What happened? A “perfect storm of conditions conducive to bring pollen into the air,” arborist Peter Gerstenberger, senior advisor to the Tree Care Industry Association, tells WebMD. “It has a lot to do with temperatures over a period of time that can cause a tree to create a lot of pollen. It has a lot to do with wind speed, and it has a lot to do with precipitation.”

This perfect storm, Ballisty says, had several ingredients:

• A long, cold winter dumped huge amounts of snow and rain across much of the nation. Trees got plenty of water, unlike recent drought years in the Southeast.
• Spring arrived late. When it came, it brought hot, dry, summer-like conditions “compressing the pollen season,” according to horticulturist Amanda Campbell of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Ballisty notes that this April broke 1,800 high-temperature records across the nation.
• Spring was summer-like not only because temperatures were unusually high, but because a ridge of high pressure funneled moisture away from the eastern half of the nation for extended periods. Rain washes the pollen from the air. Although pollen levels quickly rebound after rain, dry periods keep pollen blowing in the wind.

Like many others I have found myself sneezing and coughing a lot more right now. The wind is blowing tree pollen. I can’t be outside for long before I begin coughing. A lot of this is the result of the sinus infection I had earlier, which I have been told might be allergies from all the pollen this year. I did some research and found the best time to get checked for allergies is after allergy season. There are too many variables right now to have this checked. Too many different pollens flying around in the breeze. Perhaps when the pollen has stopped blowing around many like me will feel a lot better. Until then we cough, sneeze, and feel rather miserable at times.

I went to the doctor this morning again, ears feeling like they had been stuffed much like a turkey at Thanksgiving, head feeling clogged like a toilet with too much paper in it, and coughing a new song which will never hit the top 40. After being checked by the doctor (cold hands and all) I was told the sinus infection just wasn’t clearing up so well and now I needed more medication. Those of you who have read some of my diabetes posts know that I take a variety of meds for that condition so adding to my medication stockpile I now have 3 more as of today. While temporary, two of the three are to be used until they are completely gone. One is a nasal spray and the other is an inhaler. I have no problem using those and they seemed to help me immediately. The tablet I am to take beginning Thursday morning as the doctor thought it would be best to let the generic Zithromax work a bit longer.

The tablet is the reason for this posting. Levaquin is some really tripped out tablet! It’s used for infections such as I have, that aren’t completely cured by the original medication given and is also used for anthrax. Yes, you did read that right. Anthrax. So I questioned why this was given to me. I was told it would help get rid of the rest of the bacteria in my system that is clogging up my interior parts.

The expense is one thing (over $160 of which my insurance covered all but $50), but the four sheets worth of information that came along with the medication just about floored me! The side effects are rather alarming and very lengthy. I will list them here so everyone knows: tendinitis, pancreatitis, liver damage, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, weakness, itching, abdominal pain or tenderness, unusual tiredness, loss of appetite, light colored bowel movements, dark colored urine, seizures, hallucinations, feeling restless, tremors, anxiety, nervousness, confusion, trouble sleeping, depression, nightmares, feeling lightheaded, paranoia, suicidal thoughts or acts, hives, trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling of the lips/face/tongue, hoarseness, throat tightness, rapid heartbeat, fainting, yellowing of the skin or eyes, skin rash, diarrhea (which could signal a problem with your colitis), heart rhythm changes, changes in blood sugar (could be low or high), sensitivity to sunlight, and joint problems. But the manufacturer did list the most common side effects as being: dizziness, headache, constipation, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Oh, joy! What have I gotten myself into???

After consulting the doctor’s office again and the pharmacist I was informed in the years they have dispensed this drug no one had complained to them about any side effects. Ok, so here I am, guinea pig #1 in this household ready to try this medication in an effort to get better since I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I did check a lot of blogs and websites online about Levaquin. Some were very disturbing. Some just mentioned using the drug and not getting many side effects. I feel my chances of having a huge problem might be about 89/100. So I will try this new to me drug and hope it does what it’s supposed to do without messing up my body and what’s left of my poor head, brain included. Honestly, Levaquin has enough side effects that it should literally scare the sinus infection out of my body. If I was a sinus cavity bacteria my bags would be packed and I’d be running out the the body I was inhabiting as fast as I could slide, slip or wiggle.

Keep posted because I will be updating this post once I begin this medication and I will not lie to you about the side effects. If I feel any, they will be noted here. That’s the only way we can keep the drug companies honest enough. They make a lot of money from us and the truth about their drugs needs to be told.

