A Two Week Respite
And so … here we are at the end of another school session. I’m looking back on this particular stretch with some serious relief, because for the first time, I really felt some pressure to try to remain caught up. Racing through 8 week courses that should take at least a semester can be a challenge. I would be up to it if I were half my age … but they can leave me a bit breathless as I am now.
DeVry is graciously giving us 2 weeks to recuperate … I, for one, am a grateful Moofie! When we start up again in mid July, I’ll be taking “Health Services and Information Systems.” I’m awfully glad to be seeing the end of my “gen eds.” Oh! I did manage to hang on to my 4.0 though … *does a happy little dance!*
Just realizing that I haven’t made a personal post on here in months!
Let’s see … my two weeks looks pretty full! Tomorrow, we’re going to drive up the coast to Scarborough, ME, to a little restaurant called “Dunston’s School House”. It’s a seafood buffet. We’ll be meeting some dear old friends who winter in Florida, and are finally home for the summer. I’ll post about it when we get back … and share some pics.
I have a variety of other “goings on” this week, including accompanying my mother in law to the dentist … which is a long, long ride … and visiting with another elderly lady who’s asked to speak to me. I also have to make my rather embarrassingly popular Boston Baked Beans for a 4th of July party which we’ll be attending on Saturday. Next week is even busier … and I want to take the time to drive up to Old Town to spend a few nights with Sarah and Daein.
On the health front … since I’ve begun to be a bit more “out there” about this sort of thing, at the moment we’re struggling to get my blood pressure down to something a bit more viable. In the last few months it’s gotten quite high, and I’m having to take it twice a day at home like I did when all of this first started a few years ago. I consider myself rather well “pressure tested” where HTN is concerned though, so the range it’s in now doesn’t overly worry me … although my PCP is making noises that I find rather disconcerting. It’s been ringing in with a systolic between 180 and 220, which is far and away below what it’s been at its worst. I think that the only thing that worries me at this stage is that if it stays high, it could bring my renal function lower again … which would be too bad, because my numbers had improved considerably over the last little while.
And so … life goes on … and we muddle through with whatever we’re given.
To those who ask, yes, I really am thinking of moving to Florida with Sarah and Daein … and when I get there, I’ll be looking for a job interning in Medical Informatics while I finish my studies. The subject was created with me in mind, I believe … a blend of my two favorites: medicine and computers! :o)
For those who haven’t noticed, I’ve begun putting a link to a new French song each Saturday in the space just below my blog header. Also, I’ll try to add the words, and either a translation or a bit about the song on the “Mots” page. (Mots means Words, or Lyrics, in French.) Most of the songs are quite old, some were taken from the original 78’s … a few are more recent. So, take a listen, and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from my fellow Francophones, by the way … let me know if you have a favorite, and I’ll see if I happen to have it.
Before I quit … we have two new bloggers I’d like to introduce: Dr. Anonymous, who’s continually making my blood pressure worse because he goes by the nick “Dr. A.” which is what my PCP calls himself. I keep thinking my PCP has taken up blogging … oh my … would that worry me!!! Anyway, he has a truly fantastic start on a blog, and if you don’t check it out, you’ll be missing out!
The other one is Fine Art Doctor … who has some very affective posts. Very intense on the emotions … but all presented as simply as if you were sitting with him enjoying a cup of coffee.
If you haven’t met these fellows yet, please get on over there and blogroll them! I promise you won’t regret it!
June 27th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Congrats on the 4.o! Enjoy your two weeks!
June 27th, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Oh you said it on your blog!! Now you HAVE to come visit me whether you like it or not!! ha ha!!
*wink* Glad you have time off. You really deserve it… and NEED it!!
Tons of love upon you!!
June 27th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
moof! you have some great finds :) the new doctor blogs are awesome.
June 27th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Congrats on the 4.0… im enjoying the break myself;)
have fun!!!!
June 27th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
ahh dear moof, please take care of yourself … stick to the diet so the salt doesn’t make the blood pressure worse …k?
I worry about you!!
