Here are a couple of the pairs I made this weekend. The pictures didn't turn out so great because I had to use my flash. Maybe I'll redo the photos in the daylight so they are easier to see.
Not sure why this won't upload in the right direction.
16 January, 2011
new hobby
I was recently inspired to try my hand at making jewelry, particularly earrings. I went to the bead store near my place the first weekend of January, and have been back three times now! It's really addicting. The bead store, Fusion Beads, is awesome, because they have a ton of supplies in the store, plus a great website with even more and with free shipping for anything within the US, and lots of project ideas including instructions and a list of exactly what you need to make it. I have made 5 pairs of earrings so far. This could get expensive if I'm not careful! It's so much fun!
Here are a couple of the pairs I made this weekend. The pictures didn't turn out so great because I had to use my flash. Maybe I'll redo the photos in the daylight so they are easier to see.
Here are a couple of the pairs I made this weekend. The pictures didn't turn out so great because I had to use my flash. Maybe I'll redo the photos in the daylight so they are easier to see.
13 January, 2011
smattering of New Year's thoughts
Hello, and Happy New Year. I know I'm a little slow.
First of all, an update on my patient that I wrote about last time. Some crazy stuff has happened to her since I last wrote. Basically she was on death's door about a week before Christmas. I came to work that Monday morning and was called by the nurse practitioner to come to the room and say goodbye. She wasn't expected to make it through the day. Well, she's still alive! She has had one thing go wrong after another, and yet she is still fighting. It is really amazing. She has healed in some ways that I wouldn't have thought were possible in her condition, and as she heals, something else goes wrong. She is still in a coma, and still has a very poor prognosis. Even if she survives this, she will never be the same. Her brain has basically been fried from the extreme amounts of seizure activity in the past 2-3 months. She is still having seizure activity despite attempts to stop it with different medications. It's very sad. She is a sweet beautiful girl, and it is also hard to see her family struggling through this. I still try to go visit and just spend some time with them a few times a week, which the mom really appreciates. She is seeming so strong, and yet looks very weary. My heart goes out to them.
Speaking of brain damage, I am struck this week by the fact that not only is this patient of mine in a precarious situation with unknown outcome as far as brain/mental capacity, but also Gabby Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot last weekend, and Joanne Heim, a woman whose blog I have followed for a little while who had a stroke this week. Very tragic situations. Both Gabby and Joanne are far from old age and both totally unexpectedly fighting for life and return of normal brain function. God help them and their families.
Regarding the New Year...
I have reflected some on 2010. There was a lot of newness. A new relationship which brought me a lot of joy and helped me grow as a person. A new apartment in June, which has been a great move for me. I have a much more hospitable place to host friends, and even host overnight guests. I had the pleasure of hosting my cousin and her husband in summer, as well as my parents in fall. It's nice to be a hostess! I also got a new car.
There was also heartbreak. But I guess heartbreak means there was love and something precious to lose, and those are not bad things. My life is better for it.
I also got to see many, many of my extended family members in Saskatchewan in August, both mom's side and dad's side, and that was great. Time with my grandparents is particularly treasured these days, as they turned 95 and 90 in 2010, and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, and are still functioning remarkably well!
Speaking of family, I also traveled with some dear relatives to Costa Rica last March. Two aunts, a cousin, both sisters, and brother-in-law, and I all met up there and had a great time together. And there was also the wedding of friends in Costa Rica, which was also a fantastic time.
Traveling to New Jersey and to New York City was a highlight in fall. I went to visit friends who moved from Seattle to NJ in summer. It was great to see my friends again, and be a tourist. I could go back to NYC many times and not get bored with it, I'm sure.
Oh yeah, and work. In addition to my usual pediatric nutrition duties, I started working with patients on the ketogenic diet, which is a treatment for epilepsy, which I have written about a few times before. It's been challenging and fun and stressful and interesting and hard and rewarding. I have learned so much. It is great to see good results from the diet (decreased or no seizure activity) in most of our kids, and I also like the aspect of getting to know these families well through frequent communication and follow-up appointments.
Now it is 2011. That sounds so futuristic. I'm looking forward to the coming year. There are bound to be more changes. Who knows what all! I'm hoping it is really my year for love. Seriously. This is getting ridiculous. I am looking forward to a trip to Korea and Japan in two months. My friend Amy and her family are in Seoul for a year, so I will go visit them, and then go to Japan just because I want to! Might as well make the most of a flight across the ocean! I'm not sure about where else I might end up going in the next year (Saskatchewan?). Of course, looking forward to more family and friend bonding times. More babies in the extended family and friend family. I'm hoping for a warm summer. I just decided on the first weekend of this year that I want to make earrings.... so I went to the store and bought some basic supplies to make some basic earrings, and I loved it. I am excited to have a new hobby! We'll see how well it works out.
And that is all for now.... I want to write on here more often in 2011 again though!
First of all, an update on my patient that I wrote about last time. Some crazy stuff has happened to her since I last wrote. Basically she was on death's door about a week before Christmas. I came to work that Monday morning and was called by the nurse practitioner to come to the room and say goodbye. She wasn't expected to make it through the day. Well, she's still alive! She has had one thing go wrong after another, and yet she is still fighting. It is really amazing. She has healed in some ways that I wouldn't have thought were possible in her condition, and as she heals, something else goes wrong. She is still in a coma, and still has a very poor prognosis. Even if she survives this, she will never be the same. Her brain has basically been fried from the extreme amounts of seizure activity in the past 2-3 months. She is still having seizure activity despite attempts to stop it with different medications. It's very sad. She is a sweet beautiful girl, and it is also hard to see her family struggling through this. I still try to go visit and just spend some time with them a few times a week, which the mom really appreciates. She is seeming so strong, and yet looks very weary. My heart goes out to them.
Speaking of brain damage, I am struck this week by the fact that not only is this patient of mine in a precarious situation with unknown outcome as far as brain/mental capacity, but also Gabby Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot last weekend, and Joanne Heim, a woman whose blog I have followed for a little while who had a stroke this week. Very tragic situations. Both Gabby and Joanne are far from old age and both totally unexpectedly fighting for life and return of normal brain function. God help them and their families.
Regarding the New Year...
I have reflected some on 2010. There was a lot of newness. A new relationship which brought me a lot of joy and helped me grow as a person. A new apartment in June, which has been a great move for me. I have a much more hospitable place to host friends, and even host overnight guests. I had the pleasure of hosting my cousin and her husband in summer, as well as my parents in fall. It's nice to be a hostess! I also got a new car.
There was also heartbreak. But I guess heartbreak means there was love and something precious to lose, and those are not bad things. My life is better for it.
I also got to see many, many of my extended family members in Saskatchewan in August, both mom's side and dad's side, and that was great. Time with my grandparents is particularly treasured these days, as they turned 95 and 90 in 2010, and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, and are still functioning remarkably well!
Speaking of family, I also traveled with some dear relatives to Costa Rica last March. Two aunts, a cousin, both sisters, and brother-in-law, and I all met up there and had a great time together. And there was also the wedding of friends in Costa Rica, which was also a fantastic time.
Traveling to New Jersey and to New York City was a highlight in fall. I went to visit friends who moved from Seattle to NJ in summer. It was great to see my friends again, and be a tourist. I could go back to NYC many times and not get bored with it, I'm sure.
Oh yeah, and work. In addition to my usual pediatric nutrition duties, I started working with patients on the ketogenic diet, which is a treatment for epilepsy, which I have written about a few times before. It's been challenging and fun and stressful and interesting and hard and rewarding. I have learned so much. It is great to see good results from the diet (decreased or no seizure activity) in most of our kids, and I also like the aspect of getting to know these families well through frequent communication and follow-up appointments.
