I have Fibro. I started seeing him early 09 trying to figure out why my arms were always hurting. After an MRI showed nothing, we treated 'empirically' (the symptoms, not the cause - I think I have the right word). Been doing physical therapy all year, occasionally wear wrist braces to keep my hands from curling up while I sleep...

Yesterday was an update, to make sure the 900mg of Gabapentin was still working, and how the depression was going (long story that). I told him what my primary orthopedic doc thinks, and he said "yeah, that makes sense; we have no underlying cause of what is making things painful."

So fibro it is. Fun fun

On his advice, I'm going to get a referral to a rheumatologist when I see my primary (regular) doctor in a couple weeks, before I go back to the spine specialist (I'm seeing him again why?).

I'm on a new course of PT - stretches right now as the spine doc thinks that the arthritis I'm starting is affecting how I walk, which is making something called the illial-tibial band get inflamed, which is pissing off the bursis. I swear.

Oh, I keep forgetting to call the damn psych back. The drugs I'm on there have been giving me problems.

I am one large conundrum for medical professionals everywhere! LOL (I'm done now, want off the ride)

I am also having a hard time, still, adjusting to the inability to do a lot of things I used to, like walk around the mall, or shop in one store (if there's no cart). I gotta remember to order one of those jiffy seats I saw online not too long ago - not dissimilar to a golf seat, but rated for a higher weight than the golf seats.

I swear, if I could, I'd likely be drinking - can't, get migraines.

gentle hugs folks, may you have a low pain day.

Biden's Mother Passes Away



The White House just released a statement from Vice President Joe Biden on the death of his mother, Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan Biden:

My mother, Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan Biden, passed away peacefully today at our home in Wilmington, Delaware, surrounded by her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and many loved ones. At 92, she was the center of our family and taught all of her children that family is to be treasured, loyalty is paramount and faith will guide you through the tough times. She believed in us, and because of that, we believed in ourselves. Together with my father, her husband of 61 years who passed away in 2002, we learned the dignity of hard work and that you are defined by your sense of honor. Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us.

Source

RIP
she lived a long life and got to see some amazing things!

Republican Lugar Says Cheney’s Criticism of Obama Is ‘Unfair’



Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, defended President Barack Obama’s handling of recent terrorism threats, taking issue with former Vice President Dick Cheney’s criticism.

“It’s unfair,” Lugar said in an interview for Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “I think the president is focused.”

Cheney, who frequently has led Republican attacks on the Democratic president since leaving office a year ago, told Politico on Dec. 29 that Obama “is trying to pretend we are not at war” with a “low-key response” to the Dec. 25 attempt to ignite a bomb aboard a flight to Detroit.

To the contrary, Obama has demonstrated “firmness” and “decisiveness,” Lugar, who represents Indiana, said. “That’s been the antidote to the criticism.”

( Read more... )

Lugar is a qt old man even though he's a Republican <3 I didn't realize he was 77 though wao D:

Less than two weeks before the special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s vacant U.S. Senate seat, democratic candidate Martha Coakley holds just a nine-point lead over Republican rival Scott Brown, a Rasmussen report found Tuesday.

Though Massachusetts is typically a blue state, consistently low voter turnouts for special elections and an enthusiastic conservative minority has brought the margin between the candidates closer than usual.

Rasmussen Reports President Scott Rasmussen said though these factors may boost Brown’s ratings, they will probably not give him a decisive winning edge in the Jan. 19 special election.

“There’s no doubt in my mind if it was a regular election, [Coakley’s] lead would be bigger because more people would turn out,” he said. “Conservatives are more likely to show up for this election. In some states that would be enough to get a Republican win, but in Massachusetts it’s still a big hill to climb.”

Rasmussen said voter turnout is the key to the race. Higher turnouts will favor Coakley, who is the state attorney general, due to Massachusetts’ democratic majority, whereas lower turnouts will favor Brown.

In the Dec. 8 primary, less than 15 percent of eligible voters cast ballots to advance Coakley and Brown.

“Historically special elections are always low turnout affairs,” he said. “The two campaigns are going to do everything they can to boost totals, and the bigger the turnout, the better it is for Coakley.”

The poll also indicated that the issue that voters are most concerned about in the race is health care.

“We found a strong correlation between views on healthcare and how respondents are going to vote,” Rasmussen said. “That’s not surprising. While the economy is the top issue nationally, health care debate seems to be the one issue in the political world today that is driving perceptions.”

