THE SambaMD

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

 Hi!  Welcome to Dragonfly Tales.  I consider it an honor to have you here.

Because I do product reviews, one just never knows what genre of product I'll be discussing from one blog post to the next.  Generally, I review a product for one month,  give my opinion of the product, and move on to the next. It's kind of like speed dating.  Ha!  No really it is nothing like speed dating, I don't even know what speed dating is like.  REALLY, I don't!  I've only heard rumors!!

Anyway......, without further ado, I give you my latest product test.


In testing out the SambaMD Back Relief Wheelchair Cushion, I asked my neighbor, who is wheelchair bound, to also test out the cushion.  She reported that the cushion did indeed help by decreasing back pain and pain on her tailbone.  I tested out the cushion in a wheelchair I have for times when I go places that require long periods of walking.  I also found it to be quite comfortable.

Due to past illnesses, I have been wheelchair bound for over a month at a time.  It was truly a miserable experience for me.  The wheelchairs I used just had that sling type seat in them, which offers no support whatsoever. If you or a loved one are using a wheelchair with an ill fitting seat, this post is for you.  Let's get into the nitty- gritty of the SambaMD wheelchair cushion.

People confined to wheelchairs often have chronic back pain due to their back muscles tensing up.  They may squirm around trying to find relief for their aching muscles.  They need a seat that can give them the movement they need.  The SambaMD Cushion is just that seat, because not only is it nicely padded with memory foam, but one may also inflate it with air by blowing into a valve located in the zippered part of the cushion.  One can see how the dispersing of air when changing positions, would help to relieve tensing back muscles.  Think of it in terms of a mini padded air mattress.  

The cushion is very "cushy" and extremely well made. One side of the cushion is waterproof leather, the other side is 3D fabric for improved air circulation.  It is important that which ever side one uses, the memory foam must be on top of the air controlled ergonomic core.  I feel this product would offer many years of comfort. 

As I write this post, I am reminded of the time I spent in a nursing home for rehabilitation following a life threatening illness.  My room mate was a dear 89 year old woman confined to a wheelchair.  She complained of back pain on a daily basis.  It's sad to think that something as simple as this cushion may have helped in easing her pain.

One may purchase the SambaMD at Amazon or Walgreens.com

Check with your health insurance to see if you may be eligible for reimbursement.  I was told by the company that the reimbursement code for Medicare/Medicaid is E2622.

Until next time...

Vicki



I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

SNOW ROLLERS IN THE AREA!

Hello dear Dragonfly Tale readers!

Today, I am attempting to find beauty in the snow and -14 degree weather.  

These pictures were not taken by me, but are from my area.  They are called "snow rollers".  Snow rollers occur when chunks of ice and snow are blown across a relatively level field.

I think they are just lovely!
Have you ever seen a snow roller?  I have only seen them in pictures.  

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope you have a lovely, lovely day!

Vicki

YOUR BACK WILL THANK YOU!

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.   

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Dragonfly Tales!
I hope this day finds you well and happy.  

Today, I am reviewing for you the "Qi (pronounced chi) Orthopedic Pillow".  One inflates this pillow to whatever is comfortable for them, making it usable for anyone.

  How does QiPillow differ from ordinary pillows?
-          In a word: support. QiPillow is far more than an ordinary pillow. It provides scientifically tested orthopedic back support for people of all shapes and sizes.
-          The QiPillow has been proven in a third party clinical study to help 91% of back pain sufferers relieve their back stiffness, pain and fatigue, and improve their sitting posture and comfort.
-          It uses an air controlled orthopedic core to provide the much needed dynamic and individualized support to your back.
-          Unlike ordinary pillows, QiPillow does not collapse under bodyweight and will help you to maintain the correct posture.
-          With QiPillow, your back support will always adjust to your body, seat and comfort, instead of the other way round. 
 
