Thanks, guys. I still have to take dog to kennel, and assorted stuff like that. I have a Louise Erdrich novel to listen to on the way up, and I had a plot breakthrough on my own next book early this morning, so I have plenty to think about. I really do love car rides, which is a good thing, considering.
Yes, I went to a doctor and we had a nice long talk about all the things on my list. And since I didn’t have to strip or have blood tests, I consider it a success.
Then we went driving around doing errands and the grand-doggie didn’t trash the house while we were gone. So, it just got better and better.
I’m glad to hear about your plot breakthrough and your trip sounds like it will be fun.
This was an endocrinologist so I wasn’t planning on it. But it turns out osteoporosis and osteopenia are something she works with a lot — maybe because of the age of so many diabetes patients?
And she had little models of bones in her office, so I asked her about it.
And she asked me to have copies of the bone density tests to her so she could see where I’m at. I think she’s all for treating both issues pretty aggressively, so she might not change anything. But she knows that I’m into controlling things as much as possible without medication.
So, I have hopes. Have you talked to your doctor about it yet?
She changed my diabetes medication to a lower-dose time-release version of metformin, so I’m hoping the ‘effect’ will stop. It’s been almost a year of it, and I’m tired.
Don’t you dare! The heat appears to be killing off some of the grass. I hopeing for another 2 or 3 weeks of this and all I’ll see in my yard is a brown wasteland with a few wilted weeds. Too much to wish for I guess?
G’morning everyone. I tried to stay up for FRT last night but after unpacking and organizing the kitchen all day yesterday (a task which is still not completed) I just couldn’t make it. I was conked out by the time you guys were talking about concerts. Didn’t we used to do these things at east coast happy hour time? I’m getting old.
I’d be impressed if I were finished, alas, I am only about halfway there. Finally located the bulk of our pots and pans, though, so we can stop having sandwiches 3 meals a day. 🙂
I figure they’re old papers and stuff I was to lazy to throw away. Who knows maybe one day when I’m long gone, someone will look through them and think, I’m glad he didn’t throw this away. I know with my own grandparents just letters they have written/received and I have found mean a lot to me.
So I figure instead of being really lazy, I’m really saving for posterity. Amazing how I can rationalize when it comes to slacking. 🙂
Nah, I know in my case it is pretty much junk. Old power bill, etc. I’ve got most of my stuff stored out in a shop area connected to the house.
There’s some stuff stored in there that I do know means something to me because I took the time to wrap it all in paper and then that shrink wrap type of wrapping.
Eight Days A Week – The Beatles
Lonely People – America
Love Is Like Oxygen – Sweet
Deep Dish – Ani DiFranco
Under The Disco Ball – Jill Sobule
Somebody’s Baby – Jackson Browne
Cocaine – Eric Clapton
Jack & Diane – John Cougar Mellencamp
Last Train to Clarksville – The Monkees
Let It Out – Gary Wright
Heh, my first concert was Chicago. And no, I am not making that up. My mom and her friends were going and they took me. I liked it, and I am not ashamed!
Hey Kansas! I hope you’re not missing Kansas, Jr. too much, and I hope he has a nice, safe trip across the pond.
As to weather, I’ve only lived here for a couple of weeks. It was unusually chilly when we first arrived, but is warming up quite a bit now. But the tornado warnings are the weathery thing I’m bug-eyed about, for the moment. O_O
So far the really astonishing thing to me is just how similar the Dayton suburbs are to the Miami FL suburbs where I mostly grew up. This area is even called the Miami Valley and there are several towns & rivers and such that have Miami in the name. It’s a bit eerie but I like it. I think this part of Ohio is very pretty.
Other than that I haven’t had too much time for impressions. I’ve been home unpacking, for the most part, and otherwise just a little shopping in the immediate area. But if I can get my autoimmune disease better medicated here (I hope, I hope), I’m looking forward to exploring as much of the midwest as I can.
And if you could get the medical treatment you need — that would be wonderful. I can’t stand the way our health care system doesn’t work. That you would have to make a move like this in order to get the help you need.
Actually, we were considering coming here for a variety of reasons but the decision clinched when we had a local family member diagnosed with a pretty serious cancer. We are going to be taking care of her while she undergoes treatment, but she is older and has made some decisions about declining certain aggressive treatments so it will probably turn into a palliative care context at some point.
Flagstaff is notoriously bad for medical care, though, and practically anywhere would be better than that was. There wasn’t even an endocrinologist in town, and only one neurologist’s office that was very sketchy.
