Stye in my eye September 20, 2009

I know this is a bit of an over-share but yesterday I developed a stye in my eye (it is almost more painful because of the name.  It’s got to be the only medical condition that rhymes).  For those of you who don’t know a stye is a staff infection in the eye that creates basically a pimple under your eye-lid.  It hurts a lot,makes everything uncomfortable, and it is incredibly difficult to force myself to not touch it.  I have been on-line and gotten some home remedies such as putting a tea bag on the eye or taking a Vitamin A and C.  I have been having alergies all week and putting allergy drops in my eyes every day.  I am pretty sure the over-lubrication is what caused the infection.  I may go to the doctors tomorrow; although most of the websites say it is unnecessary.  Before I do that I was curious if any of you had experienced a stye and have a successful home remedy.  It’s weird because normally I don’t get allergies but something has been different here in Utah this year and it has been bad.  It has made my asthma flair-up, my eyes sting and my sinus bothersome.  What a pain in the eye (ok, that was a bad pun but I’m sick so humor me!).

What is a Stye?:

How To Avoid a Stye

A stye, or hordeolum, is a small bump that can appear on the outside or inside of the eyelid.

A stye develops from an eyelash follicle or an eyelid oil gland that becomes clogged from excess oil, debris or bacteria. Styes seem to be brought on by increased stress, but can also be a complication of another condition, called blepharitis.

Although the appearance of a stye can be unsightly at times, it is usually harmless.

Symptoms of a Stye:

Patients with styes often complain of watery eyes, pain, tenderness, itching, or redness around the stye. Styes usually appear as a reddish bump on the eyelid. When a stye first develops, the eye may feel bruised and may feel sensitive to light.

In severe styes, a yellow spot may develop in the center, similar to a pimple. Known as an internal hordeolum, it develops as pus builds up inside the stye. Pain usually subsides if the stye ruptures and pus is drained. Some styes never form this pimple-like head, and the pus continues to accumulate. Some large styes can interfere with vision.

Causes of a Stye:

Some people with chronic blepharitis are prone to clogged eyelid glands, in which bacteria builds up and infects the glands. Sharing make-up or applying too much eye makeup can sometimes cause styes to develop. Increased stress also seems to bring them on, but the relationship between stress and styes is not well understood.

Treating a Stye:

• Warm compresses:
  Gently press a very warm washcloth against the eyelid for 10 minutes at least 4 times per day.
• Massage:
  Gently massage the entire area to speed healing.
• Antiobiotic ointment, eye drops or pills:
  Antibiotic ointments or eye drops may help cure the infection. If the skin around it is becoming infected, antibiotic pills may be needed.

Complications of Styes:

If a stye does not go away in a relatively short period of time, it can turn into a chalazion. A chalazion develops when the oil gland becomes infected and a blockage develops. This blockage causes the gland to become inflamed. The pain and inflammation eventually goes away, but a hard lump or bump remains on the eyelid. A steroid injection may reduce swelling, or your eye doctor may suggest lancing the chalazion or surgically removing the substance inside of it.

Helpful Tips for Styes:

• Always allow a stye to drain on its own. It is best to resist the urge to squeeze it yourself, as this may cause a more severe infection.
• If a stye does not go away within a week with the application of warm compresses and massage, see your eye doctor.
• Do not wear eye make-up or contact lenses until a stye heals, to prevent the possibility of infection.

Something Funny June 22, 2009

As many of you know I am sick, so I thought I would post something funny to brighten mine and your spirits.  (I’m actually feeling a lot better after yesterday’s rest and am hoping to be all better by tomorrow.  We will see).  Anyway, this was something read on Car Talk a while back and I just thought it was so funny!  I hope you enjoy it.

OBAMA DEPLOYS VOWELS TO BOSNIA

Washington – (AP) OBAMA DEPLOYS VOWELS TO BOSNIA

Cities of Sjlbvdnzv, Grzny to Be First Recipients.

Before an emergency joint session of Congress yesterday, President Obama announced US plans to deploy over 75,000 vowels to the war-torn region of Bosnia. The deployment, the largest of its kind in American history, will provide the region with the critically needed letters A,E,I,O and U, and is hoped to render countless Bosnian names more pronounceable.

“For six years, we have stood by while names like Ygrjvslhv and Tzlynhr and Glrm have been horribly butchered by millions around the world,” Obama said. “Today, the United States must finally stand up and say `Enough.’ It is time the people of Bosnia finally had some vowels in their incomprehensible words. The US is proud to lead the crusade in this noble endeavour.”

