Why newspapers are important

Leave it to newspapers to clean up the details overlooked by the TV media.

In the drip-drip-drip of Ann Curry's interview with the Octuplet mom, the TV journalist left unanswered (and unquestioned) the claim by the mom that she was not on welfare and was relying on "other income."

But the Los Angeles Times clears that up with a story in it's Tuesday edition that the mom is not only receiving food stamps, but also medicaid payments for three of her six non-octuplet kids due to a disability.

A publicist - has anyone asked how this woman can afford a publicist - for the mom says that the food stamps and payments do not qualify as welfare. Technically correct, but it is a careful parsing on the woman's part.

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry when the woman says:
- She worked double shifts to make money for the in vitro procedures and she told people she was saving her money to "have babies;"
- She had been on disability for six years from an injury sustained as a psychiatric hospital where she worked;
- She will use student loans when she goes back to school in the fall to help support her family;
- She is pursuing a career in counseling (who believes this woman can offer sound advice?).

Let's tally it up: 14 kids, no visible means of support. Sounds like she is in the running for her own government bailout.

No heavy lifting required

Just an update on the hernia surgery: All is progressing well. The scar is a bit unsightly - mainly because the belly hair hasn't fully grown back.

The best news (OK, maybe not the best) is that I'm under a "no-heavy-lifting" rule from the doctor for four weeks after the surgery. In the doc's opinion, "heavy lifting" consists of 20 lbs. I've got another week to milk this, so trash duty, litter pan duty, carried tired and whiney 3-year-old duty, etc. falls to my wife.

It could be worse. My wife works in the health field and she assessed a patient (in his 70s or 80s) who had the same surgery I did. One problem: His incisions didn't take (or he didn't follow doctor's orders) and he ended up with a nasty infection.

I'm hoping to avoid all that, although I may bust a gut when the post-insurance bill arrives.

Hernia surgery: More painful than pushups

Oh, the indignity of it all.

On Wednesday I underwent outpatient surgery for a hernia. I'm sure the soreness will subside eventually, but right now I'm thinking: Why did I get this surgery?

My gut feels like I've done 1,000 sit ups. The hernia was located just above the belly button, which means I am clean shaven in that area (so much for going shirtless at the beach). I briefly was the hot blonde doctor's assistant - a med school student shadowing the surgeon. But it was too brief: She didn't even stop in to check on me.

The pain will subside, and it's not too bad if I'm lying down or sitting. What hurts is the process of lying down, sitting down, or anything that requires the slightest bending of my waist. That's when the pain really hits and I start moving like The Mummy (the 1930s Boris Karloff edition, not the Brendan Fraser movie series).

Do I C-eem thinner?

The healthy folks at Yahoo! say weight loss is as easy as A-B-C.

Well, at least the C part, anyway.

The editor of their health section credits a diet rich in vitamin C with trimming her waistline. This 40-something (and not bad looking from the neck-up bio pic or in this recent photo) also works out, which also is helpful.

I'm still sticking with the no-soda, no-late-night-eating regimen (although I've been letting that slide during some late-into-the-evening summer events).

Wii-hab not just for old folks

You may have heard stories about how the Nintendo Wii system is a great tool for keeping seniors active. But it's not just for the over-60 crowd.

While lacking the graphics of its Nintendo sister systems and its competitors, the games are design to get your duff off the couch (or off the computer) and be active.

I admit I was skeptical when my wife said, "We have to have a Wii system" a few months ago. A passing fad that will collect dust with other "must have" items that sit in closets, the garage, etc.

We haven't invested heavily into games, but our favorites are the Wii Sports and Wii Fit. The sports disc features tennis, baseball, boxing, bowling, and golf. The Wii Fit disc has various balance (the most fun), aerobic, and other exercises. It also keeps track of weight, body mass index, and issues you a Wii Fit age (I'm younger than 40, according to it).

