One of my all-time favorite movies is Pulp Fiction. There is a scene in the movie where Jimmie (Quentin Tarnatino) serves up an apparently damn good cup of coffee to Jules (Samuel L. Jackson). Jules replies, "Mmmm! Goddamn, Jimmie! This is some serious gourmet shit! Usually, me and Vince would be happy with some freeze-dried Taster's Choice right, but he springs this serious GOURMET shit on us! What flavor is this?" Since then, anytime I cook something particularly yummy, Phil and I will say to each other, "Damn, Jimmie!" a la Samuel L.
Tonight was one of those nights. I saw this recipe on The Nate Berkus Show that I can't seem to find in print on his website at the moment. Anyhoo, it was for a spaghetti sauce with shredded carrots in it. I cooked up a pan and tossed it with whole wheat spaghetti. To go with it I caramelized some fresh salmon filets that I marinated in balsamic vinegar first and sauteed thinly sliced yellow summer squash in a little olive oil and butter.
It was so good, my mouth is still watering, even though I am stuffed to the gills. As per their usual m.o., the kids picked and complained. They don't like squash (this really was good!) and were freaked out by the shredded carrots in their spaghetti sauce. Maybe next time I will use my handy-dandy immersion blender to puree the sauce. Though I thought the carrots added a wonderful texture and mouth feel, personally.
While on the subject of cooking and recipes, another one of my all-time favorite things is the Living Cookbook. It is an AWESOME tool to organize and analyze recipes. It also has a calendar and menu planning tool, as well as a shopping list generator and lots more. I love, love, love it! A big bonus for anyone watching their sodium is that a recipe or menu can be entered and analyzed for, among other things, sodium per serving. For example, one serving from the above menu (salmon, spaghetti, and squash) has only 81 mg of sodium. Good stuff...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Rainy Day Fun
A big winter storm rolled into So Cal overnight. The rain is coming down in sheets and I have been looking forward to a day with nothing to do. I am not even going to clean the house, which requires a lot of effort on my part! Phil is spending the morning up at his dad's house, helping out with a project there. So it's just me and the kids. We are plotting to play games by the fireplace, eat some yummy treats, and just have fun together. As always, the hard part for me is the noise. The noise, noise, noise, noise! Yes, I often feel like the Grinch, constantly shushing the kids. But today, I am going to try my hardest to not let it bother me and just enjoy the day.
Along the lines of noise, besides my ultra-sensitivity to it (and inability to distinguish what others are saying when there is background noise or other people talking at the same time), our house has a lot of echo. The living room has vaulted ceilings and the whole house has laminate flooring. Despite living here for almost two years, we have very little on the walls and just blinds on our old, single-pane windows. So I went on J.C. Penney's website this morning and found some nice, insulated curtains. Hoping to get over there later this afternoon or tomorrow to check them out. We had a guy come over last weekend to give us an estimate on new double-pane, energy-efficient windows. We're looking at a ballpark of $10,000 to $15,000 - just not in the budget right now. That's not even the construction involved in cutting down the size of some the walls o' windows we have that I would like to trade in for more solid wall space. So, I am thinking even a $1000 investment in good, insulated curtains will go a long way in cutting our energy bill AND the echo in the house. But I think I can get away with spending maybe even half that number and be happy with the results.
Wish me luck in Monopoly!
Along the lines of noise, besides my ultra-sensitivity to it (and inability to distinguish what others are saying when there is background noise or other people talking at the same time), our house has a lot of echo. The living room has vaulted ceilings and the whole house has laminate flooring. Despite living here for almost two years, we have very little on the walls and just blinds on our old, single-pane windows. So I went on J.C. Penney's website this morning and found some nice, insulated curtains. Hoping to get over there later this afternoon or tomorrow to check them out. We had a guy come over last weekend to give us an estimate on new double-pane, energy-efficient windows. We're looking at a ballpark of $10,000 to $15,000 - just not in the budget right now. That's not even the construction involved in cutting down the size of some the walls o' windows we have that I would like to trade in for more solid wall space. So, I am thinking even a $1000 investment in good, insulated curtains will go a long way in cutting our energy bill AND the echo in the house. But I think I can get away with spending maybe even half that number and be happy with the results.
