I've been off flickr for a while b/c a very good friend has had a medical condition.

Multiple trips to the ER, some by ambulance, sent home, then back to ER again, sent home and next day I was following the ambulance back to to the ER again, then an admission to hospital, sent home and 2 days later I was taking her back to the ER.

Another admission.

They've treated the infection and if it doesn't return, she'll have surgery in 4-5 weeks and it will be laparoscopic.

If it does return, emergency surgery, more extreme.

So I've either been in ER's, at the hospital or staying with her at home.

She responded really well this last admission, got better in the hospital, I brought her home yesterday. She felt great.

Today she felt great. So if all goes well and she can have the less extreme surgery, she's home free.

We're hoping hoping hoping.....

It's been a long walk home.

Comments disabled. I'm back at my place and am just going to watch some tv tonight.

Stay well, all.

My cousin and I are very close. She has always been there in my life as she is just 6 months older than I. Her dad was my dad's brother and her mom was my mom's niece so we always joke about if we are first or second cousins depending on whose funeral or wedding we attend.

She was recently (within the last two months) diagnosed with colon cancer. She went through a major 5 hour laparoscopic surgical procedure. yesterday to remove part of her bowel.

Her husband texted me when they took her into recovery to let me know it was over. She did text me when she was, as she put it, "groggy and lucid" saying she was awake (sort of) and then this morning to tell me that she was very sore, spent a night vomiting but she was still alive.

I am waiting and hoping to hear if the prognosis for her will be good.

I hope you know that I appreciate your comments and visits. I may not get back to you quickly but I will try my best.

Tomorrow, Tag goes on an adventure at the UCDavis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. He's scheduled for a prophylactic laparoscopic-assisted gastropexy. He'll be there for a few days for his surgery. I've been telling him it's a big adventure. I'm not sure who will miss whom the most? I've posted more about his surgery in the SPCR group if you want to read it there.

Weird title but there's a reason. This was taken a while ago now as I haven't been out with my camera for ages, thanks to a particularly nasty little hernia. All fixed now though thanks to the wonderful NHS, doing their finest in the face of adversity. The title to this photo refers to the keyhole method they used in my operation. Raring to get back out with the camera now!

Gall Stones in the Bladder Is has become unstable and started giving trouble to it's owner. Now , the owner that's me....handing over the matter to APOLLO SPECIALITY HOSPITAL.S ULTRA MODERN FACILITY IN CHENNAI, This is situated only A Stone Throw Away's Distance From My Home.

A Team Of Surgeons Lead By Expert Dr. T. Ramkumar... DNB MRCS (Ed) FRCS,

Consultant Laparoscopic Surgeon And Gastro Enterologist ........ Will Pump in Carbon Di Oxide, Poke Their Cold Rods And Hot Knife through my Dear Tummy Along With A Lighted Camera And Perform The Cut And Paste Job....Bringing Out The Bag Of Stone Is A Task

Which I am Confident They Will Execute Easily And Diligently.......

Result I shall keep you posted. Back At Home.......Recuperating ,,,,Shall Visit You All Soon....Many Thanks For your Concern And Get Well Wishes.

mé·nag·er·ie

/məˈna(d)ZHərē/

░░ A strange or diverse collection of people or things

░░ A garden kept privately or to show to the public

Late 17th century noun

from French ménagerie

stemming from the word: ménage

1. Feeding time, 2. Human organs, 3. Laparoscopic surgery, 4. Deep Freeze , 5. Marie Antoinette's Glass Bosom, 6. Fire of Gehenna, 7. Golden Pond, 8. Galactica,

9. Dry Economy, 10. November Sunset, 11. Corn on the Cob, 12. Bike Path, 13. Velvet Underground: Skateboarding, 14. model steam engine, 15. Collaborative Arts, 16. Yashica 8mm Vintage Movie Camera,

17. Goldfish and a Guppy, 18. Tomitheos Picture Poetry: Macros, 19. Babyface, 20. Pedestrian, 21. Darkroom, 22. urban photographer's gear, 23. Tsoureki Easter Bread, 24. Year Book Entries,

25. Pentax film camera with Soligar flash (Explore), 26. ..a little bit of Paris, 27. Building Blocks, 28. True Blue (Explore), 29. Open Mike Night, 30. The new 2012 AUDI R8 Spyder, 31. stark branch on the family tree, 32. Coffee Time ☀ Sundial,

33. the lockless door ម, 34. Summer Solstice ☀ Sundial (Explore), 35. Northern Sun, 36. Lunar Eclipse, 37. rocky road, 38. Picasso Studio Painting, 39. Canadian ✿ Maple Leaf, 40. I stand before you..,

I was tagged by Rちゃん, Shawnah, Sarah, Jo and Oppu.