Now it is 2011. That sounds so futuristic. I'm looking forward to the coming year. There are bound to be more changes. Who knows what all! I'm hoping it is really my year for love. Seriously. This is getting ridiculous. I am looking forward to a trip to Korea and Japan in two months. My friend Amy and her family are in Seoul for a year, so I will go visit them, and then go to Japan just because I want to! Might as well make the most of a flight across the ocean! I'm not sure about where else I might end up going in the next year (Saskatchewan?). Of course, looking forward to more family and friend bonding times. More babies in the extended family and friend family. I'm hoping for a warm summer. I just decided on the first weekend of this year that I want to make earrings.... so I went to the store and bought some basic supplies to make some basic earrings, and I loved it. I am excited to have a new hobby! We'll see how well it works out.
And that is all for now.... I want to write on here more often in 2011 again though!
05 December, 2010
my daily work
Work is not something I usually take home with me. I am kept reasonably busy, but my job is one that I can generally not worry about when I am not there and I can usually take things in stride. The last couple of weeks were different though. For some reason I was really, really stressed out. It was really busy, and there were lots of unusual circumstances, things that were particularly demanding of me.
One particular patient that really affected me, more than I am typically affected, is one of my ketogenic diet patients, A.U. (I wrote about this diet here). I think it affected me so much because I know this family more than I know the typical patient on the unit. She is a 17 year old who I just got to know this fall when she started the diet. She is a very sweet girl with a lovely family. The diet hasn't helped her, at least not much yet. she was already having increased seizure activity when she was started on the diet, and then was hospitalized a few times in the weeks following. Almost 3 weeks ago now, she was hospitalized again after having hours and hours of seizures that couldn't be stopped with any medications they had at home. By the time they got them somewhat under control at the hospital with huge amounts of drugs, she had been seizing almost constantly for about 24 hours. The brain takes a hit every time something like this happens, so it is not good! The crazy thing is that another girl was admitted with the same thing on the same night. This is not something we get everyday at our hospital. Both of these girls were put into a pentobarb coma to stop the seizures and therefore were intubated. The younger one, B, ended up dying after 10 days. She was already physically and mentally compromised before and was unable to wean off the vent, and her parents came to the decision that further interventions were probably not going to benefit her and only hurt her at that point, so they decided to remove support. Very sad. This was difficult news for AU's family to hear, as they were worried that AU might not make it through either. However, she was out of the coma, not intubated anymore, and was having better seizure control. She wasn't really able to communicate yet, but at least she was showing signs of improvement. At this point she has been moved out of the ICU to the regular pediatric floor. AU has lost her ability to eat on her own and is being completely tubefed with a formula for the ketogenic diet. We know that it is going to be a while until she may be able to eat on her own again. The good news is she is starting to communicate and show her sense of humor again. I spent some time with her and her mom a few days this past week. One day she was holding my hand and squeezing it really hard and smiling. She thought it was funny! She really made my day. Although she is not back to her baseline, she is making progress. She was trying to tell me something, but couldn't say what she wanted to say. Her speech is still very slurred and she can't always get out the words she wants to say. It's hard to know how much of that is brain damage, and how much of it is from the huge doses of anti-seizure medications she is still on. Her seizure activity hasn't gone away completely. But when I left her room that day, she was able to say "nice to see you". I was so happy! The next two days she was much sleepier and I didn't get to talk to her. I am looking forward to seeing her again on Monday to see if any improvements have happened over the weekend.
As far as my other ketogenic diet patients go, we have actually had a lot of success with other kids who are on the diet. It's really exciting to see those kids doing so well, and it makes all the hard work worth it!
One particular patient that really affected me, more than I am typically affected, is one of my ketogenic diet patients, A.U. (I wrote about this diet here). I think it affected me so much because I know this family more than I know the typical patient on the unit. She is a 17 year old who I just got to know this fall when she started the diet. She is a very sweet girl with a lovely family. The diet hasn't helped her, at least not much yet. she was already having increased seizure activity when she was started on the diet, and then was hospitalized a few times in the weeks following. Almost 3 weeks ago now, she was hospitalized again after having hours and hours of seizures that couldn't be stopped with any medications they had at home. By the time they got them somewhat under control at the hospital with huge amounts of drugs, she had been seizing almost constantly for about 24 hours. The brain takes a hit every time something like this happens, so it is not good! The crazy thing is that another girl was admitted with the same thing on the same night. This is not something we get everyday at our hospital. Both of these girls were put into a pentobarb coma to stop the seizures and therefore were intubated. The younger one, B, ended up dying after 10 days. She was already physically and mentally compromised before and was unable to wean off the vent, and her parents came to the decision that further interventions were probably not going to benefit her and only hurt her at that point, so they decided to remove support. Very sad. This was difficult news for AU's family to hear, as they were worried that AU might not make it through either. However, she was out of the coma, not intubated anymore, and was having better seizure control. She wasn't really able to communicate yet, but at least she was showing signs of improvement. At this point she has been moved out of the ICU to the regular pediatric floor. AU has lost her ability to eat on her own and is being completely tubefed with a formula for the ketogenic diet. We know that it is going to be a while until she may be able to eat on her own again. The good news is she is starting to communicate and show her sense of humor again. I spent some time with her and her mom a few days this past week. One day she was holding my hand and squeezing it really hard and smiling. She thought it was funny! She really made my day. Although she is not back to her baseline, she is making progress. She was trying to tell me something, but couldn't say what she wanted to say. Her speech is still very slurred and she can't always get out the words she wants to say. It's hard to know how much of that is brain damage, and how much of it is from the huge doses of anti-seizure medications she is still on. Her seizure activity hasn't gone away completely. But when I left her room that day, she was able to say "nice to see you". I was so happy! The next two days she was much sleepier and I didn't get to talk to her. I am looking forward to seeing her again on Monday to see if any improvements have happened over the weekend.
As far as my other ketogenic diet patients go, we have actually had a lot of success with other kids who are on the diet. It's really exciting to see those kids doing so well, and it makes all the hard work worth it!
forgiveness
Forgiveness is so hard. Sometimes I wonder why I hold onto some things when all it gives me is pain, and if I could just forgive and give it up, I would be so much more at peace. People forgive for things much bigger than I have had to deal with in my life. I think of the Amish community who acted with such grace when several of their children were heartlessly murdered a few years ago. Wow. God, if only I could have that kind of strength and grace...
cute art!
I just discovered the art of Matthew Porter, a Seattle children's book illustrator and writer. He has such cute stuff!
21 September, 2010
cool recipe website
They Draw and Cook: A Plea to Fellow Art and Food Bloggers
I haven't tried any of these recipes yet, but I love looking at them!
I haven't tried any of these recipes yet, but I love looking at them!
30 August, 2010
Tasty recipe!
Sauteed Beets and Greens -- from Martha Stewart Everyday Food
Serves 4
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large minced shallot
- 1 cup beet greens, thinly sliced, stemmed
- 1 recipe Basic Roasted Beets
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- Coarse salt
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot; cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beet greens; cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Add basic roasted beets, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, and fresh rosemary. Season with coarse salt. Cook, stirring, until beets are just heated through, 2 to 4 minutes.
19 June, 2010
making a change
Things have been really crazy lately, but I am now moved into a new apartment a mile from my old one where I had lived the past nearly 4 years. I had been thinking about moving for a long time. The old apartment was cute and had nice hardwood floors, but was really small. I never felt like I could comfortably have people over, unless it was one or two people.... maybe 3.
When I moved into that apartment, it was a really stressful time of my life, and the apartment search was tough, and I was in a time constraint. I ended up kind of settling for that place, but the nice part was that it never had a lease; it was always month to month, so I knew I could move whenever I wanted if I found something better. Well, here we are almost 4 years later. There were things I liked about it. It was close to the lake where I would often take walks or sit on the grass on nice days. But the smallness and the road noise were probably the biggest downsides.
So I started thinking more about it in the last few months, and then in May I actually went to see a few apartments. My criteria was that if I would move, it would have to be an upgrade, and not just for the sake of change. So I found this place at the very end of May. It seemed almost too good to be true! It's only $85 more per month than I paid at the old place, but it is much bigger, (even has a small second bedroom!), has a beautiful roomy kitchen with a dishwasher, has a washer and dryer in the unit, has a secure parking garage which is included in the rent, and is on a quiet street in a nice neighborhood where a couple of my friends live! It's great! I am getting so much more for my money.
