My daughter is 22 and now living in New York. She lives on her own in Brooklyn with a big orange and white cat who has an overbite. She w…
My daughter is 22 and now living in New York. She lives on her own in Brooklyn with a big orange and white cat who has an overbite. She works and goes to school and lives pretty much as any normal 20 something. When Leslie was 14, she was struck with Obsessive/ Compulsive Disorder, or OC as it’s now called. In about a month’s time, she went from being a typical moody teenager to having contamination OC. Much is now known about the genetics of mental illness. Why it runs in families. Much mental illness can be classed as a neurological problem: or to put it very simply, the brain gets stuck in a pattern. Something mis-fires in the neurons. People with OC are not crazy. They are separated from people with schizophrenia and personality disorders by the fact that they know that their thoughts and behaviors are irrational. They just have terrible anxiety anyway. OC is a part of the spectrum of anxiety disorders. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of OC or any type of OC, let me start by describing what happens on a symptomatic level. This is just our experience. There are many degrees of OC and as many symptoms as there are sufferers. Lesiie was in her freshman year of high school. She had been caught just before Christmas in a fight between two of her friends. Usually very well liked by her teachers, she was being picked on by a drama teacher at her school. Also, in the United States this is the year that cliques and harrassment of students by other students seems to peak. All of this was going on at her school. The worst of it hit just before Christmas. A friend who stayed with Leslie for a weekend during the fall while my husband and I were out of town had told me that Les was washing her hands constantly. Her father had mentioned that he had seen Les opening the door to her room with her foot. If she exhibited any of these behaviors in front of me, I missed them. The average OC sufferer goes 9 years before receiving treatment. We count ourselves lucky that it was only a few months until we figured out what was wrong, Upon going back to school in January after the holiday break, Leslie’s contamination anxiety sprialed out of control. Certain parts of our house became “contaminated” to her. She would no longer go into her bedroom and slept in our guest room. If any article of her clothing touched the floor, she would no longer use it Even if it was washed again. She washed her hands constantly at the kitchen sink, but wouldn’t dry her hands with a regular towel. She would only use paper towels. Since the trash was contaminated, she left the used towels on the kitchen counter. They would stack up almost a foot high on the kitchen counter if I didn’t constantly throw them away. Her hands became raw and cracked and bleeding from all of the washing. She wore long sleeves to school to hide her hands. Normally an animal lover, she no longer touched our cats and dogs The list of symptoms is long. I won’t go into all of them. These are just a few of many. We all three felt like prisoners in our own home. Her dad and I were panicked. We had no idea what was wrong. One Saturday morning when we were at our lowest, we were in our home office.I was sitting at the computer staring at the screen not doing much of anything. When the luckiest intuitive flash of my life struck. My college abnormal psychology class came back to me. I’d been out of school since 1972, but I bless the professor that I had for that class. I looked at my husband and said, “Oh my God! She has Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder!”, and turned around and plugged every form of the term that I could think of into my browser. One of the hits was the web site for the Obsessive/Compulsive Foundation. That was the start of our finding treatment for Leslie.
By Darren Stones Our friend Joe Mortelliti...
By Darren Stones Our friend Joe Mortelliti is scheduled to be admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on Monday 22 October 2007 for two rounds of chemotherapy treatment in readiness for a bone marrow transplant. On Tuesday 30 October 2007, Joe is scheduled for a bone marrow transplant at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Joe’s bone marrow donor is his brother. Joe Mortelliti – August 2007 Many of you are aware of Joe’s battle with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia during 2007, and it’s reached a point where his doctors have strongly recommended he undergo further treatment to help secure his long-term health. Early this week, Joe had two days of tests on his vital organs, blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy. Joe will be in hospital for approximately five weeks and isolated due to a risk of infection. He will then be moved into units located near the hospital provided by the Leukaemia Foundation where Marion and he can stay together. Approximately every two days, Joe will undergo further tests, monitoring and be given support for a few hours. This will continue until February 2008, when he is due to return home to Geelong. Bone marrow transplants are generally not offered to people over 55 due to the severity of the treatment on ageing bodies. Joe has recently turned 57, so he acknowledges he’s been given a special opportunity. Joe informs that a bone marrow transplant has risks, but provides a cure from leukaemia. Joe has remained positive throughout and retained his sense of humour in such trying times. He has proudly continued to support and encourage his peers. He was recently invited by fellow RedBubble and PassionForPixels member Mark Ingram to supply photographs to his specialist stock library. Joe has more outback roads to travel and numerous photographs to take. He and his wife Marion are determined to live their lives together to the full. Joe and Marion would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has expressed wonderful support via e-mail throughout their first journey. As Joe and Marion prepare for their second journey, it’s their precious children, family and friends, and friends they have not yet met who help them to go ahead one small step at a time, one day at a time. Joe’s extensive portfolio of images can be viewed and purchased at RedBubble.com http://www.redbubble.com/people/mortelliti I’d like you to join me in expressing best wishes to Joe and Marion, and the Mortelliti family. Thank you.
