There’s an old saying that goes something like this: If you tell children, “Don’t put peas in your ears, they’ll put peas in their ears.” Supposedly putting the idea in their heads makes them want to do it.
We never had a problem with our first three kids putting things in their ears or their noses. Our fourth child, Suzee, was another story.
When she was two, I packed raisins in her lunch all the time. Below is a note I received from her preschool teacher one day.
It reads: “Suzee put raisins up her nose today. I got all I could see and checked her through the day. I haven’t seen anymore. But please check her at home to make sure.” Signed by Ms. Anna
George and I thought it was funny, but we didn’t think she’d do it again. “Didn’t think” being the key words here. She put raisins up her nose two more times at preschool.
The third time, Ms. Gayle, the preschool director said, “Mrs. Kelley, could you please stop packing raisins in Suzee’s lunch? They keep sending her to me and it’s hard to get them out.”
Miss Gayle was very sweet about it, so of course I agreed to put an end to the raisins.
Not too long after that, while at home Suzee stuck a rubber eraser that had broken off the end of a pencil up her nostril. I tried pushing on it gently to work it out, but it didn’t help.
What to do? What to do? I wasn’t comfortable sticking tweezers up her nose.
I grabbed my purse and keys. “Looks like we need to see the doctor.”
She started wailing. “No, no, I don’t want to go to the doctor!” She cried so hard, her nose ran. Lo and behold, the eraser slid right out.
That was a lucky break. We got off easy that time. It’s funny after the fact. I’ve had plenty of laughs about this through the years and even wrote a speech for Toastmasters about it, so how cool is that?
What are your thoughts? Were you a kid who put things in your ears or nose, or do you know any kids who did? Are you always ready for something unexpected to occur? Are you familiar with Toastmasters?
I’d love to hear from you.
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Part 1 of Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease covered a major study published in the Journal of New England Medicine, which revealed fascinating findings about certain leisure activities that reduce our risks of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
As if playing board games, reading, engaging in small detail crafts, learning a new skill, or learning to play a musical instrument didn’t offer a nice variety of choices to help ward off Alzheimer’s, the number one biggie turned out to be dancing, specifically ballroom dancing.
The rapid-fire response required for following a partner while engaging in ballroom dancing seems to explain why it’s so good for our brains. Changing partners also helps because we have to adjust to dancing with a different person.
Dancing is my passion, and I’d love to learn ballroom dancing someday, but first I need to focus on the beginning tap dance class I signed up for two weeks ago.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
In Part 1, creative thinking and decision making are also listed as being helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Here’s another activity I was thrilled to learn can help fight Alzheimer’s. A November 12, 2013 article in the Daily Newsreporteda four-month study done at a care facility showed singing helped fight dementia. Basically, singing favorites like show tunes in The Wizard of Oz, Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, and more.
That article is more than four years old, yet most people I know have never heard about singing being helpful in fighting dementia. I hope you will share this knowledge with others.
A little bird told me . . .
Below is a YouTube video with the song Summer Nights, one of my favorites from the movie Greece. It’s got the lyrics, so sing along and learn the words if you don’t already know them. Learning new songs is going to pay off for you in the long run.
If you don’t like to sing or you think you can’t sing, don’t let that stop you. Sing in your car or when you’re alone, or sing in a soft voice. Just sing in some way, somehow, in whatever creative way you can come up with to overcome your first inclination to poo-poo this idea.
Patients with moderate to severe dementia showed far more improvement over those who only listened to the songs.
According to Jane Flinn, a scientist who participated in the study, “Even when people are in the fairly advanced stages of dementia, when it is so advanced they are in a secure ward, singing sessions were still helpful.
“The message is: don’t give up on these people. You need to be doing things that engage them, and singing is cheap, easy and engaging.”
Image courtesy of Pixabay
I agree. Singing is a sweet, pleasant way for those who suffer Alzheimer’s or dementia to reconnect with something from their past. Singing a favorite song learned earlier in life seemed to ignite hidden memories in those patients.
An article in the August 31, 2016 issue of Daily Mail by Neuropsychologist Catherine Loveday coverswhy SINGING can help battle dementia. “Could music provide an important channel of communication when so many other abilities are failing?
“The surprising thing about music is that, contrary to popular belief, we don’t actually learn songs particularly easily. However, once those memories are formed, they become exceptionally robust and easily accessible.”