So I signed the lease to start June 15, just 2 weeks ago. It's been hectic with packing and going through stuff and throwing away things, shredding old paper documents I don't need anymore, and several trips to Value Village with clothes and odds and ends. I also sold books, CDs, and VHS tapes at a used book store, and recycled some old electronics. I thought I was getting rid of a ton of crap!
Well, I still have a lot of crap. But I am learning to be less sentimental with things. But I am by no means a hoarder, to be clear! I guess I am both sentimental and I keep things for practical reasons ("just in case I might need it someday"). Every time I move I am better at getting rid of things, and I would say I was the most ruthless ever this time! It's good to clean out every now and then. They say it is also freeing mentally, and I think that's true.
I had 9 of my friends helping me move three evenings ago, and it was pretty quick, and I treated them to pizza and beer at my new place when we finished unloading. I have great, supportive friends, and I am really thankful I had so many people helping me with the moving and getting me boxes for packing.
Now I am getting settled in the new place, and just last night I finished cleaning the old place, got the last couple of things that were there, and handed the keys over. My cat is getting used to her new environs, and I think she likes having more space to run around. I have been staying up too late unpacking and trying to get things organized. It's like Christmas! (kind of).
Change is good. I am always a little sad when I leave an old house or apartment though, even if I want to move and think it's a good decision. Those places hold a lot of memories. Of course the memories are in my head too, but a lot of things happened in those places. Like I said, when I moved into that apartment, it was a really hard time in my life. I was not happy to be moving. But I healed and became much happier in that first year I was there, and had lots of good times when I lived there. It's a little bittersweet leaving it behind, but it's also very exciting to start fresh somewhere else. I am excited for the different people I will meet in this neighborhood, and for all the memories that will be made in this place. And to be able to do laundry in my apartment whenever I want and not have to hoard quarters!!
When I moved into that apartment, it was a really stressful time of my life, and the apartment search was tough, and I was in a time constraint. I ended up kind of settling for that place, but the nice part was that it never had a lease; it was always month to month, so I knew I could move whenever I wanted if I found something better. Well, here we are almost 4 years later. There were things I liked about it. It was close to the lake where I would often take walks or sit on the grass on nice days. But the smallness and the road noise were probably the biggest downsides.
So I started thinking more about it in the last few months, and then in May I actually went to see a few apartments. My criteria was that if I would move, it would have to be an upgrade, and not just for the sake of change. So I found this place at the very end of May. It seemed almost too good to be true! It's only $85 more per month than I paid at the old place, but it is much bigger, (even has a small second bedroom!), has a beautiful roomy kitchen with a dishwasher, has a washer and dryer in the unit, has a secure parking garage which is included in the rent, and is on a quiet street in a nice neighborhood where a couple of my friends live! It's great! I am getting so much more for my money.
So I signed the lease to start June 15, just 2 weeks ago. It's been hectic with packing and going through stuff and throwing away things, shredding old paper documents I don't need anymore, and several trips to Value Village with clothes and odds and ends. I also sold books, CDs, and VHS tapes at a used book store, and recycled some old electronics. I thought I was getting rid of a ton of crap!
Well, I still have a lot of crap. But I am learning to be less sentimental with things. But I am by no means a hoarder, to be clear! I guess I am both sentimental and I keep things for practical reasons ("just in case I might need it someday"). Every time I move I am better at getting rid of things, and I would say I was the most ruthless ever this time! It's good to clean out every now and then. They say it is also freeing mentally, and I think that's true.
I had 9 of my friends helping me move three evenings ago, and it was pretty quick, and I treated them to pizza and beer at my new place when we finished unloading. I have great, supportive friends, and I am really thankful I had so many people helping me with the moving and getting me boxes for packing.
Now I am getting settled in the new place, and just last night I finished cleaning the old place, got the last couple of things that were there, and handed the keys over. My cat is getting used to her new environs, and I think she likes having more space to run around. I have been staying up too late unpacking and trying to get things organized. It's like Christmas! (kind of).
Change is good. I am always a little sad when I leave an old house or apartment though, even if I want to move and think it's a good decision. Those places hold a lot of memories. Of course the memories are in my head too, but a lot of things happened in those places. Like I said, when I moved into that apartment, it was a really hard time in my life. I was not happy to be moving. But I healed and became much happier in that first year I was there, and had lots of good times when I lived there. It's a little bittersweet leaving it behind, but it's also very exciting to start fresh somewhere else. I am excited for the different people I will meet in this neighborhood, and for all the memories that will be made in this place. And to be able to do laundry in my apartment whenever I want and not have to hoard quarters!!
10 May, 2010
everything
I have found listening to Alanis Morissette to be very cathartic lately. Not just the angry 1995 songs, although sometimes I feel that way too! I think she has a way of saying things that really resonates with me sometimes. I like the song "Everything". It pretty much depicts what I am looking for in a partner - that he will love me for everything that I am, good and bad, and vice versa. I also hope that whoever he is will be able to get past his own imperfections and be able to let go and love anyway, and know that I will love him anyway... and the search continues.
I can be an a*hole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it's going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby and you've never met anyone
Who is as negative as I am sometimes
I am the wisest woman you've ever met.
I am the kindest soul with whom you've connected.
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen
And you've never met anyone
Who's as positive as I am sometimes.
You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
I blame everyone else, not my own partaking
My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating
I'm terrified and mistrusting
And you've never met anyone as,
As closed down as I am sometimes.
You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go
I'm the funniest woman that you've ever known
I'm the dullest woman that you've ever known
I'm the most gorgeous woman that you've ever known
And you've never met anyone
Who is as everything as I am sometimes
You see everything (you see everything), you see every part (you see every part )
You see all my light (you see all my light) and you love my dark (and you love my dark )
You dig everything (you dig everything) of which I'm ashamed (of which I'm ashamed)
There's not anything (there's not anything) to which you can't relate (to which you can't relate)
And you're still here
(You see everything, you see every part)
And you're still here
(You see all my light and you love my dark)
And you're still here
(You dig everything of which I'm ashamed)
(There's not anything to which you can't relate)
And you're still here...
18 April, 2010
Costa Rica trip
It's been quite a while since I last updated this. Life has been very full in the past 3 months.
After a year of planning, my trip to Costa Rica finally happened in March. I was gone for 16 days. The first part of the trip was with my sisters, brother-in-law, a cousin, and two aunts. We spent time near Alajuela in central Costa Rica where we saw the Poas Volcano, some waterfalls, and a coffee plantation.
Then we went to Manuel Antonio on the central Pacific coast. It was absolutely beautiful! There is a little national park there where there is lots of wildlife to be seen, such as capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards, orange and purple crabs, and more. We hired a guide to take us through the park. His name was Miguel, and he had a telescope so we could get a better look at the animals. He could spot a green grasshopper on a green leaf a mile away! It was definitely worth it to hire him. The park had the most beautiful beach. It was wonderful for swimming in. It was the perfect temperature, and it was sheltered enough so there weren't dangerous rip currents. There were lots of trees along the beach that were good for shade. Even though we had to pay to get into the park, we ended up going back to that beach again another day. We also went to a private beach one day, which our hotel manager told us about. It was a HIKE to get there! We tried it the first day but had to turn back because we didn't know where we were going exactly, and we weren't prepared to walk up a mountain and down again to get there! But when we got clearer directions, we tried again another time and made it, although that walk was a bit of a challenge with the temperature in the upper 90's with high humidity! We spent a lot of time on beaches in Manuel Antonio.
