Fr. Tony Update: So far so good...
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Warnings and Recalls...

Therapeutic Magnets...

Fr. Tony Update: So far so good:

Saturday: Today we had a very lazy day, assisted by the steady falling of heavenly snow. Tony doesn't seem to be suffering any ill side affects of the surgery, so I'm happy to report things are going well. Below are a couple of images of our Tony with his buddy, Hemmingway. You may be able to see a wee bit of the dark circle around Tony's left eye, but overall he's looking pretty good.

Ohhhh, how Hemmingway loves a nice back rub!

The two ole boys enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon.

This morning Fr. Moses took the early service, and Tony managed Confirmation Class and the 10:30 service, but was quite poooped out when it was over. If you weren't there, you missed a great sermon!

Geee, almost forgot....

WARNINGS AND RECALLS

RECALL: Wouldn't you know it... this morning we awoke to CNN reporting a recall on Iams canned cat and dog food! Just when you thought you were purchasing a "better quality" item, it seems it's manufactured right along with the generic off brand foods. Much to my amazement, I purchased some of the food in question, prior to Emma and Hemmingway's arrival.

What I'm not sure is... if what I bought was part of the recalled cans! I've emailed Walmart to find out if any of the date coded cans were sold in Morgantown. I realize Ms Emma had some serious ailments, but if one of those bad batch got into her system, I'm sure it didn't help matters! I've notified the Vet, and shall await news from Walmart. (gee, you think they'll admit some was sold here?)

From this point on, I've now scratched my old standby off the acceptable list of pet foods, and have moved up to Science Diet. Cha-Ching!

WARNING: For those of you who may do your own pedicures, please be advised... The tool sold to "shave" very thin layers of calloused skin can be dangerous! Yes, I'm living proof! The tool in question is supposed to shave off miniscule layers of calloused skin, but, as I can now attest, it is possible to shave a thick layer off, thus producing sufficient quantities of blood to make one wonder if you've actually cut your foot off, and days of painful limping!!!

Therapeutic Magnets:

Quackery or not? Who knows, but can't hurt to try it out, right? I've been doing some reading about therapeutic magnets, after purchasing some Homedics dot magnets. You see, the thumb my dear Daisy decided to chomp down on, is still numb, and a bit painful. I think what I have going on is similar to "Phantom Limb Pain": "pain appearing to come from where an amputated limb used to be – is often excruciating and almost impossible to treat.... Damage to nerve endings is often important: subsequent erroneous regrowth can lead to abnormal and painful discharge of neurons in the stump, and may change the way that nerves from the amputated limb connect to neurons within the spinal cord."

Interesting findings: The application of a magnetic field to an injured area helps restore the electromagnetic fields back to normal levels. The magnetic field relaxes capillary walls, as well as surrounding muscle and connective tissues, allowing for increased blood flow. More oxygen and nutrients are transferred to the injury site, while inflammatory-related toxins are removed. The overall process restores the normal electromagnetic balance of the area, relieving pain and inflammation, and promoting accelerated healing.

Results of several preliminary studies suggested that both static magnets and electromagnetic therapy may indeed offer therapeutic benefits for several disorders. These findings have escalated research interest in magnet therapy. The most interesting information I stumbled upon was the positive results achieved for patients suffering with depression, and those with neuropathy issues.

According to William H. Philpott, M.D., of Choctwaw, Oklahoma, magnetic fields can stimulate metabolism and increase the amount of oxygen available to the cells of the body. Dr. Philpott pioneered the use of magnetic therapy for psychiatric disorders. The biological value of oxygen is increased by the influence of a negative electromagnetic field, and the field causes the negatively charge deoxyribonucleicacid (DNA) to "pull" the oxygen out of the bloodstream and into the cell. The negative electromagnetic field keeps a cellular buffer system (pH or acid-base balance) intact so that cells remain alkaline; pathogenic microorganisms cannot survive in a well-oxygenated, alkaline environment. Also, magnetotherapy can increase enzyme action because it fosters a favorable environment within cells (mainly a proper pH).

Anyway.. enough of the technical stuff. I'm trying out some little magnets to see if it will help my wee little nerves get back together. I had hoped by now the numbness, and pins/needles feeling in my thumb would have gone away.

The other interesting thing is there have been studies about how magnets have been proven to help neuropathy. (pain, numbness) Tony's been suffering with neuropathy in his feet/ankles since he was on chemo. We're not sure if it's the chemo or possibly part of this amyloid stuff, so we may try the magnet thing on his feet!

Am trying to keep my head above water.... but think there must be some sort of post event syndrome kind of thing that one goes through... maybe like postpartum depression. We spend so much time and energy projecting forward to the next "event", that days seem to go by unnoticed. Then, the event comes and goes.... and another looms on the horizon. All quite crazy making, actually.

Ah, well.. must get back to my homework.... learning all about red and white blood cells (erythrocytes and leukocytes)... the immune system... cancer..... and all that fun stuff!