Back to School

School’s back on for me. So, that means I’ve got to really, really limit my time doing online activities (except for my web course). My math teacher this semester is like a monkey on crack. He goes really fast. Luckily for me the first few classes are going to be reviewing what I learned last semester.

Also, I’m taking a JavaScript course, so I’ll be playing around with that on here from time to time. I’m not guaranteeing anything will work, but that doesn’t matter a whole lot to me. I need to work on coding a lot more so that I can gain more experience. I’ve noticed that when I don’t code I lose the knowledge I had previously. Unfortunately, my JS prof is the same prof I had for Intro to Web Tech and I’m afraid I’ll be learning more on my own than with him. Did I mention I’m the only female in the class.

Pray for me.

Pain You Shouldn’t Ignore

Lately I’ve been under a lot of stress. Have I mentioned this already? Seems to be a running theme with me. One day I’m in a lot of pain, the next day none- but I’ve exhausted-, another day I’m running on fumes and in pain… etc. Lately I’ve been getting some killer migraines. I used to get the a lot more frequently when I had my wisdom teeth, then not so much after the wisdom teeth were gone. Now it’s every other day. They don’t come on suddenly with me, so I do what I can to minimize the impact they have on my day. I used to be able to hold ‘em off to a dull roar.

Not anymore. Now they come in slowly, but with a vengeance. My usual method of dealing with them doesn’t work, because my family just doesn’t seem to understand anymore. I think they’re getting sick of me being sick. Or maybe they’re so used to it that they just don’t see it anymore? It just seems like I’m getting a lot more rolled eyes and deep sighs and no understanding. It’s starting to really effect me emotionally too. I want to pretend this illness doesn’t have me in it’s grip and that I can just shake it off (like everyone thinks I should do) but no matter how hard I try, it always seems to take me down. More so now, I think, because I’m depressed right along with everything else.

I was looking for an alternative treatment for my now-regular migraines. Something that will allow me to at least pretend I’m not being kicked in the skull by a raging bull. I came across an article at WebMd called “7 Pains You Shouldn’t Ignore“. Here are some highlights:

No. 1: Worst Headache of Your Life

Get medical attention immediately. “If you have a cold, it could be a sinus headache,” says Sandra Fryhofer, MD, MACP, spokeswoman for the American College of Physicians. “But you could have a brain hemorrhage or brain tumor. With any pain, unless you’re sure of what caused it, get it checked out.”

Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, spokeswoman for the American Geriatrics Society, tells WebMD that when someone says they have the worst headache of their life, “what we learned in medical training was that was a classic sign of a brain aneurysm. Go immediately to the ER.”

No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen

Chest pain could be pneumoniaor a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. “Don’t wait for pain,” says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. “Heart patients talk about pressure. They’ll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it’s like an elephant sitting on their chest.”

[...]“A woman’s discomfort signs can be more subtle,” says Cohen, who is director of preventive cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “Heart disease can masquerade as GI symptoms, such as bloating, GI distress, or discomfort in the abdomen. It’s also associated with feeling tired. Risk for heart disease increases dramatically after menopause. It kills more women than men even though men are at higher risk at any age. Women and their physicians need to be on their toes.”

No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades

“Most often it’s arthritis,” says Brangman, who is professor and chief of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. Other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. “One danger is aortic dissection, which can appear as either a nagging or sudden pain. People who are at risk have conditions that can change the integrity of the vessel wall. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes.”

Of course, there are a couple more. But I wanted to emphasize those pains that I’ve experienced or have read other FM patients experience most often. For instance, the majority of my pain is in my back, between my shoulder blades, and my arms. Now I know that I should pay close attention to any other pains in those areas, because they could signal something more.

And, of course, there are my migraines. I’m starting a log to track them so I can tell my rheumatologist next time I go for a visit. I initially thought they were caused by the mega-dose Vitamin D, but I didn’t get one after the last two doses. I’m definitely going to tell the doc, but I don’t think that’s it.

My blood pressure is spiraling out of control sudden too. This is worrisome to me, even though the docs don’t seem concerned. I’m pretty sure something’s off somewhere again. Tomorrow I start my new morning Yoga routine. This time I’m getting my lazy butt out of bed extra early so the toddler doesn’t want to play “Mama’s a Toy!” while I’m doing it. I can at least growl at the dog to get him off of me. I’ve been really slacking in the Yoga department and will probably feel much better after I get back into it.

Also, school starts back for me tomorrow. I’m sure that won’t stress me out too much. Heh.

Miley is One Smart Cookie

Miley Cyrus is taking some grief because she used a body double during her “Hannah Montana” show.

Apparently, Miley was getting ready to do a quick outfit change and a body double hopped on stage for the last few seconds of a song. Someone caught this on tape and aired it on YouTube (it’s since been taken down). The body double was holding a mic and jumping around for less than a minute while Ms. Cyrus was taken back stage to change.

I think this is an excellent example of good talent management. Her fans expect quick and fabulous costume changes and Hannah Montana has to deliver. I don’t see a problem with the old switcheroo if it meant keeping the fans happy.

I suppose Miley had a headset on, complete with her own mic, with which she could continue to sing. However, many people feel as if they’ve been duped with this evidence- even though they don’t wonder how else she would be able to pull something like this off without a little help. If you want to go see a fabulous, outlandish show you should expect that a lot of what you think you’re seeing is a little talent trickery.