fixed!
(well, tech support was not so supportive, but things seem to be working now, at least as far as the online giving page).
please look it over, if you can spare some extra change, it will go a very very long way!
HELP BUILD CARE
the rest im still working on. 4 days to go, not sure how this will pan out. ive been a little consumed with deadlines, and entirely ignorant of any suggested training. and heatwave? for real, its still hitting 90 deg here daytime.
but no more excuses. while i may not beat p.diddy's nyc marathon time, i will finish, i can promise that. and yes, id like to raise some money, have a good time, and enjoy the company and the run. this is my first, and will not be my last.
its the home stretch, in more ways than one.
Showing posts with label meds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meds. Show all posts
15 January 2009
30 December 2008
the bloody flux
dysentery is a major issue of public health. it looks pretty, but its not.
.jpg)
basically spread by contaminated water, bacteria and amoebae enter the body and take up residence in the intestines. this causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms, the most critical being the resulting dehydration and nutrient deficiency that comes from not being able to retain food. this can be fatal, especially in children. in its less advanced and less severe states, its still not fun. headaches, confusion, stomach pain, the runs, on and off. the amoebae can take up residence in your gut, and although there may be no overt symptoms, its hard to be 100% well.
'a clean body cannot reside in an unclean city' - mk gandhi
so what to do? i dont really like the idea of dysentery, or amoebas in general, and its something id like to avoid in the future. however for some reason i seem to be a good host, and its been back in typical form for the last couple of weeks. beyond that though, its popularity here is evidence to a link between public health and urban development.
mumbai is not the dirtiest place i have ever been to, but its not the cleanest either. surface sanitation is one thing, but the problem with chronic conditions like contaminated water lie in the systems that set up the framework for life here. drinking water supply, ground water run-off, and sewer combine on a regular basis through overlapped networks and breaches in their respective boundaries. add to that an informal system of gathering, cleaning and eliminating, and probability for infection increases exponentially. mumbai has a combined ground water and sewer system, meaning that what drains off the streets, gets mixed with sewage, on its way to disposal. this also means that in times of severe rainfall (monsoon) this system overloads, and backs up, back to the streets. (this also happens in washington dc and boston, minus the monsoon). proper drainage systems, and separate sewage routing would decrease the level of contaminated groundwater, which would be a good start to avoiding the contamination of drinking water. as the drinking water supply is channeled into the city via pipelines and tanker trucks, it frequently comes into contact with the other system, of groundwater and sewage. sometimes by proximity, mostly by breaks (either leaks or informal taps) in the security of its containment. once things are combined, its hard to separate.
mumbai obviously cannot redesign an infrastructure over 100 yrs old, but there may be ways to remediate the system. concentrating on developing proper drainage for the most densely developed areas would help alleviate the pressure on the stormwater system. increasing safe public toilet facilities would help with the problem of informal sewers. ensuring that drinking water pipelines remain intact would reduce the probability of contamination. rainwater recycling could charge the toilet systems. requiring that new buildings have an adequate percentage of pervious open space might help absorb more run-off. constructing restorative landscapes in the large tracts of undeveloped land and turning them into park spaces may foster a sense of environmental stewardship.
sigh. this is all very simple, and not very realistic, when put into the context of how the city actually functions. so maybe there is a way to scale back, make the changes or modifications smaller, in the spirit of how most shortcomings are compensated for here.
im not sure, but its on my mind. in the meantime, i need to find some meds.
and make sure im drinking the good stuff.
* amoebic image from wikipedia.
* and despite the name, this is recommended for hangovers, and probably hard to find outside of stuttgart.
* is there a 75% less? its still better than any diet i know.
.jpg)
basically spread by contaminated water, bacteria and amoebae enter the body and take up residence in the intestines. this causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms, the most critical being the resulting dehydration and nutrient deficiency that comes from not being able to retain food. this can be fatal, especially in children. in its less advanced and less severe states, its still not fun. headaches, confusion, stomach pain, the runs, on and off. the amoebae can take up residence in your gut, and although there may be no overt symptoms, its hard to be 100% well.
