Say NO to Hover-Peeing!

This issue of proper pee etiquette has gone on long enough and frankly, I'm sick of it enough to devote an entire post to it. Yes, I'm talking about the Thoughtless Pee-Hoverer. Ladies, this has become an all-too frequent problem for those of us who utilize shared restrooms on a daily basis.

First, a little factoid clip on public toilet germs. A riveting must-see for all.



Just to review, the main problem as the video clip points out is not about the germs on a toilet, but rather those of you who DO NOT WASH YOUR HANDS! Face it, as soon as you touch ANYTHING in a public restroom (the door, the stall lock-- even the toilet paper, for crying out loud) you have fecal matter on your hands! In other words, hovering over the bowl is a wasted tactic.




Ladies, when deciding if you should hover-pee (squat over the bowl) or not, how about this? NOT!

Here is what happens when you hover-pee:

1 - you think you are avoiding contact with that "gross" toilet seat (the video claims you're wrong)

2 - YOUR pee dribbles on to the seat!

3 - When you flush, your pee on the seat is still there!
    3A - Many of you don't flush because you can't bare to touch the flusher
    3B - if it's automatic and won't flush, you're afraid to push the tiny button!

4 - YOU HAVE JUST TURNED A "NORMAL" TOILET SEAT INTO A TRULY GROSS ONE FOR THE REST OF US!!! WE DO NOT ENJOY YOUR PEE ON THE SEAT!

And don't think it's just little kids doing this.  I am up at the local university every day and I cannot tell you how often I open a stall door to be confronted with pee-hoverer's sprinkles. Ugh. I mean hello, you are now an adult. You know better.

It's not only immature college girls doing this either. I used to work in a beautiful office. It's known by other women in the building that there is a lady who works there who hover-pees and then, get this - doesn't flush or wash her hands! So not only is she leaving a mess for the rest of us (because she's too scared of germs to touch the flusher), but she is actually spreading the germs because she doesn't wash her hands. Oh, the irony. This woman is a 40-something year old, by the way, who has sat through countless hours of education classes to earn her license and yet she can't manage proper pee etiquette? Seriously.

This whole thing of you pee-hoverers sprinkling all over the seat reminds me of a little stitching my grandmother had hanging above her toilet:

And for heaven's sake, flush and wash your hands! (Yes. With soap.)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day Six

I am grateful for healing foods.

It was sort of ironic to me that after I posted yesterday about feeling better after having a migraine for three days, I ended up getting sick last night, violent retching  included.  Bleh.  Not.A.Fan.

I slept most of the day today, as much as I could and finally getting up enough courage to eat a little.  I remember growing up, my mom would give us herbal tea for an upset stomach.  Spearmint and Chamomile are great for upset stomachs.  She always had us stick to the BRAT diet in those times.  Bananas, Rice, Apple juice, and Toast.  If we didn't have Apple Juice on hand (which we rarely did), then she would substitute a little homegrown spearmint.

There aren't medicines to cure viruses, but I love that we have been blessed with healing foods.  Of course, there are other times when we are emotionally "sick" and I think it's safe to say we all have our "comfort" foods too.  A lot of people I know seem to like mashed potatoes or chocolate or ice cream.  I think if it brings you comfort, go for it (in moderation of course).

Today, I am especially grateful for those healing foods.

Let Her Rrrrrrip!

Or maybe not. Ouch is right!

I won't go into too many details, because I will actually gross myself out just talking about it. But here is how it went down. I was in a hurry the other morning and jumped from bed. Literally. I jumped OUT.OF.BED.

As soon as I did, I felt this ripping action across my lower abdomen. (Picture in your mind ripping apart clothing at the seam. Yeah, it felt awesome like that.) IMMEDIATELY I saw spots in my eyes. They clouded my vision until I could only see shooting stars against a black backdrop. A ringing invaded my ear drums, high-pitched and piercing. I felt dizzy. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to lay down.

Instead, I popped an excedrin, splashed some cold water on my face and drove my kids to school so they would not be late. By the time I got to work I was in so much pain, I couldn't even stand up straight. The shooting stars had subsided but the tears were at bay. I called my Dr's office to get a same day appointment. They are located in the same building as the insta care, so I figured if she couldn't see me, insta care would. Turns out my Dr was off.