Source: http://www.dailyfreepress.com/coakley-leads-senate-race-poll-by-lower-margin-than-typical-1.2131530

A man told police he was beaten Sunday night in the parking lot of the Seattle Filipino Community Center because he is gay, and police arrested the man who allegedly made homophobic threats after the assault.

That man, 22, posted bond and was released from King County Jail on Monday night. Seattlepi.com is not naming the man because he has not been charged.

The incident happened about 1:30 a.m. in the 5700 block of Martin Luther King Way South. The victim was with a female friend and was returning from her vehicle when he passed the suspect and another man.

The second man walked behind the victim, and the suspect allegedly walked in front of him, blocking his path.

"Both suspects them punched the victim with closed fists on both sides of the victim's face causing pain and discomfort," South Precinct Officer Joe Hadley wrote in his report. Police said the men then yelled a homophobic insult.

Security from the community center intervened and held the suspect at the scene. The other man fled, yelling a homophobic slur as he left. Police searched the area, but did not find him.

The victim, 22, told police he believes both men knew he is gay and "the only reason that he was assault is because he is homosexual," Hadley wrote.

The man was in pain from the assault, but declined medical aid at the scene.

Police, who also interviewed a witness at the scene, took custody of the alleged attacker and booked him into King County Jail. He denied punching the victim.

He has no previous convictions in Washington, according to court records. The Seattle police case remains open, and the alleged attackers could face charges later.

Source

A short poem I wrote. We've been doing the Depression in school, so that's what this is inspired by. x-posted to my journal.

We gave our lives for our country
what did it return?
We starved while they ate on high.

We lost blood for our country
Bit by bit, drop by drop,
it bled us dry.

We killed for our county
We destroyed the loved ones of others
What is the exchange rate for a soul?

Michael Steele Abruptly Cancels On 'Top Line', Citing 'Emergency' RNC Meeting [UPDATE]

Yesterday, a defiant RNC Chairman Michael Steele shot back at his critical colleagues by saying, "I'm telling them and I'm looking them in the eye and say I've had enough of it. If you don't want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way."

Is the RNC taking Steele up on the whole "fire me" offer? All eyes on Rick Klein's Twitter feed, where he reports today that Steele abruptly canceled a scheduled appearance on ABC's "Top Line", thirty minutes before air time:



Klein followed up by reporting, via Twitter: "we were told Steele was called into an 'emergency meeting' at RNC HQ and needed to cancel press."

Obviously, we'll stay abreast of this as details emerge.

Steele's 2010 has not started off well, and his critics' concerns are far from superficial. Chief among them is the RNC's current cash flow situation -- back when Steele won the chairmanship, the RNC had $23 million in the bank. But profligate spending on the 2009 off-year elections hit those reserves hard: it's reported that the RNC is down to $8.7 million. Over at the American Spectator, Phillip Klein argued that the best reason to fire Steele is that the RNC is out of cash even as it seeks to capitalize on "the best political environment for Republicans since at least 2004."

Meanwhile, the guy who's been getting rich is Michael Steele. Steele closed out 2009 under a cloud after it came to light that he'd been giving paid speeches, to the tune of $20,000 a pop. The news surprised observers in all camps, including former RNC Chair Richard Bond, who said he was "shocked" at the news. That shock's been renewed now that Steele is out promoting a new book, "Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda". The Washington Post reports today that this book, too, "caught GOP leaders by surprise."

The release of Steele's book, "Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda," surprised Republican congressional leaders, some of whom first learned of the book by watching Steele's television appearances this week, three top GOP congressional aides said Friday. The staffers would only describe their bosses' communications with the Republican National Committee chairman on condition of anonymity.


"The book came out and everybody went, 'Whoa, what happened?'" one aide said, adding that his employer, a senior House Republican, learned of the book by watching cable news.

"No one in the House or Senate leadership knew he had a book contract."

"He's freelancing," said another top congressional aide.

Compounding this are his recent statements about the GOP's fortunes going into the 2010 election. When asked by Fox News's Sean Hannity if the GOP is poised to take back power this year, Steele replied: "Not this year," adding, "I don't know yet, because I don't know all the candidates yet. We still have some vacancies that need to get filled, but then the question we need to ask ourselves is, if we do that, are we ready?"

One could see that as a fairly blunt and honest read of the field, but when it's compounded by the RNC's cash flow problems and Steele's moonlighting, it's hardly good optics. And it's maybe not the best time to be calling on those critics to "Shut up or fire me."
( Read more )

Iranian TV Suggests Neda Video A Fake

Iran's Press TV has aired a report on a documentary made by the country's state television which suggests that the death of protester Neda Agha-Soltan was part of a conspiracy, and the infamous video of her passing a fake.

