I find it very wrong that people on life saving medications have to stop taking them for financial reasons. As reported recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients were forced to stop taking their life saving medications.
First, I will say the drug in question is relatively expensive - $4500/month. That equals $150/day or $54,000/year. But did the drug company have any ability to provide low cost prescriptions to needy patients? I know some that do (and then the question arises, why can't we all get cheaper drugs - but they need to pay for their overhead, blah, blah, blah. But that will be another post on another day.)
Now the first patient in question had to stop taking the medication due to decreased family income. When it comes to saving the house for all, or saving one person's life, you have to draw the line. But how? Who makes the choices? That would be an awful decision.
The second patient started his own business and couldn't get insurance because of a pre-existing condition. I have lived with a pre-existing condition for 29 years. I have juggled health care plans. (I was very happy when Massachusetts tightened up its consumer protection laws and got rid of the pre-existing loop hole years ago. Its a tough one to juggle. My health is on a need to know basis and if my doctor was telling me you are basically healthy, why should an insurance company say we can't insure you because of your health? But I digress.) This second patient couldn't get health insurance which shows what is wrong with the current system.
The third patient's business failed and he could no longer afford the medication. Again dollars and a human life.
I find it wrong that we are juggling people's lives and dollars. When does a human life get reduced to ability to pay? How wrong is that?
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Complimentary treatments & healthy eating
I am all for keeping myself as healthy as possible through eating the right foods (breakfast today was actually hummus, cucumber slices and ciabatta bread), exercising (that damn daily walk thing), getting enough rest, and taking supplements as needed. I am careful about what I take as supplements as I have to be careful about interactions with my medications and some of them have proven to have weird interactions and side effects discovered long after they were on the market. The FDA does not regulate supplements which should be kept in mind before taking them. Also, if you take any supplements, be sure your doctor knows - regardless of whether you are in treatment for anything. When you fill out your medications list at a doctor's appointment, you should list all supplements you take.
Here is a video on Kombucha tea. Kombucha is considered a supplement by the FDA. Its benefits are debatable as there never has been a true clinical trial. It does have side effects. In its brewing process, alcohol is produced (which set off Lindsay Lohan's alcohol detecting ankle bracelet) as well as molds and bacteria. It can be brewed at home or purchased commercially. But it should be noted that Whole Foods (a/k/a Whole Wallet) removed Kombucha from its shelves because the alcohol level is not consistent and can't be always considered non-alcoholic. But my point is, its unproven and should be considered a medical supplement and discussed with your doctor.
Another recent fad was St John's Wort. Did you know it interacts with birth control pills and renders them ineffective? That would be a big problem. That is just an example of the side effects.
My latest thoughts on healthy eating include:
- Dont eat things your grandmother wouldn't recognize - What is in Gogurt anyway? I love that example? A single serving of a chemically altered yogurt in a plastic tube. Why does it make me think of 'Soylent Green'?
- Aim for foods with five or fewer ingredients. Butter vs. margarine. Butter is the clear winner.
- Avoid foods with ingredients you can't pronounce or know exactly what they are.
- Vegetables, fruit, fiber, lean protein.
However there are things I can't find in healthy versions so I suffer with a few chemicals. I try for natural body care products but can't always find them. I really do try. And then I saw this video which is now my newest goal - you can eat anything you want provided it is natural, unprocessed and preservative free. I am not sure how much more I will have to change but I will focus on this now.
----------------
This morning I am hanging out in an internet cafe for a couple hours waiting for stores to open - yarn store, consignment, and bead store. I should be working but I am on vacation still. Later today will be lunch, a walk, packing, and one last scrabble game.
Here is a video on Kombucha tea. Kombucha is considered a supplement by the FDA. Its benefits are debatable as there never has been a true clinical trial. It does have side effects. In its brewing process, alcohol is produced (which set off Lindsay Lohan's alcohol detecting ankle bracelet) as well as molds and bacteria. It can be brewed at home or purchased commercially. But it should be noted that Whole Foods (a/k/a Whole Wallet) removed Kombucha from its shelves because the alcohol level is not consistent and can't be always considered non-alcoholic. But my point is, its unproven and should be considered a medical supplement and discussed with your doctor.