I am pretty sure by the stares I got in the waiting room, people thought the worst. I mean, what would you think if you saw a woman at a clinic, holding her stomach and crying?

The attending physician saw me and was worried about a possible hernia. I was in so much pain, I cried just attempting to lay back on the exam table. She wanted to give me a shot for the pain and she wanted me to go to the ER, but she told me I couldn't drive myself. Then she did it - she made me cry again.

She just had to go and ask, "Is there someone you can call?" I sat there in silence for a few moments - running down a mental list of names.

"No," I replied.

"A family member? Significant other? Friend?"

"Umm," I was really trying to focus, but no one was coming to mind. All I could think was I didn't have an "In Case of Emergency, Please Call" person. I scrolled through the names on my phone. Family members live too far away. No significant other. Of the friends and/or neighbors whose phone numbers I DID have in my phone, they either work during the day or have a new baby at home.

I ended up calling a colleague that worked down the street from the clinic and whom I knew had a little flexibility in her schedule. True, we've become good friends over the years. Still, it felt a little odd to call on a work friend for a personal matter.

I got picked up from the clinic and dropped off at the hospital and my car was taken care of. Turns out I picked a bad day to go to the ER. They were extremely busy and short-handed. I sat in the waiting room for about an hour before given a bed. There was no room at the inn, so I was placed in a "holding pattern" in the hallway until a room would become available. I think I was in the hallway another 2 hours.

A nurse from upstairs came down to help. She was to start an I.V. bag of saline. However, my veins apparently weren't "cooperating" (although they normally perform on demand). I knew the meds were making me loopy, because in my mind I was shouting several expletives at her; words I would never normally say. Or did I say them out loud? Now I really don't know. At any rate, I've got a complete set of bruises on my right arm.

At some point I was taken into ultrasound, had blood drawn and then finally moved into an exam room. They left the door open but kept the lights off for me so I could rest. Beyond that I don't know what was done with my chart, because apparently, the ER nurses didn't know I was in there. She started to wheel in another patient in a bed and jumped when she saw me. I think she may have even peed a little. Then she realized that the last 2 scheduled BP checks hadn't been done because she was told I went home.

At this point I can hear everything going on around me, in the hall and in the nearby exam rooms. But I couldn't keep my eyes open and trying to speak was too much work. The kid across the hall was crying nonstop. He wanted a bandaid. He wanted a green bandaid. He wanted a green bandaid with dinosaurs. He wanted a green bandaid with dinosaurs to show his daddy. He wanted his daddy. He wanted to go home to see his daddy. He wanted to go home and see his daddy to show him the green bandaid with dinosaurs.

I wanted him to shut up.

At one point, in my head, I yelled, "Someone get the kid a freakin green bandaid with a dinosaur before I strangle him!" Well, that's the G-rated version of what I was thinking. Then I started giggling because I couldn't tell if I actually said that or just thought that. I determined I only thought it because I tried to move my lips, which were stuck together from the dryness.

Finally, the ER doctor advised me there was no hernia, and that it "appeared" to be some torn fibers in the abdominal muscles.

"What should I do?" I asked. "How long does it take to heal?"

I was told that the abdominal muscle tears are the hardest to heal. You can't put your abs in a sling. And you can't just STOP using them, allowing them complete rest.

So, for now I am taking it "easy". It doesn't hurt THAT bad -- unless I go from sitting to standing or laying down, coughing, sneezing, reaching, laughing, driving, bending over, or pretty much just moving. But hey -- other than that I am fine.

I still am not fond of the concept that I don't have that one special "In Case of Emergency" person; the one I can always count on. Oh well, At least I have a lot of people I can call on some of the time, right?

By the way, how lame is it that I hurt myself just from getting out of bed. "You know you're outta shape when..."

So--I May Have ADHD

A few weeks ago, on a Wednesday my eyes were hurting - like really bad. Allergies probably. That and the fact that I hadn't really been sleeping all that well; worse than normal to be honest. Anyway -- knowing me, I am positive I was guilty of rubbing my eyes several times throughout the week. By Thursday afternoon I noticed that my right eye was completely red and bloodshot. By Friday morning, my right eye was puffy and drippy. Nice. An eye infection.

