I love watching the soldiers going crazy when the USO comes to town. I’m happy to be an American. Sending love to our soldiers.  Xx  M

Original post 8/2014

Elvis Presley had a lifetime fan in my father. I remember playing his Elvis records at 4 yrs. old. Jumping on my friends pink canopy bed with hair brushes belting out Jailhouse Rock. After the divorce Daddy would visit driving to a mom & pop store, we’d get bottles of RC Cola, sitting in-car belting out to the radio. We had to drink  in the parking lot because the bottles required a deposit, after finished daddy would  take back for the deposit. I think it was a dime. My father was one of my abusers, I have few good memories, they’re cherished. I forgave my father, choose to focus on this nugget. My father was mentally ill, committing suicide in 1992. Abuse complicates grieving,  warm tears roll down as I write. Tears for my grandmothers pain and the years I didn’t have a father. He was reading the Book of Job during his last struggle, the last moments between him and God.

To daddy

Original post 3/2014

It’s been an emotional month with thoughts of my father’s suicide and writing about him for the first time. I never grieved my father, the emotions caught me by surprise. It’s been very confusing because my father was one of my abusers. I am having health issues which is stressful. The Black Dog has come to see me. I have seen a Neurologist for three months, having test after test with no answers. This weeks appointment was no different, no diagnosis. I understand there is not always a clean answer. Three years ago I started down a similar path looking for answers to my heart issues. It was an extremely stressful two years looking for an answer. I laid my folder aside to give thought to my next step. At the moment I’m thinking of doing nothing. I have spent 9 years out of 13 years taking care of my grandparents until their death. Months after my grandfather died, I became suicidal and spent close to a month hospitalized. I want to know who am I now. I would give everything for my grandparents and trying to stay alive. My husband thinks I worked so hard for so long my body crashed. My mind did to. I can’t think about doctor’s appointments week after week. I want to live! I’m 50, the slate is clean. I’m ready to find me. I haven’t had my hair cut in 8 months, rarely leave the house and could not tell you for a million dollars the last time we ate out. Those were my decisions, my husband is extremely supportive. Everyday he comes home amazes me. Life with me is not easy. I have abuse issues and Bipolar Disorder. I don’t smile much anymore, just realized while writing this. I want to move forward rebuilding my life. I want to smile and take time to smell the roses with my camera. I wore the same mask in 10th grade. The difference is I was an alcoholic. It was easier to hide behind a bottle. I could always blame my behavior on being drunk.

Original post 4/2014

I’m writing the post with the outcome first. It made sense to me when reliving it.

The tides turn

It’s beyond comprehension why my probation officer saw hope in me. I gave her no reason, I had lost hope in myself, in life for that matter. I didn’t speak one word to her for seven months. I attended weekly meetings for possession of a handgun. I was a bad ass in my mind. I had to see a psychiatrist several times. I was smarter than my age at 12 years old. The psychiatrist asked me how many children I wanted. Without blinking I said none. “I wouldn’t take a chance on beating my children”. She said statics show abused people are less likely to abuse their children. I’d been sexually abused and beaten all my life. Stats meant nothing to me. The State wanted me in a boot camp type facility. My probation officer fought hard to find a less destructive facility. She felt a boot camp style would make me worse. She was right, I was wound very tight. If I can plan my father’s death what stops you from hurting a stranger. My grandmother knew about a convent that was for bad girls when she was younger. My probation officer Ruth Barrier agreed it was a better environment. I might reform in this setting. The down side, it cost $2,000 a month back in 1975 and my grandparents didn’t have the money.

I don’t know the details. I became a Ward of the State who would pay the monthly fees. My grandparents had to buy all my uniforms, towels, a very specific list of items required and not allowed. I know giving custody to The State was the hardest decision my grandparents had to make. I arrived on February 10,1975, my brother’s birthday. For the first three months you are a minnow. No privileges, random room checks, reading your mail, no phone calls and you can’t go home for three months. Only allowed 10 cigarettes per night, a coke and candy bar. The risk of harassment from established girls was a given. I stayed for a year, a year of hard lessons, one’s that made me the person I am today. I am forever grateful, counting my blessing often. I saw the alternative. I have to thank Ruth Barrier, she set the bar high. She was a strict but caring with me, teaching me respect and other ways to live. I will be forever grateful for the Nuns who gave me positive reinforcement and the rewards of doing the right thing.

Why the above happened

I moved in with my father in the summer and didn’t know anyone. My father knew everyone hung out at the 7-11 down the street. He went there daily to call his girlfriend. One night he dropped me off at the 7-11 to get to know the gang. That is a proper word for the bunch. They were a gang of drug addicts, only a couple were close to my age. I fell for the 21-year-old dealer, lucky me. The first night I met Sterling, he went to jail. Doing drugs was not new, I took my first pills at 8-9 years old and smoking pot shortly after. In junior high we would cross the street to huff paint before school.

