ladybuglit

Do you have arthritis?   Do you regularly take a pain reliever or anti-inflammatory over-the-counter (OTC) medication to help relieve arthritis pain and stiffness?   How often do you take the medication? 

     Many people, including myself, are not be aware of the problems that can arise from taking OTC anti-arthritic medications.   I knew that aspirin is a blood thinner and that it can be hard on a person’s stomach.   I did not know that many other common OTC pain relievers,  that are also anti-inflammatory drugs, are also blood thinners and may cause stomach irritation and gastrointestinal bleeding.    Of the following pain relievers: Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, and Aspirin—the only one that is not a blood thinner is Tylenol.   In my opinion, Tylenol, which has the main active ingredient of acetaminophen, does very little for pain or for arthritis relief.    For several years, I took Aleve (two tablets per day in the morning) to relieve arthritis pain and stiffness.  On a recent hospital stay, I had major bleeding problems due to my own ignorance in taking Aleve as often as I did.   I did not know it was an N-SAID and that it does, in fact, thin blood.

N-SAID stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

Some common OTC N-SAID’s are:

     Aleve—active ingredient is naproxen sodium

     Aspirin—active ingredient is acetylsalicylic acid

     Advil—active ingredient is ibuprofen

All of the N-SAID drugs may thin your blood and may cause gastrointestinal problems, including gastrointestinal bleeding.

***Be aware of what medications you are taking and what side effects may result from taking those medications.

In Spokane, we are soon being required to have hands-free cell phone capability while driving.    I found this article on beginning level wireless bluetooth for my Suzuki Aerio 2004.    Sounds like I need to check out some options.

	Hey, CNET, I have to ask because I’m thinking of buying: Is anything better than the Parrot EasyDrive for Bluetooth that stays in the car?	Submitted by: Tiffany, CNET forums

Brian Cooley Editor at large

Tiffany, your question brings up a common misconception. The Parrot EasyDrive you’re considering is actually a removable Bluetooth hands-free adapter that doesn’t have to stay in the car at all; it simply plugs into the cigarette lighter and has no connection to your car audio system. On the other hand,  How useful was this  tip for you?  Very  Somewhat  Not at all View results hands-free kits such as the Parrot CK3100 and the Motorola IHF1000 are actually wired into the car. They have the advantage of integrating your hands-free call into the car stereo for automatic muting when a call comes in and so on. Along with the Parrot EasyDrive, I would also have you look into the Motorola HF820, which is even slicker and smaller. Both are good entry-level hands-free units, but making the right choice will depend on three personal preferences: Do you drive a lot of different cars and value portability? If so, you want a unit such as the Parrot EasyDrive or the Motorola HF820. Do you want something that manages your car stereo during outgoing and incoming calls? If the answer is yes, you want a model such as the Parrot CK3100 or the Motorola IHF1000. Those two things notwithstanding, what’s your budget? The self-installed portable devices I mentioned are around $100. The installed kits are around $200, plus maybe that much again in installation fees at a local stereo shop. Either way, expect to get good call quality unless you drive a noisy sports car or a convertible with the top down. No speakerphone kit I’ve tried works well in those situations.

Preface:     In 1988-89 Washington voters adopted a ballot primary.   The reason behind the vote was that caucuses discriminated against elderly, disabled,  and others.    Today in WA State the political parties decide what if any part of the ballot vote will be used by the delegates to the State and National Conventions.    This year the Republicans have chose 51% of the ballot vote and 49% of the caucus vote will make up the delegate numbers.   The Democratic Party has chosen that none of the ballot vote will effect the delegate numbers.     Political parties can choose to use all of the ballot vote, part of it, or none.      None of the ballot vote discriminates against the same groups of individuals who prompted a primary vote in 1989.      Do the democrats that faithfully filled out their ballots and mailed them in know that their votes don’t count?   The only democratic votes counted were at the caucuses.  I personally would be very angry if I voted and found out that my vote counted for nothing.      One last important question—–Who voted to give political parties the right to decide how the primary votes would be used?      Attached is a link to a document issued by Washinton Secretary of State, Elections Division.    It is a 3 page PDF.     The document fails to state how the parties got complete control of the primary election.  The link is: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/pdf

