The Top10 Things You Should Do If You Test Positive For Alpha1

  • Have A List Of Questions When You See a Doctor About Your Alpha1(If you try to remember the questions you want to ask you may forget half of them)
  • Learn To Breathe Effectively
  • Limit Or Eliminate Your Alcohol Consumption
  • Don't Be Afraid To Be Proactive About Your Alpha1
  • Get Plenty Of Rest(You will likely have a higher oxygenation level)
  • Avoid Sick People(You have a lower immune system than most people)
  • Drink Plenty Of Water
  • Eat Healthy/Avoid Processed Food(Carbonated beverages)
  • Start A Careful Exercise Program/Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program(Your muscles will become more efficient so they won't use as much oxygen and if you have surgery you will likely recover quicker as well)
  • Stop Smoking

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Focus On Your Strengths....Not Your Weaknesses

Delivered my neice her whooptie. A 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 199,000 miles on. I have read several books/articles on ADD. Made for an educational trip back home. Like some I could focus on her weaknesses or choose to play to her strengths. I lowered my expectattions for her. And choosen the later!
I've learned she wants a pimped out garden shed for a studio. Portland Oregon stole a peice of her heart for the West coast food ingredients and outdoors. She wants to work but, the impulsitivity thing and weight will present some challenges. I think my job is to help her recognize there is a lot of what she can have out there...right in the midwest. It's a humbling but, a rewarding experience! For those of you who think of yourselves as Christians and question why I would "even bother"....I challenge you to read Matthew 25:35 - 40. She wants to be a collaborator in creating a more positive future for herself.

I look at my desires to achieve this, that and the other thing and all I can think is how do I help her balance her passions with being self sufficient. I do still want to have a sports shop, I still want to raise pastured pigs but, sometimes you just gotta get beyond yourself!

Although, my summer includes clearing planted trees on my farm to turn into firewood & fencing fields...It also holds much much more. We will be growing personal gardens, bicycling (cause she likes that!)/exercising daily, cruising our forest for potential trees for creating wood art projects and eating culinary masterpieces that are healthy.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Patience and Adaptability

...Is what my sister claims I'm learning welcoming my neice into my home. I get the patience part but, not the adaptability part! Although I will say transitioning the farm to organic is an act of learning to adapt. Looking forward to the dog but, getting more caught up in the training currently. General concensus is when we do the "puppy run" Holly the dog is going to wrap my neice right around her little paw and I'll become chum. Looking at an inexpensive tablet to take pics & vids to upload online. I have an old Kodak digital camara that I have some issues with and don't trust completely anymore. Guess it's time for a Nikon. Learned about www.chewy.com & some other dog product stores online. On an alpha1 note the dog will help me relax a little (reduce stress...stress can kill ya) and insure I get plenty of exercise. I believe the dog will be good medicine for Ru as well. She particularly excited about the "puppy run" and the baby chicks coming to the farm at the end of March.

Getting into dogs is leading me towards spending more time at cabin in the woods, traveling to other states, raising game birds & homing pigeons. What an interesting journey.

Reading Thank You Economy & Boundaries With Kids. And then onto a gundog training book. Totally into the gentle way to train a dog.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Living Life...Reboot

In about 8 weeks my late sisters daughter will be coming to live with me. General concensus is I will be functioning as a surrogate mother. I'm known for saying "If I could be my Dads power of attorney at 25 I can handle anything!". I"m sure I can  handle this but, I don't remember being this anxious about a responsibility in a couple decades.

I need to help her regroup and reboot her life. She has ADD or ADHD. I've read some books and several articles about it but, it seems like there is disagreement about so many aspects of it within the medical community. I believe ADD/ADHD is real. I do think it's over diagnosed and prescription drugs are too freely prescribed. We are choosing to try to learn to manage it through diet & exercise. To make it easier to stick with it for her I plan to follow the same plan. We manage diabetes by diet & exercise. For those it works for it takse around 2 months to see the results. There is a holistic practioner at www.karenhurd.com who's plan works but, I don't think I could handle that restrictive a diet so I can't ask my neice to try it...although she is welcome to if she really wants to! If it doesn't work we will entertain the prescription drug route.

I can't see a high protein/low carb diet being detrimental to me. The exercise won't either. We will also be including supplements we can purchase at a local holistic store or GNC. I gather ADD/ADHD is with you for life but, that doesn't mean you can't be successful and fulfilled as an adult. She is excited about the prospect of building a chicken coop, having a layer hen flock and an organic garden. I told her she could learn how to raise chickens that way. I also get to guage how committed to this.  We can always buy pastured chicken, eggs or whatever else we would want locally.We are looking to raise pastured birds that are high in omega-3's. She doesn't know I am looking around for registered nubian goat breeders to purchase a couple does for us in the fall if I feel it's something she can handle.

In a humorous throwback moment....when I was a teenager we had a few milk goats. Anyways initially my Dad wasn't feeding the goats good quality feed (didn't know any better) but, my 4-h goat leader told him whatever you feed them will come out in the taste of their milk. He improve the quality of feed but, I swear saanen milk tastes different than nubian milk which is higher in butterfat content). My mother thought it was a fine idea to mix them and I would not notice. I refused to eat a cereal breakfast for a month in the heart of milk production for the "girls". She finally asked me if she seperated the saanenfrom the nubian milk and used it would I start eating cold cereal in the morning again, Would you mind eating the saanen as cottage cheese in lasagna, She was sick of making cottage cheese! She got a yes, a no and I'm sure a deep sense of relief.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Becoming Your Own Health Benefits Specialist

I could not have been able to become my own if it had not been for Lian Johnson at the former Accredo now Expresscripts. Thankfully under Accredo leadership the health insurance benefits specialist was encourage to keep the patient informed every step of the way. I've come to realise that those "alpha1 advocates" employed by others in the medical field don't measure up. Again props to Lian!! I qualified for hardship financial assistance but, it wasn't worth much if no one cared if the infusion claims were processed properly and every month. I spent a lot of time calling the product provider and my health insurance company I utilize to get those product shipments processed. So although I am left holding some medical bills...it will be nothing like the last 5 out of 7. I became that annoying little chihuahua barking till all they cared about was quieting me down.