In 8th grade I was selling pot to my friends right in the classroom. The timer on a bomb started counting down. The relationship with my father was toxic. I spent several nights in juvenile hall for skipping 38 days of school. One night while riding home with some friends, we got pulled over. Lucky me, the driver had several stolen credit cards. Off to jail we went. I was free to go home but my father would not come get me until noon the next day. I’m so broken by this time, thinking only death sooth me.

It didn’t matter if it was me or my father. One evening we were at home watching a movie. My father comes over unprovoked pointing the 357 mag at my head. He told my boyfriend to leave there was a restraining order on him. I ran away. He drives around pulling the gun on my friends. He had sexually abused me several times by this time. Tick..Tick.. I met with Sterling the next day and we made plans how to kill my father. We had a perfect plan. I was dead inside from the years of abuse from both parents. He deserved to die. Something clicked in my head, I realized how far gone I was. I was a difficult child to handle due to the circumstances. I wasn’t a killer. The next meeting with my probation officer, my first words where “get me out of here”.

Warrior

 

Original post 3/2014

Both of my parents and stepfather abused me. We’re not talking spanking, we’re talking banging your head into the wall. I am 100% for discipline, accountability and house rules. You see children who have involved parents and the childs demeanor. I see parents yelling at the child while grocery shopping, belittling them in front of strangers.

What we can’t see is child abuse. Child abuse is a taboo topic for most. My mother physically and emotionally abused me. I never told anyone, not even close family. I walked on eggshells at home. My first attempt at suicide was at 9 years old.  One morning I went to make breakfast and my mother told me I could not wear those jeans to school. This was the early 1970’s I was in 7th grade and probably argued with her. All the years my mother abused me, I never hit back.

This morning was different. She started calling me a slut. She came to grab me and I hit her in the face. We were fighting and my stepfather walks in. Picture a 100 lbs. 12-year-old with braces getting hit in the mouth with a fist by of grown man. The inside of my mouth was bleeding from the braces breaking the skin. I had a bruise from nose to chin and some blackness around the eyes. I was not allowed to go to school for several days.

When I returned most of the bruising was still visible. I was a pro at making up reasons for the cuts and bruises in the past and made one to use for this if asked. I almost made it thru the day when my Music teacher asked me to come in the hall. I swore by my story like the best lair you’ve seen. She probably knew long before that day, today it was the bruises on the face.

She made me go to the school counselor and tell her what happened. Before saying anything, I ask to call my grandmother. I told her what was going down and it was going to get ugly. I didn’t say anything when I got home and went straight to my room as usual. The next day I entered hell. I arrived at school, two CPS workers were waiting to interview me. I begged for over two hours crying hysterically not to file a report or contact my mother. They were doing their job, unfortunately it is not always the best solution for the child involved.

A couple of weeks later CPS stopped by unannounced. Fire filled my mother’s eyes. Her story was I lied all the time, had a very low IQ and she was waiting on an opening at the Terrell Mental Hospital. I was no angel but nothing out her mouth was true. I had my head beat into the counter and walls for that smart move. I kept thinking how could any mother watch a grown man hit her child. By end of school year I had tried to kill myself several times including cutting myself at school.

I would feel an obligation to the child if I saw abusive behavior. Thinking about a child getting hit, starved, chained to the floor, all current headlines, are hard to swallow. I question if the shootings and bullying at schools are the long-term effect of children looking for attention or a child/teen at the end of rope. I would like to hear your thoughts on Child Abuse and how it affects school today. I don’t have the answers. After years of therapy, I don’t feel emotion when talking about my abuse.

M/Warrior

Original post from 3/2014

The song “Running to Stand Still” by U2 pierced my soul. I can’t explain the feeling. It describes my life in four simple words. I have fought most of my life to stay alive, many from my own bad choices. In the early sixties my parents met at a party. I don’t know if they dated or a one night stand. At 17 years old she was pregnant and engaged to another man. Women didn’t have the voice we do today so it was a shot-gun wedding. I don’t know what baggage she brought to the relationship. I know both of her parents were alcoholics. I believe one issue was the two kids with picket fence fantasy and displaced anger. I was physically and mentally abused by my mother from birth. We lived in a two-story duplex. One afternoon my grandparents came over. My grandmother learned my mother had left me upstairs in the bathtub at six months old. On another visit in the middle of winter they found me in a diaper,  my high chair pushed up to an open window. I was running a fever and was crying. She opened the window because I was hot. I was not physically able to run but believe my mind started running early. Running from pain, feeling unloved, lack of trust and believed the terrible things said to me were true. It’s been a long  journey to learn who I am. Most days I think positive, keep the pain locked away and maneuver my Bipolar Disorder. I buried the past for survival and to move forward. I’ve learned from years of therapy, pain finds you or effects your health. Both have found me, we work my inner child each session.  

