feb02a

Greetings Fellow Earthlings,
Well February was ushered in with a lion. A large snowfall forced us to abandon our January meeting. As I grew up in the land of 10 months of winter and 2 of bad skiing I always shake my head when snowfall in the Lower Mainland shuts things down. If that happened in say Prince George or Edmonton or Winnipeg - all places I have lived - nothing much would ever get done. Having lived in the Vancouver area for some time though has given me a greater appreciation for the effect snow has on those who are used to having green lawns most of the winter. When snow falls in the northern climes it is cold - no I mean REALLY cold. You can actually drive on it without it turning instantly into a skating rink. Snow in Vancouver is usually warm - well for snow anyway - and it gets very slippery very fast. That and the fact that when drivers see snow at most once or twice a year their reflexes and driving skills don't get a chance to adapt.
This month we have the usual eclectic blend of goodies. We start with some practical ostomy information like fixing a leak in a hurry and blockages. Moving on we have some cancer related articles. The first is an abstract from a scientific paper published in Science. It is written in kind of techno-weenie jargon but you should be able to follow along. There are enough REAL words to make sense of the other stuff.
Following that is an article that promises a non-invasive test for colorectal cancer. A blessing - especially if you have ever had a 'scope done and had to quaff a gallon or so of 'Golitely' (shudder). For those in the dark, Golitely tastes of salty antifreeze and I challenge anyone to drink more than 3 or 4 glasses without the overwhelming urge to hurl your guts into the nearest available toilet or other handy container.
Then we have a couple of interesting "Ask The" articles - one to an ET nurse and the other to a doctor. The latter concerns the bane of IBD Patients - the dreaded prednisone and one of the possible aftermath's of it's use.
Then its back to more ostomy advice and we close with some philosophy. I especially like the way the writer of A Problem to be Solved or a Mystery to be Lived thinks. After surgery (and recovery of course) it is time to get back out and live. Sometimes we just get hung up on the technical details of living with an ostomy rather than just living. And just to reinforce that thought, what if everyone had an ostomy - and you didn't. Check out A Different Point of View.
I leave you with these thoughts,
Until next time
Stay Well
Bob