Blog tours

Time to share some blogs I like to read. I try not to spend too much time surfing, but often I go to blogs I check regularly and find a link to another blog, which ends up being another blog I visit regularly. Then I go to leave a message and, while reading other messages, I follow a link and find yet another blog that I want to visit regularly. Sense a theme here?

One blog I visit every morning is Crabby McSlacker’s Cranky Fitness. It’s supposed to be a guide to health and related issues but often becomes a giggle fest, particularly when she solicits comments for a particular post. After a stop at Crabby’s, I usually head on over to Sue Poremba’s I Breathe, Therefore I write. I met Sue in person several years ago through an Internet group. She was encouraging when I went full-time freelancing and nudged me in the direction of Freelance Success, which is a wonderful and fun resource for freelance writers. After a quick peak at Sue’s site, I pop over to Australia and visit Dawn Rotarangi’s The Flightless Writer. She updates less frequently than she used to, but I still check every day because her posts are well worth reading.

Other sites I pop into regularly when I have time are Inherwritemind1, Women of Mystery, Christy’s Coffee Break, and Emergiblog. I look at other blogs and I apologize for those whose blogs I read but didn’t list.

Anyway, now for me to get back to work. Have a great day everyone and thanks for visiting my blog.

News for Today:

Healthy lifestyle counters female infertility: study
Extra weight, eating red meat linked to elevated cancer risk: global study
Children with Asperger syndrome more likely to have sleep problems
Link between a sleep-related breathing disorder and increased heart rate variability
Breastfed babies breathe better, except when mom has asthma
ACP issues comprehensive guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of stable COPD

New grey on her way :-)

I wasn't planning on it but it happened.

I lost my heart to a retired brood mama who will be nine years old on December 23. She has been waiting in a kennel for a forever home since May and we have to wait two more weeks so she can have her spay.

Her racing name was Cee Bar Denise, and they have been calling her Denise. I think we'll call her Dee or something close to that, we'll see. Anyway, this is Denise.

News for Today:

Young people taking more cholesterol, blood pressure meds: study
Vitamin D cuts colorectal cancer risk, suggests U.S. study
Meningitis vaccine commercial irks drug advertising critics
Chronic Achilles Tendon Pain Eased By Ultrasound-Guided Injections

Perhaps a visit to a podiatrist may be the ticket

Have sore feet? Ever do anything about it? Most people don’t, although I can’t prove that. I just gather that most people don’t seek help from the number who complain about sore feet – including me.

I was on my feet pretty well all day Saturday because of an event I was at, promoting my book, and then yesterday for a good few hours again as I chopped, sliced, and diced 10 pounds of carrots. When I worked as a nurse, I was on my feet all day/evening/night long at work and I believe that I started the path to ruining my feet by wearing the cheap shoes I did while I worked.

In my youth, I figured, what’s the difference? A shoe’s a shoe, right? I learned the hard way, no, that’s not right. And if you are a nurse, or anyone who is on their feet all day long, a good shoe is so very important.

So, now that I’ve learned that, what is the best thing for us with the aching feet. A visit to a podiatrist might be a good idea. Most people don’t know that a podiatrist has to go through a 4-year program, much like general physicians. They study the same anatomy and biology as general physicians, although the podiatry students focus on the foot and ankle. There are eight accredited school in the United States that provide this education. Canadians who want to study podiatry have to go to the US as there are no podiatric schools in Canada right now.

Once the 4-year training is complete, a podiatry residency follows, much like the medical residencies. In podiatry, the residents participate in a year of training in clinics and hospital settings. Podiatrists can specialize in orthopedics (bone), medicine (foot care) and/or surgery. Those who specialize in surgery are allowed to perform complicated foot and ankle surgery.

According to the Calgary Foot Clinic, there are no certification bodies in Canada, but there is certification in the U.S.

So, maybe I should follow my own advice and see a podiatrist. It sure beats complaining about my sore feet.

News for Today:

Rheumatoid arthritis mortality rates unchanged over past 40 years: study
Low-dose CT scans of lungs detect early tumours: study
U.S. pediatricians urge more autism screening
Radiation seeds effectively cure prostate cancer in young men
Extra radiation dose prevents breast cancer return in young women
Radiation plus chemo quadruples survival time for fatal brain cancer
Breast cancer returns more often in black women
Higher doses of radiation for prostate cancer do not decrease sexual function

This won't hurt a bit - yeah, right...

Ouch. I had my flu shot yesterday. Our pediatrician offers them to the families, including adults. This is good for us considering only one of the family is still under 18 and under his care. It’s always hard to tell if the injection will leave a sore arm or not. Some years, I barely feel it, other years, it’s like I got a – well – a needle stabbed into my arm.

When I had the series of 3 injections (spread over a few months) for the hepatitis vaccine they give healthcare workers, I barely felt the first one, the second one hurt like the dickens, and the third was felt, but it wasn’t terrible. The same person gave all three injections.

When I gave my first injection to a patient, it was to a mentally handicapped girl at the Children’s hospital, where I was doing my pediatric rotation. The way my instructor watched me made me even more nervous than I already was and I had a really hard time doing it. I am sure I wasn’t too delicate and it’s funny, all these years later, I still feel badly about it; it must have hurt.

So, why is it that some injections hurt and some you barely feel? It’s a combination of technique, experience, the type of injection, and the serum being injected.

There are three types of injections, two of which most of us come across. The subcutaneous (s/c) injection is one that goes just under the skin. When the medication is injected into this tissue, it has a slower release into the body than if it is given directly into the muscle. The most common medication given this way is insulin. The needle used is very tiny and short. S/C injections are usually given in the upper arm, but can be also given in the abdomen (heparin is usually given this way), and the thigh. Usually, you should pinch the skin to make a bit of a tent and inject the medication into the skin, usually, at a 90 degree angle. This reduces the chances of the needle reaching the muscle. Because the needle is so thin and doesn’t reach the muscle, the injections are usually rather painless.

The other injection that most people are familiar with is the intramuscular (IM) injection. Those are the ones with the longer needles that go directly into the muscle, such as the vaccines and antibiotics, for example. These are most commonly given in the buttock if it’s a pain killer or antibiotic, the outer upper quarter in order to avoid hitting a nerve. For vaccines, it’s usually given in upper arm. For babies, it’s usually given in the thigh. Unlike S/C injections, the skin remains flat. The needle also goes in at a 90 degree angle.

Intravenous (IV) medications, medication injected directly into the vein, are usually only given as part of an IV infusion of fluids, although they can be given directly, usually in an emergency situation. Medications given by IV act very quickly.

Some medications don't sting or burn, while others can be painful. The tetanus vaccine, for example, is known for being uncomfortable. Some antibiotics can be painful too.

Very few people like getting injections, but they are a necessary part of life these days. But, with the on-going research, one day, they may not be standard any more. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Today's News:

Walking prevents bone loss caused from prostate cancer treatment
Cancer Patients not getting live-saving flu and pneumonia shots
Women with breast cancer have less dermatitis when treated with IMRT
Smoking does not lead to more aggressive or advanced breast cancers
New study shows smoking increases risk of psoriasis