M/Warrior

Reading a post earlier brought back memories of my drug addicted wild child days. My boyfriend was a dealer so I did everything but a needle. Many scary times living with my father. I ran away, he pointing a 357 magnum at the friends he could find. Threatening to kill them if lying. Good thing he didn’t know I was crouched in the front passenger floorboard. I never forgot the music we were getting stoned to.

LET’S ROCK AND ROLL   Xx  M

Xx  M

Happy Valentines.  Xx  M

 

Every spin of the turntable, is for you….James Bay was for me! This guy is sky rocketing, James lyrics go deep and capture my mind.

:)

Xx  M

I wish James Bay success at the Grammy’s this year. Xx  M

Money can create stress in the strongest marriages. With Chronic Lyme the topic of money was an issue in our house. How does $39,000 for 7-9 months of treatment impact retirement plans? I considered not spending the money. That was a heated issue, I saw our retirement go down the drain, it wasn’t a good feeling.

The timeframe to wellness is 2-3 years. Based on mathematics, the cost will double or more. The financial side of Lyme is worth talking about. The cost of getting well hits the bank account hard. We pay $5,000-$6,000 a month which doesn’t include prescriptions………..

We fly to DC every four weeks to see doctor. The trips are often for an increase in IV antibiotics. If you have a bad reaction, it’s better to have a doctor in the next room.

Our insurance did not approve Lyme treatment which leaves us footing the bill. Insurance doesn’t pay for supplements but does cover all prescriptions including Heparin. My doctor currently is using antibiotics to address co-infections caused by Lyme. Another important key to health, is reducing inflammation in the body. There’s a war raging inside.

Every Sunday my husband changes the bandage protecting the catheter. It takes an hour to change.

He had to change his work schedule to administer IV Therapy. He gives my IV treatments, keep supplies inventoried, cooking, laundry, grocery shopping . Most everything is difficult to eat on bad ulcer days. After being on antibiotics for months, it takes a toll on your existing system. My esophagus doesn’t close and creates an ulcer. Those are the days I eat mashed potatoes.

I have antibiotic treatments, three days a week in AM and PM. The other days is Lactose treatment once a day.

Here’s an example of the friction when we don’t agree on my health.

My husband of 14 years said “you need to work out to improve strength.” The comment gave me whiplash! My antenna went up, we don’t fight or scream, just raise our voices and go to separate offices. I’m years away from good health, you want me to exercise? I laughed so hard, then foul language rolled off my tongue. The next words, are you crazy!!!!!!!

I have severe balance problems, walking forward and falling, walking straight then from side to side, if close to ground, I’m going down. I’ve had several bad falls lately. My husband turned in time to witness me slam into furniture last week. He thinks I need to use a cane in-house, I imagine being impaled while falling downstairs.

The cost is high but so is dying.

Xx  M

Hello from Texas, I like spending Thursday with you.

I’m starting my Rock Star weekend now. I loved watching James Bay jamming at Buy Guy’s place.

Cocaine, What a great tune. Memories of the year I spent in BAD GIRL Boarding School. I had red tee shirt with cocaine written on it, the nuns and probation officer didn’t see the humor. My probation officer made it clear. I was a ward of The State and she could transfer me to Boot Camp style school. Nothing like a memory from the past.

Nickelback, what is there to say? They are great when you want to jam and look at Chad.

Have a safe weekend.

Xx  M

I continue to search for the perfect Theme. One that reflects me and the Advocacy work I support.  I feel this is to busy with the the three column layout and may be difficult to navigate.

Please give me feedback. I’m leaning towards the old theme or a new one. Help!

BACK TO PREVIOS THEME OR THIS THEME?  

ANY IDEAS?

Originally posted February 27, 2006

My grandmother passed away in 2005 from Dementia brought on by two strokes. I’m reposting for caregivers with a loved one with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. For those who have not been a caregiver, the post may help you down the road. Caregivers commit every ounce of energy to keep their loved one comfortable, take care of yourself. Your body can physically break down. Due to her lack of memory it’s hard to take an eye off her, 24/7. I was fortunate we had hospice care, allowing Gramps to play domino’s everyday until the last months. He was strong in accepting his life changed dramatically. He never complained.

A month ago my grandmother fell and broke her hip, a bad situation for any 85-year-old. Made worse with the memory loss. The hospital had the worst staff.. She’s home after a week in the hospital and another in a nursing home. That was hard on me, thinking about leaving her there and the response when Gramps wasn’t at her side. I took the grave shift and slept on floor next to her.