I cannot recommend this pillow highly enough. I have tried many supporting devices over the years and this is by far the best support pillow I have found.  It is very easy to inflate, and I have found that a little inflation works best for me.
It is attractive enough to use as couch cushions, your family and guests will thank you!

The QiPillow may be purchased at Amazon or Walgreens.

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

"FITBIT FORCE" GIVES SOME "FITS"

Hello, and welcome to Dragonfly Tales!  Thank you for stopping by! 

Today I will be playing the part of an amateur news reporter. :)

One of the newer exercise trackers to hit the market  is the "Fitbit Force".   







This device is worn on the wrist, it keeps track of ones movements, sleep patterns, and one can log what they eat into it.  It is waterproof.   It can even wake the wearer up in the morning, by vibrating on their arm.  

The results of one's exercise, or lack thereof, is  wirelessly sent to their computer and/or smart phone, where they can see graphs showing how well  they are keeping up with the Jone's   meeting their goals.

I don't even wear a watch, because I can't tolerate something always on my arm.  Having a watchdog strapped to me is not my idea of fun either!  But, that is just me.  

Anyway, it turns out that some people are reporting, rashes, blisters and  burning pain at the site of the "Fitbit Force"

Hmm, let me see.... one never takes it off, they sweat, swim, shower and sleep in this "elastomer" material that fits kind of snuggly around the wrist.  I would be more inclined to wonder why I wasn't developing a rash!  Even a tight wide band ring on my finger can give me a red irritated, itchy area. (Which I attribute to getting water under it and not drying it off.)


The pictures I viewed (of the "Fitbit" rash) looked pretty nasty, there were concerns about permanent scarring, and I can see why.  

In response to these reports "Fitbit" released this statement: 

“As with any jewelry or watch, numerous factors could cause a skin irritation, such as nickel sensitivity (surgical stainless steel is an alloy containing traces of nickel), reactions to bacteria that can accumulate in wristbands, or a sensitivity to the material of the band elastomer,” 

Reviews on Amazon are mixed with one reviewer stating that the "Fitbit Force" reported they walked 260+ steps in their sleep....hmmmm I wonder if they ate while they slept too?  That could really throw one's charts off!  Ha!

If you are a "Fitbit" wearer, just be aware of this potential problem.  It has required some people to have to go to their Dr. for oral steroids, because over-the-counter steroid creams did not alleviate the blistering rash.

Until next time.. 

Vicki

CASE OF THE MISSING "BAKING GENE"

Hello! 
 
Welcome to Dragonfly Tales, where one just never knows what they are going to be reading about!  I'm happy you were able to drop by today!

I was reading an article this morning that made me realize that I do not have the "baking gene".  I think it skipped a generation, and I was the one that got skipped.  

My mom bakes, my daughter loves to bake, heck even my son-in-law bakes. And, they all do it well.  But me?  No.  Not a bakers bone in my body.  

I'm not really much for cooking either, but that's another story.  Usually at any kind of pot-luck family gathering, I'm the pop and chips bringer.  And, this is usually at the host's request.........

Anyway, I have kind of suspected that I didn't have a "baking gene" for quite some time now.  Oh, sure I have a few hundreds of recipes pinned on Pinterest.  But, when I look at the huge number of items one needs to bake something from scratch, I'm like, "really??????? who does this stuff?"

I do have a few spices in my cabinet that I have bought over the years. But, those were kind of a "guilt trip" purchase.  They stare at me accusing-ly as I walk by them at the store.  Due to my panic-attack tendencies, I try to avoid the whole baking/spice aisle.  But, occasionally I'll slip up and find myself there, and I feel an over-whelming compulsion to buy a spice.  So, yeh, I have a bunch 
five ... maybe.  I know for sure I have pepper and cinnamon.  I haven't opened the cinnamon, so it's kind of like "emergency cinnamon".  

