too cute, memoriable memorial weekend, organic roundtable, bb

TOO CUTE
this is too cute not to post

MEMORIABLE MEMORIAL WEEKEND
had a memoriable memorial weekend
on satuday spent the day with two brothers (both ex military)
one always gives an update on a memorial day email he sends
reminding us all to remember those who made the ultimate
sacrifice for our country and to remember those relatives of
ours who made that sacrifice and to remember those who
have served or or serving in the military

he also has some dictums that he reviews and ill post them
in a later blog

the other brother needed some rainwater harvesting advice for
his home
was glad to offer my advice as long as it doesnt involved a shovel
he is attempting to harvest rainwater off his house to obtain enough
water to irrigate his reduced lawn, his other landscaping, and also
to irrigate his garden which he has landscaped into his backyard
so it is very pleasing to the eye but is quite productive

he is doing this under the confines of an hoa and its rules
he will catch water off his roof and route it to to tanks in
each corner of his yard
the tanks have to be lower than his 6 foot fence and the end
result has to be pleasing to the eye (his wifes eye)
the lines will be buried and will be 2-4 inches in diameter
he may be able to catch 2-3000 gallons in these tanks and
other small tanks he has

remember the less city water he uses the less his water bill and
sewage bill will be

i think we/he have a plan now to follow
just have to beat the hoa and his wifes eye

he also just put in a solar system that should go online today
will blog this later

we also went to a roundtable discussion of organic gardening by
some of the gods of organic gardening in texas
see below

on sunday spent the day with friends that are moving out of state
we enjoyed the visit
we also gave them a tour of our recycled house, our rainwater
system, our solar system, our chickens and their condo, our
organic garden, and our xeroscaped landscape
over the years we have given a lot of these tours and hope we have
influenced some of them to try some of these things
the friends will be missed

on monday i actually for the first day since i quit working 6
months ago did nothing outside or productive
i took a slug day
i took three naps of 1 hour, watched shows on the history channel
on the civil war and the viet nam war, watched a movie with
my wife she, read the paper and at the end of the day bbqed
hamburgers and cooked sweet potato chips for supper/dinnner

a memorable memoriable memorial weekend

ORGANIC ROUNDTABLE
my brother and i went to an organic roundtable discussion on saturday

there on the discussion panel was
malcom beck the god of organic gardening in texas,

john drumgoole the 2nd god of organic gardening in texas
the owner of my nursery the natural gardener and owner of
the lady bug organic products and host of a local austin radio show
on organic gardening

judy barrett a gardening writer-she wrote and
published the homegrown magazine that could be found at many
nurseries in this area,

bruce deuley an author and host of tv and radio shows on organic
gardening,

stuart franke the president of medina agriculture products,

noel garcia of the texas plant and soil lab and

bob webster who owns an organic nursery and hosts a local radio
show on organic gardening


boy 2 hours of discussion wasnt enough
bottom line compost is the answer to good gardening
it provides benefical bacteria and fungi, nitrogen, minerals etc
pesticides and insecticides are really bad to use in the garden
and in the yard
more and more people are becoming involved in organic
gardening every year

one panel person produced 150 lbs of organic squash on
a 15 ft row
it cost him 20 cents a lb to grow but retail organic squash is
$3-5 a lb
you do the math

great panel

BB
finally the finals
heat vs mavs
south beach bs south fork
should be a good series
wish both teams could win

the organicgreen doctor

memorial day, drowning

MEMORIAL DAY
today is memorial day
initially it was started to recognize the fallen soldiers in the civil
war on both the union and confederate sides that were
buried at the arlington national cemetery

now its used to celebrate those soldiers that have died in all wars

many people today wont think of the soldiers as they picnic and
go to the memorial day sales or start a 3 day trip or start the
summer vacation

take a moment
remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and
remember those past and  present who have served in the
military

in my family
my brotherinlaws brother died flying missions for the air force
his other brother flew over 50 missions over europe during ww2
pilots could go home after 25 missions
the life expectancey was 18 missions
hes is still alive at 90

his cousin was killed flying missions over europe in ww2
his sister served in the airforce

my uncle was wounded fighting in the pacific during ww2
my dads first cousin was killed on iwo jima in ww2

those serving or served in the military are 3 brothers who
served in the air force and army and now are retired

a nephew who served in the navy on subs
a great nephew now serving in the marines and another who
has enlisted

thinking of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
those who served in the military, and those who are
serving now

makes those vacations and bbqs and sale seem not as important

thanks


DROWNING
this is an article on drowning that was posted by a facebook
friend
today as many people are celebrating memorial day on lakes,
beaches and swimming pools and as people start the summer
reviewing this article may save a life from drowning

go to drowning doesnt look like drowning

thanks to sn for the article

the organicgreen doctor

drought, rain, bb

DROUGHT
this area is in one of the worst droughts since the early 1900s
according to the texas gardeners newsletter one of the writers
went  fishing and the lake was so dry they had to throw the fish
back because they were covered with ticks
(thats a joke)

the high heat and dryness coupled with the high winds we are
having will dry out your plants fast
most vegetables and flowers need about 1 inch of water a week
the best time to water is in the am
some type of drip irrigation is the best way to deliver the water to
the plants roots
dont water with sprinklers in the heat of the day

keep the veggies and flowers mulched well this time of year
to conserve water loss

trees need to be watered at the drip line
newly planted trees need to be watered more often

info from texas gardener newsletter

RAIN
well we got some relief last night from the drought here
we got two inches of rain
as usual for here we got it fast and furious
it comes down so fast it overwhelms our downspouts
ability to capture all the rain

collect rainwater and you know how much a rainwaterer
hates to see rainwater losses to a overflowing system

we got 2 inches of rain so it helps a lot for this area
we just need more to get closer to being caught up
we captured enough water to add 1-2 months to our
rainwater supply
whew was getting low on rainwater
the life of living with rainwater collection as your water source
in the middle of a drought

side effect of the rain storm was it knocked out our electricity
and our computer
our computer came on but slowly and said it was monday
may 17 2004
its working but slowly this am
hopefully this blog will come through ok today

