health – Page 15 – Wrekehavoc.com

Category: health

ask a silly question…

Posted on March 3, 2004 by wrekehavoc

BC: momma, where do you park a love car?

Me: (not knowing where this is leading or what a love car is, but realizing we just read the book “Wig,” a very silly children’s book that is an illustrated book set to the B-52s song): i don’t know, honey. where do you park a love car?

BC (spoken like barry white) : in the loooooooooove parking lot, mama!

i don’t know what that means, but i nearly fell off BC’s bed when she said that.

in other news, BS is sick. basically, we got home, he went upstairs, and that is pretty much all i’ve seen of him. i am currently living a glamorous life. i am cleaning poopy baby clothing (someone had a blowout this morning that covered him, literally from head to toe, in poop — and apparently, he had another one at school. joy.) i am doing dishes. i am ordering water filters for our system – apparently, we have lead in our water system, just like DC. i meant to do this a month ago, but today’s washington post was definitely a kick in the pants.

yes, as a matter of fact, i want a medal

Posted on February 8, 2004 by wrekehavoc

caution: bitter woman alert

last tuesday night/wednesday a.m., my baby jools went to the ER and was diagnosed with RSV. BS took him because i spent the evening throwing up, thanks to the stomach flu.

wed night/thurs am, BC as BS started throwing up at 11pm thanks to the stomach flu. jools threw up his antibiotic at midnight. i spent a few hours running between BC, who couldn’t stop barfing, and jools, who couldn’t breathe well despite two neb treatments and who was having a fever. at one point, i was trying to hold down the mask on jools’ face while holding a bucket under BC. it was surreal. at 4, i took jools to the ER for dehydration and trouble breathing again. his temp was 105.2F.

thurs nite, jools was admitted to the hospital for RSV treatment. i spent thurs night there; BS spent fri nite there as i had literally had 4 hours of sleep in the prior, er, i don’t know, 72 hours maybe? jools luckily got out of the hospital late sat nite. (the baby with whom we shared a room last night was in there for 3 weeks; i think we’ll fare much better.) what i will do once jools is out of the hospital, i don’t know, as if he is in a weakened state, he can’t go to daycare. i guess i have to figure this one out, too. in the meantime, hopefully, jools will get some rest.

what really struck me after this episode is how very alone we are down here. there is no one to help us in this sort of situation – just BS and me. and if BS is out of commission, like the other night, it is all down to me. there’s no one to buy food or make dinner/lunch/etc, no one to watch a kid, no one to let us nap. and now that we may be facing a few weeks at home, we have no choice but to beg our respective supervisors to let us work partial weeks to help each other out.

welcome to parenthood, indeed.

save us from breastfeeding nazis. please.

Posted on January 28, 2004 by wrekehavoc

i belong to a list, dcurbanmoms, and i really, really enjoy the list. but every now and then, a mom posts something that makes me cringe. or cry. so today, i wrote in response to a posting, and i just wanted to put it here.

i know the poster has the best of intentions, and i know that the comments are to be provided to the folks listed in the original posting, but i had to respond to this press release. this is like a flame war waiting to happen, imho. i think most women, at least on this list, would agree that breastfeeding is best. i also think that there are many women who cannot breastfeed or for whom breastfeeding is a serious struggle. from this phrase:
The Campaign WILL encourage exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and the risks of NOT breastfeeding remain an integral focus.

this campaign is likely to alienate many, many women who would otherwise support such a campaign. i mean, please, tell me yet another reason why i am a bad mother because i was not able to breast feed my daughter until she was 6 months old – or better yet, tell me what horrible things will befall her because she was not breastfed until she was 6 months old.

i realize that the formula companies certainly have done many nasty things in the past to encourage mothers to ignore breastfeeding and use formula. but now, at least in more educated communities, most mothers give breastfeeding a serious try. i would be happy to see campaigns that encourage, not guilt, women into breastfeeding. i certainly hope, and trust, this one does the former and not the latter, and this is merely a poorly-worded press release.

ok, the rant stops here 🙂

it’s all because of this posting, which pissed me off today
BABIES WERE BORN TO BE BREASTFED!!

