Putting Out Fires

Monday, June 05, 2006

Internet = bad

I think they should ban all information on the Internet that will allow people to try to diagnose themselves. I'm totally freaking myself out reading things on the Internet. OK, so I mentioned about the cholesterol, but the thing they're most concerned about is this thing called CRP (C-reactive protein). OK, from what I understand, it is something created by the liver to deal with inflamation in the body. They have found that people who have heart attacks have elevated levels of CRP, so now they say that CRP levels can point to potential for future heart disease.

Well, they say that normally you should have NONE of this in your blood stream. Anything over 1 is bad. Anything over 3 is severe. I have an 8.7.

OK, so besides that, I've got this lump on my neck. No, not in the thyroid area, in the back of my neck on the side. I had an ultrasound and they told me that it has blood running through it. What does that mean? Is that bad or good? Anyway, the lump's name is Fred. Like Drop Dead Fred.

So what I'm saying is: I hate the doctor. And the Internet is evil. And tomorrow I go to the doc to get the verdict on all this stuff. So that's all there is about that.

Ryan and I went camping this last weekend in the White Mountains. It was 110 in Phx, but when we got up into the mountains it was raining and I had to throw on a sweatshirt. See! This is what I love most about Arizona. Cold in one direction, beach in the other, and beautiful desert in between. The camping trip was relaxing, but it was the absolute last straw on tenting it. That's it. We're buying a trailer.

Here's a few pictures from our trip. The one that's missing is us laying in our hammocks, but that's because we were too busy laying in our hammocks to care about picture taking. I love camping!

5 Comments:

Fatma said...: Hi Amanda!

Great pics!

I hope Fred is nothing serious!!! And that 8.7 can be rought down but you'll have to go see that doctor and do what he says. OK!?

Take care!
Fitèna; 11:45 PM
M said...: I'm dying to know if you were privy to that crazy dust storm thing I saw on the news today... that was ridiculous!
I had a "neck mass" on my neck a while ago. It wasn't cancer, it wasn't a tumor, and it wasn't malignant, it was just... there. And if it grew it was eventually going to choke off the blood to my brain, but that was a long long way off. And I'm sure the ripping headaches and tennis ball sized thing in my neck would have been a fair "heads up." Bottom line? Don't stress. What am I TALKING about??; 4:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Blogger has been such a butthead, I haven't been able to comment.

Love your camping trip pictures. Looks like a nice, relaxing time.

I agree, if you read the internet on any little symptom you have, you could be dying, or you could have a cold. It's pretty ambiguous most of the time. Hopefully you'll find out what Fred is soon, and fingers-crossed it is nothing.; 8:32 AM
Anonymous said...: yo.

CRP is a protein associated with a the inflamation response. yeah, it's an indicator for heart disease, but you also get elevated levels from freakin peridontis, i.e. gum disease (thank you biosensors assignemnt!). i'm not saying you should take it lightly, but it's also not exactly the dark mark of death. take it for what it's worth and maybe make those lifestyle changes we all think we're never gonna have to worry about ;)

nuthin like seeing the viceral fat in a fat cadaver to make you want to start eating healthier. i recommend taking a cadaver class ;)

hope that turns out to be totally benign.; 10:33 AM
Sarie said...: I had a lump on my thyroid, we named it Swishy. Swishy was de-swished back in March. Now I have a nice scar across my neck. I love the looks I get (stares) as people are too "Polite" to ask why I have a scar, yet they openly stare.

Hello Michele sent me.; 7:02 PM

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