Four of the group left after 1 week, so then my aunts and I were together for about 4-5 days. We stayed in Manuel Antonio another couple of days. One afternoon we went on a mangrove boat tour, which was a highlight. We went in a boat through some estuaries which would be totally dry during low tide. The best part of the tour was seeing capuchin (white-faced) monkeys! They were in the trees near the boat, and then some jumped in! It certainly encouraged the monkeys that our tour guide started peeling a banana! I was so excited, but so freaked out at the same time, to have all these little monkeys so close to us! A couple of times, a monkey leaped on Trudy's shoulders to get close to the banana! I kept running away! It was pretty fun.
We had initially been staying in a hotel up the hill from the main part of Manuel Antonio when our whole group was together, but it was necessary to take a taxi to get anywhere from there, so for our last two nights, my aunts and I decided to move to a different hotel closer to the action. The unfortunate trade off was that we ended up in a crappier hotel, which we didn't really realize until we had moved. It had the worst shower of our lives in it! It was clean, but that was about all it had going for it. The shower head was dangling, and just had a tiny trickle of water, and it was cold water! The other hilarious thing was that it was very bare bones, and had very old, worn bed linens, yet we found a towel folded like a elephant on the bed when we came back one day, and when we got a load of laundry done one day, it came out to $47!! They charged per item, and we didn't add it up ahead of time, but we were getting desperate for clean clothing. Most expensive load of laundry of my life. What a fine establishment! Ha!
After a couple of days, we took a water taxi to Montezuma. That was a bit of a debacle, with us now knowing there were multiple companies that did this, and we didn't know which one we were supposed to take, and apparently missed ours. But another kind man was willing to take us in his boat, despite the fact that he had a group of 9 or 10 people already in his boat, who had a whole bunch of luggage, and we would be over capacity by 1 person. I was nervous! These boats were just basic fiberglass motorboats, and we had to walk out into the water to get on board. As we started out into the ocean, I worried that we were going to sink! Then about 20 minutes into the ride we saw another boat coming toward us. The man driving our boat told us that was our boat. However, I didn't realize that meant that they were going to get us to transfer to the other boat in the middle of the ocean!! But they did!! The three of us and 2 guys from the big group moved over to the other boat. What an adventure. I ended up drenched in salt water from the spray of the boat, but at least I wasn't afraid I was going to die anymore! We made it to Montezuma.
Montezuma is on the south side of the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific coast. It is known as sort of a hippie town, and it really was! One highlight of Montezuma was the food. Our favorite place was a restaurant called El Sano Banano. It has the most wonderful french toast! Montezuma was a much smaller, quieter, more remote place than Manuel Antonio. We spent time walking around, hiked to a waterfall close to town, and relaxed by the pool at our hotel. I had my birthday there. We had my birthday dinner at a restaurant outside on the beach. Pretty cool!
For the last 5 days of my trip I left the relatives and went to Playa Grande further north on the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. I took a 5 hour shuttle ride from Montezuma to get there. It was much, much drier further north. I was surprised how different the ecosystem was. It was the end of the dry season, but still, the other parts of Costa Rica where I had just been were much more lush and tropical anyway.
I went to Playa Grande for the wedding of my Seattle friends, Brendan and Nathalie. It was a great few days. My friends Abbe and Patrick were among the guests, so we shared a little rental house. We also got to see some friends who no longer live in Seattle. It was impressive that there were so many friends and family who came for the wedding. I think it was 65 or 70 people! B and N have a great family and tight group of friends. It was so much fun to be a part of. The first night I was there, there was a big party for B's brother's 30th birthday. It was a fun night. There were actually a bunch of us who had March birthdays. During those days, Abbe, Patrick, and I took advantage of our friends' better vacation rental homes and pools, and relaxed. The wedding was a great time too. They had gotten married at the courthouse in Seattle right before they left for Costa Rica, so their ceremony in Costa Rica did not have an officiant. It was more like a program, with selected friends and family members doing readings and songs. B and N read their vows again, and exchanged rings. It was a beautiful, personal celebration, very true to who they are. After the ceremony part, we all got rum punch and went down to the beach for sunset. Then we went to Hotel Bula Bula for a dinner and dancing reception, which a lot of fun. The next morning was a brunch for the wedding guests, and people started to trickle away. There were a few of us left who went to a nice shell beach a little further north, and then hung out in the evening. But I was ready to head home, and get back to life at a more moderate temperature, not having to put sunscreen on 50 times a day, and back to my dear ones at home. I guess since everything I had been looking forward to on my trip was over, it was just time to go.
I flew home with Abbe and Patrick. On our flight from Liberia to Houston, we had a brush with fame! Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the Black Crowes, was on our flight! It was funny that when I first recognized him in the airport, I thought I must know him from Seattle. But then I realized he was actually a rock star! Ha! Anyway, the airport there was tiny, and open air (ie: no VIP area that I saw, and no air-conditioning, except for in the gift shop), so I thought it was cool that Chris Robinson and his wife and baby just sat in the gate area just like everyone else...and when we got to Houston and had to go through customs and everything, they were in the big long line like everyone else too. People seemed to leave them alone, so that was good, but I wonder what it's like to know that everywhere you go people are recognizing you and probably staring at you.
The trip was great, and ended up being just the right amount of time. I was amazed how time seemed to slow down in Costa Rica, in a good way. And I was glad to spend time with those family members and friends. It was great to be able to see some very different parts of the country.
So I got back home to Seattle, and right away got sick with a very sore throat and tonsillitis on one side. I had started to get a swollen lymph node in my neck, and a little bit of a sore throat in Costa Rica the last week, but nothing that actually affected me during the trip. But as soon as I was home, it attacked! By the end of the first week home, I decided to go to the doctor. He thought it was strep throat, so that Friday he did a throat culture and started me on antibiotics just to be on the safe side. I got the results back on Tuesday, which were negative! So I had been taking antibiotics for no reason for 4 or 5 days! So that Thursday I went back to the doctor, and she said she thought it was a foreign body stuck in my one tonsil that just needed to work itself out, since it was so prominently on one side of my throat, but she still did the mono blood test to be sure. She just didn't think I was the right demographic for mono though. The guy I was dating was convinced I had mono. Sure enough, the next day the result came back that I had mono. This was just over a week ago, and I had already been having symptoms for almost 3 weeks! I guess once you've had it, the virus is always in your body and at times can become active and then you can pass it on. My boyfriend had it 4 or 5 years ago, but it's likely I got it from him. Now one of my friends has just found out that she probably has it too! I don't remember sharing any food or drinks with her in the past month or so, and certainly didn't kiss her, so I don't know how I passed it to her, but I must have somehow. Boo. Anyway, my throat was pretty bad for a couple of weeks, but just in the past week it's improved a lot, but I am still very tired!
It has been a rough week, with trying to get over mono, as well as some personal stuff going on, but I am doing pretty well, and I am very grateful for a market increase raise at work, and lots of signs of spring. It was a gorgeous day today. I am also so aware of how fortunate I am to have so many good people in my life right now.
After a year of planning, my trip to Costa Rica finally happened in March. I was gone for 16 days. The first part of the trip was with my sisters, brother-in-law, a cousin, and two aunts. We spent time near Alajuela in central Costa Rica where we saw the Poas Volcano, some waterfalls, and a coffee plantation.
Then we went to Manuel Antonio on the central Pacific coast. It was absolutely beautiful! There is a little national park there where there is lots of wildlife to be seen, such as capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards, orange and purple crabs, and more. We hired a guide to take us through the park. His name was Miguel, and he had a telescope so we could get a better look at the animals. He could spot a green grasshopper on a green leaf a mile away! It was definitely worth it to hire him. The park had the most beautiful beach. It was wonderful for swimming in. It was the perfect temperature, and it was sheltered enough so there weren't dangerous rip currents. There were lots of trees along the beach that were good for shade. Even though we had to pay to get into the park, we ended up going back to that beach again another day. We also went to a private beach one day, which our hotel manager told us about. It was a HIKE to get there! We tried it the first day but had to turn back because we didn't know where we were going exactly, and we weren't prepared to walk up a mountain and down again to get there! But when we got clearer directions, we tried again another time and made it, although that walk was a bit of a challenge with the temperature in the upper 90's with high humidity! We spent a lot of time on beaches in Manuel Antonio.
