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The Twist Podcast #295: Proud and Loud, Snoozing the News, and Rick Talks Eurovision with Charlie Porter
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we anticipate America’s last legal Pride month, shun the hideous headlines, and listen to Rick talk Eurovision with Charlie Porter.
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Savvy Senior: How Much Advil (Ibuprofen) Is Too Much?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I take Advil pretty regularly for arthritis pain and headaches, but how can I tell if I’m taking more than is safe?
Achy Alan
Dear Alan,
Ibuprofen – better known by one of its brand names, Advil – is one of the most popular medications on the market today for treating all different types of pain, headaches, fevers and cramps.
Given the drug’s broad pain-reducing effects, safety record and availability over the counter (OTC), it’s no surprise that some people pop the little brownish-red tablets whenever they feel the slightest twinge of discomfort.
But ibuprofen, which is also sold under brand names like Motrin and Nuprin, can pose certain health risks, especially for those with kidney or stomach issues. Here’s what you should know.
What’s Safe?
For most adults and children ages 12 years and older, the recommended OTC dose of ibuprofen is one (or two, if needed) 200-milligram tablets, caplets or gel caplets every four to six hours while symptoms persist. You shouldn’t take more than 1,200 mg (or six pills) in a 24-hour period.
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This Week’s Survey: What’s Your Favorite Kind of Murder Mystery?
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The Twist Podcast #294: Surviving Martha’s Vineyard, Insane Trump Posse, and Rick’s Interview with Author Dean Robbins
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as Mark recounts his harrowing cruise catastrophe, we ponder the coming wreckage of Trump 2.0, and Rick chats with Wisconsin author Dean Robbins.
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Just Added! In-Person Workshops In September
5 week autobiographical writing workshop at Bucks on BridgeI’ve just added four in-person workshop in September, to be held at Bucks on Bridge in their art space run by the artists’ collective Soupcon. I’m a partner, and this has been a terrific space to hold workshops. I just completed a 5 week journaling workshop there in April, and we’ve all bonded so much we’ll be reconvening in July.
You can read about each of the four workshop here on the website, and register at the links below:
Fiction Writing Essentials, Monday September 8 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER HERE ($40)They’re Alive! Creating Vivid Characters, Monday, September 15, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER HERE ($30)Self-Publishing with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Monday, September 22, 10:00 AM – 12:oo PM
REGISTER HERE ($40)Guided Autobiography: A 2 Hour Introduction, Monday, September 29, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTRATION FOR THIS ONE WILL BE OPEN IN MID-JUNE ($40)
Contact me at YourWritePath AT Outlook. com before then -
This Week’s Survey: Television for the People
Cord-cutter or total abstinence? You can take the survey at the link. Multiple options are allowed.
RESULTS OF LAST WEEK’S SURVEY (because multiple options are allowed, it’s not a simple “100 percent” total).
What’s your preferred way of enjoying books?
eBooks: 52.94%
Hardback/paperback 41.18%
Audiobooks 23.53% -
Health Beat: Finding Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain
Health Beat is a feature at LGBTSr promoting health and well-being.
By Mark McNease
There’s something psychologically debilitating about walking with a cane, or wearing sandals that can accommodate an ankle brace. Two sizes too large? I had no other choice if I wanted more than one pair of shoes I could wear, which has been the case for a week.
When the mighty fall
Chronic pain affects millions of people, and we can find ourselves dealing with it at a moment’s notice. For me, it was a very sudden fall in the yard just over a week ago. I was dragging a hose across the lawn, walking sideways, and suddenly …. SNAP, my ankle bent sideways and every overweight pound of me went falling to the ground. I’ve had this happen before, but never so seriously. I also landed on my chest, and a week later I’m dealing with both the ankle, and, to a lesser degree, rib pain.
We’re going on a cruise next week. Between that and simply wanting to function—I don’t know how anyone stands being bed or couch ridden for more than a day—I went to an orthopedist. Now that I have Medicare there’s no reason not to, but old habits of avoiding doctors die hard.
Chronic pain is caused by any number of reasons, such as injury, illness, aging, or stress. It can, and does, have a negative impact on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as your quality of life. There’s something psychologically debilitating about walking with a cane, or wearing sandals that can accommodate an ankle brace. Two sizes too large? I had no other choice if I wanted more than one pair of shoes I could wear, which has been the case for a week.
Take heart: there are ways to cope with chronic pain and manage its symptoms. Following are some tips and strategies that can help, or at least inspire you to find your own ways of coping.