Symptoms of a broken heart can mimic a heart attack, but the differences between the two are quite notable. There are no blockages in the heart, an EKG won’t show the syndrome, and most doctors don’t know much about broken heart syndrome.  It’s best to get a second opinion if your doctor tells you the chest pain you felt along with the shortness of breath, congestive heart failure and low blood pressure wasn’t caused by a heart attack.

The causes of broken heart syndrome are at this time unknown. A sudden surge in adrenaline and other stress hormones can temporarily stun the heart and affect it’s pumping ability. The heart muscle cells are stunned by these hormones, but not killed like it would be with a heart attack. Broken heart syndrome patients can recover in days to weeks. They need to follow standard treatment for a heart attack and heart failure.

There are differences in heart attack symptoms for men and women. Most women won’t have chest pains. This results in a delay in seeking help. Standard tests may not reveal what’s wrong. Your problem could very well be the small blood vessels with cells that aren’t properly functioning. Heart disease can be reversible if caught early.

The most common heart attack symptoms for both men and women are chest pain or discomfort;pain in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath; cold sweats, nausea or light-headedness. Chest pain is the main reason most people seek emergency care. If you experience any chest pain go to the emergency room immediately.

Women’s arteries behave differently than men’s.  In women when cholesterol or plaque builds up the arteries tend to expand to accommodate it.  In men the plaque blocks the arteries. Standard tests search for blocked arteries, so women’s plaque can be hidden. Current testing methods can’t diagnose women having heart attacks as well as they can diagnose men. This results in more women dying of heart attacks than men. Do ask for that second opinion if you doctor tells you it’s not a heart attack you are experiencing. Don’t take chances. It’s your life.

I do remember the nurse telling me they were putting a sleeping medication into the iv line, being wheeled into the operating room and getting onto the table. The last thing I remember was the nurse telling me she was washing my hand. The next thing I knew I was back in the day surgery section and the nurse was asking me how I was feeling and did I have a lot of pain. Frankly, I didn’t feel much pain at all. My hand was bandaged from the fingers down to the wrist. The surgeon cut the palm of my hand under the trigger finger to get into the area he needed to cut the tendon. I have had to wiggle my fingers and make a fist off and on for hours on end. The surgery was done on Wednesday. Today is Saturday and I can finally type again. There is little pain. I do feel a sore spot on my palm, but since it’s all bandaged, I can’t see what the problem is. Could be the stitches pulling as it heals. I cannot take off the bandage as the doctor will remove it next Thursday when I go to have the stitches  taken out.While I was given some pain tablets, they only succeeded in making me sleepy, dizzy, and gave me an upset stomach.

As long as I don’t put a lot of pressure on my hand or the problem finger, I am doing ok. I find there are things I cannot do, such as dishes (thanks to the person who invented the dishwasher I don’t need to concern myself with dishes) or pull on things (like shoe strings!). Otherwise I am doing well and looking forward to not having any pain in the finger or my hand. Getting back to being able to once again do normal things that I enjoy will be a pleasure. Thanks to Alex helping me do daily routine things that I couldn’t do and being there to make me laugh through the pain and the finger wiggling, I will be just fine in no time.

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid, causing red, irritated, itchy eyelids. Formation of dandruff-like scales can occur on the eyelashes. Either a bacterial or skin condition can cause this, affecting people of all ages. It is not contagious but it can be very uncomfortable to the person who gets it. If treated there should be no problems with eyesight.

Anterior blepharitis occurs on the outside front edge of the eyelid where the eyelashes are attached. In my case I don’t have a lot of eyelashes (being blond haired and blue eyed can have some drawbacks). Posterior blepharitis affects the inner edge of the eyelid and comes in contact with the eyeball.

Experiencing itching of the eyes, red and swollen eylids, dry eyes, and crusting of the eyelids are some of the symptoms. Regualar eye hygiene can help control blepharitis. Warm compresses can be applied to help loosen some of the crusting. It’s best to use specific eyelid cleaners found in the your local drug store. Massage the eyelids for about a minute to get rid of the oil accumulated in the eyelid glands. Artificial tears can be used to keep the eyes moist. Women need to limit or completely stop using eye makeup as that will only trigger more problems. If you wear contact lens you may need to stop wearing them while treatment is underway. An eye doctor should be consulted so the proper medication can be prescribed to take care of this inflammation. There are also eyelid washing pads on the market, which I have used and found to be very helpful. The one thing not to do is to panic. Get the diagnosis and medication. Use it properly and the inflammation will go away.

The surgeon said he will make an incision in the upper palm, usually at the fatty part under the fingers. He tries to use a “line” already in the palm so the scar will be less noticeable. I will be groggy, but not totally sedated for this procedure which will be done at the local hospital. This is considered “day” surgery although I won’t be there for long. The part I will need to watch for is any infection, so I will need to be careful in how I take care of my hand.

