organicgreendoctor: blackeyed peas

organicgreendoctor: blackeyed peas: BLACKEYED PEAS look at the package of those peas  it says blackeye peas well they are really beans not peas but dont tell that to a southern...

blackeyed peas

BLACKEYED PEAS

look at the package of those peas 
it says blackeye peas
well
they are really beans not peas but dont tell that to a southerner
they are peas

also
i grew up calling them blackeyed peas
so thats how i will spell them 
since i am deep down a southerner

i looked on the cans of the blackeyed peas and it says they are from south carolina
they should know better

i looked at the package of dry blackeyed peas and it says they are from minnesota
well they dont know better

i go with blackeyed peas

folks around here say when they hear me talk
where you from they ask
i say 
im from the south 
oh they say i can tell

now when i go back to the arkansas and texas they say you have an accent 
they mean a california one

i guess im caught in limbo a no win situation

im a southerner 
its in my blood
i cant make it go away
some of being a southerner im not proud of

as my historian brother has done our family dna he has found out the truth about folks in our family tree
my ancestors fought in the civil war
most were confederates
some were on the union side
some were what were called galvanized
they were confederates who when captured chose going out west to fight the indian wars instead of going to the union prisons
that would make those confederate ancestors do two wrong things

what i decided to do was draw a line on the calendar when the civil war ended
i forgave all the bad things my ancestors did before then
many were slave owners
i cant undo this

ive thought about it a lot
im not sure what i would have done had i lived back then

so after the mid 1860s my ancestors are not forgiven for any bad things done
i have decided to move forward and do whats right now for others in our country

so why are blackeyed peas cooked for new years day for good luck in the south

there are 3 theories

the union soldiers came through and wiped out food sources for the confederates to access
they didnt realize the blackeyed peas were eaten by the confederates
they thought the peas were food for the animals
so 
they left all the blackeyed peas
which allowed the southerners to survive the winter
thus
blackeyed peas for new years became a tradition

blackeyed peas was a soul food even before the civil war happened
in 1863 the blackeyed pea was all that was left to celebrate after the emancipation proclamation so the peas have been eaten for good luck since
a true soul food

blackeyed peas are easily grown in the south
it can be grown and stored as dry peas
then easily eaten as a winter food
its celebrated because of this 

my guess why us southerners eat them on new years eve are all the above

here is a good review article on the blackeyed pea new years day thing
notice they spell it like i spell it blackeyed peas

some say you have to eat collards and hog jowls also to get the good luck

we over the years have chosen just the blackeyed peas
so far except for this last year it has worked
except of course last year
we did get grandson number two mr n to go with grandson number one mr h
also mr h got his new kidney from a donor who after doing ancestory dna showed her to be kin to mr h from our ancestors in the mid to early 1800s
so some good came out of last year
but
mostly it was bad

the covid 19 pandemic
the whatever illness i had that tried to kill me
the loss of my rainwater brother 

so 
tomorrow i will cook a large pot of blackeyed peas 
i will eat them with a big pan of cornbread my moms recipe cooked in a cast iron skillet

so 
heres hoping for a better 2021

my new years resolution
stay alive
get my covid 19 vaccine
return to a normal fun life

here is my recipe
i soak the dry peas overnight
i put them in a crockpot on high in just enough water to cover them
warning these are mostly vegetarian blackeyed peas

when they soften
i add
chopped onions 
chopped or diced tomatoes saved from my garden
diced texas am mild jalapenos saved from my garden
minced garlic saved from last years garden
seasoned with black pepper and salt and herbs and hickory flavored liquid smoke and smoked paprika and cumin
olive oil and butter instead of howl jowls
i add chicken bone broth if i need more liquid in the pot
some of this recipe is from the organic soup kitchen bean recipes

when done i enjoy with my wife shes cornbread

as a back up if this falls
i 
simply
open up those cans of blackeyed peas 
dump them in a pot
and
heat them up
and
enjoy them with my wife shes cornbread

have a safe new years
eat your blackeyed peas so you can have a better 2021

be safe

remember
50% of folks who get a covid 19 infection get it from friends and from family gatherings
the other 50% get it from travel work casinos and sports bars restaurants etc

be careful
wear a mask
wash your hands
keep a safe distance from others
avoid gatherings
dont travel
get your vaccine when its your time to get it
eat your blackeyed peas

we all want to have a good 2021

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-u got the vaccine now what

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-u got the vaccine now what: COVID 19-U GOT THE VACCINE NOW WHAT the picture above is from a sidewalk artists rendition of the coronavirus going down the funnel and hope...

organicgreendoctor: caffeinated again

organicgreendoctor: caffeinated again:   CAFFEINATED AGAIN this is the picture of my first cup of coffee that i have had in almost 9 months if you are a coffee drinker then you un...

