High PSA Levels in Men

I mentioned earlier that my FIL hasn't been feeling all that well. He's had several doctors check him out and they all say he's fine. His last appointment was on Tuesday and he was told that everything was fine (again) and his mood immediately changed. He's been extremely worried about what could be wrong. As a precaution, the doctor ran some blood work. Yesterday, the day after he was told everything was fine, he received a call informing him that the blood work showed elevated PSA levels. He's been told that his should run between 4 and 5. His current level is 8.6. He , my MIL and Hubster are frantic with fear so I did my part to research the results. I will also admit that I had no idea what a PSA level even was. Here is what I found out.

PSA (prostate specific antigen) tests began in 1986 as a way to detect prostate cancer before it spread beyond the prostate. Prior to the PSA test, more than half of the cases had already attacked more than the prostate. Since testing, 70% of cancer cases are caught while still localized.

The American Urological Society suggests that men start getting regular testing at age 50, and at-risk men start getting tested between 40-45. The breakdown on the levels and their indicated percentage of risk are as follows:

Under 4 ng/mL - normal
4-10 ng/mL - 20-30% risk
10-20 ng/mL- 50-75% risk
above 20 ng/mL - 90% risk

For more information on PSA testing and results, Click here.

Furthermore, it is suggested that a high result be retested after 4-6 weeks (not sooner). One study showed that out of 1000 men, only 50% still had a high PSA level after the recommended waiting period, and out of the other 50% that remained high, only 25% were actually found to have cancer. The reason for waiting is to avoid a potentially painful, non-necessary biopsy. To find out more about this study click here.

I've forwarded this information to Hubster and MIL and hope is does a little help to calm their fears until the next Dr.'s Appointment on July 7th.

Enter to Win A Trip to the Winter Olympics in Aspen

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know we've recently dusted off the guitar and started a "friendly" battle of Guitar Hero III between the Hubster and I. We had discussed playing and my competitive side took over and I had to start practicing. I couldn't even remember what I was supposed to be doing until half way through the first song. I know, push a button and strum, it was the strumming part I was neglecting...go ahead and laugh. I tried to get Boog to try it but like most games, he prefers to watch (although he's really getting into the logo games). So I finished my first song and the ending message was "YOU ROCK!" The kids agreed, ha ha, silly little people. I continued to play the same song until I achieved 5 stars at which point I exclaimed "I ROCK!"

Hubster and I were discussing getting Rock Band for the family. We (he and I) will handle the guitars, we'll put Boog on drums and Puddin Pop will love being on the mic, once she learns the words. We already love playing Wii Sports together so we figure another game we can play together on rainy Sundays would be fun.

I've entered a contest through BluFrog . It's simple to enter, comment (1 entry), blog about the contest (2nd entry) and twitter about it (3rd entry). One of the prizes is an ultimate gamer package with an XBox 360 and a copy of Rock Band (that's the one I want), they also have a trip to New York for New Years, Lalapalooza in Chicago, A Richard Petty driving experience in Orlando, OR...the prize I really want but my family would not enjoy as much, tickets to the Winter Olympics in Aspen. If any of these sound good to you (go for the XBox so I can get the Olympics) sign up now.

The Domain Renewal Hassle and How to Avoid It.

Oh my. I've been sitting on a renewal notice for this blog for far too long. I think I was down to 3 days, yikes. I originally registered this domain through bravenet and received a letter more than a month back reminding me to renew. I got an e-mail at 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days. I went into my bravenet account, selected manage domains, clicked on renew, and renewed for 2 more years (so you're stuck with me). That is NOT the hassle I'm referring to. It was simple as pie.

I then decided to renew my other blog (which comes up for renewal in early August). That domain was registered with GoDaddy, through Google (blogger). To find where to renew is like pulling teeth, except it took longer. I searched all through my google account with no luck. Used google search to search google for info typing in "renew google domain" I got a message that no queries matched my search. I knew it was registered with GoDaddy so I called them and they looked it up and told me it had to be renewed through google. I jokingly asked if she had a number...she didn't. I continued with a web search and found several posts in forums and on blogs of people who have had the same problem, hmmm. One poor woman was sent a link to renew 3 days before expiration and the link was wrong. When she finally got an answer and a corrected link to renew, her domain had already expired and she was told to contact GoDaddy directly, I'm not sure what happened after that, she never posted to that particular forum again. What I did get from that post was a link for her renewal. On a hunch, I copied the link, substituted my domain where hers was and was taken directly to google checkout and a 1 year renewal of my blog. I was hoping to renew for 2 but after all the time I had spent, I was just happy to renew. Period. Here's the link

https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/renew-domain/REPLACE_THIS_WITH_YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME .

