Nifty Threads

Category Archives: Health

Swimming Saves Me

It’s true.  A year after Ethan was born, because everything felt so hectic and I was so overwhelmed with all my new tasks, I just didn’t manage to get back to the pool on anything like a regular basis. It was a big mistake on so many levels; I got depressed, despondent and actually physically sick. 

So, for the last four months since he’s been in proper daycare (as opposed to Daniel and I splitting it), I’m back at the Southwest Community Center & Pool swimming my regular on-and-a-half kilometers.  Located on SW 45th Avenue, it’s conveniently only a 5 minute drive away from my home.  I firmly believe that if an exercise routine is not convenient, one just won’t keep it up.

It’s great because the opening hours are fantastic, especially for lane-swimming.  From Monday to Friday it’s open from 5.15am until 9.00pm; Saturday 7.00am until 6.00pm (that’s the one day I don’t go) and Sunday, 9.00am until 5.00pm.  I usually go in the middle of the morning at around 9.15 and it’s pretty empty – rarely are there three people in my lane and almost never more than that so you get to basically have your own lane and do circle swimming.  There are at least six lanes available at all times.

We were teaching Jayden to swim at one point.  Well, at that age it was more like water appreciation classes.  But then when we had Ethan we gave up.  But we need to get back to it and to start with Ethan. That’s on the plan for 2012!

Female Fertility in the Forties

So it wasn’t so easy for me to get pregnant with my kids – harder for Ethan because of my increasing seniority – but it wasn’t too intense either.  We did three IUIs but my FSH numbers were pretty rotten. I really wanted to avoid IVF so when it looked like I was either peri-menopausal or even menopausal at 38-years-old, I decided to give alternative therapies a try.  Thankfully, after three months of having needles stuck around different parts of my body on a weekly basis along with ingesting some Chinese herbs, I got pregnant with Ethan.  Thankfully after he was born, I knew I was well and truly done having kids.

The stress you go through trying to conceive, getting pregnant, doing all the ultrasounds and amniocentesis and other genetic testing in your 40s is truly just hell.  And my good friend Amanda, who only got married at 38, has been trying to conceive now for four years, since the moment she got married. Nothing has happened.  Not even a miscarriage.

So last night I was thrilled when she came over with her husband Matt for drinks and she said with a grin, “it’ll just be orange juice for me…for the next 9 months,” and she confirmed her pregnancy (she’s actually 3 months pregnant but said the 9 month thing for affect).  Daniel and I were delighted.  He and Matt are such good friends and it’s been tough for us all to avoid saying anything about our kids, knowing how much they wanted their own.

Now I just hope the  next six months goes smoothly for her.  She’s staying with her fertility doctor for the duration of the pregnancy as apparently she herself only had kids in her mid-forties so tries not to be such a panic-button-pusher and just let Amanda get on with it.  She wants me to guide her through all the stages, particular to older women which I’ll be glad to do.  And I sure as hell won’t be disappointed it’s not me!  I’m really glad for her as I know how tough it is to want kids and not have them and feel that tremendous frustration every month as your period descends.  This just makes me thank God for Jayden and Ethan that little bit more every day.

Finding a Pediatrician

Thankfully my kids are rarely sick. During the winter months they’ll of course pick stuff up from play-dates and pre-schools and get the odd sniffle or two, but other than that we hardly ever have to see a doctor. Oh, apart from the fact that Ethan sometimes teethes so bad, we often mistake it for something more. Still, Daniel said it was high time we find a pediatrician for the kids and I knew he was right.

So I checked out Pediatric Associates of the North West with which I was really impressed. From green-based clinic services (which is definitely my philosophy) to a whole slew of medical advisers, pediatricians, practice nurses and more, this is really going to be a great and easy option for my kids if/when the need arises.

My Maddening Migraines

 

So, before I got pregnant (which was later in life) I used to get a migraine about once every few months.  Then, in my pregnancy with Jayden, they got even worse.  But miraculously, apart from on the day of his circumcision a week after he was born, my headaches all but stopped!  Now, although the pregnancy with Ethan a few years later was very much wanted (all the doctors said I was “over the hill” – biologically-speaking at the ripe young age of 39 and probably entering the menopause, or, at least, peri-menopause, yes, lovely), it wasn’t easy on my body at all. I felt the age difference and also could hardly move. Now, of course that wasn’t helped by the fact that in the seventh month I broke my ankle and was put in a cast, but I see I am once again digressing…

Back to the migraines…I thought they would be there again in the second pregnancy but they weren’t and of course I was delighted. Again, about a week after the birth, I had one huge attack and then nothing.  But now, here I am, Ethan is 13 months (approaching 14 months actually) and my headaches have started again.  I get one about every 2 weeks and since I am very against medication (I have no idea why really) I try to manage them by sleeping with an aromatherapy hot pack on my head (which had also worked in the past).  Unfortunately last night when I tried this, I woke up a couple of hours later and it was way worse so I took a Migraleve (that I’d ordered online as it had been highly recommended by a fellow sufferer) which had also helped pre-pregnancy, and thankfully I woke up this morning feeling fine, but somewhat tender.

So now I’m wondering what my next step should be.  I used to do a lot of Chinese medicine for all of my aches and pains but I am so busy (in a fun way) with the kids and work and shopping and swimming and trying to think of extra ways to make money (I’ll discuss the Asia finance idea at some point when I understand it myself a bit more), that I’d rather just pop a pill.  I’m just wondering if that’s the best way to deal with it all. I definitely don’t want to go to a doctor, as, quite frankly, I’d rather have my teeth pulled.

…But implants and dentists has to put aside as a post for another time… It’s time to get on with the laundry and the dishes.  So  I leave you with these thoughts and wish you a Happy Wednesday! It’s the middle of the week, do something exciting that takes you away from being in the middle… be at the top…if only just for today…

Hearing After a 30-Year Silence

Nancy Sinclair-Estes heard without the use of a hearing aid, for the first time in almost three decades.  The Lebanese woman – who has been suffering from extreme hear-loss since her early twenties – had a cochlear implant fitted last week.  She only recently discovered that she would be a candidate for the procedure and is now delighted.  The mother of four, three of her children also suffer from hearing loss.  To correct the hearing, the implant bypasses the cochlea’s damaged cells which is a main cause of hearing loss, and thereafter stimulates the hearing nerve.

The 51-year-old’s hearing started deteriorating in her late teens but it wasn’t until a few years later – when she hit 22 – that she got her hearing aids.  She did that as she had to be told by her husband that she hadn’t heard her baby crying.  Shortly thereafter there was a rapid deterioration in her hearing loss.  It wasn’t until the implants were fitted that she was able to hear much of anything; to communicate she would rely on lip-reading.

Once she left the office, Nancy was immediately able to hear her son’s voice, without having to lip-read him.  She actually heard his voice for the first time ever!  She couldn’t believe it and was clearly delighted. Prior to the procedure however, she was somewhat nervous.  Having lived in a close-to-silent world for around 30 years, she was apprehensive of what she might hear and what it might be like.  Now, she’s incredibly grateful for what she is hearing.