caffeinated again

 CAFFEINATED AGAIN

this is the picture of my first cup of coffee that i have had in almost 9 months
if you are a coffee drinker then you understand the feeling i had anticipating my first cup in that length of time

i actually felt like an addict anticipating that first sip of that black strong bold bitter delicious coffee

about nine months ago i got sick with something that i think was covid 19
2 days into that illness i thought i was going to die
i had high fever chills body aches stomach cramps diarrhea no appetite shortness of breath irregular heart beats headaches etc
it totally knocked out my appetite and my ability to eat food much less tolerate coffee
i lived on puréed food for weeks from march to august of this year
my weight plummeted from 187 down to my low point of 148 in august

at that point i turned to the gastroenterologist in his office and said 
im going to starve to death arent i
he said
no im not going to let that happen
i wasnt too sure about that 

i knew i had reached a point where more drastic things might have to be done
like
tube feedings

now mr h was on tube feedings to hydrate his adult kidney and to provide the extra nutrition he needed to jump start his growth and development

i just realized that both he and i were a the same point during that time

i had researched how to do tube feeding in adults
i knew that my feeding if that was what happened would not be like mr hs with his g tube 
my stomach wasnt working so
i would have to have a jejunostomy tube placed and do feeding that way
what i found was not acceptable to me

i was determined to change things around
at one point i was only eating a small custard dish of pureed food 3 times per day
about what a cat would eat

i started on the organic soup kitchen nutritious soups designed for cancer patients and gradually advanced my diet from there
everything i ate for weeks or months was pureed
ever eaten a pureed taco or pureed pizza or pureed pasta
well if you are starving you dont mind

during all of this i never had a cup of coffee or a glass of wine

in august my goal was to advance to solid food and to start my coffee back

today now 4 months later i have reached that goal
i havent advanced to my glass of red wine yet but its hopeful

i still eat a nutrition laded soup for lunch
the rest of my meals are solid
i have gained back 15 lbs of my 39 lbs i lost
my goal is to gain 10 more lbs then stay there since thats an ideal weight for my height

i feel good
i finally got back my stamina 
i am back to doing what i was doing before my march illness
i weigh what i did when i graduated from high school
not many of you can say that can you

so i have suffered the last few months
seeing coffee commercials of tv
seeing family drink good ole dark bold coffee
i even had to smell it sometimes
yes i will admit i opened up my coffee container several times and took a good whiff of the coffee
that helped a lot

two weeks ago my wife she tried to give my coffee away to someone 
i relented and let her give away half of it
i said i plan to start back coffee again someday 
im sure she didnt believe me though

someone gave us some dark dark chocolate fudge for christmas 
it smelled rich 
i ate half a piece every morning for a few days
man
i felt caffeinated 
it felt so good

i thought to myself
i can do this 
im ready to go for it
so
two days ago i got out my bold dark rich coffee
added one full scoop into my coffee pot
sticking my nose almost into the coffee as i dumped the coffee into the pot filter
then
i breathed in the coffee fumes in and out real slowly to enjoy the coffee vapors
i could feel it all getting into my pores
then 
i poured the cup of coffee into that cup in that picture above

this must be the feeling that an addict gets when they get their drug they have been missing
my drug was caffeine

i could feel it hit my stomach then go out to my arms and legs up my neck into my brain
i felt caffeinated again

it felt so good
it has been a long long 9 months

now i take my aricept (donepezil) each morning after i eat
the aricept gives me a burst of energy for a few hours and makes me talkative and energetic

now
add caffeine to that 
well the first morning as i was drinking it my wife came and sat down to visit with me
i talked her head off
she hardly got a word in edge way 
then
i realized 
i said to her
im talking too much arent i
no
she said 
you are not 
i thinks she was glad to have the new me back again after 9 months

so in summary 
i feel good
my appetite is good
im back into some of my old clothes
i had reached the last loop in my belts
in fact i had borrowed my wife shes belt at one point
and
im happy 
im caffeinated again

now for some wine

the organicgreen doctor

covid 19-u got the vaccine now what

COVID 19-U GOT THE VACCINE NOW WHAT

the picture above is from a sidewalk artists rendition of the coronavirus going down the funnel and hopefully disappearing
this drawing was a few blocks from our condo 
it has now faded away 
hopefully like this virus will from our psyches this year
yes
there is hope on the horizon

we have to all do our part to make this all go away without losing anymore of our loved ones to this disease

in the us there have been almost 20 million cases of covid 19 diagnosed 
the actual number of infections may be 10x that

there have so far been close to 320,000+ deaths of our loved ones so far

it is expected if this epidemic spirals more out of control over the next few weeks thanks to the christmas and new years travel and get togethers that that number will grow close to around 500,000+ deaths by the end of the first quarter of the year ie april 1st

many of these deaths could have been and could be prevented

the covid 19 vaccines moderna and pfizer are now being given 
they are around 95% effective
they have to be given twice 

astrazeneca is about to be approved in great britain with approval here in the us soon
it according to the ceo is close to 100% effective however its probably less than that
it also has to be given in two doses

so we are all real close to being all protected
my wife she and i are in tier 1-c which means we may get the shot in march or april
sooner would be better
my mother in law is in tier 1b and should get hers in the next 1-2 months

we are all so close so we all need to be real careful
how sad it would be to catch this virus now and die from it with the preventive vaccine just one shot away

so what happens once you get the shot

it takes 4-6 weeks after the first shot to get fully protected
these first three vaccines require two shots
without that second shot you may not be protected

if you get the vaccine now this is important you can still get catch the virus and give it to others
you probably wont get sick with the virus but you will shed the virus for awhile
you will still need to do all the safe things mentioned below

we need about 80% of us to get the vaccine to reach herd immunity

for those of you who refuse to get the vaccine 
sorry please get out of our way
google natural selection and read what  might happen to you
for those of you who believe this is a hoax you can also google natural selection

how long this vaccine will protect you is not known for sure
many experts feel like that we will need to get a yearly vaccine to keep up our protection

it is safe for those who are immunosuppressed to get the vaccine

mr hudson a pediatric kidney transplant recipient on immunosuppressant drugs will be in the last group to be immunized with this vaccine
studies in kids and in kidney transplants are being done now
the experts feel like the vaccine will work in them and will be safe