BB
well the heat won the series over the celtics
that demon is released for them now
now for probably the bulls and the mvp

the thunder won against the grizzlies
one more please so this playoff can move on

the organicgreen doctor

ad, review, walk to end alz, duct tape, bb

AD
this is a one minute video on alzheimers produced by the
alzheimers association
take a minute to watch it

REVIEW
the new diagnostic criteria guidelines for alzheimers were
published recently

they are
preclinical alzheimers  there are no outward symptoms but mild
changes on biomarkers such as spinal fluid markers (tau protein,
beta-amyloid protein) and changes on research pet scans
this category is important not clinically but in research to find
individuals who can be used to test preventative techniques to
see if drugs or diet or bp control or cholesterol control can
slow down, stop, or prevent this disease progression

this stage classification is not used in the doctors office for any
reason right now but will be used a lot in research studies

this is where i was before i was diagnosed with the next stage
would have been a good research candidate in my 40s and 50s
if all this stuff was known then

mild cognitive impairment (this is my diagnosis) in which mild
changes in memory and thinking appear but do not impair every
day activities and functioning
i am very early in this phase and although symptoms are not
evident to others they are noticable to me
i feel like these did start to interfere with my practicing of medicine
and the fear of harm to patients is why i discontinued practicing
i have also been placed on aricept (donnepezil) which will slow
down the symptoms over time

the biomarkers mentioned above are positive in this category
i will be tested for all of these outside of the research study i am
in at this time (any studies done in the research study remain
blocked from review by myself or my doctors-part of the deal)
i have to do my testing outside of the research studies in a private
medical practice
i will report them when they come in this summer

remember it was my occupation that was the reason i
stopped working
had i been in another profession i would have continued to work

dementia is the final stage
this is where most people are diagnosed
medications are used to slow down symptoms but the disease will
march on
this stage as it progresses starts to affect the caretaker as well as
the patient

in the intial video above you can see the number of people with
the disease is high
well there is similar numbers in each of these categories so the
numbers of people affected is even greater-most dont know it yet

hopefully a drug can be developed that will slow the disease down
eg a drug to stop amyloid deposition in the brain if thats the cause
of this disease which will prevent or slow down or stop the disease
similar to what the statin drugs have done in slowing down or
preventing the development of arterial blockage in the heart

thats the goal here with these new classifications is to find a
preventive treatment for those at risk eg for my children or
grandkids or nephews and nieces and geat nephews and
great nieces and maybe yours

to be continued

WALK TO END ALZ
go to www.alz.org to locate your local walk to end alz this fall
and donate and plan to walk
or
donate to my team at
the austin walk to end alz team organicgreendoctor.com
and or join us for the walk

DUCT TAPE
whoa man found so many duct tape colors
the uses are endless
have a john deere lawn tractor with a bright yellow seat that has
developed some tears in it over the last few years
well found this nice bright yellow color (call it donal ducks
beak yellow) to use to patch those tears

have discovered that can use duct tape to cover the end of
caulk tubes and glue tubes after using them and they actually
seem to not dry out

BB
well the king james version of the nba finals start on tuesday
this is going to be a great series to watch
it sure took a long time to get to this point
bet players are all beat up

whose going to win
is it dirks time or is it james and wade and boshs time
time will tell

the organicgreen doctor

yum yum, bb

YUM
yum yum
here are the ingredients for our evening meal at the
country n (thats what we call our place)

these ingredients are picked fresh from our garden without washing
for this picture

the brown egg and white egg was not picked from the garden but
was found in a nest in our barn-a frequent site for deposition of the
eggs by some of our wandering free range chickens

the ingredients are spaghetti squash-will be used later this week to
make spaghetti from the inside of the squash
makes a great spaghetti substitute and is more healthy than pasta
(price is $1.65 a lb at the grocery store)

malabar spinach which is just now starting to grow as the weather
gets warmer-the hotter it gets the better it grows
its sitting on the end of the spaghetti squash
its eaten raw in a salad or as we will do today will cook it with
the other veggies

regular spinach as we have some left over from the winter
will mix it with the veggies tonight

1050 onion just plucked from the ground-have over 200 more to
pick later as they reach the end of their growth
will store them in panty hose (cheap new ones) for the summer
and fall

green beans which are just now starting to produce
they are part of the three sisters planted in one bed
squash beans corn
apparently the american indians use to plant things this  way

squash provides the shade and mulch
beans put nitrogen back in the soil
corn provide a stalk for the beans

the other squash is zucchini and are just now producing well
soon the squash borer will wipe them out so will need to
enjoy them as long as i can

corn was picked too early but i did it anyway
couldnt stand it
is the first time corn has been planted here
looks like a good crop so far
have planted the corn in 1 foot squares so they will
pollinate each other

swiss chard is left over from the winter garden and baring any
attack from bugs it will survive through the summer and fall
these are chopped up stem and all and placed with the
other veggies on the grill

banana peppers are used frequently in salads
this is the sweet one
this time will mix with other veggies on the grill like
you would use a sweet bell pepper

potatoes-cheated and dug these early
just cant keep my hands off them

one green tomato
broke the dont pick those until they turn red rule
my wife she is the one that usually breaks that rule
this green tomato is chopped up and placed with the
other veggies

cherokee purple tomato is the purplish small tomato
it is a heirloom and has the best flavor
tomatoes over the years have been bred to look pretty
and have lost some of the flavor over the years
the heirlooms are unchanged and although not pretty
(although i think they are pretty) they have retained
that flavor
try one and youll see what im talking about