Anyway, the article that finally made me admit to my missing "baking gene" was about making biscuits.  (Admitting you have an issue is the first step to recovery... right?)  Okay, about the biscuits, I have helped watched my mom make biscuits for years, but until today I hadn't really read an article about the intricacies of making biscuits.  Mom has the "baking gene", so she never uses recipes.  So, consequently, I have never been a recipe reader.  Hmmm... did I just find a way to blame my mom?  Ha!  I love you mommy!

Moving on... did you know that to make biscuits properly you should use really cold, like even frozen butter?  You probably do, because according to the article, "most of you probably already know this, but it bears repeating".  At first I thought they meant you should be slathering cold butter on your biscuits after baking them, and I was all like "NO WAY".   

Reading further, I discovered they were referring to when one combines the butter into the flour one should use freezing cold butter for "irresistible flakiness".

And, this is just step 1, there are 5 more steps to making "light, pillowy,crusty" biscuits.  I'll have to save those for another day, because I don't see my psychiatrist for another two weeks, so I am going to have to deal with my "baking gene inadequacies" on my own until then.  I need my mommy!  dialing.........

Until later, happy baking...... if there is such a thing,   (I wouldn't know.)

Vicki

 

ULTRASPORT TRAVEL TOWEL BY SHANDALI

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

Hello and welcome back to another review by Dragonfly Tales!  I am so happy to have you here.  Your continued support over the last 11 months has been a blessing.  

Today I am reviewing the Ultrasport Travel Towel by Shandali 

This microfiber towel is great for anyone that hikes, camps, goes to the gym or bathes.   :)

I was surprised by how light weight this towel is.  I like that it has a little loop on it, so that one could loop it over a hook, or a tree limb :)   

In testing this towel out, I used it once, then hung it over the shower rod for 1 week, there was no mildew smell.  It dries very quickly after using it.   I have the medium size, and although it is smaller than other bath towels, it absorbs faster and therefore took less time to dry off.  

I will be taking this towel to the gym! 

This awesome towel can be purchased on Amazon

Thank you for spending part of your day with me.  

Vicki

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Product Review for YOU!

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.


Welcome!  I am sitting here waiting for the big snow storm to hit my area.  Bleck!  My car does not do good in the snow, so when we get snow I'm pretty much home bound!  Plenty of time for cleaning, surfin' the net!

Thank you for joining me today, I appreciate you.

The product I am reviewing today is:  Ageless Derma Anti-Aging Intensive Skin Brightener.  According to the box, this product is an innovative new treatment that is clinically proven to reduce all types of hyperpigmentation and leave one with soft, glowing skin.  It can be found here:  http://www.agelessderma.com/

 

As with any product review, one must bear in mind that they may get different results than the reviewer.

I was asked to use this product every morning and every evening for two weeks before writing my review.  I have used it for three weeks as directed.  I have seen very little change in the appearance of the three dark spots I applied it too.  I did take before and after pictures, but the difference was so small that it did not show on the pictures.   I am going to finish up the entire bottle, and should I get different results, I will be sure and let ya'll know.  Deal?  Deal!

One thing that I really like about this product is the way it dispenses.  It is a unique airless pump. If you look at the picture, you can see it through the clear lid.  One just pushes down on the top and the product comes up through a little hole in the middle.  This is a type of dispensing I haven't seen before and I wish more products were made this way. 

Ageless Derma has a nice, very light clean smell.  The consistency is very creamy, kind of dewy.
It did make the places I applied it to look moisturized.

Ageless Derma offers a wide range of products, and according to the website, they offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

Have you tried any Ageless Derma Products?  What were your results?

I hope you have a lovely day

Vicki

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

THE 'EYES' HAVE IT

Hello Dear Readers.  This is the most important issue I have posted to date, and I hope you will take away valuable knowledge.  As, always, I want to Thank You for spending time with me today.

