Keeping Band Aid in Business

I've made no secret about my children's love of all things Band Aid (and to be fair, Curad) related. Kelton first discovered band aids when he was about 1.5 years old. Kaylen was probably around the same age. Both are still more than delighted when they receive a box.

Here is a photo of one of Kaylen's dolls. This poor thing appears to have been the victim of a terrible accident. Many other of Kaylen's favorite dolls and stuffed friends sport band aids as well and it's a rare, rare day when Kaylen herself is not sporting several band aids.

I should buy stock...and maybe so should you. :)



Speaking of injuries....I gave away my treadmill this week. I haven't used it since...ummm....late last summer when my health started seeing changes. Well no - I used it one time since then and discovered that whatever I was doing on it made things hurt worse and increased the dizziness I was having. I assumed it was from a pinched nerve maybe from watching TV at a weird angle while I used the treadmill.

Yeah - not really what it was though, was it? Though being on the treadmill did indeed increase the problems of the Syringomyelia. I know this is out there somewhere but just looking at the treadmill in my room every time I went in there was driving me crazy. I began to hate it and just wanted it gone. It was a vivid reminder of everything that has changed in the year since I brought it into the house - ironically planning to use it to get healthier. Sure, sure - there is no way to know for certain if the treadmill was a contributing factor but there is no way to know for sure that it wasn't either. Yes, I was probably a walking time bomb in regards to the syringomyelia and maybe it was just time it acted up. But maybe, just maybe, I would have postponed it all by *not* working out.

Ironic, no?

So instead of seething every time I saw the treadmill I thought it best to just get rid of it. I wanted it gone, gone, gone. And now it is. And yes, I actually do feel a sense of calmness.

I'm sure the treadmill didn't deserve my probably misplaced anger but it got it. I figure being a machine and all it could handle me being pissed off at it.


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Tidbits of info which can be found at the linked site (above):

Syringomyelia (sear-IN-go-my-EEL-ya) is a disorder in which a cyst forms within the spinal cord. This cyst, called a syrinx, expands and elongates over time, destroying the center of the spinal cord. Since the spinal cord connects the brain to nerves in the extremities, this damage results in pain, weakness, and stiffness in the back, shoulders, arms, or legs. Other symptoms may include headaches and a loss of the ability to feel extremes of hot or cold, especially in the hands. Each patient experiences a different combination of symptoms.

Other, more common disorders share the early symptoms of syringomyelia. In the past, this has made diagnosis difficult. The advent of one outpatient test, however, called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has significantly increased the number of syringomyelia cases diagnosed in the beginning stages of the disorder.

About 21,000 American men and women have syringomyelia, with symptoms usually beginning in young adulthood. Signs of the disorder tend to develop slowly, although sudden onset may occur with coughing or straining. If not treated surgically, syringomyelia often leads to progressive weakness in the arms and legs, loss of hand sensation, and chronic, severe pain.

**and**

The second major form of syringomyelia occurs as a complication of trauma, meningitis, hemorrhage, a tumor, or arachnoiditis. Here, the syrinx or cyst develops in a segment of the spinal cord damaged by one of these conditions. The syrinx then starts to expand. This is sometimes referred to as noncommunicating syringomyelia. Symptoms may appear months or even years after the initial injury, starting with pain, weakness, and sensory impairment originating at the site of trauma.

The primary symptom of post-traumatic syringomyelia is pain, which may spread upward from the site of injury. Symptoms, such as pain, numbness, weakness, and disruption in temperature sensation, may be limited to one side of the body. Syringomyelia can also adversely affect sweating, sexual function, and, later, bladder and bowel control.

Sounds fun, doesn't it?