😁 Personally, I’ve always found Mall Rats to be superior, and even dogma holds more weight for me, though I can't deny that Chasing Amy is an excellent film in its own right; honestly, the more times I sit through it, the better it gets. I’m also inclined to agree that it stands as the finest performance of Jason Lee’s career.
Sarah Cruz2, offering advice in a situation like this feels incredibly heavy because there’s a certain weight of responsibility that comes with it. I would personally be very inclined to recommend macrobiotics, but if you decide to go down that path, you have to be realistic: it requires a significant commitment, both in terms of money and the sheer amount of time you'll pour into it. It’s essential to seek out consultations with macrobiotic teachers to develop a structured plan for your sister; they will almost certainly insist that whoever is handling the cooking completes specific training courses. There is also the possibility they might suggest bypassing chemotherapy altogether, which is an immensely difficult decision to weigh. That said, if you want to explore this further, you could look for the book "anti-cancer diet" by Michi Kushi; for local resources, you can reach out to the Macronow center located at 72 Main Street. The person you'd be speaking with is Zlatko Pejić.
I’ve gone ahead and bought Swatch's watches for all my nephews' First Communion celebrations so far—just the kid-sized ones. We’re a massive family, so I don't see much point in overspending on gifts. 😉
This is definitely something you should run by the doctors you normally see, though you might want to check out Reddit; if I recall correctly, there was a thread over there about Asthma during pregnancy, and as far as I remember, there are certain medications that are considered safe to use while pregnant.
I find myself nodding along with what nimbleskipper13 and jadesailor14 have already laid out here, though I would add one more perspective to the mix. It is entirely possible that parents at this stage are making a conscious choice to remain in the dark, simply because they realize how little agency they actually have over the unfolding situation. On a practical note, I would strongly advise against any attempts to bypass the parents to contact the child's medical team. Seriously—do not try to pull any strings or call the hospital through some mutual acquaintance just to get an edge.
Honestly, if only a doctor would weigh in here for once 😢
I have this hazy memory of an IV being run directly into the main vein when a child is actually being fed—it’s not just your standard, basic IV drip. I think the alternative is a feeding tube straight into the stomach, though I can't be entirely certain. Perhaps someone else with more clarity will chime in.
I really hope everything turns out okay. Obviously, heavy anesthesia isn't exactly ideal for a little one, but getting the surgery done is the priority here.
You might find a few pediatricians responding on some of those alternative medicine forums online; you could try asking there if you're feeling particularly anxious about it.
Most gynecologists have already upgraded to 3D imaging, which is hardly a surprise given how much they can charge for it. I happened to hear that there’s a specialist over at the Nemetova Clinic who is exceptionally skilled with 3D ultrasound technology. Unfortunately, I can't recall his name 😢 right now, but if anyone finds themselves in need of such services—for legitimate medical reasons, mind you, as word is he doesn't perform those superficial "keepsake" scans—it might be worth inquiring there.
Emily Myers78 said:As soon as I even attempt to touch the pedals—it’s game over!!!!😁
Hmm, I honestly can't recall my own struggle with the pedals; for me, the real hurdle was just maintaining balance, 😁 which I eventually managed after endless attempts coasting down gentle hills. Don't throw in the towel just yet.
Emily Myers78 said:I’ll just stay quiet here, I know irontiger25 won't be mad at me. 🙂
Does anyone know if there’s an actual course—or even just a decent website—specifically for learning how to ride a bike as an adult? I'm 28. My husband tried teaching me this past fall, but we didn't get anywhere. It’s honestly exhausting dealing with people staring and making those obnoxious comments as they walk by, like, "Oh my god, look at her over there!"
I used to pride myself on being thick-skinned and not caring what strangers thought, but apparently, I was lying to myself. 😳
😁 I suspect such formal programs don't really exist. 😢
If you want my two cents, though—find a very gentle slope, something barely noticeable, and just try coasting down it. Don't worry about pedaling yet; just let the bike roll with your legs out to the sides. The whole trick is simply getting a feel for the balance. That’s exactly how I finally figured it out 😁 , much later than most people my age.
I'm fairly certain those classes are still running; a friend of mine actually took one a few years back. I believe she went to the pool over at the Youth center, so you might want to give them a call there to get the full rundown.
