Signs....

Ever believe in signs?....I'm not sure that I do..but sometimes it seems ironic how things appear to you and if you don't hone in on them you don't even notice.

I have see two people recently, one a man and the other a woman who had osteoporosis so badly they were humped way over and I felt bad that they could not even see straight ahead and they had to actually look up and crick their necks to see what was in front of them.  I have rarely seen folks this bad off...and thought it strange that I saw two people within a few days of each other...I started wondering if this was a sign.  Was this a sign that I need to make sure I am getting enough calcium?  Is this a sign that I need to be careful or I'll end up like them?...

Perhaps it was a sign...perhaps it was coincidence...but I am going to try to be mindful and be more observant about things and people around me.

Meant to post this...on Friday...

..but had family visiting so sorry, the blog comes 2nd or 3rd or 4th...when the real deal is in my house!
It was great having both my daughters and son-in-law here for the weekend.  Thanks for visiting !!

.....

I was just thinking about how relieved

I am that I can throw out all the ads, and tune out

the Black Friday frenzy shown on TV this year...since

it was last year I announced to my extended family

that we would not be exchanging gifts (from then on)...

I just buy for my 2 daughters and since my oldest
is married now...something small for her hub (or
maybe combined gift for them)...but the PRESSURE
is off!

I am going to get them some gifts but nothing
hog wild. I can get things any time as sales are 
ongoing let's face it.  :-)

Hubby and I don't get each other anything either
as we both know it is more important to get out
debts paid off than to buy each other 'things'...
besides..if at Christmas we still have each other
and our health, that is gift enough for us!

Mammogram overkill revisited....

I have a good friend who just recently went through what I did 5 years ago well part way.... She got a mammogram and was instructed to come back for a second one which she did. At that time she was told there was something that was not identifiable and needed a needle biopsy.  She told me she remembered my botched up needle biopsy nightmare that I had shared with her not too long ago and sought a 2nd opinion.  She got that second opinion Thursday and turns out there is NO reason (and this was from a surgeon that specializes in breast surgery) for her to have a needle biopsy. 

How many other women DON'T get that second opinion though and have a needless biopsy done?  And no they are not a simple operation...the doctor who did mine 5 years ago, screwed up..the needle hit a vein and he told me was squirting out like something from C.S.I....which of course was NOT very comforting to me. Then I needed 2 stitches, right on the sensitive area of the nipple too, and then there was the bruising for days afterward. This was all done in a room adjacent to his office too, not a hospital or anything like that (to give the appearance that it is a simple procedure I think).

After my friend told me she was relieved to hear her good news, we got into a conversation about the whole wasteful 2nd mammograms and stress that it causes and then I got on the subject of how many women don't even GET mammograms as often as they should because you need a prescription for it. THAT costs money going to a doctor for those of us who don't have an HMO that covers everything, this can be costly and a pain, because most doctors are not going to let you just pick up a script ...you need to go in and get an exam and pay for that bill.

I did look up mammograms a little before blogging and some websites indicated that you do not have to have a prescription/referral in order to get a mammogram, well every place I have gone I have.  One website said you don't have to have a prescription but the place that does the mammograms can refuse you...okay so yes in most cases you probably DO need a script. I think that alone is preventing some women (again who can't afford it) from even getting a mammogram. I strongly believe a script should not ever be required.  Then if there is something suspicious it is up to the patient to decide if she wants further mammos, biopsies or what. Some websites I visited said that even if one can walk in an get a mammogram at a clinic they want to know the name and number of your doctor for following up. Why? Well I know why, it is so the doctor can follow up and badger...uh.. I mean advise you to get the needle biopsy. I don't think this should be a requirement either for a doctor's name and number.  Just tell ME if there is some issue and I'll decide if I think this is just a ploy to get more money out of me, or if it is something I really need to be concerned about.

"Now that's all I have to say about that" (Forrest Gump).




 

Time to ponder...

I got done my work what is considered earlier tonight than usual. I do not like it getting slower because I need the money, but it is giving me some time to ponder.

What do I ponder about?...Well today when I was walking one of the dogs, I was wondering what I would do if I won the lottery...and I mean BIG like $ Millions...the kind of winning that changes your life.

I know I would pay off all our debts and the house but not too sure that we would move to some big glamourous house but rather complete all the things we want to do with this house. The back yard would look awesome with some fountains, maybe a koi pond, and beautiful landscaping.
And the bathrooms and other things need a major facelift.

..so after all that what would I do? I am sure that I would do something as I just get bored too easily. If I don't work I would volunteer, actually now that I think of it, we would probably build a big dog shelter out in the country a bit, to house rescued shelties since we love them so much. I could see myself taking care of a bunch of homeless furkids like that. :-)

I would also visit my children more often as I do not get to see them very much.

I would definitely focus on staying the same person, staying humble about life and what is important. I would take more time to drink in the sunshine, observe nature like I like to do but don't get a chance often enough, and take more walks.

Guess I should start playing once in a while, huh?

Wonderful Weekend...

Believe it or not, I did not even turn on any computer on Saturday and that is very rare for me!

My youngest sister's husband decided to throw her a big 50th birthday party and she invited our siblings to come to town with their families to attend. And everyone accepted her invitation. So I was able to see relatives I haven't seen in 4 years! It was really nice seeing everyone again.

My sister has an Autistic son and I was very impressed by him this visit. The last time I saw him, he did not want to make eye contact, and kept to himself. He is sixteen (I think) now and when my sister asked him to say hi to me, he actually hugged me and looked at me and smiled! This was a major improvement to the last time I saw him. He hugged everyone he met and was very tolerant of situations he was put in. The fact that he even was willing to get on a plane impresses me.

My nephew and niece are so grown up, well they are grown up, but it is still hard to think of them as adults. You know what I mean..we all have relatives that we just think of as always being a kid.

My folks held up okay too throughout the festivities as I'm sure it was more than my mom would have liked to handle. She likes to socialize in small doses. It was nice having everyone here on Sunday for donuts and coffee. I had a chance to show off the back balcony I am so proud of having decorated with re-purposed things mostly.

My youngest came home for the weekend which is always wonderful, with her boyfriend. The only missing relatives were my other daughter and her hubby. She just couldn't get away with her current dance practices.

I hope my sister sends me some of the pictures she took so that I have some.

It was tough getting back into the work groove on Monday but of course by mid day I was back into work mode. Still was very nice NOT working over the weekend. It has been a month since I had a weekend off.

Well, Nite..

Funny post...

I am working way too many hours these days....sorry haven't blogged in a while but I did come up with something off the cuff that was funny that I posted to someone's post on Facebook. Here was her post:

"I loved you the minute I heard your heartbeat. I loved you the minute you were born. Then I saw your face and I fell in love some more. You were only a minute old, but I knew I would die for you, and to this day I still would. When you choose to have a child you make a decision to allow your heart to walk around outside of your body. Put this on your status if you have children that you love more than life ♥ ♥ ♥ '

and here is my response:
I loved you the minute I heard your heartbeat. But then you came out and started screaming..I liked you the minute you pooped your first greenish/yellow poo. I hesitated the first time you spit up all over me..from then on..its been a coin toss.

___
to my kids..I do love YOU!