What a day!

I finally had an appointment with a doctor about my hip today.  I have a hard time because I think, "Is all of this really necessary?  I can walk around without any pain...can't I just live with it?  I can just be sure to avoid rotating my leg for the rest of my life."  But then when I talk to the "professionals" every one of them has said, "Since January?  Yeah, that's a pretty long time, we should see what's going on." 

At any rate, I had xrays done today that showed...absolutely nothing.  So now I have an appointment for an MRI next week.  Apparently they'll inject dye into my hip.  Boy does that sound like fun!  I hope something is shown & there's some sort of treatment.  I'd hate to do all of this for a, "We don't know what's going on, just hope it'll heal on its own."  It was really cool to see my bones though.

In interesting medical news, they're doing hip arthroscopies now.  That may be the next step if the MRI doesn't show anything.  Cross your fingers that it's not.

Image from http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_13_2_3.htm

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In interesting makeup news, I met with the Avon lady today & got all of my stuff to get started.  Pretty excited...should be fun!

Until next time...

I've discovered my problem!

Study: Body shape affects memory in older women

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 15, 2010 7:16 a.m. EDT

Memory loss in later life is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, a study says.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• It's better to be an apple than a pear, study says
• Extra weight affects memory in everyone, but where fat is located is important
• Study includes more than 8,000 women ages 65 to 79

(CNN) -- A woman's body shape may play a role in how good her memory is, according to a new study.
The more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory, according to research released this week from Northwestern Medicine at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes.
The reason pear-shaped women experienced more memory and brain function deterioration than apple-shaped women is likely related to the type of fat deposited around the hips versus the waist.
Scientists know that different kinds of fat release different cytokines -- the hormones that can cause inflammation and affect cognition.
"We need to find out if one kind of fat is more detrimental than the other, and how it affects brain function," said Dr. Diana Kerwin, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine and a physician at Northwestern Medicine. "The fat may contribute to the formation of plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease or a restricted blood flow to the brain."
The study published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Geriatric Society said, on average, there is a one-point drop in the memory score for every one-point increase in body-mass index -- a ratio of a person's height and weight. The study included 8,745 cognitively normal, post-menopausal women ages 65 to 79.
"Obesity is bad, but its effects are worse depending on where the fat is located," Kerwin said.

"The study tells us if we have a woman in our office, and we know from her waist-to-hip ratio that she's carrying excess fat on her hips, we might be more aggressive with weight loss," Kerwin said. "We can't change where your fat is located, but having less of it is better."

Time flies

I can't believe it's the middle of July already.  Or at least pretty close to it.  Pretty soon all the kids will be back on campus & annoying the heck out of me.  I take that back...I welcome it...I welcome the new cds the new Recreation Assistants will create so that something new will go through the speakers for once.

I lost over 6 pounds in two weeks.  I like to think I'm becoming healthier, but really, I think I'm probably just losing muscle mass from not working out & losing weight from not eating much due to fear my stomach will lash out against me.  I feel like I've had gastric bypass & can only eat portions the size of peas.

I have a renewed love of books now that we have no satellite tv.  I just finished Summer Sisters by Judy Blume.  Good!  And am now working on Knitting Under the Influence by Claire Lazebnik.  I stopped by our local bookstore this weekend & bought a book about lowering one's cholesterol, a cookbook for blondes (hilarious!), and two romance novels (I know, I know) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  I took one of her books with me on my honeymoon & finished it in two days, so I figured I'd try some more out.  I'm looking forward to getting credit for books I trade in & hopefully finding some new ones on my list.  My aunt got a nook for her bday...maybe C & I can split one for his bday.  :o)

I'm getting antsy...I think it's the military brat in me itching to move.  School is blah, the job is blah, all I want is to get out of Sylva.  I was hoping to do something this past weekend, but nothing got planned.  Maybe this weekend.

My book calleth.

My Sister's Blog

http://venetianblond.blogspot.com/2010/07/poem-for-grandaddy.html

"In Italy..." Part 1

"When we got to shore we marched uptown where there were a group of college buildings on a hill.  The natives had stolen all wooden items for firewood to keep warm, for this was in the middle of winter.  We ended up sleeping on the concrete floor with 2 blankets each.

We were next put on a train at Naples, to ride to Bari, Italy.  It was just a box and we huddled in it.  The box cars were left over from WWI.  They were called "a capacity of 40 men or 8 horses", during WWI.  Even though the rail cars were only about 12 feet long and eight feet wide, they tried to get 40 men inside.  We were laying on each other with no air for ventilation.  The cars were coupled together with a 3/4 inch rod (threaded with a course thread) and a turnbuckle.  I don't know how many cars were pulled this way, but none broke loose on this trip.

The rail cars had air brakes but they worked in reverse to the American railroads.  In the U.S., if the coupling brakes' air pressure is lost the whole train will lock up and stop.  In Italy, at that time, if the air pressure is lost all brakes are lost and the train is free to go.

There were tunnels between Naples and Bari, and the engine would have to stop and build up a head of steam before entering a tunnel.  There were no lights in the train, and when we went into a tunnel it was completely dark.  Everyone was crowded in there, and it was hard to figure out where everyone was and what was going on.  The guy next to me said his stomach was about to burst with gas.  Mine was too, so I suggested we "go" together and both of us deny it.  This we did.  A sergeant said whoever did that must admit it, or he would sign us up on sick call and haul us to a hospital.  It smelled like we were ready!  I never saw my partner again.  We got separated and that was good." 

To be continued...

"Transportation Overseas" Part 2

"We learned later that when we left Norfolk, we ran straight into a hurricane that had passed the East coast of North Carolina.  We had over 900 sick men all trying to get some fresh air and hanging onto a ship that was rolling almost full over sideways, while it pitched fore and aft, diving through the waves.  A lot of us had some serious talks with God, and renewed our relationships with Him.

The only good thing that happened was the storm kept the German submarines at a distance.  Our convoy had 50 ships to begin with--all spaced about 1,000 feet apart--trying to maintain position during the storm that night.  We had a tanker carrying aviation fuel just ahead of us.  Next morning, this tanker was behind us and to the right.  The sailors could not explain how we passed in the night without blowing some of us up.

The rough water lasted about 10 days.  In about 3 weeks we were in the Mediterranean Sea, and we heard that the Allies had not captured a port suitable for us to dock anywhere in Italy.  They parked us in the Bay of Tunis for a week, so they could make the Bay of Naples suitable.  We docked next to a ship that was sunk on its side at the dock in Naples.  They placed two 2x12 timbers side by side for a catwalk.  We each had to carry two barracks bags between these ships without falling between them.  In our seasick conditions, we were all afraid, but had no choice."