Another recent fad was St John's Wort. Did you know it interacts with birth control pills and renders them ineffective? That would be a big problem. That is just an example of the side effects.
My latest thoughts on healthy eating include:
- Dont eat things your grandmother wouldn't recognize - What is in Gogurt anyway? I love that example? A single serving of a chemically altered yogurt in a plastic tube. Why does it make me think of 'Soylent Green'?
- Aim for foods with five or fewer ingredients. Butter vs. margarine. Butter is the clear winner.
- Avoid foods with ingredients you can't pronounce or know exactly what they are.
- Vegetables, fruit, fiber, lean protein.
However there are things I can't find in healthy versions so I suffer with a few chemicals. I try for natural body care products but can't always find them. I really do try. And then I saw this video which is now my newest goal - you can eat anything you want provided it is natural, unprocessed and preservative free. I am not sure how much more I will have to change but I will focus on this now.
----------------
This morning I am hanging out in an internet cafe for a couple hours waiting for stores to open - yarn store, consignment, and bead store. I should be working but I am on vacation still. Later today will be lunch, a walk, packing, and one last scrabble game.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Why does our health make us write?
But first, a minor detour:
I blog. There are probably 1,000,000 other people out their blogging about their health? There are some who are very good and there are some who are very bad. There are those who meant to blog and startd out with 'Today I have another big scary doctor appointment. I'll fill you in later on what they told me' and we are left hanging with no more blog updates - did they give up their blog, did they lose their internet connection, did the scary doctor give them good news, did they get hit by a bus, did they die (it would be nice to have some sense of completion here), or any other number of reasons? But we would like to know and never will.
Some blogs are funny like Baldylocks (watch her new video on the right!) or Babs (I want a Jillie if I ever have to deal with this again) and allow us to see the humor in all this crap we call cancer. Some are heart wrenching - like Emily - she's too young for this. Some just show us the human side of our health and getting our lives backtogether - like Linda. Some are just plain enjoyable reading - like Debbie or Whitestone. And some are inspiring like Jothy. I can go on and on and on. I read any number of blogs each day. (This is one of the many reasons the internet has become a giant time suck for me.)
I also read the health sections of CNN and the NY Times regularly. I find some writers more inspiring than others. Sometimes they write about an ailment that I don't have - yes there are some I do not have. Today I am inspired by both Elizabeth Cohen who writes the Empowered Patient for CNN and by Christopher Hitchens, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Elizabeth writes today about why she writes her column - because of the issues she went through after the birth of her child. Christopher writes about his feelings with his diagnosis with what appears to be late stage esophageal cancer (he never says what exactly his diagnosis is - this is my non medical interpretation on what I understand are the facts as he states them).
For whatever the reasons we write or means to write, it allows us to express our feelings as well deal with trauma, stress, our failing bodies, our repetitive trips to the kind doctors who send us off on multiple medical excursions that usually include the words 'its might be a little uncomfortable' or 'you will feel a small pinch' or 'hold still and move as little as possible for the next sixty minutes' (and then your nose itches).
We write because we need to reach out to the outside world and say 'don't forget about me'. Perhaps we also write to inspire others. Or to just say I'm still here and don't plan on going any time soon.
---------------------------------
Well, today we are back in southern MN. I slept well last night and am on my own today - which we know always leads to trouble. My friend went to work. I am at her place by myself. We are having her father and his new wife over for dinner so I do need to cook and stuff but this is my to do list I sent to her at work, in no particular order
1. Figure out the damn tv again - every time I shut it off I have to figure it out again.
2. Finish messing up your kitchen - she thinks I'm rearranging it. (she said I could)
3. Finish waking up - not sure if that will be before or after #2
4. make lemon curd - I found the whipped cream attachment for the mixer. maybe make some pureed berries to go in the layers of the trifle.
