Enjoying a lovely break
from the deathly heat and humidity
of a central Illinois summer.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Moonchild Turns 60!
Wishing myself Happy Birthday
with a song.
 |
Photo courtesy http://pdphoto.org/ Thanks, Jon!
|
I hope you'll join me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrFCwvlw0cs
OH! NO! This song is no longer available. I hate when that happens!
OH! NO! This song is no longer available. I hate when that happens!
Saturday, July 20, 2013
A Bad Moon on the Rise
Zion N.P., Utah --- where I'd RATHER be on my birthday!
Phtoto courtesy http://pdphoto.org/ Thanks, Jon!
This coming Monday (which is a full moon BTW), I'll endure my Big Six-Oh. This is Saturday. I want to party TONIGHT. Nobody will want to party on a Monday night. Right?
Weeks ago I kept saying things like, "I want to have a party for my Big Six-Oh," or "we need to decide what we're going to do for my birthday" or "we need to not wait til the last minute to invite people to my Bday".
As fate would have it, the guy still hasn't come to pour our new patio. It's just been too dad-blamed hot! The concrete would set up before they could stamp the rock-like pattern in it. But this coming week is supposed to be cooler, so hopefully it will get done by next weekend.
So I guess it's understood that my party will have to be postponed until the patio is done. Which is stupid. We could still go out tonight. If Rich is trying to surprise me, he will have succeeded.
I'm feeling blue.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Patient, Heal Thyself!
Saw my orthopedist for the first (and I hope the last) time yesterday. Six weeks ago, his PA saw me and ordered 6 weeks of physical therapy (an ins. prerequisite before doing an MRI or considering surgery).
I chose this particular doctor because he was the surgeon who operated on our son the night of his near-fatal motocross injury. Our son really liked him, and I was going to ask if he remembered my son ---even though it was 10 years ago, he's the only kid I know of from this area that was involved in motocross racing.
So anyway, his PA saw me first, for about 5 minutes (or less) to ask how PT went, etc. Then he came in, said hi, manipulated my leg a bit, and said I was good to go. Whoa! I told him that PT had worked wonders, but that they'd concentrated on my bad leg. Now my bad hip is good, but the other (which was over- compensating for years due to various injuries to the right leg) felt all out of whack.
Geez, he's a sports doctor! I thought we could discuss ways to continue on with my PT, to get my other leg working better, to improve my cardio-vascular and upper body strength (which is zero right now), and to lose another fifteen pounds by Christmas.
He told me he'd order two more weeks of PT to strengthen my other leg, and that I could make arrangements with the PT clinic to use their equipment after that for a nominal (non-insurance-covered) fee. Then he was out the door. He spent all of TWO MINUTES with me!!! I mean, I meant absolutely nothing to this doctor as a patient, since it looked like he wasn't going to be operating on me. Didn't even get to mention my son.
I realize that ins. companies dictate how much time a doctor spends with each patient, but still! I'm sure he and his PA were both OVERPAID for the few minutes they spent with me. I actually felt like crying when I left there, because I felt so useless. I'm telling you this, my DOG gets better treatment at the vet!!!
Oh, another thing! Usually when you see a doctor, they weigh you. These people didn't the first time they saw me. They just used the weight from my January check up with my family doctor. So yesterday, the nurse is going through the questions they ask. She said is your weight still ___? I said, no, I think I need to be re-weighed. She said, well just estimate. I said, well, I'd rather be weighed to be sure. She acted very put-out that she was going to have to take me all the way to the other end of the big office and weigh me. But then she was astonished and amazed that I'd lost 15 pounds since January. I felt oh so vindicated then.
What's a person to do? I've heard that many doctors treat their nurses like crap, but come on! Couldn't they at least show a little interest and treat their patients like human beings? I do hope I get a questionnaire about my care with this particular clinic, because I have a lot of valid complaints!
So! Is THIS Obamacare? Or has it even started? What is Obamacare anyway? It somehow got passed without the lawmakers even reading it or explaining to the American people how it would affect them.
All I know is that here in America, we have the best doctors, hospitals, drug research, treatment options, etc. that money can buy, but if you actually have a doctor who CARES about you, takes time to listen to you, and explains things in a way you can understand, consider yourself one of the fortunate few.
I chose this particular doctor because he was the surgeon who operated on our son the night of his near-fatal motocross injury. Our son really liked him, and I was going to ask if he remembered my son ---even though it was 10 years ago, he's the only kid I know of from this area that was involved in motocross racing.
So anyway, his PA saw me first, for about 5 minutes (or less) to ask how PT went, etc. Then he came in, said hi, manipulated my leg a bit, and said I was good to go. Whoa! I told him that PT had worked wonders, but that they'd concentrated on my bad leg. Now my bad hip is good, but the other (which was over- compensating for years due to various injuries to the right leg) felt all out of whack.
Geez, he's a sports doctor! I thought we could discuss ways to continue on with my PT, to get my other leg working better, to improve my cardio-vascular and upper body strength (which is zero right now), and to lose another fifteen pounds by Christmas.
He told me he'd order two more weeks of PT to strengthen my other leg, and that I could make arrangements with the PT clinic to use their equipment after that for a nominal (non-insurance-covered) fee. Then he was out the door. He spent all of TWO MINUTES with me!!! I mean, I meant absolutely nothing to this doctor as a patient, since it looked like he wasn't going to be operating on me. Didn't even get to mention my son.