I’m very glad to see that your doctor seems to be working with you and addressing your concerns! I agree that the system is pretty screwed up, and it is alarming to be so grateful to have what should be routine decent care.
We’ve only been here a couple of weeks. I have a recommendation for a good endo but need to get myself semi-unpacked and settled before I can deal with anything healthcare related.
After what I’ve been through with disability via chronic illness at such a young age, ugh, it’s been a nightmare. Being a woman, too, sometimes they just weren’t taking me seriously, saying it was all in my head. It was terrifying and infuriating. I was disabled and totally undiagnosed for 5 years. Seeing doctors now is a terribly stressful experience, when it never was before, and which is really bad because part of my condition involves trouble with my adrenal gland that means stress is dangerous for me.
Have you had good doctors or has that been difficult for you as well?
I hate dealing with doctors anymore. They’re so pressed for time and they’re largely dismissive of problems that are not readily diagnosable(word?).
I’m not going to compare my complaints to yours, but as you know I’ve had something going on with me since I was thirty years old and they have chalked it up to middle age (!) stress, depression, genetics – anything they could think of to explain my symptoms and/or blow them off. I just got sick of trying to find out what was going on and accepted it. When they see you’ve changed doctors several times they just think you’re a hypochondriac.
The lack of care is appalling. As is the move from truly trying to diagnose the origin of a medical problem into just rx-ing a dozen pills a day to treat the symptoms. I blame Big Pharma, mostly, but insurance companies have been let to run wild, and doctors who should have been gatekeeping have also been too complicit.
It’s been a bit of both. HMOs don’t really work out for people with a chronic illness and that’s what I had for the first few years of the diabetes.
Keeping Eat4Today going has encouraged me to do more research and document my thoughts and progress. And that’s made it easier to communicate with doctors. Where before I’d think of something and then lose the thought, now it tends to stick around. And I’ve got friends who remind me about it if I forget!
This endocrinologist I’ve found is a young-ish woman and it’s really interesting to talk to a specialist who isn’t an elderly man.
Indy I came to the conclusion a long time ago, that even the best doctors can only give you an educated guess.
If a doctor isn’t listening to you and you decide to go to another one. Ya want to piss off of old doctor, ask them what ranking in their graduating class they were.
Once they stop sputtering you can tell them, “I can see now why you weren’t able to deal with this.” 🙂
Oh sure, Family Man, I don’t expect them to be miracle workers. I think the practice of medicine is one of those places where science intersects with art.
That said, however, they do tend to dismiss women as a class. Our pain isn’t taken as seriously, our chronic conditions aren’t taken as seriously, and it’s a fairly recent development in medical trials that they’re even considering that women’s bodies don’t, for example, display the same symptoms during a heart attack as men, or respond to meds the same way. These issues, plus the tendency to simply assume that a woman is ’emotional’ in some way rather than suffering from something treatable like thyroid disease, other chemical imbalances, etc., have a negative impact on women’s health as well as our experiences seeing medical professionals.
And lots of people still have that characterization where, if a man questions his doctor he’s being “an involved, responsible patient ensuring he gets good care” but if a woman does the exact same thing she’s just being a whiny bitch. It’s awful.
I completely agree with you. I worked hospitals in the 70’s, and at that time, doctors were in god status. You really had no way of knowing unless you did tons of research in a library.
I also agree that women’s health has taken a backseat. There is not enough research being done. When I was working in hospitals the most important word I learned and took to heart is empathy. I think that should be a course taught all through out med school.
Most doctors to me, now of days, are on the HMO time schedule. So even with my GP, and it’s a standard joke with us, the first question she’ll ask is, “What are your questions today.”
None of that probably really helped, but you know, I wish you well.
That’s really interesting that you have a professional background working in a hospital setting, I didn’t know that. You do have delightful bedside manner. 🙂 Of course you know the good wishes are mutual.
And yeah, I completely agree that we’d all be better off if they’d swap in a course on Empathy and swap out that course on How To Be An Arrogant Prick, lol.
I wouldn’t say it was that professional and I only did it for awhile. But I was lucky enough to work with some people who really care about each patient.
Hey, Indy! I feel bad that I’ve been absent so much that I couldn’t even remember where you are. Now I have your pin moved.