The deployment, dubbed Operation Vowel Movement by the State Department, is set for early next week, with the Adriatic port cities of Sjlbvdnzv and Grzny slated to be the first recipients. Two C-130 transport planes, each carrying over 500 24-count boxes of “E’s,” will fly from Andrews Air Force Base across the Atlantic and airdrop the letters over the cities.

Citizens of Grzny and Sjlbvdnzv eagerly await the arrival of the vowels.

“I do not think we can last another day,” Trszg Grzdnjkln, 44, said. “I have six children and none of them has a name that is understandable to me or to anyone else. Mr. Obama, please send my poor, wretched family just one ‘E’ Please.”

Said Sjlbvdnzv resident Grg Hmphrs, 67: “With just a few key letters, I could be George Humphries. This is my dream.”

The airdrop represents the largest deployment of any letter to a foreign country since 1984. During the summer of that year, the US shipped 92,000 consonants to Ethiopia, providing cities like Ouaouoaua, Eaoiiuae, and Aao with vital, life-giving supplies of L’s, S’s and T’s.

What do you give this woman with a BUMP on her head? May 4, 2009

I had funky but real life scare on Saturday.  What happened is I was working at the houses, tired and sore from cleaning and being on my feet for two days straight.  As a little reward I decided to bring my swimsuit and enjoy the hot tub up at the house.  It was cold and very windy and the hot tub sounded great!

Without even looking at the temperature I jumped right in and the water was around 95 degrees, which is warm but  not hot.  To keep the heat in I decided to only unfold one part of the hot tub cover.  These covers are heavy.  In fact, it is difficult for me to move them at all.

As I was enjoying the hot tub the wind got worse and all of the sudden a huge gust caught the cover and quickly blew the folded half over landing a large blow to the back of my head.  I didn’t see it coming and the punch sent a shock through my body.  I didn’t black out- thank goodness!  If I had I could have drown because I was completely alone at the house.  After a second, I was able to get out of the hot tub and rush inside.  After sitting I changed and then laid down with ice on my head.

For the next few hours I monitored my condition carefully.  I felt a little light headed but it was hard to tell since I had been in hot water, and been tired. Eventually my dad arrived bringing food, which I was able to keep down.  Perhaps I should have gone to the emergency room but I decided to just rest.  If it had been a weekday I probably would have gone to the doctors, and I may still do that tomorrow. We’ll see how I am feeling.

Since the accident I have felt pretty good; although, a fairly strong headache has never completely gone away.  I have a big goose egg on the top of my head and it is tender to the touch but considering what could have happened I feel lucky.  Who would have ever thought that a relaxing hot tub could become so dangerous!

Naturally I have been thinking about it today.  It is sobering to think I could have died or at least have been sent to the hospital.  I am so grateful I was safe and that the Lord was watching out for me- even when I was doing something admittedly stupid.  Sometimes on this blog and in my life I grumble about politics or people that get on my nerves,   I whine about a bad day, I wish things could be easier or better.

In the end I love my life! I know what it feels like to be unhappy- to be depressed.  I have had periods where I felt alone, confused on how I could make things better, and even hopeless.  Getting through such experiences has taught me that I am worthy of a happy, vibrant, wonderful life.  This is my right as a daughter of God.  I do not have to resign to a stupefying existence that I don’t enjoy. I love my family, friends, job, hobbies, interests, entertainment choices, and most importantly my faith. As I said in my Easter post I know that Jesus lives and watches over my life.  He wants me to be happy.  He forgives me for my sins.  He loves me unconditionally.  I am alone a lot in my life but in truth I am never alone because Jesus Christ has never forgotten me.  He is my best friend.  I am so grateful for that.  I am so grateful that He watches out for me and I hope I live my life in a way that He is proud.  As a friend quoted to me the other day “I hope I wake up every day and Satan says ‘man she’s up again!”.

I am so glad that I wasn’t hurt and that I can keep living my wonderful, happy life.  How lucky am I to be happy- really, truly, genuinely happy?  I wish everyone could feel as I do. What a gift!

By the way, thanks for all of the positive feedback on my blog.  It boosts me greatly and is a fun part of my life.   The process has also made me a better writer.  I have now been writing this blog for over a year, and we are at 5,000 hits! Not bad for a single girl from Draper, Utah.  Not bad at all.

