Consumer Reports

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about not being caught off-guard in summer storms. Sometimes I need to learn to take my own advice.

Are you a morning person? The kind of person who springs out of bed at the crack of dawn and doesn’t need a shot of caffeine to get going? Or are you the opposite? Clinging to your last precious minutes of sleep and then downing three cups of coffee before you can be fully functional? I’m the former and I always tease my friends who rely on coffee to get them going in the morning. But it turns out those coffee drinkers may be getting a health benefit that I’m not. Recent research shows that drinking coffee or tea (decaf or not) may reduce the risk of diabetes . Now before you stop reading and run off to get a refill, you should know that the researchers aren’t sure what causes the link between coffee and tea drinkers and decreased diabetes . They’ve ruled out caffeine since the effect was noticeable in decaf as well. But there are many other things that could play a part, such as the diets of the people in the study. Before they say that anything is conclusive, the researchers said clinical trials are necessary. So don’t start guzzling that cup of joe just yet, but stay tuned for the latest results. Are you a coffee or tea drinker? And do you prefer decaf?

My husband and I were visiting my 80-year-old mother-in-law, Eileen, in the hospital the other day after her open-heart surgery. She showed me the incision running down her chest and looked at me ruefully. She said, “I guess I need to throw out all of those bikini tops I have.” I said, “No way! We can sew some padding in to the cups. When we go visit my family this Christmas, we can tie them around our heads and wear them as ear muffs to keep our ears warm. If anyone gives us odd looks, we will just tell them all of the top models on the runways of Milan are wearing them this year!” Eileen said, “Well, I have always been a bit of a fashion trend setter amongst my friends!” The image of all of us wearing bikini tops on our heads in the middle of a Midwest winter made us laugh, but only a few days earlier, we were really anxious and scared for her. Last week, Eileen came to our house and told us that her throat was tingling. She thought she was having an allergic reaction to something she ate. My husband took her to an urgent care clinic. At the clinic, the tingly feeling was moving down into her chest, so the doctor performed an EKG . The electrocardiogram looked a little abnormal and her blood pressure was really high, so the clinic staff gave her some aspirin, nitroglycerin , and called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. At the hospital the tingling sensation went away, but she kept having episodes of very high blood pressure. Over several days, the doctors ordered a cardiac MRI , stress test , cardiac catheterization , and some other tests. Eileen had previously undergone a stent procedure to open up a blockage, but the doctors determined that she would need a quadruple bypass and an aortic heart valve repair/replacement . Last Friday she went into surgery. Eileen isn’t just my mother-in-law, she is my very dear friend, so when the doctor came to tell us it was over and that she had done well, I was so relieved that I wanted to cry. Eileen still has a long road to a full recovery, but I have confidence that she is a strong lady and will do well. If you or a loved one are suffering from heart disease, you may find these additional resources helpful: Gender Differences in Diagnosis and Management of Heart Disease The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women Heart Disease in Women Heart Healthy Eating USA.gov P.S. I’d like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of the Northeast Methodist Hospital in San Antonio for taking good care of Eileen. Also, a big shout out to Eileen’s posse, the Wild Bunch. Y’all are the funniest, rowdiest bunch of gals I’ve ever met, and you have all been wonderful friends to Eileen. Thank-you for your support during this time. Beading party at my house when Eileen is feeling up to it!

Two of my friends bought their first house this year and are moving in this weekend. They get married this spring, but they wanted to take advantage of the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit , which meant they had to buy the house before Dec. 1, 2009. However, now there is a debate in Congress on whether the tax credit should be expanded or continued next year. Some of the potential expansions include increasing the amount of the credit from $8,000 to $15,000, making the credit available for all of 2010 and opening the tax credit to all home buyers who meet the income requirements (currently $75,000 for those filing taxes separately and $150,000 for those filing jointly.) Those who support the idea expanding the tax credit believe the credit will help cut down on the amount of foreclosures and prevent the housing market from falling farther. Those who are in favor of letting the credit expire at the end of this year worry that expanding the credit would inflate house prices temporarily causing a severe drop off when the credit eventually does expire. They also worry that eventually the credit will have to be paid for through higher taxes. So where do you stand on this issue? Are you in favor of expanding the credit or letting it expire after this year?

Two of my friends bought their first house this year and are moving in this weekend. They get married this spring, but they wanted to take advantage of the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit , which meant they had to buy the house before Dec. 1, 2009. However, now there is a debate in Congress on whether the tax credit should be expanded or continued next year. Some of the potential expansions include increasing the amount of the credit from $8,000 to $15,000, making the credit available for all of 2010 and opening the tax credit to all home buyers who meet the income requirements (currently $75,000 for those filing taxes separately and $150,000 for those filing jointly.) Those who support the idea expanding the tax credit believe the credit will help cut down on the amount of foreclosures and prevent the housing market from falling farther. Those who are in favor of letting the credit expire at the end of this year worry that expanding the credit would inflate house prices temporarily causing a severe drop off when the credit eventually does expire. They also worry that eventually the credit will have to be paid for through higher taxes. So where do you stand on this issue? Are you in favor of expanding the credit or letting it expire after this year?