in my approach to this disease
my goals are

to not to get the covid 19 infection
i may have had it in march but i cant be sure if i did

to keep from giving the covid 19 infection to mr hudson
and
any other susceptible person i am around

that should be your goal the next few months
dont make your story a sad tragic one

you need to wear a mask around susceptible people in your household
and wear one when you go out
it protects you and them by 70%-99% based on what mask you wear

wash or sanitize your hands
you will catch this virus out of the air breathing it in or on your hands then touching your eyes or your nose or mouth
i sanitize anytime i enter my car or leave my car to protect myself and others
i wash my hands anytime i reenter my house

remember youll breathe it in or get it on your hands

stay at home away from groups or get togethers
most of you will catch it from friends or families

a covid 19 test is only good if its positive
if its negative it doesnt mean you dont have it
if its negative it may mean you dont have it right then but you can catch it anytime after you are tested

covid 19 testing to justify travel gives you a false sense of security 

i repeat a covid 19 test is only good if its positive 

what to do to have a safe get together
to be 100% dont

so far during the holidays i have seen pictures via social media of family and friend get togethers
i look at some of the people in the pictures that are quite vulnerable to this infection
ie they will likely die if they get it 

i look at their younger visitors knowing they will be the trojan horses that bring this virus into the homes

again my advice is dont do it

my wife she and i have been invited to several get togethers in the last few weeks with family and friends
oh how we wanted to see them and hug them and be normal again 
but

i think about that picture above at the start of this blog 
of
that covid 19 virus being sucked away down that funnel

we are all oh so close
lets
not
get 
sucked
way down that
deep deep funnel with that virus

please be careful and safe these next few weeks

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my 10th anniversary

organicgreendoctor: my 10th anniversary: MY 10TH ANNIVERSARY  it has been ten years since i got my diagnosis of mci due to alzheimers disease  because of that diagnosis i abruptly e...

my 10th anniversary

MY 10TH ANNIVERSARY 

it has been ten years since i got my diagnosis of mci due to alzheimers disease 
because of that diagnosis i abruptly ended my medical practice

this last week i noticed a posting of a former patient who just had his 12th birthday
he was the last patient i saw in my medical practice
i called his mom a nurse to bring him in as my last patient of the day to do his 2 year old well child exam since i knew that i probably would not return after seeing the neurologist
i knew what the neurologist was going to tell me

i never returned after that neurology visit

i wrote later a blog called last day thanks which i have linked here
it is my most viewed blog

yesterday i sat down on our front deck with my laptop and read my blog entries usually around december 22 for the last 10 years
it was like reading someones diary 
mine

my first year linked here i was busy with the adni study busy getting into a routine not sure which way this diagnosis would take me

if you had asked me then what i would be like in 2020 i would be surprised that i am able to sit here and do this blog today and surprised that i am still driving and surprised that i still do all the banking and financial planning and surprised that i am still actively gardening 15+ hours a week and surprised that i still am doing alzheimers talks and surprised that my memory is doing so well 

i really thought that by 2020 i would be in a long term care facility if not dead from alzheimers 

well i am not
my memory scores are in the normal range
i have done memory testing on friends and relatives and my scores are better than some of theirs now

my health is doing much better now than it was in march when i got sick with what i think was covid
even in mid august i was still having some symptoms of fatigue shortness of breath and loss of endurance and my weight bottomed out about that time at a 40 lb loss

since then
my endurance has improved and my shortness of breath has resolved 
my appetite is now more normal and i am able to eat solid foods
i am pretty much back to where i was before i go sick
i have gained 15 of those pounds back
i plan to gain 10 more lbs then stop there
that will give me a bmi of 23.1
my memory has remained normal although it seemed off some in march when i was sick
i had to go off all my meds since i couldnt tolerate any of them
i am now back on my aricept 

so for now i am ready for a new year

i saw my neurologist at ucla last month and got a good report
my memory test the moca was normal
i was told the biogen aducanumab study i was in might be restarted in january
recently the research manager contacted me letting me know that the study would restart in january 
however
the covid 19 is so bad in los angeles that i wouldnt be surprised if the study was delayed even longer until the covid 19 has slowed down some

whenever it restarts i will start the infusions again of the aducanumab 

one hiccup is that the neurologist told me that she wasnt sure if i could get the covid 19 vaccine and stay in the study 
so
i may have a decision to make 
which i have already made

i will get the covid 19 vaccine 

if i do and they wont accept me back in the study then i will just live with my decision

covid 19 can kill me quicker than alzheimers will

hopefully the powers that be will allow those of us who are in the study to get the covid 19 vaccine and also continue in the study 

i read last years blog on my 9th anniversary
i was excited that biogen had decided to restart the study and that it would probably be in march 2020 when the infusions would restart
then covid 19 hit and squashed all that

i reread the 2016 blog and it was all about the biogen study 
i had two visits in december 2016 to do my workup to get into the study 
i had a coke can amount of blood drawn several memory tests done mris of the brain a complete neurology visit and all my medical records from the previous 6 years sent to the biogen research team to review

it would be 2017 before i was told i would be in the study after they reviewed it all if and only if i failed the amyvid pet scan
ie
the amyvid pet scan would be positive for amyloid plaques

it was positive
so
i started the study getting 18 monthly infusions of what turned out to be placebo then i got 7 monthly infusions of the real drug

so as i write today 
i was subdued some yesterday after reading my old annual anniversary blogs
i was glad i was alone 
i noticed i did tear up some
but
i did take a deep deep breath
and
moved on
 
i plan to have a good report next year

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-we are so close but so far away

