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OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE TALLAHASSEE AREA CHAPTER UNITED OSTOMY ASSOCIATION
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DETOURS |
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OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE TALLAHASSEE AREA CHAPTER UNITED OSTOMY ASSOCIATION
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OFFICERS
President - Willie Graham Phone: 575-2077
Vice President - Gary Merriman Phone: 878-0988
Secretary -Missy Andric Phone: 562-2023
Treasurer - George Manning Phone: 877-3378
Newsletter - Wilson Enfinger Phone: 576-6864
Web Master - Jesse B. Taintor Phone: 224-6888
http://garnet. acns. fsu. edu/~ jtaintor/uoax.htmlPhone: 224-6888
PURPOSE
The Tallahassee chapter is a volunteer organization composed primarily of ostomates with the purpose of supplementing the work of medical professionals by offering mutual aid and moral support through people who have learned to live with an ostomy. Trained members visit ostomy patients in hospitals and at their homes upon request and with consent of the patient’s physician. We publish a newsletter and hold monthly meetings. We hope you will attend our monthly program to support our speakers and to become acquainted with our other members and to share experiences.
MEETINGS
The Tallahassee chapter of the U.O.A. meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings will be held at Tallahassee Memorial Education Center; located at 1215 Hodges Drive, Tallahassee, FL in Classroom #3. The contact person is Wilson Enfinger; he may be reached at 681-5402.
APRIL MEETING
DATE: April 6, 1999
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
TMH Education Center
1215 Hodges Drive
SPEAKER: Tom Kinnebrew
MINUTES FROM MARCH UOA MEETING
Our speaker this month was Brent Tozzer from the Museum of Florida History. He holds a degree in Florida Folklore Anthropology. He presented a slide show of Florida Folklore in a traditional way. A short talk and questions and answers followed. The Florida Folk life exhibit will be in Tallahassee in April. Any questions can be asked by calling 488-1484 - R.A. Gray Building. Brent was also given a certificate of appreciation.
Our treasury balance as of 3/1/99 is $585.49
TMH had 6 colostomies and 4 ileostomies for the month of February. Our VP Gary Merriman made two visits. This is such an important opportunity for everyone concerned. Our 50-50 winner was Jesse Taintor. Our thoughts and prayers go to Vivian Scarborough -- her mom has suffered a stroke. We hope to hear of improvement at our April meeting.
Everyone have a great month. See you in April.
Taking it a day at a time,
Missy
WATER -- YOUR BODY’S BEST FRIEND
From Tacoma (WA) Newsletter, via S. Brevard (FL) OSTOMY Newsletter
The body is 70% water by weight. This is why it is so important to drink enough water every day. Also, drinking enough water will help to maintain or acquire water balance, meaning that the amount of water entering the body equals the amount leaving it. It is recommended that an active person should drink at least the equivalent of 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water each day. This can be taken in not only by drinking water, but also through other sources, such as a variety of beverages and foods that have a high water content. As you drink more water and approach the state of water balance, your body stops retaining water and your natural thirst increases. In other words, the water is now being flushed freely through your system, so your body turns on the thirst signal as a stimulus for you to replace the water that is being excreted. A good indication that you are in water balance or close to it, is a natural, periodic thirst.
WATER FACTS:
° Fluid retention. No more puffiness around the eyes, or bloating. The way to get rid of fluid retention is by drinking more water, not less. The less water you drink, the more you will store. Your body protects itself against dehydration.
° Temperature control. By drinking enough water, your body can more efficiently control its temperature. Without enough water, you cannot sweat as much and you will have trouble maintaining normal body temperature, particularly during heavy activity such as weight lifting, aerobics, and so on. Keep in mind that excessive water loss can cause death.
° Clear complexion. Water helps tone up the skin and also improves the complexion. Very important if you want to look your best.
° Good Circulation. Ninety percent of our blood is water. It helps carry nutrients to our muscles so they can function. It also flushes out waste products. Without water, our tissues would starve, and we would poison ourselves with our own waste.
° Easy breathing. Water continuously moistens our lungs. The rest of our respiratory tract is literally soaked in water. Without water, we would stop breathing.
° Efficient digestion. It takes about a gallon of water a day just to run our digestive waterworks. Without water, we could not digest our food. Saliva alone accounts for a quart and a half of this water.
° Moving muscles. Our muscles are 75% water, and they cannot function without it.
All these benefits can be yours simply by drinking enough water each day so that you are in water balance. It’s a good idea to keep a cup at your desk and refill it periodically during the day.
CARDIOVASCULAR UPDATE
Cholesterol: From Confusion to Clarity
Cholesterol consciousness started about 15 years ago and since that time it has probably taken up more space in the news media and more time in conversations between patient and physician than any other health topic. Pick up almost any magazine and you will see an article on it. Look at any food label and you will see it mentioned.
But just when we thought we understood cholesterol, we were told that, in terms of heart disease, saturated fat was the real villain. And further, that the components of overall cholesterol, such as HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and cholesterol ratios were more important than total cholesterol level.
