Summer has Begun in Sunny Florida!

I'm devastated, just devastated. My writing group is disbanding for the summer months. We won't meet again until August 23rd. As I finish this book, I am going to soooo miss them.

Apparently, summer does happen in sunny Florida. People are going home/north for the summer, or some are going to be traveling for most of the summer months. It does not make a difference if we have more sunny days than not, summer is here.

If I were north, flowers would be planted, lawn furniture pulled out from the shed and cleaned off, lawn mower and tools pulled out and cleaned, outside spigots uncovered and hoses attached, outside windows cleaned off after the winter freeze, talking with neighbors over the fences, walking outside on clean roads. That is the beginning of summer in the north. Here, that is our everyday. I live in summer year round. What do they do here in the summer? What are the rituals, the rites of passage?

I have no clue. Even though I have been here for nearly two years, this is my first summer as a full-time resident. Maybe I will get that stain glass piece finished! Maybe I will lay at the pool or on the beach for the summer months. Certainly, I will finish my last story and start the publishing process.

Today's writing group meeting was phenomenal. Penny Fletcher, award winning journalist and author of at least three books, was our guest speaker. She was there to answer our questions on publishing our work, detailing some of the perks of self-publishing. Well, I knew that I was going to publish my book that way, so I had already researched the subject before I knew she was going to speak to the group. After listening to her, it only instilled the idea further into my quest of seeing a book published. I am so ready for this dream to become a reality.

I am working on my last story, and although I am having some difficulties with finding the correct words for this story, I did have a nice compliment for what I did read today to the group. One of men in the group said that my writing this story reminded him of Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio" and how Anderson could get inside the heads of his characters. Now, I need to read that book to see what he is talking about. I would imagine I have read it before during all my studies, but I need to be refreshed. Maybe I haven't read the book, I will soon find out.

I know I have missed my self-imposed deadline of April 30th, but I am so close, so close. Last story, half written, all researched, searching for the right words. Working on all. Summer is here and dreams come true. What more can a girl ask for?

Until tomorrow...have a great day

Foods that are Potassium Rich

In my quest to be healthy, items that I am looking at are minerals that I need in my body for it to be able to work at an optimum level. Last Monday, I wrote on magnesium, which I believe through my research is warranted to be discussed with my doctor when I visit him. I know from the foods that I eat, I am not getting enough magnesium in my diet. Also, leading nutritionists say with the American diet, Americans, on a whole, are not getting enough magnesium from the foods they eat.

Potassium is another mineral I wanted to check out because I hear about it all the time. When I first started the research, I thought bananas were a major source of potassium. True, but not as much as other foods.

First, let me say, if you think you need a mineral in your diet, please discuss this with your doctor before starting it without a discussion. Especially potassium. Potassium protects blood vessels from oxidation damage, and it keeps vessel walls from thickening. It is also important for your nerves and muscles. Pretty important, but, and that is a big BUT, too much potassium is dangerous. So beware.

I looked at the foods that are high in potassium (a person needs 4700 mg/day) and I know that I am getting my quota for the day. I do not need this supplement, nor do I need to discuss this with my doctor.

The following foods were compiled from health.com and whfoods.com. These two sites have many more foods on the list if you are interested in investigating further.

1 cup spinach             838 mg
1 sweet potato            694 mg
1/4 c tomato paste      664 mg
1/2 c. beans                600 mg
1 c yogurt                   579 mg (also aids digestion)
1/2 c puree tomatoes  549 mg
3 oz. clams                 534 mg (also has high concentration of Vitamin B12)
1 c beets                     518 mg
3 oz halibut or tuna    500 mg
1 c broccoli                457 mg
1 c cantaloupe            427 mg
1 banana                     400 mg
1 c nonfat milk           382 mg (1% and whole is a little less)
3/4 c orange juice       355 mg
1 c celery                    266 mg
2 c romaine lettuce     232 mg

