I am a 53 yr old woman, and I have 2 adult children. I live in North Carolina, but was raised in Massachusetts. I am a RN, licensed initially in MA, now in NC. Currently I work as a QA Analyst for Allscripts in their Canopy division.
My daughter, Laura is 25 and lives about 3 hrs away in the NC mountains. She goes to school up there, and is paying for everything herself. She's a great kid, and seems to really have her head on straight. She went through the normal nasty period, but she's pulled herself together and knows what she wants from life. Update on my daughter is that she is now engaged to a wonderful man, Chris. It will still be a while before she graduates and they set a date, but I'm thrilled for her.
My son, Brian, is 22 and still lives at home. He was out of work recently after an auto accident, but is doing great now. His plan is/was to move out to live with a friend in about 4-6 months. Now, that's all up in the air. My son is still "adjusting" to independence. He's a wonderful person, everyone likes him, and he's a hard worker. He just doesn't seem to have any serious plans for his future. He had been progressing in that area prior to the accident, but now everything is on hold. An update on Brian is good. Since he's been back to work he's doing much better. His mood has improved and he's been a great help to me lately.
I started a blog to help myself stick with a low carb lifestyle as well as to help educate others in areas that I am passionate about.
I am very opinionated, and can be considered abrasive, but my beliefs are the result of much soul searching as well as extensive research. I am more than willing to listen to other's opinions, but I don't like to be "lectured", especially when they have their facts wrong or can't back up their opinion. I have hundreds of documents that I have read through. There are several very intelligent people that I hold in high regard and continuously access them for information. Some of these are listed in my links (I'm working on updating that).
I was born in Massachusetts in 1954. I was the youngest of 4 children....yep, the baby! I have an older sister, who is in fact a half-sibling. She's 13 yrs older than me and was a second mother when I was little. I had an older bother, also a half-sibling, who was killed in an auto accident at the age of 24. I also have another older brother, a full-sibling, who is 3 yrs older than me. I have not had any contact with this brother in over 9 yrs (his choice, not mine).
My sister and brother are both diabetics. My sister also has high BP and is being treated for high cholesterol. My dad had high BP which caused a hemorrhagic stroke and died at age 69 from prostate cancer. My mom had high BP and died at age 76 from lung cancer. Neither parent had any signs of heart disease. (In fact, there is NO heart disease except 1 case of viral cardiomyopathy in my entire family)
Back in 1997, 2 years after my mom passed, I packed up my kids and relocated to North Carolina. At the time it was simply because I wanted to move, and didn't like my choices in MA. I chose NC because of the employment opportunities and the number of excellent state schools available. I wanted an area in the south because I'd had it with winters and snow in MA. I hate being cold, and just couldn't handle the winters. Also, I lived, except for when I was in nursing school, within a 10 mile radius of the house I grew up in.
After moving to NC I found that doctors here are different. Maybe it was just the changes that were going on....I was without a doc for almost a year when I first arrived.....and maybe it's because I'm into a major medical complex....but docs and procedures are different here.
Back in MA, I was being treated for several things, and I was doing well. I have GERD with hiatal hernia, esophageal strictures and esophageal spasm. I also have arthritis, degenerative, in my neck and lower back. This is due to years of working as a nurse.
I have always had a lot of respect for medical professionals, feeling very strongly, that the good professionals are by far the majority.
I no longer feel that way. I now feel that the majority of docs are just treating and prescribing according to the "standards of care" without question or consideration of the individual. Yes, there are exceptions, but I feel that most are, for whatever reason, simply going from one patient to the next asking a few questions, half listening to the answers, and then prescribing drugs as the first choice or treatment.
A few years back, I willingly took a prescription medication for "high cholesterol" without question. Several month later, when I was in a severe depression with muscle and joint pain and memory loss, I stopped the med and started investigating.
Since that time, I have read hundreds of articles on the Internet and several books. The subjects include diabetes, cholesterol, fats, carbohydrates, prescription medications. I have also read articles and studies on treatment protocols. Additionally I work for a company that has developed software to track "Quality Management" parameters.
I have started following a low carb plan, and while I still have problems with binge eating, I can say my health has improved tremendously. I have been able to stop all but 3 of my medications (I was on an average of 6-8 prescriptions for the better part of 20 years). I have less pain and discomfort from my arthritis, and fewer episodes of stomach problems.
Things have been by no means quiet. I have recently had a hysterectomy with bladder suspension for uterine prolapse, stress incontinence, and pelvic pain. I also had a thyroglossal cyst removed. Currently I going through a rule out protocol for questionable areas in my lungs. So far, all looks good. I have also had several bouts of diverticulitis, so far all fairly mild and treatable with oral antibiotics.
I still have problems with GERD et all, and probably will all my life. I have done a lot of damage over the years and will never have a "normal" esophagus. I still have trouble with stress incontinence, although now it's due to bladder spasms related to the surgery. I am also taking HRT. I have had severe reactions to the loss of 1 ovary and the failure of the other. I take bio identical estrogen in the form of the patch.
I still feel that there is a lot that the medical profession has to offer. And there are many wonderful new pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Unfortunately, I feel very strongly that too many are not seriously looking into these drugs, devices, and treatments. Too many people are given drugs to control diseases and conditions that can also be treated with lifestyle changes. Too many people are given procedures and/or had devices implanted when there is little or no evidence that they are doing any good. Too many people are being treated like just another case....another body with some disease or condition. Too many people are getting minimal care, disjointed care, uninformed care, and inappropriate care. (Too many getting NO care too, but that's another topic)
My mission with my blog, is to track myself in my progress and my problems. My mission is also to link to articles, blogs, sites that I find are interesting, informative, and helpful. These sites, of course, will reflect my opinions on diet, activity and lifestyles, and medical issues.
I am doing this to not only help myself, but also to help educate.
If at any time you have comments to make, please feel free to do so. If you disagree with me, please include any data you have to back up your beliefs.