The $300 system price (plus another $90 for the Wii Fit board) might seem high at first, but when you consider me, my wife, and our four kids are active Wii players, it's a bargain. Got a rainy day and 20 minutes to spare? Do a quick Wii workout. Tired of the treadmill - or in our case, don't want to take all the clothes and boxes off of the treadmill? Play nine holes of golf.

Big green pill?

Who needs Viagra when you've got watermelon?

Scientists say the summertime treat contains citrulline, which turns into arginine, which relaxes the blood vessels. It's similar to the effect when a man takes a pill for ED (erectile disfunction). The catch is you'd have to eat about six cups of watermelon to get enough citrulline to trigger the action, so I don't think the folks at Pfizer are worried.

I love watermelon, but the only effect it usually has on me is an extra trip or two to the bathroom.

That reminds me. I haven't been getting enough lately.

Hey! I was talking about watermelon.

Heave! Ho! Oh, no!

Father's Day is supposed to be a day of relaxation for dad, right?

Wrong! My wife decided it would be a good day to head to Menard's to buy patio bricks (we don't even have a patio) and mulch for the yard.

I loaded up the large utility cart with 45 brick pavers (approx. 10 to 15 lbs. each) and eight bags of wet, heavy mulch.

When showering that night, I noticed a large bulge above my belly button about the diameter of a half dollar and protruding about a quarter-inch outward. My nurse-trained wife and I figured it was a hernia, and did a little research to find out more.

It didn't hurt, although there was some mild discomfort. Still, I went to my doctor, who referred me to a surgeon, who said, "Yeah, we're going to have to repair that." This hernia is basically a tear in the abdominal wall.

The main concern - as we found online and confirmed by the surgeon - is that the hernia could interfere with the bowels and possibly causing a serve infection. So guys, there are worse things than surgery for a hernia - such as gangrene in your bowels.

My only beef with the surgeon was when he asked about pain. I said there was mild discomfort, but no big deal. Then he proceeded to push his hand about three inches into my midsection and asked how that felt. I'm sure that wouldn't have felt good with or without a hernia.

Surgery is scheduled July 16, so I'll let you know how that goes. Depending on what type of painkillers I'm on, it could be an interesting post.

You are getting sleepy, sleepy, sleepy .......

With four kids, work and, other commitments, my wife and I find keeping a schedule difficult. One area that we've struggled with this summer is getting to bed. No, not that "getting to bed." I mean sleep.

The cause has been a mix of youth sports, aggressive yard work (mulch and brick pavers - more on that topic in an upcoming post), and general busyness. Another factor is Indiana's decision to get in step with the rest of the U.S. and follow Daylight Saving Time. We now spring forward and fall back. Before we stubbornly kept our clocks the same and let the rest of the civilized world figure out what time it is here.

As a result, there's still a fair amount of daylight now at 9:30 p.m. - which makes it tough to stick to the school year bedtime of 8:30 p.m. The kids are in bed at 10 p.m. at the earliest, which means my wife and I - after tending to straightening up the house and other mundane tasks - have little interest or energy in anything else besides getting to bed. As in sleep.

In between yawns and spoonfuls of cereal an the morning ritual of watching "Arthur" on PBS, my wife found an article discussing the healthy benefits of sleeping. The passage I found interesting - although not surprising in retrospect - is that Americans slept an average of 10 hours per night in 1880, the year Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Today, we get 6.9 hours a night on weekdays and a whopping 7.5 hours a night on weekends.

My inner clock already tells me I need more sleep, but I need get it in sync with the outer clock that is Eastern Daylight Time and get to sleep at a decent hour - which may result in "getting to bed" more often. But I digress.

Schools are key piece in autism puzzle

There are two recent stories in the Whittier Daily News and the Cincinnati Enquirer about students with autism who recently graduated from high school. There are uplifting articles about individuals who have overcome difficulties associated with this condition.

I have four children who have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. Three are in the local public school system and one is still in pre-school.