Washington, DC: On Thursday, January 22, 2004 at 1:30 pm the Leadership
Team of the US Breastfeeding Committee met with Assistant Secretary Kevin
Keane of the Department of Health and Human Services to hear the decision of
DHHS in regards to the delayed National Breastfeeding Campaign sponsored by
DHS and the Ad Council. The Campaign was placed on a temporary hold awaiting
a decision based upon “concerns” received by DHHS from the formula industry
and consumers of their products, by the President of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, and some well respected researchers.
The National Breastfeeding Campaign WILL be launched this Spring with
minimal changes and with the integrity of the Campaign intact as reported by
Dr. Susanne Haynes, PhD, of the Office of Women’s Health to the
organizational members of the US Breastfeeding Committee meeting Friday,
January 23, 2004 in Washington, DC. The changes are in the best interest of
further research. Mention of childhood leukemia and diabetes have been
removed as has mention of disease related percentages. The Campaign WILL
encourage exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and the risks of NOT
breastfeeding remain an integral focus. An anticipated meeting with industry
will inform them of this decision; no further changes in the Campaign will
occur.
More information will follow as the approach of the Campaign launch
nears. Support of and reactions to the campaign will be appreciated by the
Office of Women’s Health via its website. Your letters to the Department of
Health and Human Services were integral to the preservation of this
Campaign. ILCA members need to be fully cognizant that the full success of
the National Breastfeeding Campaign rests with the education, management,
and support critically needed by each and every breastfeeding dyad and that
which comes with your lactation skills and research based practices to meet
these needs.

you can't go home again. ever.

Posted on January 22, 2004 by wrekehavoc

“i went back to ohio but my city was gone.” – chrissie hynde

i lived at Club Mel for most of my legal (and not-so-legal) years at Rutgers. i loved begging baldy matt pinfield (aka mr. former MTV VJ, now A&R man) to play non-stop smiths songs as well as new order.

my brother has been in robert wood johnson hospital since early december. when planning to come visit him, i talked with my older brother about posibly taking the train to ‘brumfis. “do you know how to get to the hospital from the train station?” he asked me.

“shit,” i answered. “i walked that way drunk most weekend nights.” 😉

in short, i am crushed. not surprised, but crushed, nonetheless.

Former tavern razed

Published in the Home News Tribune 1/13/04

By SHARON WATERS
STAFF WRITER
NEW BRUNSWICK: The former Melody Bar, a local live-music landmark, was
unceremoniously razed last week as part of a plan to expand the adjacent science high school. Demolition of the French Street club, which has been closed since 2001, began Jan. 5 and was completed Wednesday, said city spokesman Michael Drulis. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital owns the property, which will be developed by the city’s Board of Education to expand the New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School, said hospital spokesman John Patella.
The Melody Bar’s demolition was expected since former owners Steve Flaks and Cal Levine sold the club to the hospital in July 2001 for $500,000. But Superintendent of Schools Ronald F. Larkin was surprised yesterday to hear the bar had been recently razed.
“That’s great news,” said Larkin, noting plans for the school’s expansion had been dormant for a while. “We’ll put it on the front burner now.” The expansion plan, as discussed by school officials a year ago, included a rise in enrollment from 160 to 200 students, two science labs, two classrooms, a larger cafeteria and more administrative office space. After buying the bar in 1981, the Melody’s former owners transformed a neighborhood hang-out into a club that became an integral part of the city’s cultural revival. Its reputation for cutting-edge music spread as far as Europe.

5th circle of hell

Posted on January 13, 2004 by wrekehavoc

after developing the flu, jools developed really awful sleep habits, including the desire to be held – and fed – all night long. after many sleepless nights, BS and i decided to meet with an infant sleep therapist – yes, they do exist – and we have developed The Sleep Plan. right now, little man is screaming his little head off. this is excruciating. i go in and check on him after 5 minutes, then after 10, and 10, and 15, etc… until he is sleeping. essentially, we are trying to get rid of his negative sleep associations, like the need to suck on a bottle to get himself to sleep.

i hate the look on his face everytime i go in to tell him that it’s time to sleep. he is SCREAMING HYSTERICALLY at me, as if to say, mommy, can’t you help me? and i walk out the door. i have to help him learn to soothe himself. i can’t do it for him.

this is killing me.