Well, you know how eye infections go. They can be highly contagious if they're caused by a virus, considering the amount of times we subconsciously touch our eyes. We rub our eyes, type on our keyboard, rub our eyes, exchange money from our hands, rub our eyes, hand someone paperwork. Yep... gotta be careful with eye infections and "sharing" them. And of course, the ultimate would be Pink Eye. I didn't think it was pink eye. But, just to be sure, I went to the Insta-Care first thing that morning.

I sign in and wait. I people watch. I notice that everyone in the waiting room at the moment is an adult. I also notice that practically everyone is watching the Big Screen TV mounted on the wall, even though it's Playhouse Disney. I start wondering if they are watching just because it was on, or if they are really interested in what Handy Manny was doing. I chuckle to myself.

Then my name was called and I disappeared behind the door, following the nurse. She took my blood pressure, but the little band thingy hurt and then it stopped halfway and she had to do it again. I was fairly certain that she gave me the child-sized one, cuz it was squeezing the daylights outta my arm. I wanted to scream -- OWWWW! But, I held it together. I just kept telling myself, "It'll be over in a sec. It'll be over in a sec. It'll be over in a s--- WHAT? SHE'S STARTING IT OVER? WHAT THE ---?" Yeah, I'm pretty calm like that.

She then takes me around the corner, down the hall, around another corner, through a set of doors, and I am beginning to wonder if we are going to need some sort of security clearance to get where I need to go. She has me stand at one end of the hall and she walks down to the eye chart. She says to me, "Cup your hand over your right eye, and read this [points] row."

I read, "DECFGA."

She then says, "Now your left."

I read it again, "DECFGA."

Then she says, "Now both."

At this point, I start to laugh. She had been telling me which eye to COVER. Not which eye to read with. So, when she said "Now Both," I, being the Smart Alec that I am, cover both of my eyes (yes -- I did) and say, "This Chart was made in China." I uncover them, she sorta gives a half-laugh, like she is not really sure what just happened. Above all, she didn't seem impressed.

I think I muttered something like, "Oh Sorry... moving on. DECFGA."

She takes me into the room. I start to sit in one chair and she says pointing to the other, "Sit over here so I can see you while I type." I figure she must be typing my symptoms into the computer and she wants to look at my eye so she can describe it. I mean, I really don't know why else she would have said, "...so I can see you while I type," unless she has paranoia about people staring at her behind her back, or stealing tongue depressors or something. So, I move to the other chair and say, "I suppose I oughta remove my glasses."

She looks at me like, "why?"

I explain, "So you can look into my eyes." I don't know why I said it like that. It just sort of came out. Again, she sort of let's out a half-chuckle like she is just beside herself with what to do with me.

"Well, maybe I should remove MY glasses so you can look into MY eyes," she says while pretending she is gonna take her glasses off. She laughs to herself and then proceeds to type. I shrug my shoulders, and put my glasses back on. She tells me the Dr. will be in soon as she leaves me alone with my thoughts in the little cold room.

Not all good. My thoughts were basically along the lines of -- did she think I was hitting on her? Was she hitting on me? Did she just think I was weird? or a basket case?

Soon the Dr. emerges, looks at my eye and tells me he wants to put some yellow dye in my eye and look at it under a blue light. He puts the dye in and hands me a Kleenex to wipe any drips. I wipe the drips and upon pulling the Kleenex away, notice the yellow is BRIGHT yellow. He turns the light off and tells me to rest my chin on the chin rest in front of me. I do. He begins his exam and is talking about something, maybe what he is looking for or looking at. But all I can think about is the yellow dye.

Will it stain my eye yellow? Like the white parts? Will the white of my eye be stained YELLOW?

"...no damage to the corneas..."

And if the dye does stain, how long before it wears off?

"...corneal ulcers..."

Am I going to look like the stray cat found in the alley with one pink eye and one yellow one? You know the kind that lives off of the Chinese food found in the dumpster? Am I going to look like a freak? Am I ---

"I'll give you a prescription for some antibiotic drops. Don't wear your contacts for a week and call me if it gets worse or if your vision becomes blurred."

I nod my head and take the script from him. I felt almost dazed as I walked out. It all happened so fast. That's the thing about Dr. visits... you wait and wait and wait and when they finally join you in the little room it takes all of five minutes.

