Posts by dyan campbell
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I just re-read Morgan's initial post, which appears to be making that point "let's talk about an actual issue". And he gets flamed into oblivion by people accusing him of telling them what to do with their bodies, which he explicitly did not.
The problem is Morgan is expressing a view about women as though he is in some way informed about pregnancy and childbirth when he is clearly not.
If Morgan knew anything about genetics or embryology why would he single out women? The risks are matched by older paternity, if you happen to read up on the subject. When men talk about a "biological clock" it is the convention to exclude the discussion of genetic diseases related to advanced paternal age, but they include:
Dominant disorders:
Wilms tumour, thanatophoric dysplasia, retinitis pigmentosa, osteogenisis imperfecta type IIA, acrodysostosis, achondroplasia, Apert’s disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, aniridia, bilateral retinoblastoma, multiple exostoses, Marfan’s, Lesch-Nyan’s, Pfeiffer’s, Wardenburg’s, Treacher-Collins, Soto’s, and Crouzon’s syndromes, basel cell nevus, cleidocranial dysostosis, polyposis coli, oculodentodigital syndrome, Costello syndrome , progeria, Recklinghausen’s neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis and renal polycystic kidney disease.... and let's not neglect X-linked recessive diseases:
Haemophilia A and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy.And let's also not forget that, for instance, in the 19thC if a woman did not die from TB or childbirth (in that order) then the average age of her last childbirth was over forty (41 ish I believe).
My mother in law was over 40 when she had my husband, who is a fine specimen indeed, who can still (at 53) run 3.8 minute kilometres over distance and has only had to see a doctor twice (bronchitis from flu both times) in the 26 years we've been together. And he was not the youngest - my mother in law had her last child at nearly 45. He's fine too. Anecdotal evidence is meaningless mind you.
But the point is that women - and men - have been reproducing until the end of their reproductive years since our species began.
It is also the convention to do this thing about singling out women when speaking with reference to prostitutes - or that relationship that is based on commerce rather than attraction:
Us males aren't the only sex capable of being shallow and materialistic you know. I notice you don't question why a 50 yo man would want to sleep with a young woman.
as this thread ran.
I have met literally hundreds of prostitutes and I have never met a single female prostitute - the were all men. And boys, who had engaged in financial arrangements where other men - and it was only men who purchased their services - ejaculated, urinated, defecated or spat or punched - as their tastes ran - into whatever part of the young man they paid for.
But these common, age old behaviours are never, ever recognised beyond medical discussions. When prostitution is discussed, it's always in the context of female prostitutes. On tv there is always a photograph of a miniskirted female teenager, never some teenaged boy.
And l see a parallel in the way this is played out in our society when it comes to talking about reproductive issues.
But anecdotal evidence is meaningless. Yes, it is good for men and women to be between 19 and 28 years of age to reproduce. But there are many examples where this age has produced unhealthy offspring, and many other examples of parents of either sex of advanced age producing healthy offspring.
The problem women are having with the way Morgan made his point is that the opinion is expressed in a form that is both inaccurate and insulting. He should have said "people" where he said "women" and it would have been fine.
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btw, tramadol can be your friend, as someone else said, but it can also be your dissociating, boomy-eared pain in the ass. that said, i'm not sure that there are so many options.
With sort of procedure Emma is having is that there is usually only mild post op discomfort, and there is also no need for a general anesthetic.
Understanding Neurosurgery: Post op pain
Pain management is usually not a problem for most Brain Surgery patients. While a "headache" and or incision pain is common, relatively mild analgesics (pain relieving medication) are all that is usually required.
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All the best Emma, you have all of PAS cheering you and thinking death ray vibes to Adric, whose tendrils will be toast once you and the surgeon are finished with him/it. Heal well and keep writing brilliant things to make us laugh.
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Oh and PS, has anyone been worried about Usain Bolt's testosterone levels? Is anybody rushing to test him in case he has a hormonal advantage? If it doesn't matter in his case, why does it matter in Semenya's?
Usain Bolt is a man competing against other men though - if Caster Semenya is intersex then the advantage that would give her would disqualify her from any women's event. She may have been raised as a girl, but if she is intersex, then she can't legitimately compete against women.
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I trained it not to sleep on the couch by the simple expedient of putting the cat basket near to the heater.
It's nice that the cat has convinced you this is what transpired, but it's pretty obvious to the rest of us that your cat simply trained you to put the heater near the cat basket instead of the sofa.
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My mother's generation of childbirth stories is horrific, with women left unattended for hours, without husbands, or support and then compulsorily anaesthetised.
I can believe this!
My mother-in-law had her first child in 1949 or 50 (would that be National Womens in Auckland?) and she was struck in the face (hard!) by one of the nurses who told her "You Maoris can't do anything without making a lot of noise can you?" She said she wouldn't have dared to complain about such a thing, you just accepted that in those days.
And many years later a friend was taken to the emergency ward in small town NZ, (this was in 1989) with appendicitis when she was 15.
Despite telling the doctor (repeatedly) that she was a virgin he kept saying "these Maori girls always have untreated venereal disease that turns to pelvic inflammatory disease..." while ramming a speculum in and palpating her cervix, very roughly.
I don't think this girl's impression that the doctor was enjoying both inflicting pain and humiliating her was mistaken. I don't think her interpretation that he was getting pleasure out of repeatedly describing Maori girls as having venereal disease and being promiscuous as mistaken either.
She endured quite a bit of this before he eventually agreed with her self-diagnosis of appendicitis. She wound up in surgery about 6 hours later.
Whether it's couched in racist or sexist terms -are tales of bullying and intimidation that hard to believe?