My mind runs to at high level by switching to what I call “caregiver mode”. I can manage tons of information, what drugs each takes, scheduling appointments, discuss test results or anything needed to take care of two people who are dying and “switch back” when at home.

Before the fall, my grandmother knew me and though our conversations were limited, I enjoyed sharing memories with her. She really enjoyed a photo book I put together that had many photos of her beloved dog, Blackie. Thinking about Blackie always made her smile and even though he died twenty years ago she remembered like it was today.

Driving to their house one day, tears rolling down my face. I could not stop crying. It took a few minutes to figure out what was causing so much pain. I switched from caregiver to granddaughter. My grandmother no longer knew me. We would not share our memories again. I knew the day would come and prayed our memories calmed her in some way. Seeing her memory fade by the days was harder than I imagined. I’m blessed being a caregiver to both grandparents

I”m miss my granny and think of her several times a day.

Xx  M

The research from Harvard School of Medicine sheds light on reseach in the area of Schizophrenia. When we or a loved one is affected by Schizophphrenia, you look for answers, wanting to know how the discovery can help in the future. I hope we can take several steps forward based on the research.  XxM

Biological Origin of Schizophrenia

By PAUL GOLDSMITHJanuary 27, 2016

The risk of schizophrenia increases if a person inherits specific variants in a gene related to “synaptic pruning”—the elimination of connections between neurons—according to a study from Harvard Medical School, the Broad Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital. The findings were based on genetic analysis of nearly 65,000 people.

The study represents the first time that the origin of this psychiatric disease has been causally linked to specific gene variants and a biological process.

It also helps explain two decades-old observations: synaptic pruning is particularly active during adolescence, which is the typical period of onset for symptoms of schizophrenia, and the brains of schizophrenic patients tend to show fewer connections between neurons.

The gene, complement component 4 (C4), plays a well-known role in the immune system. It has now been shown to also play a key role in brain development and schizophrenia risk. The insight may allow future therapeutic strategies to be directed at the disorder’s roots, rather than just its symptoms.

The study, which appears online Jan. 27 in Nature, was led by HMS researchers at the Broad Institute’s Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research and Boston Children’s. They include senior author Steven McCarroll, HMS associate professor of genetics and director of genetics for the Stanley Center; Beth Stevens, HMS assistant professor of neurology at Boston Children’s and institute member at the Broad; Michael Carroll, HMS professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s; and first author Aswin Sekar, an MD-PhD student at HMS.

The study has the potential to reinvigorate translational research on a debilitating disease. Schizophrenia afflicts approximately 1 percent people worldwide and is characterized by hallucinations, emotional withdrawal and a decline in cognitive function. These symptoms most frequently begin in patients when they are teenagers or young adults.

“These results show that it is possible to go from genetic data to a new way of thinking about how a disease develops—something that has been greatly needed.”

First described more than 130 years ago, schizophrenia lacks highly effective treatments and has seen few biological or medical breakthroughs over the past half-century.

In the summer of 2014, an international consortium led by researchers at the Stanley Center identified more than 100 regions in the human genome that carry risk factors for schizophrenia.

The newly published study now reports the discovery of the specific gene underlying the strongest of these risk factors and links it to a specific biological process in the brain.

“Since schizophrenia was first described over a century ago, its underlying biology has been a black box, in part because it has been virtually impossible to model the disorder in cells or animals,” said McCarroll. “The human genome is providing a powerful new way in to this disease. Understanding these genetic effects on risk is a way of prying open that black box, peering inside and starting to see actual biological mechanisms.”

“This study marks a crucial turning point in the fight against mental illness,” said Bruce Cuthbert, acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health. “Because the molecular origins of psychiatric diseases are little-understood, efforts by pharmaceutical companies to pursue new therapeutics are few and far between. This study changes the game. Thanks to this genetic breakthrough we can finally see the potential for clinical tests, early detection, new treatments and even prevention.”

The path to discovery

The discovery involved the collection of DNA from more than 100,000 people, detailed analysis of complex genetic variation in more than 65,000 human genomes, development of an innovative analytical strategy, examination of postmortem brain samples from hundreds of people and the use of animal models to show that a protein from the immune system also plays a previously unsuspected role in the brain.

Over the past five years, Stanley Center geneticists and collaborators around the world collected more than 100,000 human DNA samples from 30 different countries to locate regions of the human genome harboring genetic variants that increase the risk of schizophrenia. The strongest signal by far was on chromosome 6, in a region of DNA long associated with infectious disease. This caused some observers to suggest that schizophrenia might be triggered by an infectious agent. But researchers had no idea which of the hundreds of genes in the region was actually responsible or how it acted.