The New York Times Lede Blog explains the documentary's theory:

The conspiracy theory presented in the documentary suggests that Ms. Agha-Soltan first sprayed fake blood on her own face, while pretending to have been shot as part of a ruse intended to discredit Iran's government, and then was later killed by the two men who seemed to be trying to save her life, a doctor who has since fled Iran and her music teacher who remains there.

Here's the report from Press TV:



Radio Free Europe offers more details of the contents:

"While Neda is [pretending] she is injured and is lying on the back seat of the car on their lap, they bring out a handgun from their pockets," the documentary's narrator says.

"A handgun that they obtained from their Western and Iranian friends to water the tree of reforms and kill people and create divisions within society. Neda, for a moment, realizes their wicked plan and struggles to escape, but they quickly shoot her from behind."

The narrator adds that this is how "deceived and deceitful" Neda was killed.

The Iranian doctor who treated Neda, Dr. Arash Hejazi, has spoken out about the accusations, calling them "shameless and worthless," in an interview with Radio Free Europe.

Neda's death has been a huge rallying point for the Iranian opposition and her posthumous fame appears to have shaken Iranian authorities and hardline government supporters. Her grave has been vandalized twice, and Iranian authorities have made attempts to link her death to Western organizations like the CIA and the BBC.

I was talking to someone in mid-December and she was surprised that I wouldn't have the holidays free.  Y'know, from being chronically ill.  Since everyone else had time off why wouldn't I?  (This is not a commentary on the person, btw. I look healthy and people forget.)

Being sick on holidays is one of the worst parts of this.  Yeah, it sucks to be in serious pain and stuck at home.  It really sucks to not be able to work or anything.  But missing out on fun times, or feeling crappy during them, is just not fair.  Plus everything I read about myofascial pain says it's treatable but mine is chronic and my fascia is f*cked so not applicable.  Why can't I have something medical science knows and cares about and can treat?!?

Harper has 'crazy way' of running democracy: Ignatieff

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says the decision of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to prorogue Parliament and muzzle opposition was "a crazy way to run a democracy" but he stopped short of threatening to bring the government down.

Instead Ignatieff said all of his party's MPs and senators plan to return to work in Ottawa on Jan. 25, the date Parliament was set to resume before Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut it down until March.

Ignatieff, speaking from Ottawa in his first public appearance since Harper prorogued Parliament on Dec. 30 until after the Vancouver Olympics, said his party plans to return to work because that's what Canadians have told him they want.

"We're going to be working right until the Olympics because I feel that this is in response to the needs and wishes of Canadians," he said.

Ignatieff said the suspension of Parliament was reflective of the prime minister's tendency to shut down or muzzle the opposition or government watchdogs when they are critical of the government.

"Each and every time he seems in difficulty, each and every time he feels the pressure of democracy, he tries to have the work of this House behind me stop," he said.

"We think this is a crazy way to run a democracy," he said.

Liberals plan return to work

Ignatieff stopped short of threatening to bring the government down, saying Canadians don't want an opposition that operates with threats.

"I've gotten a very clear message from Canadians: do your darn job, lower the volume, do what you are elected to do," he said.

Ignatieff said his party plans to hold roundtables and public consultations on the environment, democratic governance and the economy. He said his party was willing to work with other opposition parties should they decide to return to Parliament as well.

Harper's move to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament drew criticism from opposition parties. They suggested it is an attempt to muzzle parliamentarians and avoid the controversy sparked by hearings into Canada's role in Afghanistan — specifically, the treatment of detainees transferred to Afghan authorities by the Canadian military.

The Conservative government said it sought the suspension in order to have time to consult with Canadians, stakeholders and businesses as it moved into the "next phase" of its economic action plan amid signs of economic recovery.

On Tuesday the prime minister told the CBC's Peter Mansbridge the decision to prorogue government was a "fairly standard procedure," and a "routine constitutional matter."

"I don't think it makes sense for a session of Parliament to go on and on without the government periodically examining its overall agenda," Harper said.

Ignatieff said Harper's decision to suspend Parliament until March 3 was a gamble on the cynicism of Canadians, and that the reaction of the public has demonstrated that the gamble has failed.

A Facebook group against prorogation has attracted more than 100,000 members, while an EKOS poll released exclusively to CBC News on Thursday found Canadians following the decision to prorogue Parliament were nearly twice as likely to oppose the move as favour it.