'a clean body cannot reside in an unclean city' - mk gandhi
so what to do? i dont really like the idea of dysentery, or amoebas in general, and its something id like to avoid in the future. however for some reason i seem to be a good host, and its been back in typical form for the last couple of weeks. beyond that though, its popularity here is evidence to a link between public health and urban development.
mumbai is not the dirtiest place i have ever been to, but its not the cleanest either. surface sanitation is one thing, but the problem with chronic conditions like contaminated water lie in the systems that set up the framework for life here. drinking water supply, ground water run-off, and sewer combine on a regular basis through overlapped networks and breaches in their respective boundaries. add to that an informal system of gathering, cleaning and eliminating, and probability for infection increases exponentially. mumbai has a combined ground water and sewer system, meaning that what drains off the streets, gets mixed with sewage, on its way to disposal. this also means that in times of severe rainfall (monsoon) this system overloads, and backs up, back to the streets. (this also happens in washington dc and boston, minus the monsoon). proper drainage systems, and separate sewage routing would decrease the level of contaminated groundwater, which would be a good start to avoiding the contamination of drinking water. as the drinking water supply is channeled into the city via pipelines and tanker trucks, it frequently comes into contact with the other system, of groundwater and sewage. sometimes by proximity, mostly by breaks (either leaks or informal taps) in the security of its containment. once things are combined, its hard to separate.
mumbai obviously cannot redesign an infrastructure over 100 yrs old, but there may be ways to remediate the system. concentrating on developing proper drainage for the most densely developed areas would help alleviate the pressure on the stormwater system. increasing safe public toilet facilities would help with the problem of informal sewers. ensuring that drinking water pipelines remain intact would reduce the probability of contamination. rainwater recycling could charge the toilet systems. requiring that new buildings have an adequate percentage of pervious open space might help absorb more run-off. constructing restorative landscapes in the large tracts of undeveloped land and turning them into park spaces may foster a sense of environmental stewardship.
sigh. this is all very simple, and not very realistic, when put into the context of how the city actually functions. so maybe there is a way to scale back, make the changes or modifications smaller, in the spirit of how most shortcomings are compensated for here.
im not sure, but its on my mind. in the meantime, i need to find some meds.
and make sure im drinking the good stuff.
* amoebic image from wikipedia.
* and despite the name, this is recommended for hangovers, and probably hard to find outside of stuttgart.
* is there a 75% less? its still better than any diet i know.
11 May 2008
so long, lariam
just because mumbai is a bustling metropolis, does not mean it comes without several, traditionally more 'rural' health risks, such as malaria. one should probably redefine their concept of metropolis upon arriving in mumbai anyway... in many ways, it is a rural village, on speed.
some say that the recent influx of rural workforce, building materials (yes, always blame the architects), poorly managed water storage and disposal on job sites has led to malaria hotspots in some of the developing areas of the city like malad, and goregaon... read more here.
the opinions on malaria prophylaxis vary. personally, ive heard yes, take it, the side effects are nothing compared to actually getting malaria... and also, dont take it, its pure poison in your body. after also hearing that i could just stop, if things got bad, i decided to try.
because there are several drug resistant strains of malaria these days, and this is not just a two week vacation, my doctor prescribed lariam.
the potential side effects range from vivid dreams, to suicidal ideation. which is quite an impressive range.
for me, it was good for a while. the weekly pill is nice, you dont have to remember everyday, and i never got nauseous like i did with the typhoid vaccine. some funny things popped into my head, and sometimes i felt a little anxious, on edge, or down, but i dismissed it as just a reaction to the extreme change in environment, or just the heat.
then there was a night when dust bunnies came to life. and i was worried that the waiter at the taj had put roofies in my tea. and the panic attack the following day. and i started noticing that after taking the pill on monday, my sanity would totally deteriorate by thursday or friday. but the whole time, it would come in waves, short fits of anxiety, intense paranoia, physical hallucinations, shortness or complete lack of breath. lasting on average, 30 minutes. only after would i realize that it was not normal, it was drug induced mania. and there were no bugs crawling all over me, and my clothes were not choking me. and the dust bunnies were spots on my glasses, not fluffy invaders rushing my bed.
weeks were getting progressively worse, and last week there was a record high of three panic attacks, plus bugs that i couldnt see. or bugs that i could see, but were not really there. ordinary characters began to take on a supernatural evil, making me totally, irrationally paranoid. and that needed to stop.
so the next plan is to work on building up my immune system, investigate alternatives, and make sure that mosquito net is rigged up. thankfully there is some time before skeeter season, and i still have lots of eau de DEET left.
so when life turns into a waking nightmare, follow these words of wisdom:
dont quit life, quit lariam*
* the words of someone obviously more sane than i.
some say that the recent influx of rural workforce, building materials (yes, always blame the architects), poorly managed water storage and disposal on job sites has led to malaria hotspots in some of the developing areas of the city like malad, and goregaon... read more here.
the opinions on malaria prophylaxis vary. personally, ive heard yes, take it, the side effects are nothing compared to actually getting malaria... and also, dont take it, its pure poison in your body. after also hearing that i could just stop, if things got bad, i decided to try.
