INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Think of the stores you shop with the most and the stores you consider most reliable or inexpensive. The list of stores you come up with will likely vary depending on the type of product you are looking for. You may, for instance, check with various department stores when shopping for clothing, a mix of department and home goods stores when looking for small kitchen appliances, or a mix of department and home improvement stores if looking for large appliances or tools. If you do not know the store website address already, go to a search engine and type the store’s name in. The store’s website is usually the first hit to pop up. If you have difficulty, though, you could also try searching the store’s name with “official website” typed after it. You can either locate the product by doing a search, using the store’s search bar, or by browsing through the departments until you find what you are looking for. If you are looking for a specific product, doing a keyword search is the most efficient and practical means. If looking for a generic product, browsing through the departments might prove more useful. While a product may be cheaper at one store than it is at another, the difference in shipping costs can sometimes make the more expensive item cheaper to buy. Stores that offer free “in store pickup” are, understandably, the cheapest. As soon as you find the product you want on each store’s website, jot down the name of the product as well as the price. If the product is currently on sale, make a note of that fact along with when the sale ends, since the price will likely go up after the sale finishes. Saving the product page from each store to your favorites list will make it easier to go back to the product you decide to buy later. After you visit all the websites on your list, compare which ones had the best prices. Since all of these stores are, theoretically, ones you feel comfortable shopping at, the only things you really need to take into account are the cost of the product and the cost of shipping. Return to the product page of the store that had the best price and make your purchase. Alternatively, if the product is marked “Available in stores,” you can also drive to that store and purchase the product there.

SUMMARY: Make a list of stores. Visit each store’s website. Locate the desired product on each website. Check shipping policies. Mark down your findings as you go along. Add each product page to your favorites. Compare your findings. Buy the item.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Thymomas are rated on a scale from stage I to stage IV, with stage I being a thymoma that is caught early on. The treatment your doctor will first recommend will be based on the stage of the thymoma.  Stage I is generally dealt with using corticosteroids and surgical intervention. Stage II is generally dealt with through surgical resection and occasionally radiation therapy. Stage III is generally dealt with through chemotherapy followed by surgical resection. Stage IV is generally dealt with through chemotherapy or chemoradiation. Corticosteroids like hydrocortisone and prednisone may be able to treat early stage thymoma. These drugs control inflammation and can be taken either orally or intravenously.  Your doctor may prescribe between 20 to 800 milligrams (mg) taken every one or two days. Intravenous corticosteroids are generally prescribed at 5 to 500 mg, depending on the severity of the thymoma. Hormone therapy is a treatment that involves the removal of hormones or blocks their involvement in the growth of the thymoma. This therapy may also be able to stop the growth of cancerous cells. This therapy is generally used in conjunction with corticosteroid medications for thymomas that are caught early on. There are two reasons that surgery may be performed when you have a thymoma. The first is to test the thymoma and see what stage it is in, and whether it is malignant or benign. The other reason is that in some cases, the thymoma can be removed through surgical excision. One type of surgical resection that is used to combat thymoma is sternotomy. This procedure involves splitting the breastbone so that the surgeon can access the anterior chest cavity and remove the thymoma, as well as the entirety of the thymus if need be. A non-metastasizing thymoma means that the thymoma is not spreading to other parts of your body. This procedure involves removing the thymus gland so that the thymoma cannot do further damage to your body. The thymus gland helps your immune system to form when you are born. When it is removed later on, the removal will have very little effect on your immune system.

SUMMARY: Understand that the type of treatment will depend on the stage the thymoma is in. Take corticosteroids. Try hormone therapy. Consider the benefits of surgery. Talk to your doctor about sternotomy. Get a thymectomy done if you have a non-metastasizing thymoma.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When most people think about seizures, they imagine a person convulsing. However, seizures can look different for different people. One manifestation of a seizure simply looks like a blank stare that can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. The individual may appear to look right through you. They may or may not blink.  This is often, but not always, accompanied by a loss of awareness. Seizures accompanied by blank stares are usually absence seizures, which are common in children. In many cases, these seizures don't cause long-term problems. Atonic seizures involve sudden loss of muscle strength, which can cause the person to fall to the ground. The person's muscles will go limp, causing a sudden drop. These seizures usually last less than 15 seconds.  The person usually remains conscious during the seizure. A person with atonic seizures may not always fall down. The drop could affect just the head, just the eyelids, or just one part of the body. Seizure activity may cause a person to blank out and lose anywhere from a few moments to a few minutes of awareness. In some cases, a seizure may even cause the person to pass out and lose consciousness completely.  If a person does not revive within a matter of a few minutes, seek emergency medical attention. Loss of consciousness may last 10-20 seconds, followed by muscle convulsions that usually last for under 2 minutes. This is usually caused by a grand mal seizure. The most recognizable seizure symptom is shaking, jerking, and convulsing. This can range from very mild and hardly perceptible, to quite violent and severe. When you or someone with you experiences seizure-like symptoms, it is important to write all them down, including their duration. Since doctors are not usually present at the time of a seizure, it can make seizures difficult to diagnose. The more information you can provide a doctor, the better they can help determine the type of seizure that has been experienced, and the possible cause. If you or someone with you experiences seizure-like symptoms for the first time, call a doctor and possibly visit the emergency room. If the person has already been diagnosed with epilepsy, medical care may not always be necessary. Seek immediate medical care if:  A seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes. A second seizure occurs immediately. You have trouble breathing after the seizure stops. You are unconscious after the seizure. You have a fever over 103 °F (39 °C). You are pregnant, or recently had a baby. You have been diagnosed with diabetes. You have sustained an injury during the seizure.

SUMMARY:
Notice a blank stare. Watch for a sudden loss of muscle strength. Notice a loss of awareness or consciousness. Recognize jerking movements or shaking of the arms and legs. Record the symptoms. Seek medical attention.