squash blossom is used in salads

so we eat these foods frequently during the growing season
organic veggies with no preservatives or insecticides
loaded with nutrition

move over whole foods

BB
well mavs and dirk did it
now they are waiting for the heat
unless the bulls make a miraculous turn around
what a great series final this will be

backs of the poor, storms/rain, bb

BACKS OF THE POOR
here they go again
the state legislatures are balancing the budget on the backs
of the poor again

its just mean spirited
pay now or pay later

the plan is to cut 2/3 of the budget from the federally funded
family planning services in the state of texas
apparently this is an attempt to prevent government money from
being used for abortions

they also have cut these programs by a similar amount already
before this big cut

in my career of 30 years as a family physician in two states those
patients of mine who got abortions were very few
none of them got their abortions at federally funded clinics but
at private clinics

however hundreds of my patients received contraceptive care,
disease screenings, and prenatal care at these health clinics
many more rely on them now than in the past because of the
loss of jobs and insurance

pay now or pay later
there will be an upsurge in unplanned and  unwanted pregnancies
in our state
we already are one of the leaders in teenage pregnancies in the
united states
this lack of funding willl probably make us number one now
we strive to be number one in football now we are working to
be number one in this unwanted statistic

shame shame
on the backs of the poor

they are also cutting funding for family practice programs in the
state which will result in several family practice programs to
close down
this is in a time when there is a shortage of family doctors as more
of the doctors like me are leaving the field and fewer students
are going into family mediciine
where did we get these guys making these decisions

STORMS/RAIN
whoa that storm sure got me out of a deep sleep
where did it come through
at least my wife she did not get up and hug the shower wall
like she did this weekend
thought i was going to have to do it though

we are in the middle of the worst drought in this area since the
early 1900s
however we have gotten 6.5 inches now in the last 2 weeks
thats 20% of the yearly rainfall we usually get a year

although this is appreciated we will need a lot more to get out
of this drought

yesterday i was planting something in my yard
as i dug down through my 3 inches of mulch to the soil
i found dry dirt
this was after all of the rain we have had
all that rain was soaked up by the mulch and very little
seemed to have gotten into the deep soil

we want more please just dont do it so noisily and so
fast so the ground can absorb it
and please without all that hail

BB
ok its the heats year
ok its lebrons year and playoff
ok its dirks year also
wish they would hurry up and get to the final so
we can watch those two perform against each other
they also need to get this over with before our wedding
journey is completed

the organicgreen doctor

gardening, spy cam, bb

GARDENING
we got 3 inches of rain this last weekend and
two weeks before that we got 2.5 inches of rain
had just fertilized my garden with an organic fertilizer just
before the rain
all my crops have taken off
was gone for 4 days and when i came back it looked like a
different garden

my onions are starting to fall over which mean they are ready
to be picked
i pull them out and let them dry for a few days then store them
in my garage hanging in panty hose
yes panty hose
i get the cheapest brand i can find
place the onion in the panty hose tie a knot then place another
one in tie a knot etc
these are then stored hanging from the rafters until we need them
they usually last into the winter time

our potatoes are just now starting to end their growth
when they die down will dig them up and store them in
boxes in a dark closet until we need them
they usually last until the mid winter

as we enter the hot weather of central texas i plant things that
can survive the heat
i oversow some of the beds with blackeyed peas
it provides peas to eat and the plants also repace the nitrogen into
the soil

also plant malabar spinach which grows on a vine and the hotter
it is the better it grows
we eat it like you would spinach

we have arugula that grows through the summer and does well
we keep it trimmed down
we have arugula all summer long

will plant amaranth to use in salads
its a weed and is edible

will try planting lambs ear which is edible and
is used in salads

some of these are considered weeds but they are
edible and nutritious

have planted pursalane also in the garden
its known as the dolly parton plant-not because of big
blooms but because it flowers open up 9-5
it grows well in the heat
we pick it and eat it in salads

as the weather heats up the winter/spring spinach and lettuce
bolts and goes to seeds so these plants replace them in our salads

my cucumbers-plant armenian ones as they are more
productive-are just now starting to take off
should have a good crop this year

my okra are just now starting to grow and produce
they get larger and more productive as they weather
gets hotter

so there are veggies that do good in the summer heat as
most veggies shut down at that time

SPY CAM
well in austin they are putting spy cams up on the infamous
street (no not 6th st) that is well known for drugs and prostitution
to keep an eye on the area

the area is video cameraed 24/7 so it can be used to track
suspects or review later for evidence
the police might just try using some of that money to patrol
the area 24/7
that might work well also

BB
thunder lost their thunder at the end
mavs win
dirks year this year

heat tonight
thinks its their year
bulls need more than one option

the organicgreen doctor

road trip the storm the rapture dirt house garden, bb

ROAD TRIP
my white on white relative and i took a road trip to
southern arkansas to visit siblings
we started in the southern part of the ouachita mountains
(yes thats spelled right its ou nor qu)
and worked our way across the state visiting our 5 siblings
that live there and ended up in eastern southern arkansas
near the delta

this is pretty country
with all the greenery trees contrasted to the drier less
treey(made that word up) central texas where we live

we got to listen to cicadas and their continuous sounds that
sound like a sawmill running 24/7
was glad my sisters house is well insulated
this is all part of the life cycle (supposedly they come out every
13 years in mass quantities) but if the sound bothers you then
it will be a long 2 months

we also visited a family that is thinking of building an earth house
(wish i could do that)
if oriented correctly and built correctly there is very little expense
for heating and cooling as it maintains a constant temperature all
year round
add solar power and rain water then life is good
wish them luck in their endeavors
wish it was my she and i that was doing that
(dont think in central texas where we live you could dig a hole
in a hill that deep)

we also visited two relatives that are in the caretaker role
if you have a relative or friend in a caretaker role please think
of them often and give them some relief
remember your time may come also

we also have a relative with alzheimers that seems stable right
now but it is hard to visit as we know and remember how he
was before this all struck him
what a terrible disease it is
remember if you are reading this you will be affected by this disease
in some way
1 of 6 of you will get the disease
(my alzheimers entry of the day)
help them out if you can

most of my sibings are or were school teachers or married to
one
the job security issues with the schools and colleges and state
budgets all seem to be universal everywhere right now
its the economy stupid and  education is part of the answer to the
economy-dont destroy our educational system please
hope those state legislatures understand that but doubt that
they do

overall we had a good road trip
my white on white relative and i solved a lot of problems of
the world as we traveled across east texas and southern arkansas
now if the politicians would just listen to us then the problems would
all be solved