About 1 month ago, I started having some odd things going on in my left eye.  I would see something dark on the outer edge of my eye, and would pull at my eyelashes thinking I had something on them.  I described it to the ophthalmologist as looking like mosquito legs, he laughed and said that was a new one to him, as most people describe "it" as a spider web.  (Which further confirms that I always think outside the box.)  Ha!  I also noticed flashes of a bright light in the outer left corner of my eye.  I wasn't having any pain or vision loss, so I waited for two weeks before I called the ophthalmologist.  My first concern came when the receptionist said, "How soon can you get here"?  I told them I could be there within the hour, she told me there would be a wait, as they would be working me in, in between patients that had had their appointment for a year.  I was like "oh my gosh, this does not sound good".

After the Dr. examined my eyes, he said I'll be back in in a few minutes to tell you what is going on.  GULP, something was "going on" with my eye???  Days later minutes later, he came back in to tell me that I had, had a vitreous tear.  The vitreous is the gel like part of your eye, and what I was seeing was 'floaters' caused by the leak.  It had closed itself off, so no further intervention was necessary.  He did inform me that in 1 out of 10 people, this type of problem could lead to RETINAL DETACHMENT, but that I was in the 9 out of 10 category.  Whew.  For several days after, I did continue to see floaters, and swipe at gnats flying around that wasn't really there.  Which is something one does discreetly when in public!




I went to my two-week follow up appointment yesterday, even though I risked life and limb to get there, as it was the worst snow day we have had thus far! 

Once again he did my examine, and I noticed it was a little more entailed than the first time.  He looked at my eye, wrote something down, looked again, wrote again..... there are just those little tale tell signs!
He then said to me, "You have not one, not two, but three retinal tears.  Now, I'm smart enough to know that tears lead to detachment.  So, now I had moved into the 1 out of 10 category.  With me being the 1.  I'll admit to saying a bad word when he first told me, because whew, those were spooky words to hear.

He said I needed to have Retinal Laser Surgery, the sooner the better.  If I was willing to wait, he would stay over to do the surgery that day.  He suggested that I waited no longer than the next day to have the surgery.  What the heck just happened?? This was a follow-up visit!  And now... it has turned into FREAKING SURGERY!

Being of sound mind, I wasted no time in saying, I am willing to wait the 1.5 hours to have surgery to save my eyesight.  The laser surgery "welds" the retina to the underlying eye wall, thus preventing or limiting actual retinal detachment. The laser forms a scar at the sight of the tear, but it does not affect your vision.

This is a brief summary of Retinal Laser Surgery;  one sits in a regular chair, while the Dr. sits across from you behind the laser.  Which is something he pointed out to me.  I found it humorous when he said "I'll be behind the laser, you will be in front of it."  REALLY???  That did appear to be the best configuration, so I felt quite confidant that he knew what he was doing! Ha!  Carrying on..... one just rests their chin in that little chin cup thing, and holds their head very still.  Then the brightest light one will ever see,( until one sees the bright light at the end of the tunnel) is shot repeatedly into one's eye.  There is some PAIN  pain involved. 
The Dr. also found two more areas that were thinning, and while he was there, felt he should go ahead and give those a few blasts.  All in all, it just took a few minutes.  He did tell me I was the best patient he had ever done laser surgery on, as I didn't even flinch.  So Kudos for me!

Follow-up instructions are not to do anything strenuous, for a couple of weeks.  I said "oh good, I don't have to wash dishes!  He deflated me when he said, "you can wash dishes, but do not run the vacuum.  So, that is an example of what a strenuous activity is after laser surgery.  For the next few hours, my eye had a stinging sensation, but nothing that I would call pain.  I went to bed early, and 8 hours after surgery, I still have no pain, but there is kind of an odd feeling, kind of like my eye feels tired. I go back to see the Dr. in two weeks.

If you experience the symptoms I have described; flashes of bright lights, or seeing 'cobwebs', please see an ophthalmologist (not an optometrist) as soon as possible.  Do not brush it aside as something that will go away.

Words cannot describe how thankful I am that I have taken all the precautions I can to prevent a retinal detachment. 

"Here's lookin' at you, kid"!

xoxo  Vicki

(This diagram of the eye was copied from the nih.gov website.)