The above mentioned sites have many more foods listed, but these are just a few. Looking at the food list, if I were to have milk and oj for breakfast, I am good for 737 mg. Then, for mid morning snack, yogurt, now I am up to 1316 mg. For lunch, I might have a salad with romaine lettuce, 1/2 c. broccoli and celery. Now I am up to 2242 and I will throw in a banana at 400 mg so I now have 2642 mg. For dinner I will have a sweet potato, 1/2 c beans, 6 oz halibut and cantaloupe for dessert. Now I have 5363 mg for the day. It was easy for me to get my daily allotment of potassium.

I know I am doing all I can for my blood vessels by eating these foods. Right now, I feel I am doing something right for my body.

Once again, if you want me to research anything to do with health, let me know and I will tell you what I found out and where I found it out so you can go further with your search.

Trivia or jeopardy fans  -- potassium's chemical element with symbol is K, and the atomic number is 19.

Until tomorrow...have a great day.

What Is Age?

I went to stain glass today (still attempting to cut out the pieces of glass for the car) and while there a seasoned glass art person came in with her husband. She and her husband just dropped by, did not intend to work on any pieces.

During the conversation, she came over and looked at my design, and was please with my final drawing. She is the person who guided me to make the car bigger telling me it will be easier to work with the glass pieces if they are bigger. (I worked on the design of the car for 4 months, so I am thrilled that I can now cut out the pieces of glass, although I have already broke a few of the pieces and had to start over). She took the picture of the car to her husband and asked if he knew what car it was by the picture. He knew it to be an Opal. Right!

And that started the "real" conversation. Today is their 49th anniversary, and I asked them how they were going to celebrate. Luncheons, and dinners, and 3 nights on the beach in St. Pete, then they were going to Matlacha, Florida to Leoma Lovegrove's artist gallery. I had not heard of the artist and asked about her. Apparently, she has teamed with Beall's (a department store in Florida) and she makes the funky designs.

They started telling me about her studio and how she paints while she talks with you, and you are wondering what she is painting, and then, lo, behold, it's an eagle, or flamingo, or...

Then they started telling me about the artist -- that she was about our age (retirement age) but painted like a teenager. I have no clue what that means, maybe has to do with the energy level. And she dresses like a young person and bounces like a young person.

I don't know about you, but all I can say is good for Leoma. I'm working on my energy level. I would like to think I dress like a young person, and with all the exercising I am doing, I can do a half bounce like a young person. Anyway, what is age? It's just a number.

I do know that since moving here I do understand that most of these "active" people do not age. Maybe the number goes up, but that is about it. They are in their 80s and 90s, and going strong. Surely stronger than those who sit in front of the tv every day, day in and day out. I had a stepfather who did that in his 60s and 70s, and he just couldn't move that quick. There's one lady in my neighborhood that is in her mid-90s, and every year she goes on a 3-month cruise then comes back and tends to her garden. Another lady just turned 90 and she is out every morning at 9 and volunteers all day and returns home by 7 pm. Now, that's spunk.

And me. I don't know but every day that I am here, I think I am getting younger. I wanna go, go, go, and I do. I feel alive, and maybe that is what age is. It's not the number, it's the aliveness a person feels. So, go Leoma, and go me! Age is just a number, that's it. That's all it is.

I will go to Leoma's gallery and report back when I do. It should be fun.

Have a great weekend...

Lazy Day

There are days when I do nothing. I mean nothing but piddle. Yesterday was one of those days. I had intentions of going to stain glass (working on cutting out the glass pieces), then I was going to come home and get my writing organized so I can finish the short story this weekend. Oh, I was going to do so much, maybe paint some more seashells, fix a nice dinner, etc., etc., etc.,

What I did do was not much of anything. It was a rainy day here, and I had my stain glass tools in my car, and then the rain came in torrents, and I said to myself, I'm retired. I do not have to do this if I do not want to. And I didn't.

