Oh Me Oh My… Time Does Fly! June 17, 2008

So, a lot has happened here recently.

My daughter lost another tooth this past week eating Pigs in the Blanket.  Now she is missing two teeth, both lost while eating and have two that have not completely grown back in!  It is soooooo cute!

We went to Travis Peak over the weekend to attend my husband’s family reunion.  It was a good time, it was hot outside, but it is a great group to visit.  We sat Saturday afternoon and sang hymns for over an hour, what a great sounding bunch!  We visited the family cemetary, yes, the Singleton Family Cemetary.  Lots of the family is buried there.  We bought a few things in the auction too.  Kaitlyn got car sick on the way there and finally let it out shortly after our arrival, yuck!  But all is well.  We had a good time.  Last year, those of us that went got to meet Fred an albino corn snake that belongs to one of Cindy’s cousins.  Well, this year, we got to see him eat a mouse.  It was pretty entertaining, I must say, a real hit for the kids!!!

I got my lump checked out and after a painful attempt at aspiration, I went to have a sonogram done of it.  Found out it is not a cyst that can be aspirated, in fact it is Fibroadenoma, see the previous post.  I know this for sure now because I had a core biopsy done.  Ouch… I’d rather put up with this pain than worry if I fell into 5% chance the tumor was cancer.  I can handle the pain knowing it is not cancer.  I still may have it removed!

My son officially turned nine yesterday.  He was so proud.  We are having Family Bible School this week at church, so all the youth embarrassed him by singing to him during our song session!  He with his mohawk, turned bright red and giggled as we sang.  It was great!!!!

Our Family Bible School is doing good.  We are talking about creation.  I am leading the 2nd graders from class to class and so far we have heard about the first and second days.  Tonight is the third and fourth day.  It is amazing when you take the time to stop and think about the ultimate plan for man, shown, starting the first moment in time.  Everything had a specific order and all for a reason, for God to create man in His own image and ultimately to send His Son for us.  It is a fasinatitng tale and one all should adore and remember.

These eyes of blue are tired from going and going!  Nothing much planned for this weekend and my little family will be out of town.  Maybe I’ll actually get a little down time!

Fibroadenoma June 17, 2008

Say what? 

Say it with me… Fi – Bro – A – Den – O – Ma… Fibroadenoma.

Fibroadenomas are benign, non-cancerous, breast tumors.  Fibroadenoma means “a tumor composed of glandular (related to gland) and fibrous (containing fibers) tissues.”  Fibroadenomas can occur alone, in groups or as a complex.

 

While doing your regular breast self-exam, you may feel a breast fibroadenoma.  These feel firm, round, smooth, rubbery, and are movable.  They may feel tender, especially right before your period, when it may swell due to hormonal changes.  While some types of breast lumps come and go during the menstrual cycle, fibroadenomas typically do not disappear after a woman’s period, and should be checked by a doctor.

 

Fibroadenomas range in size from one to five centimeters (0.39 inches to nearly two invest).  Giant fibroadenomas can be the size of a small lemon, about 15 centimeters (5.9 inches).

 

Fibroadenoma tumors are not fixed to the adjacent skin, muscle, or lymph nodes, so they are mobile within the breast on palpation. 

 

A fibroadenoma is usually diagnosed through clinical examination, ultrasound, mammography and often a biopsy sample of the lump.  On a mammogram, fibroadenomas appear as round or oval smooth-edged masses.  The outline of the mass will be clearly defined, not blurry.  Sometimes they are accompanied by coarse calcifications.  Fibroadenomas can look like cysts or a well-contained tumor.

 

When the doctor takes a complete medical history, they will ask when the lump was first noticed, if there were any symptoms or changes in lump size, and if there is any personal or family history of breast disease.  The doctor thoroughly feels the breasts (palpates).  Your doctor may send you to have an ultrasound study done by a radiologist.  This is because a fibroadenoma will be easier to distinguish from other tissue, because of the way it responds to sound waves.  It will appear as a dark area, with a definite outline, homogeneous, round or oval, and may have smooth-edged bumps.  If the ultrasound doesn’t give a definite result, the next study may be an MRI (magnetic resonance image).  The most conclusive test is the surgical removal of cells or tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist which may be done as a fine needle biopsy or a core needle biopsy.

 

Since firbroadenoas are benign, treatment will vary depending on your diagnosis.  If it is small, painless, remains the same size, and a biopsy shows no problems, you would not need further treatment, but may have follow-up ultrasounds.  However, if it is large, more than three cm, painful, growing, or a biopsy results in atypical, very active, cells, you can have it surgically removed.  Doctors recommend removal if you are over 40 years old.  No medications are used for the treatment of fibroadenoma. 

 

 

The exact cause of fibroadenomas is unknown.  They seem to be influenced by estrogen, because they appear most often in premenopausal or pregnant women, or in women who are postmenopausal and taking HRT, hormone replacement therapy.  Most fibroadenomas come and go during your menstrual cycle, when your hormone levels are changing.

 

These are most common in women who are from 15 to 30 years old and in pregnant women.  Fibroadenomas occur in 10% of all women, but in 20% of African-American women.  About 10% of all fibroadenomas will disappear over time, and 20% of them will recur.  If they don’t disappear, they usually stop growing when they reach 2-3 cm.  

 

A fibroadenoma is not commonly associate with fibrocystic breast disease and has no known links to cancer. 

 

These eyes of blue are thankful for good news!

