Mamavation Monday - 3 May, 2010

For those in the Mamavation Nation who don't know me...which is, oh, just about everyone *lol*...here are the basics:

I have been overweight since shortly after puberty. My father passed away when he was 47, (I was a senior in high school) from a stroke and heart trouble. I am roughly the same age as my father when he passed, but my children are 13 (DS1), 11 (DS2) and 7 (DD). I want to be around for a while - a task made more difficult by my high blood pressure. I had a mini-stroke last August, going to the ER with bp of 212/120. For 4 years, I have taken care of adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Three years ago I started smoking (yeah, I know), in part due to the stress of the job. Right now I'm on medical leave due to being hit by a resident while trying to prevent her from injuring herself.

My nutrition and fitness habits have dwindled over the years to next to nothing, and I want to change that. After all, one day I want to spoil my grandkids the way my mother and DH's folks spoil my kids now. :O)

So, what I need to do:

1. Stop smoking.

2. Improve my nutrition.

3. Improve my physical fitness.

For the next week, I will:

1. Keep a log of my smoking.

2. Keep a log of my eating and drinking.

3. Keep a log of my physical fitness activities.

4. Review my logs on Monday morning, 10 May 2010 (the day before is both Mother's Day and DH's and my wedding anniversary) and determine "umbrella" goals, as well as goals for the following week.

Mostly I can use accountability partner(s). I am much more likely to make that extra effort to skip a smoke, or to drink that extra glass of water, when I know I'm going to be telling someone else!

How could I support other people in their 'walks' (no pun intended)? I'm a good listener and sounding board, whether someone needs to vent, brainstorm or chat.

I've heard it said that when you have a friend, your joys are doubled and your troubles are cut in half. I want to get that from, and be that for, other goal-oriented Mamas.

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Friday

Today's triclosan article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

I found the overall tone of the information on wikipedia to be that the side effects of triclosan were not as bad as some people claim to be. I tried not to let this color my opinion and discount what the article said, as I am predisposed to have negative thoughts about triclosan's 'cost vs. benefits'.

As several of the residents at the facility where I work have developed MRSA infections due to frequent hospital stays, and the article stated triclosan was particularly effective in combating MRSA, I'm actually all for it in a health-care setting. And I think I posted the following example recently, although I am not sure: a co-worker sprayed (over-sprayed?) disinfectant at work one day and I had to wear a mask in order to keep my cookies down, if you get my meaning. It was hard to breathe.

Of course, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone with an account, but has built up credibility as a source of information over the years. They certainly were thorough in citing sources: 31 for this page.

The article on bleach: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_effect_of_Inhaling_bleach

is a simple one-sentence question and 1-2 paragraph answer, that any high-concentration of bleach should be handled as little as possible and only in a well-ventilated area.

The upshot is that my opinion about triclosan and bleach use in a home setting is not really much different today than it was yesterday. I would still prefer to (personally) use products that have as little to do with a laboratory and engineered products as possible, but part of the carnival assignment was learning more about the substances and one article on each (triclosan and bleach) this week seemed to be about right for me.

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I came up with the following list for a set of basic natural household cleaners:

1 spray bottle

1 opaque spray bottle (to prevent breakdown of peroxide)

white vinegar

hydrogen peroxide

baking soda

All that should be easy enough to acquire on Monday when I get paid.

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Here are some websites I found to aid in DS1's lessons:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/k12gradelessons/a/periodictable.htm

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/properties-of-vinegar.html

http://chemistry.about.com/od/k12gradelessons/K12_Grade_Chemistry_Lessons.htm

http://www.coolscience.org/CoolScience/KidScientists/h2o2.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4606163_hydrogen-peroxide-kill-bacteria.html\

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-16881372.html

http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=58

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Thursday

Today's article read on triclosan: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/antibacterial-soap-55073001

For me, the most interesting thing about this article was that they claim the American Medical Association (AMA) is against use of products containing triclosan in households. Reading this article at the AMA site suggested it would be better to avoid the use of household products in which triclosan is an ingredient, but qualified this statement by including that insufficient research data exists to draw a conclusion. It was interesting to me to note that this was the only article found by doing a search of the term triclosan at the AMA site. The information on household products was found on pp 4-5 of the article, and centered on questions of the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents such as triclosan and the possibility of increased antimicrobial resistance.