Thanks to all of you! At first I was totally avoiding it. Poor Bluebelle, she was the closest to my reach. lol

Btw I didn't try to cover my face, I just need to look into the viewfinder to make the pic sharp! :P

OK,so the rules are:

1 - Take a picture of your doll and you NOW!

2 - You can not change her/his clothes or comb her/his hair!

3 - If she/he is without eyelashes or chips, she will have to be the same, without! Wig is the same thing!

4 - Do not edit or photoshop!

5 - Tag five friends! (So I tag Oung, Anlegy, Cath, P'Ann and Agassi XD)

Oh! So you only cannot comb your doll's hair! Man... I thought it applied to me too! ROFL

But please don't expect much from someone who just got discharged from the hospital yesterday.

I just had a laparoscopic surgery done, but I am recovering very well~ ^___^v

By ANGELINA JOLIE PITT

MARCH 24, 2015

LOS ANGELES — TWO years ago I wrote about my choice to have a preventive double mastectomy. A simple blood test had revealed that I carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. It gave me an estimated 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. I lost my mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer.

I wanted other women at risk to know about the options. I promised to follow up with any information that could be useful, including about my next preventive surgery, the removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes.

I had been planning this for some time. It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause. So I was readying myself physically and emotionally, discussing options with doctors, researching alternative medicine, and mapping my hormones for estrogen or progesterone replacement. But I felt I still had months to make the date.

Then two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor with blood-test results. “Your CA-125 is normal,” he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. That test measures the amount of the protein CA-125 in the blood, and is used to monitor ovarian cancer. I have it every year because of my family history.

But that wasn’t all. He went on. “There are a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.” I took a pause. “CA-125 has a 50 to 75 percent chance of missing ovarian cancer at early stages,” he said. He wanted me to see the surgeon immediately to check my ovaries.

I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.

I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful.

That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: “You look just like her.” I broke down. But we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any problem, so “let’s get on with it.”

Nothing in the examination or ultrasound was concerning. I was relieved that if it was cancer, it was most likely in the early stages. If it was somewhere else in my body, I would know in five days. I passed those five days in a haze, attending my children’s soccer game, and working to stay calm and focused.

The day of the results came. The PET/CT scan looked clear, and the tumor test was negative. I was full of happiness, although the radioactive tracer meant I couldn’t hug my children. There was still a chance of early stage cancer, but that was minor compared with a full-blown tumor. To my relief, I still had the option of removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes and I chose to do it.

I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this. A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options. Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks. There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally.

In my case, the Eastern and Western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer. My doctors indicated I should have preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in my female relatives. My mother’s ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I’m 39.

Last week, I had the procedure: a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. There was a small benign tumor on one ovary, but no signs of cancer in any of the tissues.

I have a little clear patch that contains bio-identical estrogen. A progesterone IUD was inserted in my uterus. It will help me maintain a hormonal balance, but more important it will help prevent uterine cancer. I chose to keep my uterus because cancer in that location is not part of my family history.

It is not possible to remove all risk, and the fact is I remain prone to cancer. I will look for natural ways to strengthen my immune system. I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family. I know my children will never have to say, “Mom died of ovarian cancer.”

Regardless of the hormone replacements I’m taking, I am now in menopause. I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared.

I feel deeply for women for whom this moment comes very early in life, before they have had their children. Their situation is far harder than mine. I inquired and found out that there are options for women to remove their fallopian tubes but keep their ovaries, and so retain the ability to bear children and not go into menopause. I hope they can be aware of that.

It is not easy to make these decisions. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue. You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power.

Angelina Jolie Pitt is a filmmaker and special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

NY Article: www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/opinion/angelina-jolie-pitt-di...

Oscar Winner Angelina Jolie is a repainted and restyled Barbie by artist Noel Cruz for www.myfarrah.com.

Jolie has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.

You can see Jolie's Bio on IMDB at www.imdb.com/name/nm0001401/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Graphic Layout & web sites ncruz.com & myfarrah.com by www.stevemckinnis.com.

