Sickness and Compassion

So, I got the nasty sickness from Jason on Tuesday. I was feeling foul all day, then all of a sudden (while sitting in my director's chair at work, teaching from a chair) I got super hot and decided I may need to go to the bathroom and hurl.

And hurl I did. And continued to do. In the OB waiting room for my check up, at home, in Emma's bathroom, and in bed that night. Puking at six months pregnant sucks. So does shivering from fever.

A day of "rest," six loads of laundy later, and six pounds down, and I'm back to work.

Moving on, the other day our assistant principal sent this video out to the staff. It really got to me. I normally don't watch videos or things like this, but it's short and it's from Chick Fil A. It really reminded me to think about other people and how "Every Life has a Story."

Not gonna lie, I was crying. It's not pregnancy hormones either. Watch it and maybe next time someone acts a fool, you can dig up some compassion for their "story."


Every Life Has a Story from Dan T. Cathy on Vimeo.

Love ya all!

Deathtrap

Y'all-this is a freaking deathtrap. Oh. I have such a dramatic story to share with you all. So, today I had to go get an MRI on my wrist. I must have been HIGH to agree to this. When the orthopaedist suggested it, I was all like, "Sure, yah, great-let's find the problem!" And he was all like, "OK, so you've had one, you're okay with this??" And I'm all, "Sure, yah, go for it-I've had something like this done before." (That would be a CT SCAN from when I thought I had kidney stones-I now know the difference!!! One is a coffin, the other is a doughnut.)

Y'all, I'm not gonna lie-IT.WAS.AWFUL! I think I blacked out. So, I get changed into scrubs, go into the giant magnet room and lay on the tray thing-all the while, not noticing what is behind me. I'm like, "Sweet, I can take a nap!" They arranged me and told me to put my headphones on (so I could hear some bullsh** 80's breakout songs) and then they pushed this button and I started going in this coffin thing. IT.WAS.AWFUL. I immediately freaked-I had to get out. I couldn't stand it-and it was going to take THIRTY MINUTES. No m'am. Now I am not claustrophobic, or at least I thought I wasn't. They had to talk me off the ledge. I was like, "Can't you put me in the other way? Is this the only way to see my wrist? Does this qualify me for a sedative? Blah, blah, blah" Finally, they had to give me a blindfold and tell me they would talk to me throughout the MRI-I was praying NONSTOP for God to chill me out. It was ridic. And the bad thing is, I was so nervous, my hands must have been shaking, because at one point, the lady had to REDO a part of it because of my movements. Blech-I was nauseous, I thought I might throw up in the coffin. Ugh, it's still giving me the willies. And do you know what is awesome-I will probably need another one on my right wrist. NO THANKS-I will deal with it. Has anyone else had this problem? I think I may be having issues in my "advanced age." :D The thought of a cave or other thing like that sends me OVER THE EDGE. Gah, drama much?

I'm not a granola eating, Birkenstock wearing, commune living hippie.....

So. As per my title, I promise you I am NOT a granola eating, Birkenstock wearing, commune living hippie. However, there is nothing wrong with granola (except for those of us on WW), Birkenstocks are OK, and I am sorry, but commune living is weird. I heart hippies though-my bestie is one! (Love you LG! :D)



I have been wanting to blog about this for awhile. I've been putting it off because there is SOOO much I want to share, and it's a controversial topic among mommies. Some of you've probably already figured out what I want to discuss.

VACCINATIONS.

I know! Ugh-so much hype-give me a break, etc, etc, etc. But, I want to share and maybe learn some new things too. One of my SAHM friends (Mindy) turned me on to the subject and a fab book. The Vaccine Book by Dr. Bob Sears. I borrowed her copy, and over the course of 3 days with an infant, read the entire thing. I couldn't put it down. A book about VACCINATIONS. I know, right?

Now, before I "begin," let me tell you, I knew a little about mercury (thimerasal) in vaccinations, possibly causing neurological defects such as autism. That was it. And I was sure enough about to jack my kid up with every shot needed so she didn't get sick and have health issues. Now, I have a slightly different viewpoint-one I would like to share, and hopefully get feedback from you readers.