Obituary of the late Mr. “Common Sense” Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, “Common Sense”, who has been with …
Obituary of the late Mr. “Common Sense” Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, “Common Sense”, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn’t always fair; and Maybe it was my fault. “Common Sense” lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 -year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. “Common Sense” lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. “Common Sense” lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. “Common Sense” took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. “Common Sense” finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. “Common Sense” was preceded in death by his parents, “Truth” and “Trust”; his wife, “Discretion”; his daughter, “Responsibility”; and his son, “Reason”. He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; “I Know My Rights”, “Someone Else Is To Blame”, and “I’m A Victim”. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing. Written by Lori Borgman – http://www.loriborgman.com/
Ok today was hospital treatment day so not much got done. . / We are slowly getting a collection of art t-shirts together. / Missy Ballons…
Ok today was hospital treatment day so not much got done. . / We are slowly getting a collection of art t-shirts together. / Missy Ballons CLICK HERE Brightness and light from darkness with Missys Inspired CLICK HERE TO SEES And of course the all new,,,,a Really Nearly naked Tshirt u cant miss this one click here CLICK HERE / Nice ;) And if your really bored of the election well join my new campaign :) / CLICK HERE / Tell us about you and where u are… Talk in the forum and vote on what you think of your local politician ;) go go go… The shop seems to be going slooowwwwwwwwww today… But feel free to go buy something , just buy anything lol CLICKHERE Owwww and leave a comment it makes this worth while… :> Hello is there anybody there? Where u from? Who are you, what work have you got on here… Are you actually going to buy something? Or are u poor like us lol (—-CLICK HERE TO GET VIZUNS TOOLBAR-—-)
clickhere Abhorrent treatment for art. If this g…
clickhere Abhorrent treatment for art. If this gets your blood boiling please sign the petition. Thanks all. Sal
This is primarily information from websites, not my own writing, which is why I put it in this journal; just wanted to share things I rea…
This is primarily information from websites, not my own writing, which is why I put it in this journal; just wanted to share things I read that may be of benefit to other people, too. First of all, how do you know if you are depressed? How can you tell? Men in particular are inclined to attribute the feelings induced by depression to other causes. Some blame their inability to handle stress well. Others reject being labeled depressed because of the social stigma often unjustly attached to this condition. Some are simply so overwhelmed by alcoholic symptoms that their depression is masked. Even so, depression is not difficult to spot if you know that certain behaviors are red flags to the condition: Withdrawal from activity; isolating yourself Continual fatigue, lethargy Indecisiveness Lack of motivation, boredom, loss of interest in life Feeling helpless, immobilized Sleeping too much; using sleep to escape reality Insomnia, particularly early morning insomnia (waking very early and being / unable to get back to sleep) Lack of response to good news Loss of appetite or binge eating Ongoing anxiety Silent and unresponsive around people An “I don’t care” attitude Easily upset or angered, lashing out at others Inability to concentrate Listening to mood music persistently Self-destructive behavior Suicidal thoughts or plans Many of those red flags, by the way, are also signs of of other forms of illness, syndromes, etc. such as Fibromyalgia. Howeve,r there is no saying that a person with Fibromyalgia definitely will not be depressed. It’s just that the sort of depression that affects them