I also checked this article at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) site. It was 26 pages long, and no, I didn't read the whole thing. My eyes started to blur in front of all the scientific data. To me, the FDA's findings were not significantly different from that of the AMA. Mostly it seemed that people were not washing their hands long enough with whatever product to make much of a difference in the amount of bacteria left on their hands.

Even though we wore gloves when assisting residents with toileting and bathing at my job, I always washed my hands between each resident served and changed gloves at least once (things could get messy) with and/or in between people. I use the "ABC Song" method to time my handwashing. :O)

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Today's article read on the effects of inhaling bleach: http://www.ehow.com/about_5376626_side-effects-inhaling-bleach.html

The suggestions in this article included:

• wearing protective gear (mask and/or gloves), especially when dealing with full-concentration bleach;
• working in a well-ventilated area;
• diluting the solution;
• vinegar or lemon can help remove bleach that comes in contact with skin;
• high concentrations (more than 500 ppm-which is way more concentrated than household bleach) can cause serious inhalation problems.

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I don't know about y'all, but I want to go outside and breath some semi-fresh air, go wash my hands when I get back in and make sure I have the Poison Control Center toll-free number (1-800-222-1222) readily at hand!

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Wednesday

OK. Here are the personal care products we use in the bathroom:

Aussie Cleanse & Mend shampoo

Suave Jumpin' Berry body wash (yeah, not just for the kids *lol*)

Listerine Total Care cinnamint mouthwash

Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste - cinnamon rush flavor

Neutrogena Oil-free Acne Wash

While none of them list triclosan or bleach, the acne wash has something called "microclear technology" ... and it's got the color of most 'antibacterial soap', so it makes me wonder....

Here are the articles I found to be reading over the next 5 days on triclosan:

1. http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/antibacterial-soap-55073001

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

3. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm

4. http://drbenkim.com/articles/triclosan-products.htm

5. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170188,00.html

5 Articles on the effects of inhaling bleach:

1. http://www.ehow.com/about_5376626_side-effects-inhaling-bleach.html

2. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_effect_of_Inhaling_bleach

3. http://dhs.wi.gov/eh/ChemFS/fs/chlorine.htm

4. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/820779-overview

5. http://www.pburch.net/drupal/?q=node/569

Anyway, these particular articles were chosen randomly from the first page of a Google search result on the topics of "triclosan" and "effects of inhaling bleach". I'm just trying to increase my knowledge of the subjects in order to construct an informed opinion on whether or not to have them in my household, and if so, to what extent.

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Tuesday

Ok. So I went to the Kitchen Stewardship blog site today, actually from a link in the email feed for another post, and was thrilled to find out that the Spring Cleaning Carnival (SCC) post was up! I read through the entire thing a couple of times, taking time to get the background from various links shown throughout the entry.

I went through our apartment at, oh, let's just say 'close' to midnight and found the following potential 'nasties':

• Dawn antibacterial hand/dish soap
• Mr. Clean w/Febreze multi-surface cleaning
• DC Home Lemon Bleach
• Febreze extra strength
• Glade Powder Fresh room spray
• GV Sheer Spring Laundry Detergent
• GV Fresh Scent Color-Safe Bleach

(Please note I am not passing judgment on the above products. I mean, we've been using them to clean and disinfect, so they are apparently meeting a perceived need.)

The dish soap contained 'triclosan', one of the evil elements in question. Two of them contained the other - bleach. The remaining products (#2, 4, 5, and 6) did not list either triclosan nor bleach, but had the usual "touch or inhale this product and you can kiss your *ahem* life goodbye" warnings. To me that would mean, if there is a safer alternative, wouldn't that be a good idea? My dear husband (DH) and my dear son #2 (DS2) both suffer from sometimes horrendous allergies, so eliminating potential irritants is of great interest here.

And, I must confess, I have searched out "antibacterial" products in the past. *cringe-have mercy on me*

My level of action is a combination of "baby steps" and "making strides". Wholesale replacement is not a possibility for us right now, especially since I'm in the middle of an indefinite medical leave from my work due to on-the-job injury to my right arm. (Thank goodness computer use is not painful! *haha*)

Subscribing to the theory that it's not 'really' the new day until the sun comes up, I will say that on Monday, 3/22, I went through my family's pantry/cleaning products, identifying sources of triclosan and bleach.

