve, so she'll refer me to a cardiologist for evaluation. She also had a bunch of xrays taken of my lower back and both hips. The tech looked at the monitor and said "No wonder you have back pain!" So I'll be having another bone density test in the near future.

What next??? Are they going to do surgery on something for a new (as yet unknown) condition? Sheesh! The funny thing is that I've never had a heart murmur before... As a matter of fact, it showed up sometime in the month between my 1st visit to her and my 2nd visit, so it's not something of long duration.

I'll find out more on the 28th, when the final reports on the 2 procedures already done will be in. She wanted me to start on calcium supplementation, but I told her that my IBS wouldn't allow it. I already get 120mg from my Vit. D softgel, and 60mg in my multivitamin. This also leaves out all the milk I drink (at least a qt a day), not to mention other dairy and veggie sources.

I have had to cut down on the number of cats in my family, because it violated my lease. I'm still one over the limit, but my neighbor says he knows someone who wants a neutered tom. It's only a matter of time... Bridget took KitKat (the one with the propensity to litter). She also took Varina and Brother. A friend of hers wanted one of those two, and after she meets them and picks one to adopt, Bridget will find a home for the other one. So, I'll be left with Madison, my 9-yr-old queen who thinks she's pregnant though she hasn't gone into heat in three years and Munchkin, the neutered tom who, as a tiny kitten, adopted me as his God. (All of my toms were neutered, but I couldn't afford hysterectomies for my queens.)

My left hip really hurts, so I'll stop now, and go put some Lidocaine patches on it. It's too soon to take any more Motrin. If I knew where to attach the leads, I'd hook it up to my TENS unit, but I'm not sure where to put them, and I don't want to be frustrated bu putting them in the wrong places...

Talking about Nifong will be disbarred for ethics violations - Duke lacrosse scandal - MSNBC.com

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 01:39:28 GMT

Nifong will be disbarred for ethics violations - Duke lacrosse scandal - MSNBC.com
Incredible! A bar association panel that thinks the way I do! I must admit that I didn't think it possible the ethics board would disbar Nifong, considering the "Old Boys Club" into which professions which police themselves seem to devolve. So, kudos to the NC Bar Assoc.'s Ethics Board for their decision in this case! I'd estimate that Nifong's ethics violations were too well publicized for them to do otherwise. I'd expected maybe a hefty fine and temporary suspension of his license. I'm glad I was wrong in my predictions!
Nifong is a disgrace to the legal profession, the public office he held, the state of NC, and the country as a whole. He has caused irreparable damage to the accused lacrosse team members, the reputation of Duke University, and the reputation of the city of Durham NC, as well as the state of NC.

Lately...

Mon, 28 May 2007 00:54:13 GMT

It's been rough since my last exacerbation... Lost my caregiver, because of having to put in the time and effort to empty cabinets (and refill them) for the exterminator to spray the apt. Hired a new one, and she got an asthma attack from working around my cats. Hired a new one, who really cares about me--she even makes me eat ( a situation that is necessary for many MSers...).

The other day, she moved some stuff on a shelf, and discovered a can of insecticide that had been punctured somehow, and in removing it, released the stuff into the air. The air conditioning sucked the stuff up and delivered it everywhere. I had the worst asthma attack I've ever had from breathing it. To make it worse, I couldn't walk to get out of the apt. She had to pull me out the door in my computer chair, which is luckily on casters . There was no way to transfer me to either wheelchair (manual or electric). The worst part was that I had to direct her in what to do, without being able to breathe! We managed, though, and I got my inhaler and a glass of tap water (no ice) to relieve the symptoms. I guess I should have followed recovery with a breathing treatment, but I forgot I had my new nebulizer... Got to get its existence firmly in my mind!!! It's important!

The landlady is making me give away 4 of my cats. I hate to do it (I midwifed all except the grandma kitty.). Got to do it though. The feds will be inspecting the complex on June 11, and they enter apts randomly, and I'm only allowed 2.

Kit's last kitten from her latest litter died Friday night/Saturday morning. She had feline leukemia. I tried my darnedest to save her, but she was beyond saving. At least she knew she was loved. Like a lot of sick kittens, she was the sweetest little thing, and would have been a beauty had she survived (tricolor long hair).

I have to call my IHSS social worker about getting back some of the hours she took away, because my last caregiver wasn't fixing my meals. The new one does, and makes me eat them! Jo, the social worker, told me to apply for Meals on Wheels, but I can't get the people involved in administering the program to return my phone calls! Cathy needs to be paid for her time and trouble!