Kansas Jr., lol. I funny thing happened yesterday. After I got home from taking him to the airport, I felt increasingly anxious and unhappy and–hey, nobody ever accused me of being brilliant–didn’t know why. I happened to open an Eckhart Tolle book at random, and my finger landed on a sentence that went something like this: “When it’s time to let the baby go, let the baby go.”
Very funny, universe! (It was from an old zen story.)
Aww, that’s so sweet. Sometimes I can hardly believe you got into a fit of pique and bashed a van. 😉
Is your baby also inclined toward writing/art? Perhaps he’ll send you fabulous stories about or pictures of his time over there, which is something really neat to look forward to.
I was younger then, heh. HE would never do anything like that. I hope. He’s a really good writer, though I don’t know how much of it I’ll see from this trip! I gave him a little notebook. Hint hint.
bye, have a great trip and I LOVE Louise Erdrich so I’m jealous of you having hours to listen to someone read her book to you even if that person is on tape.
I’m planning on slacking today. Tomorrow I’m going to a party, lots of cousins are in town so their parents are having a barbeque so we can all get together. It’s rare that they’re all in town at the same time except for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It will very low key though. And no prep time — I’m in charge of bringing ice cream.
me too. I grew up in close proximity to many of my cousins on both sides of my family so we were more like siblings than cousins. But my mother’s side of my family is special. My mother and two of her sisters stayed here in St. Louis and between them they had nine kids, all girls except one. We lived close enough to each other that the families were always getting together. And all the girls went to the same high school. It a family of very empowered women.
I really miss being able to bop over to one of my sisters’ houses in the morning when I’m out of coffee or just want to get out for a while. There are 7 of us and we all had our kids together in the 80s and 90s and lived within 10 miles of each other. Now those 24 babies are between 12 and 25 and lives are getting complicated so it’s really been a long time since we’ve all been together. And now that I moved 600 miles away it complicates things.
I feel for you. There was a period when everyone moved away except for me and one cousin. But now one of my sisters has moved back. The three of us live within a three mile radius and it’s so nice. We can just get together for coffee and then go about our days.
Being so close felt suffocating at times and holidays were always crammed with people and screaming toddlers. If you asked me back then I would have told you I’d rather have peace and quiet. Now I really miss it. I remember when there were 8 two-year olds. Talk about drama!
To me, now that I’m older, seeing all the kids is the best part. I’ve got a niece and nephew that love each other dearly, but argue constantly.
Being the instigator that I am, I’ll tell one of them, “Did you know your cousin did this.” All untrue of course. They’ll run off to confront that cousin and then later both will come back jumping all over me. I’m laughing the whole time. 🙂
Doesn’t it make you wish you could go back to when your own kids were little and love them a little more – pay more attention to them – be less concerned with keeping order? I sure do. Oh, to be able to kiss those little tummies again! Funny, my 16 and 18 year old boys won’t let me do that anymore.
Everyone I was related to lived in the same county and we kids were traded around between cousins every weekend.
Being isolated from our family was the worst thing about the move to Kansas. And it’s really interesting now that we’re adults. It turns out the cousins back home were just as devastated by the move. And the ones whe were little kids at the time are fascinated by the stories we tell at the family reunions.
I can understand the left behinders being just as devastated as you. The family of couple of my cousins moved away for a few years. During that time we’d go to visit them or they’d come back for holidays, and we’d all sleep in the same room on mattresses all over the floor. I don’t know how our parents put up with the noise 🙂
I remember when they moved back that we kids all felt the world was right again — even though their parents were getting divorced.
We never did move back. Not even as adults. And they don’t really understand that. It’s my dearest wish to get back there after I retire, but housing is really expensive there now and it might never be possible.
I keep trying to talk my parents into moving back. Then I’d “have to” move back to take care of them.
It sounds like you’ll have a great time. I’m the family pest at get togethers because I’m always trying to get pictures. Someone will see me getting ready to take a shot and raise their hand in front of thier face, the kids are the worst. But, always after they see them, I hear, “Can you print me out a copy of this?”
To herd them all together for a family shot is the worst.
we’re the same way. Everybody grouses about the cameras but everybody wants copies of the pictures. So just keep taking them.
When my grandma reached age 75 she must have realized she didn’t have many years left so every time we’d have a party she’d walk up to every person with a camera and say “Take my picture”. It got to be a joke. She lived to 96 so we have LOTS of pictures.
got some books? the stack remains. I’m about half finished with Saturday. I’ll probably finish it this weekend. I don’t know what happened to me. I used to read fast. These days I just don’t have time to read when I’m not tired. I’ll look through the stack today and let you advise on the next book 🙂
Very scary morning since my husband’s family lives in Jogja. It will probably be a while before we can get any news. The images coming out of there are so devasting.