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Karren has been on a heavy diet of assorted pain relief up to and including Tramadol for the past few months. Her problem is Frozen Shoulder. Both of them. She's getting regular physio, doctor and specialist treatment, including two rounds of cortisone injections. She's less than thrilled at the prospect of the recovery taking months at least and perhaps a year or more. Does anyone have any useful advice to offer?
Hi David
This is not my area, but my husband is a physio, and has had excellent results treating patients with frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitus). The aim is to gently stretch the joint capsule - easier said than done for the poor patient when it is inflamed.
A friend of ours is a pain specialist (an anesthesiologist working in the field of managing chronic pain) and he says it's crucial to find the right balance between using pain relief to facilitate healing - because you have to be able to sleep comfortably for the body to heal at all, and you need to be relaxed enough to do the required exercises without being in agony - but using them sparingly enough that you can cope with low-level pain while awake.
It's best to try not to do the whole rehab on painkillers, or the pain centres in the brain will never reset to pain free status. The brain stores the memory of pain and can retain a "habit" of pain, where the sensation is so burned into that pathway, it's never "unlearned". So it is good during rehab to experience some pain, to have the sensation of pain decreasing. This will provide better long term pain free effects than trying to medicate the pain entirely.
Steroids are brilliant in the short term but they mask the sensation of pain so well, they increase the risk of further injury, as your movement is not inhibited by pain. Sports stars cripple themselves using these, as they can thrash an injury in the short term, only to regret it later. So steroids very good for the short term, when pain is unbearable, but during rehab best if used sparingly, as being aware of those limits is useful information while healing.
We are beginning to recognise the link between chronic inflammation and all sorts of other disorders, from heart disease to arthritis. Any disorder - musculoskeletal pain for instance.
Karren can reduce the level of inflammation by following any (or better still all) the tips for reducing all markers of inflammation. This will speed up the healing in the long term and reduce the pain in the short term.
Short version: 1) don't piss off your immune system 2) eat a low glycemic index diet
1) See a hygienist 2x a year Role of Gingival Health in Inflammation The onset of gum disease - present in nearly all adults unless there is ongoing intervention - has been conclusively linked to compromised immune function and elevated markers of inflammation (c-reactive protein, homocysteine etc). Excellent oral health make it much easier to maintain good general health. Don't underestimate the link between gum disease and every other aspect of your health.
2) Eat low glycemic index diet - big spikes of blood sugar will raise insulin levels and increase inflammation - inflammation equals pain.
3) Eat lots of antioxidants, lots of essential fatty acids, not too much salt, no trans fats. Avacados/almonds/salmon good chorizo/fish and chips/processed foods bad.
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O dear. I remember the Vancouver Chinatown -& the eateries! - with great pleasure...would the faint stirring of hostility towards new Asian immigrants (which both Mary & self picked up on in 1995) have anything to do with the current dereliction?
Hostility towards Asian immigrants in Vancouver? Vancouver is Asian, my family would be typical of a Vancouver family in having a Chinese branch, and a Japanese branch (most named Campbell) and I can't imagine Asians being anything but at home in Canada, particularly Vancouver. What did you pick up on? There are racists everywhere, but in Canada they usually have the sense to hide themselves.
The dereliction of Chinatown is a result of the meteoric academic and economic rise of Chinese families. In Little Italy or Greek Town (in Vancouver) you will find the sons and daughters of restaurant owners and merchants who go into the family business. In Chinatown the sons and daughters of those people are now Canada's leading clinicians, engineers, architects, researchers, judges etc. And new Asian immigrants also tend to be highly educated (and rich) and don't tend to move into the restaurant/grocery business.
Most of the restaurant owners and merchants I saw in Chinatown these days are pretty elderly, and the streets have lost their energy. There are full of tourists, but no hawkers selling lychees, winter melons and snow pears, and there are hardly any Chinese bakeries anymore. My beloved Loong Foong Bakery is no more.
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That's great - but... any old small town could be near forest, beaches, mountain views etc. I agree with what Robyn said earlier: let's not pretend cities aren't cities.
Not near the city, in the city, in Vancouver anyway.
By filling up the waterfront with exciting bars, cafes, restaurants, public art and seats, it's definitely acknowledging that this isn't one of those isolated windswept beaches with a craggy pohutukawa; it's an urban harbourside area with concrete and lots and lots of people.
But those urban, harbourside bars, cafes and restaurants are hugely enhanced by green spaces - the public art and seats are best enjoyed if there is some provision made for parks and playgrounds. Keeping children happy in the CBD - plus keeping the inhabitants fit and active - should be two of the main objectives of any urban planner.
Jolisa and I have both linked to this already, but do have a look - something like this could work on Auckland's waterfront.
As seen in the picture of the fountain - set between two fields - in Vancouver's CBD - the art/fountain/playground serves several purposes, the main one being a pleasant thing to watch for adults in the bars/cafes and a pleasant thing to play in for the kids.It is essential in any functioning city to have an environment where different age groups with different interests can mix, but without encroaching on each other's space.
Dyan - again, coincidentally, I've just been reading about 'the white mouse'.
Amazing woman.What an astonishing woman she is! Nancy Wake is still alive (95 years old I think) and living at the Star and Garter rest home for war heroes in London. The book by (rugy player) Peter Fitsimmons is well worth reading as well.
The rumour I heard is that Vancouver's homeless are being given bus tickets out of the city in advance of the Winter Olympics next year, and that a lot of them are ending up in Victoria.
Yes, I heard this too. There is a callus attitude towards the poor and the marginal that didn't exist 15 - 20 years ago.
All the waterfront development in the world doesn't compensate for that humane, friendly feeling that has since been lost from both Vancouver and Victoria. That and both Chinatowns (each city has one) are now derelict and quite depressing - they used to be thriving, bustling places that really did feel, for a few streets, like another country.