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-we are so close but so far away:   COVID 19-WE ARE SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR AWAY i was telling my wife she this this weekend we are so close now to getting the vaccine we have to...

covid 19-we are so close but so far away

 COVID 19-WE ARE SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR AWAY

i was telling my wife she this this weekend
we are so close now to getting the vaccine we have to be real careful
yet
i said
we are real far away though

the pfizer vaccine is being given now
the moderna is on its way

i found this interactive link on the ny times where you can type in some info and it will tell you approximately where you are in the line for the vaccine

it seems i am 118.5 million in line in the us
i am 12.3 milion in line in california
i am 127 thousand in line here in santa barbara county

click the link to see where you stand in line for the vaccine

now there is a new strain thats popping up in the united kigdom that is 70% more virulent than the standard covid 19
surrounding countries it seems are isolating great britain not allowing travel to that country
the prime minister johnson the wanna be trump has locked down part of the country
he saw the light on covid 19 but trump never did

the scientists are hoping the vaccines will work against this new strain
they think they may have to tweak the vaccine every year like the flu vaccine is tweaked 

i saw a news report this weekend as i was surfing the news
there on the news report was a story on the hospital where we use to work when we were in college
its where we met there and the local college
this 200 bed hospital is consumed with covid patients
the hospital is 250% full
the hallways are full of patients in chairs or beds all its seemed hooked up to oxygen and ivs and other devices
the hospital lobby is also full of these patients
if there is an empty space its used

in los angeles home to 17 million people there are 0 thats zero icu beds available
in california there are only 2% of the icu beds available for a population of 40 million 
in our county santa barbara there are 31% icu beds available but that number is gradually dropping each day

healthcare here for the acutely ill will be rationed soon
folks will die who a year ago would be saved

there are 17,400 cases of covid patients in california hospitals 
its estimated by mid january that number will be around 75,000

just use your imagination as to what that will be like

there is no end in sight

think about this christmas when you decide to get together with friends and families
dont be the ones that add to the carnage

my wife she had an idea for us to get together this year with our group
usually during the holidays we get together in a big group of about 15 or so to celebrate or sometimes in smaller groups

to be safe this year we decide that wouldnt happen

so 
we had each family get in their cars and formed a caravan driving through santa barbara looking at all the beautiful christmas lights and decorations
we all were on a big group phone call
it was like we were all together again at someones house
but
we were all safely in our cars
safely distanced

it was amazing how good it felt to see us all together in a group and all safely protected from each other
we want all of us to be around next year all vaccinate and all together so we can interact and give each other a big hug

remember it takes one time for you to make a mistake to make it a fatal mistake

be safe
wear a mask
keep your distance
wash your hands
avoid get togethers this christmas
get your vaccine when its your time
so
you will be there next year for you loved ones

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-what happens in the brain in alzhe...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-what happens in the brain in alzhe...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HOW ALZHEIMERS CHANGES THE BRAIN   this video below from the nih shows what happens as one develops alzheimers in the brain ...

alzheimers news-what happens in the brain in alzheimers

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HOW ALZHEIMERS CHANGES THE BRAIN
 
this video below from the nih shows what happens as one develops alzheimers in the brain

the first thing that happens is the amyloid starts to accumulate in the brain
it forms plaques between the brain cells which damages the brain cells
this starts in the typical late onset alzheimers disease patient around their late 40s to early 50s
this amyloid can be detected as some point by doing the amyloid pet scan which will show the amyloid plagues
soon blood tests will be available to detect this amyloid accumulation
my drug biogens aducanumab removes that accumulated amyloid
hopefully it will slow down the disease some

then around 5 years or so later the tau proteins inside the brain cells start to be damaged and unwind and form tangles
these tangles eventually lead to the death of the brain cells
there are tau pet scans used in research that shows the tau tangle accumulation
there soon will be blood tests that will measure this tau tangle accumulation

then the garbage truck cells called microglia start to try to clean up the damage
the astrocytes come in to help the microglia cleans things up 
chronic inflammation occurs which causes even more damage

there may be vascular defects that occur and glucose metabolism may be affected

all of this spreads eventually all over the brain
the brain shrinks starting first in the hippocampal area of the brain where short term memory is processed

somewhere around the late 60s or early 70s in this typical late onset alzheimers patient memory issues will develop
early on this is called mild cognitive impairment 
this is when the memory tests like the mmse or moca or neuropsychological exams become abnormal

soon the disease will take off and go through the mild to the moderate then to the severe stages of the disease
these late onset alzheimers patients die in their 70s and 80s

this short easy to understand video below puts all of this in a visual media for you to see what happens

be safe
take care of your health
we need a treatment and cure for this awful disease alzheimers 

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-our d day

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-our d day:   COVID19-OUR D DAY when this pandemic took off in march or april i was talking to my historian brother who also is retired military i told ...