  Cancer changes everything—and not for the better, obviously.    Once an online quiz determined that I was a 36% control freak; I would have thought that percentage to have been higher.    I tend to micro-manage my life and my family’s lives.    Most of all I want complete control of my body.    Years ago, I decided that drinking alcoholic beverages was not for me because I hated being out of control mentally and physically.  That is just one example of the control issue for me.   Control becomes a moot point where cancer is concerned.   Cancer, and its chemotherapy, have the one and only control over the cancer patient’s bodily functions.    This lesson I learned on September 30, 2007 when I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins large cell lymphoma cancer in all my abdominal lymph nodes and in my bone marrow.

MY DIAGNOSIS:    I was having leg and hip pains.  Doctors tried various treatments and determinations, such as let’s have physical therapy because it seems to be muscles or let’s get an X-ray of the hip because it may be that I needed a hip replacement.   Four months later I was still in pain, but the pain was now excruciating and virtually all over my body.  A quick-witted emergency room doctor determined with tests that I had lymphoma.   I am so grateful that she did find an accurate diagnosis when she did, because I might be gone now if the cancer had continued undiagnosed.   My bone marrow was so impacted with cancer that a marrow biopsy was almost impossible.   It also was one of the most painful procedures I had ever had up to then in my life.  If I ever need another bone marrow biopsy,  I have determined that the doctors will have to render me completely unconscious to do the biopsy or it won’t be done.     After the diagnosis was complete, I became a patient of Cancer Care Northwest.    My oncologist who is a lymphoma specialist among other areas of expertise is Dr. Hakan Kaya.    From the start, Dr. Kaya made it perfectly clear that my lymphoma was treatable, in fact curable, and that in six months I would be an entirely different (and better) person in relation to cancer.    This was way beyond my grasp at the time, because I was so sick.   I was anemic, neutropenic, and had white platelets at 11,000 (the normal range for platelets is 150,000 to 450,000).   Eleven thousand is low; however, I would digress to 5,000 before I was on the road to recovery.

CHEMOTHERAPY:  There are a large number of cancers and an equal number of treatments possible.  There are at least 40 lymphoma cancers and different combinations of therapy for each, sometimes even multiple therapies, including radiation therapy.   In my case  R-CHOP [rituxin, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunomycin, oncovin® (vincristine), and prednisone] was the poison of choice by my oncologist.  I say poison because in effect that is what chemotherapy is and does.   It poisons the cancer and at the same time virtually destroys the patient’s immune system, along with causing disfunction of most other body systems in minor and/or major ways..   Each cancer victim is different; the examples I give are personal to me and may not be indicative of all lymphoma patients. Chemotherapy is every 3 weeks for me.   The nadir (low point at 1.5 weeks) is always the hardest for me; then my body starts slowly rebuilding before the next chemotherapy.

CHEMOTHERAPY CYCLE #1:   This begins in early October with admittance to the hospital, every conceivable test (chest X-ray, CT scan, PET scan, blood work–I had already had an MRI) given, and chemo  round one instituted.   It starts with Rituxin, from which I went into shock, chills, violent shaking, and fear of death.   The chemo nurse did something appropriate, which stops the toxic reaction, and the R-CHOP chemotherapy resumed to conclusion.   I was so sick and so out of it mentally and physically: I was barely drifting in and out of consciousness that I cannot accurately describe what the nurse did or did not do.   I have learned since that a shot of Demerol is given to stem the toxic reaction, so I can only assume that was administered to me.  Possibly also the flow rate of the Rituxin could have been decreased.   The only  real awareness I have of the first few days is one of extreme sickness, horrible nausea and vomiting, a sense of floating in and out of consciousness, a mental condition of praying one moment for wellness and the next moment for death.  I vaguely remember my support squad by my side–my husband and close friends.   At this point it all seems a blur.   I actually went home for about three days, but ended up with low blood counts and fever, which returned me to the hospital for another three weeks’ stay.   This stay included chemotherapy #2 on Halloween–appropriate I thought at the time.