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Transition Mentor Wendy Cole: An Introduction (Part I)
I knew Wendy when we both worked at the same place several years ago in New Hope, PA. I often wondered where she went and what she was up to. And now I know! She was generous enough to share her past, present and future with us, and I’m delighted to have her as a guest columnist for this six-part series. – Mark/Editor
I was born transgender! It’s not like people like myself never existed before. We’ve always existed in hiding. It’s one of those things of nature that nothing is ever completely black and white. Nature doesn’t necessarily follow societal norms imposed by man. The hetero societal norms and standards, called “socialization”, begin with our parents, through school and into our adult and work life. Before we’re born, the question family wants to know is, do we wrap it in a pink blanket or do we wrap it in a blue blanket? We’re told certain ways of thinking and behaving. This socialization is generally based on your “sex” assigned at birth. Socialization is certain expectations you need to meet to be perceived as male or female. And it is initially based your physical anatomy at birth. Most of the time, doctors get it right. But “gender”, male or female is between your ears not between your legs. And with me, they got it all wrong! I knew most of the things expected of me from early childhood were wrong for me. But I was without any other options having grown up in the fifties and sixties.
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One Thing or Another: The Back of the Line Looks Better Every Day
One Thing or Another … a lighthearted look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all.
By Mark McNease
Age has a strange effect on time: the more we have of one, the less we have of the other.
When my mother died twenty-four years ago I told someone that losing our parents meant we were moving closer to the turnstile. Then my father died, and the parents of everyone I knew who was my age or near it. The truth became inescapable that we were next: our siblings, our friends, people we looked up to and people we looked down upon. Everyone, it seems, is destined for the same fate, and it was quickening its pace. Each loss takes us nearer to our own jumping off place, and with the departure of every friend, peer and acquaintance comes the uncomfortable sensation that we really, truly, may be next.
It’s not maudlin to stare at the shortening line and see the rollercoaster coming round the tracks for us. There’s the sense it won’t be long now, and pretty soon—whether it’s a year from now, or ten years, or twenty—I’ll be fastened into the tiny car, have the bar pressed into me and locked for safety, and rocket off into the unknown. It’s a ride we all must take alone. There will be no one seated next to us screaming with delight as we plunge into … wherever it is we go, or don’t go. I’m not personally invested in the next ride, if there is one, or the next. Heaven can definitely wait for me, since I’ve never had any interest in going there. My hope, and belief, is to flicker out, having lived as bravely and as brightly as I could. Beyond that, just drop me back into the ocean, it’s fine with me.
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Savvy Senior’s Senior Newswire May 6
Included in this week’s Senior Newswire, brought to you by Savvy Senior
• Assistive Devices and Senior Gadgets
• Caregiving and Support Services
• Computer and Internet
• Employment
• End of Life Issues
• Finances and Retirement
• Grandparenting and Intergenerational Family
• Government Resources and Assistance
• Health Resources
• Housing, Long Term Care and Universal Design
• Insurance
• Legal Issues and Resources
• Leisure, Learning and Personal Growth
• Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security
• Older Drivers and Transportation
• Relationships and Online Dating -
Silver Sage Sisters Blog Shares Insights and Lived Experiences from Older Women
I’ve gotten to know Mary Ann, two of the bloggers at Silver Sage Sisters, through her brother Tim and his husband Ron. They’ve become dear friends with me and Frank. We often go to the theater together at Lambertville’s Music Mountain Theatre, and then head out for dinner. We’ve also been graciously invited to Ron and Tim’s house in New Hope for special feasts, and the lovely Mary Ann is always there. Enjoy their blog! Soak up some wisdom, by women for women about women.
“Silver Sage Sisters are friends near or in retirement who have been sharing the wisdom of their experiences with each other. Glimmers of hope, ideas, learnings and failures are components of each of our lives. Freely and openly, we share our insights and experiences with other women so each and all of us know we are never alone.”
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2-Hour Online Guided Autobiography Introductory Workshops May 29 and June 3
And we’re off! I’ll be holding two 2-hour online Guided Autobiography introductory workshops on Wednesday, May 29, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. eastern and Monday, June 3, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. eastern (for the morning people!)
THEY’RE FREE! My introductory workshops are always complimentary.
Register here for Wednesday, May 29
Register here for Monday, June 3
What is Guided Autobiography? Let’s begin with its description from the Guided Autobiography website:
“Guided Autobiography (GAB) has been researched and developed by Dr. James Birren over the past 40 years as a method for helping people document their life stories. Guided by a trained instructor, participants are led through themes and priming questions that evoke memories of events once known but filed away and seemingly forgotten. Each participant writes a two-page story on a particular theme each week, brings the story to class and reads it to a small group of receptive classmates. Writing and sharing life stories with others is an ideal way to find new meaning in life and to put life events into perspective. While connecting with one another on their journeys of self-discovery, participants feel enlivened by the group experience and gain a greater appreciation of their own lives and of the lives of others. GAB can be a powerful catalyst for improved self-esteem, self-confidence and communication within communities and within families.”
Read more about Guided Autobiography here.
These workshops are limited to 6 people*, so RSVP and grab your spot now.
*I’ll add additional online workshops as each one fills up. First come/first reserved. – Mark
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The Twist Podcast #262: Big Wheels for Big Kids, ‘Black River Orchard,’ and Rick Shows Up on the ‘Where Do Gays Retire?’ Podcast
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we talk apples and Big Wheels, chaplains coming to a school near you, Rick’s guest turn on the ‘Where Do Gays Retire?’ podcast, and the Book Beat recommends ‘Black River Orchard’ for some serious scares.