I am actually looking forward to not having the pain anymore. Waking up each morning with my finger in “lock mode” is not the greatest. I am also looking forward to not having the pain when I type or do other things. Even picking up basic items like a can or bottle makes me wince since the pain shoots up the hand into the wrist area. I will post again on this once the surgery has been done.

HDL is the “good” cholesterol. This is a high density lipoprotein because it brings leftover cholesterol in the bloodstream back to the liver to be broken down.

LDL is the “bad” cholesterol. A low density lipoprotein it causes a buildup called plaque along the linings of the arteries. This gradual buildup is called atherosclerosis. This plaque narrows the artery openings and causes a reduced amount of blood to flow.

TRIGS or triglycerides travel in various lipoprotiens. Excess calories, alcohol, and sugar in the body are converted into trigs and stored in fat cells. Excess belly fat is associated with trigs. ‘

Total cholesterol levels under 200 are good unless you have a high LDL and a low HDL. Blood tests your doctor orders will determine what your levels are. Medications can be given to help regulate your system. It’s very important for diabetics to have their cholesterol levels under control. Dangers are heart attack and stroke. Quitting smoking can lower your LDL and raise your HDL, which is good.

Diabetics can having other problems with their eyes, including bleeding, fluctuations in vision, new blood vessel growth (neovascularization), early onset of cataracts, even retinal detachments. In many cases your eye doctor is the only one who can detect some of these diseases and can even tell if you are diabetic. You need to have an annual eye exam so you won’t have the biggest worry happen to you-blindness.

Another disease that can ruin your eye sight is high blood pressure. Bleeding in the eye, swelling of the optic nerve and retina, or occlusion of an artery or vein can lead to blindness. For this you need to have an annual dilated eye exam.

Glaucoma can lead to permanent blindess if not detected and treated early. Family history, age, high intraocular pressure, thin central cornea thickness, large optic nerve cupping, ethnicity and peripeheral vision loss can be found to cause glaucoma.

For adults over the age of 50 macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness. Some factors that increase the risk for this disease are older age, being female, blue or light colored eyes, smoking, UV light exposure, obesity, family history, and poor diet. Eating fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, decreasing sun exposure, avoiding smoking, and getting an early detection can help prevent blindness.

Don’t delay. Make an appointment as soon as possible with an eye doctor. You’ll feel much better and more relieved if you know that you are not having eye problems.

Alex was waiting for me since I had been told I wouldn’t be able to drive for 5 hours after the procedure. When we got home I got the ice pack out and used that on my back, resting comfortably for 20 minutes. Then I took a nap! Felt much better upon waking and just went about the rest of the day as though nothing major had happened. I was still aching a bit when I went to bed, but when I got up the next morning I felt great. While I have to be careful about lifting things, I must admit this was a blessing for me to have that epidural. I have to do some back strengthening exercises, mild ones, for the next 4 weeks, but they are simple and don’t take a lot of time to do. I have to call the dr. next Wednesday to let him know how I am doing.

This whole health issue starting from the first hospital visit and ending with the epidural has taught me that I needed to fight to get better. No one should have to go to any length to find a doctor to help cure the problem. For me it was bouncing from the GI doctor to the rhumetologist, then the spine doctor. I wish I could have just had the spine doctor while in the hospital. Would have saved a lot of time and money. Lesson learned: fight for the end result when you know there is something wrong with your body. Don’t take the first doctor’s diagnosis seriously if you are still having the problem.

This condition may have begun from a defective joint that you have had since birth, a joint damaged by accident or other trauma, a vertebrae with a stress fracture caused from overuse of the specific joint, or a joint that has been damaged by an infection or arthritis. Spondylolisthesis can affect children and teens who are involved in sports such as gymnastics or weight lifting. Older adults can develop this disease simply from wear and tear on the back.

You may develop symptoms such as back or buttock pain, pain that runs from the lower back down one or both legs, numbness or weakness in on or both legs, difficultly walking, loss of bladder or bowel control, or leg, back, or buttock pain that gets worse when you bend over or twist.

After x-rays your doctor will be able to find out if this condition is what is wrong with your body. A CT scan or MRI will also pinpoint the damage. If you do indeed have spondylisthesis you will need to stop certain activities that may have caused the problem or aggravates it. Ask your doctor what over the counter medication he feels would help relieve the pain. Aspirin, ibuprofen ( Advil) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) may help. Physical therapy may be suggested. If you are overweight losing a few pounds can also help. As a last resort surgery may be necessary. Only your doctor will know if this is the case.