This is a second funnel weaver that's sharing a small terrarium with one that was posted on Flickr several days ago. Taken with a Nikon D60, Nikkor-H-85mm f/1.8 lens, fitted with an Iscorama anamorphic lens (compression module only), with both a Nikon 4T and Sigma 1.6X closeup lens on the Isco, and the objective lens from a badly damaged (parts only, no hope of repair) Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens mounted on the 1.6x closeup lens. Lighting was provided by a Nikon SB-20 speedlight, direct... no diffuser. This combination does yield decent results but is very unwieldy and difficult to maneuver when working with subjects in a small terrarium.

Here's the complete rig, taken a few years ago when I first began working with this particular lens configuration:

www.flickr.com/photos/61377404@N08/16836506329

There are easier, lighter, and shorter ways to get close, especially with subjects that for some reason feel the best place to be is right up against the glass.

This was taken looking straight down into the terrarium with the cover removed, in order to have a bright autumn leaf as a backdrop below the spider hanging in her web. The flash was being blocked by the frame of the terrarium and any attempt at shooting from another position produced intense reflections off the glass resulting in unworkable images. I finally had to resort to moving the sticks supporting the web away from the glass a short distance. The spider (surprisingly) stayed put as the sticks and her web moved about 2 inches. Then I had to use a special spider "wrangling" tool made from the shiny metal telescoping handle of a tool kit mirror, with the mirror removed. This is used as a non-climbable probe ideal for "herding" spiders that would otherwise scramble up a stick and escape. I performed what resembled a bit of Laparoscopic surgery... probing through the web to shift a brightly colored leaf into position beneath the spider. This procedure caused her to bolt down a web "tunnel" to her "safe space". A few gentle pokes behind her with the probe had her zip back out, run around a bit, then settle where you see her.

DSC-5379-ISCO

Old Dias , portrait, laparoscopic surgery

"Recovering from keyhole abdominal surgery that repaired a torn muscle (athletic injury)." ~Tomitheos

Explore #414 January 30, 2013

Copyright © 2013 Tomitheos Photography - All Rights Reserved

Laparoscopy:

Greek word(s) 'λαπάρα' (lapara), meaning "flank, side"

and scopy 'σκοπέω' (skopeó) meaning "to see".

For FGR's Screams of Anguish. Yeah, I'm sitting home, alone with my best friend's cat (catsitting), with curlers in my hair and about 15 anesthesia textbooks open around me with 429 post its stuck to everything and it's Saturday night. So? These facts do not make me a loser. Lots of other things do. ;)

My colleague is writing/compiling a book and he has asked me to contribute a chapter, I am currently working on it. If anyone has any questions about their laparoscopic prostatectomy, please, ask me. ;)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 31, 2010)- Surgeon Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Syres manipulates an endoscopic camera while performing a laparoscopic appendectomy in the operating room aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans / RELEASED)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 31, 2010)- Surgeon Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Syres performs a laparoscopic appendectomy in the operating room aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans / RELEASED)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 31, 2010)- Surgeon Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Syres performs a laparoscopic appendectomy in the operating room aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans / RELEASED)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 31, 2010)- Surgeon Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Syres performs a laparoscopic appendectomy in the operating room aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans / RELEASED)

VUNG RO BAY, Vietnam (June 24, 2022) Cmdr. Stephanie Bedzis, right, from Guam, and Lt. Cmdr. Carolyn Gosztyla, perform a laparoscopic surgery aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) during Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22). Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Shamira Purifoy)

The University of Iowa Health Care STEM Education and two medical students from the Carver College of Medicine attended the Open Minds Open Doors Conference at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The medical students taught young women what it was like to be a doctor for a day. Different sessions included physical examination skills, laparoscopic surgery, casting/x-rays, and analyzing plastinated specimens. The medical students taught the girls why it is important to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to understand these skills that doctors use every day in their career to take care of others.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organizations across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2016, more than 22,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 300 faculty, staff and students.

Surgery pictures from my laparoscopic tubal ligation, done on May 10, 2004.

First frame is a "before shot" showing my uterus at the top and my tubes to the side, and my ovaries at the bottom (in white).

Second frame is the doctor putting the first band on the right tube, third frame is the band going on the left tube.

And the fourth frame shows the bands applied to both tubes before he closed up.

My belly is inflated with carbon dioxide, to give the doc room to work. There was an incision in my belly button where the tool entered my body through, and an incision on my 'bikini line' which is where the camera went through.

These are the most intimate a picture of my genitals you'll ever see!

Ps. In Feb 2008 I had a total hysterectomy that removed my cervix and uterus. How awesome that I have pictures of it to remember it by.

This is not how to handle a laparoscopic equipment!