Father’s Day – belated post June 17, 2008

Down our long dusty driveway
I didn’t want to go
But I set out with tears in my eyes wondering
Daddy took me by the hand
Looked out at the school bus and his little man and said
“Don’t worry boy it will be all right”

‘Cause I took this walk you’re walking now
Boy, I’ve been in your shoes
You can’t hold back the hands of time
It’s just something you’ve got to do
So dry your eyes I understand just what you’re going through
‘Cause I took this same walk with my old man
Boy, I’ve been in your shoes

Down our long dusty driveway
I set my mind to go
I was eighteen and wild and free and wondering
Daddy took me by the hand
Looked at the world and at his grown man and said,
“Don’t worry boy it will be all right”

‘Cause I took this walk you’re walking now
Boy, I’ve been in your shoes
You can’t hold back the hands of time
It’s just something you’ve got to do
So dry your eyes I understand just what you’re going through
‘Cause I took this same walk with my old man
Boy, I’ve been in your shoes

Down our long dusty driveway
This time we both would go
He had grown old and gray
And his mind was wandering
Daddy took me by the hand
Said, “I know where we’re going and I understand
Don’t worry boy it will be all right”

‘Cause I took this walk you’re walking now
Boy, I’ve been in your shoes
You can’t hold back the hands of time
It’s just something you’ve got to do
So dry your eyes I understand just what you’re going through
‘Cause I took this same walk with my old man
Boy, I’ve been in your shoes

 

These eyes of blue miss you, Daddy!

The “Key” to Life June 6, 2008

Well, the other night, my sister locked her keys in the car… again!  No problem right, you just take the antenna off the car, stick it in the window and unlock the doors… PRESTO… nodda, actually, they dropped the antenna in the car with the keys!  Nifty!  So, long story short, we had a mini-reunion in the parking lot at Mexican Inn… Susan, Jeff, Josh, Daniel, Christina, Adam, me, Brandon and Jeromy.  After nearly an hour of work, with Jeff holding a flashlight, Jeromy and Brandon construct a “fishing pole” of sorts and have the keys out and in hand!

So, my sister posts on her blog an apology about all of use coming out to help her silly self for locking the keys in the car again!  Goofy!!!  Out cousin, Christina, blogged that an apology was not needed and I agree… It was extremely comical and plus it provided some “down time”!  And, Ethan’s ice cream that was in the trunk the whole time was not even melted!  WooHoo…

Really, no apology needed… but thanks… it is nice to be appreciated!  People don’t always say “Thank You”… sometime you know they are grateful, but the words just never appear… but sometimes it leaves you wondering… it is a blessing to hear and good for the soul.  People don’t always say “You’re Welcome”… though this is another high gratitude phase showing mutual respect for a good deed.  People don’t always say “I’m Sorry” of offer an apology at all… this is a terrible fault, I’m extatic that my “Sister Sue’ thinks highly enough of the relationships with us that she offered an apology.  All is good!

So… the “Key” to life from these eyes of blue… Well, it is nuturing relationships, through prayer, conversation, experiences and yes, showing humility and gratitude for even the little things!

Corn Cob Dentist June 3, 2008

So, our daughter went to gymnastics last night, she loves going.  She did not go last Monday due to it being Memorial Day and the place being closed.  But she jumped right in there and enjoyed herself.

Afterwords, we… my little family of four and my mother-in-law, went to Chili’s to eat.  We were enjoying a nice pleasant dinner, and our lovely daughter started in on her corn on the cob… well, a few moments later, she was laughing/crying and trying to hand me something… finally I realized that she, in the process of eating her corn on the cob, had lost a tooth!  That’s right, it popped right out… Now, don’t misunderstand, that tooth had been loose, very loose, but she wanted to pull it herself, because the Tooth Fairy, pays out more when you do it all my yourself, betcha didn’t know that, well she does… So, I was just going to have Granny pull it one day this week when she was “looking” at it to “check it out”.  Too bad, Granny, she figured out a new trick… we gotta remember this, that was way too easy!

These eyes of blue see no reason to pay a dentist when you can perform your own extractions simply by eating corn on the cob!

Happy Birthdays! June 3, 2008

Well, we are about half way through the birthday season.  So far since the end of April, we have attended birthday parties for our 1 year old neice, our 9 year old neice, our 1 year old cousin, our 1 year old nephew, our 7 year old nephew and his 6 year old brother!  WOW!!!  We’ve been busy, parting til… well the cows have not come home yet… We have our son’s 9 year old party this weekend, then have a few weeks before our neice turns 3, then a few weeks after that, our daughter turns 8, then the last of the kid birthdays, our neice turns the big 5!!!  At least these last few are spread out a bit, about one per month.

In between there, we have a trip to my husband’s maternal side family reunion in Travis Peak, those are always enjoyable and a nice drive out.  We have a trip to lovely Haskell, Texas for my paternal side family reunion… a LONG drive but still nice to go.  Then, a trip to the coast is planned, not sure for exactly where yet… we have not ironed out all the details.  Busy time!

Yeah it may be busy, but all that activity gives us lots of good quality time to be with those friends and family that we see at the various functions.  It is great to see people, catch up, joke around and make plans for when we can talk to or see them again!  It is so important to understand that though there are differences in all of our lives, that we are still family, or as close of friends that may as well be family… come to think of it… no matter where our ancestory lies… no matter how many miles are between… no matter how long it has been since the last phone call, email, face-to-face encounter… fact is, we still have each other… and with any one of us misplaced… it is like an incomplete puzzle missing that one, little peice that make the picture, not just a picture anymore, but a masterpiece!

OK, enough ramblings… Happy Birthday to all Spring Babies, hope yours was a blast… Happy Birthday to all Summer Babies whose birthdays are flying our way!  These eyes of blue are bound to be blinded by all the candles on those cakes.