5. Roast vegetables for soup - worst case, you can't borrow a blender, what do you think the whipped cream attachment would do to the soup? (And find the damn soup recipe we saw in a TV show on line so it might actually be edible.
6. Weeding - do you have any gardening implements that would help with dandelion removal or should I just search the garage? (No she has clippers only.)
7. Go for a walk to the arboretum
8. Nap
9. Do some work.
10. Finish my blog before noon.
So far I have finished #10.
I blog. There are probably 1,000,000 other people out their blogging about their health? There are some who are very good and there are some who are very bad. There are those who meant to blog and startd out with 'Today I have another big scary doctor appointment. I'll fill you in later on what they told me' and we are left hanging with no more blog updates - did they give up their blog, did they lose their internet connection, did the scary doctor give them good news, did they get hit by a bus, did they die (it would be nice to have some sense of completion here), or any other number of reasons? But we would like to know and never will.
Some blogs are funny like Baldylocks (watch her new video on the right!) or Babs (I want a Jillie if I ever have to deal with this again) and allow us to see the humor in all this crap we call cancer. Some are heart wrenching - like Emily - she's too young for this. Some just show us the human side of our health and getting our lives backtogether - like Linda. Some are just plain enjoyable reading - like Debbie or Whitestone. And some are inspiring like Jothy. I can go on and on and on. I read any number of blogs each day. (This is one of the many reasons the internet has become a giant time suck for me.)
I also read the health sections of CNN and the NY Times regularly. I find some writers more inspiring than others. Sometimes they write about an ailment that I don't have - yes there are some I do not have. Today I am inspired by both Elizabeth Cohen who writes the Empowered Patient for CNN and by Christopher Hitchens, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Elizabeth writes today about why she writes her column - because of the issues she went through after the birth of her child. Christopher writes about his feelings with his diagnosis with what appears to be late stage esophageal cancer (he never says what exactly his diagnosis is - this is my non medical interpretation on what I understand are the facts as he states them).
For whatever the reasons we write or means to write, it allows us to express our feelings as well deal with trauma, stress, our failing bodies, our repetitive trips to the kind doctors who send us off on multiple medical excursions that usually include the words 'its might be a little uncomfortable' or 'you will feel a small pinch' or 'hold still and move as little as possible for the next sixty minutes' (and then your nose itches).
We write because we need to reach out to the outside world and say 'don't forget about me'. Perhaps we also write to inspire others. Or to just say I'm still here and don't plan on going any time soon.
---------------------------------
Well, today we are back in southern MN. I slept well last night and am on my own today - which we know always leads to trouble. My friend went to work. I am at her place by myself. We are having her father and his new wife over for dinner so I do need to cook and stuff but this is my to do list I sent to her at work, in no particular order
1. Figure out the damn tv again - every time I shut it off I have to figure it out again.
2. Finish messing up your kitchen - she thinks I'm rearranging it. (she said I could)
3. Finish waking up - not sure if that will be before or after #2
4. make lemon curd - I found the whipped cream attachment for the mixer. maybe make some pureed berries to go in the layers of the trifle.
5. Roast vegetables for soup - worst case, you can't borrow a blender, what do you think the whipped cream attachment would do to the soup? (And find the damn soup recipe we saw in a TV show on line so it might actually be edible.
6. Weeding - do you have any gardening implements that would help with dandelion removal or should I just search the garage? (No she has clippers only.)
7. Go for a walk to the arboretum
8. Nap
9. Do some work.
10. Finish my blog before noon.
So far I have finished #10.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Its discrimination
As soon as you start treating people differently because of their health, age, skin color, language, eye color, height, weight, shoe size, pant size, food allergies, eating preferences, ability to use chopsticks or not, career aspirations, job, salary, or whatever, you create discrimination.