covid 19-our d day

 COVID19-OUR D DAY

when this pandemic took off in march or april i was talking to my historian brother who also is retired military
i told him you know we need to get that cigar smoking guy from the national guard who took over the katrina disaster and have him run things to fight this pandemic
maybe use them to get the supplies like masks and gowns and ventilators and covid tests out to where its needed across the country
thats what the military is good at

when history looks back they will show that the way the pandemic was handled cost thousands of lives

now months later we have millions of cases in the us and over 300,000+ americans dead from the virus
with thousands more to die before we can get this pandemic under control

now the vaccines are here
the troops have arrived
it was reassuring to see that general in his camo uniform talking about the distribution of the vaccine
all across the nation
only the military could do things like that efficiently
also thank you fedex and ups

during the gulf war we lived near the ft hood army base and we watched as miles and miles of military equipment was shipped to ports to be sent to the middle east

as i heard that general talking this last week i thought about all that military equipment being shipped 
now the vaccines are on the planes and trucks moving out from a central hub throughout the country

yes monday was our d day against the enemy the covid 19
the battle has begun with millions of weapons ie vaccines that will eventually shut this viral pandemic down

science had done a good job of making this vaccine from not having one to months later having millions of doses to be used to fight this war with

i dont think this would happen without the militarys know how

i did choke up and get teary eyed when i saw that first nurse get that shot

just think in that 0.3 ml shot is the thing that when injected into us will trigger our bodies to build antibodies to prevent us from getting sick from the covid 19
it will allow healthcare workers to safely care for these patients without the worry of catching the virus
it will allow us to visit our families and friends again 
it will allow us to go back to work
it will allow us to go back to school
it will allow us to travel
it will allow our economy to be jump started and return back to where it was before this thing started

it is what we are waiting for

we all have to get the vaccine
we all still have to wear our masks
we all have to safe distance 
we all have to continue to wash our hands

i may always wear a mask now
we will be able to do all those things we use to do

yes one day we wont have to wear a mask or safe distance or wash our hands as much
however like those who suffered during the great depression
im afraid it will leave a permanent scar on our psyche 

thanks to our military for help in getting this out to all of us
thanks to the scientists for developing this vaccine

the day this distribution all started will be remembered by all of us as
our d day

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #70-visit them when this is over

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #70-visit them when this is over: MY STORY #70-VISIT THEM WHEN THIS IS OVER   when i read this blog below from 2012 i realized that had that been 2020 i would not have been a...

my story revisited #70-visit them when this is over

MY STORY #70-VISIT THEM WHEN THIS IS OVER 

when i read this blog below from 2012 i realized that had that been 2020 i would not have been able to travel to see my friend gf 

it was my last visit to see him
i knew as i patted his foot as i was leaving that my bye would be my last to him
it was

in 2020 i would have been too worried i would carry in the covid 19 to him as he laid bedridden in the final stages of huntington disease
his body wasnt working but his mind was sharp

his caretaker wrote a nice letter to me after that visit
read it and you will understand why its important to visit you loved ones with chronic terminal diseases like cancer or huntingtons or alzheimers

remember they know you are there even if you dont think they do 
__________
06-26-2012
VISIT THEM
when some one is gravely ill with a debilitating disease such as cancer
huntingtons disease or alzheimers
its hard to go visit them
i found it hard to go visit my friend greg the last time i saw him
i wanted to remember him like he was
i also find it hard to visit my younger brother who has alzheimers
especially as he has gotten worse
i want to remember him as he was
and i am looking at a mirror every time i see him
its hard to do that visit
but i needed and need to do it
you need to do it also

you never know what difference although small sometimes
you can make in some ones life

here is a note from one of my friends gregs caregivers


I was one of Greg's caregivers for about 2 years. I can only hope I made the difference in his life that he made in mine. He, by far, is my favorite person to have had the opportunity to care for. Unfortunately, there are others that need care and I did not have the opportunity to attend his memorial. I heard it was wonderful.
Last year just before your last visit Greg suffered a great set-back. He all but stopped talking to us and showed very little attention to us. Mostly, he just listened to the radio or watched tv with little concern for them.
I was off the days of your visit, but as soon as I got back I noticed the difference. I asked him if he had missed me and he said "NO". Then he got the biggest grin! He not only was back 100% but a little more.
I was ready to move you next door. I have never seen such a good change in him. I give you all the credit for bringing him back and even making him a little better. I think you may have extended his life and for certain added quality of life during his last days. Thank you. You are an amazing friend and Greg loved you second to Susan.
Greg is walking beside you now and you need only to feel with your heart and he will be there for you.


make a difference in some ones life who is gravely ill
go visit them 
youll feel better that you did
and
you may make their days better
__________
i have never regretted visiting gf that day 
i will always remember the visit
i made a similar visit to my younger brother a few weeks before he died
he was bedridden and  in the final throes of alzheimers
i think he knew i was there

so when this covid 19 pandemic is over with be sure and visit your ill loved ones again
its been a long time since we have been able to visit them

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: our elf on the shelf

organicgreendoctor: our elf on the shelf: OUR ELF ON THE SHELF   i told my wife she the other day you know we have an elf on the shelf i showed her this picture she looked at me funn...

our elf on the shelf

OUR ELF ON THE SHELF 

i told my wife she the other day you know we have an elf on the shelf
i showed her this picture
she looked at me funny like
what she said

i told her you know ms b gave us the rules on her elf on the shelf
it moves around at night from place to place in the house
then during the day it monitors what ms b does and reports back to santa claus at night before returning to a new resting place in her house

so my wife she said 
i dont understand

well your iphone is spying on you all the time just like ms bs elf on the shelf does on her

remember that gift you were searching for on the internet
heck it shows up now whenever im doing an internet search or reading facebook or reading a newsfeed

yep there it is on the margins and the top
heck i wasnt even the one doing the searching and its all over my iphone too

so 
i told her our iphone is like an elf on the shelf
it knows everything you are doing and tells others
thus
its all over the internet

it helps to turn off your location services under privacy settings
i keep mine turned off unless i need it
my wife she leaves hers on all the time
they always know where she is 
so do i if i want to know

here is a link to a video by kim komando the computer person on how to stop your elf on the shelf ie your phone from tracking you so much

it just felt real creepy knowing how much we are getting spied on by everyone
its almost 1984 like

i like ms bs elf on the shelf since i know that he cant really track me
can he

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-how it spreads

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-how it spreads: COVID 19-HOW IT SPREADS   the flu cases in the united states are almost nonexistent much like it was in the southern hemisphere during their...

