Module 10 - Heart Disease and Cancer

Wow, both of these diseases sure hit home for me. On both sides of my family there is a significant prevelance of both diseases. On my fathers side, both he and his mother died of heart attacks, my dad was only 48. On my mothers side, her father died at 51 of a heart attack and my grandmother (who is almost 90...go Grandma!) has faught and won 3 bouts with cancer. Ueterine, lymphoma (non-hodgkins) and most recently breast. He sisters and her daughter (my moms sister) have also had breast cancer - some survived, others did not. The "option 1" assignment for this module that involved the health quiz was a good assignment for me. The feedback I received from a student was very kind and supportive and I think I needed that. I beat myself up a little over bad habits that I cannot kick, that I need to kick. After reading her feedback and realizing that I am not alone in making excuses, makes me want to change and stop making excuses. Not just for me, but also for her and others like us.

Eating Disorders

I am all too familiar with this issue. A very close friend, someone I
think of as a little sister has struggled with an eating disorder since
she was 15. It was the strangest thing to watch happen. I have known
her since she was 2 and she was always a very active child and was
always very small, height and weight. At about 11 or so (junior high)
she began putting on weight and by 13-14 was overweight (not obese but
"chubby" for her height). No one knows exactly what happened but there
was an incident (outside of the home) that broke her spirit and she
became a whole new person. Eating was limited at best and the food
choices were not a healthy variety. Rice cakes, water, celery, etc.
Sugar was out of the question. Exercise was the other new obsession.
There would be times when she would go for so long and so hard that she
fell off the treadmill. We all noticed these behaviors and tried to
talk to her but it only got worse. She reached a point where she was a
size 0 and it was an extremely proud time for her. It was an
excruciating time for her family. We could see her breast bones and
shoulders through her skin and her cheeks looked like they had been
scooped out. Several years have passed and there has been marked
improvement. She finally accepted a little bit of professional help and
also married a nice young man who loves her for what is on the inside.
There were many other issues involved such as promiscuity so it is my
thought that this was not only about control but also about "feeling"
loved or accepted (self esteem). This is the strangest part of the
whole thing because she has a very loving family who always told her
she was special and beautiful, no matter what. Through this experience
I have learned to understand thestrength and power of this disease. I
am glad that we all worked together to get her on a healthier track. I
am happy to report that in the beginning of this month she delivered
triplet boys who are all perfectly healthy! She has already begun to
talk about her exercise plans to "take off baby weight" but she intends
to do it in moderation. We will all be watching closely =)

Blog 8 - Midterm Review

At this point in the semester, I think that the module on Pregnancy, Childbirth and Breastfeeding has been the most interesting and insightful. My husband and I are at the beginning of the "having kids" process and we are both scared. The chapter in the text had a lot of information, many things that I did not know. This module was quite timely with my yearly female exam and the topics in the text helped me formulate questions to ask my ob/gyn. The information and assignment on breastfeeding was especially helpful. I have not had much exposure to breastfeeding. The idea of it always made me feel weird but after reading more about it, it is something I want to consider (where before it was not even a consideration.) My husband and I are excited about being parents but we are definately nervous. I was glad to have this module as part of the class, I feel a little more prepared for when we are blessed with a pregnancy.

STD Stigma

The stigma attached to those with STD's is courtesy of a judgemental society. I have been guilty of thinking someone is "dirty" or promiscuous when I learn that they have an STD. However, with education I have come to understand many of the common STD's and am now able to be less judgemental. Many people who get STD's are in serious relationships but their partner is either not aware or has not been honest about their health status so an "innocent" person becomes infected. HPV is an excellent example of an STD that exibits no symptoms (or hardly visible) in males so it is passed on without knowledge. It was only recently that this has become a hot topic and it is because over 80% of the 35 and under population have HPV. I do have to say that there are many people who do have an STD due to their risky behavior so the stigma is not entirely without merit. However, regardless of someones behavior, they should not be judged but rather, educated.

Prenatal Testing - Blog 6

I could go either way on this issue. I personally do not think that I would have the strength or courage to raise a special needs child. I have an extended family member who is severely mentally and physically handicaped and has major medical problems. I know that my aunt and uncle have a constant up hill battle with this everyday of their lives. I admire their ability to take care of him (with help from nurses and other family) but I do not think I could do what they are doing! I am very happy that prenatal testing is available and I feel that I will utilize a lot of what technology has to offer me when I decide to have a child. However, I can see where too much infomation could lead to the need to make unpleasant decisions. As far as making it mandatory (or routine), I don't think that is possible. Many people do not even have regular prenatal visits when they are pregnant let alone testing. I would hope that every doctor would encourage regular visits and general testing to insure that there is nothing life threatening for mom or baby going on, but beyond that I feel like it is a personal choice to go farther with more advanced tests.

Contraception and Child Bearing

This is a big subject for me right now...My husband and I are at a point where having a baby is a realistic thing. When I was in my teens and early twenties, I remember saying, "I want four kids!" That was when I was in fantasy land! Now as I am approaching the point in my life where we will actually stop preventing and start trying to have a baby I am darn scared! I have been on the pill, which is by far my method of choice, for many years. It has helped me emotionally and physically and has been great for preventing pregnancy. I started taking the pill to help lighten my periods and reduce cramps which was a blessing! I have tried the Depo shot, that was the WORST 3 months of my life! I had a spotty period the whole time and was a crazy psycho chick (and I gained 10 pounds!!!!)!

I feel that people need to be more responsible with their bodies. Teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy for those in a bad financial, emotional or physical situation is really inexcusable. There are so many methods of contraception (especially abstinence when we are talking about teens!) that there should not be an issue. Unfortunately, I think that many women are uneducated or misinformed about all of the means of prevention out there. I also feel that many women do not want to "insult" there guy buy telling him he needs to were a condom (especially young teen girls). I know when I was a teen I surely was not ready to have a child so I did what was necessary to prevent that and for me that was abstinence. I also know that until I KNOW I can provide for another human being in every way necessary, I will continue to take the appropriate precautions.

I do want to touch on the religious/cultural aspect of contraceptives. Having gone to Catholic school my entire life, I am very aware of their position on the use of contraceptives. HOWEVER, I certainly do not agree with their ideology. I find it so hard to understand how a religion can impose on a people in this manner. They certainly aren't paying for diapers and formula so they should not be telling me to use the "natural family planning" method of prevention that has a fail rate of up to 25%! That is a one in four chance! This figure is also with good monitoring - which most people do not keep up with.

Sex Education

I feel that a comprehensive sex ed course should be included in high school. I went to a Catholic high school and they felt it necessary to include contraception in our Morality course....Taught by a NUN! In the Catholic religion, contraception is not condoned however, the Diocese sees the need for pregnancy and disease prevention due to the increases in statistics of both issues. I remember the teacher of my course and one of the stories she told....A young man and woman came to her with an unplanned pregnancy and were confused as to how it could have happened. The method of prevention they used was a rubber band tightly wrapped around the base of his penis. They actually believed that this would work. This type of ignorance is why we need to provide information. By teaching abstinence only education, students like them continue to be uninformed about the appropriate use of contraceptives.

I also believe that a mock child rearing exercise should be included in this course. There are lifelike simulators that act and require care like real babies. This experience shows young people just how difficult being a parent can be and hopefully encourages them to practice abstinence (or at least safer sex practices.)