Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Great Quote
"The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives."
— D.L. Moody
— D.L. Moody
Monday, October 08, 2007
Awesome Cloud Pics
Private Practice
Apparently there's a show on Wednesday nights on ABC called Private Practice (never seen it) which recently aired an episode featuring PMD (Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease, a genetic and hereditary disease which my son has and which I carry). While it's pretty cool that this VERY RARE disease would be selected for primetime national TV, it would have been nice if the writers got their facts straight.
From what I hear, the show cast a plump infant GIRL to be the PMD child, and said the average life expectancy is "5 yrs, with medication."
PMD, as a disease, affects BOYS. It is an X-linked disease; that's just the way it works. Girls can have PMD symptoms, but there's usually something else going on. Drs don't quite have that part figured out yet.
PMD boys are usually small and "sleepy." And there is no way the average life expectancy is 5 years. Joshua, my son, is 5, is one of the younger ones in our international support group, and currently receives NO medications. And from the looks of things, he's not going anywhere any time soon. And, he has the most severe form of PMD.
As people affected by PMD, we're definitely interested in raising awareness of the disease, and you can't get much better than primetime TV. However, giving people false information is not the way to accomplish this. We need doctors and nurses to suspect PMD so it can be diagnosed and treated, moms and dads with new PMD babies -- unsure of what they're facing -- to have TRUE information to turn to, etc. The facts on PMD aren't all rosy, but at least they're realistic, which is better than giving false expectations to families and medical practitioners. (Most Drs and nurses have never heard of PMD, either.)
If you saw the episode, or even if you didn't (like me), you can post a comment on ABC's website thanking them for giving PMD airtime (cool!) but requesting that the writers do their homework before showcasing a disease: http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html
From what I hear, the show cast a plump infant GIRL to be the PMD child, and said the average life expectancy is "5 yrs, with medication."
PMD, as a disease, affects BOYS. It is an X-linked disease; that's just the way it works. Girls can have PMD symptoms, but there's usually something else going on. Drs don't quite have that part figured out yet.
PMD boys are usually small and "sleepy." And there is no way the average life expectancy is 5 years. Joshua, my son, is 5, is one of the younger ones in our international support group, and currently receives NO medications. And from the looks of things, he's not going anywhere any time soon. And, he has the most severe form of PMD.
As people affected by PMD, we're definitely interested in raising awareness of the disease, and you can't get much better than primetime TV. However, giving people false information is not the way to accomplish this. We need doctors and nurses to suspect PMD so it can be diagnosed and treated, moms and dads with new PMD babies -- unsure of what they're facing -- to have TRUE information to turn to, etc. The facts on PMD aren't all rosy, but at least they're realistic, which is better than giving false expectations to families and medical practitioners. (Most Drs and nurses have never heard of PMD, either.)
If you saw the episode, or even if you didn't (like me), you can post a comment on ABC's website thanking them for giving PMD airtime (cool!) but requesting that the writers do their homework before showcasing a disease: http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html
Friday, October 05, 2007
It's a lentil!
So, our big news is that apparently I'm pregnant. I'm still kinda in shock about the whole thing. I finally broke down and made a dr. appt. yesterday; I go in 3 weeks. It's with a new dr., but hopefully it will go well. This dr. was recommended by a girl at school who is using him right now with her 2nd baby.
The computer tells me I'm about 6 weeks and that the baby will come in May, around the end of school. You can't beat that timing! The computer also says that the baby's heart is beating, blood is pumping -- and that the baby is about the size of a lentil. I've recently discovered lentils, and love them; I had some for lunch yesterday and have leftovers at home in the fridge to eat on this weekend. It will be funny peering in that bowl of lentils, though, right now.... =-)
For right now, in our mind, the baby is a healthy boy named Gabriel. Of course, all that could change, and we'll keep you posted as we find out more.
This weekend my sister and her husband and my best friend and her husband are all in town. We'll get some fun visiting time in over the next few days!