The Vaccine Book breaks down the 12 vaccinations that infants/children receive. Each chapter breaks it down by:
-what is the disease
- is it common
-is it serious
-is it treatable
-how is the vaccine made
-ingredients in the vaccine
-controversial ingredients
-side effects
-reasons for and reasons against
-what the author thinks

Now, the things I was most curious about were the things in red above. How were the shots being made, and what was going into them. Can I just say, ewww! I think I may throw up a little in my mouth every time I receive a shot from now on! And, as my daughter's advocate in health care, I DAMN SURE will make certain that she is only receiving the MOST NECESSARY and SAFEST vaccinations that I can get for her.

Let me give you an excerpt regarding how the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination is made and what is in it. "I could not determine where the measles and mumps viruses originally came from, but they probably came from infected individuals many decades ago. The rubella virus was originally taken from an infected aborted fetus in the 1960s. The measles and mumps are nourished for years in a culture of chicken embryo cells. The rubella virus is nourished in a culture of human lung cells." Insert me-!!! WTF!!! It goes on to describe scientific processes of viral growth, including the use of cow fetus serum. The viruses are ALIVE but weakened, so they won't (usually) cause an infection when injected. How reassuring.

Now, as for ingredients:
-The three viruses
-Saline solution, sugar, gelatin
-Human albumin (blood proteins)
-Residual cow fetus serum
-Neomycin (an antibiotic)
-Traces of chick embryo proteins
-"Other buffer and media ingredients" details are not listed in the product insert

The controversial ingredients are the human albumin, cow fetus serum, and chick embryo proteins. I agree-that is NASTY!
However, many of the vaccinations have things like this in them. And they are "safer" and "more necessary." It's just the old saying, "What you didn't know....."

So, another thing I learned about was the addition of aluminum to vaccinations to make them work better. Aluminum is normally harmless-it's in food, water, air, and soil. But, when ingested in large quantities, such as some vaccinations, it can be toxic. Now, this brings me to my next point. The shot schedule is ridic! Five shots at 2, 4, and 6 months old, and most of them are LOADED with aluminum. What can end up happening is aluminum toxicity in infants, due to the high amounts of aluminum in shots. There are many MAJOR medical issues that can occur when aluminum reaches toxic levels.

At 2 months of age, infants are supposed to receive: HIB, Pc, DTaP, Rotavirus, and polio vaccinations. If you gave your child all of these shots at once (!), they could receive up to 925 micrograms of aluminum at one time. Theoretically, [for a tiny newborn, this toxic dose would be close to 10 to 20 micrograms,and for an adult ti would be about 350 micrograms.] This is referring to accumulated aluminum. So it's not like if you give them all the shots, it's insta-death. Can you imagine though? Gah, that is a lot of just ONE chemical in your baby!

So, enough soapbox. My plan is to set up an alternate vaccination schedule, with the help of this book. Also, I am going to opt out of several injections, namely polio, MMR, and at this time, the flu shot (that is one NASTY shot!). I don't feel that it's necessary at this time for my child to get polio, MMR, and flu shots. Polio is practically eradicated from our country, and isn't a danger unless you are traveling outside of the US. MMR is a very mild disease, and poses more of a danger to pregnant women. Also, this is one of the most controversial vaccinations-supposedly causing neurological defects in some children. When Emma goes to school, she can have the vaccinations that I chose to delay. I do not feel that it's necessary for any child under the age of 1 year to be filled with all of these chemicals. With that said, I also want to point out that breastfed babies (Emma) and babies that are not in "daycare" (Emma will go to an in home with 5 others, so it's not public daycare) are much less likely to develop many of the childhood illnesses.

Emma will be going to the doctor next weeek for her two month vaccinations. She will be getting the HIB and the DTaP vaccinations. We will go back at three months for the Pc and Rotavirus shots. I will not be giving her the polio vaccination. We will continue with this alternate schedule until at least one year of age.

So readers, if you are still reading (:D) what are your thoughts, comments, concerns, etc? Am I being a freak? (not that I care). Love ya-kthxbi. :D

And sweet readers, thank you soooo much for the kind comments on my ailment filled post Thursday. I appreciate it AND you!

I hope the rest of your weekend is fab! War Eagle!