When you are first diagnosed with cancer, you believe everyone will know that you have cancer as it is tattooed on your forehead for the world to see. They see the word cancer and either:
a. Run away - because they might catch cancer cooties or they just don't know how to talk about this.
b. Tell you how you can be cured - they know because their neighbor's second cousin's hair stylist's dog groomers, great nephew had a completely different kind of cancer thirty years ago and it cured him.
c. Ignore it and pretend you have nothing wrong with you. Now there is an upside to this - they aren't treating you differently but they still expect you to go drinking and bar hopping until 3 am and call you a party pooper when you say you can't because you have to get up early for chemo and they frown on patients with massive hangovers.
d. They treat you just about the same but understand you may not feel up to snuff for everything you used to do. This is not treating them differently this is adapting to a change in their life.
In my professional opinion with 29 years (yes really) of experience in this is that answer d is correct. Don't really treat them any differently. The other answers are a combination of fear, stupidity, ignorance, and discrimination (which is really stupidity and ignorance and fear combined).
So now the NCAA wants to start requiring all student athletes to be tested for the sickle cell anemia trait. Why are they doing this? Because lawyers and insurance companies got involved after a student athlete died because of his sickle cell issues. (Now there is nothing wrong with lawyers and insurance companies, they do a lot of good in the world, but this is clearly another case of a CYA maneuver.)
First of all, the rate of sickle cell traits in African Americans is 8 times that of Caucasians. This would reinforce bias and prejudice for the wrong reasons. Can you say 'genetic discrimination'? Regardless of skin color, this is creating two classes of athletes.
Second, just because you have the sickle cell trait, doesn't mean you have health risks. Apparently you need two parents with sickle cell traits to create a child with real problems.
Third, if you have sickle cell issues you are supposed to (and I quote): 'to stay hydrated and know when to take breaks. It's about knowing your body.' And how is this any different than what an athlete or anyone exercising should be doing?
Finally, why can't the NCAA just do what the US military is doing since the 1970's by revamping the training protocol to eliminate the risk of heat-related illnesses and exhaustion for everyone. Why create another possible area for bias?
I feel my health history is on a need to know basis. If you don't need to know, I'm not telling. Same with sickle cell testing - what is it doing as a screening for college athletes other than creating bias and 'haves' and 'have-nots' categories?
Otherwise my day started off on a rosy note - can you say sunrise? We left our adventures in northern WI at 5:50 AM. I didn't sleep well last night due to back pain, etc. Now we are in southern MN - far away from where we started. I am going to productively work from my friend's condo while she has gone to her office. I am exhausted and can't spell (giving spell check a workout). I really do have work to do but the overwhelming urge to nap may take over...
When you are first diagnosed with cancer, you believe everyone will know that you have cancer as it is tattooed on your forehead for the world to see. They see the word cancer and either:
a. Run away - because they might catch cancer cooties or they just don't know how to talk about this.
b. Tell you how you can be cured - they know because their neighbor's second cousin's hair stylist's dog groomers, great nephew had a completely different kind of cancer thirty years ago and it cured him.
c. Ignore it and pretend you have nothing wrong with you. Now there is an upside to this - they aren't treating you differently but they still expect you to go drinking and bar hopping until 3 am and call you a party pooper when you say you can't because you have to get up early for chemo and they frown on patients with massive hangovers.
d. They treat you just about the same but understand you may not feel up to snuff for everything you used to do. This is not treating them differently this is adapting to a change in their life.
In my professional opinion with 29 years (yes really) of experience in this is that answer d is correct. Don't really treat them any differently. The other answers are a combination of fear, stupidity, ignorance, and discrimination (which is really stupidity and ignorance and fear combined).
So now the NCAA wants to start requiring all student athletes to be tested for the sickle cell anemia trait. Why are they doing this? Because lawyers and insurance companies got involved after a student athlete died because of his sickle cell issues. (Now there is nothing wrong with lawyers and insurance companies, they do a lot of good in the world, but this is clearly another case of a CYA maneuver.)
