Yes, it's been quiet, but now we'll get back up to speed

If you're a regular reader, you may have noticed that my posting has slowed down considerably. I apologize for that. Part of it started when I was flagged as a spam blog; it really threw me for a loop. But then, as my blog was reinstated (I guess "they" figured out it wasn't spam!), I became very busy with various things. One of those was I now have a new blog, called Cancer Commentary. It is also on the b5media network, as are Help My Hurt and Womb Within.

Now that this is all settled and launched, I can begin putting my efforts back into my original love, this blog.

That's not to say I'm not busy! I'm renovating my house right now. We just had the bathroom done and it's just about finished except for the painting and I have to finish refinishing three cabinet doors. We ripped out the ugly, ugly, ugly, puke-green bath and bath insert (the walls too!), toilet and sink. We now have a lovely white tub with gorgeous tiling around it, and a new toilet and sink. I also repainted the vanity with a white melamine paint, as well as the mirror trim and the lamp trim. It looks so nice.

The kitchen was also targeted. Last Monday, our contractor ripped out the whole thing. Everything. So, all of our stuff had been moved over into the dining room, including the fridge. Cooking in such cramped quarters, without a stove, is - shall we say, challenging? As of yesterday, the floor had been laid and grouted and was dry. The cupboards (most of them) have been installed and the stove is now in and workable. We still can't use the counters and there's no sink, but that's ok. I'm not complaining. :-)

As soon as the kitchen is complete, hopefully by midweek next week, we'll still have painting to do, but that's minor, compared with what we've had. Then, our dining room is next. For one full month, I scraped and scraped and scraped to get some horrid, awful stucco off all four walls of the dining room. Not the ceiling, but the walls. Whoever applied it (and did a horrible job at that) should be forced to live the rest of his life removing stucco. Anyway, the walls underneath are ruined, but we found a great type of wall that we can cover them with. It's much thicker than traditional panelling and it comes in different styles. We can then stain them or paint them. But, it will be a big job to get that all up.

Those are the big projects - there are more small things to come. So, as you can see, things have been incredibly busy!

Anyway, so that's all the news there's fit to know about the blogs and time and renovations.

See you around!

Marijke

Stress and health

If we ever needed any convincing that stress affected physical health, we shouldn't need it now - not with the economy the way it is and people losing their jobs and homes. But it doesn't take extreme stress, like a death or losing your home to affect people. Smaller stresses, even those that are pleasant, can affect us too. This includes getting married, moving, or having a baby.

How do the stresses affect us? It all depends on the person. Some people who are stressed can't eat. They lose their appetite and lose weight. As they lose weight, they also become malnourished as they're not getting the vitamins and nutrients their body requires. The result? The get sick. Or, they may overeat. Overeating can trigger other problems if the pounds start to add up.

Stress can affect your blood pressure, cause migraines, worsen chronic diseases like asthma or diabetes, and it can bring on other health problems, like shingles (herpes zoster). I remember when I got shingles, my brother had died three months before and I was sick with a cold that had triggered an asthma attack *and* I had a sinus infection. If that combination didn't cause enough stress to trigger shingles, I don't know what stress could be.

So - if we are under stress, what can we do to protect ourselves? Well, you know that whole bit about eating properly, getting enough exercise and sleep? It's even more important when we have stress. And, we need to listen to our body and listen well. If you're one of those people who loses appetite with stress, make sure you eat healthy foods when you do eat, for example.

We can't eliminate stress from our life, but we can change how we react to it.

Today at Help My Hurt:

Desperate Housewife Dana Delaney raises awareness about scleroderma
Fibromyalgia: “Most of those people are difficult patients”
Patients with heart failure may have higher risk of fractures

Today at Womb Within:

Lupus and getting pregnant
Half a million women dying each year - preventable pregnancy-related deaths
Depression in pregnancy increases risk of preterm delivery
Have abdominal pain? Meet the Virtual Doctor

News for Today:
Free flu shots linked to fewer deaths, demands on health care system
Immigrants more likely to suffer heart problems
Staph germs harder than ever to treat, studies say (AP)
Panic Attacks May Be an Independent Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease
Caregiving may be associated with poorer health in certain groups