I take the prescription to the pharmacy. I see my cute little neighbor lady from around the corner. "Do you still have that nasty cough?" she asks.

I nod and say, "But I'm actually here for my eye."

Cute little neighbor lady extends her arms and says, "Poor thing -- I think you need a hug. I can tell you have just been overwhelmed lately."

I sort of chuckle. "Why is that?" I ask.

"Well, you've been sick and now this... It's no wonder your Christmas Tree is still up."

It's true. It was merely 3 days until Valentine's when this conversation took place and my tree was still up. "Oh yeah..." I sort of replied. Guess I had forgotten about it, sort of.

My prescription is filled and I head back to the office. Then the questioning began... "Well? What did the Dr. say?"

Ohhhh.... crap. I didn't really have an answer. "Um..." I stammered. "Something about ulcers and prescription drops," I say, holding up the bag to prove I actually had them.

They give me a puzzled look to which I reply, "Ok, I admit. I sort of forgot too listen. I was too distracted by the yellow drops staining my eye."

Yep. They laughed at me. Two of the ladies are older than me, about my Grandma's age. They just thought that was the funniest thing ever. So, of course I had to tell them the whole story, and they told me to google what I did remember of the conversation.

It turns out that I had corneal ulcers caused by a bacterial infection, most likely from rubbing my eyes. Apparently, according to all of the websites I read, it is quite common for contact wearers. I did remember the Dr. saying that there was no damage to the corneas, so I was glad to find out we caught it in time. The one lady suggested that from now on I ask the Dr. to write down the diagnosis, y'know... in case I forget to listen again.

They were still laughing about it a few minutes later, and I admit I laughed with them too. I said, "I think it's because I am back on my migraine meds. It makes me feel like I have ADHD."

To which the one asked, "Well, is your Christmas Tree still up?"

Ohhhhhh..... shut up. Haha.

Wash Your Hands!!!

In honor of the cold & flu season I thought I'd share some funny "wash your hands" signs that have been found posted in various companies.

Ummm... why the Quotations around "Wash Hands". Is this like one of those "winks"?

What ELSE were they intending to wash?!?!

This is too funny! Either a prank or someone really trying to drive the point home!

REALLY?

Ok -- to me, it isn't the graffiti on the wall that makes this funny. It's that someone wrote "ROSE" across the top. Like, "Rose -- This means YOU!!!" hahahahaha!

HAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, if you're gonna do the job, do it right!

UMMMM..... I am not sure how YOU wash your hands, but I usually leave my top on!

Death, by Snot

If you're like me, you hate being sick. If you're like me, you hate going into the clinic, filling out papers when your head seems to be spinning and your vision blurring, all while every noise seems to echo into what now feels like a tin-can head.

Welcome to the common cold, my friends. Don't worry, it's not just you. Everybody's doin' it. Haha.

But there are some things you MAY not know about the common cold. SOMETIMES, the common cold can turn into a sinus infection. It's true. In fact the number one cause of a sinus infection is the common cold. But that isn't where the problem lies, per se. The problem is the result of NOT taking care of said cold. If you don't believe me, check it out {{HERE}}, {{HERE}}, or {{HERE}}

I know what you're thinking. Stop right there Ms. Not So Usual -- this doesn't appear to be one of your Not So Usual Posts about how asparagus makes your pee smell funny or how some guy you barely know sends you an invite to the Secret Society of Secrets. You're right dear readers; it's not. And I know what else you're thinking. This isn't one of your rants or raves or even one of your feel-good-faith-promoting posts, either. Again, right you are! I can't slip anything past you, can I?

It's true my friends. What we've got ourselves here is a good old-fashioned informational post that could really help you out and even prevent you from dying. Yep, you heard me... DYING.

And why, praytell, you ask am I posting such a post? Because I care! Well, 90% of me cares anyway. The other 10% is seeking acknowledgment for possibly/probably saving one of y'all's precious lives. What can I say? It's how I do.

Ok -- back to colds and snot and death and dying.

After reading several facts from the Trusted and Renowned Mayo Clinic (link above) here is what I have learned.

A common cold can drain into your sinuses. Tons of "back-up"/"blockage" in your sinuses can cause a sinus infection. A sinus infection (left untreated) can cause a myriad of other things. For Example...