THE STORM
while we were gone we missed the storm that came through
we got probably 3 inches of rain which was much needed
my garden grew like crazy with the rain while i was gone
my maters are now 6 feet tall and just producing like crazy
just need all those green ones to turn red
my wife she is bad about breaking the rule of not picking
the first green tomatoes before they turn red

while in the hills of arkansas got a text from someone in texas
are you alright
yes why
all those storm you are getting
no im in arkansas
is your wife she ok
texted her
she was attached to the wall near our solid brick shower
(thats her storm cellar) as the storms possibly two tornadoes
split and went just north and south of where we live
apparently the wind rain and hail was extremely undnervng
as the storms went by
when my white on white relative and i got home we found
claw marks on the wall going to the storm cellar shower

our dog a mixed breed dog predicts storms hours before they
arrive
apparently he found his spot between the hot tub and a water
tank on our front porch earlier in the day and refused to move
my wife she  knew it was going to be a bad one as the dog
always predicts them right

i know one day as he gets older he is going to die of a heart
attack when those storms come through

the rapture did not happen on saturday but i think my wife she
and our storm dog he sure thought it was happening that night
they survived ok

BB
heat won
chris bosh came through
they need to speed all this up some

the organicgreen doctor

great picture, popular cars, walk to end alz, duct tape

GREAT PICTURE





this is from www.komando.com
its a picture taken by stephanie gordon while flying  in a passenger
airline near the space shuttle edeavor launch

this is a picture of the endeavor as it  broke through the clouds

awesome

POPULAR CARS
the ten most popular cars this spring are mostly cars with better
gas milage
except for no 1 ford truck f series  and no 3 chevy silverado

toyota camry, toyota corolla, honda accord, honda civic,
hyundai elantra, and hyundai sonata are on the list in that order
chevy cruze is close and is selling well
and the chevy malibu is gaining some

will the us producers ever catch up
sure hope so

WALK TO END ALZ
remember that there are walks to end alzhiemers in your area
during october
you may go to www.alz.org to find when they are
please donate to them
you may donate as little as $5

you may donate to my team organicgreendoctor.com at this
link austin walk to end alzheimers
click on the team organicgreendoctor.com
make a donation
remember you dont have to join the team to donate

DUCT TAPE
two new uses of duct tape
this is not a r rated blog so cant show pictures

one use is to cover butt or plumbers crack
use your imagination
think they need to keep a roll in each class room in high school

the other is to use it to assist with a strapless bra
apparently this is  frequently used in this situation
duct tape was also used frequently on oscar night
know some that didnt use it but should have


the organicgreen doctor

inked again, mcdonalds, no oil tax, water, my garden

INKED AGAIN
am determined to beat the ink cartridge prices (rip off)
so got my refill kit again to refill my cartridge
of course i did it without reading the instructions
this time i only have 6 black fingers and did not get any on
my counter top
(my wife she got mad at me last time i did this)
but i have a cartridge that prints out ok just real smudgey
but it is readable as long as you dont have to fax it

after awhile the smudginess all cleared up

paying for ink cartridges is like having to pay some of those
trashy bank fees the banks impose on us
just ticks me off to have to do either

MCDONALDS
so mcdonalds is trying to replace humans with a touch screen
computer that you do your own ordering on
that just doesnt seem right

now we may get our orders right
guess they wont have to pay for all those benefits they
pay now and all those high wages they pay

for some high school students they have provided a job
and for some its the only job they can get

well at least the computers cant fry those fries
not yet at least

sure do like to deal with a human at the checkout areas
whenever i can

NO OIL TAX
sure know when we are getting screwed by the elected officials
in washington
think that we should get the names of all the senators and
representatives that vote against taxing the oil companies and
print their names on the front page of all the newspapers and
post them on the internet for all to see so we will know
which ones are screwing us

vote them out no matter whether they are democratic
republican or independent

heck we get taxed pretty heavy every time we go to the gas
pumps to buy gas
guess thats to make up for the lost revenue from all of the tax
breaks we are giving big oil

you cant just cut programs and not find sources of revenue
all over america people are cutting their expenses and at the
same time are working longer hours and working second
jobs to balance out their budgets

maybe the government could learn a lesson from us

sure get nauseated reading about the no oil company tax

WATER
if you live around here where i do be ready to start watering
again if we dont get rain
most gardens need 1 inch of water a week
sometimes they need more in the hot windy summer
drip irrigation is the best
plants use 90% of the water from drip irrigation vs 60% of the
water from regular irrigation
be sure and mulch to conserve moisture
use the finger test-stick your finger in the ground to check for
moisture

