The Further Adventures of Deluzy

Dear Star Jones

Link: Elastic Waist: Dear Star Jones.

Okay, I've never seen Star Jones in anything -- but I know she's had weight-loss surgery.  Now so does everyone else who hadn't figured it out.  Why do we care, one way or another?

I agree with this blogger, though (who's great).

Ingmar Bergman, Famed Film Director, Dies at 89

Link: Ingmar Bergman, Famed Film Director, Dies at 89 - New York Times.

One of the most fabulous cinematic images ever created heads this obit  (although properly speaking it's probably a production still rather than a frame grab). 

How do people afford children?

I ask because I can barely afford 4 cats. 

I took one of the new ones -- Darryl -- to the vet this afternoon because he has the runs, and an hour and a half and $150 later, I emerged with his diagnosis of roundworm, some easy-to-digest Rx food, two pills, and one miserable little kitten.  He didn't care for having a thermometer shoved up his butt (I remember that from childhood, and I didn't like it, either!), nor do I suspect he enjoyed having a fecal sample (a.k.a. shit) extracted from said butt. 

Shy Darryl probably also has roundworms (I was told), since he and his brother have been living in such close quarters (i.e., on our sun porch) and sharing a litter box (which we change twice daily). My hope is that our other two cats, who've crossed paths with the kittens but don't hang out with them or share food and a litter box with them, may have escaped. I didn't think to ask for a course of meds for Shy Darryl, but I'll call tomorrow morning and see if we can get that done without going through the rigmarole of another vet visit and another $150. (My guess is no, but we'll see.)

Darryl has been leaving little smeary shit marks all over the sun porch furniture (Laura Ashley the furniture is not, fortunately -- think of stuff that would otherwise go to Good Will), so my husband has just hopped in the car and gone to Fry's to invest in a steam cleaner.  We kind of need it for carpets and upholstery anyway, and that's his contribution to current kitty-related expenses.

Apparently roundworms (among other parasites) are zoonotic -- that is, they can be transferred from animals to humans.  Swell.  What are the typical human symptoms of roundworms?  Diarrhea.  I laughed out loud, to the mystification of the vet's receptionist. That's not exactly a useful distinguishing marker for this DSer.  I think I'll just wash my hands a lot, be glad I'm not pregnant, and trust all will be well on that front.

Anyway, it's not really that I begrudge the cost of basic health care for the kitties, of course.  I'm just kind of struck by how quickly costs mount up when all you originally wanted was to Do Right by three feral kittens and their way feral mother.

But, to think about it slightly differently, I'm glad that, together, my husband and I have the inclination, ability, and financial wherewithal to do what we're doing.  There was a time in my life not so very long ago when I wouldn't have been able to handle even this much on any level -- logistical, emotional (yes, there's an emotional component to dealing with kitties), or financial.

So it's all good. It really is. Now, if I can only get around to making my own vet -- I mean, doctor -- appointments (i.e., for a shoulder MRI, dexascan, mammogram, and consultation with an orthopedist),  perhaps I'll be able to get my life back on schedule.  Whatever that looks like.

Final kittens update

We kept them.  The remaining two (of three) kittens, that is.  After the episode with the Humane-Society-That-Wasn't, the handwriting was on the wall.

My husband is now in love with the two new family members, and I'm ... resigned. Okay, more than resigned, because they're really Awfully Cute. They're now approximately 4.5 months old.

Total number of cats?  Four inside kitties who are properly ours, three outside kitties who have hung out in and around our yard for as many as three years and as few as four months.

The insiders? Astro, Penny, Darryl, Shy Darryl ... and then those for whom we operate as a kind of kitty Underground Railroad: Tarzan, Jane, and Mama Kitty (the last one is the now-spayed feral mother of the two Darryls).

We're nuts.

Confessions of a category romance reader

I've done three items on my to-do list: I returned a professional call (yesterday), and today I read and commented on a student M.A. thesis and emailed said student with feedback and directions.