First of all, the rate of sickle cell traits in African Americans is 8 times that of Caucasians. This would reinforce bias and prejudice for the wrong reasons. Can you say 'genetic discrimination'? Regardless of skin color, this is creating two classes of athletes.
Second, just because you have the sickle cell trait, doesn't mean you have health risks. Apparently you need two parents with sickle cell traits to create a child with real problems.
Third, if you have sickle cell issues you are supposed to (and I quote): 'to stay hydrated and know when to take breaks. It's about knowing your body.' And how is this any different than what an athlete or anyone exercising should be doing?
Finally, why can't the NCAA just do what the US military is doing since the 1970's by revamping the training protocol to eliminate the risk of heat-related illnesses and exhaustion for everyone. Why create another possible area for bias?
I feel my health history is on a need to know basis. If you don't need to know, I'm not telling. Same with sickle cell testing - what is it doing as a screening for college athletes other than creating bias and 'haves' and 'have-nots' categories?
Otherwise my day started off on a rosy note - can you say sunrise? We left our adventures in northern WI at 5:50 AM. I didn't sleep well last night due to back pain, etc. Now we are in southern MN - far away from where we started. I am going to productively work from my friend's condo while she has gone to her office. I am exhausted and can't spell (giving spell check a workout). I really do have work to do but the overwhelming urge to nap may take over...
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Lacking the connection between 'Customer' and 'Service'
We are on vacation and having a grand old time doing all the things we shouldn't - buying too much yarn, clothes, shoes, jewelry and other necessities (we are returning the shoes to allow for our other expenses - this is what happens when you travel with an old friend as opposed to a husband who does not allow for the proper amounts of shopping time and expense).
We found a beach yesterday morning, albeit a Great Lakes beach as opposed to the ocean kind I prefer, and went for a long walk to be followed by a brunch at a restaurant we found. We were very excited about our restaurant choice as its the perfect place to have brunch. They only serve breakfast and close at 1pm. After our walk, we headed there for some needed nutrition.
We walked in and assumed we should seat ourselves because there was no one at the door - but no sign and we were ignored by all the staff. So we seated ourselves and waited a good five minutes, eying the credit card slip from the previous diner on the nicely set table. There were a few waitresses around busily waiting on others. Another couple came in and sat at the counter and were greeted instantly. Finally we gave up and moved to the counter next to them and were instantly greeted by a different waitress.
We placed our orders with the cheerful waitress. My friend wanted a bowl of fresh berries and was asked which kind she wanted - blueberries or raspberries. She wanted to have a mixture of both. The reply back was 'No we can't do that'. What do you mean no? Isn't the customer always right? How difficult would it be to mix up two bowls of berries???? But when they arrived, they were quite yummy and we did eat them all.
The couple next to us ordered their food. The husband ordered an egg thing. But the wife asked for just cranberry walnut toast. They had a big note on the white board advertising cranberry walnut French toast. She just wanted toast toast. The answer was 'No, we can't do that.' Again, how hard was this to do? She just had a cup of coffee instead - how's that for a lost sale?
Sitting at the counter, we were right in front of the window to the kitchen where we could see our food come up. We figured out which was ours and it sat, and sat, and sat, and sat, and sat. We looked around for our waitress. She was busy filling little containers of raspberry jam in the back room. When she finished filling them, we thought she might come bring us our food. But then she had to put the lids on. And pulled out more little containers. Now we know where she was when we first came in. Finally, she realized it might be time to bring us our food.
Then there was the waitress who didn't do anything. Seriously, she just stood around behind the counter and watched things. She was young so maybe in training but we didn't see her receive any training either. At one point she washed something in the sink but the rest of the time we were there she didn't do a thing other than stand there. Maybe she could have filled little containers with raspberry jam.
Needless to say we won't be back there for breakfast. We'll find a place which knows that 'customer' and 'service' are connected.