MY GARDEN
im afraid to blog about this but my garden looks the best it has
looked in a few years
my tomatoes are growing like crazy
they sure liked the rain we had recently
just started to get nice red ones
they are loaded
hope for no attack of insects or hail storms which have wiped
out my maters in the past
glad i dont farm for a living
the bout of cold weather we had in april slowed things down some
but my taters, beans, peppers, egg plant, squash, corn, and okra
are growing good

more rain please

BB
heat win
tonight dirk and durant play again

the organicgreen doctor

shes ok im ok, gaga, chicken lecture, bb

SHES OK IM OK
shes ok im ok
my wife she feels fine
thanks for the concern
we have had a good laugh over our experience

we are technologically uptodate
there she was laying on an infusion table used by the neurology
department
she was there to be interviewed and to give me moral support
she had to be interviewed lying down in that infusion chair
bet that was a first for alzhiemers research

there i was trapped on an exam table after my spinal tap
i couldnt get up and walk down the hall to check on her
so i did what all the teenagers and you do
i pulled out my phone and we texted back and forth

she couldnt get up as she would pass out and i couldnt get
up because i had just had a spinal tap

nice couple we make huh

she ok im ok
im just sore where the tap was done is all

GAGA
this says a lot about us in america
lady gaga has more twitter followers than anyone else
she beats out the president and justin bieber
others on the top five list are brittney spears, and
kim kardeshian

CHICKEN LECTURE
carol ann sayle from www.boggycreekfarm.com will be giving a
lecture on how to raise backyard chickens
she and her husband run an organic farm inside austin and raise
chickens for egg production also
she is a writer and  a witty lecturer
she will have the seminar at the naturalgardener in austin at 900 am
on sunday may 22, 2011

if you live around here and are interested its worth the trip there to
hear her speak and to see the natural gardeners place

BB
well dirk went off on the thunder didnt he

tonight the heat need to win or they are in trouble

the organicgreen doctor

followup adni-2, the patient, bb

FOLLOWUP ADNI-2
well did the spinal tap yesterday
never had one before
have done  them several times in my career
most were in the emergency room
most were on children to rule out meningitis

never ever wanted one before
didnt want this one but it was part of the deal

had to sit or lay on a massage chair
didnt get a massage though
but did get a needle stuck in my back

the tap was atraumatic
only discomfort was the numbing medicine (lidocaine)
and having to lay down for an hour afterwards

today no headache
some low back soreness

will tell my dentist next time i see him that i would rather have
a spinal tap than have him work on my teeth
bet thats a new one for him

fluid will be tested for tau protein and amyloid as part of this study
they also drew out a ton of blood for the study
told them to go ahead and take a blood donation while they
were at it and just get their blood out of the pint of blood
these tubes of blood will be stored and used for research purposes
as needed
they also will do dna and rna analysis of it
wont ever know those results

my screening labs and my mri of  the brain were all normal
yes

next another mri in july then get to repeat some of these tests in
october

THE PATIENT
once when i was in practice i saw my friends 10 year old son
for an illness
after the exam he had blood drawn and as he walked back
in to the waiting room he collapsed (fainted)
hed done that before

went out and checked on him
still out
carried him to the exam room
elevated feet and lowered head on table
still out
not responsive

took him to the er
still out
pinched him
bp was low
gave him iv bolus of saline
still out
dang thought my best friends son was dying on me
did labs they were ok
then he finally started to come around
and after two hours he was back to normal

almost got to experience that again
my wife she has been known to faint in the past
did it when getting blood drawn in the past when she was
pregnant and ill

yesterday as they was describing my spinal tap and how they
would do it i didnt know at the time but she was getting pale
and woozy

now who was the patient here

went in to do some paper work and when i came back
there she was laying on the infusion chart in the neurology
clinic pale and asking for a soda or cold water

she stayed there for the 1 1/2 hours while  i had my tap
and while i laid down after the tap to prevent a spinal headache
there i was laying on a table in one room and she was laying
on the infusion table in the other room
guess who looked sicker

the tap was not uncomfortable
was not really dreading it at all

but she was

they fed us lunch which she ate lying in the chair

we managed to eventually get her up to where i had my pet scan done
i was there about 2 hours
she spent most of that time laid out on the waiting room furniture

was worried they would think she was a homeless person that
had wandered in off the street and plunked herself down

after the test she managed to get to the car but i had to drive
most of the three hour drive home
every time we started talking about the tap there she would go again

not going to take her again
think she had too much wedding journey weekend was the problem

pet scan was uneventful
checked last night to see if i was glowing in the dark from
the radioactive labeled stuff that was infused but
i wasnt

BB
its the red river shootout tonight
okc vs dallas
travel time is not an issue with this series

durant vs dirk
should be a good series

the organicgreen doctor

missing blog, adni-2, wedding journey, bb

MISSING BLOG
blog was missing last week because i use google blog to
do my blog and it was shut down for repairs so this blog
took the day off
also we were involved with a wedding journey event at our
house this weekend that consumed a lot of time prepping for

am back online blogging
so here we go

ADNI-2
here we go on the last part of round one
today have to have the spinal tap done
worst part is the 12 hour fast with no coffee or food just water
the spinal fluid will be sent for analysis for the tau protein level
which unravels in the brain cells in alzheimers and for amyloid
levels which are thought to be the culprit or the end result of
whatever causes alzheimers

these test results i will be able to see since i will obtain some
of the fluid to send off myself for analysis
the testing done by the research study is kept from review
the specimen is sent off to california and the result is never known
to me
but the specimen i send off will provide results in a few weeks
as i find all these results out i will post them in this blog

i dont fear the spinal tap at all
have almost got use to getting stuck with the needles
find the neuropsych tests are dreaded the most
lets see its a pretzel, hammock, and a pelican
if you have taken one of these you know what those mean
they show you pictures and you have to name the objects
i always miss these three things for some reason
hope its not from alzheimers

also will have a pet scan done with an experimental radioactive
substance called florbetapir f-18 (no thats not a typo)
the stuff will be injected and the brain takes it up whereever
there is amyloid showing up

funny thing about these tests are they can be positive but they dont
always correlate with the degree of sympoms a patient has
(that is true though of a lot of diseases)
the final diagnosis is made at brain autopsy
hopefully these tests will make the true diagnosis in the future more
accurate for this terrible disease