Is that enough to turn my brain to mush?  Apparently.

And so I'm settling down for the evening with a light read recommended by Elaine on her blog Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover called Facing the Light. It arrived in the mail a few days ago, and on the strength of Elaine's post about Adèle Geras, I've also ordered Hester's Story. Its arrival is imminent. 

As summer wanes, I'm nearing the end of my window of recreational reading, which is a sad, sad thing.  (Kind of ironic, too, as a college professor.  You'd think that'd be all I do!) Time to get in that reading for pleasure while I can.

During the semester about all I have the energy for is formulaic category romances.  I'm not knocking them, mind you -- but as they have limited challenges, they have limited rewards and pleasure. In that sense, they're kind of like run-of-the-mill TV sitcoms. Or pedestrian genre films. On the other hand, the better ones among them, and the better authors, sometimes stand out.  In my day I suppose I've read literally thousands of these things.

(A friend from college shakes her head and laughs a bit incredulously -- "You have a Ph.D. and yet you read this stuff."  Yup, I do. One has nothing to do with the other. I've said it before and I'll say it again: having a Ph.D. is no proof of brains, and reading romances is no proof of stupidity. Not by a long shot.  In either case.)

From Wikipedia:

Category romances are short (usually no more than 200 pages).^[15] The books are published in clearly delineated categories, with a certain number of books published in each category every month. In many cases, the books are labelled sequentially numbered within a category.^[1] These novels have widespread distribution--often worldwide--but a finite print run, remaining on a bookseller's shelves until they are sold out or until the next month's titles are released and take their place.^[14] Writers for the largest publisher of category romance, Harlequin/Mills & Boon, can find their novels translated into twenty-six languages and sold in over 100 international markets.^[16]

Category romances are further divided among different lines, which have a distinct identity, and may share similar settings, time periods, levels of sensuality, or types of conflict. Publishers of category romances usually issue guidelines to authors for each line, specifying the elements necessary for a novel to be included in each line.^[17][18] Depending on the current market and current reader preferences, publishers frequently begin new lines or end existing ones. Most recently, erotic and Christian lines have been introduced while traditional Regency romance lines have ended.^[19]

The publishing house Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, conventionally shortened to Harlequin, along with its British arm Mills and Boon, is best-known for publishing romantic fiction. As of 2007, Harlequin is the largest publisher of category romance, releasing 500 titles each month in 25 different languages, representing every major market in the world.

Other publishers, including Avalon and Avon are also releasing category romance novels, usually several dozen per month. Some publishers of Regency romances and ethnic romances also publish in monthly series.^[20]

I remember when I first stumbled upon Harlequin romances as an adolescent.  I'd joined a mail order book club run by Harlequin, not realizing what it was.  The first volume (in a dark blue faux leather cover with gilt embossing -- I thought it was beautiful) arrived in the mail and contained three short romances.  I didn't realize until the end of the third that, by definition, they'd have happy endings.

By then I was hooked, as one might be on Oreo cookies or chips.

As I say, they definitely have their place, and in my life it's usually at the end of a very long day when my brain is tired and I want pure comfort reading. That's when I turn to category romance or children's fiction. (Come to think of it, it's also when I'd turn to food.  And in my youth, there was a really strong emotional connection for me between reading and eating.  I can still recall my favorite books as a child and what I ate as I read well-loved portions of them.  Ahem.  Issues.  I Have Issues.)

I suppose I'm too vain to list the category romances that I've read this year in my right-hand sidebar. And it seems pointless to bother: because each title has such a short shelf life, as described above, they come and go and usually can be tracked down only in second-hand bookstores specializing in genre fiction.

Which is definitely the way to go when buying in bulk.  Or by the yard.  I've been known to sweep into such a store, take a basket, head to the area that contains the specific category I like and buy 10-20 at a time, going simply by author or title.  In general, I keep them in a heap in a basket by my comfy chair in the living room and reach for them only when I don't have the energy to read whatever I've got going on my side table.