CHEMOTHERAPIES  #2-#6:   I was terrified after chemo #1 that I would have the same toxicity, especailly to the Rituxin.   However, this was not the case.   I had a wonderful chemo nurse who explained so many things to me about lymphoma and chemo, who talked to me through the procedure, who was prepared for any toxic reactions (even though I had no toxic reactions after #1), and who generally held my husband and I together with a gentle, calm voice and demeanor.  To her I am eternally grateful; she has definitely been my guardian angel through multiple stays at the hospital

SUPPORT:    I am at a loss to tell clearly how grateful and appreciative I am of the support I have received from family, friends, and medical personnel.   I believe with all my being that the support is what has truly pulled me through this whole traumatic ordeal.   Without it, I am sure I would not have had the inner strength to survive.  Here are a few examples of my support network.   Enough cannot be said about the greatness of my husband.   He is my rock of 42 years (our 42nd anniversary was in October, while I was in the hospital).   He was with me much of everyday during hospital stays and took care of every single thing home related–cleaning, shopping, laundry, cooking, caring for me, driving me to all appointments, helping me in and out of the car and supporting me physically when I could barely walk, plus many more things I have likely forgotten.   All these things he did with love and kindness, while trying to conceal his own tears and fears that I might not make it.    I am equally blessed with family and friends.    My two grown sons left their  families for a week to hospital-babysit me.    One or the other was with me almost continuously.     It was the most comforting, calming, and wonderfully bonding experience I have probably ever experienced in my life.    I have received equal love and caring, long distance by phone and mail from their wives (my wonderful daughters-in-law) and from their combined ten children, my grandchildren whom I dearly love, too.  I have had local friends with my every week, whether I was home or in the hospital, bringing me care, conversation, love, and attention.     I have even had a close group of three friends drive 300 miles to spend a few days with me.     I am truly blessed.

LOW POINTS, HIGH POINTS, AND SIDE EFFECTS:  Right before and after chemo treatments my blood levels are better, I am feeling stronger, and I tolerate food better.   The mid-cycle (nadir), which is the lowest point for my blood counts and when my immune system is at its very lowest that I am virtually debilitated.   I am weak, food won’t stay down or tastes terrible, and I usually have to go back to the hospital for blood infusions.   The side effects related to food are likely the worst.   Although this aspect is different for each person, foods have tasted yeasty and like rusty metal to me.    The taste thing has gradually improved over time, but has not totally resolved itself.    Also, maybe the hardest side effect to get a handle on is nausea and vomiting.    Each patient has to work diligently with the doctor to find the right single or combination  anti-nausea medications to get the nausea and/or vomiting under control.    From chemo and cancer, along with the side effects, I have lost approximately 50 lbs., which is okay as I needed to lose the weight; however, this is definitely not the weight loss method I would have chosen or that I would recommend to anyone.    Another side effect–not very harmful, but annoying–is hair loss.    Someone said that not all chemo patients have hair loss; I personally think that most do.    Mine came out in globs post Chemo #1.   I have adjusted to the look of baldness and to wearing a head covering to prevent heat loss from my head.   What gave the biggest laugh I have had during this whole ordeal was when I finally started feeling well enough to put on a bit of makeup and realized I only had 3 eyelashes to put mascara on.

REMISSION:   Remission (a complete disappearance of the cancer) is the goal.   My tentative goal date is February 18 when I have a PET/CT Scan to see if the cancer is gone.    Even in remission, I will have at least two more chemotherapy cycles.     All fingers are crossed for good news.

TERMS AND RESOURCES:    Following are definitions of some key terms relevant to cancer and/or chemotherapy.   Also following are resources you may want to check out.

• Anemia:  a decrease in the number of red blood cells and, therefore, a decrease in the ability of the blood to carry oxygen.  Anemia can cause a pale complexion, weakness, fatique, and shortness of breath.
• Biopsy:  a procedure to obtain tissue for diagnosis.
• Bone Marrow:   a spongy tissue in the central cavity of bones that plays a major role in the development of blood cells.
• Lymph Nodes: small structures the size of beans, containing large numbers of lymphocytes and connected to each other by small channels called lymphatics.   These nodes are throughout the body.
• Neutropenia:  A lower than normal number of blood neutrophils, a type of white blood cell.
• Platelets: Small cells (about one-tenth the volume of red blood cells) that stick to the site of blood vessel injury, aggregate with each other, and seal off the injured blood vessel to stop bleeding.