It's the only thing I found to renew and if anyone knows how I can renew for more than one year, I'd appreciate it. My renewal date was 8/8 and is now 6/19, so I figure by being proactive I list 2 months? I love the blogger platform but really? I'm now set up to auto renew but if google penalizes for short term blogs, they should make it easier to elongate the subscription, right? Maybe I'm just missing something.

The Family Member You Never See

This is Ashley. She is 7 years old (8 on July 2nd) and is a miniature pincher. We've had Ash since she was 9 weeks old and she was my 1st "baby". She is wonderful with the kids (no jealousy), they can pet her when she eats, try to pick her up, snuggle and lay on her and she just licks them. When Boog was born, Ash was very protective and wherever we laid the baby, she was right there. She was exactly the same with Puddin Pop and will now sleep in PP's bed when she is there. If PP is at a sleep over or in bed with us, Ashley then seeps under my bed.

Lately Ashley has been rubbing her backside against the furniture. I know some dogs rub their bums on the floor, Ashley doesn't, she just rubs it against the back of the couch. She stands on all fours and wiggles her little butt against whatever she can. Hubster thinks it's anal glands, but I think it may be dry skin on the end and side of her stubby little tail. I pay a little more attention to her rubbing. I googled it. I then came across Dinovite . They offer a comprehensive guide to figure out what is ailing your dog and offer supplements, shampoos and treats to ward of dry itchy skin, shedding, and odor problems. Just visit their solutions center , put in your dog's (or cat's)name, answer a series of questions and BAM, they have a suggested solution for you. They also offer advice over the phone for anyone with more questions or for those that like to speak with a real person when ordering stuff.

I do believe that Ashley is in need of some dietary supplements. We usually give her kibbles and bits and I know that's lacking the extras we could be giving her...but she LOVES it. We'll get her to the vet to find out what is causing her itching for sure, and treat it accordingly.

Some More Awards

I know I just posted some lovely awards, and I sat on those (some of them) for over a month. I'm not good at the receiving awards thing but want the presenters to know that they are appreciated more than anything. even if I have a difficult time receiving them. So, before I get way behind again, I would like to give a big hug and thank you to Matthias over at The Matthias Chronicles . He decided that my blog deserved these lovely awards. He is also the one responsible for the AFTR button over on my sidebar. This is an individual that gives back to the blogging community without a lot of "rules" to participate. To get these awards from him makes my heart melt a little. So, Thank You.


Now for these rules for these beautiful awards:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

This is where I have the difficulty. Choosing ONLY 15 would be hard and I always feel guilty for leaving people out. If you would like to have these awards for your collection then please, by all means take one or both. You can even get some link love with Mr. Linky. If you are here visiting me and reading this, then you deserve an award.

Enjoy.

More Stem Cell Information

I find the whole aspect of stem cell research fascinating. While cord blood and menstrual blood are the most highly publicized and known means of collecting stem cells, further research (on my part) has uncovered several other sources of stem cells. Skin, teeth, bone marrow and blood round out the avenues of collecting what are considered adult stem cells.

We've often heard about the benefits of cord blood banking and the impact it can make on immediate family members in the event of a life threatening diseases. This technology is remarkable to me and I wanted to know more about the current research and the lives that have been saved as well as the different studies that have been done to prove that stem cells are a viable solution to treat diseases that have otherwise been untreatable.

Here are a few enlightening facts that I came across:

Texas legislature is currently working on a bill that could put them at the top of the field in adult stem cell research. The bill will promote and enhance adult stem cell treatments and cures that have already proven effective in that state.

In China, Children are being treated with stem cells to give them vision they were born without. The process takes several stem cell injections over a four week period and three such "rounds" of treatments per child has produced an 80% success rate among the 20 children who have had the procedure done.

The American Heart Association estimates that the 58 million sufferers of cardiovascular disease may someday be treated or cured from the adult stem cells ability to replace damaged heart muscles, heart tissue and valves and establish new blood vessels to supply them.


source: Stemcellresearchnews.net

Barefoot Beach Rescue Projects

There is no better feeling than finding a company you already enjoy doing business with and then realizing that they not only make a great product but are doing their part to help make the world a better place as well.

I recently had the opportunity to giveaway some really neat gifts from Barefoot Wine and Bubbly. You can still sign up to win here. The ONLY requirement is to sign up with Barefoot Republic .