however i will know soon whether or not with some degree of
certainty if what i have is due to alzheimers

here we go

WEDDING JOURNEY
well the wedding journey continued this weekend
we are on the home stretch to being finished
this weekend we had a meet the wedding couple party at our house
boy that sure wore me out
it started with a trip to unplugged at shady grove in austin listening
to singer slaid cleaves
hes a local singer and i liked him because he is a organic
green person
his cabin in maine is completely off the grid
well my cabin is almost off the grid-am close

then on friday night after a meal in downtown austin at moonshines
with the wedding family we went to a jackson browne concert
stirred up some memories from the past
he also is a organic green person
he has  a house near santa barbara that is completely off the grid
watched a show about it on ed bagleys green show
if you dont know who ed bagley is then google him
some of my friends tell me i remind them of ed bagley

thanks to my wet suitcase sisterinlaw for the tickets and for the
vip passes to meet jackson browne and for the help in prepping
for the party
(that prepping is a big blog to itself)

on saturday we had a meet the wedding couple at our house
what a great group of people were there
we all had fun
no stick in the mud types were there

but man all that wore me out
those who know me well know i like to go to bed early and get up
early (just look at the posting times of this blog)
well thats not what happened this weekend
felt like i do when you go to las vegas for three days

am now in recovery mode

the best to the wedding couple

BB
so thats why rose is the mvp
the bulls blew up the heat

durant came through yesterday
most great players dont have 2 bad games in a row

now were getting somewhere
oprah is causing a delay in games
she won
the heat/bulls game had to be played on sunday as oprah has
control of the united center on monday and tuesday
then the heat/bulls game will resume on wednesday

whos the most powerful women in the world

the organicgreen doctor

flexible phones, bb

FLEXIBLE PHONE
these new phones are being developed

wonder how easy it is to butt call someone
with this phone
(butt calling is where you leave your phone on
put it in your pocket and when you sit down you
accidently call someone)

have had some interesting
calls in the past from people this way

have even heard of people talking about people at the
same time that they accidently called them

thats not good to do

BB
bulls won last night
looking like a heat bulls series next
bet all those guys are wore out

the organicgreen doctor

fu adni-2, play music, bb

FU ADNI-2
had testing yesterday as part of the adni-2 alzheimers
research study

so thats what its like to do a pet scan
like it better than  a mri
its like riding in an lexus on a smooth road vs the mri which is
more like riding in a log truck on a rough road

got an iv infusion of radioactive glucose
had to lay in the dark for 15 minutes then went to
the pet scan room
the table looked like the beam that a gymnastic uses
glad im skinny
had to lay still for 50 minutes while the lexus rode down
the road
uneventful test
ok ill do that one again any time

just wish i could get the results as it measures glucose
metabolism in the brain which is decreased in areas affected
by alzheimers
alzheimers usually starts in the hippocampus in the temporal lobe
of the brain
but thats part of the deal in doing the study
the results stay anonymous and will not ever see the results

then i had the neuropsychological tests
the tester sure has a poker face
but she is good at administering the test
have had 5 different people administer these tests and she
is the best one

this test was not as involved as the first one i took in november
that got me into this mess
that one seemed to have  more testing for short term memory
than this one did
but this one had enough for me to know i still have a problem but
think that in the last 6 months my symptoms have not changed or
worsened

the brain is interesting
i notice the short term symptoms
they are subtle
others dont notice them but might if they paid attention
its easy to compensate by moving the conversation along

then other parts of the brain work better than a lot of people
my wife she is always amazed at my ability to remember things
she cant remember things as well from the past
maybe wrong person is being testing
we always joke about that

next week have a spinal tap for spinal fluid analysis of tau protein
and amyloid
these levels are abnormal in alzheimers and can be abnormal in
mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease
these results will be sent off as research also however i will be
able to obtain extra spinal fluid to send off for testing for myself
and will get those results this summer

after the spinal tap will have a new experimental pet scan that will
radioactively label amyloid deposits in the brain (amyloid is thought
to be the culprit or end result of alzheimers)
if there are deposits already in my brain they will show up

hope i dont glow in the dark like my watch and the butterfly
curtain we have

PLAY MUSIC
now wish i had played a musical instrument when i was younger
and even through out adulthood

apparently a new research study shows that people who have
played musical instruments in childhood can get a lifelong boost
in brain functioning later in life

ok my two boys now you know why we made you take piano
lessons and play in the band in middle school
we just did not want to tell you at the time

now everyone has an excuse to give their kids who dont want
to take music lessons
itll make you smarter when you get older

even better is playing a musical instrument over a life time
guess willie wont get alzheimers
he is also protected from anxiety by the weed

BB
it was overtime night in the playoffs last night
the heat are on a mission
took an overtime to win

rondo is one tough player
bet that elbow is sore as much as it got banged around last night

reminds of chickens where if one gets an open sore the rest of the
flock will peck on it and make it worse
well they pecked on rondo all night but he took it
one tough kid

those grizzlies and thunder went into 3 ots last night
they are going to wear each other out while dallas rests

the organicgreen doctor

thanks, adni-2, bb

THANKS
after i blogged about the walk to end alzheimer  in october
and about the team organicgreendoctor.com one of my
former patients sent me a message that her young elementary
son raises plants every year and sells them
he then takes the money and donates the money to
the alzheimers walk
this year he told his mom he wanted the money donated
in my name

a tear came to the eyes
there is hope for the future

you may donate to the walk to end alzheimers
you do not have to join a team
you may donate directly to a team member or to our team or
to the alzhiemers association itself

our team page site is organcgreendoctor.com
or go to http://www.alz.org/texascapital/ then click on walk to
end alzheimers and click on the austin walk

