Videos of the kids

Blue and the Twins

I am heartbroken, and Cari keeps asking about Blue. She keeps saying Blue is at the doctor. She just loved her doggy.

I'm eating a bland diet in honor of my pittie and how she had to put up with a restricted diet due to IBD for 9 long years. (It's pretty easy since I have no appetite.) One positive: I feel so good that I stuffed her full of foods she wasn't allowed in the last few days of her life, and I'm grateful that her appetite remained somewhat normal till the end (though I had to hand feed her and give her water via syringe). She was always a foodie.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm info

Mom-

The takeaway of the following presentation is that endovascular surgery has reduced morbidity (recover/complications) and mortality than open surgery.

http://www.osler.org/main/media/samples/printedsyllabus/VSNotes.pdf

Blue went to doggy heaven today

Blue was the greatest dog I've ever known. She was about 12.5 years old. Chris and I will love and miss her forever. RIP Blue.

These are pictures from happier and healthier days (in San Diego).

Disaster in Japan

It's terrible. First an 8.9 earthquake, then a terrible tsunami and potential nuclear meltdowns. It's like a godzilla movie without the monster. The people of Japan are in my prayers.

The New York Times has interactive before and after pictures here. Just pull the bar across. I think you will find it unbelievable.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html

BTW, didn't I just have a post on the end of the earth? I'm definitely updating my family's emergency kit.

Everyone please take care and be well!

Moyamoya?

Grammy Jean is being told she needs surgery for her aortic aneurysm (latest size 5.2 cm). Grammy is scheduled for surgery with Dr. Dang in HI, but I am wondering if she should come here and have the thoracic aneurysm group at Mass General give her a third opinion. Boston is a medical mecca that draws not just the sickest patients, but also the best doctors. We'll see what Grammy thinks. She does need the surgery soon...

In the meantime, please please keep her calm. She needs to ensure her blood pressure does not rise, per Dr. Dang. No smoking, no stress! And someone needs to keep an eye on her in Vegas (wish she was not going!)

On a related topic, I discovered some interesting information about something called moyamoya disease. (Moyamoya means puff of smoke in Japanese.) It's rare in non-Asians, more common in Japanese and other Asians, and appears to be hereditary at least 10% of the time. Luckily, it's very treatable with surgery.

Below is one (haole) man's story. Terrible headaches started at age 18, eventually followed by tremors and transitory numbness in fingers in his 30s. Had surgery in his 40s and is now doing well it would appear. (Steph, don't mean to scare you with MY hypochondria, but did your doctors consider this re: your headaches?)

http://www.moyamoya.com/history.html

Could Uncle Allen have had moyamoya disease? Did he have headaches for a long time? Moyamoya usually affects children or women in their 3rd to 4th decades, but about 1/3 of sufferers are men. And of course Uncle was Japanese-American.

More info about Moyamoya:

http://stanfordhospital.org/clinicsmedServices/COE/neuro/moyamoyaDisease/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyamoya_disease

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1180952-overview

Do I have moyamoya? I don't think so. I had an MRI of my noggin a couple of years ago because I had this weird stabbing pain at the back of my head that throbbed and didn't go away for a couple of months. The twins were a couple of months old (hmmm!) No problems detected, no aneurysms either. I hope IF it is in our family that I didn't pass it to my babies.

Dancing Girls

Can you say Alvin Ailey dancin'?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM0m8ktHdv4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp06r7k3HhM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCgZt8FgAhc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilbk0sQNpvg

Exercise prevents gray hair?

Now that I've rounded the corner to middle age (there, I said it), I've started to take my health more seriously. So, it is with great interest that I read this article on exercise and aging. Based on this mouse study, exercise helps prevent gray hair and muscle loss, keeps your heart healthy and maintains brain volume.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/can-exercise-keep-you-young/?src=me&ref=general

Check this out and you may end up hitting the treadmill!

Valentine presents from the grands

These worked out quite well. Everybody was extremely happy with their presents, particularly Arden.

Videos - trying again

Did I post this one before?