The article also states, “Jorn-Henrick Jacobsen and his colleagues found that memories of old songs activate very specific areas of the brain.”
All this information is interesting and inspiring to me. It gives me hope that we can take action to fight these brain-destroying diseases. So, singing and dancing can help me prevent Alzheimer’s? Twist my arm! Haha!
Have fun while fighting Alzheimer’s! Who woulda thunk?
This is me when I’m 120 years old after singing and dancing my way through the second half of life.
More fun: In case the song Summer Nights in the above video isn’t one you care to learn, perhaps this one will appeal to you, Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World.
If this song isn’t for you, go on YouTube and find some videos of songs you’d like to learn, then sing your heart out.
My grandmother never sang. It seems at some point in her life someone told her she couldn’t sing, so she stopped. As a kid, I wouldn’t have cared if she could carry a tune. It would have been fun to sing with her. I love to sing with my grand darlings.
Confession Time
I can’t sing so great myself. My own kids used to tell me I couldn’t sing. Too bad for them because I kept singing anyway!
Keep on singing!
Another activity which may prevent Alzheimer’s is juggling. If you want to learn to juggle, read my post on the Benefits of Juggling.
Image courtesy of Mohamed Hassan at Pixabay
According to the January 2004 issue of Nature magazine, juggling increases gray matter. Just practicing the movements improves your brain and coordination even before you succeed.
Good News For Pets
A comment from Amy Shojai, CABC in response to Part 1 said, “Interestingly, the same precautions reduce the risks for dogs and cats! (my area of expertise *s*) Practicing mind-stimulating games like tricks, or having cats ‘hunt’ for their hidden bowl of kibble, keeps their brains nimble. And…maybe music (since my dog used to howl when I sang or played my instruments, LOL!).”
Isn’t that neat? Thanks for sharing that with us, Amy.
This is an ongoing series, so as I find more info, I’ll write about it. There are some foods that are good for the brain, so we’ll cover those in a future Health & Wellness Wednesday post.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you like to sing? What’s your favorite song? Do you know someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia? Do you know how to juggle?
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Do you like retro jewelry? If you do, then you’re in for a treat. I’m going to show you pieces of retro jewelry I found at an estate sale.
I was looking for pieces of jewelry to use for my altered art projects, but after going through them and trying them on, some aren’t as bad as I thought.
Some are actually cute in an ugly sort of way!
My Mom watched some of the videos, and she told me, “You sure got a lot of ugly jewelry, Lynn!”
I laughed. “Yep, I sure did.”
Do you think this is ugly?
I’m taking a vote to see which piece is the ugliest. Actually, I already tagged one particularly gaudy piece as the booby prize. That one is in Part 5 of the videos, I believe. It’s so strangely ugly, it deserves to have a video made about it all by itself.
Perhaps I’ll do that, make a short video about that one necklace, made out of some hard plastic or resin. I don’t know. It might make a good writing prompt, too, for anyone who wants to work on a creative writing piece.
Wow, that’s a lot of beads
Holy cow! It’s falling apart before your very eyes!
This one will go into the pile of craft supplies.
Yep, this will make a nice border for a decorative box.
Beads, beads, beads galore!
White tiny-beaded, multi-strand necklace
Bangle bracelets
Bangles bangles bo bangles
Banana-fana fo fangles
Me my mo mangles
Bangles!
Yea or nay?
Wooden beads
So, dear peeps, what’s the verdict? Good taste? Bad taste? Do you think one of these pieces qualifies for an “Ugly” vote?
Would you wear any of these? I’m not talking about for Halloween. I mean for reals. I’d say the bangles are decent and practical and light weight, so they’d be comfortable to wear, except for three of them, which are too heavy for me.
I kind of like the yellow necklace pictured at the top of the post. Just need to find the right top or dress to wear it with. Not sure I could find earrings to match, though.
That concludes my Retro Jewelry Haul Part 1. I hope you found it entertaining.
What are your thoughts? Do you like retro jewelry? Men, would you want to give your wife, mother, daughter, or annoying coworker any of these pieces? Do you prefer expensive jewelry?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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“When humor goes, there goes civilization.” ~Erma Bombeck
In an article titled You’re Not Laughing Enough and That’s No Joke, Therapist Pamela Gerloff stated, “The average four-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old? Only four.”