drooly jools update

Posted on October 9, 2003 by wrekehavoc

that wacky, kooky child of mine.

apparently, after a long drive in the night air, jools was doing a whole lot better. they gave him some oxygen at Fairfax Hospital, but they have not yet tested him for RSV. dude was apparently sitting, looking around at everything going on in the ER. quite content. nothing like the child who was panting like a puppy trying to get in a breath. another ER miracle cure. the doctor has not yet come around to jools yet. when he does, i imagine BS will ask him why an RSV test has not been administered.

and that is what i know. hopefully, this miracle sure will stick around. i don’t know if i can handle yet another sleepless night. although obviously, if i need to, i will.

jools is sick

Posted on October 9, 2003 by wrekehavoc

my jools is really, really sick. BS just took him to the ER while i am watching BC. jools can’t breathe, and the pediatrician wants to rule out RSV. we have had three days of this, and believe me, nothing is as scary as watching someone, especially an infant, fight for every breath.

stay tuned.

i know, i know

Posted on May 29, 2003 by wrekehavoc

i am not supposed to be online. i am not supposed to even be upright. but daytime TV is abominable. yesterday, i was lucky that the History Channel (AKA the World War II channel) had lots of programs about the history of food and food-related products. So i can share with you the history and development of the drive-in window, how McDonalds french fries are made, the story about coke, pepsi, hershey’s, and chef boyardee, just to name a few. (i remember my gram actually pointing out people in her building who apparently owned chef boyardee, so who knows – maybe i met the italian cook once. whoopee.)

anyway, it is making me crazy being like this. it isn’t like i don’t like relaxation. i just loathe it when everything falls on poor BS’s head. he has to do all of his stuff, all of my stuff, and then some. he has school. it looks like this morning, BC has a sore throat. we took her temp and it is only 99.3. she is perky otherwise, so we are giving school a try. but mark my words – i bet she has strep again. when it rains, it pours.

my goal is to keep BS from imploding. having him do everything does not help me relax one iota. it stresses me out beyond belief. if i thought the baby needed more time growing inside me, i guess i would understand this exercise a bit better. but all i see is an exercise in futility that is going to leave me and my husband exhausted before the real exhaustion begins.

one way ticket to palookaville

Posted on May 27, 2003 by wrekehavoc

i just returned back from a lovely morning hooked up to a fetal monitor. my blood pressure has been going kablooey over the weekend, and so this morning, i thought it best to visit my friendly neighborhood OBs. my pressure, which has been picture-perfect throughout my pregnancy, was up to 150 over 90 this morning, so i ended up getting hooked up to a machine. baby is fine (though the stinker decided to make it tough for the nurse to find him, which scared me for a few minutes until we found him and his heartbeat), and after a half an hour in the dark visualizing the ocean (yes, that’s what i do when my blood pressure goes up), my pressure was down to a respectable 120 over 80. they took blood, as they found a little protein going on in me, and sent me home with a big old lecture not to wait all weekend but to call them if ever i have any problems. and they sent me home on bedrest.

now, bedrest sounds like a dream to the unitiated, but i basically have to lie on my side and not get up except to visit the loo and to shower. i don’t know how women do this for months at a clip. the thought of the added pressure this puts on the rest of the family does not escape me, and that bums me out quite a bit. not to mention that daytime TV really stinks. if all goes well, i will go in on friday and get re-evaluated and see whether they need to induce me or let nature continue taking its proverbial course.

so please note – i will likely be a bit scarce. so you guys behave out there; and if you don’t, make sure you tell me good stories so i can live vicariously through you 😉

uh oh

Posted on May 25, 2003 by wrekehavoc

my blood pressure has zoomed today. BS went to the drug store and bought a blood pressure thingy (i simply cannot spell sphygno-whatever-the-hell-it-is-called); and thanks to his years on the first aid squad, he knows how to use the blessed thing. my blood pressure is hovering around 142-150 on top, which is not fabulous. my blood pressure is usually picture-perfect. of course, it was when i was pregnant with BC, and then kablooey!, it one day went through the roof and they decided to induce me. i am going to try and rest tonight, but tomorrow, i think i will call the doctor.

of course. tomorrow is a federal holiday.

welcome to my world.