Thanks, FM! I happened to tune into MSNBC when I first woke up about half an hour ago. My husband returned to work today after his vacation and says that he thinks everyone is all right since he would feel it if anyone had been hurt or killed. He has unusually good intuition, so we are going to have to rely on that for a while. There is a whole Indonesian community here, but no one has been able to get through. We will probably have to wait until someone calls us.
Oh MM I feel for you. I know what it’s like to hear of a massive earthquake and wait to hear if loved ones have made it through safely. I’m hoping and praying for you and your husband that everything is ok with his family.
Thanks so much for the wishes prayers and good thoughts, maryb! Fingers crossed that everyone in our family is okay, but still what an enormous disaster for such vulnerable people, not to mention the volcano about to pop right next door!
Missed everything yesterday — was extremely busy with assorted crises du jour.
Did you know that it’s practically impossible to find hiking boots for wide feet? I want to get a pair of light hiking boots for our Seattle/Alaska trek; a couple of our shore excursions involve some walking over rough terrain so I want to be prepared, as well as wanting to get some good support for my weak ankle(s). Went to two different outdoor equipment stores — they didn’t carry women’s boots in wide width, and they didn’t have men’s boots in a small enough size (I wear 8-1/2 W in women’s shoes, 7-1/2 R in men’s). I’m going to check a couple more places before I try the online method; I did notice some boots over at Sierra Trading Post link from BooTrib that look workable.
Hopefully can concentrate on clearing some junk out today — got stuff to take over to Goodwill and other assorted charities. (I have a soft spot for Goodwill; a former co-worker was retrained in accounting when his arms got too wrecked out to be a butcher.)
Kansas — drive safely
KB — feel better soon!
Indy — good luck with the unpacking, but don’t overdo
Everyone else — have a great day…
G’morning, Andi. I’m off to Omaha soon. Back tomorrow. Y’all have fun.
Hope you have a enjoyable time.
Did I miss you? Have fun!
Thanks, guys. I still have to take dog to kennel, and assorted stuff like that. I have a Louise Erdrich novel to listen to on the way up, and I had a plot breakthrough on my own next book early this morning, so I have plenty to think about. I really do love car rides, which is a good thing, considering.
Did you love your day off, Kb?
Yes, I went to a doctor and we had a nice long talk about all the things on my list. And since I didn’t have to strip or have blood tests, I consider it a success.
Then we went driving around doing errands and the grand-doggie didn’t trash the house while we were gone. So, it just got better and better.
I’m glad to hear about your plot breakthrough and your trip sounds like it will be fun.
the osteopenia medication?
I did!
This was an endocrinologist so I wasn’t planning on it. But it turns out osteoporosis and osteopenia are something she works with a lot — maybe because of the age of so many diabetes patients?
And she had little models of bones in her office, so I asked her about it.
And she asked me to have copies of the bone density tests to her so she could see where I’m at. I think she’s all for treating both issues pretty aggressively, so she might not change anything. But she knows that I’m into controlling things as much as possible without medication.
So, I have hopes. Have you talked to your doctor about it yet?
She changed my diabetes medication to a lower-dose time-release version of metformin, so I’m hoping the ‘effect’ will stop. It’s been almost a year of it, and I’m tired.
No, I need to call and see if he’s got an email address so I can send him that article. Otherwise, I’ll have to make a special trip in.
I hope you get good results from the changes in your medication.
Just a word to you two – one of the best things you can do to stop bone loss, and even to build bone density, is to do strength training.
Good morning Andi and Kansas.
Kansas be careful, and all other froggies leaving this am, be careful.
How ya doing?
I ‘m doing fine. I thought going to bed at a normal hour last night and I would be up earlier. But I’m just trying to get my eyes open now.
How’re you doing today?
Hi FamilyMan — and Andi too!
Morning KB.
How’re you this morning?
Hope you are having a fine start to your day.
Hi, Family Man. No lawn to mow today?
I don’t know. Depends how the day unfolds. 🙂
I’ll pray for rain, if you want me to. 🙂
Don’t you dare! The heat appears to be killing off some of the grass. I hopeing for another 2 or 3 weeks of this and all I’ll see in my yard is a brown wasteland with a few wilted weeds. Too much to wish for I guess?