Source.


**All bite and no bark apparently.  He'll say anything, but when it comes down to coming right out and threatening to topple a government making undemocratic choices, Ignatieff gets cold feet.  Typical.

Also, it's so nice for you, Iggy, that you get to work "up until the Olympics".  The rest of us Canadians will be working right through them.  Maybe you should do the same, m'kay pumpkin?**

I switched primary care physicians today and my new doctor. has put me on Zoloft (100 mg increased to 200 mg after 2 weeks) and  Buspar (50 mg). My previous physician had me on Zoloft (50 mg) and Lorazapam when needed. He also has me on Toprol (beta blocker) for tachycardia and high blood pressure due to anxiety (i guess). My new physician said that Toprol can CAUSE anxiety, so he wants me to come off of that. I am a very physically active 26 year old and it does seem quite odd to be on high blood pressure/heart medicine. However, I do have a very high heart rate and palpatations - so bad sometimes that it's hard to finish my shower (anyone else experience this?). I had tried to come off of the Toprol before, but my tachycardia came back really bad. I actually called the ambulance once on the side of the road. Not good. :( Anyway, I keep getting the same consensus....that I have severe generalized anxiety/social anxiety as well as depression. My physical symptoms have been so bad that i was convinced thorougly I had something else going on with me. Crohn's or hyperthyroidism or some heart problem...but the professionals keep insisting it is all anxiety related. I wish that this disorder wasn't so destructive to my life and future. I've tried so hard to battle this with as little medicine as possible, but it just isn't working. My life is at a stand still and has been for a while. This is not how it's meant to be. Will I ever get past this? Or am I just going to whither away in my home and become a nobody. I honestly am losing hope for the first time -- I've never felt like there was absolutely no conquering this.

The idea that people can be overweight and yet still quite healthy began gaining scientific and popular credence some years ago, fueled by the publication of a number of studies showing that men and women who were a few pounds overweight but physically active had less risk of developing cardiac disease than people who were of normal weight but sedentary.

Some scientists and doctors began speculating that healthy people who were sporting extra pounds didn’t necessarily need to worry about losing weight. As one researcher told a reporter in 2004, “If a fat person or obese person has normal blood pressure, if their total cholesterol and glucose levels are normal and they are healthy, there is no reason they should necessarily have to lose weight.”

But several new studies are raising questions about that comforting notion at a very inopportune moment, with the holiday overindulgence season barely behind us. In the most recent of these studies, published online on Dec. 28 in the journal Circulation, Swedish researchers examined medical records reaching back 30 years for a group of more than 1,700 middle-aged men in the city of Uppsala.

The men were measured and tested when they reached the age of 50 and then periodically for the next 30 years. They were categorized into groups based on their body-mass indexes and metabolic profiles, a good marker of overall physical health and fitness. Some were normal weight; some overweight (meaning they had a body-mass index of 25 or above); some obese (a B.M.I. greater than 30). In each of these groups, some had normal metabolic profiles, while others were afflicted with a variety of conditions known collectively as metabolic syndrome. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome means that you suffer from three or more of these conditions: impaired ability to handle blood sugar, high blood pressure, elevated blood fats, low HDL (“good” cholesterol) and a large waist circumference.

To no one’s surprise, the Swedish researchers found that being overweight or obese and having metabolic syndrome was quite unhealthy. Overweight men in that group had a 74 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease by the time they turned 80. Obese men with metabolic syndrome had a 155 percent higher risk. Even being of normal weight, if you had metabolic syndrome, was dangerous. Men in this group, with normal girths but poor cholesterol and blood-pressure readings, had a 63 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than normal-weight men without metabolic problems. In other words, you don’t want to have metabolic syndrome, even if you’re thin.

More startling, though, was the study’s finding that being overweight with no evidence of metabolic syndrome left you at significantly higher risk for heart disease than if, with the same metabolic readings, you were not overweight. Men who were overweight (not obese) with healthy blood pressures, cholesterol readings, blood glucose levels and so on, still had a 52 percent higher risk of developing heart disease within 30 years than men who were normal weight and had similar metabolic profiles. That risk rose to 95 percent among obese men who didn’t suffer from metabolic syndrome.


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Women who wear a full Islamic burqa could be punished with a heavy fine under a new law proposed in France. Politicians are divided over the plan, with opponents arguing that the legislation is draconian.

