The Power of a Single Finger

One finger, a single click can change lives. I ask you to use yours to help me.

With a minimum of 500 clicks on this URL http://tinyurl.com/2776rg I will earn a chance to spend the day with presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. If I win that chance, I will spend my time with him lobbying for Spinal Cord Injury issues. By convincing one candidate to begin a public discussion on SCI issues, other candidates will follow suit.

This is a wonderful opportunity to bring SCI issues to the forefront on the national political stage. All you need to do is click. You don't need to register on the site, your email address is not collected (unless you actually enter it). No one will contact you. You are not endorsing this candidate or any other by clicking.

Quite frankly, I am not endorsing a candidate at this time. I am simply hoping to use this opportunity to communicate directly with a candidate and jump-start this conversation.

This is the simplest way possible to advocate for SCI issues without having to really do anything. Please, will you click? Click from every computer you can access, please.

Bonus points if you'll forward/post this URL for others to click as well. I assure you, simply clicking will not add you to any mailing list or commit you in any way to a candidate or political issue.

My friend and fellow advocate, Steven Edwards is also collecting clicks http://tinyurl.com/2686y7 but he has 500 and he's working toward earning more powerful rewards.

WE ARE NOT COMPETING. This is a cooperative effort.

Thanks!

Jen

Help Please

I write this from bed as I am rather ill right now; part of why I haven't posted in a long, long time.

But I am writing to beg you to pray in whatever manner that you do that for a dear, dear friend. Another friend with an SCI is gravely ill.

Amanda is wise beyond her years, funny and adventuresome. She and I have shared laughs and tears and all our secret quirks yet we've never met. Anyone blessed to have a relationship with Amanda is richer for it.

Please send you thoughts, prayers, positive energy her way. Thank you.

Good News/Bad News

I have severe osteoporosis and I've fractured both femurs since my spinal cord injury. The good news is that I have matching X-rays. The bad news is that I've learned that I am incredibly fragile.

Osteoporosis is a problem for people who don't bear weight on their bones and I understand that most people with SCI have some degree of osteo. After my first fracture, I learned a lot about osteo, and I've been actively working to reverse my bone loss. I take Actonel regularly. I eat a high calcium diet and take supplements. I stand for 2 - 3 hours each day in my standing frame. I participated in a FES study that created weight bearing exercise.

I went for a DEXA scan today. DEXA scans measure bone density. Often, the practitioner can give you an idea of how "old" your bones are based on their density. Last year I learned that the long bones in my arms were 36 y.o. my right hip was 75 y.o. and my left hip was 85 y.o. YIKES! I'm in my mid-forties.

The good news from today's DEXA, the very, very, very good news is that my spine and right hip have shown improvements. The spine more than the hip but improvement is improvement. The bad news, the very, very bad news is that my left hip has lost about 35% more bone density.

After consultation with the doctor, it appears that may be because of two factors, my most recent fracture was to my left leg. The splint and the support that kept the leg elevated seems to have been a factor in my bone loss. The other reason is that my left hip has twisted from the imbalance of my muscles that should hold it stable. The condition is called a pelvic obliquity and it's caused a severe "swoop" in my spine. It's hard to breathe sometimes because if it. Since I no longer bear my weight evenly on my hips, this seems to be a major factor.

The good news is that we'll get more aggressive on fixing my hip which has caused numerous problems. The bad news is that we'll get more aggressive on fixing my hip.

As far as osteoporosis treatment and prevention; the good news is there are options. I will take a new drug, Forteo and continue to stand in my frame and maintain a calcium-rich diet. The bad news, Forteo is a relatively new drug and there are some concerns about its safety. I think about the drugs that have created safety concerns lately; Vioxx, Avandia... others. I'll be taking this drug that may or may not pose risks by daily injections for two years. The other bad news, I'm no longer eligible for the FES study so I'll be unable to use FES and weight lifting to preserve my bones.