covid 19-how it spreads

COVID 19-HOW IT SPREADS 

the flu cases in the united states are almost nonexistent much like it was in the southern hemisphere during their winter
why
its all the things folks are doing to slow down covid 19 like wearing masks keeping a safe distance from others washing hands decreasing travel etc

even though we most of us anyway are doing these the covid 19 is worse than ever
why
its because the covid 19 is more virulent and contagious than the flu

without those of us that are doing the right thing this covid 19 pandemic would be even worse

bill nye the science guy showed a map of states that tend to wear masks
he then overlay the states where things were bad
the map of states who wear mask wearers tended to have less covid 19 infections

college towns are showing an increased infections in their areas and the long term facilities are having increased deaths from covid 19 in the these towns
so young folks being safe can determine how bad it can be for these folks ie death

biogen the company that is a biotech company is the one that makes my drug aducanumab
in february 2020 had a big biotech conference i think in boston where researchers from all over the world were there
had this conference been in march it would have been canceled

afterwards there were a lot of folks there that ended up with covid 19 infections

one participant developed covid 19 so the biogen company decided to use their resources to do scientific contact sources using genetic dna analysis of the infected persons covid 19 virus
using these genetic dna analysis they can track where the covid 19 infection came from 

they found this one persons infection led to 250,000 covid 19 infections spread out over the world
thats just one person 
that lead to 250,000 cases
so this biogen biotech conference became a superspreader event
you can imagine what all of trumps superspreader events did to expose others
also things like sporting events marches protests larger church services etc added to more infections

states like north dakota and south dakota were superspreader states with no mandates or any attempts to slow this down

you can imagine what the flu outbreak would be like this year if most of us werent being safe
flu on top of this covid 19 devastation would be too much to handle

if we havent reached 300000 deaths yet we will before the day is over with 
at our 3000+ a day death rate we should reach 400,000 deaths by christmas eve
a real sucky christmas for sure
sadly 
we are just now seeing the beginnings of the effects of our exposure on thanksgiving
then
many of you didn't learn your lesson will do it all over again making january and february even worse than it is now

is hard to believe it could be worse

there is hope coming today in the form of the vaccines
its a start
but
a lot of people are going to die in the next 2-3 months from this virus vaccine before it becomes available to all of us
then 
it will help a lot if enough of us get vaccinated
sadly that may not happen

if you believe this is a hoax or if you refuse to wear a mask and do what needs to be done to slow this infection down then please dont get the vaccine shot
instead
save the vaccine for those of us who did our civic duty for the best of the country

when all of us vaccinated folks get vaccinated those who dont get the vaccine cause they dont believe in it well this covid 19 will be looking for folks to infect since millions of us will be immune

at least then there should be icus and ventilators available for those of you who dont believe in getting vaccinated

i think that they are doing the right thing to vaccinate the frontline medical workers first
they deserve it
yes i think the time person of the year should be the frontline medical workers

i also think that the long term care facilities should get the next round since 40% of the deaths from covid 19 are from these facilities

i also think those in line for the presidency should get the vaccine first like trump pence biden harris pelosi grassley pompeo and blinken

we are so close
my wife she and i are within 2 months of getting our vaccines for covid 19
we plan to be real careful until these 2 months are up 

we will 
wear our mask
avoid any gatherings outside our small group
avoid travel 
limit our exposures in our day to day activities
wash our hands
keep a safe distance from others

thats not too much to ask for living 
we can all do this

there is light at the end of the tunnel
the tunnel is a long one im afraid

i look forward to getting together with friends and family 
traveling
eating inside and outside  restaurants
going to concerts and movies and outside events
having our alzheimers walks again
having ms b go to a school to be with friends and all that schools offer
and
all of us doing all the things we were doing this time last year

last year about this time most of our family got together at a relatives 80th birthday in arkansas
we got to see many of our friends and relatives
little did we know how things would change in the next few months

i cant wait 
im sure you cant either
please be safe
we are so close

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-alzheimers patients and covid 19

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-alzheimers patients and covid 19: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ALZHEIMERS PATIENTS AND COVID 19   i thought about what i would want done if i was in the later stages of alzheimers disease...

