Three views of the Rancho Bernardo Library
Ron Pickett

Ron Pickett

Thursday, 09 January 2020 08:42

Changes in Creative Writing

There are trends in writing. If you doubt that let your copy of Moby Dick or A Tale of Two Cities fall open to a random page and read a paragraph! Next pick up the book you are reading for your book club, open it at random and read a paragraph. Unless you are a member of an extraordinary book club, your “now book,” is far different in the style and structure of the writing, much looser, easier to follow, and engaging.

How does this happen? For an intriguing discussion of recent trends see the following.

Tuesday, 19 November 2019 09:48

Creative Writing Group Meeting Dates

HERE  ARE THE REVISED MEETING DATES FOR THE CREATIVE WRITING GROUP FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2019 AND EARLY 2020

2019/2020 Meeting Dates:

Dec 4

Dec 18

Jan 8

Jan 22

Feb 5

 

I'D SUGGEST THAT YOU MAKE IT YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO JOIN OUR GROUP - EXCEPT WE ALL KNOW THOSE NEVER WORK!

 

Thursday, 03 October 2019 15:15

Another timely poem by Jean Abrahamson

Stranger By The Day
Thursday, 03 October 2019 10:05

Two poems by katy galica

Part 3: Donating my brain to science

This is the final part of this three-part series about what it’s like to participate in a local Alzheimer’s research study. You can read Part 2 here.

By Karen Crowson

My parents’ agonizing journey with Alzheimer’s made me a seeker of information. I needed a better understanding of the disease in learning how to cope with the constant changes in their personalities, as well as the physical changes that come with age.

During my own annual physical exam at Kaiser, I mentioned the history of Alzheimer’s in my family. I asked my doctor if she thought I should have a neurological exam as a baseline for my medical record. She said that would certainly be of value down the road if I exhibit symptoms associated with the disease. I could either do that through my doctor, or I could contact USCD, where it could be done as a component of a longitudinal study. I chose the latter.

RELATED | Local Alzheimer’s studies seeking participants 

In the previous blog of this 3-part series, I detailed my experience with the mental testing of that study. There was a physical component as well. This consisted of some general health questions, a blood draw, and blood pressure readings. I was told that an MRI would not be done.

The last element of the exam was a procedure I’d never had before….a lumbar puncture (also known as a spinal tap). I had no fear of this, expecting it to be similar to a pinprick for an immunization. I was in a medical gown, seated on an exam table with my legs extended over the side. The doctor explained that I’d need to bend over, with my head down toward my knees to expose my lower back. The needle would then be inserted into a pocket between two vertebrae, where he would remove a sample of my cerebrospinal fluid.

On the doctor’s first attempt, I did feel a pinprick – but it wasn’t painful. However, the doctor could tell that the insertion hadn’t entered the desired spot. He attempted this again without success. A third and fourth try still did not extract the fluid, and I could feel the needle insertion more intently these subsequent time.

The doctor was concerned that I was feeling extreme pain, but it was more from the position I was in rather than the insertion itself. I commented that the discomfort in my lower back might me from my scoliosis. That was likely the culprit, and the doctor suggested we abandon the test. Since the lumbar puncture is only needed once, rather than annually, I wanted to press on get it done. Eventually, he got it – success at last!

RELATED | Read Karen’s story from the beginning.

Pleased that it was over, I felt that I’d taken a positive step in doing something helpful on the Alzheimer’s front. The whole experience did cause me to take stock of the long-term outlook for my health as well as my husband’s, and how it might affect our grown sons one day down the road. After all, I’d signed a consent form to donate my brain after death. Someone would need to execute that wish.

My husband was covered, having been informed about my initial decision to participate in this study. But, now the practical side of the decision needed attention. We updated our Living Trust and Will.  It’s a good idea to check these all-important documents every few years. Sometimes, people decide on their end-of-life wishes without telling anyone – including those responsible for making them happen. My husband and I wanted our sons to hear from us directly about the plan we’d made, and why.

This is never an easy topic for discussion, but two out of our three sons live close by, so we had the chance to talk to them face to face. It was a bit uncomfortable considering the topic, but they did understand our reasons and seemed to handle the news pragmatically. My husband on the other hand, was exceptionally fidgety throughout the discussion….in his words, ‘it really creeps me out.”

For me, it’s given me a sense of accomplishment and peace. If there are advances in the treatment of this disease in the future, maybe others will benefit from what is learned. That could even be me or another family member if we are unfortunate enough to succumb to the disease.  At the very least, we will all be more knowledgeable about what to expect and where to find the right resources. At least while we live here, that will be Alzheimer’s San Diego.

Learn more about local Alzheimer’s research by clicking here.

Monday, 23 September 2019 07:32

"Crossing Paths"

Susan Lewallen has a new book

Thursday, 19 September 2019 15:51

The World Is Not Out to Get You

Here is a short article from Medium.com that I sent to the members of our Creative Writing Group. Most have found this to be interesting and even helpful. While it has broad application for life, we are using the concept to refine and better understand our characters.
Thursday, 19 September 2019 15:44

Some more poems

We have some more poetry for your enjoyment. Two poems by Jean Abrahamson - A Young Girl Can Dream and Yoga Class.

This is Part 2 of three-part series about what it’s like to participate in a local Alzheimer’s research study. You can read Part 1 here.

Inside the Alzheimer’s longitudinal study

By  Karen Crowson's (Permission has been granted by the author to publish this article on our blog.)

I know that many of you have enjoyed part 1 of this series and have been looking forward to part two. We expect to post part three in a couple of weeks..

Thursday, 22 August 2019 09:14

More poems

Today I'm posting some more poems by our Creative Writers - Karen Crowson, Katy Galica, and Pat Peckham. Our group meets biweekly on Wednesday at the Rancho Bernardo Library from 1PM - 3PM. Join us and get your creative juices flowing
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