Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Wednesday's Window Into My World

Over the weekend we had a cookout for my father in law's 80th birthday...nothing big, he wouldn't enjoy it if it was, just immediate family. Here's some pics of my father in law, most of his children, and some of his grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. We didn't stay for too long, my annoying ass sister in law (the one that lived w/ us) was there, and I just can't stand to hear her lying voice, it's takes too much energy on my part not to go off, so I do my best to avoid her!



Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tackle it Tuesday




I think we've seen the end of the hot days, so I'm going to tackle boxing up the summer clothes. I had already brought out the fall/winter clothes since we've been going back and forth...but I think shorts days are over, at best we'll have jeans and T-shirt days, but I think the shorts days are behind us for the year!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Menu Plan Monday


Monday ~ Meat Loaf
Tuesday Crock pot pot roast
Wed ~ Sweet and sour chicken
Thur ~ Chicken Noodle soup (Didn't make it last week)
Fri ~ Taco Rice Dinner...I found this recipe from a fellow MPM on Org junkie...I plan on making a double batch, one for Friday, and one to have on another day, I hadn't even thought about freezer meals what a great alternative to crock potting every Tuesday and Thursday!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 cups Chicken broth
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1-1/2 Brown rice, uncooked
1/2 cup Red or Green Pepper
1 can of corn


Assembly Directions:
Mix everything in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done (about 40-50 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Freezing Directions:
Allow rice mixture to cool. Place in appropriate sized containers. Seal, label and freeze.
Serving Directions:
Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave until warm. You can also reheat it in a saucepan if you add a little bit of water before heating.

Wow...He really takes the cake!


My, my, my...so I was thinking maybe I've seen it all, things just don't surprise me so much anymore...except for the patient I had tonight man oh man!!! So the report we get is that he's 18 years old, his blood alcohol level is 3.38, he's combative and calling everyone every name in the book. And on top of it, apparently he's a transvestite and his boyfriend broke up w/ him and he started drinking. He in 4 point lock and key restraints (VERY VERY RARE FOR US TO USE THESE)...so security brings him up, it takes 12 of us to move him from the cart to the bed and tie him back down. He's calling people the N word, bitches, you name it. It was just the craziest thing you've ever seen. So we get him settled into bed, and I'm giving report trying to get the heck out of there and the sitter starts yelling about him having a seizure, so I go in and he's convulsing, eyes rolled in the back of his head foaming at the mouth, then he stops and he's not breathing. CRAP!!! I feel for a pulse, I find one, so we call in the rapid action team...he starts breathing again so now we're sternum rubbing him trying to get him to wake up...finally he says bitch if you don't stop shaking me I'm going to kick your ass...next thing you know he's awake and being an ass again! I think he takes the cake on my craziest patient of 09! We wanted so badly to record this idiot, if not to put on youtube just to show our family...look at the crap we put up w/ at work! Oh and apparently the cops want him on attempted murder charges, yeah guess he tried to kill his dad last night, lovely huh? lol...so I'm wired I can't sleep at all! Ah, I love my job!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

CDC quietly revises autism rates to 1% of US children


Recently the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reportedly revised the rates of autism for the United States and the numbers are alarming. In 2007, the reported numbers were 1 in 150. Today, those numbers have skyrocketed to 1 in 100, and some say the numbers are closer to 1 in 89. According to David Kirby, the data is due to be released any day now.

Corroboration of this number has been tough to find, with much circular logic, pointing to blog posts who point back to his blog. According to Lee Grossman, CEO for Autism Society of America, and quoted by Kirby, that number is correct.

When I tried to verify the numbers, the CDC still lists the 2007 statistics of 1 in 150 in their official report, the new report has not been released) but the numbers on the webpage have been modified to reflect "1 in 100 to 1 in 300 with an average of 1 in 150" for prevalence in autism. The last modification that was made to the page was September 25, 2009. When I checked the internet archives, for earlier cached versions of the page, it was odd that the data page was missing from the archive. But Google cache revealed the subtle refinement of the details. As of yesterday morning, the website was changed to reflect the new numbers. It is interesting that the modification occurred yesterday, Friday, the day traditionally known for burying news that the media doesn't publicize. I don't want to say there is a conspiracy, but why hide the data? Is the CDC trying to bury these numbers? Why isn't the media shouting this from the rooftops? Exactly how common does autism have to get in order to get the attention, research and funding for programs it needs?

According to the numbers David Kirby cites from a 2007 telephone interview of almost 82,000 children conducted by National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), which is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services, your odds of being told you have a child with autism is a staggering 1 in 63. If that child is a boy, odds skyrocket to 1 in 38. That's 2.6% of all male children in the United States. Is this possible?

Further, the report goes on to state that parents told researchers that "60 per 10,000 children had autism at some point but not currently." My thought on this telephone survey is, were these children officially diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or is this parents who are finding quirky children and giving them the self-diagnosis du-jour? Of course, even accounting for that trend, the numbers are still incredibly high.