 Resources:   

• The Lymphomas.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 2006.
• Holman P, Garret J, Jansen W.  100 Questions and Answers about Lymphoma.  Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 2004.
• Cancer Care Northwest: Hakan Kaya, M.D.   Medical Oncologist/Hematologist; Director Inland Northwest Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program; Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine.                                 

Addendum:   February 21–Complete Remission; the cancer is gone.     The chemotherapy cycles and tests are not done.

• Required at least two more chemotherapy cycles
• Required outpatient surgery to do bone marrow biopsy #2; to verify that cancer is no longer in the bone marrow.
• Required for three years:   PET/CT Scans and follow-up doctor appointments every three months.
• Required for years three-five:  PET/CT Scans and follow-up doctor appointments every six months.
• If cancer remains clear for five years, the patients no longer has tests or doctor visits.

     UHM !!  Albers or Rex?   Which one gains your consumer attention?

Fading Faces of Spokane

Driving north on Division, I notice mega billboards of advertising.    Driving downtown, I notice an odd mix of new construction and old building demolition.   Some of the new construction, such as the American West Bank Building on Browne, blends with the flavor of “old Spokane”.

                                                                                           Maybe so much building and road destruction and/or construction , plus sitting so long for a flagman to signal me on, has got me noticing other changes in downtown Spokane— many changes are actually vanishing fragments of what Spokane once was.       In contrast to advertising on North Division, which zings out in bright colors and clear messages—Verizon Wireless or Grand Opening-University Appliance–downtown buildings hold faded advertising images of bygone days.  Long-standing buildings still bear painted advertisements on their brick facades of competing advertisers from the post World War II era.  Hotels, such as the Globe Hotel [on Division and Riverside], boasted their rates and accommodations—

GLOBE HOTEL 75¢ AND UP STEAM HEAT HOT & COLD WATER IN EVERY ROOM PRIVATE BATHS-TELEPHONES

       A block away another hotel claims 50¢ rooms with similar amenities.    The Davenport Hotel at this time had rooms for $2.50.   The Davenport, clearly the most magnificent hotel in Spokane and world renowned, as well, closed its doors in 1985. [The Davenport was later resurrected and completely restored to its former grandeur by Walt & Karen Worthy in 2002 at a cost of $38 million].   I am fairly certain it costs a bit more than $2.50 now to stay in any of the downtown hotels.

Within one block are competing advertising signs for Henry George 5¢ Cigars and La Azora Very Mild Cigars.  Henry George was a line of 5¢ cigars produced by the Consolidated Cigar Corp. of  New York.  La Azora Opera Cigars were made by Lilienfeld Bros.

Who was Henry George?

Henry George was a printer and politician in New York. During his lifetime he became the third most famous man in the United States, only surpassed by Thomas Edison and Mark Twain. This image (from a Henry George Cigar box) reflects George’s fame at the time of his run for Mayor of New York in 1886 (and later in 1897). Henry George outpolled a young Theodore Roosevelt, but lost to political machine Democrat Abraham Hewitt. The rooster was Henry George’s campaign icon, and his slogan was “The democracy of Thomas Jefferson”. The cigars bearing his likeness were advertised “for men”; however, George was in fact an outspoken advocate for women’s suffrage.

Within a several block range are competing grain product icons—Rex Flour, Albers Oats, Albers Flour, and Nabisco SnowFlake Saltines.  Although Rex Flour is long gone, Albers and Nabisco products still exist today.  Presently I have Albers Corn Meal and Nabisco Saltines in my pantry.    Facing buildings on Browne and Main tout CocaCola on one side and Squirt on the other side.  In 1886 when John S. Pemberton, an Atlanta, GA, pharmacist, developed Coca-Cola, it was speculated that it was a “cure all” potion rather than a soft drink.  By the 1960’s it was easily the most purchased soft drink.  Squirt, a grapefruit citrus drink, made its debut in 1938, but it was never a viable contender against “Coke”.

