How to Deal with your Tension

This is my contribution to your effort in finding a way to deal with the stresses that come with a chronic illness. 


Sometimes, it's a metter of relaxation..  Give this guided meditation a try.

Some Doctor’s Don’t Listen!

Could this be true? Surely medical schools teach that LISTENING is an important part of the doctor/patient relationship, yet too often I find some don’t listen.



Usually it’s the overconfident ones who have the most difficulty with this skill. They are usually the ones who’ve been in practice for 10 years or more.


Typically, when I’m in the hospital, the listening-challenged doctor will grandiosely waltz into my room followed by his/her learning-underling-doctors gesturing wildly, explaining, in-depth, my condition, while incorrectly finishing my sentences for me.


I have found younger doctors are usually better listeners. In fact, they want to hear everything!


They’ll ask for family history, for instance, and show interest in my great-aunt’s history of chronic in-grown toe nails!


Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying: Can’t we strike a happy medium?


Here’s my solution: Sometimes, I wait till the listening-challenged doctor is alone, or I call him/her aside to explain a situation. This way they don’t have the influence of their entourage (whom they often feel a need to impress) to diminish said listening ability.


Often I find this is necessary when conflicts become apparent between actual facts and what the doctor believes are facts. Doctor’s don’t like to have their facts corrected by lowly patients in the presence of their subordinate peers.


Once, for example, I tried telling the doctor the dosage of medications I was given on a previous hospital admission. Did he listen? No, he seemed to ignore my information. I suggested he look at my last admission records, which he did not do. He started me out on a much lower dose of the medicine which meant I spent much longer in the hospital the second time.


Staying longer in the hospital is a waste of time, space, and money!


What are your experiences of doctors? I’ll post all “clean” comments.

Are high-protein diets bad for your colon?

News Story By Amy Norton
NEW YORK | Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:42pm EDT
(Reuters Health) - The high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets many people turn to for weight loss might have potentially harmful long-term effects on the colon, a small study hints.


In a study of 17 obese men, UK researchers found that a protein-heavy, low-carb diet created certain changes in the colon that could, over time, contribute to colon cancer risk.


The study looked only at short-term shifts in certain compounds that are byproducts of metabolism, and not actual disease risk. So it does not show whether high-protein diets really raise the risk of any colon diseases.

But the findings raise that possibility, the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition…. READ FULL STORY
__________________________
MY COMMENTS:


After I read this, I wondered why they published this study at all. Only 17 people were studied, they were obese to begin with, and the report even indicates it “…does not show whether high-protein diets really raise the risk” of cancer.


How high protein diets may affect folks like us who have hypoproteinemia, I’m not sure.


I can say I’m prepared to keep on a high protein diet because not having enough, I think, is worse than having too much.


The above news headline came from the news-headlines links located in the right hand column of this page. Please bookmark this page, and come back often to check them out.

Back to the Hospital I Go!

That's right.  Tomorrow I'll be heading back to the hospital to get rid of some fluid.

My fluid (edema) is VERY pronounced now, and I probably should have gone in last Tuesday instead of putting it off like I did.

So, I'll be out of pocket for a while.  Please enjoy the news headlines in the right hand column, and feel free to visit some of my other blogs while I'm gone.

See you soon.

6 Tips for Limiting Salt (Sodium) Intake from Food

People with hypoproteinemia are encouraged to restrict sodium intake.  That said, life can be pretty dull eating food that is almost tasteless.

Here are some suggestions that might help you restrict your salt intake.

1.  Use fruits to flavor foods.  That’s right!  Lemons, limes, apple, pear, grapes, oranges, can creatively give your meals flavor without an addition of salt.

2. You might try a product called Salt Sense”.  I use this.  This product is salt, but the crystals are shaped differently (if my understanding is correct) that doesn’t allow as many particles per given area to occupy.  With Salt Sense, It looks like I’m shaking a lot of salt to my food (when I use it) but actually it’s a little.

3.  Salt substitutes:  This is a well known tip.  Mrs. Dash and others can help season food with little salt.

4.  Don’t add Salt to cooked food.  This is probably where many people can save on the most salt intake.  It is very easy to attain a daily allowance of sodium with just a few shakes of the shaker.

5.  Read labels. I use a lower sodium hot sauce, for instance.  I always choose the tortilla chips with the least salt. 

6.  Be Mindful!  Remember all packaged foods have added salt unless otherwise indicated.  Salt intake, if not monitored, can accumulate quickly.

High salt intake by people with low serum protein, low Albumin (hypoalbuminemia) can cause a marked increase in edema.  This is medically undesirable and personally uncomfortable; even painful.