Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Mini is in the hospital for surgery
Mini is at the medical clinic of the animal rescue organization I got her from, even as I type, having surgery on some kind of hernia.
At about 6 PM last night, I picked her up for a session of "Tickle Da Belly!", and noticed a small, flesh-colored, grape-sized eruption on her abdomen, near her utrethra. I had no idea what it was, so I called the vet clinic. I had to leave a voice mail in their "emergency" mailbox. I never heard back by midnight, so I called again. The emergency mailbox was full, so I left a message in their general mailbox. Still no call, by 10 AM today, so I called again and left another message in the emergency mailbox (which evidently had been cleared at some point today, since it was no longer full). In each case, I described the issue, asked for advice, and announced I wanted to bring the dog in, even if I couldn't get an appointment.
We brought her in at about noon. They took one look at her and knew surgery had to be the treatment. If there is a mass, they'll biopsy it. If it's a hernia, they will make sure that they clean up any necrotic tissue. I only wish someone had freaking called me back BEFORE I fed Mini breakfast, as that meant they couldn't do the surgery right away.
My poor little pup. Say some prayers that she comes through with flying colors, and the surgery will repair any and all problems. Thanks.
As it stands now, we're to return to the clinic at 6 or 6:30 to pick her up. I'm glad she won't have to stay overnight. She may be a tiny dog, but her presence is huge and the house is empty without her.
At about 6 PM last night, I picked her up for a session of "Tickle Da Belly!", and noticed a small, flesh-colored, grape-sized eruption on her abdomen, near her utrethra. I had no idea what it was, so I called the vet clinic. I had to leave a voice mail in their "emergency" mailbox. I never heard back by midnight, so I called again. The emergency mailbox was full, so I left a message in their general mailbox. Still no call, by 10 AM today, so I called again and left another message in the emergency mailbox (which evidently had been cleared at some point today, since it was no longer full). In each case, I described the issue, asked for advice, and announced I wanted to bring the dog in, even if I couldn't get an appointment.
We brought her in at about noon. They took one look at her and knew surgery had to be the treatment. If there is a mass, they'll biopsy it. If it's a hernia, they will make sure that they clean up any necrotic tissue. I only wish someone had freaking called me back BEFORE I fed Mini breakfast, as that meant they couldn't do the surgery right away.
My poor little pup. Say some prayers that she comes through with flying colors, and the surgery will repair any and all problems. Thanks.
As it stands now, we're to return to the clinic at 6 or 6:30 to pick her up. I'm glad she won't have to stay overnight. She may be a tiny dog, but her presence is huge and the house is empty without her.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Christmas in October? WTH?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Puzzles
Some of my meds can't be taken at the same time as others.
Every time I medicate, it's like solving the puzzle with of the farmer who has to transport a fox, hen, and bag of chicken feed across a river, in a rowboat that only has room for one of the items at any given time.
Every time I medicate, it's like solving the puzzle with of the farmer who has to transport a fox, hen, and bag of chicken feed across a river, in a rowboat that only has room for one of the items at any given time.
Outrage
Color me OUTRAGED.
My mom has shingles. It was diagnosed this afternoon. She got two prescriptions from her doctor: a small (5g) tube of ointment, and 21 pills.
Thank God, she has insurance. She had to pay $60 for the ointment and $10 for the pills. But if you get sticker shock from either of those numbers, then I invite you to drop your jaw in astonishment at what those meds would've cost a person WITHOUT medical insurance:
The full price of 5g of ointment is $871.89.
The full price of the 21 pills is $256.59.
Are the pharmaceutical companies INSANE? WTF is in those meds that could possibly justify their costing so much? I flat-out can't believe that there's any justification, other than blind greed, that could possibly explain those prices.
A person who has no medical insurance would have had to leave their shingles untreated. In the 21st Century in the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, people have to go without medical treatment. Why is the preceding sentence not a contradiction of terms? There's a scripture passage that says the crimes against widows and orphans cry out to God for justice... well, if pricing people who need care out of medical treatment doesn't fit that description, I have no idea what does.
Pharmaceutical companies should be ashamed of themselves. Greedy farging bastages.
My mom has shingles. It was diagnosed this afternoon. She got two prescriptions from her doctor: a small (5g) tube of ointment, and 21 pills.
Thank God, she has insurance. She had to pay $60 for the ointment and $10 for the pills. But if you get sticker shock from either of those numbers, then I invite you to drop your jaw in astonishment at what those meds would've cost a person WITHOUT medical insurance:
The full price of 5g of ointment is $871.89.