The University of Iowa Health Care STEM Education and two medical students from the Carver College of Medicine attended the Open Minds Open Doors Conference at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The medical students taught young women what it was like to be a doctor for a day. Different sessions included physical examination skills, laparoscopic surgery, casting/x-rays, and analyzing plastinated specimens. The medical students taught the girls why it is important to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to understand these skills that doctors use every day in their career to take care of others.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organizations across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2016, more than 22,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 300 faculty, staff and students.

Carmen Diamond got a new belly button a couple of months ago.

She's not interested in parading it around, but if she were, no one would know that her belly button now is a scar from her recent single-incision laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Read the rest of the story here.

PATRICK SMITH/Daily Herald

But not to worry, recovering nicely from laparoscopic appendectomy surgery , all is fine especially when both of my lovely sisters come and visit!! : )

Taken with my iPhone.

So here is the timeline for my laparoscopic appendectomy surgery adventure:

Saturday early morning woke up with severe abdominal cramps...this lasts all day (this was the worst part of the entire ordeal). Decide to go to the ER at 7pm and end up in surgery by 1:30am. Wake up from surgery around 3am or so. I was able to leave the hospital by 6:30pm on Sunday (less that 24 hours after surgery!). Recovery time was rather quick too (mostly felt sore on Monday the day after coming home from the hospital)....didn't go to work for three days but then I was back to work by Thursday (but took it very easy at work for a few days). Not bad at all!

ON THE SUBJECT OF NAVELS, TWO CASE STUDIES BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVATION

A life threatening illness caused by two unlikely birth defects working in tandem resulted in a fourteen inch incision being cut from a point directly beneath the bottom of the sternum to three inches below my navel. It took twenty-one staples to close the hole. The incision more or less was a meandering center line that jogged around my navel. Between the staples and the healing process, my navel was deformed and reduced in size. Ultimately it was indistinguishable from the rest of the jagged scar.

A year later a rather large hernia instantaneously appeared to the proper left of center under my rib cage. It happened while I was lifting the crate onto a dolly to move a rather large painting by Tom Chimes that was owned by the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. No one else was in the vicinity to help me so I did it by myself. As I lifted it I felt something pop in my abdomen and noticed a large bulge under my shirt. The lump was the height and width of my fist and it protruded one and a quarter inches from my body. I was wearing a pair of baggy black drawstring pants. As I strained to lift the crate, the hernia popped out and at the same time the drawstring on my pants broke and my pants began to fall down. I quickly placed the crate on the dolly in time to catch my pants from falling down. The incident took place in the Great Hall of the museum during visiting hours. It is a very public space and their were several visitors in the Great Hall as my pants began their descent. I saved myself a great deal of embarrassment by catching my pants in time.

It took a month to schedule the surgery. During this time the lump was so substantial it was not possible to wear tee shirts without the hernia being blatantly noticeable. It was necessary to wear a tee shirt, a button up shirt and a sweater to hide the large bulge.

The surgeon that performed my original surgery the previous year thought that the hernia could be dealt with using two or three small incisions. I was given a CAT scan a couple of days before my scheduled surgery. It was the day of the surgery and I was laying on a gurney awaiting the anesthetic to take effect. The surgeon approached me and let me know that he had looked at the CAT scan for the first time minutes before talking to me. The CAT scan revealed that there was a series of hernias in a waffle pattern the entire length of the earlier incision to correct Meckel's Diverticulum, therefore causing him to change his initial diagnosis. He told me that he could still perform the original surgery by using small incisions, therefore greatly reducing recovery time significantly compared to the other alternative, a more extensive surgery. But laparoscopic surgery would not totally eliminate the large bulge and would not deal at all with the waffle pattern of hernias along my previous incision. The more radical surgery required repairing the large hernia, cutting out the entire fourteen inch scar from the previous year and putting in a Kevlar mesh (known as Kugel mesh) to prevent additional hernias along the incision scar. The recovery time for the more radical approach was considerably longer than the laparoscopic surgery and would require another two dozen staples to close the incision. The recovery time for the original operation took months and the radical surgery would as well. Because my abdominal muscles were cut completely during the first surgery, I was still unable to sit from a prone position without rolling out of bed. This continues to this day.