During my rehab I was taught that all of my choices from here on are going to be about weighing risks and benefits in making decisions about my care. I just hope these particular decisions are right in the long run.

du Jour

Today Djaca and I had lunch at du Jour, the restaurant run by the students of the Arizona Culinary Institute. I am completely stuffed and ready for a nap. What a treat that was! From the amuse bouche, to desert magnificent!

Djaca and I worked on my French. She is a patient teacher and hardly laughs as I slaughter a beautiful, lyrical language. We sat and talked about her life in Paris, our experiences as mothers and celebrity gossip while tuxedo-shirted waitstaff saw to our every need. Our server, Shelly, excitedly talked about her upcoming apprenticeship on a Hawaiian cruise line. I told her stories of working in Bermuda.

It was a lovely reminder that I need to treat myself from time-to-time and also that luxury need not be costly. The entire 4-course lunch was less than $20 a plate. If you have a cooking school in your town, check to see if they run a restaurant. It's well worth the time and the price.

The only down side is that du Jour is only open for lunch. And they are closed 1 week each month. Nonetheless, I will return and bring new friends to savor the food and wine and conversation. For that time, I was whole again.

http://www.scottsdaleculinary.com/dujour_restaurant.php

TMI

Of all the weirdness that is me I will share the following facts:

As a child I had a traumatic experience with beets that I still will not talk about but beets will never knowingly pass my lips. Seriously, beets scare me.

As a child, Dickie Cordell chased me and threw his ice cream cone at me and it hit my leg and stuck and slowly slid down my leg to my ankle. The gross part was that Dickie was the fat mean kid in our neighborhood and the cone was filled with Miracle Whip. I can't stand the stuff and even the smell of mayo makes me nauseous. How many people do you know have had not one but two traumatic experiences with food?

I love, I mean L O V E cheese popcorn but I don't like having my fingers turn orange, so I use chopsticks. Works with Cheetos too.

When I'm really relaxed and breathing deeply, my nose whistles. This is especially annoying as I am trying to go to sleep. Sometimes it even wakes me up.

I am incapable of remembering numbers of any kind. What was 6 last time will be 32 the next and 3 the time after. Never rely on me to judge distance.

I can't carry a tune in a bucket but I love to sing. When my son was little and I would sing to him, he would put his hand over my mouth and say "Momma, don't sing."

Once I start reading a book, I must finish it; no matter how bad it is. I am a compulsive reader. My ex had it written into his will that there be no printed material of any kind within eyesight of his casket. He envisioned me grieving at his casket when the little "Made in China" tag would catch my attention. OK, it's funnier when he tells it.

Which reminds me, I cannot tell a joke. I always blow it. They're never funny when I tell them.

How about you? What makes you "weird?"

My Garden

I've always felt good when my hands are wrist-deep in dirt. There's something very satifying in the smell and the feel of rich, cool soil and the crisp smell of green. For many years I worked to grow the perfect tomato. Extra hard to do in Arizona's harsh climate.

Since my spinal cord injury, that's felt out of reach. Then I visited my friend Wanda, a chair user for 40 years. She has the most beautiful garden that she tends by herself. And she grows the BEST tomatoes! Yum! If she can, I can.

Yesterday, I worked with a landscaper to design a back yard space where I could get out and garden again. Today, instead of seeing used coffee grounds and egg shells, I see compost. I can taste my tomatoes and basil now.

I'm eager for fall and the upcoming growing season!

SSDD

Big sigh. I don't want this blog to be a continual rant about parking. I went grocery shopping today. Took all these pictures as I was looking for a spot for my van. These are just the 3 instances where the median was blocked so my ramp can't come down. This doesn't even consider the cars that didn't have a disabled driver or passenger. I just don't understand why people can't get it. Any ideas? If you're interested in seeing more violations, some incredibly outrageous, like a big rubber chicken, check out http://www.caughtya.org/