I was nodding off on the couch about four hours ago when I realized my husband was calling to me urgently. “Call 911. Little Girl is having trouble breathing!” I staggered out of the den and ran upstairs. There, my usually calm and collected non-panicking husband was holding my youngest who was indeed having trouble [...]
Category Archive for 'Illness'
Stomach Virus: What You Need to Know
Posted in Health, Illness, Preventative medicine on Feb 21st, 2012
I have a healthy fear of the stomach virus. It’s insanely contagious and, when I get it, I get it BAD. Right now, my entire Facebook news feed is filled with mentions of the disease so I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone what the stomach virus is and how to [...]
BPA: It’s Still Out There
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Environment, Food, Going Green, Health, Illness, parenting, Preventative medicine, Safety, Toxins on Feb 15th, 2012
By now, you’ve probably heard about Bisphenol-A or BPA, a chemical that’s used to manufacture non-rigid polycarbonate plastics such as take-home food containers as well as epoxy resins, found inside cans and the lids of glass bottles. It can also be found in cash register receipts. This week, The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine [...]
The Bathroom Key: A Strong Pelvic Floor
Posted in babies, Birth, Health, Illness, Pregnancy on Feb 2nd, 2012
I just got a review copy of The Bathroom Key, written by Kim Perelli and Kathryn Kassai, a doctor/patient team. Great book, and one that could probably help millions of women. It reminded me of my own experiences. (And made me wonder why I didn’t co-write something like this years ago!) I’ve been a freelance [...]
“Doctor, You’re Lying.”
Posted in Health, Illness, Preventative medicine, Things that make me go hmmm on Jan 11th, 2012
Early in December I was putting out the garbage — barefoot, of course — and the pinky toe on my right foot caught on one of the driveway cobblestones. (Another one of my crazy, wacko injuries like my self-inflicted black eye and toddler-induced cut finger.) With blood pouring out, I hobbled inside, wrapped the wound, [...]
Treating a Fever: Don’t Always Dose
Posted in babies, Health, Illness, parenting, Safety on Dec 9th, 2011
Little Girl was up every few hours on Wednesday night. We thought it was because we took blanka away, but it turns out she was developing a fever. I figured it out after she woke up sobbing at 9:45 a.m. Gathering her into my arms, I realized instantly that she was putting off as much [...]
Vaccines: Make Your Own Schedule
Posted in babies, Health, Illness, parenting, Preventative medicine, Vaccines on Nov 28th, 2011
Today the American Academy of Pediatrics reported on a study (seventh story from the top) — Washington State Pediatricians’ Attitudes towards Alternative Childhood Immunization Schedules — which appears in the December 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the organization’s journal. The study asked 209 Washington State pediatricians about their overall willingness and “comfort” to use an alternative [...]
Fighting a Cold: Food and the Neti
Posted in Eating Healthy, Food, Health, Illness, Preventative medicine on Nov 11th, 2011
Little Girl came home on Monday with her first preschool cold. No sniffles, just a cough. She’s actually really good about covering her mouth with her elbow, but she’s also only three. Sometimes she coughs on Mommy. Yesterday I started getting that tell-tale burning in my sinuses as well as a pain behind my left [...]
This summer was what I will always refer to as the Summer of the Great Cough. Big Girl started coughing on and off all day and night in July and didn’t stop coughing until after labor day. And when I say coughing, I mean COUGHING. Like you have never heard before. Coughing fits that came [...]
A Sympathy Card: Yes, It Means Something
Posted in Emotional development, Friendship, Health, Illness on Sep 9th, 2011
I got a card in the mail today from a neighborhood woman. I told her about the miscarriage when she called to ask me to send out an email for a local organization. At the time, she was so sweet, telling me how sorry she was for our loss. We got off the phone and [...]