because there are several drug resistant strains of malaria these days, and this is not just a two week vacation, my doctor prescribed lariam.
the potential side effects range from vivid dreams, to suicidal ideation. which is quite an impressive range.
for me, it was good for a while. the weekly pill is nice, you dont have to remember everyday, and i never got nauseous like i did with the typhoid vaccine. some funny things popped into my head, and sometimes i felt a little anxious, on edge, or down, but i dismissed it as just a reaction to the extreme change in environment, or just the heat.
then there was a night when dust bunnies came to life. and i was worried that the waiter at the taj had put roofies in my tea. and the panic attack the following day. and i started noticing that after taking the pill on monday, my sanity would totally deteriorate by thursday or friday. but the whole time, it would come in waves, short fits of anxiety, intense paranoia, physical hallucinations, shortness or complete lack of breath. lasting on average, 30 minutes. only after would i realize that it was not normal, it was drug induced mania. and there were no bugs crawling all over me, and my clothes were not choking me. and the dust bunnies were spots on my glasses, not fluffy invaders rushing my bed.
weeks were getting progressively worse, and last week there was a record high of three panic attacks, plus bugs that i couldnt see. or bugs that i could see, but were not really there. ordinary characters began to take on a supernatural evil, making me totally, irrationally paranoid. and that needed to stop.
so the next plan is to work on building up my immune system, investigate alternatives, and make sure that mosquito net is rigged up. thankfully there is some time before skeeter season, and i still have lots of eau de DEET left.
so when life turns into a waking nightmare, follow these words of wisdom:
dont quit life, quit lariam*
* the words of someone obviously more sane than i.
31 March 2008
i love khitchdi
for the past week, ive had a fairly steady diet of grilled cheese toasties, yogurt, bland biscuits, rice, and tea. and for the past week, ive not retained much of it. im not exactly sure whats going on, but its obvious that my system is lacking in nutrients, even with the fortified biscuits and probiotic yogurt. i am wary of moshe’s café, runny nutella, and close-talkers.
think its also safe to stay away from my beloved round-the-corner grocery, as i suspect their refrigeration system is partly to blame. dear friends have given me some grapefruit seed extract, which is foul, but promised to be a great anti-microbial. so is alcohol, so will someone please be sure to bring a bottle of scotch? maybe it’s the heat? the ‘real-feel’ temps quoted for the next two weeks are well in the 100’s.
because its been a week, and ive also been a little fevered, i have a field trip to bombay hospital later today.
until things get better though, this is the magic food:
khitchdi + kadhi
if this truly is the indian penicillin, i will eat it everyday because it is comforting, delicious, and most importantly, it stays.
think its also safe to stay away from my beloved round-the-corner grocery, as i suspect their refrigeration system is partly to blame. dear friends have given me some grapefruit seed extract, which is foul, but promised to be a great anti-microbial. so is alcohol, so will someone please be sure to bring a bottle of scotch? maybe it’s the heat? the ‘real-feel’ temps quoted for the next two weeks are well in the 100’s.
because its been a week, and ive also been a little fevered, i have a field trip to bombay hospital later today.
until things get better though, this is the magic food:
khitchdi + kadhi
if this truly is the indian penicillin, i will eat it everyday because it is comforting, delicious, and most importantly, it stays.
03 March 2008
take that, delhi belly
knowing that probably half of this will go unused, im still glad to feel well-armed against whatever may come my way. i keep thinking i could cut this amount in half, but what would be the fun of that? at this rate i can open my own store...
to compensate, im taking an uncharacteristically small amount of clothing and shoes. priorities.
to compensate, im taking an uncharacteristically small amount of clothing and shoes. priorities.
23 February 2008
snowed in
after the last two years of boston winters under the influence of global warming and spending the majority of this years on a west coast beach, it was nice to wake up to this:
the forecasted blizzard was actually nothing but 6 inches of soft pretty mess. doctors and shots were still open so i can check hep A off the list. according to the cdc, its a good idea to get lots of shots before you go on a trip like this. while my doctor may not agree, id rather be overly safe. hep A breeds in places with unsanitary conditions, fancy bars in new york, and is quickly passed through food and water. at the least it will screw up your liver. so my left shoulder takes one for team healthy.
the forecasted blizzard was actually nothing but 6 inches of soft pretty mess. doctors and shots were still open so i can check hep A off the list. according to the cdc, its a good idea to get lots of shots before you go on a trip like this. while my doctor may not agree, id rather be overly safe. hep A breeds in places with unsanitary conditions, fancy bars in new york, and is quickly passed through food and water. at the least it will screw up your liver. so my left shoulder takes one for team healthy.