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month . I have several friends whose mothers have had breast cancer. My friends witnessed their mothers go through surgeries and cancer treatment therapies, so they are familiar with the disease. Because a woman’s risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer, my friends pay special attention to their own breast health. Early detection with regular mammograms and manual breast self-examinations, can increase survival rates. Women who do not have a family history of breast cancer should also have a mammogram and clinical breast examination by a health care provider every year. Treatments can be most successful and chances of survival are best when breast cancer is found at the earliest opportunity. I have a little ritual I perform when I go to get my mammogram. I ask the technician, on a scale of 1 to 10, what kind of day she is having. If she responds with a 6 or lower, I joke with her that she needs to go have a strawberry margarita before putting me in the pincher (not the technical name for the thing, but you know what I’m talking about). If she responds with a 9 or 10, I joke with her that I am going to have to reschedule because she is a little too happy and might be a little overzealous in her job. It might sound dumb, but this little ice breaker helps me relax and it makes the experience… I won’t say pleasant, how about, not so bad? There are many resources out there that are useful, here are just a few that I was able to locate: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is featuring information on breast cancer awareness . The site also presents breast cancer statistics , information on breast cancer screening , and breast cancer publications . National Cancer Institute’s section on breast cancer contains lots of valuable information, including information on: treatments , male breast cancer , and clinical trials. It also features “What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer” in both English and En Espańol . The MedlinePlus page has a good section on diagnosis/symptoms and a multimedia and cool tools section that has photos, tutorials, and videos.

Visit USA.gov to order FREE copies of two popular Medicare publications: “Medicare Basics: A Guide for Family and Friends of People with Medicare” and “Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home.”

I can remember back in high school talking to one of my friends on the football team about who on the team he suspected was using steroids . He assured me he didn’t, but he did say he took some kind of protein-powder, muscle-building supplement. At the time I figured it was a better option than doing the illegal steroids. However, this week the FDA issued a public warning about products that claim to be

One summer I went to the swimming pool with my much older cousins and their friends. At the time, I was taking swimming lessons and I really liked playing around in water. I was wearing a one-piece swimsuit with a little skirt and feeling quite cool hanging out with the older kids. I was having fun until someone decided it would be funny to dunk me. The first time, no problem. I came back up and laughed it off, but then it turned into a dunking “free-for-all” with all of the kids piling onto each other. I went down again, but suddenly big kids were being dunked and falling on top of me. A guy stepped on my frilly swimsuit skirt and it pinned me to the bottom of the pool. I tried to free myself, but kids kept falling or stepping on me. I don’t recall if I saw my brief eight years of life flash before my eyes, but I was definitely freaking out with panic. In my flailing to free myself, I whacked the guy in the privates and he shifted his weight. I was freed! I came up to the surface coughing up water and I barfed up my lunch in the pool. Note: When it comes to clearing people out of a pool, lunchtime flotsam and jetsam in the pool comes in a close second to a Baby Ruth candy bar (remember Caddyshack?) I came away from that experience with 2 things: a pretty strong fear/discomfort with swimming/water; and the fascinating knowledge that partially digested cheese doodles and a baloney sandwich with mayonnaise turns neon green when it contacts chlorine. I was in my 30’s when I finally tackled and overcame my water fear. I forced myself to take a water aerobics class, retaught myself to swim, and eventually became a scuba-diver. The barf memory? I live with it daily. Hey, what doesn’t kill you… makes you stronger. So, you are probably wondering where I am going with all of this. Well, Memorial Day is on Monday and in many places it is traditional to reopen pools this weekend. Before you turn your little water-rats loose at the pools, lakes, or oceans, review one of these safety guides with them: FCIC Water Safety for Swimmers Medlineplus – Water Safety Water Safety Fun Book Water Safety Quiz Water Safety Tips Brochure Water Safety Checklist One final tip not mentioned in any of these guides, but it goes without saying, tell your kids, “Don’t pee in the pool!” Have a safe swimming season!

When I first graduated college my #1 concern was getting a job. For one thing, my mother was utterly confused as to why she’d bothered to send me to school when I was back in her house, instead of instantly employed upon receiving my diploma. Many an uncomfortable family dinner did this make. As for me, I was well aware that come January, I was getting booted from my Dad’s health insurance plan—and I was one of the lucky ones. Most of my friends got the heave-ho the second we moved our tassels in May. Seeing as I am fairly accident-prone and enjoy having my teeth cleaned, making sure I was covered was a priority. Now, given the state of the economy, many families are faced with the same concern. Not only is income an issue when losing a job—health insurance and coverage is also a major factor. Should you lose your job, you do have some options : Special Enrollment in Another Group Plan: This option allows an individual and possibly your family to enroll in a spouse’s plan regardless of enrollment periods. Be sure you request the special enrollment within 30 days of losing eligibility for other coverage. COBRA Continuation Coverage : If your employer continues to operate and offer a group plan, COBRA continuation coverage may be available. It may be more expensive than what you were paying while employed, but it’s likely to be cheaper than private, individual coverage. COBRA coverage usually lasts 18 months, but may last longer. The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) certain individuals will be eligible for COBRA coverage at a discounted rate . Health Coverage through a Government Program: Medicaid, Sate Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare are available through your state insurance department of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at 1-800-MEDICARE. Private, Individual Health Insurance: Is an option if you had health coverage for at least 18 months without a significant break in coverage and were part of a group plan, your coverage was not terminated because of fraud or failure to pay premiums, and you are not eligible for COBRA or other health coverage. While none of these options may be ideal, it’s at least something. Have you ever lost healthcare coverage? What have you done in between plans?