I realize that ins. companies dictate how much time a doctor spends with each patient, but still! I'm sure he and his PA were both OVERPAID for the few minutes they spent with me. I actually felt like crying when I left there, because I felt so useless. I'm telling you this, my DOG gets better treatment at the vet!!!
Oh, another thing! Usually when you see a doctor, they weigh you. These people didn't the first time they saw me. They just used the weight from my January check up with my family doctor. So yesterday, the nurse is going through the questions they ask. She said is your weight still ___? I said, no, I think I need to be re-weighed. She said, well just estimate. I said, well, I'd rather be weighed to be sure. She acted very put-out that she was going to have to take me all the way to the other end of the big office and weigh me. But then she was astonished and amazed that I'd lost 15 pounds since January. I felt oh so vindicated then.
What's a person to do? I've heard that many doctors treat their nurses like crap, but come on! Couldn't they at least show a little interest and treat their patients like human beings? I do hope I get a questionnaire about my care with this particular clinic, because I have a lot of valid complaints!
So! Is THIS Obamacare? Or has it even started? What is Obamacare anyway? It somehow got passed without the lawmakers even reading it or explaining to the American people how it would affect them.
All I know is that here in America, we have the best doctors, hospitals, drug research, treatment options, etc. that money can buy, but if you actually have a doctor who CARES about you, takes time to listen to you, and explains things in a way you can understand, consider yourself one of the fortunate few.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
My Achy-Breaky...
Monday morning, I came running out of the house, late for physical therapy,
and did a face-plant in the yard. We have an old rug at the bottom of
the porch steps, to wipe feet on. Over the years, it's grown a coat of
slippery moss, and my feet went out from under me. I landed on my left
knee, left shoulder and forehead, in that order.
I layed there bawling for a minute or two, trying to decide on whether or not to go on to therapy. I had a dirty, skinned knee, but otherwise I felt ok. So I picked myself up and went to PT.
Tuesday I could barely move any part of my body. My whole upper left arm was covered in blackish-purple bruises, and I'm sure I got whiplash from landing on my forehead. Anyway, I called in and canceled Wednesday's appt. Both Tues & Wed I had a bad headache.
Wed. I attempted my home exercises and stretches as best I could. Yesterday (Happy Belated 4th of July!) I was able to finally do my full workout --- but all day long, whenever I would walk, I'd get those painful glitches in my right hip.
So I felt like it was back to square one when I reported to PT today.
I layed there bawling for a minute or two, trying to decide on whether or not to go on to therapy. I had a dirty, skinned knee, but otherwise I felt ok. So I picked myself up and went to PT.
Tuesday I could barely move any part of my body. My whole upper left arm was covered in blackish-purple bruises, and I'm sure I got whiplash from landing on my forehead. Anyway, I called in and canceled Wednesday's appt. Both Tues & Wed I had a bad headache.
Wed. I attempted my home exercises and stretches as best I could. Yesterday (Happy Belated 4th of July!) I was able to finally do my full workout --- but all day long, whenever I would walk, I'd get those painful glitches in my right hip.
So I felt like it was back to square one when I reported to PT today.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
He's a Hard-Workin' Dog!
Not the German Shepherd.
All he does is eat & sleep & poop & play.
But my dear old husband is working like a dog
to get the new patio done by my birthday,
which is July 22nd,
in case anyone wants to party with me.
Monday, July 1, 2013
3 Lives Down - 6 to Go!
Katmandu has been an outdoor cat for the entire six years of her life. She had her sister living here with her for a year or two, but they came to blows and KittenYahoo ran away from home.
Cats have nine lives, they say, and I actually have no idea how many times Katty may have cheated death. Once for sure when she had some kind of brain fever that caused her to leap and somersault and fall down --- and left her a Lefty (ever since she got well, she walks and runs with her head canted to the left).
Another time Katty cheated the Grim Reaper was when I saw a copper-red-colored coyote (no, it wasn't a fox --- i know the diff) leaving our driveway. No doubt he was either looking for Katty or she'd already escaped.
Yesterday morning I woke up to a noise. At first I thought it was my tummy growling, but then I recognized that stressed-out yowling to be Katty. I ran to the back door and there was a BOBCAT standing with its head under the porch. All I could see was its back and stubby, black-tipped tail. I could hear Katty spitting and hissing under the porch.
I ran and woke Rich. He slipped out the back door with his shotgun, but the bobcat heard him coming. It poked its head around the corner for just an instant and he got a good look at its bobby face. Then it was gone!
Poor Katty! She's been a nervous wreck ever since. We knew there are bobbies around here. Rich saw one at a distance when he was hunting last fall. But I've never seen one outside a zoo, so it was pretty exciting!
Another time Katty cheated the Grim Reaper was when I saw a copper-red-colored coyote (no, it wasn't a fox --- i know the diff) leaving our driveway. No doubt he was either looking for Katty or she'd already escaped.
Yesterday morning I woke up to a noise. At first I thought it was my tummy growling, but then I recognized that stressed-out yowling to be Katty. I ran to the back door and there was a BOBCAT standing with its head under the porch. All I could see was its back and stubby, black-tipped tail. I could hear Katty spitting and hissing under the porch.
I ran and woke Rich. He slipped out the back door with his shotgun, but the bobcat heard him coming. It poked its head around the corner for just an instant and he got a good look at its bobby face. Then it was gone!
Poor Katty! She's been a nervous wreck ever since. We knew there are bobbies around here. Rich saw one at a distance when he was hunting last fall. But I've never seen one outside a zoo, so it was pretty exciting!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)