Finished reading The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain. Excellent book. And that was about the size of my day. Did start making more lists. (Remember, I'm a list maker). A list on subjects for this blog, and the other blog I am going to resurrect. A bucket list of places I want to visit in my life. A list of ceramic pieces I want to make. A list of stain glass pieces I want to make. Not a list for the fused glass I want to make, but, oh, I wanted to do that one just a too new art to make a list for. A step-by-step list on what I need to do after this last short story is finished this weekend. Last story. I will have the stories written for my collection of shorts. As I said, I am good at lists. I wonder if there are jobs for list makers?

And I overate. Not by much, but I did. (It was the ice cream). Nothing days are not good for my waist!

Today is another day, though, and I'm ready to go. There's ceramics, working out at the gym, visiting a friend in the hospital, and finally shopping for essentials. I'll be ready to sit down and watch Jeopardy at 7:30!

Until tomorrow...have a great day

Birthday Party

I had the fortunate opportunity to be invited to a birthday party that was to last for a week. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I could not make it for the week, but I could make it for one day and night. What a party!

The people who invited me were our table mates on the transatlantic cruise from Barcelona. Our table of six had such a good time together that it continued once we were home in Florida, and we were all invited to the 80th birthday party!

It was in Reunion, Florida, outside of Kissimmee, FL, which is near DisneyWorld. People came from all over the world to attend this birthday party as far away as Germany, New Zealand and Brazil. Many, many people were from Canada, and a few from the United States.

What I found is that it is a very small world. Talking with people, one couple was from Green Valley, AZ and they lived down the street from a college roommate of mine. Another knew people from my home town.

The girl from Brazil was gluten free and we started talking on that subject. I said I knew a little about it because I have a friend who is gluten free. She explained that the products she bought here are not readily available in Brazil where she lives. I suggested Amazon.com, and another man looked up the products on Amazon and they could be bought through the site. Now, she has a lead to get products that will help her once she gets back home.

We all spoke English, and those from the foreign countries spoke well enough that we could communicate without problems. I really need to learn more foreign words. I can speak essential Spanish, can read it better, and I know some German words. I should learn more.

During the week, everyone was to take a turn at cooking. One night there were tacos, another there was lasagna, one morning there were pancakes. My condo partners said it was a non-stop eating frenzy.

My time was short, but I can tell you that people do not stop just because of that number on the age scale. The birthday girl turned 80; her husband is 90. And next month they are headed out on a three month trek across the U.S. They never stop. And they always enjoy, and they are welcoming souls.

Great time, great night. A definite time to remember. Happy Birthday Sheila!

Until tomorrow...have a great day!

Acromegaly

When I was 50 years old, I went to a gastroenterologist for my first colonoscopy. That's what everyone says, get your first colonoscopy when 50 for a baseline. There is no colon cancer in the family and I had no need to be concerned about any test results. I also went to a doctor who I knew his family. I felt I was in very good hands.

During the initial visit to introduce myself and get his physical, he asked me some pertinent questions. Can you wear your rings? No, I must be getting fat. Then, he asked me what about your shoe size? I said, you know, my feet are growing. I used to wear a size 7 1/2 and now I wear a 10. Then, he asked, what about your face? I said, you know, when I look in the mirror, my face is changing. He did not alarm me on anything, but he did say that he would like to run a few tests. I said sure.

And I made the date for the first colonoscopy. No sweat, done and all was well.

It was quite a while before he called me in for the tests. He explained to me that no one in the town where I came from heard of the tests he was calling for, so he found it at Mayo Clinic and they had to send it.

After I took the tests, he then told me about acromegaly and according to the tests, I tested positive for it. He said my next step was to see an endocrinologist. He said that his wife was one, but there were many more to choose from. I thought, I'll just stick with the family.

And then I went home and looked up the disease on the internet. I FREAKED. I was going to die and my death would be painful and I would look gruesome.