ADNI-2
today do two more parts to the entry in the adni-2 study
(alzheimers disease neuroimaging intitiative part two study)
will have a fdg pet scan
this scan uses a radioactive labelled sugar called fdg that is
injected into a vein
after thirty minutes a pet scan in then done of the brain
in alzheimers certain parts of the brain early on lose their
ability to breakdown the glucose
these areas show up as abnormal areas on the pet scan
early on like probably in my case there may be abnormal
areas with very little symptoms

will also have the sucky long neuropsychology test today
the one where they ask questions that you cant answer
dont like that one

because this is a research study will not ever get the official
result of these tests
however with the neuropsych test you know when you take it

BB
the zen master is done now
jackson supposedly coached his last game
he knew how to handle players
he played with their minds
11 championships
thats hard to do
wont be another coach like him
hell be missed

that rondo is one tough guy
played after his arm was crooked
celtics has no chance without him

the organicgreen doctor

moms day, bb

MOMS DAY
thinking of my mom today
we all miss her
always think of her before she became ill
she suffered through a terrible disease alzheimers that
took her away

happy mothers day to all the moms
hope your day is a good one
nonmoms call visit hug and or kiss your moms today
enjoy the moment with them

my wife she
happy mothers day
thanks for putting up with me this year
youve done good
have a good day
love you

BB
ugly elbow injury
hes tough
shack was sort of back
celtics win

thunder fell apart

lakers may be done today
maybe they can win one for the gipper

that rose is good

the organicgreen doctor

gas prices, bb

GAS PRICES
well looks like the prices are going down
they are almost $4.00 and may go down
to near $3.50
bet it will be after the fourth of july weekend though

could getting bin laden have anything to do with it
its crazy what can influence the prices of gas we
have to pay

some important official passing gas on a friday night before
the full moon can make the gas go up
speculators can run up the price of oil which makes
our gas prices we pay go up
sometimes just feel like someone is jacking with us all

whatever will enjoy the lower prices

BB
lakers are cooked
rumor is its over a woman

it could be dirks teams year
last year derk had woman trouble

bulls vs heat appearing in the future
that will be a good one

the organicgreen doctor

walk to end alzheimers, special again, duct tape, bb

WALK TO END ALZHIEMERS
november is alzheimers awareness month
in october there are several walks in this area and across the
nation to raise money for alzheimers research and education

its the 6th leading cause of death in the usa
1 in 8 people over 65 get the disease
it can not be prevented, cured, or slowed-yet

100% of you will be affected by this disease in some way

have put together a team in the austin texas october 15, 2011
walk to end alzheimers
its called the organicgreendoctor.com team
need your donations
the goal is $20000
the goal is 20 team members but will not limit the numbers
small donations are acceptable as are large ones

donations can be to the team or to an individual team member
and can be made in memory of someone with the disease

(my donation was made in memory of my mom, my dad, and
a close relative and to myself)
donations can be made anonymously if desired

the team page for the walk is
 the organicgreendoctor.com team for the walk to end alzheimers
or go to www.alz.org/texascapital/ then click on
walk to end alzheimers then click on
austin walk then click on
team organicgreendoctor.com to join the team and or donate

remember small donations are appreciated
help us reach our goal
help us contribute to attacking this disease

SPECIAL AGAIN
the larry king live special unthinkable the alzheimers epidemic
will air again on saturday night may 7, 2011 on cnn
at 700 pm cdt, 1000 pm cdt, and 1 am cdt
good show

DUCT TAPE
found a new use for duct tape
was in my old work clothes doing some painting
it was cool outside and there was a slight breeze
there was a hole in my old jeans in an sensitive area of
my jeans
was too busy to change so i reached into my tool bag
pulled out my grey duct tape
tore off a strip and covered up the hole
that felt better
however the duct tape sticky side was inside
didnt feel good so had to put another strip inside
to make things more comfortable

my son he saw the duct tape and said you have duct tape
on your  ---------- on your jeans
told him things got cold and had to cover up
wonder if it will wash off

BB
ok things start back up tonight
celtics are you ready
shacks back but may be too late
lakers cant lose another
they are in disarray
rose is back in sync again
thunder need to continue on

the organicgreen doctor

perfect grass, no gloves, stealth, bb

PERFECT GRASS
we live in central texas
we have had little rain since october
the lakes are dropping
water restrictions are on the horizon
the pastures are as dry as a bone
and this is our rainy season

we are about to hit our hot dry season in 2-3 weeks
this doesnt bode well for our gardens and lawns

grass choices in this area in the order of most water
used are st augustine, bermuda, zoysia, and now a new
combination that the lady bird johnson wildflower center has
been testing now
they are looking for grass that can withstand the sometimes
harsh climate here

what they have come up with is a combination of buffalo grass,
curley mesquite grass, and blue gramma grass
they are all native
looks good when watered
doesnt require much water
if not watered will go native and turn brown but will come
back when watered

have a large area around my barn that was beaten down by
horses
its about a quarter of an acre in size
five years ago when we were in this rainy season we are suppose
to be in now i planted this combination
i never water this fertilize it or do anything with it but look
at it
without rain it looks browned but still has a lot of green in it
it does have a spattering of wildflowers in it also
it looks like grass should look in texas

if watered though it would green up and pass the hoa test

i have seeds of this mixture to plant in another area on my property
but have decided to wait because its so dry
maybe will do it next spring

the seeds can be obtained from the native american seed company
at this website link thunder turf at www.seedsource.com
the combo is called thunder turf
browse their website also
this is where i get all my grass and wildflower seeds

this thunder turf uses less water and less fertilizer and has to
be cut less often or not at all

hummm why isnt it used more

NO GLOVES
ok so i have all these gloves of different types
they are kept hanging on an old clothes line on my
arbor by our back door so i wont lose them all
sure am rough on them
many of them have holes usually in the planting finger
just cant throw any away
besides i keep misplacing them
maybe i need to spray bright orange paint on them like
i plan to do my garden tools

so i just cant help it when i plant beans corn etc and dig in
my garden i just have to feel the dirt between my fingers
it must be genetically imbedded in me somehow

at the end of working in my garden my hands are blackened
guess im bonding with my ancestors some way
sure enjoy it though

