INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before beginning treatment, it will be important to determine whether your hamster's swollen cheeks are due to an abscess or food storage. Because your hamster's cheek pouches are so large, your hamster can stuff a lot of food into them and make them look swollen. If the swelling goes down after your hamster empties the pouch, then there is no abscess. If the swelling doesn't go down, then your hamster likely has a cheek abscess. An abscess would make your hamster feel sick. Your hamster may eat less and look unwell in general (e.g., scruffy fur, low energy level). A cheek pouch stuffed with food wouldn't make your hamster feel sick. If you think your hamster has an abscess, take your hamster to your vet for treatment. Your vet will examine the swollen cheek pouches carefully to verify that an abscess is present. Your vet may need to sedate your hamster to look inside its mouth. During the appointment, give the vet as much information as you can about your hamster and the cheek abscess. Tell your vet what types of food your hamster eats, as well as the type of bedding in its cage. Also, tell your vet when you first noticed the cheek swelling. To treat the abscess, your vet will open the abscess and allow it to drain. Opening the abscess is a surgical procedure, so your vet will anesthetize your hamster. Once your hamster is anesthetized, your vet will open the abscess with a sharp surgical instrument. To drain the abscess, your vet will use a surgical drain. This drain will prevent the abscess's contents from entering your hamster's mouth and spreading through its body. After the abscess is empty, your vet will clean the empty pocket and flush it with an antiseptic solution that will kill any remaining bacteria. You should be able to take your hamster home on the same day as the surgery, provided your hamster recovers well from the procedure. To prevent infection after the surgery, your vet will probably prescribe an antibiotic for you to give your hamster. Follow the prescription instructions carefully and give the entire course of antibiotics. If you stop the antibiotic treatment early, the remaining bacteria could become resistant to antibiotics, making future treatment very challenging. The antibiotic will likely be in liquid form. To administer the antibiotic, draw up the prescribed amount of antibiotic into a small syringe (without the needle attached). Hold your hamster snugly, open his mouth, and gently push the syringe's contents into the mouth. Your vet can give you the syringes. If you are unsure about how to use the syringe, ask your vet to demonstrate how to use it. Contact your vet if you have trouble giving your hamster the antibiotic.

SUMMARY: Determine whether your hamster has a cheek abscess. Take your hamster to your vet. Allow your vet to treat the abscess. Give your hamster antibiotics as prescribed.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Low battery life can sometimes keep you from being able to program a device. Walls and large pieces of furniture can prevent the remote from making contact with your devices. For example, you may be able to use the remote to power your device off and on, but you may not be able to adjust or control the volume of your device. This means you may need to keep other remotes nearby for more advanced features.

SUMMARY: Replace the batteries in your remote if it fails to respond. Remove physical obstacles between the remote and the device(s). Keep in mind that the GE Universal Remote may not control all aspects of a device.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Lists are a great way to get rid of feelings of chaos and overwhelm. They also help manage stress by giving you a visual of how much you really need to do. When you use your to-do list as a starting off point, you can begin to see how much room you have to re-negotiate your daily activities. Once you see your to-do list, rearrange the items so that things that are important to you and your happiness come before things that you normally consider urgent. For example, you might have a bill due in four days. But, you also have on your list taking a walk through your neighborhood. It seems obvious that spending your time paying the bill will relieve your stressit's an obligation that you could be getting out of the way! But since today is not the due date, you can choose to deal with the bill when you must, since your need for movement and refreshment is more important to your happiness today. Having a clean, open space at home, work, etc., has a powerful impact on how capable we feel of accomplishing tasks. Clean your house from top to bottom, without hesitation to throw away broken things and donate what you no longer use. Recycle old papers and receipts that are filling up drawers, and do the same with your virtual space. Delete old emails, notes, and contacts that clutter your folders. Doing this will help you feel refreshed and open to the possibility of new and different things coming into your space instead. Studies have shown that after only a few days of shortened sleep, many experience worse mood and decreased ability to regulate negative emotions.. This means that you will feel less inspired to accomplish the things that the best version of yourself has deemed a priority. If getting 7-8 hours of sleep is not an option for you, do allow yourself to take catch-up naps after nights of less satisfying sleep. Learning to improve your sleeping habits is invaluable. Sorting out your life may mean revamping what you eat and how your eating habits factor into your days. Unless you prioritize and enjoy refining your culinary skills, develop habits for when you buy and prepare food. Don't leave room for stress to arise about what you want to eat and when. Keep a list of basic items to keep around so that you can always prepare a quick meal or nutritious snack. By having reliable options, you will also avoid the over- and under-eating that normal come along with (and worsen) stress. Exercise causes your brain to release endorphins, adrenaline, and other chemicals that act to relieve excess tension and uplift mopey moods. Movement of all kind has been proven to regulate bodily functions and advance emotional well-being. Yoga, weight training, and cardiovascular exercise are all good options. Remember not to commit yourself to an amount of exercise that isn't desirable for keeping your priorities. The goal is to make you more fit to live the life you want to live, not to load you up with another obligation that you don't care about. If you know that muscular endurance is not a priority for your life, choose brisk walks over weight training. Do you drink, smoke, or zone out to the television frequently? The vices aren't the problem, but how you use them can show you what your time is really being used to do. By becoming aware of the role your vices play in your life--and these do shift often--you can learn how to use them more responsibly without cutting them completely. The next time you go for a drink, for example, ask yourself: "Is this helping me toward a priority?" The answer is not necessarily no--you may be having a glass of wine with your family or friends whose presence you value. But, the drink may also be helping you avoid a to-do list item or hindering your ability to see your priorities in action.

SUMMARY:
Start each day with a to-do list. Clean like it's spring. Regulate your sleep schedule. Find a diet that fits you. Exercise to clean out nervous energy. Monitor your vices.