Painting my daughter's room to cheer her up wile she is in pain

http://ficcoes.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/jacuzzi-tub-parts-phoenix-Bedroom-Transitional-with-chaise-girls-room-mirrored.jpg

Sickle cell pain:

Yesterday was not a good day for my daughter. She was fatigued and having lots of pain. She had to take it easy and rest as much as possible. I started painting her room to cheer her up. I know there is nothing that can fix sickle cell pain, except for pain medicine, but as a mother I try to do things to support her and make her day a little easier. Unfortunately sickle cell pain can be there for few days we are waiting to let the pain run it's course. I hope the room turns as beautiful as this one. 

Sickle cell mom as a caregiver

http://www.creationstudies.org/operationsalt/sickle_cell_anemia%20.htm

Hi everyone today I decided to talk about my daughter's sickle cell disease. She was born with hemoglobin SD disease so at the time she was born the doctors considered that she will not develop any symptoms since there was not enough evidence from other patients. However I was advised by Dr. Loh a Hematologist Oncologist for Kaiser permanente that she might develop some of the symptoms. as soon as she turned two years old she started developing her symptoms that fit the category of a sickle cell disease patient. Jazmine started having pneumonia as soon as she turned two years old. Sickle cell disease patients are born with fetal hemoglobin that stays on the babies bodies until they turn approximately two years old.

Brittany Maynard was 29 years old and had been married for just a little more than a year. She was diagnosed with brain cancer. She had two surgeries one called partial resection and one for the temporal lobe. Doctors were trying to stop the growing of the tumor. Few months later around April the tumor came back but more aggressive. She was not going to last more than six months. Brittany’s tumor was so big that she had to have full radiation of the brain. She researched and knew there won’t be no cure for her problem.

Brittany’s body was young and healthy, so she did not want to go to hospice. She also did not want her family to watch her suffering. She decided to do research and found out Death with Dignity”. It was an end-of-life option for mentally competent, terminally ill patients with a prognosis of six months or less to live. So she decided that death with dignity was the best option for her and her family. Following that she immediately had to move from California to Oregon, because Oregon is one of only five states where death with dignity is authorized. She was qualified to go through the process in Oregon. However she did not want to die, but she was dying and she wanted to die in her own terms. She believed that no one had the right to tell her that she did not deserve this choice. She also did not deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain. She did not want other to make the decision for her. Brittany felt better when she received the prescription for the drug and she felt relieved . She passed away few days after her husband’s birthday. As a human we never plan for the future and I understand that we are not prepared for any circumstance like this, but we should be strong and respect people's decisions. Unless we can promess the sick person that we would be there in good and bad, and that we would be holding their hand when they are in pain and they need somebody to talk to. 

I strongly agreed with her because she was the only person that had to decide. It was her body and I know it is hard for people to understand, but what people do not imagine is the amount of pain she was in as a cancer patient. Many people do not agree with her because they do consider that assisted suicide, but If I was in her shoes and I had the option I would have done exactly the same thing. SHE HAD THE RIGHT TO DIE.

Her experience impacted me in the way that made me think what would I do if I was in her shoes. 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/opinion/maynard-assisted-suicide-cancer-dignity/

http://public.health.oregon.gov/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Pages/index.aspx

CANCER

CANCER: Is an uncontrolled abnormal cell growth in the body. In the breast cancer starts by cells being out of control. Cells can form a tumor that can probably be seen in an x-ray. These cells can form a lump which in many cases is a tumor. However the tumor could be malignant and if the lump spreads into the tissue it is called metastasize. It is very important to detect cancer early because in many occasions it is treatable before it spreads to other areas in the body.  Cancer needs to be treated immediately. Breast Cancer not only happens in women but also happens to men. Breast cancer also develops the same way that it develops in women. There is also different stages of breast cancer. 

For example:

Stage 0 in breast cancer means that there is no evidence of cancer cells separating out of the part of the breast in which they started, or of getting through to or invading neighboring normal tissue.

Stage I breast cancer the tumor can measure up to two centimeters and no lymph nodes are involved.

Stage II (invasive) breast cancer In stage II, the tumor measures between two to five centimeters, or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side as the breast.

Stage III (locally advanced) breast cancer, the tumor in the breast is more than two inches in diameter across and the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes, or has spread to other lymph nodes or tissues near the breast.

Stage IV (metastatic) the cancer spread beyond the breast, underarm and internal mammary lymph nodes to other parts of the body near to or distant from the breast.

Recurrent breast cancer, the disease has returned in spite of the initial treatment. However it is very important to see a doctor immediately if you notice any type of discharge in the nipple area or a lump. Breast cancer has been treated for many years prolonging life of human beings. Prostate cancer in man is also known to be treatable. There is different stages for prostate cancer for example: (T3) the cancer has grown outside the prostate, may have spread to seminal vesicles, but it has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or elsewhere in the body (M0). Treatment should be appropriate according to the needs of the patients. Stage 0 (noninvasive, carcinoma in situ) breast cancer. Stage 0 (noninvasive, carcinoma in situ) breast cancer.