June 27th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Amie, my dear …thank you very much. And I can assure you that I do, indeed, plan on enjoying my two weeks! :o)
—
And tons of love right back at you, Sarah …
Um … looks like I really did put my foot in it this time, eh? Got room on your sofa for an old Moof?;o)
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Kt … I agree! I’m really taken with both of them. Our blogging community is not only growing in numbers, it’s growing in quality.
—
And Wolfbaby … congratulations on your OWN 4.0! Way to go, girl! :o)
—
My sweet little Pk … my little worry wart … *grin* … don’t be concerned about an old Moof. She’s a lot tougher than people think she is. >;o)
And look who’s worrying … ANYway … *cough* … shall I begin to name off my reasons to worry about you? *blink!*
June 27th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Thank goodness for a break from school.
What are we to do with your blood pressure?
I hope that you get caught up on your responsibilities, sleep in, and enjoy the view of your beautiful place.
I wish that I could come and see it. It looks really, really wonderful. (without the snow)
later…
June 27th, 2006 at 8:47 pm
You’re not that old! I’m not enough years behind you for you to be calling yourself old young lady!!
You worry too much about me! so stop!
However, if you take *good*care of yourself, there would be one less thing for me to worry about, therefore one less thing for you to worry about me worrying …see how that works?
*grin*
June 27th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Is that your backyard?
June 27th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
Yeah, that is her backyard and it’s really quiet and peaceful out there… I love it!!
And Moofie, don’t worry, there is plenty of room on the sofa!!! We won’t make you sleep with the puppy… ;-)
When are you coming up???
June 27th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
TJ! So good to see you! About the BP … it bothers me that you sound a bit like my PCP … *cringe* that just makes the BP worse! *LOL*
Yes, I intend to sleep in … in fact, I’m going to sleep in tomorrow!
And TJ, I really do wish you *could* come and see my backyard. It is wonderful when it’s warm and there’s no snow … and I would so dearly love to meet you. Hopefully someday …
—
Pk … my dearest little buddy, I hate it when circuitous logic ends up making so darn much sense! :o)
Hey! I behave … most of the time. Since I never did learn to eat unsalted savory food, I just don’t eat the stuff that needs salt anymore - or I seldom do. I have lots and lots of fruit … and other things that I am able to eat without salt. I don’t always behave, but I do most of the time. A handful of nachos can mean more than 5 pounds on the scale the next day. *blink!* Moofies don’t like bloat …. !!! ;o)
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Amie, yes, that’s outside of my bedroom. However, everything is a trade off - if you realized what I live in, you wouldn’t envy my back yard. We’re in New England, and went without heat this past winter. And that’s not all. So … nice back yard … but everything is a trade off.
—
Sarah! I don’t mind sleeping with my grand-puppy! :o)
It will be next week sometime, and it will have to be brief … because I have a week of appointments waiting for me. Perhaps I could come up after church on Sunday? What do you think?
—
June 27th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Wow, moof… You are really good at picking up new bloggers.
Thanks for being such a sweet soul, and have a nice break.
June 28th, 2006 at 12:48 am
Is the whole dang state of Maine thinking of moving to Florida? Not that I have anything against Florida, but…. it just seems like everyone I know is in a state of upheaval. I wish you all the best, wherever you are.
Hugs and lovies, Shel
June 28th, 2006 at 2:03 am
Moof–thanks so much for the tip on Dr. Anonymous and FineArtDoctor; both are excellent! I’m blogrolling them today. I love finding good writers (and my internal editor is going to JUST SHUT UP about the spelling/grammer compulsion thing). I know you will enjoy your time off; going to school is much like poking yourself with a stick–feels so good when it stops. Now you’ll have to add me to the list of people worrying about your blood pressure!
June 28th, 2006 at 2:05 am
FYI–that very aggravating “stack overflow” message is still popping up on your blog.
June 28th, 2006 at 8:40 am
Amka … thank you for dropping in! Wish I could take credit for those great new bloggers, but I think the credit’s all theirs!