Four of the group left after 1 week, so then my aunts and I were together for about 4-5 days. We stayed in Manuel Antonio another couple of days. One afternoon we went on a mangrove boat tour, which was a highlight. We went in a boat through some estuaries which would be totally dry during low tide. The best part of the tour was seeing capuchin (white-faced) monkeys! They were in the trees near the boat, and then some jumped in! It certainly encouraged the monkeys that our tour guide started peeling a banana! I was so excited, but so freaked out at the same time, to have all these little monkeys so close to us! A couple of times, a monkey leaped on Trudy's shoulders to get close to the banana! I kept running away! It was pretty fun.
We had initially been staying in a hotel up the hill from the main part of Manuel Antonio when our whole group was together, but it was necessary to take a taxi to get anywhere from there, so for our last two nights, my aunts and I decided to move to a different hotel closer to the action. The unfortunate trade off was that we ended up in a crappier hotel, which we didn't really realize until we had moved. It had the worst shower of our lives in it! It was clean, but that was about all it had going for it. The shower head was dangling, and just had a tiny trickle of water, and it was cold water! The other hilarious thing was that it was very bare bones, and had very old, worn bed linens, yet we found a towel folded like a elephant on the bed when we came back one day, and when we got a load of laundry done one day, it came out to $47!! They charged per item, and we didn't add it up ahead of time, but we were getting desperate for clean clothing. Most expensive load of laundry of my life. What a fine establishment! Ha!
After a couple of days, we took a water taxi to Montezuma. That was a bit of a debacle, with us now knowing there were multiple companies that did this, and we didn't know which one we were supposed to take, and apparently missed ours. But another kind man was willing to take us in his boat, despite the fact that he had a group of 9 or 10 people already in his boat, who had a whole bunch of luggage, and we would be over capacity by 1 person. I was nervous! These boats were just basic fiberglass motorboats, and we had to walk out into the water to get on board. As we started out into the ocean, I worried that we were going to sink! Then about 20 minutes into the ride we saw another boat coming toward us. The man driving our boat told us that was our boat. However, I didn't realize that meant that they were going to get us to transfer to the other boat in the middle of the ocean!! But they did!! The three of us and 2 guys from the big group moved over to the other boat. What an adventure. I ended up drenched in salt water from the spray of the boat, but at least I wasn't afraid I was going to die anymore! We made it to Montezuma.
Montezuma is on the south side of the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific coast. It is known as sort of a hippie town, and it really was! One highlight of Montezuma was the food. Our favorite place was a restaurant called El Sano Banano. It has the most wonderful french toast! Montezuma was a much smaller, quieter, more remote place than Manuel Antonio. We spent time walking around, hiked to a waterfall close to town, and relaxed by the pool at our hotel. I had my birthday there. We had my birthday dinner at a restaurant outside on the beach. Pretty cool!
For the last 5 days of my trip I left the relatives and went to Playa Grande further north on the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. I took a 5 hour shuttle ride from Montezuma to get there. It was much, much drier further north. I was surprised how different the ecosystem was. It was the end of the dry season, but still, the other parts of Costa Rica where I had just been were much more lush and tropical anyway.
I went to Playa Grande for the wedding of my Seattle friends, Brendan and Nathalie. It was a great few days. My friends Abbe and Patrick were among the guests, so we shared a little rental house. We also got to see some friends who no longer live in Seattle. It was impressive that there were so many friends and family who came for the wedding. I think it was 65 or 70 people! B and N have a great family and tight group of friends. It was so much fun to be a part of. The first night I was there, there was a big party for B's brother's 30th birthday. It was a fun night. There were actually a bunch of us who had March birthdays. During those days, Abbe, Patrick, and I took advantage of our friends' better vacation rental homes and pools, and relaxed. The wedding was a great time too. They had gotten married at the courthouse in Seattle right before they left for Costa Rica, so their ceremony in Costa Rica did not have an officiant. It was more like a program, with selected friends and family members doing readings and songs. B and N read their vows again, and exchanged rings. It was a beautiful, personal celebration, very true to who they are. After the ceremony part, we all got rum punch and went down to the beach for sunset. Then we went to Hotel Bula Bula for a dinner and dancing reception, which a lot of fun. The next morning was a brunch for the wedding guests, and people started to trickle away. There were a few of us left who went to a nice shell beach a little further north, and then hung out in the evening. But I was ready to head home, and get back to life at a more moderate temperature, not having to put sunscreen on 50 times a day, and back to my dear ones at home. I guess since everything I had been looking forward to on my trip was over, it was just time to go.
I flew home with Abbe and Patrick. On our flight from Liberia to Houston, we had a brush with fame! Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the Black Crowes, was on our flight! It was funny that when I first recognized him in the airport, I thought I must know him from Seattle. But then I realized he was actually a rock star! Ha! Anyway, the airport there was tiny, and open air (ie: no VIP area that I saw, and no air-conditioning, except for in the gift shop), so I thought it was cool that Chris Robinson and his wife and baby just sat in the gate area just like everyone else...and when we got to Houston and had to go through customs and everything, they were in the big long line like everyone else too. People seemed to leave them alone, so that was good, but I wonder what it's like to know that everywhere you go people are recognizing you and probably staring at you.
The trip was great, and ended up being just the right amount of time. I was amazed how time seemed to slow down in Costa Rica, in a good way. And I was glad to spend time with those family members and friends. It was great to be able to see some very different parts of the country.
So I got back home to Seattle, and right away got sick with a very sore throat and tonsillitis on one side. I had started to get a swollen lymph node in my neck, and a little bit of a sore throat in Costa Rica the last week, but nothing that actually affected me during the trip. But as soon as I was home, it attacked! By the end of the first week home, I decided to go to the doctor. He thought it was strep throat, so that Friday he did a throat culture and started me on antibiotics just to be on the safe side. I got the results back on Tuesday, which were negative! So I had been taking antibiotics for no reason for 4 or 5 days! So that Thursday I went back to the doctor, and she said she thought it was a foreign body stuck in my one tonsil that just needed to work itself out, since it was so prominently on one side of my throat, but she still did the mono blood test to be sure. She just didn't think I was the right demographic for mono though. The guy I was dating was convinced I had mono. Sure enough, the next day the result came back that I had mono. This was just over a week ago, and I had already been having symptoms for almost 3 weeks! I guess once you've had it, the virus is always in your body and at times can become active and then you can pass it on. My boyfriend had it 4 or 5 years ago, but it's likely I got it from him. Now one of my friends has just found out that she probably has it too! I don't remember sharing any food or drinks with her in the past month or so, and certainly didn't kiss her, so I don't know how I passed it to her, but I must have somehow. Boo. Anyway, my throat was pretty bad for a couple of weeks, but just in the past week it's improved a lot, but I am still very tired!
It has been a rough week, with trying to get over mono, as well as some personal stuff going on, but I am doing pretty well, and I am very grateful for a market increase raise at work, and lots of signs of spring. It was a gorgeous day today. I am also so aware of how fortunate I am to have so many good people in my life right now.
28 February, 2010
Olympics, trip planning, ketogenic diet, and more...
I am not keeping up too well with updating this. Life has been busy!
January was the beginning of our ketogenic diet program after months of planning and preparing! I started seeing kids in the clinic, and we had our first admission to start the diet. In February we had our second patient start the diet, and tomorrow is our third. We have also inherited a couple of other patients who were either doing the ketogenic diet already unsupervised, or transferred from another program, or were doing the Modified Atkins Diet on their own, which is a less restricted version of the diet.