For the rest of the week:

Tuesday 3/23 - go through our personal hygiene products etc (see the "sneaky sources" info at the Spring Cleaning Carnival post linked above)

Wednesday 3/24 - search a list of 5 articles on triclosan and/or bleach's effects on people, to be read one a day starting on Thursday 3/25 until Monday 3/29.

Thursday 3/25 - make a list of supplies needed to make homemade cleaning products (click on the link to see Kitchen Stewardship's (KS's) post on the subject).

Friday 3/26 - make a lesson plan for our DS1 (age 13) relative to his capabilities of understanding on the subject.

Saturday 3/27 - make a lesson plan for our DS2 (age 11) ...

Sunday 3/28 - make a lesson plan for our dear daughter DD-age 7 ...

Monday 3/29 - amass at least some of the supplies identified on 3/25 by repurposing or purchasing.

*breathe* . . . "Baby steps, baby steps"

I Went Away for a While . . .

...and now I'm back.

I'm starting a blog carnival hosted over at the Kitchen Stewardship blog starting *egads* tomorrow, and thought I'd better get back into the swing of things.

Quick recap - I work at a residential/teaching facility for adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. At the end of January, I was injured (tendon damage in right elbow - can't lift much of anything w/o pain right now). I have worked about 1 week since that time; thank goodness for built-up sick and annual leave and worker's compensation. Last Thursday I finally went to a 'specialist', who put me off work for 3 more weeks. So, I should have lots of time for blogging, right?

I tried one of the 'making your own yeast/sourdough' recipes on the above-mentioned site, and it worked well, but I don't really have a big enough jar to keep it going on any sort of scale. I'll have to change that in the coming week.

Anyway, off until tomorrow and the carnival. YEEHAW!

Lucky Not-a-Stroke

On Tuesday, August 18th, 2009, I was not feeling very well. I could tell my blood pressure was up and my feet looked like they belonged to the Michelin Man. So, I decided to go to the doctor on the way in to work.

I arrived, paid my copay and waited...and waited...and waited. People who came in after me (even walk-ins) were going in before me. Then the receptionist called me to the window and informed me that I had a $60 balance from a previous visit and they needed to collect at least $40 of it that day. I told her I had $5 left on my debit card and maybe $3 in my pocket. She said "just a minute" and went into the back. Shortly thereafter she came back to the window and said that that would be ok (they would take the approximately $8 I had left and I could be seen by the doctor). I was stressed already and said I needed to make a phone call. I started to call my husband, but before he could pick up, I hung up the phone and told the receptionist that they could keep the $15 I had paid towards the bill and that I would be back to see them on Friday when I got paid.

By this time I was visibly upset. I turned to go and she said, "Ms. B, just a minute." I held up a hand "talk to the hand" style, said, "I can't," and proceeded to leave the office. By the time I got to my car, I was hacking like I was going to throw up. My heart was racing and I was gasping for air. (DH thinks I was having a panic attack at this point...although he was at home with the kids.)

I probably should have gone to the hospital, but all I could think of was getting to work, because it was already past the 2 hrs prior to shift deadline in order to call in.

Parking really, really sucks where I work. I parked in a slightly "not approved" spot, but shoot, I wasn't going to walk up the long hill feeling the way I did. As I walked to my cottage, my eyes were swimming and I was walking...not weaving, but not in a straight line either.

The first shift nurse (LPN) was there and I asked her to take my blood pressure. She did and said, "just a minute" and went to get the RN. She came in and took my bp again and informed me that it was 212/110. This information did nothing for my racing heart and labored breathing. My lips had been going numb and were hard to move. Once or twice I remember sticking a finger or two into my mouth to separate my lips. My right hand was becoming hard to move.

More and more people started coming into the room. I remember calling my supervisor and telling her what was going on, saying, "I didn't want people to think I was a 'no-call, no-show'." HOW STUPID IS THAT? I was close to having a stroke and I was worried about how it would affect my job! The nurse asked if I wanted them to call and ambulance and I said I didn't think it was necessary. They arranged to have a co-worker take me to the hospital, as I had my family's only car with me. I was taken out to the car in a wheelchair, because the medical staff didn't want me walking.

Originally one of the nurses was going to take me, but when she asked someone to clock her out, the coordinator said that she would have to stay and clock out herself. So someone from 1st shift in the cottage in which I work took me. I babbled incessantly on the way to the ER, I suppose trying to keep myself together.

More to come tomorrow....