The full price of the 21 pills is $256.59.
Are the pharmaceutical companies INSANE? WTF is in those meds that could possibly justify their costing so much? I flat-out can't believe that there's any justification, other than blind greed, that could possibly explain those prices.
A person who has no medical insurance would have had to leave their shingles untreated. In the 21st Century in the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, people have to go without medical treatment. Why is the preceding sentence not a contradiction of terms? There's a scripture passage that says the crimes against widows and orphans cry out to God for justice... well, if pricing people who need care out of medical treatment doesn't fit that description, I have no idea what does.
Pharmaceutical companies should be ashamed of themselves. Greedy farging bastages.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Selling ad space NOW on the Spectrum? UNREAL. The building comes down next month.
Comca$t'$ only regret is probably that they didn't think of this sooner. They could've made a giant billboard out of the Spectrum for a whole year, instead of just a month.
Un. Freaking. Real.
Phillies balloons in AT&T (formerly Pattison Ave.) Station
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Neil Little pic at The Franklin Institute
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Los Mineros de Chile!
Thanks to live TV, people around the world got to witness the miracle of the 33 Chilean miners being retrieved, one by one, from the collapsed mine where they have spent the past 68 (or 69, depending on the person) days. Thank God for answered prayers! It's miraculous to me that everyone from the mine actually survived the original accident, and then all 33 men lived for 17 days underground on next to no food before rescuers made first contact. Miraculous. Seriously.
As each miner was brought up by the Phoenix capsule, they were greeted with the chant, "Chi Chi Chi! Le Le Le! Los mineros de Chile!" I'm so happy that everyone made it back to the surface alive. Well, they're working on bringing up the last few rescuers who went down to assist with the retrieval process, and THEN everyone will be up. That's a lot of guardian angels who deserve a medal, in my book.
In other news, I had my sit-down session with the surgeon today. I absolutely will have to have surgery to remove the fibroid. Due to its size (comparable to a canteloupe), none of the easier, incision-free options are open to me. On the one hand, phooey, I don't want to need an incision or surgery. On the other hand, I'm glad that the problem is something that one surgery can fully resolve. I've sat in waiting rooms for several specialists this year, with people who WISH one surgery would've been enough to restore their health. So I can't gripe too much.
I can't say major surgery is "getting off easy", but I'm getting off more easily than some other patients out there. I have a tentative date for the surgery, though the scheduling office will have to call me to confirm it. It'll be an in-patient procedure; if I have the procedure on a Tuesday, I should be home by Thursday or Friday. Mark will have to take over the Critter Duties for a few days. That could make life interesting for him, as he's only got two hands but there are three pets who will all want doting. :-)
All I can say is, Watch This Space. Updates will come through on a timely basis.
As each miner was brought up by the Phoenix capsule, they were greeted with the chant, "Chi Chi Chi! Le Le Le! Los mineros de Chile!" I'm so happy that everyone made it back to the surface alive. Well, they're working on bringing up the last few rescuers who went down to assist with the retrieval process, and THEN everyone will be up. That's a lot of guardian angels who deserve a medal, in my book.
In other news, I had my sit-down session with the surgeon today. I absolutely will have to have surgery to remove the fibroid. Due to its size (comparable to a canteloupe), none of the easier, incision-free options are open to me. On the one hand, phooey, I don't want to need an incision or surgery. On the other hand, I'm glad that the problem is something that one surgery can fully resolve. I've sat in waiting rooms for several specialists this year, with people who WISH one surgery would've been enough to restore their health. So I can't gripe too much.
I can't say major surgery is "getting off easy", but I'm getting off more easily than some other patients out there. I have a tentative date for the surgery, though the scheduling office will have to call me to confirm it. It'll be an in-patient procedure; if I have the procedure on a Tuesday, I should be home by Thursday or Friday. Mark will have to take over the Critter Duties for a few days. That could make life interesting for him, as he's only got two hands but there are three pets who will all want doting. :-)
All I can say is, Watch This Space. Updates will come through on a timely basis.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Maestra needs SILENCE
OK, that does it. I am trying to do a modest free-lance-from-home task, which I expect to take two hours, and the freaking phones keep ringing.
So I used the computer phone to call the house line, so neither of them will ring. My cell phone is now in silent mode.
I WILL work without interruption until my task is completed.