The second little girl we started on the diet was about 3 weeks ago, and I got a progress report from her dad last week. This is a 16 month old who has had seizures since she was 4 months old, and is very developmentally delayed and has had very poor quality of life. When she came into the hospital to start the diet, she was hardly holding her head up, and just lay there. Now her dad reports that she has gone from 10-15 seizures a day to only 7 small ones total since she started the diet, and she is now babbling, grabbing for toys, sitting up better, tracking things, and laughing (which they hadn't heard her do in 11 months!). She is also refusing her medications now, which they were able to just crush up and give her in a syringe with water before, but now she is with it enough to let them know she hates it. (Good for her!!) The reason the dad contacted me was that they needed to know of some carb-free food to give her meds in to mask the flavor. Even though they think they've only been able to get 40% of her medications into her in the past week, she has still had that significant of a decrease in her seizures! Not to mentio,n she also had the stomach flu along with the rest of her family, and she had to get admitted to the hospital for a couple of days because she was dehydrated. She's still such a success story already! It's great to have this experience so early in our program, to feel like we have made a difference in the lives of a little girl and her family and that we have a reason for what we are doing.
About a month ago I got to meet Jen and Chris' baby Brooke, who was 3 weeks old at the time. I love babies!! I could hold a newborn little peanut for hours. It's so fun to see friends in the new role of parents. I can't wait to see them again, but it probably won't be until April.
I have been watching lots of Olympics. I have been so surprised with the number of medals Canada has won, especially the fact that they won more gold medals than any other country! It's pretty awesome! My friend Alana got to be at the Olympics for her cousin Ashleigh's ski cross races, and her gold medal win!
Last weekend 4 of us women who meet every other Thursday went to Lebanon, Oregon to visit our friend Kelli (and her husband Matt, who also happens to be our friend), who used to be in our group until they moved to Oregon in October. We went to a couple of wineries for wine tasting, as the area they live in, The Willamette Valley, is known for its wineries. We had a great time, the weather was perfect, and traffic was as good as it could have been going both ways. It was lovely. Sunday afternoon before we left we just sat on their front porch basking in the sun for a couple of hours. We couldn't believe we could take our shoes and
socks off and be in shirt sleeves in February. It was beautiful. It was wonderful to be with the girls for the weekend, and see Kelli and Matt in their new home and see them happy there!
A big part of the reason life has been busy is because I've been dating a guy for a couple of months. We'll see what happens. I am having a lot of fun getting to know him. He cooked a really delicious meal for us this weekend. That scored him some points! :)
It's hard to believe, but two weeks from now I will be in Costa Rica! I will be there with my two sisters, brother-in-law, two aunts, and one cousin for the first part of the trip, then meet up with some Seattle friends for the wedding of my friends Nattie and Brendan. I will be there two full weeks total. I am excited, but at the same time it hardly seems real that it's this soon! This trip plan has been in the works for about a year! It will be great!
January was the beginning of our ketogenic diet program after months of planning and preparing! I started seeing kids in the clinic, and we had our first admission to start the diet. In February we had our second patient start the diet, and tomorrow is our third. We have also inherited a couple of other patients who were either doing the ketogenic diet already unsupervised, or transferred from another program, or were doing the Modified Atkins Diet on their own, which is a less restricted version of the diet.
The second little girl we started on the diet was about 3 weeks ago, and I got a progress report from her dad last week. This is a 16 month old who has had seizures since she was 4 months old, and is very developmentally delayed and has had very poor quality of life. When she came into the hospital to start the diet, she was hardly holding her head up, and just lay there. Now her dad reports that she has gone from 10-15 seizures a day to only 7 small ones total since she started the diet, and she is now babbling, grabbing for toys, sitting up better, tracking things, and laughing (which they hadn't heard her do in 11 months!). She is also refusing her medications now, which they were able to just crush up and give her in a syringe with water before, but now she is with it enough to let them know she hates it. (Good for her!!) The reason the dad contacted me was that they needed to know of some carb-free food to give her meds in to mask the flavor. Even though they think they've only been able to get 40% of her medications into her in the past week, she has still had that significant of a decrease in her seizures! Not to mentio,n she also had the stomach flu along with the rest of her family, and she had to get admitted to the hospital for a couple of days because she was dehydrated. She's still such a success story already! It's great to have this experience so early in our program, to feel like we have made a difference in the lives of a little girl and her family and that we have a reason for what we are doing.
About a month ago I got to meet Jen and Chris' baby Brooke, who was 3 weeks old at the time. I love babies!! I could hold a newborn little peanut for hours. It's so fun to see friends in the new role of parents. I can't wait to see them again, but it probably won't be until April.
I have been watching lots of Olympics. I have been so surprised with the number of medals Canada has won, especially the fact that they won more gold medals than any other country! It's pretty awesome! My friend Alana got to be at the Olympics for her cousin Ashleigh's ski cross races, and her gold medal win!
Last weekend 4 of us women who meet every other Thursday went to Lebanon, Oregon to visit our friend Kelli (and her husband Matt, who also happens to be our friend), who used to be in our group until they moved to Oregon in October. We went to a couple of wineries for wine tasting, as the area they live in, The Willamette Valley, is known for its wineries. We had a great time, the weather was perfect, and traffic was as good as it could have been going both ways. It was lovely. Sunday afternoon before we left we just sat on their front porch basking in the sun for a couple of hours. We couldn't believe we could take our shoes and
socks off and be in shirt sleeves in February. It was beautiful. It was wonderful to be with the girls for the weekend, and see Kelli and Matt in their new home and see them happy there!A big part of the reason life has been busy is because I've been dating a guy for a couple of months. We'll see what happens. I am having a lot of fun getting to know him. He cooked a really delicious meal for us this weekend. That scored him some points! :)
It's hard to believe, but two weeks from now I will be in Costa Rica! I will be there with my two sisters, brother-in-law, two aunts, and one cousin for the first part of the trip, then meet up with some Seattle friends for the wedding of my friends Nattie and Brendan. I will be there two full weeks total. I am excited, but at the same time it hardly seems real that it's this soon! This trip plan has been in the works for about a year! It will be great!
17 January, 2010
so this is the new year
2010. I've heard the question raised: is it twenty-ten or two thousand ten? I am going with the latter.
But first, I must go back in time.
December:
- Birthday parties for Linnea O (age 1) and Lily C (age 2). I love having these little girls in my life!
- "White Christmas" at the 5th Avenue Theater with Joy.
- Farewell to Anna and Regina moving back to Indiana.
- A great date....
- Christmas with my family in Madison, Wisconsin. This year we met in Madison because Sara lives there now too, in addition to Jake and Erica, and we thought it would be fun to do something different. Mom and Dad drove up from Indiana. We bypassed the worst of the winter storm, thankfully, so everyone got where they wanted to go in a timely manner. It was different, not only because we weren't at Mom and Dad's, but also because Erica and Jake's house is way smaller, so we were in close quarters for a few days, but we got along well and had a good time. Sara and I finished the Christmas puzzle in the nick of time the morning of the day I flew back home. We made our traditional vereniki meal we have to have when we are all together. It was "A Christmas To Remember". (sorry, inside joke)
So, now it's January. It seems like a good year so far! Just last night was a party for the staff of the NICU and Infant Special Care Unit, so it was fun to get dressed up and be social with work friends. The food was good, the comedian was funny, and the company was lovely (including my date).
This week I have been very mindful of the situation in Haiti after the earthquake. I have a friend, Kurt, who works in Port au Prince with Mennonite Central Committee. I found out that he is safe, as well as the other MCC workers, so that was a relief. But I know they are dealing with very disturbing circumstances now, and I wish them strength and peace as they provide aid to those around them.
This month has also begun the major planning for my trip to Costa Rica in 2 months. My plane ticket was purchased last week! I will be traveling for 10 days with 2 aunts, 1 cousin, my sisters, and my brother-in-law. Then I will meet up with some Seattle friends for the wedding of Brendan and Nathalie. I will have another birthday while away for a destination wedding! (My 30th birthday, two years ago, was in Mexico for Jen and Chris' wedding.)
Speaking of Jen and Chris, they are now the proud parents of Brooke, who is now one week old. I'm excited to meet her hopefully in the next month or so.
That's all for now! :)
But first, I must go back in time.