Wish me luck in Monopoly!
Friday, February 25, 2011
This is not the worst thing...
It has been a rough week.
One of our teenage nieces has been battling migraines and terrible fatigue for months, possibly due to her body attacking her thyroid. It is not enough that she has had type 1 diabetes since she was 5 years old. Another niece, the mother of a son about to celebrate his 1st birthday, fell and knocked out several teeth and broke the bones covering both sinus cavities. She is facing months of painful surgeries, but lucky to be alive as the doctor said she could have suffered a brain stem injury.
I lost 5 patients to death this week. A grandmother raising her grandchildren succumbed to malnutrition and small bowel failure as a result of gastric bypass surgery. An elderly man whose daughter cared for him, shuttling his frail shell to and from radiation and chemotherapies, changing his diapers, and watching helplessly as the cancer ate away at his body despite our best efforts to feed him. The husband of a woman who once told me she didn't mind caring for him as Parkinson's Disease robbed him of his dignity because he had provided so well for her for so many years. A man who diligently spent 3 days of every week having his blood dialyzed after both of his kidneys failed him. And , finally, a 32-year old woman, childlike in stature thanks to years of suffering the cruelties of muscular dystrophy. Her death, especially, I didn't see coming, even though the past few weeks she had all the ominous signs. Hindsight is 20/20.
I ended the day counseling a mother who spoke with an up-lifting, lilting voice, her husband, and their 16-year old son - one of their 3 children bravely manuevering through barely-normal lives as they cope with cystic fibrosis. All 3 children! A potentially-fatal disease...
Meniere's, while life-altering in so many ways, is not this. There is hope. Things change. If there is one truth in life, it is that nothing stays the same. With this disease, some times are better, some are worse. But it is always changing. And as long as we otherwise have our health, there is still hope.
One of our teenage nieces has been battling migraines and terrible fatigue for months, possibly due to her body attacking her thyroid. It is not enough that she has had type 1 diabetes since she was 5 years old. Another niece, the mother of a son about to celebrate his 1st birthday, fell and knocked out several teeth and broke the bones covering both sinus cavities. She is facing months of painful surgeries, but lucky to be alive as the doctor said she could have suffered a brain stem injury.
I lost 5 patients to death this week. A grandmother raising her grandchildren succumbed to malnutrition and small bowel failure as a result of gastric bypass surgery. An elderly man whose daughter cared for him, shuttling his frail shell to and from radiation and chemotherapies, changing his diapers, and watching helplessly as the cancer ate away at his body despite our best efforts to feed him. The husband of a woman who once told me she didn't mind caring for him as Parkinson's Disease robbed him of his dignity because he had provided so well for her for so many years. A man who diligently spent 3 days of every week having his blood dialyzed after both of his kidneys failed him. And , finally, a 32-year old woman, childlike in stature thanks to years of suffering the cruelties of muscular dystrophy. Her death, especially, I didn't see coming, even though the past few weeks she had all the ominous signs. Hindsight is 20/20.
I ended the day counseling a mother who spoke with an up-lifting, lilting voice, her husband, and their 16-year old son - one of their 3 children bravely manuevering through barely-normal lives as they cope with cystic fibrosis. All 3 children! A potentially-fatal disease...
Meniere's, while life-altering in so many ways, is not this. There is hope. Things change. If there is one truth in life, it is that nothing stays the same. With this disease, some times are better, some are worse. But it is always changing. And as long as we otherwise have our health, there is still hope.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Mini-Spins
For the past two weeks or so, I have been having mini-spins. I notice them if I turn my head quickly, especially to the right (my bad ear). The other time they hit is when I look down then back up. This is especially annoying at work since I look down at my desk and then back up at my computer screen all day. They are tolerable and only momentarily disorienting. I think the past few days have been a little better, though.