I've been watching a lot of old quiz shows on GSN lately. Man! I wish I had watched "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" when it was on the first time around! I'd have tried my darnedest to get my bod into that chair! For me, the questions are seldom hard, though I've seen a few that would have given me problems, but most were waaaaay too easy! I've seen a program on the way the set was engineered to make the contestants uncomfortable, but I have a way to detach my mind from physical discomfort. Except for outright pain, I can tune out discomfort... MS does have some advantages! LOL!

Have a peaceful and memorable Memorial Day! This is a holiday that takes me back to my military childhood, and reminds me to be thankful for all who have died to make and keep this country free.

Talking about Triple amputee to graduate from med school - Education - MSNBC.com

Mon, 28 May 2007 00:02:23 GMT

Triple amputee to graduate from med school - Education - MSNBC.com
Awesome! To get through all the education required to graduate from med school is an accomplishment for the able-bodied: to think of a triple amputee doing it, is astounding! Kellie Lim is indeed a hero!
Best of luck in your internship and residency, Kellie! The children of the world will be fortunate to have you!

Custom List: My Medical Conditions

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:00:12 GMT

My Medical Conditions

Osteoporosis
Thinning bones. I could remediate this with calcium, but IBS won't allow it. Taking hormones worked before, but the docs don't like to give you hormones any more...I have compression fractures in my spine.
Heart Murmur
I have a leaky valve. This just showed up recently... They say there's mild calcification of that valve, but the only cure is an artificial valve, and it's not bad enough to operate.
Primary Polycythemia Vera
A blood disease which can lead to leukemia. It is "primary," because it has an unknown cause in my case.
Hypoglycemia
The opposite of diabetes: When in doubt, feed me!
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Some veins in my legs are partially clogged.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
A rebellion of the gut.
Diverticulosis
The diverticula in my colon are irritated. Why they're mad at me, I don't know...
Migraine w/ Aura
I thought I was through with these when they disappeared during menopause, but MS brought them back... Grrrr!
GERD
Heartburn to the nth degree!
Degenerative Osteoarthritis
Both hips and lower back. Quick! Where's my Motrin????
Cataracts
A side effect of oral prednisone which doesn't go away when prednisone therapy is finished.
R/R Multiple Sclerosis
The most common kind. Controlled by daily Copaxone injections. It runs in families, but is not directly inheritable. Incurable... For now!
Optic Neuritis
Came along with my last MS exacerbation (attack). My right eye sees double, and I have nystagmus (a kind of bouncing of the eye) in both. I no longer drive (WAH!)...
Hypercholesterolemia
Seems to be mostly inherited, because changing the diet has no effect on it. However, statins do.
Asthma
Allergy induced.
COPD
Combination of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Mine is a relatively light case, as long as I don't catch respiratory infections which can develop into bronchitis.
Sleep Apnea
Windpipe becomes closed off by soft tissue in throat, causing snoring, and missed breaths. Led to asthma attacks when sleeping prone, so I don't sleep in a bed any more (can't afford an adjustable bed). And I sent back the machine they gave me.
Clinical Depression
Not sure whether it came before, with, or after something triggered the MS...
Peripheral Neuropathy
Burning pain in the limbs, that alternates with total or partial numbness. Same as diabetics have, but without the special treatment diabetics get.
Toenail Fungus
Quick! Where's the Vicks?
Incontinence
Caused by urinary retention. Sounds paradoxical, but is really not.
Cystocele (small)
A pouch in the bladder wall, caused by the breakdown of ligatures during pregnancy. Thanks Brie & Steve! I really needed that... NOT!
Kidney Stones (history)
Haven't had any since I discovered cranberry juice. They tell men that passing a stone is like childbirth, but they're wrong! In my experience they're 100% worse! Babies don't have sharp edges!
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (both arms)
Not from repetitive stress injury in my case. The channel in the bone of the elbow through which the ulnar nerve passes is too shallow, allowing irritation of the nerve by the littlest bump...
Hearing Loss
It's in both ears, but the left is 100x more profound than the right. Caused by esophageal clogging. Thank the PTB for pseudoephedrine!
Primary Lymphedema
The lymph my body produces pools in the lower extremities, causing swelling, and sometimes sores, when the skin "explodes" because it reaches a point where it cannot stretch any more. It is "primary," because it isn't caused by radiation therapy.
Hiatal Hernia (small)
A hernia in the hiatus of the diaphragm that allows stomach acid into the esophagus. Heartburn, anyone?
Gout (mild)
Uric acid crystals form in joints, most often in the great toe. Rare with MS, but common with polycythemia...
Valley Fever
A fungal infection endemic in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Once you get it, it never leaves you. There is no cure, just palliatives that force the fungus (coccydiomycosis) into hibernation.
Explanation
This is not a ploy for sympathy. It is amazing and ironic that I generally feel relatively well, yet I carry with me this rather overwhelming list of ailments!