primarily is different than what a therapist is likely to be able to help with. Which is, my friend, the point of me posting this in my journal. So, you’ve determined you might be depressed; or, your friend, family member, spouse, boss, are whomever, might be depressed. Maybe you already knew that it was definite depression. Do you know what kind? How to Tell if Your Depression is Psychological or Biochemical Biochemical depression has certain symptoms that distinguish it from the depression stemming from negative life events. You have reason to suspect that you are biochemically depressed if any of the markers listed below describes your depression: You have been depressed for along time despite changes in your life Talk therapy has little or no effect; in fact, psychological probing-questions like “Why do you hate your father?”-leave you as confused as Alice at the Mad Hatter’s tea party You don’t react to good news You awaken very early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep You cannot trace the onset of your depression to any event in your life Your moods may swing between depression and elation over a period of / months in a regular rhythm (this suggests bipolar, or manic-depressive, / disorder) Heavy drinking makes your depression worse / ahem There is one point which I must disagree with, to some extent. It is possible that you can trace the depression to an event in your lfie if it is biochemical, but, it is unlikely to be the same sort of event as the psychological depression. Examples: / Psychological : Mom died / Biochemical: Mom started adding cheese to everything when Uncle Hal came home. The Seven Forms of Biochemical Depression: They call it : The Seven Kinds of Alcoholic Depression, but, that is misleading, since it is not only alchoholics that get bicochemically depressed. However, here are the types and their suggested treatments: 1. Neurotransmitter depletion / 2. Unavailability of prostaglandin E1 / 3. Vitamin/mineral deficiency / 4. Hypothyroidism / 5. Hypoglycemia / 6. Food and chemical allergies / 7. Candida-related complex Always keeping in mind, that some people have more than one! It is not uncommon for people to have Candida yeast overgrowth (aka: # 7), along with other food allergies, vitamin deficiency, and hypo (or hyper) thyroidism! This is a mild sharing of information, which I hope may help others who are searching for answers to their own problems, or will help motivate those that maybe should be but didn’t know where to even start. I’ve been ill a very long time. I am constantly doing research in regards to that because some of what is wrong with me, physically, I am only just now coming to understand; some of it I have understood repeatedly but forgotten (part of my symptoms); and, some of it, I know exactly what it is, and so do the doctors, but the insurance won’t pay for treatment until I get much, much worse. Sick, huh? Later on, I shall post more about Molybdenum, the mineral I mentioned can be used for allergy treatments in an earlier journal post, as I have read more information about it, as related to other symptoms, treatments, and needs this morning. Last thing to say on biochemical vs. clinical depression: It can be both! For instance, a very common scenario is that a person will get very depressed over an event , at which point they stop taking care of themselves; sometimes they turn to alcohol for solace. The result is vitamin deficiency, a build up of toxins in the body, etc. So what started out as depression due to event because depression due to biochemical processes. It can also go the other way, of course. Someone who is ill, is in a very bad situation, being held prisoner by their own body. Also, generally, they are surrounded by people who neither understand their pain, nor care to try. So, they can become very depressed, outside of what is happening to their body. It’s not all in your head, mostly ever; but, as brain and body work together, it is usually in your head, too. Fortunately, in many cases, once the body is relieved, the mind follows. Have a nice day!