We found a beach yesterday morning, albeit a Great Lakes beach as opposed to the ocean kind I prefer, and went for a long walk to be followed by a brunch at a restaurant we found. We were very excited about our restaurant choice as its the perfect place to have brunch. They only serve breakfast and close at 1pm. After our walk, we headed there for some needed nutrition.
We walked in and assumed we should seat ourselves because there was no one at the door - but no sign and we were ignored by all the staff. So we seated ourselves and waited a good five minutes, eying the credit card slip from the previous diner on the nicely set table. There were a few waitresses around busily waiting on others. Another couple came in and sat at the counter and were greeted instantly. Finally we gave up and moved to the counter next to them and were instantly greeted by a different waitress.
We placed our orders with the cheerful waitress. My friend wanted a bowl of fresh berries and was asked which kind she wanted - blueberries or raspberries. She wanted to have a mixture of both. The reply back was 'No we can't do that'. What do you mean no? Isn't the customer always right? How difficult would it be to mix up two bowls of berries???? But when they arrived, they were quite yummy and we did eat them all.
The couple next to us ordered their food. The husband ordered an egg thing. But the wife asked for just cranberry walnut toast. They had a big note on the white board advertising cranberry walnut French toast. She just wanted toast toast. The answer was 'No, we can't do that.' Again, how hard was this to do? She just had a cup of coffee instead - how's that for a lost sale?
Sitting at the counter, we were right in front of the window to the kitchen where we could see our food come up. We figured out which was ours and it sat, and sat, and sat, and sat, and sat. We looked around for our waitress. She was busy filling little containers of raspberry jam in the back room. When she finished filling them, we thought she might come bring us our food. But then she had to put the lids on. And pulled out more little containers. Now we know where she was when we first came in. Finally, she realized it might be time to bring us our food.
Then there was the waitress who didn't do anything. Seriously, she just stood around behind the counter and watched things. She was young so maybe in training but we didn't see her receive any training either. At one point she washed something in the sink but the rest of the time we were there she didn't do a thing other than stand there. Maybe she could have filled little containers with raspberry jam.
Needless to say we won't be back there for breakfast. We'll find a place which knows that 'customer' and 'service' are connected.
Monday, August 2, 2010
16 things you didn't know about me
I am jumping on the latest fad band wagon - I have seen several other posts on this so its my turn.
1. I do not like crawly things. I like to garden, I like organic vegetables but they should not have house guests.
2. I am not a cancer survivor. I am a person with cancer or even someone touched by cancer. All I survived is a bunch of doctor appointments (still on going - so maybe I am a work in progress).
3. I do not color my hair. My friends are jealous. Both my siblings have way more gray hair than I (not that I mention it to them much). My hair dresser thinks I have a way to go before being gray. I was gray briefly after chemo but it all came back to the way it was.
4. I cannot parallel park. Some times I have problems with regular parking spaces as well. My husband coaches me or I just leave the car badly parked all the time. We did buy a car a couple of years ago with a tiny turning radius and my husband hoped I would be able to park it but I still cant. (To be fair, when I took my driver's test, oh so many years ago, I hit a trash can while parallel parking but they still passed me.)
5. I believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion but that we just don't have to agree. This means I really don't have time for fear mongerers or hate mongerers.
6. I try to be proactive in taking care of my health issues. I am actually going to a dermatologist later this month for a skin check just because I should. I even go to the dentist and periodontist regularly. Even though I hate the dentist - drills..... eeeekkkk!
7. I like to travel and have traveled to most of the US except some of the western states and Alaska and Hawaii. I have traveled to Canada, England, France, Spain, Japan, and Italy and even went to school in France for a summer term in high school and then a semester in college and a summer term in Spain in high school as well. Next year I want to go to Iceland. Right now I am on vacation up in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior. In September we are going to Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
8. I have studied French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. I don't remember too much of them but
can get by. I was very pleased that I managed to survive in Japan mostly by myself.
9. I love to cook, garden, read, and hanging out with my husband. The best part about cooking is my husband will try anything once and has learned to give his opinion so I make things again that he likes. I rarely follow recipes and measure exactly, sometimes I look at them for guidance and then pour in a little of this and a little of that.