Elizabeth Foster20 said:Exactly. If you aren't looking for 😬 something trivial,
for me, the absolute priority is always going to be the actual expertise of the person treating me. Of course, if I had to choose between someone who is both skilled and polite versus someone who is skilled but abrasive, I’d obviously take the nice one every single time. But at the end of the day, if I have a genuine medical issue, I just want someone to actually fix it, rather than sitting in an exam room wasting thirty minutes engaging in pleasant small talk. 😉
Yes, competence really ought to be the primary concern. I spent years paying a premium for "pleasant atmospheres" and friendly bedside manners with private doctors, and frankly—to put it bluntly—it was a mistake.
But even that doesn't cover everything 😁 I just remembered something else. Back when I was pregnant, my doctor mentioned this NIPT test—it’s done through a simple blood draw and is significantly more reliable than the double or triple test—but it wasn't available here at the time. By the time you find yourself pregnant, there is a high probability that some major lab will have started offering it. Essentially, you'll have a much wider range of diagnostic options available to you before you ever have to consider an amniocentesis.
There might be some merit to being prepared if it means you can select a hospital with superior neonatal intensive care, but honestly, it feels like obsessively researching everything just for the sake of feeling "ready" carries its own heavy psychological risk.
Taylor Swift, I just realized you aren't even pregnant yet. Seriously, try not to let this weigh on you so far in advance. And don't go thinking an amniocentesis is your only starting point. You can't definitively diagnose Down syndrome through an ultrasound alone, but you can certainly drive the probability down significantly by monitoring things like nuchal translucency and various other markers measured later in the pregnancy. These days, having access to 3D ultrasound in the hands of a true specialist is actually a remarkably effective diagnostic tool. My advice is to sit down and talk with a genetic counselor—I'm not entirely sure about the hereditary specifics of Down syndrome 😕, but I do know that women with a family history are considered higher risk. Once you are actually pregnant, make sure to find a top-tier, highly experienced sonographer, because when it comes to ultrasounds, the skill of the person holding the probe is everything.
On another note, I’m not sure if everyone is aware that lately, performing amniocentesis in America hasn't even been possible 😲 due to the current state of the laboratory facilities. It’s a complete disaster 😢
Before you commit to an amniocentesis, you might consider a double or triple test, though those aren't particularly reliable; they really just offer a statistical probability regarding Down syndrome. That said, they serve as decent screening tools if you've already decided to move forward with the amniocentesis. Pinning down the exact risk of miscarriage during the procedure is difficult because it fluctuates so much from one clinic to another; our local hospitals aren't great about providing transparent data, when the only metric that actually matters is the specific success rate of your individual doctor. You’re usually looking at a six-week wait for results, though I've heard some private labs near Mammoth Cave can turn them around a bit faster. In my view, performing an amniocentesis only makes sense if you have already reached a definitive conclusion regarding termination should the results come back positive, because the procedure itself carries far too much risk to be done tentatively.
An amniocentesis isn't an obligation, nor does having a child with Down syndrome necessitate an abortion. Choosing whether or not to undergo the procedure is entirely your own call, not something dictated by a doctor. I honestly can't fathom what it would mean if amniocentesis weren't considered necessary. Every one of us carries the possibility of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome or some other condition. Therefore, the necessity of amniocentesis is subjective—it’s either required for everyone or required for no one at all, depending solely on how we personally choose to view the prospect of raising a child with special needs.
I don't particularly care to speculate on the specific life circumstances that shaped Dr. J.'s personality 😁, nor am I attempting to defend him, because his actions were certainly not beyond reproach. To me, all I see in that particular situation is an individual who was simply being rude, nothing more and nothing less. The reason I mentioned that he is a top-tier, deeply dedicated physician with a massive roster of female patients was only because you suggested you might try to avoid him—but people don't actually avoid him; 😁 in fact, they seek him out. He isn't the only specialist handling this particular issue, either.
Gary Jones10 said:Thanks, Betty Bennett10—but I’m going to do everything in my power to avoid seeing some top-tier specialist who treats patients like they're just moving parts on an assembly line. 🙄
Gary Jones10, considering he’s a fertility specialist, I genuinely hope you won't end up needing him. 🙂 His patients tend to be quite fond of him, mostly because he works from dawn till dusk and maintains a massive practice where he knows every single detail about everyone under his care. That said, he can be incredibly rude and has a bit of an ego.