While signing up and checking out Barefoot Republic for myself, I noticed that they have several (25) Beach Rescue projects scheduled for this summer. I was a little disappointed that they are not coming anywhere near me (our beaches could use a little help) because I thought it would be a GREAT way to help our community and get the kids involved in helping out. Barefoot is working with Surfrider and is dedicated to getting our beaches back to "barefoot- friendly" and dispatches teams who, along with local volunteers, help clean our beaches of debris and make them safer to enjoy. Check out the listings and offer support to one in your area. You'll be doing something good for the community and (I'm sure) having a blast along the way.

Hackers are Everywhere

Why do hackers hack? I understand the monetary component of hacking someone's system and gaining banking and credit card info, but why hack into e-mail and send out e-mails supposedly from someone else? Do the hackers feel that if they use my (yes, it happened to me a couple months back) e-mail that they are more likely to get a sale on the electronics then if they send their own e-mails? What about hacking Facebook accounts? I received a message in my inbox a while back from an old schoolmate that, although we are friends on FB, I have yet to have a single conversation with or even leave a comment for. It turns out it was a scam and someone had hacked his account. Yesterday another friend got hacked on FB and a video was posted, supposedly by her, by someone else. So why?

Companies actually hire hackers to investigate their systems to determine where they need more security. How fun would that be? With EC-Council you can enroll in classes to become an Ethical Hacker. Course subjects include

*Security Fundamentals
*Ethical hacking
*Penetration Testing
*Computer Forensics
*Disaster Recovery
*Secure Coding

Landing a job with a company and being responsible for the integrity of their IT Security would surely be an exciting and challenging career, not to mention that it is one of the professions that has actually seen an increase in salaries in these troubled times.


So, to all you hackers that are hacking for no apparent reason other than enjoyment, maybe you could put your skills to good use and get a great paying job with a rewarding future?

Triple Threat and Some Link Love and an Award

I've been sitting on these (some of them) for a while. Call it laziness, call it whatever you want, I just haven't gotten around to it and I'M SORRY. I have been given the lovely blog award from several people and to all 3 of my blogs. Since I so cherish this award and the individuals who gave them to me. I am going to post this on all 3 blogs and give credit to each of my senders 3 times. That's how much they mean, even if it took me a while to say thanks. I do appreciate the award and the givers. So, to More Fun Than Allowed...With Kids, this award was received from Dawn @ Two Pretty Little Skirts and from Chris @ The Mommy Journey. To Wine at Five?, this award was given to me from Stacy @ Married With Boys. To Because Someone Cares the award was received from mee mOe @ When Life Becomes a Book. Thank you so much, I will display this award proudly. (There was one more sender but her post and comment on my blog were deleted so I'm assuming she no longer wanted to play in the blog award fun. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll add you too.)





Oh yeah. Here is my wonderful award

Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Normally I find it hard to select such a small group of bloggers to give awards to, but I'm going to make an exception. I've recently been blessed with many new friends and would like to recognize them now. Congrats to my chosen 15. Grab and Enjoy your award. FYI: It was hard to pick just 15 and even harder to find 15 that had not already received the award. If you have already received it, here's another anyway, 'cuz your good like that. If you don't do awards, that's cool, just know I appreciate you and your blog!

Sue @ Stay At Home Mom
Sarah @ God's Not Finished With Us Yet
Sandy @ Traveling Suitcase
Russ @ Grampy and You
Evie & Chris' Mommy @ Raising Irish Twins
Kelley @ 30 Something And Searching
Erica @ Parenthood for Me
Sandi @ Nothing Off Limits
Kristen @ All In A Mom's Life
Stephanie @ A Pocket Full Of Buttons
Tracy @ The Crazy Suburban Mom
Carolee @ Working in my jammies and lovin' it
Sherdenise @ A Blog With No Name
Joeshico @ Why Wine Blog
Randy @ The Wine Whore

Great Site For Nurses

My Step-Mom and a close friend are nurses. This is currently one of the most in-demand jobs in the country. Every hospital in my area is offering accelerated class loads to meet the demand of this rewarding career in the shortest time possible. I've considered it. That's as far as I get. I know my friend makes AWESOME money and only works 3 shifts a month. She isn't specialized in any specific area and is covered under her husbands insurance so she works per diem and enjoys being able to make extra money while mainly focussing on her family. My step mom, for ability reasons, is currently working on the insurance end of nursing, but the benefits pay for her MS meds which would otherwise be over $1000 per month.