I’m on a mission to help change that.
Light-hearted moments – we all need more, for sure.
Here’s a conversation between my nephew Corey and his four-year-old son:
Corey: Quit messing around and get ready for bed.
Son: Hey, I was born ready.
Corey: I SAID QUIT … wait, what? Where did you hear that?
Son: I don’t know, probably Youtube.
Corey:
The other day, four-year-old granddaughter Ninja Doll (my nickname for her) tried to pull a fast one on her mom:
Ninja Doll (whining): MOM! I have a tummy ache, so I n-e-e-e-e-d a marshmallow! #nothappening
Haha! Good try, Ninja Doll.
Next, one of my favorite parenting stories. It falls into the embarrassing-moments-in-parenting category.
Caution: If you blush easily, you might want to skip this one.
Little Miss Sassy Pants a year or two after the shopping trip.
Ginger: “Ah … kids! Being embarrassed by them in public is part of a parent’s initiation to the big leagues.
“I was shopping with my very young daughter who was in the early stages of talking. I took her temperature that morning and announced she was running a fever, low-grade, no big deal. Off to the store we go.
“In the feminine product aisle (no less!) we pass two senior citizen women who smiled at my daughter and exclaimed how cute she was.
“My darling daughter announced in an alarmingly articulate manner, ‘I have a beaver.’
“No amount of shh’ing or repeating ‘fever’ would stop her from telling everyone about her beaver. Then she asked for a Dora balloon, the one with a dick.
“STICK, honey, a stick.
“Yes, I want it with the dick.”
*Sigh*
Did you blush? There are plenty of embarrassing moments while raising kids. Believe me, I’ve had many. I’ll share the ones I remember in future posts.
“I take a very practical view of raising children. I put a sign in each of their rooms: ‘Checkout Time is 18 years.”
~ Erma Bombeck
Those 18 years zip by at light speed, but then the grandkids and more nieces and nephews come along to keep us young at heart.
Can you relate to any of these conversations? Do you have some of your own you’d like to share, either as a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, teacher, or from your own childhood?
Do you have any tooth fairy stories? Any amusing anecdotes while shopping with kids?
I’d love to hear from you.
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Recent studies show Alzheimer’s disease may soon outpace heart disease.
Do you find that information as alarming as I do? Has Alzheimer’s or dementia affected someone you know?
A Recent Study on Preventing Alzheimer’s
Presently, there’s no known cure. However, a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported there are things we can do to help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia:
“Among leisure activities, reading, playing board games, playing musical instruments, and dancing were associated with a reduced risk of dementia.”
Photo: Courtesy of Bernard-Verougstraete at Pixabay
I find this info absolutely amazing and exciting. So, we don’t have to engage in tortuous, mind-bending exercises in order to lower our risks for developing Alzheimer’s. By participating in fun, stress-relieving activities, we may be able to ward off the stinking, heart-breaking, brain-erasing disease.
Photo: Courtesy of Stevepb at Pixabay
Now, doesn’t that make you want to get up and do a happy dance?
Image courtesy of Pixabay
More Good News
An article in Getting Healthier titled How Dancing Can Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease addresses how creative thinking and making decisions helps improve memory and brain function. Here are some recommendations it lists for activities that involve creative thinking:
Ballroom dancing
Crossword puzzles
Sudoku
Reading
Learning a foreign language
Small detail crafts such as needlework, knitting and sewing
Cooking classes and practice? Ugh, not my cup of tea, but I may have to get back into the kitchen. Once upon a time, I used to bake very cool and delicious dishes and desserts.
Dancing Rocks
Another stellar article I found is titled Dancing Makes You Smarter, Longer. It’sfrom Stanford (link is listed below) and it discusses that same study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
The article states “One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits, of course, but the focus of this study was the mind.
“There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.
Reading – 35% reduced risk of dementia
Bicycling and swimming – 0%
Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week – 47%
Playing golf – 0%
Dancing frequently – 76%. That was the greatest risk reduction of any activity studied, cognitive or physical.”
According to Juliette Siegfried, Master of Public Health, “Improvements to cognitive function occur when we learn something new, something we haven’t done before. The dancers in the recent study who showed the most resistance to dementia practiced what is referred to as freestyle social dancing – foxtrot, waltz, swing, tango, and Latin dance.”