The whole time that the surgeon was telling me about the two alternatives, I was laying on a gurney and had been administered anesthesia. The warm glow of opiates had begun to take effect and I had to fight against the drug to make a decision about which surgery I would have performed. The surgeon clearly leaned toward the simpler solution, in part because of his schedule had been built around the surgery being brief. I told him that it was not possible to expect me to walk around with a large lump under my shirt and ignore the multiple hernias along my earlier incision. He was clearly unhappy with my choice but strictly from the amount of time he wanted to spend on the surgery and the disruption to his personal schedule. I didn't care about his schedule any more than he cared about me walking around with a lump under my shirt forever. I opted for the longer surgery and recovery time, which meant months of recovery but the entire problem being addressed. I let the surgeon know that the situation with my deformed and shrunken navel bothered me and I asked if a cosmetic navel be sculpted into my belly. He responded that it could be done.

As the healing process was taking place, it became apparent that the new cosmetic navel was much smaller and in no way resembled my own navel or necessarily even a human navel. It is quite off-center, since the scar from the first operation was down the middle of my abdomen at the new reconstructed navel could not be centered because of the position of the scar tissue. The new navel is no improvement over the original deformed one and is in fact worse due to it being off-center. To this day I find it difficult to even look at my deformed, undersized and off-center navel.

In addition to suffering through two surgeries where one would have sufficed had the surgeon had the foresight to install the Kevlar Kugel Mesh to insure against future hernias and an additional several months of recovery time, I discovered on my own that the Kugel mesh used in the second operation has been recalled. The Kugel mesh that was manufactured in one of three sites owned by the corporation that makes the mesh was found to produce an unusually large number of defective products, some that did not open properly during their installation and some that became defective after years of functioning that sometimes caused perforated bowels. Because I am unemployed and have no health insurance, I am not able to get a physician or the hospital that installed the mesh to investigate if the mesh inside of me is from the faulty manufacturer, since it could possibly result in litigation. The hospital, the surgeon and the manufacturer all have motive to do nothing since resolving the issue could result in bad publicity and possible litigation.

On a positive note, I fantasize that the insertion of this product has rendered my belly bulletproof. This could have some obvious advantages, particularly for the resident of a violent urban environment such as Philadelphia.

The second case on the subject of navels predates the first by approximately seventeen years. As a younger man I was more prone to visiting strip clubs than I am now. In fact I very rarely enter one unless a situation dictates it that rarely would involve strippers or strip clubs themselves. It just isn't my scene or sensibility. On one specific occasion in the early Eighties, I accompanied two of my friends to a strip club on what was then known Delaware Avenue. The street is now called Columbus Boulevard, obviously because the Italians in South Philadelphia have a much stronger lobby than an aboriginal tribe that was eliminated centuries ago by genocide. I had been drinking in Maggie's Bar in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia when I ran into Roy Goodman and Szak Marks. Roy, a Philadelphia native, although involved peripherally in the arts (although not an artist to my knowledge) was involved in real estate in some fashion. Szak on the other hand was from the Netherlands and (is?) was a talented Minimalist sculptor and a furniture maker. He made reproduction furniture based on the designs Gerrit Rietveldt made for a line of furniture built from scraps of pre-existing packing crates. Rietveldt was a Dutch architect and designer active in the early Twentieth Century. I was much closer to Szak, who was a very bright and funny guy. He was married to a gorgeous and voluptuous Dutch woman named Cynthia. I simply never got to know Roy as well as Szak and I never knew a great deal about his personal life. Had he been married to a woman as beautiful as Cynthia I would have remembered it.

Roy and Szak were heading for the Pennsport Tavern in the section of South Philadelphia known as Pennsport. They asked me to go along with them for a few beers, which during that time period always sounded like a good idea. The Pennsport Tavern is (still) a working-class strip club and is comfortably downscale.It had and still has odd hours. Despite being a strip club, for some reason it closes at 7:00pm rather than the usual closing time of 2:00am for bars. Another oddity specific to the Pennsport was that it was one of the few if not the only strip club in the city that served alcohol and featured completely nude dancers. We settled in for a late afternoon of drinking. The fourth or fifth dancer of the afternoon appeared and turned out to be as quirky and unique as the establishment itself. Her distinguishing characteristic was that she had no navel at all. Her stomach was as smooth as a hard-boiled egg. There was no scar where a navel once was and it certainly was not hidden in some odd place other than the usual one. I am quite certain that it was no where else on her body, as I mentioned before the women danced totally nude. Since they danced on the same bar that the beers were served on, the women were extremely close to the patrons and no part of their anatomy was left to the imagination, even if sometimes you wished that there was, depending on the dancer. The absence of a navel on an otherwise anatomically correct female is an extremely bizarre looking development. Although it is a very small detail, it became monumental in its absence. It was completely disorienting. I remember the dancer was evasive concerning the reason she had no navel and that she was not intelligent enough to be effectively devious, even for someone working in a very manipulative trade. I am happy that I had two witnesses to this event. I understand that Szak has returned to Philadelphia after some years back in the Netherlands. I would be curious about his memories of this afternoon and if I am forgetting something from that day. I will say that it as difficult to resolve the absence of a navel in a human being and that it is so bizarre that it is distracting, even in a naked woman.

