We just spent six days in northern Maine where there is sketchy phone service and minimal wifi - if at all. I kept my phone on airplane mode so I wouldn't kill the battery with it searching for a signal. Because there weren't any. We couldn't phone home if we wanted to.
Actually it was very nice. A break from everything. I didn't blog which was very minor. But I also didn't worry about medical issues. At all. I pretended I was healthy and did what I could.
We had fun. It was peak foliage. We took a boat tour on Moosehead Lake. We drove 10 miles down a dirt road to look at ruins of a plane crash - which was eerie and creepy to say the least. But definitely worth it. We helped the local economy by shopping and dining out.
It was a wonderful break from all things medical. I didn't have a doctor appointment. I didn't concern myself with anything. This week I have two medical appointments to make up for the break.
I highly recommend a week of unplugging and disconnecting for everyone. But now I have to catch up on so many things.
Showing posts with label reality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reality. Show all posts
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Back to reality
While we are back from vacation, I am trying to stretch out the relaxed feeling for a few more days - until I go back to work Tuesday morning.
What is reality?
Its starting to come together. I am ignoring the weeds in the garden for now as well.
Sigh. I like vacation better than reality.
What is reality?
- Getting on top of my list of doctor appointments.
- Refilling prescriptions needed
- Return library books
- Catching up with friends
- Laundry
- Grocery store
- Unpacking
- Take care of outstanding volunteer work for two organizations.
- Making the cat understand we did not leave him FOREVER and are BACK for a long time.
- Taking the car for a very overdue oil change (don't tell my husband)
- Planning for a visit from college friends from out of town.
- Thinking about upcoming medical adventures (yuck)
- Planning for my upcoming fall schedule of craft shows
- Making all my items to sell at the craft fairs
- Planning for our next trip out of town (family vacation)
Its starting to come together. I am ignoring the weeds in the garden for now as well.
Sigh. I like vacation better than reality.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Perception vs reality
I have always had a fair amount of faith in the UK's NHS for taking care of patients. I know it has its pitfalls and snags and that there can be substantial waits for appointments. I really only know the basics on the rest of Europe's national plans. I have always assumed that these well regarded healthcare systems and thought they provided relatively equal and good levels of care with the only variations really based on their financial wealth of each nation.
So I assumed that the UK was providing a fairly high level of care as it is one of the more 'wealthy' nations in the EU. It turns out I am wrong and so are 75% of Brits regarding breast cancer survival. In the UK apparently breast cancer survival rates are among the worst in Europe. The five year survival rate for breast cancer survival in the UK is 79%, the European average is 82% and France is 86%. In the US its 89.2%.
This brings up two issues to me. First of all it is clear that the UK's NHS is not doing everything right. Second of all, most people receiving NHS are not aware of the issues. So we have a system which isn't working right and the majority of the people who use the system are not aware of this fact. This also reinforces the fact that users of a system need to be aware of its strengths and weaknesses and then take action to help reform the system and to maximize the care the receive.
There is a broad gap between perception and reality.
No flowers today, just a picture of the cat.
So I assumed that the UK was providing a fairly high level of care as it is one of the more 'wealthy' nations in the EU. It turns out I am wrong and so are 75% of Brits regarding breast cancer survival. In the UK apparently breast cancer survival rates are among the worst in Europe. The five year survival rate for breast cancer survival in the UK is 79%, the European average is 82% and France is 86%. In the US its 89.2%.
This brings up two issues to me. First of all it is clear that the UK's NHS is not doing everything right. Second of all, most people receiving NHS are not aware of the issues. So we have a system which isn't working right and the majority of the people who use the system are not aware of this fact. This also reinforces the fact that users of a system need to be aware of its strengths and weaknesses and then take action to help reform the system and to maximize the care the receive.
There is a broad gap between perception and reality.
Friday, February 11, 2011
A reality check
Its time for a reality check. We are not worried about pain and suffering and disease and cancer and all that other crap. We are all worried about death and dying. In the immortal words of the chain smoking doctor Ted Danson on 'Becker' "We are all going to die sometime." (Wasn't that profound?)