Image courtesy of Pixabay
This is great news for me since dancing is my favorite form of exercise. I usually dance at home while I’m cleaning.
Image: Courtesy of Mohamed Hassan at Pixabay
Senior Center
Last week I started a beginner’s tap dance class at a local senior citizen center. Anyone 50 and over qualifies as a senior. For $3.00 a lesson, you can’t beat that.
While it may not be ballroom dancing, I’ll still learn new skills by taking tap. My senior center offers ballroom dancing classes, too. I guess I could sign up by myself, but I’d rather take it with George. Dancing is not his passion, though.
Talent is Not Required
Image: Courtesy of ErikaWittlieb at Pixabay
Unfortunately, dancing is not appealing to many men. However, it goes without saying we do not have to be talented as far as doing those recommended leisure activities in order to improve our memories and lower our risk of getting dementia or Alzheimer’s. We reap the benefits throughout the process of learning new skills.
So, regardless of having two left feet, no rhythm, no experience in dancing or doing those other activities, our brains still improve.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Experts suggest we start doing these activities now and keep doing them frequently.
Loved Ones Affected by Alzheimer’s
My father has had slow progressing Alzheimer’s for years. He’s physically fit and at almost 85 years old plays tennis two or three times a week. Dad used to do crossword puzzles every day, which should have lowered his risk by 45% according to that study. And, man, can he dance.
Mom and Dad a week before their 65th anniversary
So, why did he get this dreaded disease? My hunch is his diet has contributed to his Alzheimer’s. Although I can’t prove it, there are plenty of unhealthy additives in processed foods and beverages, so we’ll address nutrition and healthy eating in future posts.
Part 2 will cover another fun activity which is helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s, plus it helps people who already have it.
What are your thoughts? Are you familiar with this study? Do you participate in any of those leisure activities? Are there any new ones that sound appealing to you?
I’d love to hear from you.
Please share this valuable information with others. Let’s spread the good news.
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I’m flabbergasted over how many years ago I signed up for Katie Davis’ Video Idiot Boot Camp, aka VIBC. Looks like it was in 2013. The years have passed at warp speed.
Although I’ve made lots of other videos, the Welcome Video was challenging. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to say so I kept putting it off. Four and a half years later. . . here it is!
Maybe I’m not a vidiot (Katie’s term) anymore, but I am a tech idiot, so making this video was not a piece of chocolate cake with cherries on top.
Using a green screen for the VIBC course wasn’t a requirement. Far from it, but I seem to have a knack for making things more complicated than they need to be.
Special Video Effects in iMovie
When I upgraded to Mac’s Yosemite (I believe that’s the version), they changed iMovie. I had to relearn the basics, but as far as the special effects like green screens, I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Finally, maybe nine months later, I found a tutorial on YouTube showing me how to add advanced special effects: the green screen effect, picture in a picture, and split screen.
My laptop is old, so the green screen effect only worked when it wanted to. Some of my clips were successful with the green screen background and others wouldn’t work no matter how many different things I tried, yet they worked if I used them to do a split screen effect:
Split screen effect in iMovie
You may wonder why the green screen looks yellowish in some of the frames. It must be the lighting. The same green felt fabric was used for all the clips.
Split screen in iMovie
Or picture in a picture:
Picture in picture special effect in iMovie
Green Screen Wouldn’t Work Every Time
No way was the green screen going to cooperate with certain clips, so I ended up detaching the audio and I used the sound clips with photo or video clips for the background.
Some of the still photos wouldn’t work either, so that limited my choices. In the spots where I added a few different photos, all that showed up was a black screen. I had to delete them and try another photo. Some worked and others didn’t. Trial and error.
Photo isn’t showing up, just a black screen
Lighting is something I struggle with, despite watching tutorials on YouTube and reading various articles. Wearing eyeglasses makes it especially tricky with the way lighting throws shadows on one’s face.
After recording clips for the Welcome Video, I was up until 3:00 a.m. editing it and uploading it to YouTube. The next morning at a writers’ meeting, Maria Cisneros Toth, fellow writer and YouTuber, asked if I wanted an honest critique on the video. Of course. I appreciated her feedback. Basically, it fell flat. Those are my words, not hers.
When I got home, I redid the video and used some of the other clips, which were “snappier” as Maria later told me. I thought so, too, so this is the version I’m keeping. For now. It’s at the top of the sidebar, on my “About” page, and above in this post.