G’morning everyone. I tried to stay up for FRT last night but after unpacking and organizing the kitchen all day yesterday (a task which is still not completed) I just couldn’t make it. I was conked out by the time you guys were talking about concerts. Didn’t we used to do these things at east coast happy hour time? I’m getting old.
Morning Indy.
Organizing the kitchen all day? I’m impressed! Don’t you over do it.
I’d be impressed if I were finished, alas, I am only about halfway there. Finally located the bulk of our pots and pans, though, so we can stop having sandwiches 3 meals a day. 🙂
Yea I know what you mean. I’ve got to have my favorite pots, pans, or skillet when I cook.
I always found unpacking to be a chore. You are in a new place and haven’t decided where everything will go. I always took my time with unpacking.
I guess that’s the reason that I still have some boxes, that after 20 years, are unopened. One day I’ll find treasures or junk. 🙂
Twenty years! Hey, maybe you could go make you some money on Antique Roadshow.
I figure they’re old papers and stuff I was to lazy to throw away. Who knows maybe one day when I’m long gone, someone will look through them and think, I’m glad he didn’t throw this away. I know with my own grandparents just letters they have written/received and I have found mean a lot to me.
So I figure instead of being really lazy, I’m really saving for posterity. Amazing how I can rationalize when it comes to slacking. 🙂
Be careful, Family Man, BushCo is increasingly finding itself in need of the services of people who can
rationalize at that skill level. 😉
No, I know what you mean, and I agree. What seem like boring old papers and stuff can indeed someday wind up meaning a lot to descendants.
Nah, I know in my case it is pretty much junk. Old power bill, etc. I’ve got most of my stuff stored out in a shop area connected to the house.
There’s some stuff stored in there that I do know means something to me because I took the time to wrap it all in paper and then that shrink wrap type of wrapping.
One day it’ll be like Xmas opening boxes.
You can post it now and we’ll never tell the FRT police.
But yes the FRT was unusually late.
So what was your first concert?
Eight Days A Week – The Beatles
Lonely People – America
Love Is Like Oxygen – Sweet
Deep Dish – Ani DiFranco
Under The Disco Ball – Jill Sobule
Somebody’s Baby – Jackson Browne
Cocaine – Eric Clapton
Jack & Diane – John Cougar Mellencamp
Last Train to Clarksville – The Monkees
Let It Out – Gary Wright
Heh, my first concert was Chicago. And no, I am not making that up. My mom and her friends were going and they took me. I liked it, and I am not ashamed!
I’m looking forward to the Ani DiFranco-Monkees supergroup.
With Clapton on guitar, Gary Wright on synth, and all the fans on windowpane. ;p
I actually know six of those. Wow.
I don’t know whether you should feel happy or sad about the Indy. 🙂
I feel happy because at some future meetup, we can dance. 🙂
Hi, Indy. Mundane question–are you guys having a really really hot Month of May, as we are?
I realized after I wrote that question that I am not sure where you are now. I haven’t moved your pin on my map. Heh.
I am just south of Dayton, Ohio, in the suburbs.
Hey Kansas! I hope you’re not missing Kansas, Jr. too much, and I hope he has a nice, safe trip across the pond.
As to weather, I’ve only lived here for a couple of weeks. It was unusually chilly when we first arrived, but is warming up quite a bit now. But the tornado warnings are the weathery thing I’m bug-eyed about, for the moment. O_O
Hi IndyLib, I missed the story of your move — where are you now?
We just moved from north central Arizona to southwestern Ohio. Quite a feat. 🙂
How’ve you been, katiebird?
I’m fine. But you’ve made quite a change. I knew you were contemplating a move, but I didn’t remember that it was to Ohio. How do you like it so far?
I don’t think I’ve done more than drive through it. And I’m not totally sure I’ve done that.
So far the really astonishing thing to me is just how similar the Dayton suburbs are to the Miami FL suburbs where I mostly grew up. This area is even called the Miami Valley and there are several towns & rivers and such that have Miami in the name. It’s a bit eerie but I like it. I think this part of Ohio is very pretty.
Other than that I haven’t had too much time for impressions. I’ve been home unpacking, for the most part, and otherwise just a little shopping in the immediate area. But if I can get my autoimmune disease better medicated here (I hope, I hope), I’m looking forward to exploring as much of the midwest as I can.
Pretty. I’d love to live near pretty.
