Health Archives - Page 6 of 20 - Forever In Mom Genes

Protecting The Pearlies—Dental Care For Kids

Oct 30 2014

Whether we’re talking about kids with special needs or little ones who haven’t quite yet mastered the skill of brushing, flossing and… SWISHING (that’s a tough one), dental care is a skill that needs to be taught. Cavities WILL happen if we’re not vigilant in our fight against the “Plague Monster!” I prefer, “Sugar Bug” but Plaque Monster seems appropriate this month. October is Dental Health Awareness Month AND Halloween. Coincidence?? I’m on dental hygiene with my kids like braces on a tween, like taffy on braces, like Chapstick on winter lips, like white sludge on your tongue after a night of drinking….you get the idea. I’m on it. NOT because I’m winning at parenting or anything. I’m hyper hygiene aware, dentally speaking, because I have to be. If Avery requires any kind of dental work, she needs to be put under. Like, fully sedated in a hospital and obviously, that scares the crap out of me. She won’t stay still long enough for the dentist to do his thing, and due to a breathing issue, she can’t be quieted with gas so… ….when the dentist tells me they’ve found a cavity, I need to be quieted with gas. Saying goodbye to your child as she’s[…]

Oct 14 2014

When this first photo was taken my daughter was three years old and just started having status epilepticus seizures and I was STRESSED out. And skinny. I felt sick to my stomach a lot of the time—great for my jeans, but not much good for anything else. Five years later, we’ve settled into our lives. There are still stressful moments, but as you can clearly see by my shapely rump, I’m not letting it get to me. “A fourth slice of pizza? Why yes, I think I will.” This post isn’t a commentary on weight gain or the fact that my hair hasn’t changed much in half a decade. No, it’s more about… ~ leaning on friends and family ~ understanding it’s easier to focus on the negative than to find the positive, but that the latter is so much better ~ choosing to laugh, because sometimes it really is a choice ~ being gentle with yourself (I’m still working on that) ~ realizing we can’t control everything (working on that one too!) ~ spending meaningful time with family because man, kids grow up fast don’t they?? ~ learning that stress can be managed with a little work and[…]

Sep 15 2014

Last night I stood in front of our full-length mirror and took a hard look at myself. “You know,” I said to my husband, “I see an old woman. My face is wrinkling, my body is succumbing to the effects of gravity, my hair is greying and I have age spots.” Disgusted, I turned to my husband and said, “Tell me something positive to make me feel better.” He thought for a minute and said, “Well, there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight.” Okay, that didn’t actually happen. My husband values his life too much. No, that was just a little humour preceding the serious topic of eye health. I guess you could say it was “vitreous” humour. (I’m so glad I paid attention in high school biology so I could make that joke.) But seriously, the topic of losing your sight is no laughing matter. Did you read “The Fault In Our Stars?” It’s a beautifully written, but tragic story. When one of the characters loses his vision due to eye cancer, I could easily imagine how frightened he must have been. When I sneak into my sleeping child’s room at night to kiss her forehead, as I feel[…]

Sep 12 2014

I’m forty-four not eighty-four so why do I feel like I should be joining a senior centre and doing needlepoint? Being diagnosed with a bunion has the power to age you faster than 48 consecutive hours in a tanning bed. I know there are worse things. Much worse things. But this one thing makes me cringe. And wince! A bunion can be painful—like wake you up from a sound sleep, achy, throbby kind of painful. I’m currently tiptoeing into the primary stage. I can’t wait to get to tertiary because that looks like some sexy fun doesn’t it? If you happen to be looking for some hot pictures, forget the porn and just Google “bunions.” My god, my eyes. Disgusting bunions aside, people—cut your toenails! You might also want to hide your feet from cameras forever. Or just spare us the horror and put on some socks. The word BUNION itself sounds awful. The medical term, hallux abducto valgus is no better. Valgus? Val-dis-gus-ting. Bunions are a physical deformity. So, I’m deformed. Awesome. They are “characterized by a lateral deviation of the great toe, often erroneously described as an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at[…]

Aug 12 2014

I have so many fears that I’m afraid there’s something wrong. It frightens me. I worry about things like Hog Weed, and Lyme Disease, and plane crashes, and nuclear war. I’m scared of penicillin resistant super bugs, and child abduction, and funnel clouds, and pesticides, and GMOs, and solar flares destroying the earth or at the very least, our internet access. And tsunamis (which is dumb because I don’t even live near an ocean, but we occasionally visit the seaside). Oh, and Ebola. But the thing that scares me the most; the one fear that consumes my thoughts on a daily basis, is cancer. It’s the Exorcist of diseases. Gory slasher flicks don’t scare me, but horror movies like Paranormal Activity and the Exorcist terrify me because they could happen. Just like cancer could happen. And it does. Based on 2009 estimates two out of five Canadians (45% of men and 41% of women) are expected to develop cancer during their lifetimes. And one out of four Canadians (29% of men and 24% of women) is expected to die from cancer. Source This is truly frightening. FYI, fretting over every lump, bump and funny mole doesn’t actually help. In[…]

Category - Health

Protecting The Pearlies—Dental Care For Kids

Oh How We’ve Grown

Say “Eye” If You’ve Had An Eye Exam Lately

Bunions and Breakouts: This is 40

Running For The Cure