Learn From My Mistakes
Despite the challenges, I’ll continue my quest to conquer the green screen effect, and I’ll share my mistakes with others so they don’t run into the same problems.
You can learn from my blunders in the video below, “Green Screen Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make.”
This is from Christmas Day 2013. I set up this hokey green screen at my sister’s, although I didn’t think it was hokey at the time. For my green background, I used felt fabric, which I found on sale for less than $1.99 a yard. It’s very wide, so it was a good deal.
It took a couple of hours to set it up, way more hassle than I bargained for, and I was sweating by the time I was done.
As it turned out, my bright idea wasn’t so great. In this video, I highlight the worst mistakes made that day.
Family members were good sports and donned some of the funky costumes I provided. Great fun. Preserving these memories was well worth the effort that went into making them, even if they’re imperfect.
The quest to conquer the green screen effect shall continue, along with the quest to figure out lighting, angles, and important details like keeping my finger off the microphone so the sound isn’t muffled when using my iPad.
Image: Courtesy of cripi at Pixabay
It’s time for a refresher on the basics of making good videos, so I’ll review the VIBC course. I need to step things up, especially since I’m building up my YouTube channel LynnKelleyAuthor. Am having a blast with it.
What are your thoughts? Do you like to make videos? Have you tinkered with iMovie, Movie Maker, or other video editing software? Are you tech savvy?
I’d love to hear from you.
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Do misunderstandings with kids ever surprise you? Delight you?
For instance, about a week ago, this conversation took place between my six-year-old grandson, Grasshopper, and his dad:
Grasshopper: Tobacco is free at my school.
His father: No son, your school is a “tobacco-free zone.”
Photo courtesy of christels at Pixabay
Of course, me being Grammy, I got a good chuckle out of that.
Here’s a story my cousin MaryAnn shared on Facebook:
So we’re on our way to get the boys haircuts and Chase says, “I think I’m gonna get a 3 on the sides this time.”
I said, “ No, you’re not,” and he said, “Why?”
I’m like, “You’re not doing that. Dad will kill you.” I’m thinking, what the heck is this? The new thing now is these kids getting 3’s shaved on their heads!? What the heck does that mean?
Then he says, “Why? The 4 is too short.”
Now I’m like thinking, what? Then I quickly realized he meant the #3 clipper!
Image courtesy of Mohamed Hassan at Pixabay
I’ve had plenty of those kind of conversations myself, MaryAnn. I’m not good at keeping up with the ever-changing lingo and styles of younger generations.
Many years ago, my nephew Casey brought his finance Shannon over to visit us. I enjoyed chatting with her because I’d only met her once before that.
At one point, I asked how her mom and brothers were doing.
She said they were good, then told me her brother John was thinking about getting dreadlocks.
Me: “Oh. Are those some kind of fancy hub caps?”
“No.” She laughed. “It’s a hairstyle.”
My bad.
These are dreadlocks:
Image: Courtesy of AstralniHorizonti at Pixabay
This is a hub cap:
Photo: Courtesy of Pixabay
I think “dreadlocks” should be a type of hub cap, though. It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
Conversation while driving in the car when oldest daughter was in her early 20’s:
Daughter: I went to Jackie’s last night and I was yakking and yakking.
Me: Oh yeah? What were you yakking about?
Daughter (Laughing): No, not talking. “Yakking” means throwing up.
Me: Ew!
Image: Courtesy of Pixabay
Here’s another misunderstanding that happened about ten years ago while walking in the sand with middle daughter at Huntington Beach:
Daughter: Mom, your top looks sick.
Me (slumping): It does? What’s wrong with it?
Daughter: No, Mom, “sick” means “nice.” Your top looks good.
Me (smiling): Oh, thanks!
Clueless
I’m not sure what “the latest” slang terms are. Not sure I want to know!
What are your thoughts? Do you keep up with current lingo? Had any funny misunderstandings that made you chuckle? Do you have any comical or sweet parenting or grand parenting stories to share? How about mischievous adventures you, yourself, got into when you were a kid?
I’d love to hear from you.
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I love to hear about other people’s airhead moments. Makes me feel like I’m not all alone. Just the other day I made a protein shake with coconut milk and a banana, but it didn’t taste right. Then I realized I forgot to add the chocolate protein shake mix. I blamed my airhead moment on the holidays, but to tell you the truth, I do that kind of stuff all the time.