            It won’t be long before the advertising images are gone forever.   Maybe that’s not a bad thing.   Some downtown building owners have started painting murals on the upper building faces.  A mural is certainly a pleasant improvement over the tobacco advertising next to it.

The demise of building advertising  from 30-40-50 years ago is not only apparent in Spokane.    It can be seen in towns across Washington and likely in cities across America.    An age has ended and change is evident everywhere.

“Please connect me to Main 327, Operator.”

Oh, how telephone communication has changed!     This year marks my forty second year in Washington—most of them spent right here in Spokane. My husband has been here even longer—born and raised in Spokane.    Recently I was communicating with one son in Seattle and another son in Medford, OR.   Most of the communication was done without the use of our land telephone.   Most was broadband email or instant messaging and/or cell phone calls, all without the use of a regular  telephone line hookup.   While emailing, my mind drifted into remembrances of past telephone calling—KEystone 5-8734.   Whatever happened to word prefixes on phone numbers?   When did all that end? I remembered my grandmother saying their only phone number was 3 digits.   When were there only three digits? How has the phone system changed in Spokane, especially in the last 40 years?

        In 1884 Charles Baker started the first telephone line in Washington, from Colfax to Almota.   The system expanded rapidly, establishing exchanges for Spokane and Coeur d’Alene.   In 1889 all systems in Eastern Washington were consolidated under the title of Inland Telephone and Telegraph Company of Spokane. Inland Telephone and Telegraph became part of the Bell System, Pacific States Telephone, officially in 1905.   In 1915 American Telephone & Telegraph Company [AT&T] opened the first transcontinental telephone line which connected up with the Pacific Telephone subsidiary.  In 1960 Pacific Telephone changed its name to Pacific Northwest Bell and remained the Spokane telephone service provider for almost 25 years.   As part of the Bell Telecommunications System [A T&T] and its divestiture on January 1, 1984, Pacific NW Bell and two other Bell Systems, Mountain Bell and North Western Bell, became one system [a part of seven Regional Bell Operating Systems (RBOC)] managed by US West.   Finally US West merged with Qwest in 2000.

       In 1898, Washington’s phone system connected 265 towns. In Spokane, all calls were operator assisted. Phone numbers were two or three digits along with an exchange name, such as Main, East, West, Black, or Red.   In 1902 the Spokane Telephone Directory covered five counties—Spokane, Stevens, Lincoln, Adams, and Ferry—and consisted of an exchange prefix, plus three or four digits.   By 1950 Spokane had 11 different exchanges, each followed by 4 digits. By 1960 Spokane added six new exchanges to the previous 11 and each exchange prefix was followed by 5 digits. 1972 was the last year for letter exchange prefixes.   In 1973 all Spokane numbers were seven digits.

Barren winter tree, all alone,     Robbed of summer green. Now an armored scraggy bark     Silently protests the brazen snow and cold. The fall of life stole your emerald crown     And slowly, one by one, tore your leafy coat apart. Now you must quietly ward off bitter wind and frost     That rips at your hide to reach an inner sappy soul. Dreary, dying outward farce     Deceivingly conceals a warming, springlike growth, Longing to burst forth.     Waiting seems an endless time. Winter cloaks your bland brown body,     Icy fingers tickle your spine, Sending chills from frozen trunk to an apex of knarled twigs.     Frost girths your scaley hulk holding in a future warmth. Spring will welcome your budding anew.     But now you’re etched on a timeless, bleak existence. . . Shades of grey against a whited sky.                                                                 by Nella Rice                                                                                 

Difference prevails today.

For men to help with the dishes

And women to drive trucks,

Men still see no dirt in corners.

No need to regularly check auto oil.

Women still see raised toilet seats,

No need to dress for dinner.

And still women do women’s work.

And still men do men’s work.

Change rarely changes completely.

Nella Rice. Communicator, 1989