On the plus side, my balance is a little better than it has been. And another big plus is the fact that the usual cycle of pressure build-up in my right ear is all but gone. I have noticed that despite the big rainstorm that has rolled in to So Cal, my ear is not plugged at all. Before the last gent, my ear would get so plugged before and during any bad weather. It would be so bad that my left (good) ear would even feel plugged a bit. I could never tell if it was my imagination or if my left ear was giving me problems, too. Now that my bad ear is behaving better, I don't notice anything in my left ear excect occaisonal, high-pitched ringing. I do think that when my bad ear is acting up, it somehow affects by good ear, too.
So, the only problems I am having now are the mini-spins and medium-loud, constant tinnitus in my bad ear. All in all, I am functioning well. Still grateful that the vertigo is gone for now.
On the plus side, my balance is a little better than it has been. And another big plus is the fact that the usual cycle of pressure build-up in my right ear is all but gone. I have noticed that despite the big rainstorm that has rolled in to So Cal, my ear is not plugged at all. Before the last gent, my ear would get so plugged before and during any bad weather. It would be so bad that my left (good) ear would even feel plugged a bit. I could never tell if it was my imagination or if my left ear was giving me problems, too. Now that my bad ear is behaving better, I don't notice anything in my left ear excect occaisonal, high-pitched ringing. I do think that when my bad ear is acting up, it somehow affects by good ear, too.
So, the only problems I am having now are the mini-spins and medium-loud, constant tinnitus in my bad ear. All in all, I am functioning well. Still grateful that the vertigo is gone for now.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Therapy Pets?
Just kidding!
These are the newest members of our family, Maisy and Daisy. We can only tell them apart so far by their personalities. But they are so sweet and we are all enjoying having them around.
These are the newest members of our family, Maisy and Daisy. We can only tell them apart so far by their personalities. But they are so sweet and we are all enjoying having them around.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Cigna Came Through
I have been battling with Cigna for almost a year, trying to get them to pay for one of the dexamethasone injections I had back in November of '09. I had four of these injections in a four-month period of time and they paid for all but one. The only explanation they could ever give me for denying payment was they wanted to know if I had any other medical insurance. When I told them no, I do not, and offered to provide them a letter from my employer as proof, I was told that would not be necessary and the claim would be paid. But it was not!
We are talking about $1600, so I did not, could not, let it go. As I continued to call Cigna, trying to get to the bottom of this, it lagged on. Eventually I was told the only way I could get resolution was to file an appeal because it had been more than 365 days since the service date. Really?! I call repeatedly for nine months offering any information necessary to get the claim paid and now I have to file an appeal because they can't communicate with each other?
I jumped through the hoops, spent a weekend compiling my notes, writing a summary of the events, and mailed the appeal certified mail. Then I waited again.
Three weeks later, I got an impersonal statement simply stating the claim has now been paid as if nothing happened. Of course, I am relieved. But an brief note of apology would have been nice. Nearly a year of worrying what we would do if we had to come up with $1600, monthly phone calls to Cigna restating the story, and the inconvenience of going through the appeal process and not a single acknowledgement of their incompentence in handling the claim.
Well, nonetheless, I am relieved and, of course, grateful for my health insurance and for all Cigna has paid through this ordeal.
We are talking about $1600, so I did not, could not, let it go. As I continued to call Cigna, trying to get to the bottom of this, it lagged on. Eventually I was told the only way I could get resolution was to file an appeal because it had been more than 365 days since the service date. Really?! I call repeatedly for nine months offering any information necessary to get the claim paid and now I have to file an appeal because they can't communicate with each other?
I jumped through the hoops, spent a weekend compiling my notes, writing a summary of the events, and mailed the appeal certified mail. Then I waited again.
Three weeks later, I got an impersonal statement simply stating the claim has now been paid as if nothing happened. Of course, I am relieved. But an brief note of apology would have been nice. Nearly a year of worrying what we would do if we had to come up with $1600, monthly phone calls to Cigna restating the story, and the inconvenience of going through the appeal process and not a single acknowledgement of their incompentence in handling the claim.