Hi everyone, I am announcing the start of a new Challenge in the Best Treatment Group. We are about to launch our very first challenge…
Hi everyone, I am announcing the start of a new Challenge in the Best Treatment Group. We are about to launch our very first challenge and are looking for your best photographs of this iconic Australian building. If you have a picture that you think compares well with the many others on RedBubble, join the group and submit your photo. Challenge starts in 2 days and will remain open for approximately 7 days. If you want to take part, join up and post your intention to take part in this challenge in the forum. Let the Best Treatment win!! Don’t worry if you don’t have a picture of the Sydney Opera House, you probably do have a picture of something that other people have photographed…if so, join up and suggest your own challenge. Thanks for reading and sorry for the mass bubblemail
That’s how many new works there are on my watch list this morning. That’s how many I am going to be looking at, favoriting, and commentin…
That’s how many new works there are on my watch list this morning. That’s how many I am going to be looking at, favoriting, and commenting. That’s how I do things, whenever possible. I open them all up, in a big long list, and I “watch” my watch list. And, if I am too tired to do that, and to give them my attention, I save the long list until it is done. I do not go onto the next thing, once I’ve started. When I go to comments on my work, or replies to my comments, I do the same. This is a change, yes. I used to just go through the overview and start at the beginning, and work my way to where I left off the last time. But, since that can run into hundreds of openings and closings of tabs, all at once, I have decided to take them in this new way: by category. I’ve been doing that for about a month, now. Here is what I noticed. Most people on my watch list, they upload mostly every day, and usually several things in a day. Now, that includes writings and journals. Some of them do not, but most of them do. Regardless of whether they upload every day, however, absolutely all of them upload in bouts. As in, 5-20 paintings, photos, or what have you, at a time. So, here I sit with my Fibromyalgia, and other ills, and I manage to go through every last comment, reply to comment, journal, photo, painting, etc. Sometimes I have to say, honestly, that I cannot read it all right now and I will return. Sometimes I can thik of nothing to say, but I love the piece, so I favorite it and move on. That is me. So, when I post things about what has not gotten comments,partially for my own amusement/self assessment, and partially for the people who have told me that they missed things and asked if I could point them out to them, please do not: a) Make excuses as to how my uploading techniques are the cause of your lack of attention. You do not owe me the attention, I was not accusing you of it. But, I upload a great deal less at a time then some on my watchlist, and no more than most. b) Please do not make accusations regarding my uploading techniques, for the same reasons as stated in a) c) And, most especially, please do not do either a) or b) whilst trying to make me feel guilty for even mentioning it while telling me that I make people exhausted by acting just like all the artists on my watch list. The truth is, if you are watching 15 people and they are all uploading 5-20 things a day, then you are making yourself exhausted. And, if you choose to only look and comment on the works of people off your watch list, then you are not paying attention to the people on your watch list. Which is all a matter of your own personal choice. But … d) Do not ever dare say to me that I am losing interest from the people who used to watch me because I have not been paying enough attention to them. I am here, reading their comments, replying to their comments, looking at their work, every day I am even able to get out of bed. Can I expect the same from anyone? No. Should I? No. Did I? No. Therefore, if you have feelings of guilt, they are your own problem. If you have feelings of exhaustion, they are your own problem. If you don’t like my artwork, if you do not like me, those are also your own problem. Deal with them, and let me deal with mine. That’s all I ask.
Israeli conduct in an already illegal slaughter of civilians gets sicker and sicker. Not content with its usual practice of breaking I…
Israeli conduct in an already illegal slaughter of civilians gets sicker and sicker. Not content with its usual practice of breaking International Law and bombing medical facilities and targeting medical vehicles… ‘Since fighting began in the Gaza Strip, PHR-Israel has received 6 reports of Israeli Air Force attacks on medical insfrustructure and personnel. On Thursday, January 1, PHR-Israel responded by appealing to the Minister of Defense to open an investigatation into the reported instances .’ Israel is now refusing to treat civilian casualties without promise of payment up front! ‘On Monday, December 29th, an ambulance carrying a young Gazan man 16 years old, wounded in the air attacks, reached Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Only one person succeeded in gaining entry into Israel, despite information from COGAT the that 11 patients were granted authorization to leave the Strip. The youth was injured at the UNRWA school and it was found that he was permitted to exit only after UNRWA agreed to shoulder the costs of his medical care. PHR-Israel has learned, after a thorough inquiry into the matter that wounded persons are not referred to Israeli hospitals due to the decision by the Palestinian Referrals Office in Ramallah that they will not cover the cost of hospitalization in Israel for many reasons, primarily because it regards Israel as responsible for the direct wounds inflicted on the individuals. ‘ / __ Thanks to Blamo for the links!