While "considering" this field as something to do when PP goes to school in two years. I came across a site that is all for nurses and would definitely be a resource for those coming through these 18-22 month courses, as I'm sure the social aspect would get lost to all the medical terms and procedure practice.

Scrubs (in beta) is an online magazine that discusses everything from"how to look your best in scrubs" to "How to wake up looking younger." With tips and advice for nurses from Nurses, the material is relevant, interesting, and a great tool for new and veteran nurses to share, learn, and trade tips and stories. They have a News and Entertainment tab, a blog, love, money, style, and so much more. I snooped around. The site covers everything and has checklists to keep you on track. It is inspiring, motivational, and a site I would recommend to any nurse with questions that need answering or knowledge to share.

As for me, I just don't have it in me. I do not think I possess the patience (no pun intended) it takes to do this job well and I would come home a mess every time I had to be near a child who was ill, or one saddened by a sick parent. I imagine it makes one hug their children and loved ones a little closer every night and I can do that without the sad images in my head.

I'll be MIA...for a Cause

I'll apologize in advance for my disappearing act over the next 48 hours. Not that I post daily, but I do religiously return drops and I will NOT be able to do this over the weekend. Hopefully by Sunday I will, so bare with me.

Tonight I will participate in Relay for Life. The event starts at 7pm and we will walk until 7 am tomorrow. Our team has dwindled to 4 so we will be walking all night. I may try and do a couple vlog posts from the event, it will just depend on the weather, right now it is raining and they are calling for a 50% chance of rain over night so we'll just have to wait and see. You can still get a last minute donation in here, anything is appreciated as it helps find cures for this awful disease.

On another note, if you are interested in a super fun giveaway sponsored by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, check out my post here and be sure to enter.

Say an Extra Prayer

When you go to bed tonight, Hug your kids a little closer and say an extra prayer for Ezra. If you don't have children, or they are already grown, say an extra prayer for Ezra and his family anyway.



Ezra is a sweet 2 year old little boy who was recently bitten by a spider or some other bug, I'm not sure they ever found out. He wasn't feeling well or acting "himself" and had started to limp. His parents assumed he was having a reaction to the bites and took him to the doctor. What happened as a result is mind-boggling and heart-breaking. X-rays showed abnormalities in the leg bone and cancer was the suspected reason. A trip to the pediatric oncologist confirmed the families worst nightmare and Ezra is currently undergoing chemotherapy and will be for a minimum of 3 years. It breaks my heart to think of this small child and all he will have to endure. I can not imagine what the parents are going through. The family is in my prayers.

You can read more about Ezra's condition as well as how the rest of the family is coping over at Manic Mother. You can purchase bracelets in support of Ezra, donate directly to the family through paypal or just offer some kind words of encouragement and some prayers.

This is one of those things that no child or parent should have to go through and I know that showing support in any form is appreciated more than we will ever know. Go on over now.

We Did It

We actually did it a month ago. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to jinx it. You know how these things go. When I say "we", I actually mean Puddin Pop. She is 100% into big girl panties and isn't even wearing pull ups at night. Ahh, I figure that's about $35 we're now saving.

When I think about all the milestones the kids have achieved and the money we've saved in the process, it's quite a relief. Sure, we end up spending the money on other things they need, but I really think getting out of the "baby" phase and thus not buying things like diapers, formula, bottles, sippy cups, baby food and snacks really makes the most impact. Yes, we buy more milk and fruit and all the other food, but it's stuff we were already buying, so to buy a little more doesn't seem to have the same impact as buying the things that only a baby would need. Know what I mean?

With the first baby, Boog, I went with what I "knew" were the best diapers and nursed for 4 months before going back to work. When it became necessary to supplement with formula, I immediately bought what I thought was the best out there. Go ahead and laugh. When Puddin Pop came along, and I was no longer working, I found a lot of baby products that were just as good as the name brands, and better because they cost a whole lot less. I figure on diapers and formula alone, we saved over $100 monthly due to different choices and the knowledge that formulas are FDA regulated and only vary in price. Parent's Choice Infant Formula is far less expensive than Similac but provides the same nutrients that babies need. Check out their pricing calculator and compare your current brand with theirs and you can instantly see how much you could save monthly as well as yearly. Each Mother should be allowed to choose between nursing or formula feeding, store-brand options allow them to make the choice based on their needs rather than the financial impact it will have on the family. Their is still a cost, but it doesn't have to break the bank, and shouldn't.

I am so proud of PP and am a little saddened that the baby phase is over in our house. We are onto the preschool age and will have many new achievements to look forward to and I can't wait to be a part of each and every one.