As I say, it's rather like keeping a stash of chips and cookies -- for the mind.

Like every other reader of category romances, I've thought of trying to write one.  Er, 1) it's harder than it looks to write anything formulaic well; 2) I'd have to publish under a pseudonym, preferably after I get tenure. It's all very well and good to write about those who read such fiction (consider Janice A. Radway's Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Culture, for one), but in the academic universe it's not okay to do it or write it oneself.

Or at least, to admit to it. ;)

To-do lists

Mine is growing.  And unfortunately, most of the items on it are related to the upcoming school year, slated to begin at my university near the end of August, though my duty days begin in the middle of the month.  I feel as if if I'm in denial about it all. 

On the other hand, at least I've started a to-do list!  I use Outlook for calendaring, tasks, and email, and I sync it up to a pocket PC PDA that I use doing the school year. Mostly I've been ignoring the tasks in that list this summer, knowing that I need to be focusing on my own research and writing no matter what else appears on that list, but certain indicators of the new semester are appearing. 

Chiefly, they consist of emails and phone calls from colleagues. They're increasing in number and frequency. As they increase, my inclination to address them any of them diminishes. But if I keep my eye on the main point -- students, their education, and fostering an open exchange of ideas --  then I can reconcile myself to other aspects as simply part of a package deal.

(I'm still going to put off until tomorrow a couple of administrative/political tasks that I could take care of today ...)

Follow-up with PCP

Okay, occasionally I need a reminder that while I can put "Dr." in front of my name in my more pretentious moments, it's because I have a Ph.D.  -- not an M.D.  Which is to say, while I can write, research, and intepret as well as the next Ph.D., my expertise (such as it is) does not like in the medical realm.

The areas that I was worried about on my 18-month labs (anemia, calcium, protein) have, so far, caused no concern to my DS surgeon or my PCP.  In fact, though my hemoglobin and hematocrit are low, they're not off the charts and my ferritin has dramatically improved to mid-range normal (171 instead of -- gulp -- 5). Iron levels are normal. Calcium and protein are trending low but are at the top end of low (if that makes sense), and god knows I'm jumping all over those with increased supplementation.

In other words, I need to chill out a bit. I'm doing what I need to do, addressing issues as they arise, and that's good.  That's fine. 

Seeing my friend who had the duodenal switch in 2001 yesterday was a vivid lesson in the necessity to be compliant and vigilant with one's post-DS aftercare. Partly because she hasn't stayed in touch with her surgeons because of changes in health care providers, partly because her surgeons appear to suck at follow-up, and partly because she herself has not been vigilant, she's having serious issues related to malabsorption of iron and calcium -- serious but also entirely predictable issues that could have been avoided.  She's 36 and  walks like an old woman because of bone pain brought on by bone loss.  That, in itself, is horrifying to me. Even more horrifying to me is that It Does Not Have to Happen That Way.

So many things are out of our control in life.  As an OCD type, I often find that concept hard to accept.  I often strive to control elements over which I have zero influence, driving myself nuts in the process. But there are ways in which I can maximize my chances of success or minimize potential known complications -- with the DS as well as in life generally -- and choosing to have the DS and faithfully following up with my medical care is my way of controlling those parts of my post-DS health that I can. 

My PCP asked me if I intend to lose more weight (no) and then, before I could answer, she made my jaw drop: "For your height, build, and age, I wouldn't advise losing more weight -- I think you're fine where you are and would recommend against any further weight loss."

I beg your pardon?? Say what?  Huh??????

It's one thing to come to that conclusion oneself, as indeed, I have -- but to hear it from my primary care physician?  From any doctor?  Not only that I don't need to lose weight but that she'd recommend against it?

Holy Mother of God. I do believe I see pink piglets flying by on feathery white wings!