Please visit my blog at:

historywillabsolvemike.blogspot.com/

It covers a wide variety of topics and has a much larger international audience than my Flickr account.

At the operating room of the Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology (Gomel, Republic of Belarus)

Best large on black. I had the privilege of creating and organizing the first surgery to ever be simulcast on Twitter and Facebook, as well as the first surgery in Illinois to be shared on Twitter. Some of you may know, surgeries are are very commonly videoed, televised, observed, and photographed. Running a "Tweeted" surgery is actually one of the more calmer methods for sharing what is going on with others.

"Tweeting" a surgery has a lot of benefits. For one, we are able to reach out to the community in a new way to make others aware of advancements at a hospital. In this case, the procedure was a robotic laparoscopic hysterectomy. Sherman Health uses the da Vinci Surgical robot, controlled by a doctor, to create extremely tiny incisions which result in low blood loss, extremely minor scaring and a much speedier recovery time. Those who may be candidates for hysterectomy procedures, as well as other surgeries, should know about their options. Secondly, from a medical education standpoint, other hospitals and medical personnel were monitoring the procedure from across the world. And finally, the best part was that the family was able to follow the surgery from the waiting room, instead of being left in the dark. More hospitals will be using Twitter in the future. I'm honored and proud to stand behind this one.

As an aside, the surgery was a complete success and the patient was able to go home the next day. (Something that is impossible with a traditional hysterectomy.)

the photos i took just after the surgery were too dark... here's the incision 5 days post.

hands in surgical gloves performing a laproscopy

The type of hernia repair technique used can significantly affect the hernia surgery recovery time. Patients tend to recover quicker from a laparoscopic hernia repair as opposed to an open hernia repair.Log on herniaonline.com/

10 high quality operation theatres provided with :

Intelligent full Automated doors, Special type of anti-bacterial/viral fungal painting that helps prevent microbial growth, special lighting system that uses LED technology and color mixing feature, Anti static PVC cladding, ceiling booms and monitors to give more space in the operation theatre, electronic control on medical gases, controlled air conditioning and ventilation system that provide LAMINAR flow in order to prohibit infection, the most modern laparoscopic surgeries equipments in Jordan and the Region with voice integrated control, Live telecommunication between the operation room and the auditorium, under a group of well trained medical and nursing staff that works hard to provide the safe care and best use of resources

On Wednesday, October 29th, 8th graders from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids visited campus for a Junior Mini Medical School experience. Students learned about medical education and got to see real human plastinated specimens, visited the medical museum to learn about health and old medicine practices used at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and then engaged in an interactive session where they tested their visual-spatial skills on the laparoscopic surgical trainer, and also made their own cast.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organization across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2014, more than 13,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 260 faculty, staff and students.

At World Laparoscopy Hospital surgeons and gynecologists get opportunity to learn and do all practical laparoscopic surgeries within the ultramodern laparoscopic HD wet operating room lab, followed by live exposure of live Laparoscopic surgery in operation theatre with expert consultants.

Eric Ellis slips in and out of consciousness the day following an operation to remove one of his kidneys in a hospital room at the Medical College of Georgia July 12, 2008. While he did not anticipate the pain, Mr. Ellis said the pain was easy to overlook because he was giving his mother her life back.

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When Alberta Ellis was told by doctors in December that her kidneys had been damaged by congestive heart failure, she had not imagined how drastically her life would change in the coming year.

She had not imagined she would be tethered to a dialysis machine, having to rush back even from the grocery store to undergo dialysis four times a day – at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. She had not imagined that the same machine that kept her alive would take away her freedom.

She had not imagined she would end up with three kidneys in her body, or that one of them would be from her son Eric.

Of the Ellis' three children, Eric is always the first to help out. When he discovered that his mother was having health problems, his first thoughts were to move home and see if the two were compatible for a kidney transplant.

Although he knew the transplants are often much harder on the donor's body, Eric never wavered in his decision. "There was no stopping me," he said, grinning at his mother.

On Feb . 6 , mother and son discovered they were a match.