STEALTH
so the helicopter that crashed in the raid on bin laden
may have been a new stealth helicopter that the navy
seals use
thats one of the ways they were able to sneak under
pakistans radar
also why extra time was used to destroy the helicopter
when it would not fly out of the compound

BB
the lakers are definitely in trouble
they have to win 4 of the next 5 games
dont think that will happen
bulls made it back
rose looks ok
tonight a night of rest for all the teams
celtics need the rest the most

the organicgreen docotor

depression potatoes, grades, bb

DEPRESSION POTATOES
there is this 90+ year old lady named clara who has a cookbook
and video online
she talks about the depression and how they use to cook

my wife she and i watched her on cbs news one night as she
cooked her depression potatoes for the interviewer and talked
about her life during the depression

she has several videos on you tube
and has a cookbook














the recipe for depression potatoes is one we use frequently
back in the day she used everything organic as that was the
only choice available

we either have to grow our stuff organically or go out of
our way to find organic potatoes and onions

our usual recipe is
chopped up organic potatoes from our garden
chopped up organic onions from our garden
extra virgin olive oil in a skillet
instead of wieners she used we used turkey without
preservatives
seasoned to taste with sea salt and black pepper
we cook this on the top of the stove in a skillet
stirring frequently until taters are well done

for some reason the flavors are so good
maybe because they are depression potatoes
this was our meal last night
thanks clara
one of our favorite meals

GRADES
now obama released his birth certificate as did i release mine
his was ok but mine had surprises

now they whoever they are want his grades released
lets see should i release mine also
first round of college was all fs
did not attend classes and dropped out

first trimester in 4 year college my junior year
i made a d, c, b
thought i was done for after that

however
did graduate with an a average, went to medical school,
and did a family medicine residency, and practiced
medicine for 30 years

guess none of that grade stuff really matters does it
they still called me doctor every day for 30 years and
they call obama president obama every day

BB
heat are on a roll
they look like they are the champs
celtics looking old
thunder came back
now they are even
can roses ankle hold up if not they are done for
mavs may have the lakers number now

the organicgreen doctor

unthinkable, got him, save water, bb

UNTHINKABLE
the larry king special was called unthinkable not unbelievable
my wife she who is a reading, creative writing, english teacher
reads my blog every day and does recommended corrections
sometimes i listen to her and sometimes i dont
just like i do with everything else

she reminded me that the special was called unthinkable
now thats a good name for the alzheimers problem
unthinkable-cant think right sometimes
however
subconsciously i felt it should be unbelievable
its unbelievable that this happened to my mom and dad and
a close relative and now me

unthinkable is what happens to you but
unbelievable is what you feel

GOT HIM
yes they got him
we in the usa feel some revenge now
good riddance
remember where i was when 9-11 happened
probably will remember where i was that day even  when im
in the nursing home
will also remember what i did the weekend that he was killed
some memories are forever
this is one of those

may he rot in hell

SAVE WATER
to save 1-3 gallons of water every day turn off the tap
when brushing your teeth

BB
good start mavs
beat those lakers
bulls gonna need rose to beat the hawks

the organicgreen doctor

unbelievable revisted, bb

UNBELIEVABLE REVISITED
one of the things i want to do with this blog is to show whats
happening as i go along with my diagnosis and to show
what i feel when things happen in my life especially regards to
alzheimers

i watched the larry king live special unbelievable the alzheimers
epidemic with my wife she last night

sometimes these good specials like this are shown without
commercial interruption
i was so glad that there were commercials between each
session as i needed some recovery time as they covered
each topic and interviewed each well known person about
their love one with the disease

i relived the experience with my mother as i watched the show

you can see the devastation in each of their lives as they
discussed their experience with this devastating disease
it was important that they showed young people who are
having to cope with this disease in family members at a
young age
they will see more of this in their lives as they get older
it will be an expensive disease for our medical system to
handle in the future

wish this would have been a two hour special instead
but think that it got the essence of the disease

as i watched larry king take his neuropsych screen test
(recognized the questions and drawings-remember i did
it twice last week)
what was difficult to watch was the fact that he was doing
better on the word recognition part of the test that what
i did
larry king  is old i am not old
its not fair

lary king took an mri and it was normal
early on in the diagnosis the mri is normal but a pet scan may
not be normal
i have had a normal mri in january of this year and had one last
week in dallas as part of the azheimers research study

ronald reagan knew enough to write a letter to the american
poeple to announce he had the disease
his diagnosis and announcement helped to bring attention to this
devastating disease

his son ron was interiviewed on the show
he decided to not have any tests done
he did not want to know

i wanted to know and want to know more
i got all my life ducks lined up before i was officially tested
i had long term care insurance set up, i had a good disalbility policy
in place for years, and i had my financial future lined out before i
was tested and diagnosed with my mild cognitive impairment amnestic
type thought to be from alzheimers

if i was not ready i would not want to be tested yet
but im at the point in my life that i wanted and needed to know
i was not ready five years ago
but am now

i wish they had spent more time on the new tests they are
working on and more discussions of the scans available and
research that is being done

angie dickinson the actress whose sister developed the disease
in her mid 50s said it best when she was asked
what would she say to some one who was just diagnosed with
the disease or had a relative just diagnosed wth the disease
she said
oh s*@#

well i have had my oh s*@# moment and have decided to
march on with my life
i am glad i know

BB
that heat celtic matchup is going to be a good one
whoever wins the series my be wore out at the end
thunder got mauled by the grizzlies
they need to win the next one

the organicgreen doctor