I tried spray tan once, and my airhead moment was to go out shopping without checking in the mirror. I got a lot of strange looks. When I arrived home, I had a look in the mirror and discovered I had a totally orange face with two white circles around the eyes! Needless to say, I was mortified for a while before I could laugh about it! Ha ha!
That’s too funny, Yvette.
Photo courtesy of RyanMcGuire at Pixabay
Kristen Lamb – Social Media Jedi
Kristen Lamb posted an amusing conversation on Facebook. She graciously gave me permission to share it with you:
Yesterday I felt really dreadful. Normally I push through and keep working but was sick to stomach and freezing and decided to take a nap to refresh so I could return to my work.
Hubby finds me buried under every blanket in house and is all WTH? Grabs the thermometer. I had a low fever, so he let me sleep.
5:00 in evening he comes to check on me, and takes my temp.
Me: So? Still have a fever?
Hubby: *nonchalantly* Yes. It’s gone up. A hundred and three. Maybe a hundred and five.
Me: *gapes*
Courtesy of TheDigitalArtist Pixabay
Hubby: Hey, since you don’t feel well, I think I’ll take Spawn and go grab a burger… *walks out of room*
Me: *mildly panicking* *imagining trip to ER* 103? Maybe 105? The HELL? *call Hubby back into room*
Me: Um, so you’re going to get a burger?
Hubby: *blank look* Yeah, why?
Me: You think I might need something?
Hubby: *confused face* What? A burger? You want a burger too? I can get you something to eat if you feel like eating.
Me: *vexed and getting a bit angry* NOT A BURGER! More like TYLENOL…maybe???? You just said I have 103, more like 105 temp. That doesn’t worry you at least a little?
Hubby: *GASPS!* NO! I meant 100.3 or 100.5. I am not a psychopath!!!! If you were 105 I’d have you in a tub of ICE! Or an ER! Jeez!
Me: *Breathes sigh of relief* *feels loved once more* Good, just was a little concerned you weren’t worried about a brain-frying level of fever.
Hubby: Of COURSE I was worried! Anything over 102 could break the dishwasher for good *dashes out door before I can throw something*
Me: YOU ARE NOT FUNNY!
Image courtesy of Conmongt at Pixabay
Hubby: *peeks around bedroom corner* *evil laugh* Hey! We have been out a dishwasher and sammich maker all day. We’ve suffered too, you know. *runs before I can rally the will to chase*
Last night fever topped at 101.5 but woke this morning with no fever. Hubby is thrilled and awaiting sammiches and is really lucky his wife has a warped sense of humor and knows he was teasing.
Since, given my vast knowledge of odorless, tasteless poisons, Sammich Makers can turn on you.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Thanks for the chuckles, Kristen.
Check out these other funny incidents Kristen and Yvette shared with me a few years ago in Parenting Plights & Delights, Have you Ever Had a Freaky Friday?
If you’d like to join Airheads Anonymous, fill out the form below:
Free membership!
What are your thoughts? Have you had any airhead moments lately? Have you ever gotten your days mixed up, which caused some, uh, mind boggling moments?
I’d love to hear from you.
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Hello readers. Part 2 of this blog series covered our first visit with the thoracic surgeon, another biopsy, and celebrating 40 years of marriage.
Another Procedure
Monday, October 17, 2016: Dr. G performed a mediastenoscopy by making a small incision in George’s neck, right where a tracheotomy would be done, then used a scope with a light on it to be guided to the desired lymph node/nodes.
I thought the doctor was going get a biopsy of the hilar lymph node in the lung when he did the mediastenoscopy, but I misunderstood. He wanted to biopsy a lymph node in the throat area (paratrachael region). If that came back as malignant, he would have known the spot in the lung was cancer and had spread outside the lung.
While under anesthesia for the mediastenoscopy, they also put a tube down George’s throat to look at the inside of his lung prior to the upcoming surgery. We liked Dr. G because he seemed to be thorough.
George’s throat was sore from the tube, so he got lots of sleep the next few days.
The Results
The biopsy was benign. Yay for good news!
Image: Courtesy of Conmongt at Pixabay
If it had come back malignant, that would have meant George had Stage 3 lung cancer, so we were relieved to hear the cancer hadn’t spread, if it turned out it actually was cancer in his lung.