Affluenza March 20, 2009

So, I heard a term today that just made me laugh out loud.  It is called affluenza.  This is not a joke.  It is an actual psychological diagnosable condition and to me it says a lot about how out of wack our society has gotten.  How can something so obvious be a cause for debate and study? It’s another one of those scientific endeavors that can be summed up in old colloquial sayings such as “Money doesn’t buy happiness”.  Listen to the wikipedia definition of affluenza and tell me if you don’t think it is crazy:

affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. (de Graaf ^[1])

affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. (PBS [1])

This isn’t just overspending.  No it is a contagious socially transmitted condition of overload and debt! So now if we are in debt it isn’t our fault, merely the cause of a contagious condition we inherited- like strepp or AIDS. Watch out my friends!  Watch out for your children!  Affluenza may spread!

I certainly hope that Congress doesn’t hear about this condition or they might start claiming bouts of affluenza caused them to vote for the spending bill!

I hate to sound preachy on this blog but to me it is things like this that show how far off track our country has gotten from the religious foundations it was started with.  Affluenza wouldn’t happen if you had a society based on brotherhood (and sisterhood), charity, freedom, independence and faith.  It’s no accident that Jesus said ” It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).

Now, I came from a family with a middle to high class lifestyle.  I certainly got everything I needed and most of the things I wanted. However, we never suffered from affluenza because my parents had us grounded in Christian values- focusing on service to others, the importance of family and the value of hard work. I could list lots of examples of how my parents demonstrated to me that money was not the purpose of life.  One example is how my father has always been an avid home teacher.  Home teaching is a program in our church of visiting fellow members and helping them in anyway possible.  Many good home teachers still do it out of obligations or duty- not my dad.  He loves it!  He loves getting to know and serving people and most of them become his life-long friends.  He’s even spoken at some of their funerals. For the record, my mother is also a diligent visiting teacher.

Another example is how both of my parents were always opening their home to friends.  For instance, we had a number of foreign exchange students and visitors while I grew up.  This enriched all of our lives and created great relationships all over the globe.  Another memory I have is of our friends always being welcome to eat with our family.  We had family meal every night.  Even when I was in high school and my parents had two little ones and I was busy with activities, I still remember eating together most nights.  Often one of my friends, or my brother’s friends would join us for dinner.  They were always welcomed as one of our family.  My parents weren’t perfect but in simple ways they taught me how to serve others and keep a heart free from greed.

As my sister and brother have gotten married they have also been good examples of reaching out to others and cultivating a non-materialistic home.  My brother is passionate about many causes and has allowed friends to stay at their home, sharing meals together.  My sister is great about giving of her time to other young mothers around her.  She was just telling me yesterday about a small act of service she had planned for two of her acquaintances.  She found out they were traveling with kids and decided to make them little kits to help the kids with the journey.  It is such little acts of service that keep each of us grounded in what matters.  Our country needs the same grounding.  We certainly don’t need an excuse for our excesses like an affluenza epidemic.

I served my mission in Indiana and while there I met one of the richest ladies I have ever known.  Her name is Sister Mary Turner.  She lived in a tough part of Indianapolis and had very little material possessions.  She actually lived off of social security and some welfare assistance from the church.  Because she loved the missionaries she had a strong desire to feed all of us every week (4 elders, 2 sisters) but she refused to use any assistance or welfare money to do this.  So to make a few extra dollars she started gathering soda pop cans and then turning them for cash. Eventually her neighborhood and our ward (congregation) joined in and everyone had a stash of cans to help Mary Turner feed the missionaries.  With the few dollars she got every week she would then go to Aldee’s (a discount store in the midwest) and buy whatever was on sale.  This usually led to some odd meal combinations including spaghetti and mashed potatoes or french fries and egg rolls.  After the meal she would usually have some type of food gift for us such as a gallon of milk or a half gallon of ice cream.

I will never forget this sacrifice made in my behalf.  She did not have to feed us.  There were others who would have gladly done so, but she wanted to give to a cause she loved.  The entire cycle of her money from creation, to spending, to giving was based on Christian values. It is a great example of charity and a wonderful way to live our lives- full of worry about how you can afford to help people, not how you can compete with the neighbors.  Mary Turner suffered from the opposite of affluenza- giveluenza! Something our country could use a lot more of and that our leaders could work to develop.

In my life I try to do at least one day of community service a month.  This has just started but already I have had some neat experiences including delivering cookies to the lonely and working at Festival of Trees for Primary Children Medical Center. Such endeavors have not only brought me happiness but hopefully helped others in my small way.  They also keep me grounded in what matters and in the community I love. I think we need to write a similar prescription for anyone suffering from affluenza- find someone to serve, look at a neigbor as a friend not an enemy, and help someone accomplish their dreams.   This is what makes life great not money!