How much worse does it have to get? If 1 in 38 boys was born blind or with no legs, would we do something then? If 1 in 63 children was diagnosed with cancer, would we be moving heaven and earth to find out what is causing the epidemic? Would we be studying every avenue, leaving no stone unturned, simply on the word of a few? Or would we use all of science at our disposal, creating studies without exclusions, leaving out our biases and using every available tool that we have?

We don't know what causes these children to have autism. It is probably a complicated set of factors. But at what point do we start researching as though we really want to figure it out? Whether vaccinations are part of the puzzle or not, who knows? Can thousands of parents be wrong? It is just good science to actually explore the possibility. That is, if scientists really want to conduct science. To date, no study with real controls for vaccinations has been done. Is it that hard?

What does the CDC not want us to find out?

photo copyright Valerie Everett, used by cc.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Octobers Autism File Magazine



I'm so proud to know many many of these awesome mother warriors, and to have had the chance to be part of something so big!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

H1N1 Flu Mist Insanity

A great read from Curt!


Categorized | Autism, Pharma/FDA
H1N1 Flu Mist Insanity
Posted on 22 September 2009 by C. Linderman Sr. - ATO Press

C. L. Linderman Sr. ATO Opinion Press

As public health departments and physicians across the country prepare for the impending “pandemic” we know affectionately as The Swine Flu, many of them will not be paying attention to anything but the hype and lies that are being propagated by the Centers for Disease Control and other mainstream medical associations. There is little doubt from those that pay attention to the inherent conflicts of interest within these governmental and medical organizations (primarily the CDC and FDA) that there seems to be far more concern with the bottom lines of the vaccine manufacturers than there is with the health and well being of the American public.
For any discerning physician that cares to educate themselves on the facts behind the live H1N1 nasal spray vaccine and continues to vaccinate those individuals targeted by our government for inoculation, I consider them to be criminals and domestic terrorists. Many of us have heard that pregnant women and children will be among the first to receive the H1N1 vaccine and because of the all-too-real concern regarding the mercury content of the injected H1N1 vaccine, many parents and expectant mothers will opt for the nasal vaccines for their children. This decision could be the mistake of a lifetime.
I have before me as I am writing this, the PDF copy of the H1N1 2009 Monovalent Intranasal Vaccine insert and what I am reading is disturbing to say the least. On the very first page of this 21 page PDF, under the heading of “Use in Specific Populations” I am reading; “Safety and effectiveness of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, Live Intranasal, have not been studied in pregnant women or nursing mothers.” On the very same page in the “Full Prescribing Information Contents” sections, #8 reads; “Specific Population” 8.1 states clearly; “Pregnancy” and 8.2 states “Nursing mothers”. So while there have been no studies regarding how this vaccine will affect the fetus of a pregnant mother or her nursing infant, they are still being targeted as those that should be subjected to this vaccine!
If this weren’t enough for worried expectant mothers, 8.1 Pregnancy category C, states “Animal reproductive studies have not been conducted (with this vaccine). It is not known whether (this vaccine) can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity.” This same paragraph goes on to clearly suggest that the vaccine “should be given to pregnant women only if clearly needed“, Yet pregnant women are one of the main groups targeted so I feel that it is safe to assume that this fills that criterion for vaccination despite the fact that they have no idea what the side effects will be. Section 8.3 (Nursing Mothers) gets even better. “It is not known whether (this vaccine) is excreted in human milk. Therefore, as some viruses are excreted in human milk and additionally, because of the possibility of shedding of vaccine virus and the close proximity of a nursing infant and mother caution should be exercised if (this vaccine) is administered to nursing mothers.”
It just gets worse as we read on. How many in this country have been asked (or will be asked) if their children are asthmatic prior to being vaccinated at the local WalMart or grocery store pharmacy? It seems that this particular vaccine increases the potential risk of wheezing, asthma attacks and hospitalization. Also, this document states that if there has been a history of Guillain Barre’ Syndrome within 6 weeks of a previous influenza vaccination, “the decision to give Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, Live, Intranasal or Flu Mist should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and potential risks.” So contracting a disorder that paralyzes you could possibly indicate that perhaps you shouldn’t receive another poisonous injection? Am I the only one that finds this bizarre?
The CDC also warns you that this vaccine “may not protect all individuals receiving the vaccine.” To be honest with you, to call the CDC disingenuous would be a serious understatement given that last year’s seasonal flu vaccine was determined to be 90% ineffective yet they continued to tell the American public that they should get the vaccine anyway.
Here are a couple of other side effects that one should consider before subjecting themselves or their children to this idiotic measure to supposedly protect them from a virus that by all indications is far less virulent than the common seasonal flu: Exacerbation of symptoms of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (Leigh Syndrome), Gastrointestinal disorders (i.e. nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) Immune system disorders (anaphylactic reaction, facial edema and uticaria) Guillain Bare’ syndrome and Bells Palsy, Respiratory, thoracic and mediatinal disorders and skin and tissue disorders.
Add to this previous nonsense the fact that this nasal spray vaccine is a LIVE virus and therefore must infect and replicate in cells lining the nasopharynx of the recipient to induce immunity, one must assume that this will allow the H1N1 virus to be shed to those that come in contact with the ones that have recently been vaccinated. Many doctors believe that this infectious stage lasts up to 21 days! Let’s not also forget that the cribiform plate, the paper thin bone at the top of the nasal passages will allow this live virus to infect the brains of a small portion of those that receive the vaccines, causing a brain infection known as encephalitis which, pardon me for mentioning, is far more deadly than this benign “pandemic”.
With all this information, one should get only one message: DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Wednesday's Window Into My World