Let's see -- ah, my abdominal incisional hernia.  Once again my doctor examined me, said there was no need to fix it until it began to cause me pain, and okayed my dealing for now with either a binder or some kind of foundation garment to ease any soreness or discomfort.  ("This is too big!" she said, checking out the girl short I'd bought from Spanx.  Okay, yeah, well, I tend to do that still ... I haven't gotten a grip on a realistic size for my bottom half.) Yes, I suspect I'll get it fixed eventually, and I'm considering muscle tightening at the same time.  But my god, that's more major surgery, a serious recovery period, and I'm Not Ready.  Don't Wanna Go There Now.  And you know what? It would appear I don't have to yet.

At my request, my PCP ordered up an MRI for my left shoulder (something's been wrong with it for a good two years -- I suspect it's arthritis, but it's time to get it imaged) and gave me the name of an orthopedist; she also agreed to order a dexascan to assess bone density, and she threw in a request for my annual mammogram.

So -- more tests, more time. I talk and write about my health and my labs and exams as if I were my own grandmother now.  But you know what? I lived for years without health insurance, and I'm just grateful now that I have access to adequate health care, as frustrating as working the system can sometimes be. So many people, in this country and around the world, do not.

Thank you, Tia!

ë -- as in Brontë.

Good news on the anemia front

I'm still anemic, of course -- I knew that by reading the results of my 18-month labs -- and my guess is that I'm likely to remain so, but my ferritin levels have dramatically improved and are actually in the mid-normal range.

In other words, February's iron infusion seems to have done a lot of good, and my hematologist cleared me today to go another three months before checking in with her again (previously, I was going every month to have my levels checked).

Of course, if I start feeling punky, I'm to contact her earlier.  Indeed, a couple of weeks ago I was feeling run-down, but the results of my vitamin levels are still outstanding (note to self: they must have arrived at Dr. K's office by now -- I need to check that and have those faxed to me), so something may be revealed there.

If not, it's entirely possible that my dread of the approaching fall semester work load is enough to make me feel zonked.  In other words, it may be psychological. Given my brain and my surgically tweaked guts, it can get complicated.  For instance, I was feeling zapped yesterday and just wanted to hide under the covers, but today I dealt, took on the work, and I feel much more energetic and capable. 

The mind is a freaky thing. So is the DS body.  One has to stay on top of all possible explanations.

On a related front, I'm going to be spending most of tomorrow working on campus and then in the late afternoon I'll be meeting a friend who had the DS about five years ago.  She's 10 years younger than I, her labs are entirely screwed up (particularly her calcium), and she had the DS at a time when the online community and sources of information about after-care were less than stellar. 

I'm a little frightened for her: uh, hairline pelvic fractures at 36???  She's been taking only 600 mg. of calcium a day, and the wrong kind, at that, and she's not in touch with her DS surgeons, who are very reputable but who suck at post-op follow-up.  She sucks at it, too, for that matter -- and this is what can happen as a result.  And this is just the calcium/osteoporosis issue.  There are others.  So we'll be meeting for drinks, dinner, and shopping --> for supplements.  The right kind.  In the right quantity. And I'll be reading her the riot act as well, and passing along articles, and doing whatever I can to bring her up to speed.  She used to be  a grad student of mine and it's thanks to her that I even know about the DS. She's used to my haranguing her about her thesis, best research and documentation practices, and so on, so I'm sure she's readying herself for the onslaught now.

Seriously, she's not part of an online or real-life DS community, and I'm honestly very worried about that. I would have been up the creek without the people I got to know primarily through OH.com's Duodenal Switch board. Some of those relationships have migrated offline, some are still entirely online, but either way, they were and are my lifeline to all matters DS-related -- and my friend has nothing remotely resembling those resources or that kind of DS-specific support. She's been hospitalized numerous times with complications -- some of which could have been avoided, some of which couldn't -- and it's hard for me to know how to intervene effectively.

Any suggestions between now and tomorrow morning are welcome.

The Google 15

Link: About The Google 15.

A handy tool for tracking trends in your weight loss without allowing daily fluctuations to drive you batshit -- for WLS and conventional weight-loss approaches alike.