10. I dislike prepared food. I try to follow the rule of no more than five ingredients, no ingredients with words you cant pronounce or eat things your grandmother wouldn't recognize. I do not eat at fast food or chain restaurants unless I can avoid it. I make everything from scratch including soup. I recently learned how to make pasta and bake my own bread.
11. I am addicted to competitive cooking shows - The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef, Chopped, etc. I also watch Jeopardy every night with my husband - and we argue about the clues or the people on the show and what they are wearing.
12. I also like to crochet and knit and am a member of SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy) in the yarn category - and added some more awesome yarn yesterday at an yarn store we are going back to today. They had lots of Italian yarns...
13. I used to ski (cross country and down hill), snow shoe, hike, bike, roller blade, ice skate and all sorts of out door sports. Now I am lucky to make it through my daily walk. I do try hiking as long as my husband carries my pack.
14. I am not a late night person. I like to go to bed between 9 and 10 - and have always been this way with the exception of college where I would stay up late - till 2 or later. This is not just because of my stupid health issues. I am a morning person. I like to watch the sunrise - we can see it from our bedroom window.
15. I was 4'8" in fifth grade. For some reason I remember that height. I am now a whopping 5'3.5". I used to be the shortest person in generations in my family. One of my great grandmothers was six feet tall.
16. And finally, I am an internet junkie (as my friend is telling me). I blog. I am on Facebook. I am on Twitter. I update websites as part of my work. I have a certificate in Internet Systems Management. So maybe I am a geek. No not just a geek, I am a COOL geek. (Is that possible?)
1. I do not like crawly things. I like to garden, I like organic vegetables but they should not have house guests.
2. I am not a cancer survivor. I am a person with cancer or even someone touched by cancer. All I survived is a bunch of doctor appointments (still on going - so maybe I am a work in progress).
3. I do not color my hair. My friends are jealous. Both my siblings have way more gray hair than I (not that I mention it to them much). My hair dresser thinks I have a way to go before being gray. I was gray briefly after chemo but it all came back to the way it was.
4. I cannot parallel park. Some times I have problems with regular parking spaces as well. My husband coaches me or I just leave the car badly parked all the time. We did buy a car a couple of years ago with a tiny turning radius and my husband hoped I would be able to park it but I still cant. (To be fair, when I took my driver's test, oh so many years ago, I hit a trash can while parallel parking but they still passed me.)
5. I believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion but that we just don't have to agree. This means I really don't have time for fear mongerers or hate mongerers.
6. I try to be proactive in taking care of my health issues. I am actually going to a dermatologist later this month for a skin check just because I should. I even go to the dentist and periodontist regularly. Even though I hate the dentist - drills..... eeeekkkk!
7. I like to travel and have traveled to most of the US except some of the western states and Alaska and Hawaii. I have traveled to Canada, England, France, Spain, Japan, and Italy and even went to school in France for a summer term in high school and then a semester in college and a summer term in Spain in high school as well. Next year I want to go to Iceland. Right now I am on vacation up in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior. In September we are going to Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
8. I have studied French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. I don't remember too much of them but
can get by. I was very pleased that I managed to survive in Japan mostly by myself.
9. I love to cook, garden, read, and hanging out with my husband. The best part about cooking is my husband will try anything once and has learned to give his opinion so I make things again that he likes. I rarely follow recipes and measure exactly, sometimes I look at them for guidance and then pour in a little of this and a little of that.
10. I dislike prepared food. I try to follow the rule of no more than five ingredients, no ingredients with words you cant pronounce or eat things your grandmother wouldn't recognize. I do not eat at fast food or chain restaurants unless I can avoid it. I make everything from scratch including soup. I recently learned how to make pasta and bake my own bread.
11. I am addicted to competitive cooking shows - The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef, Chopped, etc. I also watch Jeopardy every night with my husband - and we argue about the clues or the people on the show and what they are wearing.