Well, nonetheless, I am relieved and, of course, grateful for my health insurance and for all Cigna has paid through this ordeal.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Blown Speaker
Last night a good analogy came to me to describe how I now hear. It is like listening to everything through a pair of speakers where one speaker is working normally (my left ear) and the other speaker is blown and produces a constant hissing, buzzing sound with little to no other useful information coming from it (my right ear). Just like listening to this pair of speakers, I have to filter everything I hear through this annoying hissing.
I am used to it and most of the time barely notice. But it is really frustrating to carry on a conversation in a room where several other people are talking or if there's music in the background.
All that being said, still no more vertigo. So I am happy, happy, happy about that! Life goes on...
I am used to it and most of the time barely notice. But it is really frustrating to carry on a conversation in a room where several other people are talking or if there's music in the background.
All that being said, still no more vertigo. So I am happy, happy, happy about that! Life goes on...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Feeling Better and Better
Just a quick up-date to document for myself, and anyone else who gives a rat's-you-know-what about my ear, how I am doing.
It is now 35 days since my last gent shot and 15 days since my last episode of vertigo. I am now confident that the gent has done its job once again and I am doing the happy dance!
Based on my previous "successful" gent experience, I know moving forward that I may still experience some woozies from time to time, but I am hopeful this period of relief will be better and longer. Though as those with MM know, there are no guarantees.
As of the last day or two, the ringing is winding down to a quiet(er) high-pitched hum, the pressure in my ear is all but gone except for a sensation of fluid sloshing around in there when I shake my head, and my hearing is also a bit better. Nothing is staying the same and nothing is getting worse. These are all symptoms that contiued to come and go during my last vertigo-free period, so I will expect more of the same this time. But, assuming more of those little vestibular hair cells were destroyed by the 3rd shot, it's hard to know what to expect.
So I will simply celebrate every day of freedom from spinning... the rest is nothing more than a nuisance.
It is now 35 days since my last gent shot and 15 days since my last episode of vertigo. I am now confident that the gent has done its job once again and I am doing the happy dance!
Based on my previous "successful" gent experience, I know moving forward that I may still experience some woozies from time to time, but I am hopeful this period of relief will be better and longer. Though as those with MM know, there are no guarantees.
As of the last day or two, the ringing is winding down to a quiet(er) high-pitched hum, the pressure in my ear is all but gone except for a sensation of fluid sloshing around in there when I shake my head, and my hearing is also a bit better. Nothing is staying the same and nothing is getting worse. These are all symptoms that contiued to come and go during my last vertigo-free period, so I will expect more of the same this time. But, assuming more of those little vestibular hair cells were destroyed by the 3rd shot, it's hard to know what to expect.
So I will simply celebrate every day of freedom from spinning... the rest is nothing more than a nuisance.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Frankenstein
The last intratympanic gentamicin injection seems to be doing its job. No more vertigo! But part of the recovery process includes compensating for the loss of balance cells in the affected ear. I am able to function pretty well in well-lit areas, though walking on the curbside of a sidewalk can be tricky. However, walking in the dark is a whole other animal. It turns out that, beside the ears, your eyes and body mechanics are the other components of balance (I mean, really - who thinks of this stuff unless it is forced upon you?). Without a focal point to focus my eyes on, I sway like a drunken sailor in the dark. To make matters worse, I have plantar faciaitis in my left foot which causes sharp heel pain, especially after a period of rest.
So night before last I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and as I am bouncing from side to side and limping down the hallway with my arms out in front of me to keep from running into the walls, I realize I must look like Frankenstein's monster after being shot in the foot. The image of myself as the green-faced goon with the aby-normal brain, or in this case ear and foot, made me LOL! at 3 a.m. And for the rest of the day, as well.
So night before last I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and as I am bouncing from side to side and limping down the hallway with my arms out in front of me to keep from running into the walls, I realize I must look like Frankenstein's monster after being shot in the foot. The image of myself as the green-faced goon with the aby-normal brain, or in this case ear and foot, made me LOL! at 3 a.m. And for the rest of the day, as well.
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