TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008 06:10 PM, EDT

Ally did well again today, despite the delay. They want us there 15 minutes before she is supposed to go under, but so far they have been late both days. This is a problem, because Ally can't eat until after radiation each day. The longer she has to wait at the hospital (with nothing to do) the more she realizes she is not eating yet. By next week we will have the system working FOR us...either by some talkin' to or by not showing up 15 minutes early.

No side effects yet...they said they would be cumulative. We are not sure if that means she will be puking by Friday, or if that means she will be puking by session 16 or 17.

Ally has been LOVING to dance. Mostly she likes Mommy or Daddy (and I assume Grammy or Grampa during the day) to hold her while one of us dances. Who needs a gym membership?

2 down 18 to go!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008 11:04 AM, EDT

This morning went well. Of course they were running a little behind. Ally didn't go under until 7:20. They had to do some extra scans (for the first day only) so it took about 30 minutes for her to come back. When she returned she was snoring loudly. When she woke up she was very groggy and unstable, but want to sit up right away. She had a popsicle before we left, and we were out of there around 8:30. She ate yogurt on the way home and then took a nap. When we got home she wanted pancakes and was playing all around the house by the time we left for work. They expect things to run this smoothly each day!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008 03:02 PM, EDT

Ally has had a super weekend. Lots to eat, lots of energy and last night....drum roll please.....she slept through the night AND the pump didn't beep! First time!!!!! Yeah...I am so well rested I feel I should have done more around the house today than I actually have.

Radiation begins tomorrow at 7:15.

Click chart to see whole version

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008 07:57 PM, EDT

Ally did well at the hospital today. She had some blood drawn, her dressing changed and her caps changed on her tubies. She did very well. She actually opened her mouth wide when the doctor asked her to. She (the doctor) was very impressed.

We got a call from her doctor this evening...we feel very important that one of the smartest people in the whole world gives us house calls....anyway...we are able to cut Ally's night time fluids to 300mls (about 10 ounces). This is good, because we don't think she will need a diaper change in the middle of the night.

They were impressed with Ally's eating. She is up to 18.6 pounds! (She was about 17.6 two weeks ago.)

Ally continues to be in a good mood. She is very talkative and energetic.

She is a go for radiation on Monday. Daddy and Mommy are taking the morning off work, leaving the house at 5:30AM to be at the NH hospital a little before 7AM. Radiation begins at 7:15 and lasts for about 15 minutes. Then we will have to wait for her to wake up, then we can bring her home. And then go to work :(

Our medical log site will be down (for renovations) tomorrow, and we are not expecting anything exciting to happen over the weekend, so I will update again after radiation.

Have a super weekend!

The *easier* explanation is that he's really Wormtongue. . . .

Strange McCain Post-Debate Moment Caught In Photo
The Huffington Post | Nico Pitney | October 16, 2008 03:57 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ 20...t_n_135325.html

One of the comments on it was quite arresting:

"AS A PSYCH NURSE FOR OVER 30 YEARS, I BELIEVE MACAIN EXHIBITS TARDIVE DYSKENESIA. TARDIVE DYSKENESIA IS A NEUROLOGICAL SIDE EFFECT OF LONG TERM US OF THE OLDER ANTI PSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS SUCH AS HALDOL. THE MOST CHARACTERISTIC TIC ASSOCIATIED WITH ANTI-PSYCHOTIC MEDICATION IS THE INVOLUNTARY TONGUE THRUST. OTHER TICS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTI-PSYCHOTICS ARE EXCESSIVE BLINKING AND JAW GRIMACE. IT IS UNMISTAKABLE AND IRREVERSIBLE. I TOLD A COLLEAGUE SEVERAL WEEKS AGO THAT I THOUGHT MCCAIN HAD TARDIVE DYSKENESIA AND HE AGREED." --bluewater32

Here's some more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Tar...dive_dyskinesia

Indications for Haldol:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/ generi...haloper_ids.htm
(notable use: schizophrenia)

Side effects of Haldol:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generi.../ haloper_ad.htm
(just like blueater32 said)

Certainly if McCain were suffering from schizophrenia and suffering the undesirable side effects of the medicine to boot, that would explain an awful lot. It also should disqualify him from the presidency, I think, although it should inspire a certain degree of sympathy.

Alan in CA [Thank you!!]

Dear Red States…

We’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and
we’re taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren’t aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon , Washington ,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We
believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to
the people of the new country of New California .

To sum up briefly: You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss.
We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You
get Alabama .
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states
pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the
Christian Coalition’s, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a
bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war,
and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If
you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids
they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and
they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets
coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs
turn up, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s
Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent
of the country’s fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple
and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95 percent of
America’s quality wines (you can serve French wines at state
dinners), 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech
industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods,
sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Cal,
Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.


With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88
percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care
costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the
tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern
Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh,
Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite , thank you. Additionally, 38 percent
of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a
whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the
death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a
theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent
of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then
we lefties.

By the way, we’re taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt
weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,

Blue States

Hattip to Reed in Vt and HEP

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 08:16 PM, EDT

Tomorrow Ally heads up to the NH hospital for a quick check in. It is kind of a final once over to make sure she is ready for radiation on Monday.

She continues to have good days with lots of food and energy. She has picked up a couple new words as well: Juice and Grampa! Of course we are probably the only ones that can understand what she is saying, but she is making progress!

I'll update about her weight (it should be up, with the amount of pancakes and Mrs. Butterworth's she has eaten in the last week!) and anything else going on tomorrow.

Okay. Vote.

Wed Oct 15, 11:15 PM ET

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2008 06:36 PM, EDT

Ally slept through the night (in her crib) last night!!! Now, if only that STUPID pump would stop beeping in the middle of the night!

She is still loving Monti being home. Ally likes to follow her from room to room until Monti jumps up on something high.

Ally is doing well with her eating. Hopefully her weight will be a little better on Friday when she goes to the NH hospital for a quick check in.

Strange...things are kind of.....normal. If you can call wrapping your kid in plastic wrap for a bath, hooking her up to fluids and using a pink, mint flavored sponge to clean her teeth because her platelets are still too low to brush her teeth normal!