No big plans for next weekend yet, but the next weekend is the Couples' Retreat in Arkansas. Hooray! I've been looking forward to it for a year. Then the next weekend is David's birthday and Baby Dr. Day. The weekend after that is Seigle's homecoming, which David was asked to preach. And it will be November already! That's unbelievable.
I'm not sick, just blah. Always hungry or sleepy or kinda yucky. But no real "symptoms." I don't think I would know if it weren't for TWO positive tests (and I could have taken more, as far as being in disbelief).
David's doing well. He had his 4th Return Demonstration today (oral meds), which he said went well. He has several exams next week between his classes. He's not doing injections yet; I told him you were, Lad, and he was impressed! He didn't know when they would get to injections; he guessed next quarter.
David's taking me to lunch here in just a bit, a nice Friday treat. We had Johnny's pizza buffet last Friday, so I thought we may go somewhere different today, but then Mom said all of my family are meeting at Johnny's for lunch -- so we may go there with them. I'll see what David wants to do. I felt pretty bad after last week's Johnny's lunch, but maybe I just ate too much.
The kids are well. They both caught a stomach bug earlier in the week; Jayden was through with it in 24 hours, but Joshua's still having some recurring diaper issues. He seems to feel okay, just having trouble completely recovering, I guess.
We started Fingerprints of God, a women's Bible study, at church Wednesday night. I wasn't able to go because Joshua was still yucky. Mom brought me my materials yesterday, so now I have some reading and studying to do to prepare for next week's lesson.
The computer tells me I'm about 6 weeks and that the baby will come in May, around the end of school. You can't beat that timing! The computer also says that the baby's heart is beating, blood is pumping -- and that the baby is about the size of a lentil. I've recently discovered lentils, and love them; I had some for lunch yesterday and have leftovers at home in the fridge to eat on this weekend. It will be funny peering in that bowl of lentils, though, right now.... =-)
For right now, in our mind, the baby is a healthy boy named Gabriel. Of course, all that could change, and we'll keep you posted as we find out more.
This weekend my sister and her husband and my best friend and her husband are all in town. We'll get some fun visiting time in over the next few days!
No big plans for next weekend yet, but the next weekend is the Couples' Retreat in Arkansas. Hooray! I've been looking forward to it for a year. Then the next weekend is David's birthday and Baby Dr. Day. The weekend after that is Seigle's homecoming, which David was asked to preach. And it will be November already! That's unbelievable.
I'm not sick, just blah. Always hungry or sleepy or kinda yucky. But no real "symptoms." I don't think I would know if it weren't for TWO positive tests (and I could have taken more, as far as being in disbelief).
David's doing well. He had his 4th Return Demonstration today (oral meds), which he said went well. He has several exams next week between his classes. He's not doing injections yet; I told him you were, Lad, and he was impressed! He didn't know when they would get to injections; he guessed next quarter.
David's taking me to lunch here in just a bit, a nice Friday treat. We had Johnny's pizza buffet last Friday, so I thought we may go somewhere different today, but then Mom said all of my family are meeting at Johnny's for lunch -- so we may go there with them. I'll see what David wants to do. I felt pretty bad after last week's Johnny's lunch, but maybe I just ate too much.
The kids are well. They both caught a stomach bug earlier in the week; Jayden was through with it in 24 hours, but Joshua's still having some recurring diaper issues. He seems to feel okay, just having trouble completely recovering, I guess.
We started Fingerprints of God, a women's Bible study, at church Wednesday night. I wasn't able to go because Joshua was still yucky. Mom brought me my materials yesterday, so now I have some reading and studying to do to prepare for next week's lesson.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Cable Choice
Check this out! Very interesting:
HowCableShouldBe.com
I cast my vote. This would be neat if it ever became reality.
HowCableShouldBe.com
I cast my vote. This would be neat if it ever became reality.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Quote
"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."— C.S. Lewis
