Hemihypertrophy

Nobody reads this blog yet, but hopefully, they will read this entry whenever they do. This is about hemihypertrophy, a condition that affects a few thousand Americans by causing considerable differences in size between some or all body parts on the different sides of the body. There is very little information on the Internet about hemihypertrophy, not much more than you will see here. Sometimes it is just a random congenital birth defect, as in my case, but sometimes, it occurs as a symptom of another condition, such as Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. I am visibly affected in my entire upper body, hands, tongue, and although my legs are pretty much the same size, the right leg has much more strength and coordination. My left arm is not only thinner and weaker with a smaller hand, but it is a couple inches shorter too, which can never be corrected by weightlifting. This unequal application of force on my body is definitely bad for my back and hips and such, but luckily, I never developed any serious scoliosis and my hip pain was greatly reduced by cutting back on long distance running. All in all, I've been blessed, only having to put up with a few minor inconveniences and no major health problems. Thanks to the Masons(though I do disagree with their religion) and their Shriners Hospital in Spokane, I was routinely checked for Wilms' tumor(kidney or adrenal gland), scoliosis, and had my growth monitored. My hemihypertrophy used to be worse when I was little, now that I've seen some of the pictures; it's been reduced by age and weightlifting. Actually, I think it should be called hemihypotrophy in my case, because rather than an oversized right side, it now appears that rather some parts of the left side are undersized. But once again, this is minor. I once knew a kid in elementary and middle school named John Ficklin, whose hemihypertrophy caused one leg to be a few inches shorter than the other. He had to wear a shoe addition on his short leg and had some surgery and pins to lenghthen it. When I remember him, it puts my own minor inconveniences into perspective, because there was a lot John couldn't do. God bless him, wherever he is today. The information I gave above is the basics of hemihypertrophy: Asymmetry, congenital, higher risk of Wilms' tumors, possible scoliosis and joint ailments. So if you see someone like me or him and you notice somthing seems off with our bodies, this is it. Well, that wasn't that important, but it's to raise a little awareness. Plus, you just learned a new fancy medical term, and better yet, you know what it means. In an unrelated story, hill sprints are great exercise. I just did some today until my legs burned and I gasped for air like a racehorse. It's especially good for those of you who are time-challenged because you will undoubtedly be exhausted within a half hour. Also, you'll quicken your metabolism, and if you're like me and suffer from some joint pain, hill sprints will give you a great workout without any aggravation. So get off your duff and run some hill sprints today!
Now, as far as future writings are concerned, there will be a forthcoming entry on elections, voting, democracy and such things. We're actually going into a real no spin zone, underneath all the politics. Learn why the evidence shows that the average American voter really is dumber than a chimp. Now be safe and get yourself a good night's sleep.