As time went on, this search was a bad thing to do because of the pictures.

Then, I went to the endocrinologist and she wanted to do a MRI. Okay. According to the person who reads the MRI, he said he saw nothing. She told me that she went down to him and said that I tested positive for acromegaly and he needed to look closer. Lo and Behold, he did find a tumor in my pituitary gland.

That is what acromegaly is -- a benign tumor in the pituitary gland that affects your hormone balance. She explained to me that the hormone in the gland steadily drips and that is normal. When you have acromegaly the drip becomes a swish, then drips then swishes again -- and the cycle continues. What acromegaly does (it affects adults) is that if I was a child I would be a giant because the bones are growing upwards. In acromegaly, because the bones are already formed, they grow outward. A person with acromegaly becomes broader, the forehead droops and the teeth widen. It is what Andre the Giant had, and there is some speculation that Abraham Lincoln had it also. It is rare. She also told me that one fourth of the population, when doing an autopsy, have benign brain tumors but acromegaly is very rare.

From here on, everything happened very fast. Al would not let me freak out any longer and my sister, Jackie, even though she lived 1000 miles away came and together the three of us visited the doctor again and started learning about the disease. I needed to have the tumor removed.

I was scared and didn't want it removed. They would not hear of it. It had to be removed.

I called my insurance company and talked to them. I had a PPO at that time and because the insurance company had never heard of acromegaly, and I wanted to go to another state for the operation, I had their approval. Thank you insurance company.

I had a list of 3 doctors that my sister narrowed down for me, and I called them and interviewed them with questions that the doctor wanted me to ask them.
1. How many or these operations do you do a year? (my doctor wanted the operating doctor to do at least 100/per year. The doctor I chose did over 150/year)
2. How many of these operations have you done in your practice? (The doctor I chose did over 1000 of these)
3 What is your success rate? (The doctor I chose had a 98% success rate.)

There were three of us that were being operated on that day. The man had already gone blind and had diabetes from the disease. The young girl already had an unsuccessful operation for this condition and this was her second.

Me. I was very, very, very lucky. My tumor was in the small stage, like 9 mm, and 1 more mm would put it to the next stage, where it is harder to control the disease.

Before I left the hospital, the man could see and his diabetes was no longer. I don't know about the girl, but I heard she was good, and that someday she would be able to have children.

After the operation and I was back home, I could wear my rings, my shoe size went to an 8 wide, and with a bit of time, my face took on its original shape. The only thing that was permanent happened a few years earlier when my upper teeth were pulled because they started to widen and became too loose. Another sign of the disease. By me telling my dentist about this, he has been able to refer another person to an endocrinologist who was also diagnosed with the same disease.

Today, after 17 years, I am good. The disease did give me arthitis (which led to both of my hips being replaced) and sleep apnea and I never had a menopause, but I am good. I take my blood tests once a year. Check my skin on a daily basis (with acromegaly, you can pull your skin on your hand far from its structure). Freak out if I get a headache. And I thank God everyday that I am okay. That today I can live my dream of writing and traveling and doing my crafts.

So, for me, it is very important to know as much as I can about health. I have a lot more living to do, and I want to do it well.

Once again, if you have any question or want some research on a health issue, let me know. I will get you started on your journey of learning more.

Until tomorrow....have a great day!

Magnesium

I keep hearing about magnesium, and I wondered if I needed some in my diet, so I decided to do a research on this supplement.

I have always had muscle cramps in my legs from when I can remember. People have given me their recommendations for relaxing the cramps, such as drink tonic/quinine water, take potassium, or take zinc to name a few. And then there is magnesium.

First let me emphasize that I do not have a medical degree of any form, but I believe that we as owners of our body need to inform our health professional of any ailments and to ask questions. That is the purpose of this research. Will taking magnesium help me or hurt me? I want a good idea before I discuss this with my doctor because I want him to know that I am informed and I do care about this body of mine.