Amka … I’ve been wanting to mention that when I try to get to your blog through your RSS feed, I end up at
www.amka.co.za… is web site connected to you in any way?—
Shelly my dear … you’re just going to have to grab Classmate X and move to Florida with the rest of us!
Hey! Wouldn’t that be fun!?
—
TundraPA … I’m enjoying the new bloggers immensely. We’re building quite a nice community - eclectic - lots of great writers.
Yes … the time of is a relief!!! Somehow, this last stretch seemed a little intense.
Um … almost wishing I had left the health update OUT now! *blush* Not to worry, please.
I’ve never seen the stack overflow error .. but you’re the second person to tell me that. I’ve dropped a question over at Word Press to see if they can advise me on it. I’ll post about it when I get an answer. Does it stop the blog from loading for you, or does it partially load … or does the error come up in a pop up? And what browser and platform are you running?
Those answers would help pin the problem down. Thanks!
June 28th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Moof, in place of our daily e-mail communicatiosn, I must praise you publically here! All your readers ednjoy your articles, but I want to praise your selection of beautiful songs in your “Mots”. After long clumsy efforts, Ihave managed to download my favorite into my computer, where I can listen to it at home, but I still have not solved the mystery of transferring the music from computer to my IPod!
June 28th, 2006 at 11:05 am
Dr. Engel, you’re too kind. The French music I put into there contains all of those wonderful yearning feelings that music evokes whenever I hear a song that reminds me of my childhood. It really feels good to hear another person say that they also enjoy them.
If someone reading this knows anything about transferring music from computers (he has a Mac) to an IPod, would you please email him and help him out? I don’t have an IPod - or a Mac - and this is one I can’t help him with. His email:
hansgengel (at) earthlink (dot) net
Thanks!
June 28th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Sunday is good for me!! I’ll clean the house on Saturday afternoon… It’s kinda messy in here and there are puppy toys everywhere!!
Also, I rearranged the living room again… :-P hehe
Little puppy doo melon is anxious to see you again!!
June 28th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
Hello, I’m a Mac. (bad joke) Sure, I can help Dr. Engel. We’re best buds now since I quoted him on my blog. I have a Mac and an iPod, so I’ll e-mail and try to help if I can.
I also wanted to praise you publically here. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the plug in your posting. All of your “referrals” to my blog are very much appreciated! Also, definitely helped me get started by answering my technical questions (and don’t worry I’ll still have more as I go along).
Kudos on the 4.0 and enjoy this recuperation period. If, by chance, you do move to Florida and need names of docs down there, let me know. But, you probably know lots of people all over the country - that’s what’s great about blogging. Malcolm Gladwell would call you a connector.
Dr. Anon (Psssst… I can’t say Dr. A)
June 28th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Oh moof, you are a trickster! Give us the systolic and not a word about dyastolic? Give it up Moof, how high is the dyastolic? Anyway, you are so busy I don’t know how you do it all.
I’m very proud of your 4.0 and I’m doing a dance for you, although with a knee replacement, my moves are a little one sided. Hopefully no one is looking.
All joking aside Moof, I do worry about HTN. Take care of yourself! Please enjoy the next 2 weeks and have alot of fun, you deserve it!
June 28th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Sarah - the OCD furniture rearranger. I think she caught the OCD from my son … *rolls eyes* … ;o)
Yes, if I feel well enough, I’ll try the trip up on Sunday afternoon. We’ll need to go out with Joanie and Mom England at the Chocolate Grill before I come home, okies?
—
Dr. Anon … that’s not only a cute commercial, it’s effective! :o)
I’m sure that Hans would be very happy to hear from you with instructions on what to do with his music and IPod. I have zip expertise in the area. If I remember right, there are a few email program issues you may be able to help him with, too … *LOL*
I really enjoy running across a new blogger - especially if they’re good! You fit all the bills! As far as the techie stuff, I live for it! If you have any questions … pass ‘em on to me!
You’re on! Big time!
A “connector,” huh? More like a short circuit! >;o)
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Cathy! Moi? A “trickster!?!” *blink!* Judging from the comments on this post, I think I’m already regretting being more “out there” … *LOL* About the diastolic, it’s not as high as it’s been in the past. *cough*
Thank you for the kudos … but puh-leeze let’s watch that knee! If we’re going to do any “little dances” … they need to be sedate little waltzes!