- It can trigger an ASTHMA ATTACK!

- It can drain into your ear and cause an INNER EAR INFECTION!

- It can drain behind your eye sockets and cause poor vision or even BLINDNESS!

- It can drain into the face and cause BELL'S PALSY!

- ear infections and Meningitis can also cause Bell's Palsy!

- Bell's Palsy can lead to a Stroke, a Ruptured Annuerysm, or Tumors!

- It can cause BLOOD CLOTS in the Sinus Areas!

- It can spread to the lining of your brain and cause MENINGITIS! SIEZRUES! COMA! and even DEATH!

For reals. The best thing to do when you get a "head cold" is to not let it back up into the sinuses. The easiest way to do this is to take something to dry it up and clear it out!

Once, I thought I merely had the "sniffles". But then the room started spinning and I felt like I was going to throw up. My friend took me to the Insta-Care to find out that I had an inner-ear infection caused by an untreated sinus infection. I didn't have the traditional headache/sinus pressure and I did not have a fever. I did have the sniffles for several days however. The Dr. advised me that if it last for more than a few days to get it checked out, because it could be a sinus infection.

My coworker's sister got Bell's Palsy from a sinus infection that went untreated and a friend's mother lost some of her vision! Thankfully, I do not know of anyone who has died from an untreated sinus infection. And I don't want to see those stats change!

So, dear readers, do me a solid and take care of those sniffles when they arise. It's Snot one of those "set it and forget it" type of deals. Do what you can to clear nasal passages and keep those sinus cavities clear!

In the mean time, I am taking another dose of the Zicam myself. I'm going on day three of my sinus cold. If it is any worse tomorrow I'm calling in to see if I can get a script.

On that note, good luck dear readers. Continue good hand-washing practices, nurse your colds and for Heaven's Sakes! This is NOT one of those things you've just got to pay forward!

Oh -- and after this, we will return to our regularly scheduled programming of Not So Usual me and stuff about me...or stuff said by me... and stuff seen by me......

So, Now What?

There is a bit too much in my head to leave it at a "Six Word Saturday" today.

About 6 weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk at work, and all of a sudden my right breast and underarm went completely numb. It lasted about 5 minutes and then everything was fine. I thought it was extremely strange and figured perhaps I was leaning on my elbow too much, or had a pinched nerve or something. Then, the next morning, all started up again. Only this time my lips would start to go numb as well. This occurred sporadically several times throughout the day. It also sort of felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I thought for sure I must have a rib out and pressing on a nerve or something. I was also just extremely tired. Like, majorly fatigued.
I had my usual monthly chiropractor appointment and thought for sure things would be better after that. They were the same, although it didn't feel like someone was sitting on my chest anymore. I called the Dr's office to get an appointment, and when the gal on the phone asked me for my symptoms, she then put me on hold and a nurse came on the line. She told me to go to the instacare or ER. She said that when things happen on the right side of the chest it often times is related to the heart. I was like... hmmm. Did not know that. But, okay.

So, off I go to the insta care. And I think the nurse on the phone probably freaked me out a little, so I probably was a little more anxious than normal. My blood pressure was abnormally high. And it is usually sooo low, they often joke that they are surprised I am alive. Anyway, they did an EKG, but all was normal. They advised me to go ahead and make an appointment with my regular Dr. Wow. $45 co-pay to tell me what I was planning on doing anyway. Great.

My appointment with my Dr. was set for 1 week later. Every day, I still had the the numbness on my right side and I began to notice that any day it was warm, I felt extreme fatigue. I had heat exhaustion once, almost to the point of heat stroke. It felt similar to the onset of that. Also, little things like going to the grocery store would wear me out. At my appointment my Dr. ordered a full blood panel and also wanted me to get a "stress echo" (stress echocardiogram) on my heart, just to be sure. I've had one of these before so I knew what it entailed. It is an ultrasound on the heart, which is really painful by the way, and then they throw you on the treadmill to stress your heart out, and then do more ultrasound.

The blood lab was scheduled for the next morning at 8 am. Had to fast beforehand. Fine. The stress-echo was scheduled for 10 days later, and I was also suppose to go in fasting. Not fine. THAT appointment was set for 12:30pm... Which meant I was gonna be HUNGRY by the time it was all over.

