Saturday, June 30, 2018

My New "Relationship" with the Sun


Long gone are the days that I would sit on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean for HOURS at a time with just baby oil on my skin for protection. When I look down and see my 3 1/2 inch scar on the back of my left calf, I know it was a very small price to pay for getting diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma Stage 1B Skin Cancer in January of last year. Melanoma is a deadly cancer. I know that I was really, really lucky that it hadn't spread to the rest of my body. Once you have Melanoma, your chances of getting it again increase. The sun and I have a much different "relationship" now. I mow the lawn with sunblock, sunglasses and a hat. The umbrella we have been using for years is not meant for a table on a deck - it's barely bigger than a regular umbrella. I did some research and got a nine-foot umbrella with UV protection - I didn't even know such a thing existed! Even though it is the summertime, the first time I went to my dermatologist after my surgery, I got an "earful" about wearing nail polish on my toes - one of the signs of Melanoma shows up as black streaks on your fingernails/toenails - you can also get it between your toes! A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Glaucoma.  I go for exams 3 or 4 times a year. When I went to my first appointment after my cancer surgery and told my eye doctor I had Melanoma, he tilted the chair way back and checked to make sure he didn't see any cancer in my eyes. I also have cataracts and get my optic nerve tested from time-to-time. It's quite a production, but worth every minute I am there. It was my primary care physician who discovered my abnormal mole on my calf at my physical and immediately took a biopsy. It just happened to be a mole I had already been watching. I shudder to think if it been one I hadn't been watching. I typically don't dispense medical advice, but the next time you have a physical, ask your doctor to do a quick full body exam. I personally think it should always be a part of a physical, no matter the age! Though rare, children can get Melanoma. I still enjoy the sun, but I am lot more careful.  Please, please, please don't make the mistakes that I made, not wearing sunblock and thinking I was invincible. It could catch up to you one day, just like it did with me.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Continuing on the "Path" to Independence

Something happened last Friday night that I thought would never happen, at least not for another couple of years. Do you want to know what that was?!?!? Well, let me tell you!! We attended a party for a neighbor's daughter who just graduated from high school and we left Dominic by HIMSELF in our house for about 30 minutes!!! We had explained to him thoroughly where we were going and when we would be back. We also asked him if he was okay with it and he said yes. The party was literally across the street from where we live, but still. Both the hubby and I wanted to go to the party and we both knew if we brought Dominic, the minute he saw a bug, he would go running back to our house, dragging one of us back there with him. We timed it perfectly, because from 7-7:30 p.m. Dominic watches his absolute favorite show, "Wheel of Fortune." Nothing short of a tornado taking the roof off of our house would disturb him while he is transfixed to the television for that half hour! Since Dominic was a toddler, I have told him, "don't open the door to strangers."  I knew he understood, but up until recently, he couldn't tell me that he understood. When he and I are alone in the house and I need to take a shower, I hoped and prayed that he wouldn't let a stranger in. A few weeks ago, as I was stepping out of the shower, I heard the doorbell ring. I don't know how long the person had been there, but Dominic did not answer the door! The hubby was coming back from somewhere at that exact moment and he ended up answering the door. I was SO proud of Dominic, he listened to me! Lately, when I have been reminding him of things, he will ignore me. But, that's not Autism, that's called being a teenage boy! LOL. For a few minutes at the party, I actually didn't worry about him. In the very back of my mind, I knew there was a small possibility he could have a seizure, but he has gone about 3 1/2 months without one. I think we have finally gotten the right dosage of the anti-seizure medications!! I know that I sometimes (okay, more than sometimes) "baby" Dominic.


It really doesn't do him any favors, if anything, it prohibits his independence. It's really, really hard for me to not want to do things for him. I think it's in my nature, I am the oldest of three and I've always looked out for someone, starting with my little brother. When the hubby and I came back from the party, I was going a little overboard with the positive praise. Dominic didn't think it was any big deal. When Lauren came home briefly this past Sunday, I told her about him being by himself. She also thought it was pretty cool and was praising him.  Dominic just finished eighth grade and is moving onto the local high school. Wow, that came fast!! He matured in a lot of ways while in middle school. He grew several inches, he started using deodorant (though the hubby didn't believe me until he took a whiff of Dominic's armpit), I trained him to stay away from the stove (that took a while) and he grew a moustache, just to name a few.


We are working on some other life skills this summer before he starts ninth grade. I know that I will face a lot of resistance because I have waited so long to teach him.  Better late than never! Wish me luck! I'll need it.....
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Saturday, June 2, 2018

What It's Like Living with Three Heart Conditions

Back in November of 2011, when I went in to the hospital for a stress test because I was noticing shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat, I ended up getting a cardiac catheterization. It was determined that I have Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy; Left Bundle Branch Block and Congestive Heart Failure. Whenever I tell someone I have those heart "issues," they are usually surprised. I think they pictured someone in their 80's or 90's, bedridden or in a wheelchair and hooked up to oxygen. That's what I originally thought too!! Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy according to Healthline is a "disease of the heart not associated with coronary artery disease; it manifests in either mechanical or electrical dysfunction of the heart."  According to WebMD, "normally, the electrical impulse provided by the bundle branch travels down both the right and left bundle branches at the same speed and the ventricle contract at the same time; if there is a block in one of the branches, it's called a bundle branch block; a bundle branch block causes one ventricle to contract just after the other ventricle, reducing the overall efficiency of contraction." Congestive Heart Failure in it's simplest terms "is a chronic condition in which your heart muscle weakens and can't pump enough blood through your body." Sounds complex and a bit overwhelming, doesn't it? It's now been 6 1/2 years since I was given those diagnoses and been on a "low-salt" diet. On the rare occasion I eat something with an "abnormal" amount of salt, like New England Clam Chowder or the skin off the Meijer fried chicken, then I will retain the extra salt for a day or two. My ankles in particular retain the extra fluid and will swell up. I know it will be hard to walk the next morning. The swelling doesn't hurt, it's more like it's a "tight" feeling. I currently take four medications daily: Furosemide, Pravastatin, Metoprolol Succinate and Potassium Chloride. I have never been a "pill" person, but I also know I must take them because it helps me maintain a normal lifestyle. Have you ever heard of an "ejection fraction?" WebMD says, "Ejection fraction is the amount of blood -- given as a percentage -- pumped out of a ventricle during each heartbeat. The ejection fraction evaluates how well the heart is pumping. Normal ejection fractions range from 55% to 65%." Taking my "cocktail" of medications keeps my ejection fraction within the normal range. The Congestive Heart Failure and the Left Bundle Branch Block, I inherited from my mom. The cardiologist isn't sure how I acquired the Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, he told me once there are over 100 different ways it could have been caused. Having three heart conditions doesn't necessary mean I will end up bedridden with an oxygen tube in my nose.  For me, at this time in my life, I'm still able to do pretty much everything I was able to do before I was diagnosed. As long as I continue to take my medications, go to my appointments with my cardiologist and get regular echocardiograms, I plan on being here for a long time!





Presume Competence

Since we have traveled outside of the United States since Dominic was very small, we have had to get him a Children's Passport every fiv...