Based on analyses of the genetic data, McCarroll and Sekar focused on a region containing the C4 gene. Unlike most genes, C4 has a high degree of structural variability. Different people have different numbers of copies and different types of the gene.

McCarroll and Sekar developed a new molecular technique to characterize the C4 gene structure in human DNA samples. They also measured C4 gene activity in nearly 700 post-mortem brain samples.

They found that the C4 gene structure (DNA) could predict the C4 gene activity (RNA) in each person’s brain. They then used this information to infer C4 gene activity from genome data from 65,000 people with and without schizophrenia.

These data revealed a striking correlation. People who had particular structural forms of the C4 gene showed higher expression of that gene and, in turn, had a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.

Connecting cause and effect through neuroscience

But how exactly does C4—a protein known to mark infectious microbes for destruction by immune cells—affect the risk of schizophrenia?

Answering this question required synthesizing genetics and neurobiology.

Stevens, a recent recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” had found that other complement proteins in the immune system also played a role in brain development. These results came from studying an experimental model of synaptic pruning in the mouse visual system.

“This discovery enriches our understanding of the complement system in brain development and in disease, and we could not have made that leap without the genetics.”

Carroll had long studied C4 for its role in immune disease, and developed mice with different numbers of copies of C4.

The three labs set out to study the role of C4 in the brain.

They found that C4 played a key role in pruning synapses during maturation of the brain. In particular, they found that C4 was necessary for another protein—a complement component called C3—to be deposited onto synapses as a signal that the synapses should be pruned. The data also suggested that the more C4 activity an animal had, the more synapses were eliminated in its brain at a key time in development.

The findings may help explain the longstanding mystery of why the brains of people with schizophrenia tend to have a thinner cerebral cortex (the brain’s outer layer, responsible for many aspects of cognition) with fewer synapses than do brains of unaffected individuals. The work may also help explain why the onset of schizophrenia symptoms tends to occur in late adolescence.

The human brain normally undergoes widespread synapse pruning during adolescence, especially in the cerebral cortex. Excessive synaptic pruning during adolescence and early adulthood, due to increased complement (C4) activity, could lead to the cognitive symptoms seen in schizophrenia.

“Once we had the genetic findings in front of us we started thinking about the possibility that complement molecules are excessively tagging synapses in the developing brain,” Stevens said.

“This discovery enriches our understanding of the complement system in brain development and in disease, and we could not have made that leap without the genetics,” she said. “We’re far from having a treatment based on this, but it’s exciting to think that one day we might be able to turn down the pruning process in some individuals and decrease their risk.”

Opening a path toward early detection and potential therapies

Beyond providing the first insights into the biological origins of schizophrenia, the work raises the possibility that therapies might someday be developed that could turn down the level of synaptic pruning in people who show early symptoms of schizophrenia.

This would be a dramatically different approach from current medical therapies, which address only a specific symptom of schizophrenia—psychosis—rather than the disorder’s root causes, and which do not stop cognitive decline or other symptoms of the illness.

The researchers emphasize that therapies based on these findings are still years down the road. Still, the fact that much is already known about the role of complement proteins in the immune system means that researchers can tap into a wealth of existing knowledge to identify possible therapeutic approaches. For example, anticomplement drugs are already under development for treating other diseases.

“In this area of science, our dream has been to find disease mechanisms that lead to new kinds of treatments,” said McCarroll. “These results show that it is possible to go from genetic data to a new way of thinking about how a disease develops—something that has been greatly needed.”

This work was supported by the Broad Institute’s Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research and by the National Institutes of Health (grants U01MH105641, R01MH077139 and T32GM007753).

 

This week offers a variety of hot tunes. We celebrate the life of Glenn Frey and his contribution to music. Gone to soon.

Xx  M

I have a deep connection to song, why?

In Memory of Glenn 

Josh requested Hendrix Little Wing, the videos/sound were terrible. I hope you jam to my fav artist Eric Clapton.

 

Travelers Take Note  XxM

JAN 22 2016, 7:03 PM ET
Zika Virus Spreads to 20 Latin American Countries
by MAGGIE FOX

The Zika virus has now spread to 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including some popular tourist destinations, and it’s likely to spread farther, international health officials said.

And evidence is strengthening that the virus may cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly.

The virus can be expected to spread more, as the mosquitoes that carry it can be found across the region. It’s now spreading locally in Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, and Venezuela. Samoa, in the south Pacific, is also reporting Zika for the first time.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday repeated its recommendation that pregnant women avoid travel to affected countries until more is known about whether it can infect unborn babies.

But a team of Brazilian researchers published early results of a study of 35 babies affected in Brazil last year that strengthen the evidence. The babies were born in August through October and all had confirmed microcephaly, which causes underdeveloped heads and brains.