For years now, I've had a reoccurring nightmare about Halloween. I have no idea why, and the details of the dream always change but the plot is the same...it's Halloween and I'm not prepared, the kids have no costumes it's sheer panic and frustration as I try to get them costumes in time, and trick or treating comes and my kids miss out. Now this could never ever happen. I can't imagine the world would ever run out of Halloween costumes and I'd go last minute from store to store only to come out empty handed! But yet, I have this nightmare time and time again...which makes me anxious this time of year to get the kids costumes in plenty of time. So the costumes are starting to come out in the stores, and I made sure I got first dibs on the costumes. I really wanted the boys to be Mario and Luigi, and they had agreed, until they saw the transformer costumes. So Isaiah is going to be Megatron, Xander is Optimus Prime and Tierra is going to be a lady bug...they have been put safely away so there is no chance of something bad happening to them before Halloween, So I can rest easy now, my kids will be ready!

Tackle it Tuesday

Tackle It Tuesday Meme

We are planning on refinancing the house, so right now I'm trying to tackle getting the house in top shape as if we were staging it to sell, in hopes of getting "top dollar" from the appraisal. I'm hoping we'll come in high enough to drop our PMI payments. We've only lived there 3 years, when we bought it was at the top of the market, so it may be pushing it a little. So that's my tackle this week...finding the time and the energy to do it, is quite the challenge though!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Menu Plan Monday


So w/ the new schedule, working doubles on Tuesday's and Thursday's I will be exploring lots of crock pot meals. The plan is to make everything up the night before, keep it in the fridge and in the morning put it in the crock pot and will be ready for Rob and the kids when they get home. This is my first week, so here goes!

Monday~Baked Teriyaki Chicken and rice
Tuesday~ Crock pot potato and kielbasa soup
Wed~Loaded baked potatoes
Thur~Homemade crock pot chicken noodle soup
Friday~Apricot Chops

Life


Life is going...that's about all I can say. Work is still slow, we are behind on all bills. We've had to take Isaiah off of biomed because of lack of $...which is making everyone miserable. He's so horrible right now, he's having several meltdowns a day...if I ever had any doubts as to how well he did on biomed it's obvious now!

Kloee is 1/2 way done w/ her beginner training class. He gave the class a mock test last week and Kloee passed well enough to graduate. She starts intermediate class on Halloween. So far she's learned to sit, stay, come, and leave it, as well as walking on a leash. She's very smart and we are very much in love w/ her. Even Rob said the other day how attached he is to her!

Xander loves all day kindergarten. I started last week w/ doing my doubles on Tue and Thursdays I love being home w/ the kids 4 days a week!!! It's VERY hard being on my feet 16 hours a day, as I don't have an easy job but my kids are worth it. I love doing homework w/ them and being there to tuck them in at night.

There is strong rumor that Rob's company is going to close down. Rob says he's going to ride it out until it happens...They've sent all the "higher ups" to other plants, and corporate has been in there taking pictures of the lines, and they just sent one of the lines to another plant...so we'll see...I'll update on that as we know more.

I think that's it from us!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

It's 9-9-9

Today is the day we ask the world how much longer??? PLEASE take 5 minutes and do the same! This is mass faxing/mailing/calling campaign that will cover community-wide autism issues. Please, I would do it for your child...

http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/howmuchlonger.php

Sunday, September 6, 2009

A little update


I've been such a bad blogger lately, I just haven't had time, energy or motivation it seems! Hopefully I'll snap out of this funk soon! Just a quick update though...Xander got all day Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sooooooooo happy this will do so much for our family! I'm going to be doing doubles on Tuesday's and Thursday's and work 8 hours on Sundays, so I can knock out my 40 hours in 3 days and have 4 days a week home w/ my family. I'm going to try it for 6 weeks and see how it goes...I'm nervous, I don't know if I can handle 16 straight hours at work, it's not like I work behind a desk you know, after 8 hours I'm exhausted...so we'll see, but it would be great to be home w/ my family 4 days a week and still get my 40 hours at work.

Work is starting to pick back up, the hospital worked out whatever it needed between the ER docs and Anthem, so we now accept them again, so that's helped...hopefully I'll start getting my hours again, and we can catch up on the bills that we are so behind on.

Miss Kloee the puppy is growing so fast, she no longer looks like a little puppy, but like a miniture german shepherd now. She has begun basic training, teaching normal puppy stuff, sit...leave it...walking on a leash... etc.
She's really smart, but she is such a puppy wild and chewy, I won't miss this stage when it's gone!

I think that's about it for what's new here

Here's a new pic of Kloee and Isaiah