And if you could get the medical treatment you need — that would be wonderful. I can’t stand the way our health care system doesn’t work. That you would have to make a move like this in order to get the help you need.
That’s sick.
Actually, we were considering coming here for a variety of reasons but the decision clinched when we had a local family member diagnosed with a pretty serious cancer. We are going to be taking care of her while she undergoes treatment, but she is older and has made some decisions about declining certain aggressive treatments so it will probably turn into a palliative care context at some point.
Flagstaff is notoriously bad for medical care, though, and practically anywhere would be better than that was. There wasn’t even an endocrinologist in town, and only one neurologist’s office that was very sketchy.
I’m very glad to see that your doctor seems to be working with you and addressing your concerns! I agree that the system is pretty screwed up, and it is alarming to be so grateful to have what should be routine decent care.
Have you found the new doctors yet? Or still at the beginning of this adventure?
We’ve only been here a couple of weeks. I have a recommendation for a good endo but need to get myself semi-unpacked and settled before I can deal with anything healthcare related.
After what I’ve been through with disability via chronic illness at such a young age, ugh, it’s been a nightmare. Being a woman, too, sometimes they just weren’t taking me seriously, saying it was all in my head. It was terrifying and infuriating. I was disabled and totally undiagnosed for 5 years. Seeing doctors now is a terribly stressful experience, when it never was before, and which is really bad because part of my condition involves trouble with my adrenal gland that means stress is dangerous for me.
Have you had good doctors or has that been difficult for you as well?
I hate dealing with doctors anymore. They’re so pressed for time and they’re largely dismissive of problems that are not readily diagnosable(word?).
I’m not going to compare my complaints to yours, but as you know I’ve had something going on with me since I was thirty years old and they have chalked it up to middle age (!) stress, depression, genetics – anything they could think of to explain my symptoms and/or blow them off. I just got sick of trying to find out what was going on and accepted it. When they see you’ve changed doctors several times they just think you’re a hypochondriac.
The lack of care is appalling. As is the move from truly trying to diagnose the origin of a medical problem into just rx-ing a dozen pills a day to treat the symptoms. I blame Big Pharma, mostly, but insurance companies have been let to run wild, and doctors who should have been gatekeeping have also been too complicit.
It’s been a bit of both. HMOs don’t really work out for people with a chronic illness and that’s what I had for the first few years of the diabetes.
Keeping Eat4Today going has encouraged me to do more research and document my thoughts and progress. And that’s made it easier to communicate with doctors. Where before I’d think of something and then lose the thought, now it tends to stick around. And I’ve got friends who remind me about it if I forget!
This endocrinologist I’ve found is a young-ish woman and it’s really interesting to talk to a specialist who isn’t an elderly man.
I am glad you’re getting decent care. I know it can be very challenging. I think you’re right, though, that being an educated patient helps a lot.
Indy I came to the conclusion a long time ago, that even the best doctors can only give you an educated guess.
If a doctor isn’t listening to you and you decide to go to another one. Ya want to piss off of old doctor, ask them what ranking in their graduating class they were.
Once they stop sputtering you can tell them, “I can see now why you weren’t able to deal with this.” 🙂
Oh sure, Family Man, I don’t expect them to be miracle workers. I think the practice of medicine is one of those places where science intersects with art.
That said, however, they do tend to dismiss women as a class. Our pain isn’t taken as seriously, our chronic conditions aren’t taken as seriously, and it’s a fairly recent development in medical trials that they’re even considering that women’s bodies don’t, for example, display the same symptoms during a heart attack as men, or respond to meds the same way. These issues, plus the tendency to simply assume that a woman is ’emotional’ in some way rather than suffering from something treatable like thyroid disease, other chemical imbalances, etc., have a negative impact on women’s health as well as our experiences seeing medical professionals.
And lots of people still have that characterization where, if a man questions his doctor he’s being “an involved, responsible patient ensuring he gets good care” but if a woman does the exact same thing she’s just being a whiny bitch. It’s awful.
I completely agree with you. I worked hospitals in the 70’s, and at that time, doctors were in god status. You really had no way of knowing unless you did tons of research in a library.
I also agree that women’s health has taken a backseat. There is not enough research being done. When I was working in hospitals the most important word I learned and took to heart is empathy. I think that should be a course taught all through out med school.
Most doctors to me, now of days, are on the HMO time schedule. So even with my GP, and it’s a standard joke with us, the first question she’ll ask is, “What are your questions today.”
None of that probably really helped, but you know, I wish you well.