12. I also like to crochet and knit and am a member of SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy) in the yarn category - and added some more awesome yarn yesterday at an yarn store we are going back to today. They had lots of Italian yarns...
13. I used to ski (cross country and down hill), snow shoe, hike, bike, roller blade, ice skate and all sorts of out door sports. Now I am lucky to make it through my daily walk. I do try hiking as long as my husband carries my pack.
14. I am not a late night person. I like to go to bed between 9 and 10 - and have always been this way with the exception of college where I would stay up late - till 2 or later. This is not just because of my stupid health issues. I am a morning person. I like to watch the sunrise - we can see it from our bedroom window.
15. I was 4'8" in fifth grade. For some reason I remember that height. I am now a whopping 5'3.5". I used to be the shortest person in generations in my family. One of my great grandmothers was six feet tall.
16. And finally, I am an internet junkie (as my friend is telling me). I blog. I am on Facebook. I am on Twitter. I update websites as part of my work. I have a certificate in Internet Systems Management. So maybe I am a geek. No not just a geek, I am a COOL geek. (Is that possible?)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Its on a need to know basis
Apparently many older American's don't understand the new health care law and how it applies to them. Well, I don't either. I mean I understand bits and pieces of how it applies to me and a few little things about the Medicare portion of it. But I don't really understand most of it. I figure I'll pick up what I need to know when I need to know it - its really just on a need to know basis.
The National Council on Aging apparently thinks we need to know now so they have set up a website. Honestly I tried deciphering the results of the survey they did but I need more caffeine to have it make sense. Its kind of like trying to read a word problem in math class and then deciphering how they presented the results. (But that is not just the case with this study, many studies do this - I think this is how statisticians keep their jobs by having to keep clarifying what they did.)
At any rate, if you decipher it you will learn that older people and younger across America are confused. So let's all be confused together until its time to need to know.
Today I am in Minneapolis staying at a very nice hotel with my friend. A question though is if you are in a room with two beds so probably two people will stay there, why do you only have one coffee and one decaf little packets for the coffee machine? Shouldn't there be two coffees and two decafs? This is making the assumption that one person will want one and one the other. We both need caffeine. So plan B is to split the caffeine and buy cups to go in the lobby.
We are off on the next stage of our adventure to head to Bayfield WI. I've never been there. She's been there once, long ago. We have to navigate our way across WI without getting lost. We have a map.
Now how does my back like travel. It doesn't. I got an ice pack when we finally go here - after lunch downtown and a brief trip (and two pairs of shoes later) to the Mall of America. Then I reused my ice pack before bed and at 3 am I took pain meds. Today my goal is take all my pills at their regularly scheduled intervals.
The National Council on Aging apparently thinks we need to know now so they have set up a website. Honestly I tried deciphering the results of the survey they did but I need more caffeine to have it make sense. Its kind of like trying to read a word problem in math class and then deciphering how they presented the results. (But that is not just the case with this study, many studies do this - I think this is how statisticians keep their jobs by having to keep clarifying what they did.)
At any rate, if you decipher it you will learn that older people and younger across America are confused. So let's all be confused together until its time to need to know.
Today I am in Minneapolis staying at a very nice hotel with my friend. A question though is if you are in a room with two beds so probably two people will stay there, why do you only have one coffee and one decaf little packets for the coffee machine? Shouldn't there be two coffees and two decafs? This is making the assumption that one person will want one and one the other. We both need caffeine. So plan B is to split the caffeine and buy cups to go in the lobby.
We are off on the next stage of our adventure to head to Bayfield WI. I've never been there. She's been there once, long ago. We have to navigate our way across WI without getting lost. We have a map.
Now how does my back like travel. It doesn't. I got an ice pack when we finally go here - after lunch downtown and a brief trip (and two pairs of shoes later) to the Mall of America. Then I reused my ice pack before bed and at 3 am I took pain meds. Today my goal is take all my pills at their regularly scheduled intervals.
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