I was pleasantly surprised to be given the Arte Y Pico award by a health blogger that I greatly admire, Sophia at Healthy Perspecives. Her blog is filled with up to date information on health issues that affect everyone. She provides recipes for foods that are nutritious but tasty, easy to read and understand health tips, information about alternative medicine and much more.

Here’s the information about this award:

1. Choose five blogs you consider deserving of this award. (Creativity, interesting material, etc.)

2. Each award includes the name of the owner of the blog and his/her link

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself

4. Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award

I am happy to forward this award to:

1. Chronic Chick Talk
2. Life In The Autoimmune Lane
3. Loving Life With Diabetes
4. Migraine Chick
5. Reasonably Well

It was nice to find the comment about this award waiting for me on my blog. It was much better than getting a phone call from a debt collection agencies!

Something, not sure what yet, is wrong with my Kidney as my new medication prescribed by the nephrologist is working. During my vacation this past week I got my blood test results. For the first time since December of 2007 my Potassium levels are normal.

I was feeling well enough to visit to the parks at Disney World though not every day. I did have to nap every day and got leg cramps and some tingling around my mouth pretty bad a few nights though. On Monday I’m scheduled for blood test for my magnesium level. It seems that if this is high those symptoms could continue.

The worst thing that happened on vacation was getting my scheduled blood test done. I didn’t know what lab to go to even after calling the front desk and my health insurance and using the phone book. My husband finally went to the concierge line and got the address and phone number of the closest lab. We tried this phone number like all of the others from the phone book but there was no answer.

We did find the place by using our GPS. When we arrived, they were packed. Not a good way to spend our vacation time but I needed this test done. When my name was finally called, the receptionist said that her boss just called her on her cell phone to say that people were complaining because they couldn’t get through on the phone. I said the same happened to me. I felt like telling her their large and profitable company needed to spend some money on a CAT6 to keep their phone and fax lines working.

We could have made an appointment if the phones worked. Instead we spent over an hour there plus the travel time to and from. That morning was wasted. I was too tired afterwards to do anything except go out to dinner.

I am glad to know that the doctor has been able to learn so much through the tests I’ve had done. Now to work on managing all the blood levels that will keep me feeling better.

I was pretty amazed to see a recent video about Myasthenia Gravis featuring young people. Although I don’t believe all that they say, here’s something for you to learn from:

Hemochromatosis awareness month is July. This rare disorder also known as HCC causes the body to store too much Iron in the blood. If not treated it can be fatal because the Iron cannot be excreted and forms in the organs of the body.

Some symptoms of this disease are the following:

• arthritis in the hands, especially the knuckles, ankles and hips
• impotence
• liver problems
• hypothyroidism
• cardiac problems including heart attack, irregular heart beat and congestive heart failure

Diagnosis is usually made by specific blood tests. The main treatment for HCC is phlebotomy, which is the removal of blood. The number of treatments depends on the iron levels in the blood. Usually once the levels are normalized treatment is then on a maintenance schedule.

Diet also plays an important role in treating HCC. Avoiding foods high in iron like red meat. Also limiting alcohol and Vitamin C which helps the body to absorb Iron is important.

For more information please the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

I plan on running two blog contest in the next few weeks. One will be here. I think the prizes will be books about chronic illness. I think. It’s difficult to come up with ideas for prizes but I’m working on it.

I have been writing more over at one of my other blogs, Mickey Fanatic, the blog that got lost in the shuffle. This blog is about all things Disney especially family travel. The contest there will be soon too. And I’m also trying to figure out what prizes to give out.

I’ve seen many blog contest ask people to sponsor prizes so I’m doing the same on both of my blogs. If you’re interested in doing this, please either leave a comment or use the Advertise Page to contact me. Please refrain from spilling the beans about what prize you’re sponsoring. I really would like to save that information for when I announce the contest. Some suggestions would be Entrecard credits, anything to do with health, like books or advertising on a health blog, blogroll links for high PR blogs, etc. Your ideas are worth it! For all I know I may get some mortgage lenders wanting to help those of us who spend lots of money on medical bills!

I’ll be on vacation for the coming week so I won’t be able to moderate your comments or answer emails but as soon as I return I’ll take care of this, promise.

County governments in Florida are having a rough time budgeting money for the coming year as I’m sure most local and state governments are throughout the country. The economy is falling apart all over. Where I live there was a huge housing boom a few short years ago. We were considered to be a bedroom community because we are so close to a pretty new highway that leads to Tampa.

This area has good schools, communities, libraries, a low crime rate and was considered to be an excellent place to raise a family. Now there are houses for sale everywhere you look. The problem is those houses sit unsold for years. Too many end up in foreclosure which is ruining our property values and raising our taxes.

What does our county government propose to do to raise money? They are considering lowering the impact fees so that more new homes can be built. They believe that bringing back home building will boost the economy by producing more jobs.

What are they considering cutting? The only public transportation we have. A bus service which is used by many people who cannot drive due to disabilities. Other riders include people who are in low paying jobs and can’t afford cars or gas, the elderly who no longer drive and other people who have never driven.

Does that make any sense at all?