"I kinda had the feeling we would be," Eric said.

"We matched right from the beginning," his mother replied.

The two went into surgery on July 11. Eric had three holes cut into him for his laparoscopic surgery. Mrs. Ellis left surgery with 56 sutures and a healthy kidney.

When Eric awoke in a hospital room at MCG down the hall from his sleeping mother, he was in a lot of pain, but another sensation overpowered it .

"Emotionally, I felt real good doing it for my mom. Once it was over and I saw my mom, I felt a sense of closeness … a sense of fulfillment."

The two recovered together, which made it easier to sympathize with the weakness and aches. Mrs. Ellis' husband, Edward, cooked the two soup and became their personal nurse.

Although Mrs. Ellis must take 23 pills a day and have check-ups to make sure her body does not reject her son's kidney, she will have the freedom to garden and travel – two activities dialysis took away from her.

Eric and his mother have a bond very few people can claim.

"I know this will change my life. Now I will be able to pick up and go," Mrs. Ellis said. "I'm just glad it's behind us and we can look forward to our life and be healthy."

6th grade students from Tipton came to the University of Iowa campus and interacted with medical students learning about casting, physical exam skills, laparoscopic surgery, and viruses. They also visited air care and the medical museum.

On Wednesday, October 29th, 8th graders from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids visited campus for a Junior Mini Medical School experience. Students learned about medical education and got to see real human plastinated specimens, visited the medical museum to learn about health and old medicine practices used at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and then engaged in an interactive session where they tested their visual-spatial skills on the laparoscopic surgical trainer, and also made their own cast.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organization across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2014, more than 13,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 260 faculty, staff and students.

The University of Iowa Health Care STEM Education and two medical students from the Carver College of Medicine attended the Open Minds Open Doors Conference at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The medical students taught young women what it was like to be a doctor for a day. Different sessions included physical examination skills, laparoscopic surgery, casting/x-rays, and analyzing plastinated specimens. The medical students taught the girls why it is important to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to understand these skills that doctors use every day in their career to take care of others.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organizations across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2016, more than 22,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 300 faculty, staff and students.

On Wednesday, October 29th, 8th graders from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids visited campus for a Junior Mini Medical School experience. Students learned about medical education and got to see real human plastinated specimens, visited the medical museum to learn about health and old medicine practices used at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and then engaged in an interactive session where they tested their visual-spatial skills on the laparoscopic surgical trainer, and also made their own cast.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organization across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2014, more than 13,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 260 faculty, staff and students.

Meet Victor who is stranger #4 in my 100 stragers project..www.100strangers.com/

Victor is an anesthesiologist specialist at the Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg. I met Victor a few days ago when I was scheduled for Laparoscopic Gall Bladder day surgery. I should have gone home that evening, but instead was admitted for a couple of days because of blood oxygen level issues that were a real concern. Victor truly does care about his patients, he clearly makes you understand all of the concerns and he does it in a way that makes you say "Tell me more", and in between surgeries the past couple of days he found the time to drop into my room and see me many times throughout each day. In fact Victor was the last person I saw and spoke to when I was discharged.

Victor also dabbles in amateur photography much like I do, we would be having a heart to heart discussion on health that often shifted into a talk on lenses and camera bodies.

Victor has one of my Moo cards, he has had a look at Flickr and knows of the 100 Strangers Project, and was happy to participate.

There are many reasons why I am glad I met Victor, he has helped me understand some health concerns we need to pay attention to as we grow older, and yes he is a photographer, but most of all Victor is who I want to call when my health is at stake.....thank you Victor!!

Under 'How I spent my weekend'...... in the ER!

My appendix decided it was time to come out.

Taken with my iPhone.

So here is the timeline for my laparoscopic appendectomy surgery adventure:

Saturday early morning woke up with severe abdominal cramps...this lasts all day (this was the worst part of the entire ordeal). Decide to go to the ER at 7pm and end up in surgery by 1:30am. Wake up from surgery around 3am or so. I was able to leave the hospital by 6:30pm on Sunday (less that 24 hours after surgery!). Recovery time was rather quick too (mostly felt sore on Monday the day after coming home from the hospital)....didn't go to work for three days but then I was back to work by Thursday (but took it very easy at work for a few days). Not bad at all!