I am about to upload my photographed story of my radiation treatment over the past 6 weeks, the reason l have decided to do this is bec…
I am about to upload my photographed story of my radiation treatment over the past 6 weeks, the reason l have decided to do this is because l was not told the seriousness in the side effects in the treatment (very much like how incredibly ill l got thru chemo) l was told the worst l could expect is a mild case of sunburn! Like My gorgeous girlfriend Rielle describes it perfectly “its like someone took to you with a blow torch” Cracking & Blisters thrown in for free :) My last radiation treatment is tomorrow YIPPEE then they can give me the really strong cream. l am holding off on the celebrations until l have my hysterectomy in August, l guess l am still very conscious that mum died from stomach Cancer at the young age of 59 last year & the fact that they suspect some seeds may have spread / NOT that l aren’t TRULY hopeful & doing EVERYTHING l can to beat this hideous disease but its then when they give me the all clear that l will chuck a party & a ½ SPIT & jumping castle included :) / I don’t want to scare others who might be about to go into treatment. MY circumstances are VERY different, the radiology team had to shoot over 11 areas & a few extra for safe measure most usual cases 2 or 3 areas need treatment(not that that won’t be sore). / All in all the wonderful team that looked after me made all the difference in the world, they let me have my teary days & we had plenty of laughs & of course the beautiful new friends l made in the waiting room. Only one nurse ducked because she thought l was going to punch her when l closed my fist as another nurse treated my burns with cold cream l didn’t have a bullet to bite. l am also going to upload ALL of the stuff that has kept me sane thru my treatment, my garden, my art & PLENTY of shots of clouds as l spent the last 6 weeks with at leats 3 hours in the car everyday :-) / Well after my eclectic overload of uploads l REALLY REALLY can’t wait to PROPERLY catch up with many of you!!! Oh yeh l’ll be uploading some MASTERPIECES in the buyers Booth later in the week & just as a TEEEEZ Do you know that l’ve slept with the gorgeous Muscular Teeth for 4 nights straight now ! Watch in buyers booth soon & l’ll prove it :-P / Always flipp’enoverboard in love with you XXXXXXX
A great BIG Thanks to everyone who responded yesterday to my request for thoughts and prayers. !http://images-0.redbubble.net/img/a…
A great BIG Thanks to everyone who responded yesterday to my request for thoughts and prayers. As I was undergoing treatment for skin cancer, I just felt such a peace. There was no pain, apart from the little injections. I was awake during the proceedure and without going into the gory details, they cut some tissue away, and kept cutting until after testing each time, there was no more cancerous tissue. Called Moes Surgery. I was surprised at the size of the hole above my right eye. But they stitched it and said I’d have a scar. Another one:-) LOL. Doesn’t feel too painful this morning though. Afterwards, I felt such a phoney, because there were other people at St Thomas’ for treatments that looked far more painful and extensive. One young boy, could only have been 10 or 11, had it on the side of his face and down his neck. Poor little thing, but he was sooooo brave, and his dad was very attentive. Chatting with people between cuttings, they were all quite positive and looking forward to recovery. We’re such an optimistic people. It was smiles all round when they came out and revealed that I’d reached the end and they could now stitch me up. Praise the Lord, and the wonderful and amazing nursing staff and doctors at St Thomases Hospital London. There was a girl there taking photographs of every stage of the treatment, I don’t think I’d really like that branch of photography, but she’d been to University in Edinburgh, close to where I used to live. Amazing. I feel good today, two black eyes, a few stitches and the wonderful sunshine. I’ll try and encourage people to enjoy life whilst they can, be good, praise the Lord, love others, talk to family and friends, and and and….. LOL. LOL LOL. As much as they can. It’s sooooo good for us. LOL. Thanks again for all your kind comments, and especially to those kind folks who actually put a smile on my face by purchasing some of my little works. You are very special people, and may the Lord richly bless you in every way. Success in life is living the way God intended you, enjoying His Creation to the full, and using the gifts He has given you to enrich the lives of others. Have a blessed, creative and fulfilled life my friends. So thankful! / Don.
My dear friends, Is not that I abandoned this wonderful place, no, but due to my health, my contribution and engagement with you, h…
My dear friends, Is not that I abandoned this wonderful place, no, but due to my health, my contribution and engagement with you, has been less…:( / i still have to go through this bombastic treatment with good moral and strength for a while. / in one of those happy moments when my moral is up, i will be more than happy to share with you my work..:) LOVE Dominique
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