That’s really interesting that you have a professional background working in a hospital setting, I didn’t know that. You do have delightful bedside manner. 🙂 Of course you know the good wishes are mutual.
And yeah, I completely agree that we’d all be better off if they’d swap in a course on Empathy and swap out that course on How To Be An Arrogant Prick, lol.
I wouldn’t say it was that professional and I only did it for awhile. But I was lucky enough to work with some people who really care about each patient.
Hey, Indy! I feel bad that I’ve been absent so much that I couldn’t even remember where you are. Now I have your pin moved.
Kansas Jr., lol. I funny thing happened yesterday. After I got home from taking him to the airport, I felt increasingly anxious and unhappy and–hey, nobody ever accused me of being brilliant–didn’t know why. I happened to open an Eckhart Tolle book at random, and my finger landed on a sentence that went something like this: “When it’s time to let the baby go, let the baby go.”
Very funny, universe! (It was from an old zen story.)
Wow. That’s fantastic.
Aww, that’s so sweet. Sometimes I can hardly believe you got into a fit of pique and bashed a van. 😉
Is your baby also inclined toward writing/art? Perhaps he’ll send you fabulous stories about or pictures of his time over there, which is something really neat to look forward to.
I was younger then, heh. HE would never do anything like that. I hope. He’s a really good writer, though I don’t know how much of it I’ll see from this trip! I gave him a little notebook. Hint hint.
Okay, I’m gone. Y’all have fun.
just missed you.
bye, have a great trip and I LOVE Louise Erdrich so I’m jealous of you having hours to listen to someone read her book to you even if that person is on tape.
It was me…I made dinner before happy hour, and things were so slow in the cafe, and…did I mention I’m heading down to Baltimore this morning? 🙂
ps…nice blog.
Hi CG. I’m jealous as usual. 🙂
Have a good time in Balitmore and be careful.
Hey CabinGirl, I hope you have a really great time at the meetup. Be safe and have fun!
PS. Thanks. I was trying to be surreptitious with that thing, I should’ve known better. 😀
G’morn’n Glories ; )
here’s wishing all a safe and happy weekend….
peace
wado
Morning IP.
You have a good weekend too.
Goog Morning Andi, kansas, katiebird, FM, Indy, CG and everyone else. Happy Saturday! (I love 3 day weekends that I actually get to take).
Hi Mary!
Hi kb! It’s soooo nice to see you hanging at the cafe more. Doing any festive things this weekend?
Morning Mary. I hope this is a slackerly weekend for you.
I’m planning on slacking today. Tomorrow I’m going to a party, lots of cousins are in town so their parents are having a barbeque so we can all get together. It’s rare that they’re all in town at the same time except for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It will very low key though. And no prep time — I’m in charge of bringing ice cream.
That sounds wonderful. I love family get togethers.
me too. I grew up in close proximity to many of my cousins on both sides of my family so we were more like siblings than cousins. But my mother’s side of my family is special. My mother and two of her sisters stayed here in St. Louis and between them they had nine kids, all girls except one. We lived close enough to each other that the families were always getting together. And all the girls went to the same high school. It a family of very empowered women.
And really nice men who were all named Bob.
I really miss being able to bop over to one of my sisters’ houses in the morning when I’m out of coffee or just want to get out for a while. There are 7 of us and we all had our kids together in the 80s and 90s and lived within 10 miles of each other. Now those 24 babies are between 12 and 25 and lives are getting complicated so it’s really been a long time since we’ve all been together. And now that I moved 600 miles away it complicates things.
I feel for you. There was a period when everyone moved away except for me and one cousin. But now one of my sisters has moved back. The three of us live within a three mile radius and it’s so nice. We can just get together for coffee and then go about our days.
Being so close felt suffocating at times and holidays were always crammed with people and screaming toddlers. If you asked me back then I would have told you I’d rather have peace and quiet. Now I really miss it. I remember when there were 8 two-year olds. Talk about drama!
8 two year olds! get out the earplugs!
To me, now that I’m older, seeing all the kids is the best part. I’ve got a niece and nephew that love each other dearly, but argue constantly.
Being the instigator that I am, I’ll tell one of them, “Did you know your cousin did this.” All untrue of course. They’ll run off to confront that cousin and then later both will come back jumping all over me. I’m laughing the whole time. 🙂
Doesn’t it make you wish you could go back to when your own kids were little and love them a little more – pay more attention to them – be less concerned with keeping order? I sure do. Oh, to be able to kiss those little tummies again! Funny, my 16 and 18 year old boys won’t let me do that anymore.