December:
- Birthday parties for Linnea O (age 1) and Lily C (age 2). I love having these little girls in my life!
- "White Christmas" at the 5th Avenue Theater with Joy.
- Farewell to Anna and Regina moving back to Indiana.
- A great date....
- Christmas with my family in Madison, Wisconsin. This year we met in Madison because Sara lives there now too, in addition to Jake and Erica, and we thought it would be fun to do something different. Mom and Dad drove up from Indiana. We bypassed the worst of the winter storm, thankfully, so everyone got where they wanted to go in a timely manner. It was different, not only because we weren't at Mom and Dad's, but also because Erica and Jake's house is way smaller, so we were in close quarters for a few days, but we got along well and had a good time. Sara and I finished the Christmas puzzle in the nick of time the morning of the day I flew back home. We made our traditional vereniki meal we have to have when we are all together. It was "A Christmas To Remember". (sorry, inside joke)
So, now it's January. It seems like a good year so far! Just last night was a party for the staff of the NICU and Infant Special Care Unit, so it was fun to get dressed up and be social with work friends. The food was good, the comedian was funny, and the company was lovely (including my date).
This week I have been very mindful of the situation in Haiti after the earthquake. I have a friend, Kurt, who works in Port au Prince with Mennonite Central Committee. I found out that he is safe, as well as the other MCC workers, so that was a relief. But I know they are dealing with very disturbing circumstances now, and I wish them strength and peace as they provide aid to those around them.
This month has also begun the major planning for my trip to Costa Rica in 2 months. My plane ticket was purchased last week! I will be traveling for 10 days with 2 aunts, 1 cousin, my sisters, and my brother-in-law. Then I will meet up with some Seattle friends for the wedding of Brendan and Nathalie. I will have another birthday while away for a destination wedding! (My 30th birthday, two years ago, was in Mexico for Jen and Chris' wedding.)
Speaking of Jen and Chris, they are now the proud parents of Brooke, who is now one week old. I'm excited to meet her hopefully in the next month or so.
That's all for now! :)
24 November, 2009
special patient
Every now and then I have a patient at the hospital that really touches my heart. Just yesterday, 5 year old X went home after just over a month in the hospital. He got sick with bacterial pneumonia, and ended up in the ICU on the vent. Then he went into kidney failure and his GI tract stopped working. It was looking bad. But he didn't have to be on dialysis very long and his kidneys starting functioning again, and soon his GI tract started functioning too, and we were able to start tube feeds. Eventually he was able to get off the vent and breathe on his own and eat on his own. About 10 days ago he was transferred to the regular pediatric floor. When I went in to see him after that weekend, I was amazed! He looked totally different without the puffiness and not being hooked up to machines. He was a different kid. He was so adorable. Very smiley and a little bashful, but he would talk to anyone who talked to him. He wasn't eating very well, so I went to talk to his grandpa who happened to be with him at the time. I asked how the eating was going that day, not thinking that X was paying any attention, but then he piped up in a sweet little voice, "I ate some pizza today!". It was the cutest thing ever! Over the past week he has been working on improving his intake of food and building up his strength with physical and occupational therapy, and yesterday he got to go home! Good for him, but we will miss his sweet little smile!
X's case is one of those that is a reality check. He was a healthy little boy and just randomly got so sick. I am so happy that he is recovering so well and will be back to normal eventually. It makes me grateful for my health, and grateful for the healing that does happen.
X's case is one of those that is a reality check. He was a healthy little boy and just randomly got so sick. I am so happy that he is recovering so well and will be back to normal eventually. It makes me grateful for my health, and grateful for the healing that does happen.
21 November, 2009
Yum
I went to Via Tribunali for the first time last night, and I hope it was the first of many times. So scrumptious!!
19 November, 2009
16 November, 2009
ketogenic diet conference in Phoenix
I just spent a few days in Phoenix (actually Scottsdale) at a conference for the ketogenic diet, which is a nutritional therapy for epilepsy. One of our pediatric neurologists is starting this program at my hospital, and I am the dietitian for it (in addition to my usual duties as the pediatric dietitian)! This has been in the works for quite a while, but it is really starting to get rolling now.
I will try not to get too into the details since this diet as it is pretty complex. It is certainly controversial in that it really goes against what you think of when you think of a "healthy diet". This is a VERY high fat diet and very low carbohydrate, so that that brain has to use ketones(from breakdown of fat) for energy instead of glucose. This diet for use with seizures was discovered because it has been known since Biblical times that fasting can stop seizures, and this diet is doing the same thing with metabolizing fat for energy. It is very mathematical and can only be for families who are truly motivated and compliant. It doesn't 100% cure every kid who tries it, but half of them have a 50% reduction in their seizures, which in itself can be a huge success. 10% of those who try the diet will become completely seizure-free and medication-free. And the most awesome thing is that once they wean off the diet, they don't usually go back to having seizures. Magical!! There has been a lot of research on this diet, and continues to be more and more. It's not just a gimmick like it might sound.
The conference I attended was sponsored by The Charlie Foundation which was started in the 90's to raise awareness of the diet as a treatment for pediatric epilepsy. It was started by Jim Abrahams, who is the writer and director of the movies Airplane!, Hot Shots, Hot Shots Part Deux, Naked Gun 2 1/2, Naked Gun 33 1/3, and Scary Movie 4, among others. He has also directed a lot of other movies, including Big Business. Jim's son, Charlie, developed epilepsy as a toddler. He was having 100's of seizures a day and then 2 days into starting the diet, he stopped having seizures. He was also able to go off medications while he was on the diet, and after a couple of years, weaned off the diet and has continued to be seizure-free ever since, and he is 17 years old now. He is definitely the best case scenario, but his story and others much like it are so inspiring! We heard many stories over the course of the conference. Jim and Nancy Abrahams and Charlie were there and participated throughout the whole conference. Charlie even gave a brief speech in front of everyone. He introduced his friend Julie, who is also 17, and also had her seizures cured by the ketogenic diet when she was little. She gave a speech and sang a song. The tears were flowing!
The conference was so helpful in being able to hear from many of the big-wigs in the ketogenic diet medical community. I also thought it was great that the conference was relatively small, and that the doctors who spoke were participating in everything, even though it was geared toward dietitians and nurses, and they were very friendly and available for questions at any time. It was also helpful as a newbie in this field to be able to network with other dietitians at other centers and see how other programs function. At my hospital we are still trying to figure out some of the details of how we will make it work for us. There are lots of details!
A great perk of going to this conference was that my good friend Joy went as well. She and I used to work together, but after she had her first baby almost 2 years ago, she decided to work at another hospital much closer to her home. They happen to be working on starting a ketogenic diet program as well, so it was a wonderful opportunity for Joy and I to spend some quality time together. It's fun to have someone close to me also learning about the same thing and that we can learn from each other too.
I didn't have a lot of free time while I was in Arizona, but the last night Joy and I met her sister and her friend (who both happened to be at a conference in Phoenix as well) for dinner. We went to a restaurant that served local and seasonal foods as much as possible. The next morning Joy left to go back home before I did. I had a few hours, so I went to the Desert Botanical Garden, which was cool. I also did some shopping at the fancy mall in Scottsdale. It has a bit of a reputation for being hoighty-toighty. I could see why. It is fun to people watch outside of my usual realm.
I had a great time. It was very exciting to learn more about the ketogenic diet. I am really getting excited for our program to get going. I am excited to know what kind of difference this could make for many families, and that I could have a huge part in helping them make that happen.
I will try not to get too into the details since this diet as it is pretty complex. It is certainly controversial in that it really goes against what you think of when you think of a "healthy diet". This is a VERY high fat diet and very low carbohydrate, so that that brain has to use ketones(from breakdown of fat) for energy instead of glucose. This diet for use with seizures was discovered because it has been known since Biblical times that fasting can stop seizures, and this diet is doing the same thing with metabolizing fat for energy. It is very mathematical and can only be for families who are truly motivated and compliant. It doesn't 100% cure every kid who tries it, but half of them have a 50% reduction in their seizures, which in itself can be a huge success. 10% of those who try the diet will become completely seizure-free and medication-free. And the most awesome thing is that once they wean off the diet, they don't usually go back to having seizures. Magical!! There has been a lot of research on this diet, and continues to be more and more. It's not just a gimmick like it might sound.