Asperger's is arguably the mildest form of autism. With my kids, they seem "normal" (as if any kid can be labeled normal). But it's when you engage with them in discussion that you see some of the social quirks kick in - i.e. lack of eye contact, lack of basic conversational skills, hand-wringing (my son sometime licks his hands).

But they perform well in school. The two older students are in a more rigorous academic program geared toward the gifted and talented students. In academics, the Asperger's can present problems during timed testing - sometimes there's a lack of urgency to get the test done - as well as following some basic classroom rules.

The key for us in the school system has been to meet with the school regularly. In our district, the Asperger's diagnosis puts our children in the special education category, which means a thorough individual education plan (IEP) for each child. Input into this plan comes from the parents, the classroom teacher, the school's special education coordinator, and any other staffers - i.e. speech therapist, physical therapist - who assist with their education.

These meetings, as well as other communication during the year, keep you plugged in to the school system. That line of communication is critical to keep the home and school on the same page.

It's important to know what rights you have as a parent. Yes, it sounds bureaucratic. But it helps protect the child and guarantees a proper education.

Men's only diet

I'm a person whose dedication to health is questionable at best.

My breakfast sometimes consists of a cup of coffee (times 3), and occasionally I'll have a lunchtime dessert - minus the lunch. Exercise is a foreign word (although I need to do something about that.)

But I do read lables more carefully now, trying to cut out the fat where possible. While I used to be a frozen dinner junkie, I'm convinced that a skull and crossbones should appear next to the nutrtional information on some meals.

But 18 months ago, I got tired of the spare tire I carried around my waist. I was by no means obese - 5' 10" and 205 lbs. isn't bad if you're carrying muscle (I was not). But my waistline started approaching my age; I found myself slightly out-of-breath going upstairs in my house; my gut pinched me when I sat.

Then God intervened - or at least I was at His house when it happened. The Lenten season approached and a friend challenged the congregation at my former church to give up soda and coffee for Lent. No way could I give up coffee, but I could probably do without those three to five 32.oz convenience store sodas that I chugged out of habit each week (and who knows how many 12.oz sodas).

My other conscious decision was to cut out late-night eating. In my previous newspaper job, I worked evening hours. I might get home around midnight or 1 a.m. and have a slice of pie, a bowl of ice, half a bag of chips - or sometimes all three.

By the time Lent ended, I was down 20 pounds. Right now my weight fluctuates between 175 and 180, and I'm not tired going up the stairs. Best of all, I feel I have more energy than before.

My wife (and other women I know) were jealous, of course. "Only a man could lose weight that way," they said.

I did no research beforehand, but I later saw a diet book that supported the no-soda theory. I also found a story on CNN that discusses the link between no soda and weight loss.

I have the occasional soda - maybe one per month. I'm probably preserving my teeth a little longer by avoiding all that acid and sugar.

And if this blog disappears soon after this post, you'll know that the Coke or Pepsi mafia got to me. Look for my body somewhere is a shallow grave. Just follow the trail of empty soda cans.

Pain in the back - literally

My posture has never been the best. While my knuckles aren't dragging the ground when I walk, my slumped walk may predate the Neanderthals.

One thing that probably doesn't help my posture or my back in general is my habit of crossing my legs at the computer. I read somewhere recently (though I can't find the reference) that this is bad. While I will attempt to adopt better posture - difficult since I've already uncrossed my legs twice while writing this entry - some simple exercises can be helpful as well. And if we can shed a few extra pounds, that's even less pressure on the spine.

I'm not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV), but back pain seems to get a little worse as we age. Knees, too, but that's a topic for another day. If yours is more serious than mild discomfort, the American Spinal Decompression Association has some information on non-surgical ways to help.

Maybe we'd all have been better off if we listened to Mom or our teachers when they said, "Sit up straight." I still have my doubts starving children in third world countries would have wanted to eat cauliflower.