Well woes

Our well seems to be malfunctioning. This is apparently normal in the winter here, since the springs and maybe some of the watersheds that feed the well may be freezing up. The pump guy that was just out here thinks the fire we had in the summer might also have damaged the watersheds, which he's seen in other areas with fires. So more fall-out from the fire.

Next step: Can it be repaired? Dug deeper? Reamed out?

Living on the land....

broken rib, dexascan

Well, as you know life has been a bit crazy. Just after Christmas, I broke a rib :) and the next day a toe. Both events occurred in rather uneventful manners. The rib was during a rather exuberant bear hug and the toe from a casually tossed book (falling no more then 1 foot before landing on my toe. As these seemed a bit ridiculous and I am at increased risk, I requested a dexascan for bone density. They scan your lower arm, hip/leg and lumbar area. My arm and leg bones were normal. My hip (neck of femur) has notable bone thinning and increase fracture risk called osteopenia (the step before osteoporosis). My lumbar area is severely osteopenic and on the verge of osteoporosis. I had the scan about a week ago and saw my doctor the day before leaving for Vegas. They do not put you back on hormone therapy anymore, as it has not been proven to be overly helpful. I must continue my 3-6 days a week workouts and increase my calcium intact to 1500mg per day in 500mg doses. I guess the body can only process up to 500mg of calcium at a time the rest in wasted. Of course, I will also be taking vit D & K or magnesium to help with absorption. So, with the natural decline that comes with aging, I can be back within normal limits in a couple of years...provided I can maintain or increase my density. There are medications to help with osteoporosis, but they are not safe for long term use and have a limited period of use and effectiveness....I am not there yet. It is best to save those for later, if needed. So, although this sounds alarming, I am doing all I can to keep up my health and decrease my risks and with Jan around to ensure my compliance....I should be great in no time :)

cavities, braces, NFT & a holiday recap

Well, the holiday season has come and gone in a whirl wind of activity. David came up to Montana to visit with us for Christmas and New Year's. It was wonderful to see him and great to spend some time together. The kids went to Vegas via Pocatello and had a great time visiting family and friends (and getting spoiled rotten I am sure :). December and January have been quite busy so here are the highlights....

Neurofeedback Therapy (NFT)

Jamie completed his NF (Neurofeedback) testing the 2-3 week of December. We met with Dr Velin the first week of January and he basically verified that Jamie is very intelligent (95-98th percentile), his attention is normal for his age-but quite far below where it should be based on intelligence, his concentration(distractibility) is below average and a definite problem. He also stated that Jamie's brain gets fatigued quickly due to his irregular brain wave patterns (make it harder for him). He gave several good suggestion for helping Jamie in school and will have these written up and sent to me in a couple of weeks...so that I can take it to the school. He also felt that NFT would have an 80% chance of helping with his concentration/distractibility and brain fatigue, which will raise is over-all ability and function and decrease his irritability. Insurance may or may not cover it, but we felt it was the best avenue...so we started a 20-30 session NFT program. His first session was last weds. Starting this week he will be going 3xweek (MWF) in Missoula (across town- of course :) His first session was amazing! He has electrodes attached to his scalp and ear (the ear is to rule out artifacts caused by physical movement). He has to control a computer game with his brain alone-very cool. His brain wave patterns show up on the tech's computer screen. The screen showed 3 types of waves (they can very depending how he is hooked up). Jamie's brain was producing too many large delta (sleep waves) and too many large "high activity" waves intermittently...and not enough of the calm, focused waves. It was easy to see that his brain was very working ineffectively. No wonder the boy is exhausted after school and brain dead by his last class! The tech was very impressed with how quickly Jamie's brain was learning- a great sign!! If you'd like more detail then just give me a call :)

Braces

Jamie had a consult with Dr Olsen. He will be getting braces tomorrow morning (tuesday) on his top teeth. He will get braces on the bottom in a couple of months. He has had spacers between his teeth since friday to help make space for the bands around his back teeth. We have loaded up on yogurt, oatmeal, jello and soft foods so he can survive this transition :)

Cavities

We are all going to Dr Skilstead this week. Jamie received his cleaning and checkup mid december (to prep for braces). For the first time in many years, he has cavities!! SO, he went last week and today and got fillings. He also Finally got his baby silver tooth out. The tooth was wedged a bit,so it was difficult to remove, even though it has been loose for months. He finally used a pair of pliers and pulled it out himself!! Auri and I go to the dentist tomorrow...As we have the family teeth (very soft)...Thanks MOM :) I am sure we will have cavities, yet again :) Jan will be going in on Weds for his check up.

Happy New Year to all!

It's been an interesting year, and not always exactly the best of times. But overall, due to my bad memory and the fact that I'm in a good and optimistic mood, I think the past year was actually not too bad. I also feel like the next year will be even better!

Happy new year from Montana!
jan, sara, and the kids (and david).