alzheimers news-alzheimers patients and covid 19

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ALZHEIMERS PATIENTS AND COVID 19 

i thought about what i would want done if i was in the later stages of alzheimers disease and i got the covid 19 infection

i would want my family to let me go
then
would i want them to give me the covid 19 vaccine if i was in the later stages of alzheimers disease
my answer would be 
no
give that vaccine to someone younger and in better health

now i understand also that immunizing all the long term care facility patients against covid 19 is important to stop the spread to other patients and to the staff
i guess if that would be why i would get it then i would say ok if thats why

i also thought of my mom and my younger brother what it would be like if they were alive today and in the long term facility in the later stages of the dieasee

how awful would it be to not to be able to visit them 
they may not seem to be there whenever you visit them at that stage but they know somewhere inside that you came to visit them
they know

they would be at the highest risk for contracting covid 19 and their chances of surviving it would be low

the death rate among alzheimers disease patients has increased dramatically
by the end of october there had been about 35,000 more deaths in alzheimers patients than what was expected

why
neglect
social isolation
covid 19 infections
breakdown of our health care

could it be rationing of care
poor health and lower immune system
lack of care

is this the death panel scenarios that scared people a few years ago

if things get worse in the hospitals these patients will be the ones that get sacrificed when tough choices have to made as to who lives and who dies

yes
it seems we may be at that point in some states

the organicgreendoctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-my fall winter garden

organicgreendoctor: garden news-my fall winter garden:   GARDEN NEWS-MY FALL WINTER GARDEN this is ms b watering the vines that are growing on my trellis fence structure that separates my garden ...

garden news-my fall winter garden

 GARDEN NEWS-MY FALL WINTER GARDEN

this is ms b watering the vines that are growing on my trellis fence structure that separates my garden from the harvest prep area next to my garden plot
the trellis fence keeps traffic off my garden and provides support for my sweet peas in the winter and my green beans and christmas lima beans and malabar spinach in the summer

my wife she just made saag paneer from the last of the malabar spinach that grows on the trellis fence
her recipe tastes much better than the one we eat at the local indian restaurants
she uses malabar spinach and its freshly picked that day which gives it a different but better flavor



my garden is made up of 8 slightly raised beds bordered with  native sandstone rocks
each bed is approximately 3 ft x 8 ft is size
the soil is a rich healthy soil that has taken me three years to produce
just this week i reached down with a gloved hand and pulled out a handful of dark rich soil with worms to show a new gardener what garden soil should look like

prior to planting each bed i add a 3-4 inch layer of compost that we make ourself here in the garden

i tend to use unfinished compost since my beds sit empty for a few weeks before they are planted
i add an organic fertilizer on top of this
this is all forked in with a garden fork with tines that are about a foot long
then a solution of fish emulsion seaweed and molasses is added 
this provides nitrogen and minerals and some hormones and the molasses provide a sugar source for the bacteria and fungi of the soil
im sure if you looked at my soil under a microscope it would be teeming with good bacteria and fungi

this is then raked smooth and covered with a layer of pine straw to keep the soil from drying out
it is all kept watered with a drip water system that saves water
i water every 5-7 days
in the winter when we get our rains i turn off the water

when im ready to plant i simply pull back the pine straw dig my hole and drop in the veggie plant 
when i plant the veggies i water it in initially with the solution described above
sometimes i put a handful of my worm compost in my planting hole
im saving all my worm compost for my spring summer plantings

i also put cages of hardware cloth around some of the new plantings to keep away the voles and gophers and birds from eating the new veggies
usually when the veggies get large enough i remove the cages

so here is what i have planted in my garden

in bed 1 on the left side of the garden starting from the bottom of the picture
i have planted brussel sprouts cauliflower celery and soon will plant about 30 leeks in that bed
at the right corner of bed 1 i have multiplying onions planted that will provide green onions all winter long
my dad gave me these about 30 years ago and i have had them in my gardens since
they die down each summer then come back each fall
i brought a few bulbs with me from my garden in texas when we moved

in bed 2 i have planted about 80 onions
these will grow about the size of a big meyer lemon 
in texas these same onions would grow to the size of a softball or grapefruit
its the difference in the climate between here and there
ill harvest these onions in the late spring when the tops fall over
i usually hang them in what i call onion chimes in our garage
this year we put them in the blender to chop them up and froze them in quart ziplock bags
we just used our last onions from last years crop in soup this week

in bed 3 is bok choy red cabbage and more celery
a row of radishes are planted along the front of the bed

in bed 4 the back row on the left of the picture is planted broccoli
as the heads are cut off side shoots grow more smaller broccoli heads 
this should provide us with broccoli most of the winter

in bed 5 the lower bed on the right
there is planted about 80 garlic
the garlic here like the onions dont get as big as they do in texas
in the late spring the leaves turn brown
this is when we harvest them
we weave them up in garlic chains and hang them in our garage
we have two garlics left from last years harvest

in bed 6 is the salad bed
i plant a mix of several different lettuces and spinach and beets that grow all together
i harvest them with a pair of scissors an inch or two above the ground
these will all grow back again several times
also in that bed is planted swiss chard and cilantro

in bed 7 is my cabbage bed
this year i planted mini cabbages 
i will harvest the heads of cabbage with a knife 
the remaining stub of cabbage will grow more smaller cabbage heads for harvest later

in bed 8 is my kale
i planted curly leaf kale dinosaur kale and baby kale
the baby kale is made to be grown in pots 
these kales are used in salads and or soups or stir fries
at the far right of this bed is a long stalk of curly leaf kale from last winter plantings
it should last for two seasons sometimes
we just harvest from its lower leaves and it keeps on producing 
they remind me of little palm trees

on my trellis fence i have growing on half of it sweet peas that grow about 5-8 ft tall
the grandkids love to eat them raw
mr hudson loves them as does ms b
we hope to introduce them to mr n when he gets older
also growing on the end of the fence closer to the bottom of the picture is malabar spinach
it is about done for the year

so this is my fall winter garden that will provide us with lots of fresh veggies this winter

when you eat this fresh produce you realize its worth all the effort it takes to do this garden

the garden is my zen place

the organicgreen doctor

 