Dieting is so miserable at least I found this funny March 12, 2009

My friends, I am once again dieting.  This time the main reason is to help boost my gall bladder health.  While that might sound odd, I have good reasons. My nurse friend keeps pointing out that my gall bladder might be heading for problems.  This would not only be painful but since I only have a high deductible insurance plan I can’t pay for surgery right now.  Hopefully everything will be fine but in the meantime I am trying to stick to a diet I found on a website for gall bladder problems and praying that will solve the problem.  I figure it couldn’t hurt.  The main things it suggests are items high in amino acids such as grapes, celery, berries,  carrots, fish (it says wild fish but I can’t afford that) soy milk, prunes (yuck!)  and whole wheat breads- yummy, hah….not so much? At the same time you are to avoid dairy (except for yogurt and cottage cheese), meats including fowl, pork and beef, nuts and oddly all cabbage type vegetables.  In general low fat is supposed to be good but omega 3 fatty acids such as fish oils and olive oil are recommended.  The diet is big on organic foods but again those get into money.   All fast food is out- especially anything that is fried.  I have also been working on the wii fit to try and get in shape.  That blasted animated trainer is killing me!

Anyway, I have been trying the diet this week and am doing okay.  I’m on week 2 of consistent work on the wii fit.  I wish I could say I never messed up but there has been an improvement from weeks previous.  Today I started out strong with a turkey (just one slice) sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and mustard.  On the side I had some a few corn chips without trans fats and some strawberries.  This was pretty good.

Unfortunately things went down hill from there.  I met up with a friend for a late lunch (my hair stylist Grace who got me sweet deals on a new flat iron and hair product).  I loved chatting with Grace but the Cafe Rio meal was definitely off the diet. I did try to minimizing the damage by only eating half and getting half chicken/half pork instead of just pork.  I also got the burrito without any cheese.  I haven’t quite figured out how to stay on a diet and be social and have fun.  I felt like I did the best I could but still feel frustrated.  Any tips? Be nice!

The other confession…I had some ice cream later on in the evening.  In my defense it was lower calorie ice cream (6 grams fat for 1/2 cup), but still I shouldn’t have.

At least I am trying, and I mean to keep updating my blog regularly with how I am doing.  Any motivation you’ll can give me would be great.  I really don’t want to have  surgery for my gall bladder, and I want to be healthy.  I suppose I should celebrate the small victories and keep pressing forward.

I did have a nice phone call from Miriam and a pleasant visit from my Uncle Tom today.  Plus the lunch with Grace- so I would say I did pretty well socially today! Still, I felt a little discouraged on the dieting front.  However, this made me laugh.  I think it encompasses dieting to a tee.  At least I didn’t end the day eating cheesecake from the freezer!:

This is a specially formulated diet designed to help women cope with the stress that builds during the day.
BREAKFAST
1 grapefruit
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 cup skim milk
LUNCH
1 small portion lean, steamed chicken
1 cup spinach
1 cup herbal tea
1 Hershey’s kiss
AFTERNOON TEA
The rest of the Hershey Kisses in the bag

1 tub of Hagen-Dazs ice cream with chocolate chips

DINNER
4 glasses of wine (red or white)
2 loaves garlic bread
1 family size supreme pizza
3 Snickers Bars
LATE NIGHT SNACK
1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer).

One last comment- I am very sad Jorge got voted off Idol.  I thought he would last longer.  I am a big fan of Danny and that’s pretty much it.  I think all the girls are bad except for Lil.  I can’t believe Megan  Corkey stayed on after her song.  It was terrible. The judges were definitely too soft on her and too hard on Jorge.  Oh well!  That’s a reality singing competition for you!

Getting Ready for a Cruise January 13, 2009

I don’t know if I have mentioned it on this blog but I am going to have an interesting experience next week- I am going on a singles cruise!  Being that I live alone and work primarily alone the opportunities for me to meet new people are few and far between (plus, my ward has a 3 to 1 ratio and nearly 200 people!).  A friend of mine went on the singles cruise a couple of years ago and really liked it (ironically she was engaged when she set sail!). Anyway, I got an email from the Sandy institute (institute is kind of like LDS  Sunday school for youth) announcing the 2009 cruise.  This year the cruise happened to land on my birthday week.  Yes, I am turning 28 in a week.  I know it is only a year older than 27 but for some reason it feels much older to me.  It’s like I can feel 30 breathing down my neck.  You know next June is my 10 year high school reunion!  Crazy!

