Awake.In:::DreamSpace:::

where did i come from?

I don't know much about my family tree... my parents fled Cuba right before I was born.  I didn't have extended family around me as they were in Cuba.  I've always been interested in where did I come from?  Yeah, my parents are Cuban, but other than knowing that Dad's side of the family is from Spain, I know nothing.  I've been curious, for a long time.  

Well, I finally decided, time to find out!  My 23andMe kit arrived today.  Tomorrow I spit into the tube and send it out.  In a few weeks, I'll get a report.  Cool.  

Interested for yourself... check it out 23andme

I had to register and I had no idea how many screens one has to read to get to agree to do this.  A bit daunting.  Especially the health stuff...  And well, now my genetic information will be on some database and my vivid imagination after years of sci-fi movie and tv watching had my mind running wild for a bit.

Decided to go for it...

Looking forward to finding out the story about my DNA...

Stay tuned!

 

 

a Valentine's Day to remember

On 01.31.18, after getting home from work and walking Koda, I felt congestion from the cold I was fighting pour from my sinuses to inside both middle ears causing a clogged and very painful situation.  It kept me up all night and I toyed with the idea of taking an Uber to the local emergency room but the fear of sitting there surrounded by people with the flu kept me home and counting the hours until First Med opened.

I called out and headed to First Med at 8am when they opened on 02.01.18.  After a not so great examination and treatment for my double ear infection, I found an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor that happened to be literally around the corner from my apartment.  Very lucky.  Turned out I had a sinus infection, double ear infection, and conjunctivitis.  A triple play.  Went home with antibiotics, steroids, and eye drops... and out on a short medical leave... paperwork fun with Sedgwick... 

Flash forward two followup visits and yesterday, a referral to an ENT in NYC to perform a myringotomy on Valentine's Day!... what the heck is a myringotomy?... it's a fancy word for surgical incision into the eardrum, to relieve pressure or drain fluid.  It's also a common procedure on young children with chronic ear infections causing hearing problems and speech issues.  I suppose it's also for old hens like me.

Easy peasy they said, done in the office they said, no big deal they said...

Well, you ever see those alien abduction films?  The one's where the abductee sees instruments that get stuck into them, yup, that was what a myringotomy is like.

Wide awake, doc puts some local anesthetic in first, you still feel the cut, then they suck out the fluid... and today I learned, it is only 2-3 drops of fluid in there... WTF, 2-3 DROPS?!  It has felt like a gallon of fluid between my ears for the past 2 weeks causing me to feel like I'm under water and can't hear well.  Lucky me had both ears done... and since its in your ears, everything sounds loud, creepy, and unnerving!  Grateful it is a quick procedure.

Another fun fact, sometimes they put plugs in the eardrums to help with drainage... WTF, pierce and plug, my eardrums?!  How Thug sounding... I escaped the plug insertion luckily... I was reading they stay in there for about 6 months and then they fall out... and what?... the aliens come back to check in?!

I'm now home and savoring chocolate goodies from a Valentine's Day heart I bought for myself... Always remember, Love Yourself!  Hopefully back to work on Monday.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

 

 

got radiation?

So, they are finding traces of radiation in milk here in the US...  This is no surprise, it was just a matter of time...  scary how quickly the radiation released from Fukushima  7,000 miles away has affected the environment here.  The EPA and the FDA are saying "don't worry" the levels of radioactive Iodine-131 were 5,000 times below the FDA's level of concern, and even more not to worry about, it has a half-life of eight days... OK, all I can say is "YIKES"!

OK, I'm not a nuclear scientist, physicist, or doctor, but gee, there wasn't any of this stuff in the milk BEFORE the Fukushima accident, I would like my glass of milk to have none of it NOW.  As far as I'm concerned, any trace isn't good.  And well, we aren't even talking about rainfall, snowfall, air quality, etc...  These "trace" amounts that are nothing to worry about are probably in many places in the US now...  right?... after all, I don't think radioactive Iodine-131 is just falling on grass where cows are grazing...  This stuff is not just here, but will be all over our planet, yes, OUR planet, it belongs to all of us, and we should be taking better care of it.  We are all connected, the sooner we all start accepting and living that, the better. 

And yes, there is Trader Joe's Organic Milk and Half & Half in my fridge... am I afraid of drinking it?  Sure, will I... yes... why?... Because, I have known for most of my life that all the stuff I drink and eat is contaminated in some way that is not natural, and well, so is the air I'm breathing in and out...  It is something we all live with, these environmental catastrophes bring them to our awareness for awhile, and then they leave our consciousness until the next time... in the meantime... this stuff is accumulating inside us...

neti pot

My latest sinus infection has me finally checking out this ancient tradition from India... nasal cleansing!  No, my Yoga practice that started in January doesn't have me going off the deep end... yet... anyway... this really works!  My sinuses are amazingly clear and clean since I have been using the netipot twice a day, in the morning when I get up and in the evening before I go to sleep.

Yes, the antibiotics are to be credited also to my current recovery, but I will continue this practice even after this bout of sinus drama.  It is supposed to prevent future issues... hey, this is easy enough to do, I warm up some filtered water, cut the little packet filled with pH balanced sodium chloride & sodium bicarbonate mixture... mix, and pour... into each nostril... grab a tissue, gently blow my nose and voila... nice, clean, clear, breathe deep!

Interesting that this practice which began with Ancient Yogis in India is gaining "modern" recognition...  By cleansing my sinuses twice daily, I'm hoping to rid any bacteria and virus nasties that have settled in there and rid them before they get me sick again!