First, there are the questions of what I put in my body and if they are signs that I may be magnesium deficit: (from www.ancient-minerals.com/magnesium-deficiency/
 -- 1. Do I drink a lot of carbonated beverages? NO. I don't think you can count a Sprite once or twice a month as "a lot".
 -- 2. Do I regularly have sweets? YES. I do like my pastries, and chocolate.
 -- 3. Do I have stress in my life? NO.
 -- 4. Have I had a major surgery? NO.
 -- 5. Do I drink caffeinated drinks daily? NO, but I do drink decaffeinated coffee daily.
 -- 6. Do I take drugs such as for the heart or asthma or birth control? NO.
 -- 7. Do I drink more than seven alcoholic drinks a week? NO.
 -- 8. Do I take calcium supplements without magnesium? NO. I do take calcium supplements and they have magnesium.
 -- 9. Do I feel anxious? NO.
 - 10. Do I have a hard time falling asleep? YES or NO when I take a sleep aid, which is mostly all the time.
 - 11. Do I have a hard time staying asleep? YES and sometimes even with the sleep aid.
 - 12. Do I have muscle spasms/cramping? YES, and even as I write this.
 - 13. Do I have fibromyalgia? NO.
 - 14. Do I have facial tics, eye twitches or involuntary eye movements? SOMETIMES.

So, now I see some of the effects of a magnesium deficiency. What else should I know? I think it is important to know the foods high in magnesium. Think high fiber, high magnesium.
 -- 1. Do I eat legumes? NO.
 -- 2. Do I eat green leafy vegetables, especially spinach, broccoli and brussel sprouts? BROCCOLI only, basically, NO
 -- 3. Do I eat nuts, especially almonds? I do eat nuts and almonds, but not much, so this is a qualified NO.
 -- 4. Do I eat potatoes? YES
 -- 5. Do I eat avocado? NO. Never had one.
 -- 6. Do I eat bananas? SOMETIMES.

Basically, then, my body is not getting much magnesium from the foods I eat. There are other foods, such as fortified cereals and milk which I do eat. But from the list above with the highest level of magnesium, I am failing big time.

Benefits of taking magnesium include (according to www.healthremediesjournal.com):
 -- 1. Helps the immune system.
 -- 2. Helps muscles relax (Oh, yes, I want some of that)
 -- 3. Controls inflammation in the body -- I hear more and more about this inflammation in our body and how it may be the culprit of cancer and heart problems.
 -- 4. Helps absorb calcium in the body, and that helps with bones and osteoporosis.
 -- 5. Helps with energy. (Oh, yes, I want some of that)
 -- 6. Helps manage diabetes
 -- 7. Helps manage migraine headaches
 -- 8. Reduces insomnia
 -- 9. Increases flexibility in the body (Oh, yes, I want some of that)
 - 10. Helps neutralize the body's acidity and alkalinity.
 - 11. Prevents constipation.

For me, that means magnesium would help.

Two other sites that I researched are:
www.webmd.com
on the top of the page click drugs and supplements,
then, on left side, click, "Find a Vitamin"
then, on left side, click "magnesium" under top supplements.

this site will give you an overview, uses, side effects, interactions (with drugs), and dosing.

The other site I checked out was the NIH (National Institutes of Health)
Go to:
ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium-Health Professionals/

it has a really good article and lots of good information.

Next time I see my doctor, which will be soon for my yearly physical, I am going to ask him about magnesium. I do think it warrants a discussion and to get his expert advice.

I believe we can not have enough information about medicine and how it affects us. As I said, I am going to talk about health every Monday. If you have a health question, or you just want some research on a topic, let me know, and I will research it for you and write about it, maybe lead you in the right direction.

I am going to continue this health discussion tomorrow and tell you why I think it is so important to know all you can about vitamins, supplements, symptoms and anything to do with health.

Until then...have a great day!