The conference I attended was sponsored by The Charlie Foundation which was started in the 90's to raise awareness of the diet as a treatment for pediatric epilepsy. It was started by Jim Abrahams, who is the writer and director of the movies Airplane!, Hot Shots, Hot Shots Part Deux, Naked Gun 2 1/2, Naked Gun 33 1/3, and Scary Movie 4, among others. He has also directed a lot of other movies, including Big Business. Jim's son, Charlie, developed epilepsy as a toddler. He was having 100's of seizures a day and then 2 days into starting the diet, he stopped having seizures. He was also able to go off medications while he was on the diet, and after a couple of years, weaned off the diet and has continued to be seizure-free ever since, and he is 17 years old now. He is definitely the best case scenario, but his story and others much like it are so inspiring! We heard many stories over the course of the conference. Jim and Nancy Abrahams and Charlie were there and participated throughout the whole conference. Charlie even gave a brief speech in front of everyone. He introduced his friend Julie, who is also 17, and also had her seizures cured by the ketogenic diet when she was little. She gave a speech and sang a song. The tears were flowing!
The conference was so helpful in being able to hear from many of the big-wigs in the ketogenic diet medical community. I also thought it was great that the conference was relatively small, and that the doctors who spoke were participating in everything, even though it was geared toward dietitians and nurses, and they were very friendly and available for questions at any time. It was also helpful as a newbie in this field to be able to network with other dietitians at other centers and see how other programs function. At my hospital we are still trying to figure out some of the details of how we will make it work for us. There are lots of details!
A great perk of going to this conference was that my good friend Joy went as well. She and I used to work together, but after she had her first baby almost 2 years ago, she decided to work at another hospital much closer to her home. They happen to be working on starting a ketogenic diet program as well, so it was a wonderful opportunity for Joy and I to spend some quality time together. It's fun to have someone close to me also learning about the same thing and that we can learn from each other too.
I didn't have a lot of free time while I was in Arizona, but the last night Joy and I met her sister and her friend (who both happened to be at a conference in Phoenix as well) for dinner. We went to a restaurant that served local and seasonal foods as much as possible. The next morning Joy left to go back home before I did. I had a few hours, so I went to the Desert Botanical Garden, which was cool. I also did some shopping at the fancy mall in Scottsdale. It has a bit of a reputation for being hoighty-toighty. I could see why. It is fun to people watch outside of my usual realm.
I had a great time. It was very exciting to learn more about the ketogenic diet. I am really getting excited for our program to get going. I am excited to know what kind of difference this could make for many families, and that I could have a huge part in helping them make that happen.
07 November, 2009
Immi's the best
I am such a huge fan of Imogen Heap - she has amazing all around talent. One thing I love is her lyrics, some of which are amusingly off the wall, but some of which totally hit the nail on the head. These are powerful:
Also love this song:
Where do we go from here?
How do we carry on?
I can't get beyond the questions.
Clambering for the scraps
In the shatter of us collapsed.
It cuts me with every could-have-been.
Pain on pain on play, repeating
With the backup makeshift life in waiting.
Everybody says that time heals everything.
But what of the wretched hollow?
The endless in-between?
Are we just going to wait it out?
Also love this song:
04 November, 2009
29 October, 2009
Sounders game!
Last Saturday, I went to my first Seattle Sounders game. This is the Major League Soccer team here, which is new this year. This game was actually their last regular season home game. It was quite the experience! These are serious fans! The game attendance was 33 108. The Sounders have the record for the highest attendance in MLS, and it's only their first season. With that many people, and everyone being so into it, the noise was deafening! Lots of people were wearing their Sounders scarves. I want one now! I can't really explain it, but the spirit of the game was so energizing. I really want to go to lots more games in the future. The Sounders are now in the playoffs and tied the first one tonight.
13 October, 2009
dressing up
It's not very often that I wear dresses and high heels, but in the past couple of weeks I have had four fun dress-up occasions. Wheeee!
The first was a fun evening of seeing Wicked with Jonnali, Amy, and two of Jonnali's friends. We were in the back row of the top balcony, but it was great anyway. Sure, opera glasses would have been lovely, in order to see their faces, but those are minor details. It was a fantastic show!
The next event was Abbe and Patrick's wedding. It was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and the wedding itself was beautiful too. It was a great time with wonderful friends. Their vows included a line about not holding each other too tightly that they
hold each other back from becoming who God is forming them to be. In the spirit of that, I read "On Marriage" from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran at their reception open mic. This also speaks of the importance of space in the relationship in order to be stronger together.
As a single person who has been single most of the time, I see the importance of independence, but I also know for myself that I can get totally wrapped up in love. When the time comes that I get married, this will be an important thing to remember for me as well. I am sure the balance of independence and togetherness will be tricky. Anyway, I thought Abbe and Patrick's wedding was very true to them and was a joy to be involved in.
Dress-up event #3 was Jessica and Maddie's post-wedding party this past Saturday. They got married in Hawaii in August with no guests, but had this party as a way for friends and family to celebrate with them. Dear friends!
Then Sunday night I went to a benefit for the Film, Faith and Justice film festival which is this coming weekend. The benefit was held at Canlis, which is one of the nicest restaurants in Seattle (maybe even the nicest!). My friend Hannah is the creative writing editor of The Other Journal, which puts on the film festival, so a bunch of us friends decided to go. Hannah wasn't actually there, as she was visiting family out of state, but her husband Jon came with the crew of us. It was appetizers and drinks and desserts. It was fun to get fancy with friends! The creme brulee was so 
scrumptious! Then we went to Taco Bell. I don't know whose idea that was, and it seemed like a good idea at first, but when we actually got there, it didn't seem that great anymore. Fun times.
There are no more fancy occasions in the foreseeable future. I do love to get gussied up every now and then though!
The first was a fun evening of seeing Wicked with Jonnali, Amy, and two of Jonnali's friends. We were in the back row of the top balcony, but it was great anyway. Sure, opera glasses would have been lovely, in order to see their faces, but those are minor details. It was a fantastic show!The next event was Abbe and Patrick's wedding. It was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and the wedding itself was beautiful too. It was a great time with wonderful friends. Their vows included a line about not holding each other too tightly that they
hold each other back from becoming who God is forming them to be. In the spirit of that, I read "On Marriage" from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran at their reception open mic. This also speaks of the importance of space in the relationship in order to be stronger together.As a single person who has been single most of the time, I see the importance of independence, but I also know for myself that I can get totally wrapped up in love. When the time comes that I get married, this will be an important thing to remember for me as well. I am sure the balance of independence and togetherness will be tricky. Anyway, I thought Abbe and Patrick's wedding was very true to them and was a joy to be involved in.
Dress-up event #3 was Jessica and Maddie's post-wedding party this past Saturday. They got married in Hawaii in August with no guests, but had this party as a way for friends and family to celebrate with them. Dear friends!
Then Sunday night I went to a benefit for the Film, Faith and Justice film festival which is this coming weekend. The benefit was held at Canlis, which is one of the nicest restaurants in Seattle (maybe even the nicest!). My friend Hannah is the creative writing editor of The Other Journal, which puts on the film festival, so a bunch of us friends decided to go. Hannah wasn't actually there, as she was visiting family out of state, but her husband Jon came with the crew of us. It was appetizers and drinks and desserts. It was fun to get fancy with friends! The creme brulee was so 
scrumptious! Then we went to Taco Bell. I don't know whose idea that was, and it seemed like a good idea at first, but when we actually got there, it didn't seem that great anymore. Fun times.There are no more fancy occasions in the foreseeable future. I do love to get gussied up every now and then though!
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