Microcephaly can be caused by a range of factors and two other babies were found to have other causes of their microcephaly — one had a virus called cytomegalovirus, and the other had a genetic disorder that can cause the condition.

The other 35 babies tested negative for syphilis, toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus infections. Their spinal fluid is being analyzed for Zika and other infections, but the results are not back yet, the Brazilian team reported in a CDC bulletin. They said 26 of the mothers reported having had a rash during pregnancy. A rash is one symptom of Zika, which almost always causes a very mild infection.

In a second report, a team of CDC experts said they’re still not sure about the association.

They’re also checking into reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare but serious neurological condition that can follow viral infections.

“Studies are under way to evaluate the risks for Zika virus transmission during pregnancy, the spectrum of outcomes associated with congenital infection and the possible association between Zika virus infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome,” they wrote.

In the meantime, the only way for people to protect themselves is to avoid mosquito bites by using repellent, wearing protective clothing and staying indoors.

No one can yet say why Zika hasn’t been associated with birth defects before, but the virus didn’t start spreading widely until 2007. The European Centers for Disease Control says there are two strains of Zika — one from Africa and one from Asia. It’s the Asian strain that’s spreading in the Americas, the ECDC said in a review of what’s known about Zika.

And last November, a team of Brazilian researchers found a genetic change in the virus spreading in Brazil. They’re trying to discover if that change has made the virus more likely to spread and whether it’s changed the way Zika affects people.

Written 12/23/2009

The post may get confusing, in one paragraph I may be talking to you and next I’m talking about what I did. If you have a questions, please drop me a line.

Many people are finding themselves in caregiver roles. I worked harder than imagined and so glad I did. The memories of being there out weights lack of sleep.

*Carry a list of your loved one’s, include all medicines, supplements and health issues. Keep one list in your wallet and a copy for your loved one in case of emergency. This is a life saver in an emergency.

*EMT’s look for answers in your wallet.

*If the first and second surgery does not work, Is there a third option?

*What is the recovery time and what type of home health services are needed. Doctor has to call in order.

*Keep a small note-book include notes about patient care and to do list.

 If your family has Hillbillies, oh I meant Vultures, I have my share. I scheduled their visit’s, this house is no longer “come as you wish.” Call me first! I have to create the best environment for gramps. I kept a tight fist on people trying to stir up dust. REMEMBER, I’m in charge. No need to ask gramps, you deal with me. As gramps grew weak, I posted a sign with visiting hours. For those without a brain, use a sign on front door, OXYGEN IN USE, NO SMOKING.

I made funeral arrangements, no input needed. I play serious ball when taking care of someone I love.

Look hard at the big picture, surgery is difficult for the elderly. Will his life improve by doing the surgery? What if we do nothing? How long do think we will live? What to expect when his bladder/kidneys starts to fail? I’ve questioned myself, should a 92-year-old have surgery?

Gramps went in for a non-invasive surgery which turned into three surgeries over two weeks. The second procedure the doctor inserted a catheters  one in each kidney. Imagine the pain of living with catheters implanted in your kidneys, to carry around for a week. Not to mention who’s there to empty the bags or other accidents. The catheters were inserted to make it easier for doctor go thru kidney to bladder. The last procedure included removing the catheters and completed  the bladder surgery.

It’s difficult to start a conversation about death until their sick. Conversation about their wishes, what songs they want to played a service,  memorial or church service, color of flowers. A birth certificate, marriage certificate and copy of will to see when it was written, an updated version might be in order. Judges don’t use the same language, example a will written 1972 is fair game for Judge to interpret as vague. If the will is over ten years or older, not a bad idea to have a lawyer look over. FOR SURE, if Vultures are on your back. It’s not fun when family members want to move you out of the loop.

I had this problem when gramps died. Their will was written while my parents were still married. Since they could have had another child, we were listed as heirs. If gramps updated the will, which is normal when a spouse dies, we could have cut the number of visits to the courthouse. Who knew? We had to prove we were the heirs and how related to gramps since his name was different than ours. What normally takes three months, took over a year. I was not prepared for the mounds of paper, legal documents, legal counsel, court dates. The same happened with Life Insurance. The policy my grandparents had did not include grandchildren, the funds went to next of kin, technically we were not his next of kin. It’s wasn’t a large amount, I had the money split with his living brothers and sister.

It’s easier to start the conversation early, while alive so they can understand what their signing or feel overwhelmed. The meetings, getting copies of all legal papers, getting yourself on their bank account, where are the insurance policies and medical HIPPA paperwork for each doctor.

Another surprise was having to notify Social Security right away.

Xx  M

WHO IS NEXT?

WHAT WOULD GEORGE SAY?

I must have slept through the week, we can celebrate both days. Being at home I don’t have to know the day of week. Lyme Brain????????