We all know every human being is born and expects to live a good long life, savoring each new adventure, and then die at a ripe old age - saying "that's fine, I'm ready to go". Then life kicks in and car accidents, yucky medical diagnoses kick in, and long before one is ready, one is faced with the fact that 'the day' is a bit sooner than one would prefer it to be. This can be the result of something that happens to you or to someone you know.
The result is that all of a sudden death is looming in our faces. The emotional roller coaster kicks in. Its worse when its you and you have to face each biopsy, test, exam, 'procedure' (my least favorite term) or surgery and its ensuing ups and downs. You turn into your inner strength and cope. You feel battered and stressed. You are doing 'okay', no longer 'great'. You relate to people who are like you - doing 'okay, not great' - and they start dying off on you - of all the nerve!
The roller coaster of life keeps speaking up, with steeper hills, tighter corners, and without a seat belt. You start to lose the little lulls in the action where you can breath and gather your thoughts and feel your emotional stability get a little ragged. You strengthen your support system through people, medical professionals, medication - and sometimes that new foundation gets shaky. The stress ensues.
Stop, deep breath. Take a time out, meditate in the corner or run away to Bora Bora for a month. Life goes on. We are still concerned with death and dying. But we need to learn to cope with this roller coaster of life. Your death wouldn't be about you, its about those who you leave behind.
Last week was the anniversary of the death of a cancer friend who died with triple negative. Also last week an online cancer friend who was struggling with multiple physical and mental health issues committed suicide. This left behind some unexpected group stress as we learn to cope with yet another death.
We expect the nonagenarians to die before us. We expect those older than us to die before us. We do not expect those younger than us to die before us. We do not expect to be pummeled so often by the roller coaster of life and sometimes it just happens. We need our coping mechanisms to kick in and help relieve the stress.
Its not about cancer, and illness, and pain. Its about death and dying. We need the reality check to say to us life goes on and just need to learn to cope a little bit better.
We all know every human being is born and expects to live a good long life, savoring each new adventure, and then die at a ripe old age - saying "that's fine, I'm ready to go". Then life kicks in and car accidents, yucky medical diagnoses kick in, and long before one is ready, one is faced with the fact that 'the day' is a bit sooner than one would prefer it to be. This can be the result of something that happens to you or to someone you know.
The result is that all of a sudden death is looming in our faces. The emotional roller coaster kicks in. Its worse when its you and you have to face each biopsy, test, exam, 'procedure' (my least favorite term) or surgery and its ensuing ups and downs. You turn into your inner strength and cope. You feel battered and stressed. You are doing 'okay', no longer 'great'. You relate to people who are like you - doing 'okay, not great' - and they start dying off on you - of all the nerve!
The roller coaster of life keeps speaking up, with steeper hills, tighter corners, and without a seat belt. You start to lose the little lulls in the action where you can breath and gather your thoughts and feel your emotional stability get a little ragged. You strengthen your support system through people, medical professionals, medication - and sometimes that new foundation gets shaky. The stress ensues.
Stop, deep breath. Take a time out, meditate in the corner or run away to Bora Bora for a month. Life goes on. We are still concerned with death and dying. But we need to learn to cope with this roller coaster of life. Your death wouldn't be about you, its about those who you leave behind.
Last week was the anniversary of the death of a cancer friend who died with triple negative. Also last week an online cancer friend who was struggling with multiple physical and mental health issues committed suicide. This left behind some unexpected group stress as we learn to cope with yet another death.
We expect the nonagenarians to die before us. We expect those older than us to die before us. We do not expect those younger than us to die before us. We do not expect to be pummeled so often by the roller coaster of life and sometimes it just happens. We need our coping mechanisms to kick in and help relieve the stress.
Its not about cancer, and illness, and pain. Its about death and dying. We need the reality check to say to us life goes on and just need to learn to cope a little bit better.
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