July 8 , 2010 A FOND MEMORY/ CADMIUM TOXICITY

WHAT DO YOU SEE

Dedicated to the memory of Pat Fratellone, Sr (aka Pasqualino,Patsy)

What do you see doctors, what do you see
Are you thinking when you are looking at me
A crabbit old man, not very wise
Uncertain of habit with far away eyes;
Who dribbles his food and makes no reply,
When you say in a loud voice – "I do wish you'd try"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe
Who unresisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill;
Is that what you are thinking doctor, is that what you see.

I’ll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I daze at your bidding, as I eat at your will;
I’m a small child of ten, with a mother and father
Brothers and sisters who love one another;
A young man of sixteen with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon a lover he’ll meet;
A groom soon at thirty seven-my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep;
At forty , now that I have young of my own,
Who need me to build a secure happy home;
A man of fifty, my young now grow fast,
Round to each other with ties that should last;
At fifty, my young sons now grown will be gone,
But my wife stays beside me to see I don’t mourn;
At sixty once more babies play around my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me;


Dark days are upon me, my wife is dead,
I look to the future, I shudder with dread;
For my young are all busy rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love I have known.

I’m an old man now and nature is cruel
Tis jest to make old age look like a fool;
The body it crumbles, grace and vigor depart
There is now a stone where I once had a heart;
But inside this old carcass a young boy still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells;
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I’m loving and living life all over again;
I think of the years all too few –all too fast,
And accept the dark fact that nothing can last;

So Open Your Eyes , Doctors, Open and See
Not A Crabby Old Man, Look Closer see Me

Today is my dad's birthday. He was born July 8, 1921. he would have been 89 years old. As a child, we had two birthday dates to celebrate for my dad. He was born on July 8th but not registered until July 12th. The poem is appropriate as my dad died in a facility in November 2005. He chose not to have his leg amputated (not from diabetes) after developing a blood clot. I think he was brave to make that decision. He didn't want to leave this earth with the one leg.

I can still hear his harsh, loud, defiant voice trying to discuss, no, yelling at the doctor. There comes a time when although living, the person is in a far off place. Breathing is labored, and they are beginning to die. What does the doctor see in that patient. I have come to believe that I see and feel what the person was in his/her life. Rick later described my dad as a 'man of many words', unpredictable, reliable, brutally honest, opinionated, extremely independent, fair and respectful, flirtatious, and loving/appreciative. He was extremely caring of family and friends, a great Italian cook, and a little "Archie Bunker". He ended by saying if you disagree with the above, my father would say, "The Hell with You". Miss you Dad.

Now to medicine blogging... back to the heavy metals. In the last three days we have discussed toxicity from mercury, lead and aluminum. Today I will discuss cadmium. What is cadmium? Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. The soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other metals in group 12, zinc and mercury.

Where would one get cadmium? If you know someone who smokes or you smoke, there is cadmium in cigarettes. Each 'fag' contains a little cadmium (actually 1.4 mcg) MY DAD DID SMOKE while in the USS Navy. He stopped in the 1960's after a mild heart attack. In those years he was kept in a hospital for 3-4weeks. This was before stinting and statin drugs. Cadium will accumulate in the arteries, can produce wrinkles ( especially on the face), and left untreated has been shown to decrease your life. So the message is stop smoking. The signs and symptoms of cadmium toxicity include:
1. fatigue
2, iron deficiency
3. bone pain, especially sternum
4. pain in lower back
5. loss of sense of smell (anosmia)
6. generalized aches and muscle soreness

So, the question is --If I do not smoke how can I have cadmium in my body? There are professions that have higher exposure to cadmium. Most of these professions involve hardware as nickel-cadmium battery manufacturing, zinc ore smelting, soldering, ceramic making using cadmium, rustproof tools, marine hardware and jewelry making.

For those who do none of the above you can get cadmium from drinking water, evaporated milk, processed foods, soft drinks from a vending machine and from refined wheat flour. Both pesticides and fungicides contain cadmium. Even silver polish can contain cadmium.
So, key points:
1. Cadmium can cause toxicity
2. Do not polish your own silverware
3. Stay clear of cigarettes

The lower photograph was taken at the 51st brownstone on the night of my 40th birthday (ten years ago -yes I am now 50)
Until tomorrow...