So I used the computer phone to call the house line, so neither of them will ring. My cell phone is now in silent mode.
I WILL work without interruption until my task is completed.
From the "What The Heck Happened?" Department
From the "What The Heck Happened?" Department...
I was listening to the song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" over the weekend. I couldn't help but notice some of the vocabulary choices in its lyrics. It uses words that well-read people would employ, like "chaffed" and "deride".
These days, the vocabulary in some popular songs is not only NOT comprised of choices that well-read people would use, but it's peppered with verbiage that's far too profane to ever see the light of day in this blog.
What the heck happened? :-(
I was listening to the song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" over the weekend. I couldn't help but notice some of the vocabulary choices in its lyrics. It uses words that well-read people would employ, like "chaffed" and "deride".
These days, the vocabulary in some popular songs is not only NOT comprised of choices that well-read people would use, but it's peppered with verbiage that's far too profane to ever see the light of day in this blog.
What the heck happened? :-(
Woo hoo, Phillies!
Nice work, Phillies, for sweeping the Reds and clinching the NLDS series! Next up, the NLCS series, with either the Giants or Braves. Meanwhile, the Flyers and Phantoms have both started their seasons. So life is good. :-)
In other news, I've been curtailing the making of plans for the time being. I know there's a surgery in the near future, but I don't know when. So the best bet will be not to commit to things, only to find out that I will be in the immediately-post-surgery phase of recuperation and not able to attend.
I have the first appointment with the surgeon at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, so I'll have a better idea of what's going on once I've peppered him with questions.
I have a feeling I'm going to be having a word with my regular doctor, though, in addition to the surgeon. I'm starting with the fatigue attacks again. I needed a nap this afternoon, which was fine at the time, but the end result involved not feeling tired when night rolled around. I'm finally getting sleepy (at 3 AM, sigh...), so I'm going to try to actually GET some sleep.
In other news, I've been curtailing the making of plans for the time being. I know there's a surgery in the near future, but I don't know when. So the best bet will be not to commit to things, only to find out that I will be in the immediately-post-surgery phase of recuperation and not able to attend.
I have the first appointment with the surgeon at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, so I'll have a better idea of what's going on once I've peppered him with questions.
I have a feeling I'm going to be having a word with my regular doctor, though, in addition to the surgeon. I'm starting with the fatigue attacks again. I needed a nap this afternoon, which was fine at the time, but the end result involved not feeling tired when night rolled around. I'm finally getting sleepy (at 3 AM, sigh...), so I'm going to try to actually GET some sleep.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Monday, October 04, 2010
Save the Mummers and Mutts
Last Saturday, Mini had a great day. Mark and I took her to the First Annual "Save the Mummers and Mutts" fundraiser in a local park. I figured that it was raising money for two of my favorite causes: the Mummers and animal rescue. Now there's a win/win if I've ever heard of it! :-)
Lots of other people also brought THEIR dogs to the event. Mini was beside herself trying to decide whose nose to sniff first. I don't think her tail stopped wagging all afternoon.
I made a point of visiting the dog rescue tables and telling anyone who'd listen how great these adoption events are, that I met my own dog at an event just like it, and we couldn't be happier, etc. There were some people who were clearly considering starting the process of adopting some of the available dogs, which pleases me no end.
The only thing I'd tweak about the event would be to add cats, too. I know "Mummers and Mutts" has nice alliteration, but I'd like to see ALL pets in need of homes have a chance at being adopted. Too bad this isn't England, where the word "moggy" is in general use for mixed-breed cats. Then they could call it "Save the Mummers, Mutts, and Moggies" and keep the alliteration intact. ;-)
Lots of other people also brought THEIR dogs to the event. Mini was beside herself trying to decide whose nose to sniff first. I don't think her tail stopped wagging all afternoon.
I made a point of visiting the dog rescue tables and telling anyone who'd listen how great these adoption events are, that I met my own dog at an event just like it, and we couldn't be happier, etc. There were some people who were clearly considering starting the process of adopting some of the available dogs, which pleases me no end.
The only thing I'd tweak about the event would be to add cats, too. I know "Mummers and Mutts" has nice alliteration, but I'd like to see ALL pets in need of homes have a chance at being adopted. Too bad this isn't England, where the word "moggy" is in general use for mixed-breed cats. Then they could call it "Save the Mummers, Mutts, and Moggies" and keep the alliteration intact. ;-)
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