Abdominal Surgery Specialists, a part of the Nicholson Clinic, is led by Dr. Nick Nicholson, one of the most experienced laparoscopic surgeons in the country. Dr. Nicholson has performed over 10,000 minimally invasive procedures and instructs surgeons around the world on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and W.L. Gore & Associates. Call us today (844) 724-6287 or visit: www.abdominalsurgeryspecialists.com/

When Alberta Ellis was told by doctors in December that her kidneys had been damaged by congestive heart failure, she had not imagined how drastically her life would change in the coming year.

She had not imagined she would be tethered to a dialysis machine, having to rush back even from the grocery store to undergo dialysis four times a day – at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. She had not imagined that the same machine that kept her alive would take away her freedom.

She had not imagined she would end up with three kidneys in her body, or that one of them would be from her son Eric.

Of the Ellis' three children, Eric is always the first to help out. When he discovered that his mother was having health problems, his first thoughts were to move home and see if the two were compatible for a kidney transplant.

Although he knew the transplants are often much harder on the donor's body, Eric never wavered in his decision. "There was no stopping me," he said, grinning at his mother.

On Feb . 6 , mother and son discovered they were a match.

"I kinda had the feeling we would be," Eric said.

"We matched right from the beginning," his mother replied.

The two went into surgery on July 11. Eric had three holes cut into him for his laparoscopic surgery. Mrs. Ellis left surgery with 56 sutures and a healthy kidney.

When Eric awoke in a hospital room at MCG down the hall from his sleeping mother, he was in a lot of pain, but another sensation overpowered it .

"Emotionally, I felt real good doing it for my mom. Once it was over and I saw my mom, I felt a sense of closeness … a sense of fulfillment."

The two recovered together, which made it easier to sympathize with the weakness and aches. Mrs. Ellis' husband, Edward, cooked the two soup and became their personal nurse.

Although Mrs. Ellis must take 23 pills a day and have check-ups to make sure her body does not reject her son's kidney, she will have the freedom to garden and travel – two activities dialysis took away from her.

Eric and his mother have a bond very few people can claim.

"I know this will change my life. Now I will be able to pick up and go," Mrs. Ellis said. "I'm just glad it's behind us and we can look forward to our life and be healthy."

On Wednesday, October 29th, 8th graders from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids visited campus for a Junior Mini Medical School experience. Students learned about medical education and got to see real human plastinated specimens, visited the medical museum to learn about health and old medicine practices used at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and then engaged in an interactive session where they tested their visual-spatial skills on the laparoscopic surgical trainer, and also made their own cast.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organization across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2014, more than 13,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 260 faculty, staff and students.

6th grade students from Tipton came to the University of Iowa campus and interacted with medical students learning about casting, physical exam skills, laparoscopic surgery, and viruses. They also visited air care and the medical museum.

The University of Iowa Health Care STEM Education and two medical students from the Carver College of Medicine attended the Open Minds Open Doors Conference at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The medical students taught young women what it was like to be a doctor for a day. Different sessions included physical examination skills, laparoscopic surgery, casting/x-rays, and analyzing plastinated specimens. The medical students taught the girls why it is important to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to understand these skills that doctors use every day in their career to take care of others.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organizations across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2016, more than 22,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 300 faculty, staff and students.

The University of Iowa Health Care STEM Education and two medical students from the Carver College of Medicine attended the Open Minds Open Doors Conference at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The medical students taught young women what it was like to be a doctor for a day. Different sessions included physical examination skills, laparoscopic surgery, casting/x-rays, and analyzing plastinated specimens. The medical students taught the girls why it is important to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to understand these skills that doctors use every day in their career to take care of others.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organizations across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2016, more than 22,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 300 faculty, staff and students.

On Wednesday, October 29th, 8th graders from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids visited campus for a Junior Mini Medical School experience. Students learned about medical education and got to see real human plastinated specimens, visited the medical museum to learn about health and old medicine practices used at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and then engaged in an interactive session where they tested their visual-spatial skills on the laparoscopic surgical trainer, and also made their own cast.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organization across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2014, more than 13,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 260 faculty, staff and students.

On Wednesday, October 29th, 8th graders from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids visited campus for a Junior Mini Medical School experience. Students learned about medical education and got to see real human plastinated specimens, visited the medical museum to learn about health and old medicine practices used at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and then engaged in an interactive session where they tested their visual-spatial skills on the laparoscopic surgical trainer, and also made their own cast.

University of Iowa Health Care is committed partners with formal and informal educators and community organization across the state to advance STEM literacy to inspire the next generation of health care professionals and build a foundation for children to understanding their own health. In FY2014, more than 13,000 school age children were engaged in hands on learning provided by 260 faculty, staff and students.