Muslim women face a fine of up to 750 euros ($1,080) for wearing burqas and niqabs, which cover the body and face, under a draft bill to be presented to the French parliament.

The measure would prohibit women from wearing such coverings in public places and on the streets, although there would be exceptions for public events and carnivals.

Men who force their wives and daughters to wear the garments may face an even heavier fine.

The law has been proposed by Jean-Francois Cope, leader of the governing conservative UMP party in France's lower parliamentary chamber.

Proposals will be put forward in the next two weeks and are to be debated in parliament after regional elections in March.

( Read more )

Source

Gov. Perry wants to bring California’s budget misery to Texas.

Last month, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) said that California’s Proposition 13 — which requires that a two-thirds majority of the state legislature approve any tax increase — should be a “guiding light” for the nation. And Lungren is evidently not the only one in favor of crippling a state’s ability to budget. In a column yesterday, Wall Street Journal editorial board member Stephen Moore heaped praise onto Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), who is calling for Texas to adopt a Prop. 13-type measure:

On Wednesday, Mr. Perry moved to seal the deal with conservatives by calling for a new constitutional set of protections for taxpayers. Call it a Texas-style “taxpayer bill or rights.” Mr. Perry wants the state’s constitution amended to require a two-thirds vote requirement of the legislature for any tax hikes. He also wants state spending capped at the rate of annual population growth plus inflation.

As Time’s Kevin O’Leary wrote, Prop. 13 lies “at the root of California’s misery,” leaving it no choice but to slash its budget during the economic downturn. Harold Meyerson has pointed out that the Republican minority in Sacramento “has refused in good times as well as bad to raise business or other taxes (increasing the tobacco tax, for instance, has failed each of the past 14 times it has come up for a vote).” So the state is left in an untenable position, and reduced to asking the federal government for support. The Wonk Room has more.

Newt Gingrich: Michael Steele's Race Scares Some GOPers

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is praising Michael Steele in his first year as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Gingrich, who served as speaker from 1995 to 1999, says Steele is off to a good start, citing successes in fundraising and GOP victories in governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey.

"I'm a fan of Steele's," Gingrich said on Thursday in a meeting with reporters about healthcare reform. "I think he is learning, he is smart and he will be an important part of where we're going."

Steele came under fire earlier this week for saying he thinks Republicans have "screwed up" in the years since Ronald Reagan was president and for raising doubt that the GOP can win back the U.S. House in the fall elections.

Gingrich said the party should "relax and focus on winning elections and not on inside-the-party cannibalism."

"Michael Steele makes a number of old-time Republicans very nervous," Gingrich said. "He comes out of a different background. He went to seminary ... he's African-American ... But I think he's pretty close to what we need. He's different, he's gutsy and he's going to make a number of Republicans mad."

Gingrich is founder of the Center for Healthcare Transformation and is calling for President Barack Obama to urge Congress to air the next stage of the healthcare debate on C-SPAN and other media outlets. C-SPAN Chief Executive Officer Brian Lamb has also asked Congress for permission to broadcast discussions between Senate and House leaders when they hash out details of a final bill. Obama said in a January 2008 debate that he would broadcast negotiations on C-Span "so that the American people can see what the choices are." But Democratic leaders have said they plan to work on a final version behind closed doors.

Gingrich said he supports healthcare reform, but not the bills passed by the Senate and House. He added Republicans would likely go after the current legislation if it passes during the fall election season.

"Every Republican in the country is going to say they want to replace the bill with something better," Gingrich said. "We want healthcare reform. This is just the wrong medicine."


On Michael Steele defense, he never wanted the job anyway...

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The Austrian man who kidnapped and held Natascha Kampusch in captivity for more than eight years acted alone, investigators have confirmed.

Vienna's public prosecutor said DNA tests and questioning of witnesses had led to theories being discounted that Wolfgang Priklopil had an accomplice.

Ms Kampusch has also maintained that her captor acted alone.

She was kidnapped on her way to school when she was 10 by Priklopil, who killed himself after her 2006 escape.

She was kept in a tiny basement cell under a garage, less than 16km (10 miles) from her Vienna home.

The prosecutor, Werner Pleischl, told journalists there was no evidence that Priklopil was helped.

"The so-called 'multiple offender' theory... can be excluded," he said, quoted by the Associated Press.

The news comes just weeks after the head of a commission investigating the case was fined for slander, after saying that Ms Kampusch's years in captivity were "better than what she had known until then".

Ludwig Adamovich is appealing against the ruling.

Source