The blood work came back and everything was great. Thyroid, liver, glucose, cholesterol -- all fine. No signs of any infections either. Each day, I was still having numbness in the same places. Except now my tongue started going numb too. So, right underarm, chest, lips and tongue are randomly going numb at any given time throughout the day. I am so exhausted that I am actually getting more sleep than what I am used to too. (Like 6 hours instead of 4!) I tried to chart when I would get the parasthesia thinking there might be a common link. But I could not find a pattern. It happened when I sit, stood, was walking, lying down, working, eating... it just didn't seem to matter. It was all very sporadic.

Went and did the stress-echo and after doing that rigamarol, they then had me meet with the cardiologist right away. I mean, it was nice that I didn't have to wait for a week to get results, but it was after 2pm by this point and I was really hungry! The Cardio said everything looked great. She actually said, "better than normal". She went through the charts and everytime she said, "we like to see normal in this range", my little valves rated better. Good valves. :)

So, now it has been almost 6 weeks since this all began and the other day, in addition to the sporadic parasthesia of my right underarm, chest, tongue and lips, my entire right arm from shoulder to finger tips was numb for an entire 9 hour period. It was a constant numbness for 9 hrs straight. Weird!

I have been doing "research" on the internet. I have been talking to peeps on Facebook. And here is what I have found out:

I know 2 people that have MS; one man and one woman. Both stated that their symptoms started with parasthesia of extremities. Both said that they often felt fatigued and that heat made it much worse; like they just felt "achy". Both stated that their MS was detected early and therefore they have been able to treat it and live happy, normal, active lives. I know this part is true, because to look at them, you'd never even know they are "sick".

Another girl I know stated that she had similar symptoms. (Although, her tingling was just in her hands.) After a myriad of tests, her Dr. informed her it was aspartame poisoning. Apparently, among a plethora of other things it can do to you, parasthesia of the limbs is one of them. (By the way, are tongue, lips, chest and underarm considered "limbs"?)

I googled Aspartame Poisoning. One medical site said the best way to rule this out or to test the theory is to "de-tox" for 30 days. No diet sodas or anything with aspartame ("NutraSweet") in it for 30 days. If you do have it, it takes 30 days to detox and after 30 days you will feel better and your symptoms will be gone. Interesting.

I was going to stop drinking Diet Coke anyway. I had already started replacing it was water and orange juice. I was down to 1-2 per day, and some days none. So, this is a good reason to quit completely anyway. You can read more about Aspartame Poisoning {{HERE}}

So, my next follow-up is Monday. Those are the 2 things I am going to ask about.

Updates and School

Well, no news in the health arena. Saw a Dr. on Tuesday and she ordered a full lab work-up: lipids, blood cell count, glucose, anemia, etc. etc. She also referred me to a cardiologist for an ultrasound on my heart and the joyous stress test.

I am still having the tingling in my underarm/chest area on my right-side and tingling in my lips. I feel exhausted too. Not like my normal exhaustion... more like I just got the crap beat out of me and I need to go and lay down exhaustion. Speaking of beatings... when I got home from work yesterday and was changing clothes, I noticed about 10 bruises, in all different shapes and sizes in random spots all over my belly. Weird? Yup.

In other news... I am not liking school right now. On the one hand, I know I would have regretted not taking classes this summer. On the other hand, they are both SCIENCE classes. Bleh. I am not a fan. I feel like I have to read and reread the same passage of text at least 4 times in an effort to at least remember the general topic! I am only into this a few days and am having a hard time with the reading. What can I say? Some people love math, some people love science! Me? I am more of a creative writing/English/Music gal. :)

I think I need to not stress about straight A's this semester. My only goals are to do my best and pass!

Favorites classes since starting back to school this past fall? Definitely Criminal Justice, Political Science and Writing.

Least favorites? Computers (that instructor was a homework Nazi!), and now Conservation Biology and Meteorology! We'll see... maybe once we get going and I sink my teeth into it, it won't be so bad.

Symptoms

Tingling in right side, underarm and chest. Mild pain in same spots. Just not feeling "right".

They do not know why yet. It's been 6 days. I keep thinking it's shingles, but I haven't had a breakout yet.