Sure does. 🙂
That sounds like my childhood.
Everyone I was related to lived in the same county and we kids were traded around between cousins every weekend.
Being isolated from our family was the worst thing about the move to Kansas. And it’s really interesting now that we’re adults. It turns out the cousins back home were just as devastated by the move. And the ones whe were little kids at the time are fascinated by the stories we tell at the family reunions.
I can understand the left behinders being just as devastated as you. The family of couple of my cousins moved away for a few years. During that time we’d go to visit them or they’d come back for holidays, and we’d all sleep in the same room on mattresses all over the floor. I don’t know how our parents put up with the noise 🙂
I remember when they moved back that we kids all felt the world was right again — even though their parents were getting divorced.
We never did move back. Not even as adults. And they don’t really understand that. It’s my dearest wish to get back there after I retire, but housing is really expensive there now and it might never be possible.
I keep trying to talk my parents into moving back. Then I’d “have to” move back to take care of them.
I wish you luck. You never know how life will work out.
It sounds like you’ll have a great time. I’m the family pest at get togethers because I’m always trying to get pictures. Someone will see me getting ready to take a shot and raise their hand in front of thier face, the kids are the worst. But, always after they see them, I hear, “Can you print me out a copy of this?”
To herd them all together for a family shot is the worst.
I come from a family of show-offs — that makes it easy for me!
Much easier than mine. 🙂
we’re the same way. Everybody grouses about the cameras but everybody wants copies of the pictures. So just keep taking them.
When my grandma reached age 75 she must have realized she didn’t have many years left so every time we’d have a party she’d walk up to every person with a camera and say “Take my picture”. It got to be a joke. She lived to 96 so we have LOTS of pictures.
Got some books to read this long weekend?
got some books? the stack remains. I’m about half finished with Saturday. I’ll probably finish it this weekend. I don’t know what happened to me. I used to read fast. These days I just don’t have time to read when I’m not tired. I’ll look through the stack today and let you advise on the next book 🙂
Off to go bicycling and run errands. Everybody have a good day.
Enjoy Andi.
Very scary morning since my husband’s family lives in Jogja. It will probably be a while before we can get any news. The images coming out of there are so devasting.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/05/27/indonesia.quake/index.html
MM I’ve been watching that. I hope everyone is OK.
Thanks, FM! I happened to tune into MSNBC when I first woke up about half an hour ago. My husband returned to work today after his vacation and says that he thinks everyone is all right since he would feel it if anyone had been hurt or killed. He has unusually good intuition, so we are going to have to rely on that for a while. There is a whole Indonesian community here, but no one has been able to get through. We will probably have to wait until someone calls us.
Best wishes to your family, MM.
Oh MM I feel for you. I know what it’s like to hear of a massive earthquake and wait to hear if loved ones have made it through safely. I’m hoping and praying for you and your husband that everything is ok with his family.
Thanks so much for the wishes prayers and good thoughts, maryb! Fingers crossed that everyone in our family is okay, but still what an enormous disaster for such vulnerable people, not to mention the volcano about to pop right next door!
Missed everything yesterday — was extremely busy with assorted crises du jour.
Did you know that it’s practically impossible to find hiking boots for wide feet? I want to get a pair of light hiking boots for our Seattle/Alaska trek; a couple of our shore excursions involve some walking over rough terrain so I want to be prepared, as well as wanting to get some good support for my weak ankle(s). Went to two different outdoor equipment stores — they didn’t carry women’s boots in wide width, and they didn’t have men’s boots in a small enough size (I wear 8-1/2 W in women’s shoes, 7-1/2 R in men’s). I’m going to check a couple more places before I try the online method; I did notice some boots over at Sierra Trading Post link from BooTrib that look workable.
Hopefully can concentrate on clearing some junk out today — got stuff to take over to Goodwill and other assorted charities. (I have a soft spot for Goodwill; a former co-worker was retrained in accounting when his arms got too wrecked out to be a butcher.)
Kansas — drive safely
KB — feel better soon!
Indy — good luck with the unpacking, but don’t overdo
Everyone else — have a great day…
Thanks for the good wishes and the reminder to take it light, Cali — good luck with those boots! 🙂
I guess it’s time for me to get out of bed and open the new cafe.
And here it is .
Don’t forget to unrecommend before you leave this one.