Dr. G explained the worst case scenario would be Stage 2 lung cancer.
Best case scenario: Pre-cancer.
Our thoughts at the time: “Whatever it is, it will be removed and that should be the end of it.”
In the meantime, the cardiologist did an echocardiogram and cleared George for surgery. Yay! Made it over another hurdle!
Image: Courtesy of pohjakroon at Pixabay
Woo Hoo! The Beach Boys at Our School Reunion
Saturday, October 22, 2016: George felt well enough to attend my All School Reunion, featuring The Beach Boys in concert at the old Lowell High School campus in Whittier, California. The campus is now a chiropractic college. Also, Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean was there.
The reunion was hosted by the Class of 1966 (I believe) for their 50th reunion and somehow got The Beach Boys to come. They invited all graduating classes to join them. They went all out, had a Mexican restaurant cater the food, and even had a classic old car show. The original Batmobile was there and it looked mighty spiffy. Check out the video below.
Lead singer, Mike Love, greeted us with, “Hello youngsters!” He was funny, enthusiastic, and energized. His voice sounded the same even though he’s in his 70s. The music made us feel young again and some of us rocked out to favorite tunes from our youth.
Good Vibrations!
We had such a wonderful time, but George’s throat was still sore. He got a tickle in his throat when he talked, which made him cough, so he had to take it slow and easy.
After the concert ended, an In’N’Out Burger truck provided complimentary burgers and fries, George’s favorites, so that was the icing on the cake.
It was a stellar event. Such a huge blessing we were able to go to it.
We prayed George would feel better by Monday, October 26, for the scheduled surgery. Poor guy. His throat was going to be even more raw after the three- to five-hour operation, which I’ll cover in Part 4.
What are your thoughts? Are you a Beach Boys fan? Does good music lift your spirits? Do you enjoy seeing old friends?
I’d love to hear from you.
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Alice in Wonderland illustration by Sir John Tenniel
Hello readers. Part 1 of this blog series covered discovery of a spot on my husband George’s lung in November of 2013 and the comedy of errors that ensued with medical testing mixups and an attempt at a biopsy. To catch up, go here for Part 1.
We left off with a call from our family doctor on July 21, 2016 with bad news: The latest CT scan showed the spot on his lung had grown. The spot had measured 14 mm prior to this date, but it now measured 16 mm, plus it was irregular in shape. One part of it was 11 mm.
Back to the Pulmonologist
George was referred back to the lung doctor. I went to the appointment with him on August 22, 2016, and the doctor showed us the screen with pictures of the PET scan. I whipped out my cell phone and snapped a few photos.
Image from PET scan
He informed us the spot and lymph node had grown. Lymph node? This was the first time we’d heard about a lymph node being involved. Very alarming.
Image from PET scan
A knowledgeable friend explained what these PET scan photos show: “These are transverse sections of the thorax showing thin slices of the lungs inside and across the chest cavity. They take hundreds of thin slices through the thorax. Horizontal cuts.”
It’s still Greek to me. Even if the doctor had taken the time to explain it to us, all I could focus on at that appointment was the fact that a lymph node had been involved and we didn’t know.
Biopsy Procedure
August 26, 2016 – They did a bronchoscopy and the pulmonologist was able to get 12 tissue samples from the spot on the lung, but the lymph node was hard and the doctor was unable to penetrate it to get a sample. “It’s probably calcification,” he said.
Results of the August 2016 biopsy: “Non-diagnostic.”
Image: ElisaRiva at Pixabay
The pulmonologist referred George to a thoracic surgeon because both spots were suspicious, showed hypermetabolic activity on the PET scan, and they wanted to get to the bottom of the problem.
No kidding.
Referred to a Thoracic Surgeon
September 8, 2016 – Dr. G, a cardiothoracic surgeon, seemed very competent. We liked him. He wanted to address the lymph node that was near the heart (in the hilar region of right lung). That’s the lymph node that was highlighted in the PET scan.
Dr. G explained that he needed to figure out if that lymph node was malignant. He said there was definitely something going on to cause it to be growing and changing. It could be cancer, pre-cancer, or an inflammation. So, lung surgery would be down the road after the lymph node issue was addressed.
First, he referred George to a cardiologist for a stress test to make sure his heart was strong enough for surgery. Dr. G also wanted a CT scan with IV contrast. It would take one to two weeks for the insurance to approve both and to get the appointments scheduled.
