MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'figures'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:01:19 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051308&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F18%2Fgastro%2F Dear Internet, In case you ever wondered, I think one of the very worst times to have virulent gastro (and I know this is gastro and not just Revenge Of The All Day Spew on accounts of rampant something that doesn’t happen with morning sickness plus the bit about three days back where I had to take Saag home from daycare on accounts of profuse vomiting. I am quick on the uptake like that) is when nineteen weeks pregnant and with a new amnio puncture mark in one’s side. Also, I am profusely sorry to the good people of Rep.co for leaving most of last night’s dinner in their garden bed this morning. I was slow enough on the uptake to try and go to work before that bit happened. Geohde. PS. About seven days to karyotype but I can already tell you the normal person bit t... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051308 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:06:59 +0100 5051308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953402&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Fnope-not-quite%2F Hi Internet, It’s me, the woman with the invisible tongue fur. Remember me? Yes, I do still go to bed by eight pm but today I am determinedly staying up way late and am dutifully clip-clopping away at my keyboard because, Internet, I miss you. If I don’t make time up aforementioned way late, past when the most determined two year old reveller has packed it in and stopped singing the fifty-billionth verse of ‘This Old Man’, well, I never seem to actually turn my computer on at all. Sigh. Also, double well, I was THIS close to shutting the door on the arse of The Puke because I didn’t vomit for two whole days and then I puked my guts up after dinner two days straight (tonight inclusive in case you wondered). Dinner didn’t even taste very good the first... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953402 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:16:38 +0100 4953402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893457&cid=t_108892_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FSen8YuWqphg%2F Some fun figures well worth engraving on the surface of your encephalon if you're an emergency or critical care doc in this week's FFFF. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893457 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:23 +0100 4893457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4853254&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F23%2Fbad-bhaji%2F Do excuse the air of haste about the blog, it’s just that I write this brief missive in those golden five seconds known as ‘Dinner in the oven then bolting off to nightshift’. Yes, again. I have six remaining and then I have six whole glorious weeks where I only have to look at women’s business ends in daylight hours. I can’t tell you how draining this two months of nocturnal nauseated-beyond-belief have been but I maintain that the first trimester is best done in daylight hours, if possible. Vomiting at 3am is just adding insult to oesophageal injury. Anyway, BN still appears to be in there, although the little bugger did take twenty panicky minutes (after being THIS easy every other damn time, of course) to find on my doppler yesterday. LS also still appears... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4853254 Mon, 23 May 2011 07:38:59 +0100 4853254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4490004&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F17%2F3-7-end%2F F.ity f.. It’s IVF number eight or bust, I guess, but since a full six of those cycles (with one happily notable exception, of course) have been such dismal, dismal diedintheass failures I think the genetic complement of my frozen spawn is, not to put too fine a point on it, screwed. F.. I’m turning into the kind of IVF’er that NOBODY wants in the waiting room. The pissed off cynic with real reason to be pissed off. Failing a couple of cycles could be seen as slightly careless, but six would take a impressive head injury to ignore in the prognostic department. F.. Pass the kleenex, would you, because what the hell do I do from here? G Meanwhile, I have got my goods out for more people than I care to recall in the last year, but is my pap smear up to date? No, siree. (So... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4490004 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:09:05 +0100 4490004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482988&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F16%2Ffaint-veeery-faint%2F Just keeping you updated about my urinary habits because I accidentally on purpose seem to keep pissing on sticks and sighing with dismay when a line, a tiiiiiiiiny pissy little line pops up right on the whatever-given-up border. Then I spend a depressing forty minutes trying to even see the sucker under natural light. Then I toss the bloody thing in the drawer, pour a glass of wine and pace frantically. Then I swear creatively, put the wine down, go and get the bloody thing out again and compare to yesterday’s vintage. It’s insane. They’re getting lighter, but it’s nearly a full week post booster so I guess unless I am a real renal scrooge withe the hCG, it’s another bloody chemical. Pah. Now if you shall excuse me, I have to go stare at some stale urine o... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482988 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:44:41 +0100 4482988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405760&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSNsR1IcCYoM%2F By Tad DeHavenWhen it comes to reining in federal spending, House Republicans and the president have one idea in common: freezing nondefense discretionary spending. That category accounts for about 18 percent of total spending, so let’s see how such a freeze would affect the overall budget. Today the Congressional Budget Office released updated budget figures and baseline projections of federal spending through fiscal 2021. Projecting the budgetary future is obviously an inexact science, and the CBO’s baseline reflects unrealistic assumptions. However, it does allow us to get an idea of the impact of a nondefense discretionary freeze on total federal spending. Three proposals have been put forward: In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed freezing nondefense discret... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405760 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:00:31 +0100 4405760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3973133&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F15%2Ftiming%2F I think that, after having just opened letter from my clinic hoping perhaps to have real word of cycle protocol (or failing that a bleeping prescription for the DRUGS since I am a confirmed fertility junkie these days) only to discover instead an ‘oops we forgot to bill you six months ago for those frozen embryos of yours, so’s how abouts you pay us NOW, xoxo hugs and kisses Financial Henchmen’ I can safely observe that timing is critical in these sort of delicate matters. That is if the sender doesn’t actually want aforementioned letter rolled up tight, set alight and shoved firmly up their rectum. Personally, having just had five embryos die in vitro and the last remaining hope die in vivo rather messily, I think I plan to tell Clinic Unmentioned that I high... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3973133 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:02:32 +0100 3973133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3911886&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F28%2Fpiddle-me-this%2F I’m eight days post ovulation. Yes, I have no restraint whatsoever and therefore I am piddling with abandon on anything that doesn’t complain and move out of the way fast enough to avoid being struck by a stream of unerringly-well-aimed warm urine. What can I say? I’ve had a lot of practise. Unfortunately, and this may sound perverse, they’re all positive. Each and every one of the damn things, I SWEAR, including several mistaken icy pole sticks, one coffee mug and the sides of one unfortunate pair of socks. Don’t ask about the socks. Screw those HCG boosters. (Source: Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?)) Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3911886 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:36:06 +0100 3911886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702919&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fdepressing-study-showing-that-exercise-does-not-prevent-weight-gain-for-middle-aged-womenunless-theyre-already-at-a-health.html Depressing study showing that exercise does not prevent weight gain for middle-aged women...unless they're already at a healthy weight. Le sigh. http://getbetterhealth.com/physical-activity-for-weight-loss-not-for-most-middle-aged-women/2010.06.26#more-22553 Of course as with any study, it raises as many questions as it answers. And since only the abstract is available at no cost on the JAMA site, I'm not sure if the answers are available or not.Like: Isn't weight loss still (mostly) a mathematical equation? Is the fact that exercise did not prevent weight gain indicative that women who exercised were eating more to fuel their energy to exercise? Or is it disproving the whole generally accepted notion that weight loss is all about calories in vs. calories out.Inquiring minds... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702919 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3702919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251434&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F08%2Fa-question-for-you-2%2F Albeit brief, I’m on nightshit shift and a little cognitively fuzzy right now. It’s been interesting to say the least. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Internet, what do you get when you cross a Sudanese migrant with two previous unattended stillbirths back home, exactly zero english, no formal education, no social supports and no obstetric care EVER with newfound free access to public healthcare in my country? You get a lady brought in by ambulance at 3am moaning about the fact that her baby is moving and she’s tired and wants to rest. Also, you get an hour of fun trying to figure out just how pregnant she actually is THIS time and why her barely twelve month old sole surviving liveborn child was taken out of her custody. Turns out she tried to kill it after birth. I ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251434 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:40:52 +0100 3251434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251174&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fgreat-ongoing-resource-for-health-policy-informationb-i-happen-to-be-a-kaiser-patient-and-also-happen-to-think-their-model.html Great ongoing resource for health policy information I happen to be a Kaiser patient, and also happen to think their model is generally a good one. The Kaiser Family Foundation has a site where they are centralizing information about health policy. Not just domestic health policy, but global health facts and policy as well: http://globalhealth.kff.org/ (Source: HealthyConcerns.com) HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251174 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3251174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236128&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F03%2Fput-it-away-they-cried%2F Argument A for why abdominoplasty should be available on the public health system here…. Yeah, I know ‘AARGH! My EYES!, MY retinas! Why did you not WARN me that shar-pei abdomen with elastagirl stretch was coming?’ At least nobody can call me boring, right? Also, anybody expecting twins of, say, about five foot seven inches height and 110 pounds when they stay away from the Golden Arches can’t say they don’t know what’s coming. Consider this a small PSA. Abdomen = rooted. By act of transfer catheter. Twins = awesome, in case you wondered, but by heck I plan to rack up the plastic surgery dollars putting humpty dumty together again someday before I am too old to care. I’m not showing you my tits, but they’re orange-in-a-deflated-sock wors... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236128 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:00:38 +0100 3236128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223509&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F30%2Fhow-to-increase-your-traffic-by-a-bajillion-percent%2F Give or take. Actually, this post is merely a small PSA for those positively gagging at the bit to own a piece of Apple’s latest wallet-drainer. Yes, I may have posted an entry about three years ago in which I referenced one ‘IP.ad’. However, do bear with me. Don’t get all carried away, please. Clearly the fact that half of the western world clicked on a site loudly proclaiming to be a blog about infertility, lady parts, work, twins, life in general (and not manually strangulating one’s spouse and stuff in the face of extreme daily provocation) means that I have been obtuse. It should have been taken as a clue that I am not a particularly savvy technological type. Also, I am not all that funny, either. Today I got the shock of my life when I noticed my st... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223509 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:44:48 +0100 3223509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139007&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fkevin-mds-top-links-for-2009-i-think-this-shows-the-power-of-google.html Kevin MD is one of the most popular, prolific and comprehensive MedBlogs out there. Multiple posts per day cover just about every piece of medical news out there.So, I read with interest his list of his Top 13 most popular blog posts of 2009.The tally: Three about Michael Jackson Three about swine flu One about the Octomom One about Jett Travolta One about the Brazilian model who died from sepsis So, six of thirteen about celebrity death and another three about swine flue, admittedly a hot topic. Given that, I'm guessing a whole lot of hits come from Google search.I find it somewhat sad that there was only one post about health care reform out of the whole Top 13. In general I think the Internet has made us smarter, more connected, more informed, more able to express ourselves.&... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139007 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3139007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126565&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F12%2Ftwo-quick-links-about-health-care-reform.html Was relatively surprised to see Kevin MD state that, in the end, he would vote for the health care reform bill before the Senate. [Note, the post was written on 12/21, and it didn't pass until 12/24, so I'm not exactly clear on what changes may have been made between the 21st and 24th, and if that would impact his opinion. Only surprised because Kevin strikes me as a basically conservative guy. His post is long, thoughtful, takes a look at both sides and brings some different perspectives to the table. Like how about this one: And, as I wrote earlier this year in the USA Today, medical malpracticeneeds to be reformed for the patient’s sake, not the doctors’.Of course, he's getting mostly slammed in his comments. By people who'd rather be condescending ... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126565 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3126565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096806&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fi-went-to-the-white-house-and-it-was-all-because-of-health-care.html Mid-last year, we learned that Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, would be attending BlogHer '09 for a brief amount of time. She was hoping to meet bloggers with health care stories to tell because the health care reform debate was really heating up.  She had such a meeting with about 20 bloggers. Some of them blogged about ongoing health issues, like diabetes and cancer, every day...it was part of what their blogs were all about. Some of them weren't really health bloggers at all, but had a story to tell...about the time they were denied coverage, or the time their coverage was dropped, about the time they lost nearly everything because of health care costs. Ever since that meeting at BlogHer '09 we have been working on a way to bring more information about women w... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096806 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3096806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3026930&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F25%2Fso-how-has-your-morning-been%2F As for me, well I’ve been kind of busy. Feel free to speculate on originator and circumstances in the comments section. Hint: it wasn’t me, but it was fortunately enough fibre-filled, formed and still steaming when I discovered it smack-bang in the middle of my loungeroom. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a big pile of shit to clean up, and I am not speaking figuratively this time. (Source: Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?)) Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3026930 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:15:42 +0100 3026930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871529&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fdomestic-violence-as-a-preexisting-condition-say-wha.html Did you know that in nine states it is legal to consider domestic violence as a "pre-existing condition" and to therefore deny medical coverage of treatments related to said violence?It's true.For a personal take on the meaning of that, read PunditMom's story.I thought, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, you all should know.Not that I feel good about knowing. I'm pretty sure I wish I didn't know that. Because I certainly wish it weren't true.Especially when domestic violence stats still look like this:Nearly one in every four women are beaten or raped by a partner during adulthood.1 ␣ 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.2 ␣ Three women are killed by a current or former intimate partner each day in Americ... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871529 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2871529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838888&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fexcellent-firsthand-comparison-of-us-and-uk-health-care-systems.html While I agree that anecdotal evidence is not sufficient to know everything there is about the health care debate, Strawberry from Potential and Expectations has gone to great lengths to make a rational comparison of her experience of the US and UK health care systems, and to share a little of her observations of the UK attitude towards healthcare, as an American expat who lived there for years. The post is entitled "This American's Experience of Britain's Healthcare System", and that title is indicative of her approach. No ideology or inflammatory rhetoric to be found.I like the fact that she discusses how her attitude towards the UK NHS changed over time, how she began to be able to separate what were system issues and what were simply people issues, how she realized tha... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838888 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2838888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832428&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F25%2Fsometimes-i-despair%2F Otherwise known as yet another random anecdote or two from the Giant Mental Filing Cabinet of Stupid Things I Keep Inside my Head. I’ve got plenty more from whence this one comes, too. One day at the rate I am going I shall have to alphabetise the blasted thing. Regardless, let me recount some recent verbal output Saag and Naan have effortlessly managed to extract from the mouths of others. You know, since they’re currently (touch wood, touch wood, I hear no protests as yet….heck, jump up and down and have a party) napping. For the second time today. The first stretch was two hours, but you think I would have learned my lesson about bragging by now. Besides, lest I forget, Naan did a giant, liquid (but oddly odourless)  poo in the middle of the night. She, oddly enou... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832428 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:15:19 +0100 2832428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2809923&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F19%2Fnew-things-that-annoy-me%2F Actually, they simply skip merrily over point ‘annoy’ and downright piss me right off. In other words, I was at work today running around a mostly unfamiliar hospital like a slightly useless blue bottomed fly trying to do my level best to decrease the general illness quotient floating around. Please note that this was in the face of some impressively determined effort on the parts of the patients to really, really, screw up their health, usable veins, pawn-able items, pinch the Un Fun drugs off the resus trolley, and nick off with half the clean linen as well. If you’re going to pinch something, people, try the morphine. Adrenaline probably isn’t quite the buzz you’re looking for. Regardless. If I get one more flipping bleep-and-run page asking me to ‘re... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2809923 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:20:50 +0100 2809923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778368&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fquick-link-pcrms-21day-vegan-kickstart.html If you've ever considered becoming vegan because for health reasons, then you might get the little boost you need by signing up for the PCRM's 21-day vegan kickstart. I signed up, even though I'm already a vegan, because after all: Who wouldn't want daily healthy tips and recipes?And just in case you'd like some links on vegan being the healthiest way to eat:PCRM's entire Health sectionWebMD: Vegan diet good for Type-2 diabetesNIH: Vegan proteins may reduce risk of cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease (Source: HealthyConcerns.com) HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778368 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2778368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727103&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fgood-source-for-active-discussions-around-health-care-reform.html If you're looking for a blog where some active health care debates are ongoing, and where both sides of the debate seem to be engaging in (mostly) intelligent and (mostly) civil discussion, I recommend Joe Paduda's Managed Care Matters blog. He's dealing with everything from the "Swiftboating" of a respected bio-ethicist, to how we're watching health care reform die a death of 1,000 cuts, to the Top 10 Myths about health care reform (and there are some myths on both sides of the issue, i should add).And, of course, if you want to follow the wonky arguments on both sides of the issue in another ongoing way, I'd recommend following the blog carnival entitled Health Wonk Review. This week it's over on the Health Business Blog. Next week it will be on th... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727103 Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2727103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709424&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F18%2Fpiece-of-a-ss%2F Dear Internet, Do excuse the big, black raincoat. Oh, and the shadows. We wouldn’t want to get caught doing something naughty, now, would we? So, psst. Wanna see something interesting? Is arse your thing at all, because if so, Internet, it’s your lucky day. I’ve got not one, but TWO arses on offer today for your viewing pleasure. So, want to see? You do? Okay. Ah, well, sorry about that, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up only to dash your vision of some truly impressive arse. It’s just the good people at Photo.bucket tell me that I would be dispensing po.rn to the world at large if they let me keep a photo including Golden Arches on their site. The fact that it is the arses of two one year olds taken by their maternal unit at context-appropriate bathtime n... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709424 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:49:32 +0100 2709424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688949&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F11%2Fin-the-trenches%2F Still. The first world war was terrible, and I do not mean to be facile when I say this, but at least you got trenchfoot, rather than Spewfoot, Spewfront, Snotshirt and, my personal favourite thus far, the dreaded Sh!tnails. Try not to dwell on the last item overmuch. I’d almost prefer to have my feet rot off in increasingly smelly and colourful ways whilst stumbling about in the cold and wet in old boots and on the bleeding stumps of remaining leg, enthusiastically trying to generally increase the Ventilation Hole quotient in the enemy by means of well-applied High Velocity Lead Therapy to my current reality of chasing down unhappy toddlers in random areas of the house because they have overwhelmed their Nappy Defences and have cheerful sh!tstreamers running down one (and sometime... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688949 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:55:21 +0100 2688949 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2685383&cid=t_108892_155_f&fid=38409&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropathologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Festimated-new-central-nervous-system.html The American Cancer Society's recently published Cancer Facts and Figures 2009 reports that there will be 22,070 new brain and other nervous system cancers in the United States this year. That's 260 more cases than estimated for last year. (Source: neuropathology blog) neuropathology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2685383 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:08:00 +0100 2685383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2684014&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F09%2Fconsider-this-a-warning%2F To you, and you, and you, and, yes YOU. These pretty biohazard signs aren’t just for show, you know. Don’t come too near the blog today. Seriously. The Terrible Twosome have, in direct challenge to the makers of the rotavirus vaccine, cleverly gone and caught an invigorating strain of gastro, and they’re not afraid to share it. I have fallen victim, and reminded myself in the process that one should not eat cabbage before vomiting profusely. It’s a bugger to pull out of your nose afterwards, especially at 3 am when you begin to thing that dying is a real possibility. Stay away, I beg of you! Otherwise you may also discover the sheer unpleasantness of twelve hours of projectile vomiting, followed by the same action at the reverse end, combined with Bouncy Recovere... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2684014 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:45:09 +0100 2684014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660975&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F01%2Fwhat-about-me%2F Sigh. It isn’t fair. I write this missive as-yet unshowered and with the mental agony that comes of knowing one has a washing basket simply bursting with creatively bodily fluid coated clothing to take care of, a full load already in the machine, another one in the dryer, and a basket containing desperately required Fresh Underwear to put away. Oh, and the dishwasher is full to the brim (fortunately with CLEAN dishes, or we would be eating off of paper plates today) but I haven’t had a chance to empty the blasted thing yet. In case you wondered, I’m writing this one hard-won sentence at a time as the Toddling Terrors literally rip up my study with ill-concealed glee. They got bored with marauding around my loungeroom. The littered instep-lacerating corpses of torn-apart t... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660975 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:42:32 +0100 2660975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2626306&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F22%2Fnext-verse%2F You may recall that a few weeks ago I had the dubious pleasure of shedding my more usual wardrobe of baggy jeans (the ones with the line of dried snot at Twin Heights, plural, and several shamefully unwashed stains of uncertain origin) and cracking out my clean and unblemished Grown-up Job Interview clothes. The clothes I like to otherwise dub the ‘what babies?’ outfit, complete with heels and, for the first time in some while, make-up. Foundation, people, and I am not talking undergarments, although the Twin Skin phenomenon does mean that I do indeed derive cosmetic benefit from the help of armpit level knickers (or alternatively tucking the fold into my trousers). It was a big, sleep deprived day, not in the least bit helped by both Saag and Naan howling with miserable ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2626306 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:39:15 +0100 2626306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2616881&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F20%2Fthis-and-that%2F Many apologies for yet another minor interruption in transmissions from the land of the Long Green Snot a.k.a Chez MII. Actually, the current permutation of upper respiratory virus that Naan, then Saag then myself and finally (and most loudly and dramatically) Long Suffering have had the pleasure of making the intimate acquaintance with isn’t all that bad. We’re revoltingly mucoid, and I wouldn’t rush to give any of us a kiss, but we’re well enough for business to pretty much continue as usual. Oh, but I’d avoid Naan’s kisses, even if she didn’t currently have two cheerful green streamers emanating from each nasal passage, simply on the grounds that the kid has yet to figure out that kissing shouldn’t be an exercise in establishing just how ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2616881 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:38:14 +0100 2616881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2606260&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F16%2Fjust-fat%2F Alternatively entitled ‘How LS came THIS close to having to brush his teeth per-rectum for the rest of his natural’. I was planning to crack out a much-overdue paragraph of snark (or twenty) about the fact that Goo.gle still in the face of all the non-kinky evidence believes me to be the font of all knowledge when it comes to certain hijinks involving certain orifices. For the sake of politeness, I shall hereby term them reverse traffic on the usually one-way Yellow-Pee Road and Hershey Highway. Urgh. Perhaps next time. I hope you can wait, dear reader, because Goo.gle has been bumped by a particularly tactless Act Of Man. To set the scene, last night LS and I were lying in bed, but don’t worry, it’s not that kind of tale: LS: ‘Can I ask you a question?... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2606260 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:08:20 +0100 2606260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580510&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F08%2Fits-snot-fair%2F Really, it isn’t. I can intellectually appreciate that in the normal course of events the average immune system only becomes capable of spotting and refusing admission to most germy happenings by dint of repeatedly stuffing it up. Therefore, although I succumb to the inevitable with regards to infant experimentation with upper respiratory viruses, I do wish that my own hard-won immunity was worth a damn. It isn’t. Sadly, since viruses seem to mutate even faster than the patterns on a chameleon who’s dropped acid at a disco, I’m settling for stocking up on the tissues. I just don’t like the fact that this means that invariably life in the Geohde household shall run as following for about the next five years: Naan catches a cold and commences the usual ballet... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580510 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:34:07 +0100 2580510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2571306&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F02%2Ftiming-is-everything%2F Why, yes it is. In the Infant Subclause of the infamous Sod’s Law, if something blastedly inconvenient, sleep depriving, messy, smelly, noisy and red-faced can possibly happen at the height of parental inconvenience, then it inevitably will. My previous case in point was Saag’s genius discovery with regards to the reciprocal fit of her first digit and facial orifices in supermarket queues. You may recall that part one of this phenomenon was the realisation that she could relieve the boredom experienced by those with an attention span best measured in a particle accelerator (at at it’s most Higgs Boson questionably existent and bleeding SHORT to extend the analogy) by some invigorating nose picking. The kid made really thoroughly sure by dint of much digging that not o... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2571306 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:25 +0100 2571306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517455&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F26%2Fi-should-have-seen-this-one-coming%2F Really, I should. I sat here for five minutes debating on how best to say the following sentence tactfully, before deciding it was in fact impossible. Poo is a frequent topic of discussion Chez MII. In fact, there have been notable days in which LS and myself’s sole verbal interactions have been all about the poo. Or the  ’poopy’, ‘poo-poo’, ‘Brown Toothpaste’, ‘Bum Nugget’, and the ever-dreaded leaking-down-one-leg by the point of discovery ‘Nappy Quicksand’.  Hey, I change a lot of shitty nappies. Yesterday I was up to eight by midday. If anybody needs fertiliser, I’m your lady. Naan, for mysterious reasons best known to her left colon, has the especial talent of shooting out oozy seas of crap that inev... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517455 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:11:59 +0100 2517455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513496&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F18%2Fyou-win-some-you-get-within-90-degrees-of-others%2F If you prefer an alternate title, this  post could be more complexly entitled ‘You can’t sleep in standing, kid (and kid) because even though you get about on four legs for preference, you are not a horse’. Oh, and ‘In which I win a minor battle in the neverending war of Screw That for a Lark’. Edition fifty million, give or take. May I begin with the first item, the (in case it is not quite clear as yet) Indian Takeaways? You know, since they are making what can only be described as a Bloody Din from their room and are therefore (‘BlahblahBLAHHHHHH!) consequently (‘MamamamamamaMAAAAAAhhh’) rather (DadadadadDAADADADAaaaaahh‘) hard (‘PffffffffffttTTTTTTTTTTTT’) to (’YahahahahahAHAHAH’) forget (..and so on)? Befor... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513496 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:38:12 +0100 2513496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513497&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F16%2Fthe-inverse-law-of-functionality%2F The post otherwise entitled ‘In which I go GARAAAAAAgggghhhh rather a lot at inanimate objects’. I think my many complaints about my no-longer remotely trustable (even for something as normally intuitive as the manner in which to hold a full-to-the-brim virtual bedpan the correct way up, we’d be in for rather a lot of Electronic Brown if I tried it) Intel Rival (TM) Start ‘er Up and Go Make Coffee PC have probably made it quite clear to many of you that I am somewhat of a technological cretin. When it comes to all things that live in shops behind glass cases, looking sleek and expensive, well, I missed the iodised salt. Call me Girtie Goitre. To be honest I find those shops with the bright lights and Gadget Savvy Young People especially intimidating, because I kn... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513497 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:09:54 +0100 2513497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2474538&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F12%2Feureka%2F Isn’t that latin for ‘I need a towel’, proceeded by a invigorating public nudie run down the local main street? I ask merely because I think I have found the cause of my (I am assured previously only mildly irritating lady like nocturnal oral trumpets) snoring reaching ‘jet engine in full power at takeoff’ proportions, or ‘B-Double Truck that missed it’s turnoff at the freeway and chose to go cross country via my bedroom’. You get the idea. I’ve also apparently taken a recent fancy to omitting breathing for anywhere up to an invigoratingly carbon-dioxide laden thirty seconds, followed by the most ghastly gargles as my slumbering form decides to Choose Life. Those of you with the incredibly secure secret password that have read the post ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2474538 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:33:26 +0100 2474538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458076&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fthe-continuing-saga-of-vitamin-d-deficiency.html When you blog, your friends send you links. Links to stories similar to what you've been writing about. Sometimes stories they simply think you should be writing about.Today my friend Maria NIles contributes to my ongoing series of posts about Vitamin D, or Vitamin D deficiency to be more specific.The post: Why Black People Need More Vitamin D from TheRoot.com.This I already knew, but the article goes into some detail about why.Bottom line: The melanin in the skin of people of color does something great: It protects them from harmful UV rays. but it also does something not-so-great: It blocks Vitamin D production.And since the medical community has evolved from thinking Vitamin D only impacts bone health, but also may lower the risk of diabetes, hypertension and... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458076 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2458076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2448225&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F31%2Fdeja-screw%2F Oh my. With a title quite as salacious as that one I hardly know where to begin on how best to fill you all in on my day. Suffice it to say that today from before the crack of dawn in true Hospital Ungodly AM fashion (why, just WHY I plead of you does a completely sedated, ventilated patient need to be reviewed in a hospital a full hour’s drive away for me before eight am? It’s not like they’re going anywhere in much of a hurry, after all, is it?) I was at work, generally Doing My Bit to win the never ending War On Disease. Oh, and lest I forget, cars wrapped around trees in fits of pissed merriment and such. I was, yet again to my eternal disappointment in my never-ending Sleep Until Daybreak campaign, peacefully wondering if a fourth cup of coffee was in order at th... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2448225 Sun, 31 May 2009 08:44:01 +0100 2448225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447503&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fsurviving-the-system-courtesy-of-the-acs.html The American Cancer Society has a lobbying arm called the Cancer Action Network [Read about it here.] The ACS CAN recently launched a big initiative for cancer patients called "Surviving the System". They launched it with a Lobby Day which took place on the 20th.The idea was to get regular people sharing their stories...and reachng out to their elected officials to ask for health care reform, for cancer patients and in general.While cancer isn't the number one killer in America, it does claim over half a million lives a year. And getting cancer can be devastating to families for more reasons than just the fear and anxiety over our lvoed ones' health. According to a study released to coincide with ACS CAN's Lobby Day:  Nearly one in three people diagn... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447503 Sun, 31 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2447503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442973&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F29%2Fsigh-really-just-sigh%2F I’ll say it again, once more with significant feeling, sigh. Since a brief perusal of my archives would lead to the conclusion that I could justifiably be accused of using this site solely as a vehicle in which to whine about my I-Asked-For-It lot in the IVF and twin pregnancy experience, expending a lot of virtual hot air in the act of checking the boxes: Betas, and how insanely high is never high enough when it’s your own. Anxiety, rabid thereof, is clearly a stronger predictor of viable gestation than morning sickness in some women. Not talking to g-d on the porcelin phone every day is something to be pleased about, really it is. Elastic Waistbands and Empire Lines are your Best Friend in the first trimester for both comfort and concealment if you’re Not Telling, bu... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442973 Fri, 29 May 2009 04:38:37 +0100 2442973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442975&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F26%2Fis-it-too-early-for-nicotine-patches%2F Please, pray tell Internet. Is so-painfully-nearly-you-could-spit-on-it (were you rather more uncouth than I expect you all are and additionally entirely Tuberculosis free, I hope) almost not-quite TEN months too young to see if Saag and Naan would benefit any from the good people of Nicorette’s marketing? Heck, even if you ‘don’t smoke when you sleep’, a fact I can agree with on a behavioural (if not a pharmacological or adiction medicine level) after seeing that TV ad with the snoring bloke puffing away. Incidentally, that very advertisment always makes me flap around my lounge-room and yell a bit about ‘Don’t you know that is a FIRE hazard, you fool?’ in a Pavlovian kind of Safety Response before I remember that it is only TV, at least, and is... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442975 Mon, 25 May 2009 21:53:11 +0100 2442975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442976&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F23%2Fweekend-funk%2F Dear Internet, I post this missive on my six-year-old and rapidly heading toward the technological scrapheap (from where not even Act of Over Enthusiastic Swap Meet shall save it’s dusty old motherboard or CD drive that is now regrettably purely there to use as a drink coster. Well at least when left open) computer. In case I am not clear because of Sin Of Parenthesis (I am a frequent offender), let me try again. I post this missive on the weekend from aforementioned Inspiron start-er-up and go make a coffee(TM) chipped device.   This means, looking on the positive side, I get to have a full cup of warm beverage at the very least as the poor thing huffs and puffs and decides whether opening Internet Explorer is really actually TRULY worth all that bother after all. Not only should... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442976 Sat, 23 May 2009 07:33:21 +0100 2442976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442977&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F21%2Fyannow%2F I’m having one of those kind of days. You know, the sort where it’s past midday, I’m still in my dressing gown, somebody has spewed curdled porridge over my crotch at some point along the way and I’m wondering if a sixth cup of coffee would be entirely out of the question. Or perhaps I should cut to the chase and move on to the hard stuff already. In other words, as I write this missive, Saag and Naan are running pure bloody riot. Quite franky, I’m surprised you can’t hear the noise from inside your computer. It’s a veritable din-fest in here courtesy of the developmental stage best known as Banging Things and Yelling. Kind of like letting a particularly geographically deranged (and rather careless with the sheep) Swiss yodeller and Town Crier ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442977 Thu, 21 May 2009 02:49:36 +0100 2442977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406305&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F13%2Fass-hol-eh%2F Dear Long Suffering, Yes, the Indian Takeaways do sleep through (praise bloody be). But unfortunately due to a small manufacturing fault, their personal definition of ‘through’ runs from approximately 7pm to anywhere between a heady 5 and 6.30 am. Because you (and I for that matter, I shall accept some of the blame here) churlishly often refuse to go to bed when the Tiny Tyrants see fit to conk out for their Big NighNighs after a busy day chock full of Frazzling Mama’s Nerves by Getting Into Stuff and going suspiciously quiet until I catch onto the fact that I have one child crawling happily through a puddle of toilet duck (the bog roll, in case you wondered, UNrolled with glee all over the bathroom floor, we’re going through that stuff like a very localised dysentr... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406305 Tue, 12 May 2009 21:11:26 +0100 2406305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390494&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F07%2Fseriously-kid%2F Dear Saag (eldest of the Indian Takeaways), Consider this an open letter from your loving but ever so slightly frazzled around the edges maternal parental unit. Yeah, you can call me “MuhMuhMuuuuuuuuuhhhh!’ if you must, just listen up for a bit, okay? I shall take your silence as assent and continue forthwith, lest I lose my advantage. I have a list, if it helps you to focus. I’m all organised like that. Child of my heart, quit it, kid. Let me count the ways: Please cease and desist from insisting on standing upright in your cot and cruising around the entire thing repeatedly at naptime. Firstly, because I bet by now your lap time is about as good as it’s going to get, and secondly because you will find it very hard indeed to go to sleep already in that position. Y... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390494 Thu, 07 May 2009 00:15:24 +0100 2390494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390342&cid=t_108892_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2F9G6q2n3qliY%2F100-million-adults-touched-by.html HBO Alzheimer's Project / Harris Interactive CensusExamining the Impact of Alzheimer's Disease in AmericaMore than half of Americans report that they have been touched by someone (living or deceased) who has Alzheimer's disease, and roughly a third of Americans are worried about getting Alzheimer's. The majority of Americans have a poor understanding of the fatal and progressive brain disease and the extent of its impact on individuals and society.These are among the key findings of the HBO ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT/HARRIS INTERACTIVE CENSUS, a new survey that reveals the impact of Alzheimer's, what Americans think about the disease, and how it has affected them, their relatives and friends.The survey found that:54% of the U.S. population, or more than 100 million people, has been touched in som... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390342 Wed, 06 May 2009 16:53:40 +0100 2390342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382878&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F03%2Fdoes-my-ass-look-paranoid-in-this-url-cloaker%2F Dear English-reading-world with both access to a computer and the good or bad fortune (depending on how one looks at it) of discovering this merry URL, Hi! Enthusiastic waves of greeting and big sh!t-eating grins for all, I positively insist, as long as nobody sprains anything in the process. Welcome, so lovely to see you all here Chez MII. I aim to be a good host, and in that vein may I cordially invite you to do please pull up a virtual chair, pour an imaginary coffee from the ever-simmering pot and grab a zero-calorie pretend donut as you read? We’re all friends here, and I’m sure if you think you might know me outside of the clicky box with Internet access, that you’d be kind and tactful enough to not, say, extensively peruse my archives. Because I like to flatter my... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382878 Sun, 03 May 2009 03:36:45 +0100 2382878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365497&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F25%2Fa-pox-most-vile%2F Dear Internet, It is probably a good thing that you can’t catch human viruses off of your computers from reading this site. Because if you could, well, there’d be green snot oozing out of your keyboard, your monitor would cough up a lung on you and your mouse would do something unpleasant and mucoid with the back of your throat just for good measure. We are Infested, capitalisation intentional, Chez MII. Infected, and infectious are we. Come play in our disease, will you? A green plague is upon this house. I simply bid a red-nosed biohazard and hazmat aplenty to all who dare enter these parts before I blow it on their sleeve. I’m kidding on that last part, but only just. After nearly running out of bog roll late yesterday after the shops had shut, I (in desperation at ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365497 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:22:22 +0100 2365497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349876&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F21%2Fi-dont%2F Dear Internet, I hope I do not cause undue offence to those of you who enjoy attending Big Weddings when I entreat you to join me in a small cry of protest at being subjected to Wedding Interminabley Longus yet again. You see, I must confess I write this missive from my rather smug glass house of ten minute no-guest ceremony followed by beer garden hijinks, a barely recalled (and rather predictable) pissed-as-a-parrot take-away dinner, almost certainly followed by amnestic drunken shag at some point. Although memory fails me on that last item, it was probably good, right? Regardless, may I object to my nearest and dearest insisting on all getting hitched with Big Poofy Dress, complete with around one hundred interchangeable bridesmaids, interminably long vows and standing time (enough t... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349876 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:25:55 +0100 2349876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349877&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F19%2Ffor-the-sweet-love-of-size-advantage%2F The post in which I am forced to write a letter to Saag in the vain hope that scolding her, via the Internet no less, in adult-speak that she will not fully understand for many years will somehow, mysteriously, stop picking on her sister already. Dear Saag (firstborn spawn, a.k.a the much larger serving of Indian Takeaway), Stop picking on Naan forthwith. I mean it. Quit it, kid. You are not the smallest WWWhatevertheycallthemselvesthesedays wrestler. Additionally while I’m on the subject, if I ever catch you beating your chest and generally flailing about like those pansies do, I shall be sorely disappointed in you. Especially if you also follow their dubious sense in fashion and all things hairdressical. Friends don’t let friends go for Stringy and Unwashed as a lifestyl... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349877 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:32:03 +0100 2349877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2342087&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F13%2Fyou-dont-say-2%2F Dear Nice Lady At Telco, It was lovely to speak to you several weeks ago whilst trawling my local supermarket vainly in the hope of pre-made salads that didn’t require I first call my bank for an increase in my credit card limit, really it was. It is none of your business and not in any way your fault that Long Suffering doth insist on a salad that requires no arranging in a bowl every day and thusly I spend the best part of forty dollars a week on lettuce (of all bloody things, made mostly of water as it is) so I decided not to bring it up and affirm that yes, now actually was a good time to discuss making arrangements to pay your bill. I must admit with a small amount of guilt that I was waiting to see just when the proverbial penny would drop at Big Telco Co that, in fact, my ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2342087 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:45:34 +0100 2342087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347953&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F04%2Funiversal-health-care-examined.html Joe Paduda from Managed Care Matters caught my eye with his Top 10 Reasons Universal Health Care is Bad. The thing is that he listed the ten reasons without commentary, although some were willing to go at it over whether these were valid or invalid reasons in his comments.Friday he followed up with a post examinig Item #1 on his list: "Universal Healthcare Will Lead to Rationing".I hope he follows up every single item from the Top 10 list in this fashion!Here's some interesting data to get you hot and bothered to read the whole post:Here's what a bit of specific data show (excerpted from the Commonwealth Fund report). The percentage of U.S. patients who waited six days or more for a doctor appointment when sick was not significantly different from the rate in Canada (23%... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347953 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2347953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2342088&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F11%2Fim-guessing-this-wont-be-the-first-time%2F Oh my. I think, had the savvy reader seen fit to perforate a vein and measure my cardiac enzymes about, lessee, eighteen  hours ago, they’d have got a nice troponin rise in reward for their troubles. Six hours post inciting event is about the usual time frame between delicate myocardial cells turning up their proverbial toes and going to a Better Place and it being worth digging for a vein in search of a measureable flip of the troponin switch. To put it in non dork-speak, I think I just had a minor heart attack from Act Of Small Human. A genuine bloody coronary, I swear it- on the grave my grandparents probably rather frequently revolve (like one of those doors that threaten to, painfully I might add, take out your heels should you be tardy in making your way through them) in ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2342088 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:16:05 +0100 2342088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347954&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fit-is-worthwhile-to-have-10-lives-disrupted-by-overtreatment-than-even-one-life-lost-from-a-lack-of-.html Kevin MD points us to a NY Times article questioning the efficacy of mammograms. Or rather, questioning whether the benefits of administering mammograms routinely as a preventative measure vs. the impact of false positives such routine mammograms create.Kevin MD pulls out one key stat from a survey cited in the NY Times articles:"for every 2,000 women age 50 to 70 who are screened for 10 years, one woman will be saved from dying of breast cancer, while 10 will have their lives disrupted unnecessarily by overtreatment."One of his commenters opines:"I would still argue it is worthwhile to have 10 lives disrupted by overtreatment than even one life lost from a lack of early detection."The NY Times article is interesting and full of various, often co... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347954 Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2347954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2303258&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F05%2Fa-memo%2F Attention: The Indian Takeaways, A.k.a all household residents currently under one metre tall, or The nappy-wearing fraternity with that minor incontinence problem that I shall speak no more of, or The cheapest family members to take to the dentist for a tooth cleaning, From: Your Mother, The alleged adult in this situation, Currently well over one metre tall, at least in the mornings, Not incontinent, thank-you-very-much. Overdue to go to the dentist now I think of it. Dear Babies, It has come to my recent attention that there may have been a small error at the factory in the manufacturing process, affecting infants generated with the batch numbers IVFICSI1.0Tx3.0(single embryo ID’s 4and5). You appear not to be automatically uplaoded with the 2.0 beta upgrade of the Baby Software (f... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2303258 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:15:51 +0100 2303258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2303264&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F30%2Flimit-testing%2F I’m guessing that (holy macaroni and cheese) eight months is a little too young to really give the parental limit setting a good strain to see what cracks, but I swear young Saag is up to something. I cannot believe any child of mine would for a picosecond really seriously honestly hand-on-heart and on book of local spiritual significance genuinely believe that ‘no’ is a Fun Word and have also made the mistake that we intend to indulge in the deliciously fun ‘no’ game all day ever day here Chez MII just for kicks and her personal entertainment. No. I think the weight of cynical biology the child is genetically cursed or gifted with suggest that the little ….. (currently exceedingly snotty by the way, courtesy of a cold kindly donated by Naan when she&#... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2303264 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:39:52 +0100 2303264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2303266&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F28%2Fpinnacle-of-entertainment%2F Don’t ask me why, but for some reason the pinnacle of entertainment around these parts has recently shifted. For some time it’s happily been at: ‘Hey, I have arms, I can use them to bash myself in the face repeatedly as often as I like! How totally cool!‘, undoubtedly followed by the observation in Baby that: ‘Ouch. Why does my face hurt?’, but mysteriously enough (until the Indian Takeaways frontal lobes kick in in about 20 to 30 years, give or take, and they learn about judgement and insight and how valuable they are in deciding NOT to get drunk and wrap one’s car around a power pole or go out with That Cool Boy all night and do Naughty Things in unsafe ways. I’m giving myself bone-chilling shivers of fear in anticipation of adolescence wi... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2303266 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:32:32 +0100 2303266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2303270&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F24%2Fi-guess-its-not-every-day%2F Well. That was interesting, to say the least. Actually, I think it’s the most nudity I’ve seen in the last several weeks, to be honest. Sexual activity included, in case you were wondering, but I digress. Just because I’ve had my retinas scorched doesn’t mean I need to burn all of your brains with the realities of just how unlikely one is to ever enjoy a fully-nude completed horizontal folk dance ever again after having multiple children at once. Without marking the date down in your calendar and noting that the previous time was not even on the same page. Yes, in month-to-a-page formatting. Leaving aside the matter of ever feeling particularly inclined for a shag in the first place, unless you have a Libido Of Steel, certified resistant to all known forms of f... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2303270 Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:45:02 +0100 2303270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2283399&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F22%2Fan-open-letter-to-all-telemarketers%2F Dear Headset-Wearing Fraternity, Stop calling me. Please. I do know your job sucks and you’re probably as sick of calling me as I am of being on the receiving end when I’ve got twins in the bath or g-d forbid have actually grabbed the golden opportunity to have a shower myself, but consider this fair warning. Quit it forthwith, or the next person to call shall get their headset inserted up their bum, minus KY. In the widest possible diameter. Slowly. Yes, ouch. I’m rather cross with you all. Additionally, I know the previous owner of this unhappily recycled phone number liked to get a bit promiscuous, so to speak, with your lot, so you all have it and I’m screwed. I resign myself to a fate chock full of hanging up rudely in your ears because I’ve given up tryi... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2283399 Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:38:23 +0100 2283399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2284459&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fwow-americans-have-a-slowdeath-wish.html Hat tip to Daily Green for pointing me to Food Politics, if for no other reason than learning about how the most famous cookbook in America (The Joy of Cooking, natch) has adjusted its portion sizes over the year.One example cited:That recipe calls for about 4 pounds of ingredients to make only 18 cookies, each of which runs 500 calories — one quarter of the amount needed by most people for an entire day. I’d call one of those cookies lunch or share it with three friends. By the way, a similar recipe in the 1975 “Joy of Cooking” made 45 cookies with just half the ingredients. These would be just under 100 calories each.Wow, right?I, too, would like to know how the editors justified this ballooning of portion sizes over the years. Certainly, as people with free wil... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2284459 Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2284459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2269481&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F16%2Fa-simple-i-dont-know-would-suffice%2F Dear Lady At Party, It was lovely, albeit slightly awkward to meet you. Actually, I lie. It sucked. Yes, I may be a comparative retard, especially when it comes to social graces and small talk with strangers (oh how I loath small talk) but when I make conversation at a party I like to find out what YOUR connection the the host is, since that’s the reason we’re both there. It’s usually a fairly reliable strategy for the inevitable five minutes I need to fill in to get enough details to hang on your name, so that I remember you next time we meet. I make a point of getting names right, if I possibly can, after years spent ruing the consequences of not paying attention the first time. After all, I like it when people get mine right, so why not return the favour? In a small as... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2269481 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:35:45 +0100 2269481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2235707&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F04%2Fyes-they-are-now-bugger-off-please%2F Gah. It really doesn’t stop. Case in point? Saleswoman in optometrists making chit-chat while LS increases our mortgage by 50%buys spectacles from the Fancy Locked Case Selection, adolescent stealing deterrent thereof. I hold no illusion that she was especially interested in Saag and Naan, other than perhaps as an entry point into their parent’s wallets because her attention to detail? Fail. After five minutes of coo’ing and gah’ing and the usual remarks I get this clanger: ‘How far apart are they? They look fairly close in age.’ Stunned pause. My now standard dead-pan response: ‘I think it’s about sixty seconds give or take, so yes, they’re really close in age’. She actually stopped dead, stood bolt upright and uttered: ‘D... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2235707 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:40:45 +0100 2235707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2228339&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F03%2Fhumph%2F Say it with me, please? Men! Humph. Do any of these creatures that come factory standard with a willy actually ever engage any brain higher up, or are they all kind of like taller benignly selectively vision impaired and selectively deaf versions of ourselves? Honestly. I went to work yesterday. Correction, I raced out the door for work yesterday, running about twenty minutes late of a comfortable arrival (but rapidly accelerating) andsimultaneously brushing some of Naan’s finest oral incontinence, milk only (mercifully) this time, off of my black trousers because I simply didn’t have the time involved for a quick change. Even if I had a pit crew, which I don’t. Just a slightly lecherous at all sorts of silly times spouse. In an aside, LS, a baby in the room? Dead turno... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2228339 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:18:39 +0100 2228339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2224446&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F28%2Fapologies%2F If I ever come across like parenting multiples, blogging, commenting, writing, sleeping eight uninterrupted hours at night, dealing fairly with disputes over custody of toys and the dummy, cooking dinner every night, shagging LS and working three days a week is easy in any way at all, I do apologise. In fact, some of the items I just listed don’t really happen all that often, but I’ll leave you to work out which ones between yourselves. It’s hard work making it look  in public like I’ve got my proverbial sh-t together and like I’m not narrowly avoiding Child Services and drowning in an eclectic mix of spew, poop, wee and leftovers. Actually, most days I feel like I’m multitasking like Shiva on amph.etamines. It’s like a duck gliding through a pond... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2224446 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:25:29 +0100 2224446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2218521&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F26%2Ffor-a-given-value-of-free%2F More plaintive missives from the annals of ‘Moving house is still biting me in the ass’. Alternately entitled ‘Godsdamnit, when is an error ever going to occur in MY sodding favour for once?’ Or, possibly, ‘Gimme back my bleeping money already, You Careless Turds at Big Faceless Pay TV Company’. Grr. This post comes on the back of a incredibly embarrassing ten minutes spent this morning at the supermarket fumbling in my purse at the checkout, red-faced because my debit card had mysteriously declined to go through on the purchase of a mere loaf of bread and milk, whilst people behind me in the queue watched me dig through old tissues, scrunched up shopping lists, dummies and lint for precious loose change in thinly-disguised amusement. I think watc... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2218521 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:20:16 +0100 2218521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2192401&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F17%2Fclothing-schmothing%2F Okay, so before I commence b!tching at length about any dilemmas sartorial, I shall  as gracefully as possible acknowledge that, yes, I should probably submit to a retributional eye gouging with blunt spoon in advance. After all I am a woman whose figure tends to naturally vacillate between ‘thicker legs on a seagull’ (a favourite comment from a teacher when I was five that I proudly related to my parents when I got home later that day, only to be laughed at for the next thirty minutes solid) and ‘where did Geohde go? Oh, behind that flagpole over there.’ In other words, I am pathetically scrawny. Apparently these days being unable to tell if somebody is looking at you from  either behind, the front, or possibly the side without casting their vision high enou... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2192401 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:44:58 +0100 2192401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2184921&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F13%2Fits-called-manners%2F In conclusion, Asshat, Screw you.   Yours, Geohde. (Source: Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?)) Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2184921 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:32:43 +0100 2184921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2175152&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F11%2Fso-be-it%2F Tales of the Mum Hair Gone Wrong. Those of you who read semi-regularly will know that after Saag and Naan got to an age where I was forever exclaiming  ’Owwwwwww gedoffofityoulittlesod. Seriously. Bloodyletgoalready!Yaaargh.’ and retrieving clumps of hair pulled  eye-wateringly from my scalp out of their grabby paws (as they shrieked with glee, of course), I took action. Quite decisively. Specifically, I took myself to a hairdresser and uttered the words ‘Off With My Hair!’. At the time, I thought it was quite daringly short. Ha. It’s short, but it wasn’t that short. Specifically, I have a new comparator courtesy of a rather over vigorous pruning involving the back and sides of my head being attacked with clippers. You know, the buzzy things you us... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2175152 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:19:49 +0100 2175152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2138897&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F28%2Fworking-definition-of-masochism%2F …is planning to have about eight to ten four-month olds and their myriad of Critically Important Baby Crap, assorted caregivers, and the like at one’s new house in about four hours. No wonder I’ve got a couple of bottles of Chardonnay in the fridge along with the usual party supplies of Finger Food That Sheds Tiny Crumbs Everywhere, Drink That Mysteriously Stains Carpet and Crisps That Fit Down The Back Of The Couch A Treat. Did I mention it’s also a rather hot day? Fun times. Lest I forget, the house is NEW and the carpets are, thus far, beautifully milk-curd what’s-that-smell? vomit free. Before you all happily agree that I have indeed flipped, consider the following- if I had waited to host assorted sprogs et al. in a month or two’s time, there is a ... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2138897 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:37:26 +0100 2138897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2093334&cid=t_108892_93_f&fid=36982&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprep4md.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fstats-and-figures-to-this-date.html Prep4md blog visits 50,000Prep4md blog posts 339Prep4md photos on flickr 357Prep4md flickr photo's views 13,190# of videos I have watched on youtube 7,116# of videos I have tagged as a favorite 175# of YouTube channels I am subscribed to 57Following on twitter 18Followers on twitter 18# of twitter updates 37Friends on Facebook 56# of posts on prep4usmle forum 2,544# of threads on prep4usmle forum 50# of blogs subscribed to 92Money made off the internet $250 :pThanks for reading :) ... http://prep4md.blogspot.com/ (Source: My M.D. Journey!) My M.D. Journey! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2093334 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:06:00 +0100 2093334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2063109&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F24%2Fof-bandaids-and-vodka%2F A conversation between Geohde and friend via the electric telephone this very morning:   Geohde:  F.. Settlement on house done. Owe bank firstborn child and future happiness now. Now can somebody please tell me why I have visions of the fecking builders who, by the way have yet to FINISH unless you consider grout in tiles and mirrors in bathrooms elective items (I’m much to vain for that), diving and merrily swimming and generally sodding gambolling happily in a giant pool full of my hard-earned moulah? Bet they’re using it to light cigars, too. Pricks. Friend: Why, f.. That’s clearly shite. I hate to be aggressively reasonable or Captain Obvious for this one, but may I enquire why did you pay them? Geohde: Because of Clause 50 million in subclause five hundred and f... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2063109 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:18:57 +0100 2063109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2036210&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F14%2Fyes-i-know%2F Dear Babies, May I, your ever patient Mama, please gently clear the air with regard to your utilisation of extremities? Yes, I know you’ve only recently worked out that your arms are in fact yours and things you do with them have real-world effect, like for example, putting anything within reach that does not have the good sense to move away rapidly into your ever-damp yell-holes. Yes, I realise this is supremely slurpy fun, especially with regard to items such as your sibling’s unguarded body parts, your own clothing, bedding, discarded socks and the like. Yes, it is even cute the you regard me highly enough to share the soggy joy by enthusiastically chewing your hands and then shoving the dripping result in my mouth. Or up my nose. But. Enough is enough, oh spawn of min... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2036210 Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:32:59 +0100 2036210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2000263&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F01%2Fyou-dont-say%2F Yet another brief, sleep deprived missive from the land of Geohde: Scene: In bed. Children snoring peacefully in the background. Neither parent with detectable vomitus upon their person at the current point in time. Surprisingly. LS: Nuzzles Geohde optimistically on the neck, ‘You’re a pretty good wife, you know that?’. Geohde: Full of boundless confidence that actually I AM kind of bloody brilliant ,‘Yep’. LS: Kisses aforementioned neck while continuing, ‘Well, I mean you do the washing at least, I suppose….’ Geohde: Pause, ‘Hold it, can I say ‘eh’ without looking like a retard?’ LS: Clearly possessing a potent deathwish plows onwards to his no-nookie-for-YOU fate, ‘But I’ve never seen you actually iron a... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2000263 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:59:18 +0100 2000263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2000264&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F30%2Fheh%2F Dear Internet-at-large, Yesterday afternoon, after a day where I most emphatically HAD ENOUGH, I actually committed biological warfare on a small scale by dumping Saag and Naan on my unsuspecting family for several hours and made good my escape to the relative mindless bliss of grocery shopping. Mind you, a mazy head with fatigue and smooth negotiation of the whirling maelstrom that is a shopping centre approaching December do not entirely mix. Let me count the ways: Run over many unsuspecting feet with poorly controlled and one dodgy wheeled trolley? Check. Incidentally, do they make the daft things in the factory with one dodgy wheel, or am I perpetually unlucky in this regard? Forget where I left my illegally parked car and have brief panic that the bloody thing had been towed before... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2000264 Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:16:30 +0100 2000264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1993631&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F27%2Fslack%2F I, as you may have guessed, am very tired. My eyes look like two rather unattractive red-rimmed holes in my head. My hair is a veritable bird’s nest. I think, to be absolutely completely honest, I may be beginning to smell. Don’t worry, I can’t knock you out with the power of my BO via the internet, or at least I hope not. Suffice it to say that whilst Naan slept like the proverbial sweet angel the uninitiated often mistake her for last night, I did not. No, I went and bloody had insomnia, didn’t I? Please forgive this slackest of slack, slack posts directly from Slacker-ville Central, will you? I’ve been meaning to update my blogroll for a while, so if you’re not in it and would like the dubious honour, please post a comment. I promise I’ll add yo... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1993631 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:40:42 +0100 1993631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1993632&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F26%2Furgh%2F Snore. Whaaaa….? Oh, I see. I left a light on in the blog in the stinking mess the last 24 hours have devolved into and it’s neatly highlighting the fact that I am slumped at my desk, vomit coated, rattily tracksuit clad and unbrushed of hair, clutching an empty beer and snoring the sleep of the nearly-dead. I guess you’re all poking me with that stick to either shut me up, or see if I need some kind of airway support, right? I’m okay, I think. Just very very tired in a way I haven’t been for, say, about four months. Dear g-d this is juvenile of me, but I blame Naan. Is it okay to point the finger at an infant who is incapable of defending herself except by virtue of well timed screaming, vomiting, peeing and pooping? Too bad. Those are actually pretty pot... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1993632 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:16 +0100 1993632 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990710&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fhealth-care-vs-health-insurancewords-matter.html InsureBlog has a short but to-the-point post on why "health care" is not synonymous with "health insurance" and why it matters.Their basic point is that trying to fix the rising cost of health insurance without dealing with the underlying problem of the rising cost of health care will lead to moving the problem around, but not solving it. I'm sure they're right.But I more often hear people actually confuse "health coverage" with "health insurance". And I'd love to see a post addressing how those two terms differ and why it's important.I recently watched Michael Moore's documentary Sicko, and he focused primarily on people who did indeed have health insurance...but discovered that they weren't really covered for very much or ve... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990710 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1990710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975581&cid=t_108892_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2FM6Laq6VqjX8%2F var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,630,272938,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() There is an interesting list of facts and figures related to diabetes from the Associated Press, including this one: “Total direct and indirect U.S. costs of diabetes are estimated at $218 billion a year.” Amazing. When non-diabetics hear this figure, they automatically think this is the cost of the general public. But guess what? Figure into that cost what diabetics themselves have to pay for: syringes, insulin (often more than one kind), test strips, testers, and more. Diabetes is a hardship in many ways, and cost is just one. Check out the rest of the figures here. Tags: cost of diabetes, cost of testing supplies, fact and figures abo... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975581 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:23:15 +0100 1975581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1956523&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F13%2Fany-port-in-a-projectile-storm%2F In conclusion, despite a belated washout, the bin the flies now circle around? That’s probably mine.        (Source: Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?)) Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1956523 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:41:48 +0100 1956523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1944346&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F08%2Fi-said-not-to-mention-it%2F My bad. Basil Fawlty was bloody right. I should Not Have Mentioned The Sleep, even in passing (and without goose-stepping in rather poor taste, no less). Those of you who have been up to date with recent events shall presumably rapidly surmise that things went comprehensively pear last night. To put it another way, Naan unilaterally decided that Sleep Was For Utter Losers (Like perhaps a thanks-be sound stone cold asleep through defcon-sodding-ten wailing Saag), and she would therefore comprehensively Not Be Having With It. Especially if it was, say, dark outside because it was bloody nighttime. Oh, my. To think the poor neighbour recently crept up oh-so-apologetically to me at the mailbox to apologise if her baby was keeping me awake at night. Ha. Please hold me while I wipe my eyes after... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1944346 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:09:17 +0100 1944346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1928161&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F03%2Fstop-the-world-i-want-to-get-off%2F No, really. Please could somebody pull the metaphorical brake on the earth’s bloody perpetual rotation so I can stop MY head spinning? Thank you. I begin this post by sitting my unbrushed-of-hair self comfortably in my best holey-groined tracksuit pants, crossing my legs in that position that always feels like something may imminently dislocate, taking a deep, calming, nay soothing breath IN……. aaaand then using it to best goddamn effect possible by yelling words of the four letter variety at the top of my lungs until I’m blue in the face. That’s (minutely) better. I’ll spare you typing the contents of my personal blue cloud of foul language. After all, it’s bad enough that the neighbours who are unfortunate enough to share a wall with us have to... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1928161 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:43:52 +0100 1928161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1925594&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F01%2Fthe-retrospectoscope%2F Or on how blind-sodding-Freddy could have seen this one coming. Although it is not precisely easy  to venture out of the house these days, I persist in doing so. Yes, it takes me simply hours of packing the car boot chock full of rather random crap that seems to be positively indispensable or that I simply will not risk being Caught Short without. Like, for instance, Naan’s beloved Upstairs DumDum which is mysteriously more popular than any of her other five, Saag’s favourite Chuck Towel for Vomitus Inevitabilus, a million nappies, my behemoth of a toe-crushing stroller, Butt Paste #1 (the best at avoiding Spotty Red Arse syndrome), two feeds just-in-case, a squeaky toy and, oh my sanity….Yet, strangely, I persist in getting to my flustered and sweaty destination, pas... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1925594 Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:52:27 +0100 1925594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1922132&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F31%2Fhelp-helpim-moulting%2F ….and I don’t approve. Wherever shall I find the time in the day to add ‘hand-weave rug from shed keratin’ to my already busy schedule? I am cognizant of the fact that hair is meant to become unusually lush and flowy during pregnancy due to the hormonal changes that allegedly also render one all glowing and stuff. But as I recall it (somewhat bitterly), for me being pregnant was more akin to being an overinflated, greased-up, downright spotty barge. With hair that was stick-straw frizzy and (quite unfairly) also flatter than roadkill that had come an emphatic second in an altercation with a ten-wheeler.  I’m not quite sure how exactly I achieved what should be two incompatible states of coiffure at once, but I did. It probably didn’t help matters... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1922132 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:29:36 +0100 1922132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1909323&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F27%2Fi-officially-give-up%2F Oh, yes I do. I believe I have already, quite thoroughly if-I-do-say-so-myself, canvassed some of the multitude of daft questions that come my way on a daily basis. But, there is one particular question that is really really starting to sh!t me. To be absolutely, completely honest it’s making me want to go all postal on the ask-er, armed solely with a nappy full of Saag’s latest contribution to the fertiliser market, as well as Naan’s rather talented half-curdled well marinaded milky chunder. Oh, and perhaps a blunt spoon for good measure. Believe me, I could do some damage weaponed suchly, so whatever you do, please, please, please never commit the sin of asking a woman who obviously has had two babies at once if they are twins. Find another way to break the ice. I beg... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1909323 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:04:17 +0100 1909323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1909326&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F22%2Ffrontal-lobe-dysfunction%2F Here’s a brief pop quiz, just for something slightly different. Anybody want to take bets on who (I’ll give you a small hint on this one, me) scores an unintentional ‘frontal brain damage’ on a common question in cognitive testing? Go on, guess…. Now don’t go telling me you all expected to hear as much, will you? Have a heart! I always maintain (somewhat rigidly- ‘aHA! ’ you all cleverly exclaim ‘A perfect example of concrete thinking in action’) that the fault is in the question, and not in (for example) the brain of this particular answerer. After all, I’ve done many things I never entirely planned to in this life but have yet to include ‘acquire head injury’ on that list. Unless I’m forgetting something... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1909326 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:25:47 +0100 1909326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1909330&cid=t_108892_177_f&fid=38137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionimpossibleinfertile.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F16%2Fthe-odd-spot%2F By the end of this post I expect either recognition of wry cleverness of dual-useage of said title, or (more probably) a resigned sigh that I am again abusing the English language unfairly. Let me relate my tale, I do believe that I have once-or-twice subtly alluded to the fact that, despite all enthusiastic medical predictions that ‘being pregnant is a GREAT temporary cure for PCOS’ and ‘I could get (gasp!) knocked up on my own’ and, say, without the aid of a speculum and some embryos my RE prepared earlier, I am proving in true recalcitrant fashion to be the biological exception to the rule. In other words, I have not only completely omitted to pop ovum in the last eleven-going-on-twelve (non-breastfeeding, mind you, so that’s not the explanation) weeks, bu... Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy....parenting?) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1909330 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:23:25 +0100 1909330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1844638&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F10%2Ftoday-is-world.html Today happened to be World Vegetarian Day. Which, as you may know, is something I basically celebrate every day as a practicing vegan! In fact all of October is Vegetarian Awareness Month (according to the North American Vegetarian Society). Now, i could encourage you all to give veganism a try by pointing you also to VeganMoFo, spearheaded by noted vegan chef, cookbook writer and cupcake aficianado Isa Moskowitz. That's short for the Vegan Month of Food, and is a project where scores of bloggers commit to blog as much wonderful stuff about food...recipes, reviews etc...as they can for the entire month of October. But this is a health blog, so I will point you to the latest medical study indicating a vegan diet is effective for staving off, in this case, cardiovascular disease, particula... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1844638 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1844638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1809714&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fshould-i-be-sur.html Apparently a very small study published by the The Lancet Oncology showed that "comprehensive lifestyle changes", including a vegan diet, daily exercise and meditation, "increase the body’s ability to fight premature aging, cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases." Honestly, who can be surprised that a vegan diet, daily exercise and meditation would have that kind of positive effect? What I'm really curious about, though, is whether they will be able to allocate the responsibility for the positive results to these various lifestyle changes. I doubt this small study did it, but I'd love to see a study where different groups did various combinations of these lifestyle changes, and see how the results differ. Oh, and can we take into account their starting genetic factors and sta... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1809714 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1809714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1713903&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fhow-reimburseme.html Interesting guest post by Matthew Mintz on Kevin MD entitled As psychiatry goes, so will primary care. His basic point: That despite the fact that "psychotherapy has been found to be effective for many mental health disorders", it isn't reimbursed as highly as "diagnostic" or "medication management" visits. Therefore, you guessed it, the number of patients actually receiving therapy is going down. Almost everyone I know who can afford it, including my own self and those close to me, have chosen to go privately for therapy and pay out of pocket when they've availed themselves of it. Why? Well, first of all the benefits on most insurance programs are so limited it hardly seems worth the hassle, but also, clearly, there is still a stigma associated with it. Going through your insurance incre... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1713903 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1713903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1402325&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F04%2Flife-span-class.html Spurred on by a post on BlogHer by Health editor Catherine Morgan, I read with some dismay that while life expectancy has steadily risen in this country throughout the 20th century, that the trend is actually leveling off and even declining for some in the U.S., since 1983 actually. If this trend has been happening for about 25 years why are we only hearing about it now? Well, the study was only published this past week. It's kind of disturbing considering the data stops at 1999, so it's not even taking into account what the policies and economic issues of the last eight years might have done to further exacerbate the problem! Oh, and the problem? Most disturbing of all it seems to be all about class. Welcome to the Two Americas John Edwards was always talking about. if you didn't want t... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1402325 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1402325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1251877&cid=t_108892_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F239939893%2Firs_penalties_or_penitence.html Just home from a week in Canada, I was stunned to open a hefty and rather blunt 10 page notice from IRS.  Laden with penalties and consequences for a perceived error … the letter claimed to have found flawed figures in my accountant-completed 2006 tax return. Shaken by the letter's tone …  I read about the extra $40,000 … in supposedly unreported earnings. Then I found myself wondering how a small business could suck in $40,000 extra ... and not see it. It must have been an error I figured … because MITA wins international awards for its integrity. When it comes to finances, we deeply value honesty here at the MITA center.Yet IRS’s bold statement on the front page claimed that income figures reported in their files do not ... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1251877 Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:19:06 +0100 1251877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1163197&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fthe-difference.html Dr. Neubaurer's latest post to catch my eye is Is All Substance Abuse the Same?. He reports on a lecture he attended that compared various types of substance abuse to smoking. A really interesting data point was that nicotine itself is not the dangerous substance involved with smoking, and in fact may have benefits. The other interesting different between smoking and other common substance abuse habits is that one doesn't become "intoxicated" from smoking, as one does via alcohol or drugs. So, it's only with the knowledge about the link between smoking and physical health problems that smoking was seen to have a downside at all. What's worse about smoking? -A much higher incidence of dependence arising from trying smoking vs. other drugs. -Its status as a legal substance makes it much ... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1163197 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1163197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1138064&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2008%2F01%2F7-pains-you-sho.html OK, perhaps I have a dark sense of humor, but WebMD's list of 7 Pains You Shouldn't Ignore actually made me crack up. Why? Because here's where such un-ignorable pains are: Head Throat Jaw Chest Shoulder Arm Abdomen Lower Back Between Shoulder Blades Leg Calf Feet And "Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains" I'm sorry, but didn't they just ay you shouldn't ignore pain anywhere???!!! I find it amusing. I'm dark like that. (Source: HealthyConcerns.com) HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1138064 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1138064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1081513&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fnew-to-my-sideb.html You may notice a new, fancy-looking widget in my top left side bar. This is the new BlogHers Act widget that provides quick links to how you can get more information and how you can help. We've launched a new section of the BlogHer site focused on this initiative, so urge you to go visit there too. Now, links to resources and information and the latest BlogHers Act actions can all be found on that one place. Before it was a BlogHer topic or category like any other, which made it a bit hard to find the specific info you might want, particularly if it was more than a couple of weeks old. The widget is designed to be imported into the sidebar of your own blogs, so you can easily point your readers to the project, whether they want to learn more or dive right in and pledge to help. I'm a lit... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1081513 Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1081513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=944525&cid=t_108892_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fblog-day-for-th.html This year BlogHer's year-long blogging activism project called BlogHers Act is focusing on maternal health. If you want to know why (besides the fact that the community voted for it) check out this post. We're kicking off the initiative with a specific, actionable project: Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act. For more info on what it is and why we are supporting it, check out these great other resrouces: Postpartum Support International Katherine Stone of Postpartum Progress Bottom line: Of the more than 800,000 women annually who are affected by post-partum emotional and mental issues, a mere 15% get treatment. The MOTHERS Act aims to change this by requiring screening of women who have given birth. What do you do: 1. Blog it on Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act, October 24, 2007 2. Share yo... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=944525 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 944525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513143&cid=t_108892_122_f&fid=35372&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsomatopsychic.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fpirates-favorite-statistical-package.html Many social science researchers are familiar with a program called SPSS. SPSS was the only stats software I knew about when I came to grad school, and while I had some great experience with it and felt I knew how to do T-tests and ANOVA's really well that was it. In fact, my first semester that was all I needed to do anyway. The class I was taking was Quantitative Methods I (Univariate Statistics) and we spent a lot of time on T-tests and ANOVA doing them both by hand and in SPSS, both of which I had done as an undergrad for Dr. Bloom so I was more than prepared for the class.This second semester however has been multivariate statistics and it has been awesome. First off we do nothing "by hand" we use SPSS or my new favorite program, R. R is an open source freeware statistics package that ... Somatopsychic blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513143 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:09:00 +0100 513143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513005&cid=t_108892_137_f&fid=35371&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthecaregiver.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2F2007-alzheimers-disease-facts-and.html The links below will take you to the factsheets and full report published by the Alzheimer's Association.Quote Sheet (2 pages)FactSheet (2 pages)2007 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (28 pages)The CareGiver Blog Robert T DeMarcoThe Alzheimer's Reading Room AllAmerican Senior Care Weblog Senior CareElder CareCareGiver Alzheimer’sDementia CareGiverHealth and wellnessWeblog (Source: CareGiver, The) CareGiver, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513005 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:30:00 +0100 513005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513004&cid=t_108892_137_f&fid=35371&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthecaregiver.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Falzheimers-disease-rate-rises-to-more.html Someone Develops Alzheimer's Every 72 Seconds....More Than Five Million in the United States now have Alzheimer's.The Alzheimer’s Association today reports that in 2007 there are now more than 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease. This number includes 4.9 million people over the age of 65 and between 200,000 and 500,000 people under age 65 with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.Read more about this topic at The Alzheimer's Reading Room (Source: CareGiver, The) CareGiver, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513004 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:23:00 +0100 513004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479487&cid=t_108892_107_f&fid=34905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnatureerratum.typepad.com%2Fnature_erratum%2F2006%2F02%2Ffigures_and_tab_1.html Drawings and descriptions of scientists by 7th graders before and after a visit to Fermilab are funny, yet depressing.  Marissa offers the most accurate description: "A scientist is hardworking, studious, detail-oriented, observant, intelligent, exacting, and patient. When I think of a scientist, I think of someone who sets out to find the facts without predetermining what the outcome is. During this process a scientist must be fair, honest and unbiased. A scientist must be exact by following all directions and recording every step and observation, so that the experiment can be reduplicated. He/she must check and double-check all of his/her work. A scientist is very important in our lives because all of the experiments he/she does in the lab can affect our health, environment, nu... nature erratum blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479487 Mon, 20 Feb 2006 20:12:10 +0100 479487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479488&cid=t_108892_107_f&fid=34905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnatureerratum.typepad.com%2Fnature_erratum%2F2006%2F02%2Ffigures_and_tab.html Corresponding Author: Ren References: ElleVogueFlareFrank Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy, 2nd Ed. (Source: nature erratum) nature erratum blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479488 Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:36:36 +0100 479488