Hope is alive

     

     I have a two-hour commute to work. Thankfully, I only work about seven days a month for 24-hour shifts, so I don’t mind it too much. It’s usually a boring drive across I-64, but I’m grateful for the minimal traffic. I usually enjoy this commute as my quiet time to process life’s events. Some days I listen to audiobooks, because I also enjoy a good story to be read to me.
     This morning I felt sad, as another dear friend has passed away from a sudden illness. This is a friend near my age, whose family will have to go on without him, just as it has happened to many others. I didn’t feel like listening to a story or the radio, yet the quiet was too much. I started to pray, but I couldn’t get past my feeling of emptiness and sadness for his family. 
     I thought of Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, which says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die.”  Verse four adds, “...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” It seems so matter-of-fact, doesn’t it?
     I looked at the gray clouds ahead of me, as the morning was seeing it’s first light. “What a drab day,” I thought, as I stared at the stark scenery. It really fit my mood, my emptiness, and my feeling of hopelessness in this matter-of-fact world. 
     I looked up and glanced at my driver’s side mirror as I had just done a few seconds earlier. To my surprise, I could see a cascade of beautiful colors filling the small mirror. The sun was rising quietly and slowly. Hues of yellow, orange, pink and blue expanded the sky behind me, as if God just took His paintbrush and painted a magnificent scene in just seconds. It took my breath away. 
     In that moment, I remembered that God promises to never leave us, and that our hope is in Him. He hasn’t forgotten any of us.  Matthew 10:30 says, “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” God knows each of us well and cares for us enough to know every detail about us. This world may seem matter-of-fact at times, but God gives us hope.  His eyes are on us. Psalm 33:18 says, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.”
     So I exhaled out my sadness, and then I smiled. My heart felt warm and full, because God reminded me that He stays close to us, and He is our reason for hope.  That hope will always be alive. 

Chicago

Chicago at night

Chicago from Michigan Street, 29 floors up

Very cold Chicago morning

My daughter and I spent some time shopping in Chicago over the weekend. What a fabulous city! Needless to say, the American Girl Place took up most of our time. That store is huge. My daughter picked out her first American girl doll, Gabriella. Gabriella got her hair done, her ears pierced, and she sat at the table in the American Girl Cafe with us for lunch. She even got her own plate and cup! It was quite the experience, and I have to say that I was amazed. 

Insulin resistance, PCOS, Infertility

     This is mostly for the ladies, but insulin resistance applies to the guys, too. We all hear these terms a lot, and they are all connected.
     Insulin resistance occurs when we take in too much glucose over time (diet, carbs) and our bodies start working overtime to metabolize and use it. When we eat that cookie or donut or that handful of French fries, we are eating carbs (sugar). Our bodies were made to be able to keep our glucose levels in check. As we eat more carbs, our bodies produce enough insulin to keep our circulating glucose level in a normal range, so we don’t become diabetic.
     If we eat too many carbs over time, our bodies start struggling with the production of insulin. Insulin is produced by islet cells in the pancreas. They get tired when they are in demand all the time. As our insulin levels rise up to higher levels to combat the excessive circulating glucose in our bloodstream, we start storing more fat.
     Insulin causes us to store fat well, and it causes inflammation. So higher glucose leads to higher insulin, which leads to more body inflammation and weight gain. This is where a ketogenic diet can help. Lower carbs lower circulating glucose, which lowers the need for excess insulin. Inflammation is reduced and less fat is stored (you lose weight).
     For women, as the elevated insulin causes fat storage (weight gain), that fat also causes a rise in estrogen. Elevated estrogen disrupts the normal menstrual cycle and causes missed periods or irregular periods. Elevated estrogen disrupts the normal release of a dominant egg for fertilization. A normal cycle has an estrogen build and surge mid-cycle, which releases an egg (ovulation) for fertilization (pregnancy). If you are overweight, you have excess estrogen which disrupts this normal cycle. Instead, the elevated estrogen causes many ovarian follicles to grow and get big, causing large multi-cystic ovaries, but no dominant follicle is released (no ovulation). The other term for this is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
     If you have PCOS, you are probably overweight, and you may have had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy. You may be pre-diabetic. This is why your doctor puts you on an anti-glycemic medication (usually metformin). The doctor is trying to help reduce your circulating glucose, to reduce your insulin level, to reduce your fat storage (weight loss), to reduce your excess estrogen, so 
you can get pregnant.
     Women who are overweight chronically also have an increased risk for uterine cancer. Why? Because elevated estrogen from their fat stores also causes the uterine lining to build and become thickened. It overbuilds and becomes unstable causing the lining to shed causing heavy, irregular bleeding. Over time, the constant building of the lining can cause the cells to become abnormal, just like any other cancer. There is no mechanism to shut down the overbuilding of the lining until a woman loses weight (fat stores). Ladies, if you are overweight, and you’re having one or two heavy periods a year, you need to see your gynecologist.
     I hope this quick explanation has been helpful. Go low-carb!

Halloween Boo

Becky Johnson is a Certified Nurse Midwife I work with in Paoli. She made this and shared it with me. Too cute!

Last chemo!

Celebrating with my mom today. Her last chemo (immunotherapy) for Stage IIIB breast cancer, diagnosed one year ago. She is status post a bilateral mastectomy and radiation. She is looking good! I thank God for her health. I’m also thankful for her doctors: Dr. Bill Hoagland, Dr. Geetha Joseph, and Dr. Carole Scharf from the Baptist system. 

I think it’s time for this tattoo in honor of my mom, my friend Barb, and all of the other survivors out there. Oh yeah, and for me too! This is Barb’s tattoo.

For the Lady Peeps....let’s talk Gyn

     Hi ladies, and any gents who have interest. I thought we’d start with a sip of bourbon for this conversation. Although I’m no longer in office practice, I still work full-time as an OB Hospitalist. I chose this pathway because now I work 24-hour shifts, only 7 days a month. Although the shifts can be tiring, I enjoy having more time off with my family. 
     So, today, I wanted to open up the floor for discussion of OB/Gyn topics. If you have a burning question that you need an answer to, please post it in the comments. If you are asking an embarrassing question, you can also email me at havenofear4110@gmail.com. That is my blog address. Please limit your questions to two for now. I will try to answer the questions as soon as possible. Those questions posted on the blog will be answered first. 
     Let’s have some fun with this, since trips to see your Gyn are never fun!

Fall beauty

Some pretty Fall scenery from French Lick, Indiana. 

Bible app

     I wanted to share this awesome Bible app with you. I’ve downloaded it to my iPhone and my iPad. I use it almost every morning. There are lots of different devotionals to choose from. You can add friends and see what they are reading, which I like because my friends help me find great devotionals.

     If you download it, look me up and friend me. We can share devotionals. There are also daily Bible verses with beautiful photo backgrounds. Enjoy 😉!

     The @YouVersion Bible App has a permanent spot on my home screen. Read, watch, listen, and share…all in a free app:
http://bible.com/app
http://bible.com/app

Ketogenic diet

I just wanted to give you a quick food list and carb count for ketogenic foods/diet. Realize that some people only use the KETO//OS drink/supplement without changing their diet much. Sorry the charts did not copy well. You can find this information on the Pruvit website.

Independent Pruvit Promoter