June 28th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Sure! I love the Chocolate Grill!! I was just telling Joanie how to get there like last week sometime…
I’m sure she’ll love the food!!
And here’s hoping you feel good enough to make the drive! *pokes a Moof belly*
June 28th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
*OWWWW!!!*
*rubs her poor sore little belly*
Moofies are not supposed to poke Moofies! *peers at Sarah the Mini-Moof threateningly!*
About the Chocolate Grill, I’m sure they’ll love it! I still can’t get used to the idea that they live in Bangor … *sigh*
Moofie did feel good enough for the drive, but now poor little Moofie has a belly ache … >;o)
I have real empathy for the Pillsbury Dough Boy … 0.o
June 28th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Thanks for telling me that, moof. I looked into things, and it seems that some of my RSS was directing people only to /amka than www.geekatplay.com/amka
Wow… I wonder if I lost feeds because of that. Thanks again! I owe you a favor. Please take me up on it when you need.
December 20th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Moof, I found your blog thru dr. anonymous. I am alarmed with your systolic BP. Girl, get yourself to a Hypertension Clinic before
you stoke. You might have hyperaldosteronism caused by an adrenal
tumor. If so ,it’s curable with surgery. (I am retired FP/Geriatrics.)
I love your site. Are you in medical school or what?
Nora
December 21st, 2006 at 12:43 am
Nora, thank you for your comment. BP is relatively controlled, at the moment. In the beginning, it went as high as 280/160, so the 220/110 I was having earlier this year is not quite as scary. What I have is CRF and HTN. We’re not sure which caused which. People at Lahey in Burlington MA did quite a bit of “fishing around” in there a few years ago, and didn’t see a tumor, so I guess that I’ve escaped that one, anyway. Thanks for your concern.
No, I’m not in med school. Had I been a smart girl back in the 70’s, I would have gone to med school then, because that’s the only field I’ve ever really been interested in. Instead I went to nursing school, and decided that nursing was not what I was looking for. I wish now I’d gone into medicine, but way too old to consider it at this point in time. What I’m going for is Medical Informatics, and I’m taking a roundabout way of getting there: Computer Information Systems, and then a certificate course in Biomedical Informatics. I started out with Health Information Technology, only to discover that they’re really medical secretaries … not what I’m looking for, so I just recently changed my major so that I could track into the field I want.
I tried to follow your link to you blog … but it’s blank. Do you have a blog?
Have a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
December 28th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
Hello again, Moof,
No, I do not have a blog. I had hardly touched a computer until
I retired in 200l. Then,I only worked on geneaogy and old family
photo’s for a long time, and finally got e-mail about l year ago.
So-I amstill relatively computer illiterate. I occasionally ask
my grandchildren to help me out on something.
I have really enjoyed your blog since I stumbled across it thru
Dr. Anonymous. You are obviously so very bright and very diverse!!
Is that darling young man related to you?? He looks like you!!
I am relieved that you have nephrologist working with you - it
scared me to think you were leaving everything up to your PCP.
We are good for the Broad field stuff, but these specialist still
definitely have their place in a lot of complicated stuff.
I hope you continue to do well, and get to finish school and
fulfill your every dream. Nora
December 30th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Nora, if you decide to blog, please let me know. I’d be glad to set you up with a blog here with us on Blogsplot for free. I could coach you a bit to show you how. We helped Dr. Engel that way, and several others. Just let me know! :o)
Yes, the young man is my youngest son. He just got his degree in molecular biology this summer, and landed a sweet job with an Israeli company. You’re the first person to tell me that he looks like me! *LOL*
Actually, I’m between physicians now … all the way around. My nephrologist just quit his job to become a hospitalist, and I hadn’t settled on a new PCP yet. That’s something I’m going to have to tend to before too much time goes by. *cringe*
Thank you for your wishes, Nora. I hope you have a peaceful, warm New Year!