For Christmas this year I received a couple writing books. One of the first suggestions is to write about a childhood memory. And I have decided it wouldn't hurt to share my earliest and possibly funniest moment with you.
I must have been between 2 1/2 and 3 years old. We lived in a tiny 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath house. It was dark outside so I am assuming it was around bedtime. I remember my mother was changing my sister's diaper on the bathroom counter upstairs, and I desperately wanted to help. Next to my baby sister was a HUGE container of Vaseline. (You get 1 second to guess what happened next.) And lets face it, everything seems big to a 3 year old. I'm pretty sure I was told not to touch the container and I know I didn't listen. I don't remember grabbing the tub, and I know I did because the next thing I remember was being in the kitchen downstairs smearing the greasy sticky stuff everywhere my little hands could reach. This includes and was not limited to the following. The floor, cupboards, knobs, chairs, refrigerator, kitchen table, utensils in drawers, and myself. For some reason I kept the mess in the kitchen and that probably saved me some serious "nose in the corner" time. At some point I realized I was going to be in trouble because I started crying possibly howling. My mother walked in to find the me and the mess I had miraculously created. Now, I don't remember if there was spanking involved or not and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. I only remember that I was never allowed access to the Vaseline while it was in the house again.
I hope you enjoyed the quick story. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
12/21/09
It's been a while since I've posted anything. I haven't posted anything because I've been feeling better and stronger and I'm out in the world volunteering. It's an amazing healer to help others and not focus on oneself.
Today I ran across an article entitled
Cancer Lesson's: What we wished we'd known http://www.care2.com/greenliving/cancer-lessons-what-we-wish-wed-known.html?&page=3
(I'm only going to type out the bullet points and add a response from my perspective)
1. Doctor's forget to share the gory details. I have the highest amount of respect for oncologists. These highly educated people deal with cancer and treatments all day long everyday. Meaning they are doing their best to heal us. I shouldn't have been surprised to learn (towards the end of my radiation) that my radiation treatments were going to give me a burn that could, however unlikely, cause me skin cancer. Or that, and this is gross, pooping after 5 days of no pooping is very unpleasant.
2. Insurance can cause more stress than cancer. NO S#!@. And it's not just your medical insurance. It's the long-term disability and social security paperwork and phone calls each individual must deal with. Because there is no central agency to outline the process of who needs what and why it's important. I still get a bit panicky when someone from insurance calls because they are either calling to say they aren't going to pay (because someone billed it wrong) and then it becomes your own responsibility to get it corrected. OR they are calling because they want to see if you might be able to work and they can stop paying benefits out. Oh the stories I can share and probably already have.
3. Not all blood & chemo technicians are created equal. It is the person who keeps trying to find your vein thus creating a bruise for people to see over then next few days that always helps me to appreciate the good ones. Next time you have your blood drawn or receive an IV and the job gets done in one poke, please make sure to thank that technician.
4. Nurses know, and anticipate, what you need. Amen sister!
5. Cancer is different in younger patients than in older ones. It doesn't seem fair that children are diagnosed with cancer. They haven't had their chance to experience life.
6. Hospice is not just for the dying. I didn't know this. I do wish I had known Meals on Wheels wasn't just for the elderly. It would have been a huge help back during treatments.
7. Eat your broccoli and kale and other greens. Sounds good. But how much more do I have to eat?
8. Cancer can be a punch line. Humor makes everything so much easier to deal with. I named mine "Fred".
I'm off to figure out why my latest MRI wasn't covered by insurance. Wish me patience and luck. Reference bullet no. 2.
Today I ran across an article entitled
Cancer Lesson's: What we wished we'd known http://www.care2.com/greenliving/cancer-lessons-what-we-wish-wed-known.html?&page=3
(I'm only going to type out the bullet points and add a response from my perspective)
1. Doctor's forget to share the gory details. I have the highest amount of respect for oncologists. These highly educated people deal with cancer and treatments all day long everyday. Meaning they are doing their best to heal us. I shouldn't have been surprised to learn (towards the end of my radiation) that my radiation treatments were going to give me a burn that could, however unlikely, cause me skin cancer. Or that, and this is gross, pooping after 5 days of no pooping is very unpleasant.
2. Insurance can cause more stress than cancer. NO S#!@. And it's not just your medical insurance. It's the long-term disability and social security paperwork and phone calls each individual must deal with. Because there is no central agency to outline the process of who needs what and why it's important. I still get a bit panicky when someone from insurance calls because they are either calling to say they aren't going to pay (because someone billed it wrong) and then it becomes your own responsibility to get it corrected. OR they are calling because they want to see if you might be able to work and they can stop paying benefits out. Oh the stories I can share and probably already have.
3. Not all blood & chemo technicians are created equal. It is the person who keeps trying to find your vein thus creating a bruise for people to see over then next few days that always helps me to appreciate the good ones. Next time you have your blood drawn or receive an IV and the job gets done in one poke, please make sure to thank that technician.
4. Nurses know, and anticipate, what you need. Amen sister!
5. Cancer is different in younger patients than in older ones. It doesn't seem fair that children are diagnosed with cancer. They haven't had their chance to experience life.
6. Hospice is not just for the dying. I didn't know this. I do wish I had known Meals on Wheels wasn't just for the elderly. It would have been a huge help back during treatments.
7. Eat your broccoli and kale and other greens. Sounds good. But how much more do I have to eat?
8. Cancer can be a punch line. Humor makes everything so much easier to deal with. I named mine "Fred".
I'm off to figure out why my latest MRI wasn't covered by insurance. Wish me patience and luck. Reference bullet no. 2.
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