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #60 -my aricept dreams revisited

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #69 -my aricept dreams revisited: MY STORY REVISITED #69 -MY ARICEPT DREAMS REVISITED i have always had dreams but they became much more vivid once i started aricept (donepez...

my story revisited #69 -my aricept dreams revisited

MY STORY REVISITED #69 -MY ARICEPT DREAMS REVISITED

i have always had dreams but they became much more vivid once i started aricept (donepezil) about 10 years ago for my mci due to alzheimers disease
my dreams havent been the same since
they are more involved and more vivid since starting the aricept

it may be the aricept that has slowed down my symptoms since i have remained stable for the last ten years

the dreams arent usually violent though
recently though when i started some medications for my stomach the dreams changed and got more disturbing so i stopped the meds
some of the stomach meds made my dreams more pleasant and enjoyable
i also developed bad violent dreams when i started some of the supplements i took for a while
i had to also stop those because of the bad dreams

so usually the dreams arent bad ones though
i do sometimes i guess act them out in bed which makes my wife a little nervous sometimes
usually its if i have a disturbing dream if its an issue

last night i had an interesting dream
now i have been awake a couple of hours and some of the dream and its purpose has faded some

last night we were living in our house we lived in during the 1990s
my nephew and his wife came to visit us from arkansas
they looked like they did in the 1990s
she is a nurse who in my dream had just got the ok to start diagnosing and treating patients with covid 19 since a shortage of doctors had developed since the system was overwhelmed

while she and my nephew were there an old class mate of mine from medical school and residency dropped by unannounced to visit
he and his wife looked like they did when we were in the family medicine residency program
we had a lengthy visit and i can remember discussing the covid 19 situation with my niece and my friend the doctor

we all also went to a horseshow and later my sons high school football game

as i was figuring out what the storyline of my dream was i woke up and lost most of the dream

when you talk to folks on aricept many will admit to having more vivid dreams
mine are not usually disturbing unless some monster is trying to catch me

dreams also can be a part of the disease process and i am aware of that

worsening dreams or worsening acting out dreams can mean the disease is progressing

so 
in the meantime 
i just enjoy them when i can 
__________
12-06-2011
DREAMS
one of the side effects of taking aricept (donepezil) is that you
have these fantastic dreams
the dreams are vivid hd dreams
they are never violent or disturbing

last night in my dream my wife she and my cowgirl sisterinlaw she
went horseback riding
my younger son he went to work out at the gym
my brothers and i and my parents were staying at a cabin in the
mountains somewhere i am not sure where
it was a beautiful place

they were all late getting back from their rides and gym and our
meal got cold
it was raccoon cooked with an apple in its mouth
(i ran into a raccoon early the morning before he was getting into
our cats food-teach him huh)
there was dressing and greens and veggies surrounding that
old raccoon
i got mad cause they were late but didnt yell or throw things
i just gave them my stare that im told i have
no violence

later we all got together again at a mountain resort that had an
alzheimers center and we had a similar meal that was enjoyed
by all
although i dont remember eating any raccoon in my dream

i woke up and felt like i was still in that resort
i just hope my wife she didnt leave me there

so thats my aricept (donepezil) world i live in
heres hoping you dont have to join me there

08-20-2015
I HAD A DREAM
for the last 5 years since i have been on aricept (donepezil)
for possible alzheimers disease
i have had dreams every night
usually none of these are bad dreams
almost fun dreams to have
waking up i feel good about them
i commonly will tell them to my wife she
she usually gets amused when i tell the story line

recently in my dreams there are a large group of folks
trying to get me and hurt me
zombies
bikers
crooks
deranged medical people
etc
my wife she says i start squirming around in bed
thrashing sometimes
heck i got to beat them off  someway

she says she never wakes me up
afraid i might think she was one of the attackers
i usually remember the dreams when i wake up
heck i even yell she says
whoo whoo i scream

i have awoken occasionally when i was in the attack
mode defending myself

i know its the aricept
i call them my aricept dreams

but last night was a different dream
maybe it was because of the blog i wrote yesterday
about dying

there was a young boy my guess from the dream he was
about 7 or 8 years old
he had a terminal brain cancer that was not responding to
treatment
he only had a short time to live

they even did a story on him on the evening news
i think it was lester holt from nbc that interviewed
the family
sad story it was

however in the story there was a new drug that had
only been used in animal studies like a chimpanzee
with the same brain tumor
it was cured with the new cancer drug

however it never had been used in humans before
no doctor would order the treatment with the new drug
maybe the childs only chance for survival

ordering the drug was not legal
so
they looked for a doctor to order it

so they contacted me
why me i asked
well for one you dont have your license anymore
so you dont have a license to lose
but you are still a medical doctor
once a doctor always a doctor guess that cant be taken away

then they said
you know you are like that little boy you know
you both have a terminal condition for which there is no cure

he an aggressive brain cancer
you you probably have alzheimers disease
both of you will probably die from your disease

so
both you and he dont really have much to lose do you

the worst that will happen to you is that you will be arrested
sent to jail forever
heck at least my long term care when its needed would
be covered

so i agreed
even got interviewed by lester holt on national tv
with the mother at my side
both of us and lester holt were crying during the interview

near the end of the dream
after the first treatments were given
the young child was responding to treatment
hope for a recovery and cure was there

then i woke up
crying

damn those aricept dreams
__________
heres hoping my dreams are pleasant ones in the future

the organicgreen doctor