Hello friends, I’m continuing to find the right Theme. Don’t be surprised when you drop by and see changes. I am trying to work WP on importing my previous blog. If you have any suggestion, I’m open for feedback.

I enjoy playing DJ with your music suggestions. We have great request this week. Keep the request  coming my way. I wanted to DJ  at young in life Playing your tunes brings fond memories.

One of my goals for 2016 is to learn more about friend/followers. I want to say  Thank You for dropping by for Throw Back Thursdays.

Xx  M

Don Henley plays a beautiful version of The Heart of the Matter

 

Hold on Loosely was requested by Selective Thought

A great selection this week from Hyperion Strum

Granny is little girl in front, curly hair, cross eyed, gather around her siblings. Her life was shattered when her father died in 1930. Her mother could not manage the money, it must have been hard on the kids. Back in the old days the snake oil, fuller brush and many more stopped by. She would buy everything.

Her oldest brother joined the Circus and traveled around the world. He returned home starting a career as a Concierge at upscale restaurant.

Two of her brothers wanted money and fast. One became a bank robber, He and wife spent several years in prison.The day he walking out of jail, it was business as usual with eyes to cover his back.

The older joined the local Mafia. At the time slot machines were the way to the money.The tragedy is he was murdered with cyanide. I am totally fascinated buy the Mafia. I tried not to think about him dying in what became my bedroom.

Granny had tragedy through out her life. A lesser person might have crushed under the pressure. My father wasn’t even 2 years old when they where abandoned buy here husband. Granny worked hard labor to care for her son. She remarried my gramps when my father was 10 years old.

My grandmother never gave up. She never said I don’t know, it was learn as you go.

Granny was shy by nature and passive aggressive at time. She was beautiful, a true stunner in her younger days. She didn’t want gramps talking to another women. She took photos of gramps previous girlfriends and cut them out. Her temper was a slow burn, you didn’t want her going off on you.

My grandmother taught me how to wash close, do hand washing and don’t forget the crease down the front of jeans. When I was a tot Granny would light the gas fire in the bathroom, after bathing she would wrap me in a towel and lay me on bed for baby powder.

Happy Birthday Granny, thank you for always being you.

Xx M

NBC29 News Story on Cat Dissection—Thanks to our Petition-Signers!

Tamira Thayne
Amissville, VA
Jan 14, 2016 — Thanks to the overwhelming support of Americans on the petition against cat dissection in the high school classroom—now at 103,000 signatures—Brynnan and I were invited to discuss our position on a Charlottesville, VA NBC 29 news station.

We are grateful to our signers who have made this possible—on behalf of those cats who cannot speak for themselves, and the students who are too afraid to speak out against this kind of traumatic experimentation in our school systems.

As I made clear in the TV interview, “This [cutting up of cats by high school students] engenders a lack of respect for companion animals, and that’s the complete opposite of what we should be telling our students.”

My daughter Brynnan further drives home the point in the interview: “We can’t dissect these cats, they are our companions…they are what we love, what we come home to, what we care about.”

In speaking to a reporter from Culpeper County, VA yesterday, I was asked how many signatures will be enough to create change? I told her that was exactly the question, isn’t it?

If 103,000 people are telling a school district that the practice is morally wrong, yet the school district is still passing out rhetoric like “We are following all guidelines set forth by the state of Virginia” instead of taking the concerns of parents, students, and citizens across the world seriously and making a plan to end this archaic practice, just how many people standing up WILL it take?

I guess that remains to be seen.

Let’s keep sharing the petition and gathering signatures. I hope you’ll help. Remember that even though this particular petition is directed toward Culpeper High School in Virginia, the more signatures we gather the more influenced other school districts will be to end the practice, too. Even though some counties local to us still continue this practice, others told the reporter that they ended it years ago.

This in and of itself reveals that some schools already acknowledge the inhumane message sent by this practice; if we all stand together, we can make sure cat dissection is ‘off the menu’ all across America. Thank you!

Here’s the TV interview: http://www.nbc29.com/story/30949320/mother-protesting-dissections-of-cats-at-culpeper-public-schools

Here’s the petition again (Also note, along the right hand side you can contribute a small amount to change.org to share the petition to a wider audience if you’d like, but it’s not required. Share and reshare again! Thank you.) https://www.change.org/p/don-t-force-our-children-to-skin-cats
Mother Protesting Dissections of Cats at Culpeper Public Schools
A central Virginia mother and daughter are challenging their county’s school system over an…

http://WWW.NBC29.COM
Share
TweetEmail

I subscribe to The New England Journal of Medicine to stay informed with projects and successes. The link takes you to The Most notable document. I smiled seeing the number of projects dedicated to Mental Health.
I think you will find a topic of interest

Xx M

Click to access NEJMNotable2015.pdf

Thru music I celebrate the life of David Bowie. He was “far out” in earlier music. David remained current thru the years. His music crossed all borders.