What should be "cholesterol consciousness" has turned into cholesterol confusion.CardiSense
To begin with, what is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a compound found only in animal products. It is essential to maintaining life and is used as a building block for certain hormones. It is a component of the protective coating of nerve fibers and cell membranes -- the part of the cell that keeps good things in and bad things out. But what many people don’t know is that cholesterol is manufactured by our bodies. Consequently, we can get by quite nicely without consuming foods which contain cholesterol. In fact, only about 15% of our blood cholesterol comes from our diet, the other 85% is made by the body.
That last sentence brings up another often-asked question. What is the difference between dietary cholesterol and serum or blood cholesterol? Dietary cholesterol refers to the cholesterol in the foods that we eat. Serum or blood cholesterol refers to the cholesterol that is circulating in the blood. When a physician checks your cholesterol, he/she is measuring your serum or blood cholesterol level.
Cholesterol circulates through the body attached to different-sized fat-carrying proteins called lipoproteins. The more common low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) are believed to carry cholesterol to the cells, promoting atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in the blood vessels. Smaller, high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are believed to carry cholesterol to the liver, the organ that eventually helps rid the body of cholesterol, thus helping prevent or slow down atherosclerosis.
That is why LDL cholesterol is often referred to as "bad" cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol is referred to "good" cholesterol.
These days, when physicians test for cholesterol (blood cholesterol), they often also test for the amount of HDLs and LDLs. These numbers can be confusing for many people, so in 1988 the National Institutes of Health’s Adult Treatment Panel established three broad categories to help both patients and physicians assess all the results of their cholesterol tests.
CHOLESTEROL
High blood cholesterol: 240 or higher
Borderline high blood cholesterol: between 200 and 239
Desirable blood cholesterol: below 200
LDL CHOLESTEROL - THE "BAD" CHOLESTEROL
High LDL cholesterol: 160 or higher
Borderline high LDL cholesterol: between 130 and 159
Desirable LDL cholesterol: below 130
HDL CHOLESTEROL - HIGHER IS BETTER
Low HDL cholesterol: less than 35
Borderline low HDL cholesterol: between 35 and 45
Desirable HDL cholesterol: above 45
These numbers are guides for people of all ages. They must be considered in terms of all risk factors for heart disease (e.g., smoking or family history). Therefore, if you have any questions concerning your numbers, ask your physician to help you interpret them and guide you. Only your physician is aware of your age and the other factors in your background that should be considered in evaluating the results of these tests.
Understanding what the words and numbers mean is important but knowing how to control your blood cholesterol level is what’s really important. And when it comes to diet, there are three words you need to remember: EAT LESS FAT!
TRAVEL WISE -- MAKING A QUICK --AND INEXPENSIVE ---GETAWAY
Everybody needs a change of scene once in a while, but if you don’t have the time for a full-fledged vacation, why not consider taking a 1 - or 2-day mini-vacation?
One of the best resources around for "mini-vacation" information is the American Automobile Association (AAA) Travel Service. There is a nominal membership fee to join AAA, and their travel service is one of the benefits of being a member. You can get their local number by calling information. Once you’ve decided on a destination, AAA will tell you over the phone what the best route is and then mail you a map of the area. This map comes in the form of a booklet called a Trip-Tik, which also contains points of interest to look for along the way.
Secondly, how long do you want to be gone? For some people, a day set aside to drive through the mountains, walk along the beach, or visit the nearest city for a shopping spree is vacation enough. For others, it’s not really a vacation unless they spend the night away from home. For "overnighters," pamper yourself by skipping the local motels and discovering the down-home pleasures of a guest house or a bed and breakfast.
These restored older homes are truly homes away from home, with the innkeepers providing personal service and the parlor serving as a place to meet and get to know other guests.
Often located in rural areas, these warm, comfortable accommoda- tions are a welcome alternative to impersonal motel rooms. Many of the owners of these facilities make an extra effort to know what special events are happening in town, and they will be happy to provide you with local maps and information on what sights to see. Before making your reservation, it’s important to know the difference between an inn, a bed and breakfast, and a guest house.
Most inns are houses specifically built to meet the needs of travelers, and these facilities have anywhere from 10 to 30 guest rooms. They may have a piano player and bar area or some form of entertainment. Many, but not all, provide breakfast and some have facilities to prepare meals. Inns that do not serve meals are usually located near restaurants.
A bed and breakfast can range from a home with three or more bedrooms to a mansion with ten bedrooms. A guest house is usually a private home, and reservations are made through a reservation service organization. Depending on the season and the services offered, prices for most of these accommodations range from $50 to $75 a night, based on a double room, double occupancy rate.
Call the Chamber of Commerce of the town you plan to visit. They can recommend places to stay.
It’s important to remember that your vacation should also be a time of rest, so it’s best not to travel too far from home. A pleasant 2- or 3-hour drive (about 120 to 180 miles) will give you that feeling of "getting away" without taking too much time or energy. It might also make your trip more of an adventure if you take a train, bus, or local transportation and then rent a car for the short duration of your visit.
And, most important of all, don’t forget your camera! Documenting your little trip with photographs will help reinforce the idea that you’ve really been away on a vacation.©©
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