A Little Vino Rojo For Vasodilation

I had a small glass of Apothic red wine with my cesar salad dinner tonight. It definitely was quite relaxing & honestly made me rather warm due to the vasodilation of my blood vessels, causing an increase in blood flow & overall decreasing my blood pressure. In otherwords...I was hot. Red wine is actually very healthy & beneficial for you if taken every day, in particular the heart. All this of course ONLY in moderation & in small amounts. For men, about two 5 oz. glasses/day...for women, about one 5 oz. glass a day...in concurrence with daily diet & exercise. Lowering LDLs, raising HDLs, lowering blood pressure, & preventing cancer is never a problem in my book. Just don't get addicted & avoid cirrhosis by all means.

Anyways, today went well. It was honestly a very relaxing day. Being able to get honored for service at the hospital was a wonderful feeling. On top of that, who wouldn't be happy winning a free bottle of Apothic red wine. Eagle Glen has always been a sight for sore eyes.

Returning to class seemed normal. The rain ruined my plans for a second work out today, but it still made me feel relaxed & at ease, on top of the wine & salad.

Finally, to sum up, what made my day was my brief yet exciting conversation with a special person on facebook :) It was exciting for ME of course. I've missed this good friend of mine & I was happy to have caught up, even if it wasn't for very long. Hopefully soon we get the chance to catch up much longer. Thanks for taking the time to conversate with me miss Ephraim & Gomer.

Overall...a great day. Let's keep the rest of the week that way shall we?

'Til next time.

Deuces.


"Red Red Wine" by Delacorr

Neoplasia

A proliferation of abnormality.

Definitely a word that best describes alot of events going on within my life as of now. Mind you, this doesn't include school at all. In fact, my academic life is normal & actually amazing. I'm enjoying all the medical information I'm learning & I absolutely love it. My education has always been kept out of harm's way (knock on wood).

Outside of school is a different story. I feel that God is definitely giving me obstacles to overcome & to endure. Not that He hasn't before, but it's different when almost all these obstacles include members of my family. People who know me understand that my family is my life.

One relative already passed from colorectal cancer. Soon enough I find out that another extremely close relative of mine was diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus, has emphysema, & has a potential for lung cancer...all of which adds on to his already extremely difficult situation that he is facing as we speak. On top of that, several other members have also discovered that they themselves have acquired certain diseases. This is definitely a challenging time.

Absorbing all of this is very tough. Especially since I myself am kicking my glutes in maintaing my successes in school & in taking care of my own health, since I work out practically everyday & am the healthiest I've ever been in my entire life. How am I supposed to do all of this plus worry about my family's situations?

I'm hanging in there. I'm praying hard.

God works in mysterious ways & despite all of this, I have grown closer to Him & trust that He will eventually lift us up from this rock bottom. Sometimes I may not quite understand His reasons, but I never lose my faith, my hope, & my love for my God.

Let's hope everything will be at peace soon.

'Til next time.

Deuces.

Tuggin' On My Chordae Tendinae

My heartstrings are definitely getting pulled stronger & more frequently than ever lately. Sometimes, I just don't know how much more of it I can take, & WHEN I can finally say what I want to say to certain people, who begin to disappoint me & continue to shorten my patience.

People who truly know me understand that I am a genuinely happy person. I love my life, the people in them, & I am very goal oriented. I have my moods & I have my overly dramatic days. We all do, no matter what people say. All of these are reasons as to why whenever something (whether it be drama, personal issues, conflicts, etc.) arises from a person that is close to me & that I really care about, I'm either there by their side right away, worried & ready to help...or I get disappointed & angry.

As of now, what fits me is the latter of the two. I am very disappointed & quite frankly...I'm angry. An issue regarding a person very close & very important to me has been revealed & it's an extremely upsetting one. People know me as very blunt, outspoke, & honest. And as much as I am desperate & want to tell this person off for their extreme stupidity & mindless actions, I have sworn to secrecy...& it's killing me.

Damn it. I guess for now I have to roll with the punches & bite the bullet. But sooner or later, this issue has to be dealt with. If not by anyone, it will be dealt with by me & heads will definitely roll...metaphorically speaking.

My chordae tendinae are on overdrive. It feels like there is a hand that purposely pulls the strings & adds more to my already full plate. In result of this, I hope that soon enough, they can relax, because they are undoubtedly EXHAUSTED.

Time to study. I've worked out well all week, ate some good food with the family, & has been praying for Uncle Roger.

Spring break is finally here.

'Til next time.

Deuces.


"Cardiology: Chordae Tendinae" by Image Ninja

Adrenaline Rush

"Final Cut" by sendjo
This is my thrill. One day, I'm doing this for a living. No joke. If surgeons can save others like they did for my grandfather when he had his quintuple coronary bypass in 2001, then I want to join them in the ranks.

A Return From the Healing Process

First off, I would like to apologize for my long absence. It's been a challenging few weeks & I haven't had much time to update. Happy belated Easter to you by the way. In a nutshell, let me sum up the events that have taken place since my temporary hiatus...

Academically speaking, I had 2 more anatomy & physiology exams which, thank goodness, I aced despite the fact that they were definitely the most challenging exams I've had so far. I've also continued to keep myself busy with my workout routines (both cardio & resistance) & the numbers thankfully continue to dwindle down into a better & better setting. Furthermore, I've done more successful surgeries on Garfield & worked with a heart...so that made me nerdishly excited.

Besides academics, my life has been driving through some pretty bumpy roads as of late. There's so many people (one in particular) that I miss so very much. There's a divorce going on between two people in my family that I love very much (not my parents just fyi), more bills are piling up & taking a strain on my parents, the job hunt is getting more difficult (even though I have a potential interview coming my way), & my uncle passed away from colorectal cancer the day before Easter. So overall, it's been tough.

This week is dedicated to my Uncle Roger. He's been battling his colorectal cancer for a long time & it took it's toll on him the Saturday before Easter. I was able to see him the night before, & it was painful. He was extremely thin, holding his chest in pain, & was ready to go. I asked him if he was hurting, & he said he was just so tired. I knew it was his time. We all did. Every time he went to sleep, he would see deceased relatives who would tell him to cross-over & join them, most significantly my great-grandmother, Lola Nati. He saw Heaven & it's beauty &, being the naturally funny guy he is, he said the line to Heaven's gate is really long & that he's #500...haha. I'm thankful that he was able to hold on to see the whole family before God called him home. He is definitely someone that will be missed so much & it's going to seem a lot quieter now that he's gone.

What I take pride in the most is the unity of my family & our strength. No matter what happens, we always stand together & support each other. When someone gets sick, we're all there, waiting, praying, & keeping them strong. Even after death, we continue to pray for them & dedicate our days for them. My family is a unit of extreme spiritual strength & that bond will never ever be broken no matter what.

Even in the face of difficulty & sometimes selfishness, we need to realize that no matter how much we love someone, if they want to go & it's their time, then we have to respect & acknowledge that. Even if we keep them here on Earth with us, they will never be the same & will always be in pain. We just need to know that they are finally in a better place with God & will always be watching over us.

I love you Uncle Roger. Rest in peace.

RIP Rogelio de Leon (1939-2010)

'Til next time.

Deuces.