I think of his wife Iman and his children.

Xx  M

 

Spam  is continues to devastate individuals and corporations  daily. I have seen several horror stories on the news. Seniors are an easily target. I think we’ll all learn something about spam and what happens after you click the link.

Xx  M

 

Change.org

Melinda –

Happy New Year!

As we ready ourselves for the year ahead, we’re taking stock of all that you changed in 2015.

More than 22.8 million of you were a part of the more than 4,500 victories that enacted new laws, overturned unjust convictions, and made life better for people around the world. This video shows just a handful of the amazing things our community accomplished in 2015:

http://blog.change.org/feed/you-changed-the-world-in-2015?

Didn’t contribute to one of these victories? You have more than 350 days to make your mark on 2016.

So, as you’re making your resolutions, take a moment to think about what you want to see change in the world this year. Then, start your own petition!

Starting and promoting your campaign on Change.org is simple:
Write your petition, address it to the relevant decision maker, and start sharing your campaign with family and friends.
Send your petition to your local media to get public support.
Deliver your signatures to the decision maker and urge them to take a stand on your campaign.
Change.org is a powerful tool for those who want to see change in 2016.

Make it your resolution to make change today. Start your petition now.

The Change.org team

*I found the article interesting and will validate with The Quran. The article is the opinion of the writer. Opinions are just that, an opinion. I’m not a hater declaring a Religion is bad. Have an open mind, it’s a diverse world and we have to adapt. My opinion is  terrorist misuse passages in the Quran, a Holy Book as a front for their cause not for Allah. * M

The article

Tensions in the Muslim world have risen even further in the wake of a mass execution of 47 men by the Saudi Arabian government, among whom was a prominent Shiite cleric named Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy led by a Sunni Muslim family, while nearby power Iran is a theocracy led by Shiite Muslim clerics.

In news coverage from the region we often hear of tensions between Sunni and Shia Islam, but find that few people in the Western world have been truly exposed to the differences between these two interpretations of one of Earth’s most influential faiths. What is the difference between Sunni and Shia

Islam Around the World

For starters, most Muslims (more than 85 percent of them) practice Sunni Islam. These form the majority of the population in most “Muslim” nations (the two most notable outliers from this trend are Iraq and Iran, where Shiites form the majority).

Because these two sects must account for nearly 1.5 billion individuals around the world, it is also important to note that the spectrum of ideas within Sunni and Shia Islam is incredibly wide. There are more fundamentalist and more secular individuals in either group. Some people have argued that the differences between these two groups is analog to the difference between Catholic and Protestant Christians – among which you see a similar ideological spectrum.

History of the Sunni/Shia Split

The initial split between the two groups actually took place nearly 1,400 years ago, when the prophet Mohammed died. The sect that would become Sunni Islam argued that Mohammed’s best friend, Abu Bakr, should succeed him as the next leader of Islam. Those who would come to form the Shia sect of Islam believed that Mohammad’s son-in-law, Ali, should succeed him.

The Sunnis would eventually win that debate, but the rift never really closed (Sunni troops would later kill Ali, an event commemorated annually by Shiites). Tensions have remained high between the two groups – one Pew Research poll revealed that 4 out of 10 Sunnis don’t believe that Shiites are ‘real Muslims’.

What is the Difference Between Sunni and Shia Islam?

Both Sunni and Shia Islam share most of the core values of Islam and largely believe in maintaining similar practices. The rift between the two, at least from an outside perspective, definitely appears to be more historical/political (much of the political upheaval that has taken place in the Middle East over the last ~30 years can at least partially be attributed to Shia/Sunni conflict) than it does theological.

What’s Next for Islam?

Especially in the wake of the recent uproar in Iran, it appears unlikely that tensions between the two factions will ease anytime soon. At this point, unfortunately, it appears as though the religious conflicts we’ve seen around the world (particularly over the last year) will only increase in quantity and severity.

We want to know what you think: How can we close rifts and built peace?

*Comment Left for the Writer*

All the information that I have received over the years on Islam has led me to develop a zero tolerance for Islam. Mostly provoked by the jihad they have waged on Western culture.

The beheading of Christians and the current hostile take over of our culture and religion has put me on guard. While it is nice to know the difference between the Sunni’s and the Shi’ites it is immaterial as long as the jihad and threat to me and my family exists.

Just the fact that we 47 terrorist training camps in the United States is enough to keep us all in guard. The Federal government checks into everything else that poses a threat and have allowed these camps to exist. As long as the jihad exists and the government remains complacent I will have zero tolerance for Islam.

Xx  M