This information impacted my health by teaching me what to look for. Also never neglect any symptoms. For example breast cancer can be detected by doing a breast inspection when we take a shower. It is very easy and also men can inspect their area too while showering.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancerinmen/detailedguide/breast-cancer-in-men-detailed-guide-toc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEpTTolebqo 

SKIN DEEP: WHAT’S IN YOUR COSMETICS AND PERSONALCARE PRODUCT

As I started reading the website I found interesting information about my husband’s deodorant which contains aluminum it is Mitchum Clinical for men 48 hour protection. EWG mentions there how aluminum can expose the breast to carcinogens. Unfortunately like they mention the government does not check the safety of products before companies sell them. I immediately notified my husband and he threw it away. I checked on the EWG page in there the risk is low, but I have heard that if it contains aluminum the risk is very high. Knowing all these information it pushes me to check each product at home before using it again. Aluminum is a metalloestrogen and the exposure to aluminum-based antiperspirants it’s well known to cause cancer. Another product that made me change my mind was PANTENE PRO V shampoo and conditioner this products have been linked to carcinogen exposure. I was very surprised to see they rated a number 5.  Another product that I constantly purchase is nail polish from OPI brand I found that this brand contains Dybutyl phthalate known to cause cancer. Or at least the chance of getting cancer. OPI showed in an article that they do not have any plans to remove DBP from polishes sold in the United States. In the article they mentioned that levels are low that it poses no health risk, but as I looked in the EWG it shows it has a number 10 which is high exposure to the chemical. It was demonstrated that the exposure to the chemical came from inhaling it rather than absorbing it through nail and cuticle contact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq000AF1i8

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/02/toxic-parabens-on-breast-cancer-patients.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq000AF1i8

            

STROKES: A stroke is categorized as poor flow of blood in the brain which can cause death cells. Some of the major things I learned watching the video was that strokes are different. One of them is called Ischemic stroke, and the other one is hemorrhagic. I also learned that ischemic strokes are caused by poor flow in the brain and hemorrhagic are caused by bleeding. A stroke event can cause serious complications like not being able to walk or make you become paralyzed from either side of the body. In some situations a stroke event can make the patient have a difficult time remembering things. It depends on what side of the brain the stroke is located. These complications can be temporarily or permanent. For example my daughter had an Ischemic stroke when she was eight years old due to poor blood circulation caused by sickle cell disease. She was not able to walk for few weeks and had to learn to walk again. She had to work with a Physical Therapist and a neurologist. Few weeks after doing physical therapy she regained the strength in her body to walk again. In the beginning she had difficulty remembering things. However, she did not have any complications after that. As a preventive step she had to receive several blood transfusions for many years. I learned from the stroke event that by not taking care of your health can lead to future problems that could cause severe devastating complications. This type of stroke impacted our family life because after having an ischemic stroke you can have another one, actually bigger than the first one. My family and I don’t know what to expect after that. We just know that my daughter is at high risk after that. She never had seizures, but after the stroke she develop seizures. Fortunately now they are under control. It is also well known that people that smoke, has diabetes or high blood pressure can develop strokes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbyfeEW56Nc

Connect Core Concepts in Health 12^th Ed., Paul M. Insell, Walton T. Roth

INTERVIEWING THE LOVE EXPERTS

INTERVIEWING THE LOVE EXPERTS

I chose to interview my husband because we have been married for over twenty six years. We married on January 15, 1990 and till this day we are still together. We have had ups and downs through our marriage and I know that we are not the perfect couple, but we have been able to manage life during this twenty six years together. We planned together both of my pregnancies and we both decided when was the right time to have a baby. We waited two years before I became pregnant and we used these time to travel and we both enjoyed our marriage during this time alone. When my children were born everything changed. My husband asked me if I wanted to be a stay home mom and I agree with him. At that given time it was the best for our family. I do not regret doing it because I was able to be with my children all the time. We have to compromise in order to have a successful marriage. He does not agree with many things I like and I respect him. Also in many occasions I do not agree with things he does or likes and I tell him I do not agree with that. Communication is number one in our marriage.  My children always tell me I am too nice and not to tell him everything, but I guess this is how I am and this is why we get along. We talk about everything, we wake up talking and go to bed talking. He talks so much that sometimes I feel like I want to choke him but I guess we compromise. He loves to go shopping, and I do too. He is the perfect person to go shopping with. He makes sure I have everything that I can possibly need and more. I just make sure I eat before I go out with him. He tends to forget that I have to eat and it can be hours and hours shopping before I eat when I’m with him. One of the things that he does not like is to be alone. For instance if I have to go to visit my family in Mexico or travel to Arizona or Las Vegas he gets mad. He always says who is going to take care of the house. I tell him my twenty year old son is there. However he ends up taking vacation to take care of the dogs and the house. Instead of him helping and taking control after I live, my son ends up taking care of him too because he gets depressed  and would immediately go shopping for lots of things for me, so when I come home he receives me with lots of surprises. He just does not know how to be home alone. I recommend new couples to always be independent and consult everything with your partners. That does not mean you want your partner to decide for you, but you must let he/she know that you want to do things right and that you both approve on decision making or in new purchases. Save money for a rainy day. Share the house work evenly like 50-50 so both of you can be happy. If you both work make sure you communicate on the things you both like to eat. Best recommendation plan ahead if possible and always communicate and compromise. We enjoy gardening for many hours together. He does not like to paint, but I do, so if I want to paint the house he buys me what I need and I do it. To me this is compromising. I love my husband.