Illustration by Sir John Tenniel
Say What?
A lot of the things Dr. G told us were in technical medical terms we weren’t familiar with, plus he has a bit of an accent, so I’m not sure I completely understood everything.
I had him spell a lot of the terms for me, but in looking back, I now realize I misunderstood the procedure he explained to us, even after asking questions and listening to his answers. He was talking about two different procedures, but that wasn’t clear to me.
Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images at Pixabay
Once Dr. G received the CT results, he would have a better idea of what was going on with the lymph node. He told us if the biopsy of the lymph node came back as malignant, he would order chemotherapy before he removed it.
For the time being, we had to await clearance from the cardiologist and approval from the insurance for the testing and biopsy procedure.
Getting the appointments scheduled and insurance approval and necessary testing done dragged out for over a month.
Image: ElisaRiva at Pixabay
A Celebration
In the meantime, our 40th wedding anniversary rolled around. This called for a special outing. George planned a dream date: Riding bikes at the beach. We had to rent one for me. It had been at least 25 years since I’d rode a bike, and he reserved one with hand brakes so I could set the speed to be easy to pedal. I hoped the learning curve for hand brakes would be a breeze.
September 12, 2016
The bike store was about six blocks away from the beach. It was nerve racking riding in the street following George, harrowing riding on the sidewalk, and challenging trying to slow down and not accidentally turn and hit people walking by. When I slowed down, it made it even harder to steer. It was easier to stop and let people pass. I have mild vertigo, so that kicked the difficulty level up another notch.
Image: Conmongt at Pixabay
Mr. Hot Rod buzzed all around the beach on his bike.
It was a beautiful day, although cloudy when we first got there, but then the sun came out while we rode toward Seal Beach. On the cement path, people and other bicyclists shared the walkway, so even though there were no cars to worry about, it was still tense for me. I know, W-I-M-P.
Huntington Beach, California
This bike caught my eye. I hoped my rental wouldn’t end up looking like this by the time I was done with it. My new nick name: White Knuckle Rider
We ate lunch out on the sidewalk patio at an Irish pub and grill.
Killarney Irish Pub and Grill, Huntington Beach, California
George got a patty melt on sourdough and I got tortilla soup and a Cajun chicken salad. The salad was delicious.
A Stroll on the Pier
After we finished lunch, the sun went behind the clouds, so it was cooler and the ocean breeze felt perfect. It wasn’t too hot or too cold. We parked our bikes, then walked to the end of the pier. So tranquil.
Parking our bikes to take a walk on the pier.
Huntington Beach pier
Huntington Beach Pier
Ominous sky
The weather couldn’t make up its mind. Cloudy, sunny, cloudy, sunny. Kind of like the ebb and flow of the ocean. And the ups and downs of life. If I was writing a novel, this could be a foreshadowing of what the near future had in store for us.
George took a short video of me riding the rental bike in the parking lot of the bike shop before we turned it in.
He was really hoping I’d fall in love with riding a bike, but his bubble was burst because I had no intention of ever getting on a bike again, although I didn’t have the heart to tell him that. I just said I wasn’t crazy about bike riding.
Image: Conmongt at Pixabay
This concludes Part 2. In Part 3 I’ll cover the mediastenoscopy, a biopsy of a lymph node in the throat region and The Beach Boys concert at my all-school reunion. Cowabunga, dude!
What are your thoughts? Have you dealt with anything like this? Do you like to ride a bike? Do you love the beach?
I’d love to hear from you.
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Legend of Monster Island
Action Adventure for kids - Book 3 in the Monster Moon Mystery series by BBH McChiller (Kathryn Sant and Lynn Kelley) Available in paperback and eBook.
Writer of fiction for children and slice-of-life pieces for grownups, Master Certified Health Coach, mother of four, grammy to seven grand darlings. Goofball. Subject to laughing jags. Co-author of Monster Moon Mystery series under pen name BBH McChiller. Altered art scrapbooker, Toastmaster, YouTuber, and recovering court reporter.
Lead singer, Mike Love, greeted us with, “Hello youngsters!” He was funny, enthusiastic, and energized. His voice sounded the same even though he’s in his 70s. The music made us feel young again and some of us rocked out to favorite tunes from our youth.