The other benefit to the cruise is how affordable it is- 6 nights for $512! In addition, I had a free airline ticket because I had volunteered my seat when I flew to Hawaii in April.  This means I can go on a long trip for very little.  I might spend less on the cruise than I do in my regular life! The other advantage is that it gives me the opportunity to see my friends in Southern Cali. I am going to spend 4 days with my friend Raelene after the cruise and I will get to see my good friend Emily (and I will get to see her newbaby- yeah!). I love getting together with old friends and reminiscing.  It is the best!

It will probably be a long time before I get to blog again but I wanted to write about this upcoming cruise.  It is interesting because on one hand I am excited but on the other I am a little nervous.  I think it is easy to think that as soon as I leave the world is going to fall apart.  How is everything with the properties and my other work going to get done if I am not here? I wish I could have the European sensibility of vacation as a right- as an essential part of life.  In Europe they close down for siestas and take weeks off at a time every year.  In America we see it more as a luxury, even a burden at times.  Do you’all ever feel that way?  This cruise is especially scary because I will be uncontactable for most of the time.  I will not have my normal crutches of internet and cell phones. I am not even going to bring my computer!  I am giving it to Jim and my dad who are going to take over my work while I am gone. I haven’t been on a trip without my computer since my trip to Japan in 2005 because before this job I needed it for school and other responsibilities.  It is going to be very weird and kind of scary.

On the other hand, I think this exhile is the part of the vacation I am looking forward to the most.  I am treating this cruise as a spa week, and I hope I will emerge energized and rejuvenated.  I have had so much sickness lately and I want to get healthy so badly.  I need an opportunity to become %100 well.  I also need some time to think back on the last year- think of the growth, learning and mistakes I made.  2008 was a year of healing for me and it is appropriate that I have some time at the beginning of 2009 to digest those experiences and make it a year of growth and strength.

Plus, who knows I could meet someone nice…stranger things have happened on a singles cruise!  There are over 160 LDS singles going (don’t know the guy/girl ratio but that doesn’t matter too much).   I just want to meet someone that I can talk to.  Someone I think is interesting and has a good heart.  I also greatly value education and responsibility.  I want someone that has direction, motivation, and inspiration in life.  Is this too much to ask? Sometimes it feel that way.  When it comes down to it, I want to fall in love.  I want the butterfly’s and the excitement, and I don’t think I should settle for anything less.  Is he going to be perfect?- of course not; but I still think I should be in love with the boy! I know the church doesn’t believe in fate, but my opinion is that while there may not be one person in the world for me, I don’t think there are hundreds floating out there.  I think there are a select few people in the world that I could actually be married to and be happy.  Really it is amazing as many people get together as do.  The chances are out of this world, but somehow it happens. Maybe someday it will happen to me.  Until then I will enjoy my cruise and try to put the nerves out of my head!  Any suggestions or thoughts on this post are most welcome.  I may not be writing again for a little while. We will see.  Bon Voyage!

A little sick September 25, 2008

So friends, I realized today one of the downsides to living by yourself.  Dash it all there is nobody there to get you medicine when your tummy aches.  It’s odd that something like that would make me feel lonely but I can’t pretend that it didn’t.  Now I wasn’t seriously ill or anything just a bit of a sour stomach and yet I had to drag myself out of bed (and to be quite honest away from the TV- lots of premieres tonight) and go to Harmons to buy stomach meds (a little embarrassing- the kind of shopping where you have to add a few items that you don’t really need just so it isn’t clear to everyone in line what ails you.  At least my cashier didn’t have to check prices on anything.  That is the worst! Then it is like sharing with the whole store.  Hey, Rachel’s buying….You can’t be too careful.  After all it’s a small neighborhood.  I might see these people again!).

So, I am sure you did not start reading my blog to hear about my exciting trip to the store.  I mention it only to say that with all my tough single talk there are moments when I wish I had someone there to, in this case, by me meds and tell me that everything is going to be fine in the morning.  When I was visiting my sister last week my niece asked me “Rachel, why don’t you have a husband?”.  I told her simply that “I haven’t fallen in love yet and you can’t have a husband until you fall in love.”.  (Unless you marry for money but why scar the child with that notion!).  Anyway, I really believe what I told Isabel and until I feel that way I guess I will just have to live with buying my own medicine and using my prayers to tell me that everything will be Okay in the morning- and thank goodness it usually is.

Short entry today friends.  Afterall, I’m not feeling well! By the way, any of you Indiana folks I am coming for a visit!  I am working in Grand Rapids for Oct 6+7 and will be in Indiana 8-10th. I will try to contact everyone I can to get together but I’ve lost a lot of phone numbers.  Rachel.

At least I dont feel like a smurf