Well, it's not going to kill you

No but it's going to piss the living hell out of me.

This assault upon women's healthcare.  Of course you need to take into account that this public health studies were begun under the Bush administration so there was probably no science or scientists involved.

However now that the crackpots in the House and Senate have their bribed little hands on our health I'm feeling a bit wary.

Jen asked in a comment on the post I wrote about her and the 3 day walk "what should we do?"  Because my focus is breast cancer, duh, I told her to talk to the doc who delivered her kids as a first step.  As an OB/GYN he or she is the perfect place to start.  Lot's of tumors get found by OB/GYN's.  I suggested that she find out if there is a digital mammogram machine in her community, if there's not one in San Diego we're all in big trouble.  I suggested all of you start rabble rousing in your communities and raising funds for digital mammo machines.  NOT digitized films mind you a digital MACHINE and along with that a dedicated radiologist to read the films.  No more what ever radiologists hands the digital pictures happen to land in that day.  We deserve and should demand nothing less.

Don't be intimidated if you're told that can't be done, especially you Kaiser people.  Yes it can and the Sutter NorthBay Women's Breast Care Center is living proof.  It's not easy, it took us 10 years but it got done and we can now say with pride that we have the best equipment available with literally the country's best radiologist to read them.  Our ultrasound machines come from a place the sounds like "WE".  "We" sends it's people to our radiologist to learn what can be done with their machines.

If any of you are interested in more info please feel free to email me.  If I can't answer your question I can certainly find someone who can as my personal doc is also director of the Center.

Fellow women, we need to unite and make it very clear we will no longer be pushed around.  WE have voices and we can raise them very loud if we choose too.

I shall now remove myself from my soapbox for the evening.

For richer or poorer in sickness and stupidity

I can't recall ever being so angry at him (Larry).  The trainer told me today that we should feed Colin by hand the next couple of weeks.  I relayed the info when we got home as Larry had stayed home to give the cats sometime to hang all over him.  They really miss their connection with Larry because Colin is always there.

So he (the asshole husband) feeds Colin tonight.  He puts the dog dish down and I say NO. No Mike said we should feed Colin by hand the next couple of weeks so he understands who's in charge.  Larry just shrugged and rolled away.

I am so angry I could spit.  I'm seriously considering saying fine you take him out for his walk tonight.  Walker, wheelchair I don't really give a F@#K.

Stay tuned for the next "I'm going to kill my husband" update.

Here are my beloved nephews

 
Who are sadly part of the dark side (hence Sarah)  Eric, on the left is 19, Christopher, on the right in 21.  Egged on by their father I'm sure. I hold out hope that I may eventually lure them from the dark side back to reality.

This was their response to an email I sent.

OMG, this is hysterical, I think even the Republicans in the crowd will enjoy the read.  I KNOW the Democrats will.
Cath
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/11/25/notes112509.DTL

Breast Cancer 3 day walk - almost live from San Diego

Go visit Jen's blog Amazing Trips where she has chronicled the first 2 days of the 3 day walk.  It left me in tears that she and her friends are walking 60 miles in 3 days to help people like me survive.

You should go visit Jen anyway because she's a riot.  Mother of 1 boy/2 girl triplets and toddler Henry.  Where this woman finds her energy I have no idea but she carries on undeterred by kids, job, etc.  well assisted by her loving husband Charlie.  I think Charlie should establish a husband training school, he is as amazing as Jen.

To all of you out there doing these amazing things to raise money for breast cancer research, equipment, whatever thank you from the bottom of my heart.  If not for a digital mammogram my cancer probably would have not been caught so early.  And attended to while it was still very, very small.  And if not for research money digital mammogram machines might never have been invented.

And in the interest of rabble rousing if the community you live in does not have a digital mammogram it's time to start making some noise, raising some money and getting your community at least one.

The Pink Glove Dance

I was sent this email by a friend who has a friend who's daughter-in-law thought up this project.

"Our daughter-in-law,  Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness.  This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves.  I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community.  Please check it out.  It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?"

If you're reading this blog you've been touched by breast cancer, you know how ugly it is because you've read about it here.  Drop whatever it is you're doing and go watch in now.  It's a blast!

The Pink Glove Dance

Misc. notes

We went to an event for the Breast Care Center tonight.  There is a brew pub in Santa Rosa, Russian River Brewing Co. That raises money for the BCC every October.  October is designated breast cancer awareness month for those of you not in the know.  Tonight was the check presentation.  It was Larry's first big outing without his wheelchair.  He walked A LOT tonight using his walker, the man never ceases to amaze me.  He can irritate the hell out of me at times but never have I lost that sense of amazement as he recovers time after time from his traumatic health issues.  Now he's taken a pain pill and he and Colin are curled up on the couch together. Very sweet but I digress.

There were a bunch of us there to have beer, dinner and cheer when the check was presented.  $14, 608.46, we were floored!  Greatful and floored.  In the last 3 years they have raised almost $30,000 for the Center.  They really get into it, wait staff dye their hair pink, there's a decorated bra auction and a bunch of other things they do before, as the owner said tonight, they pick your pockets on the way out the door.  One of the best things about the event tonight was that the Director of the North Bay Sutter Foundation was there.   The BCC has been transferred from being a sub of the hospital to being a sub of the Foundation.  World of difference, instead of Hospital Director who didn't attend many events except Catwalk we now have Foundation Director who is youngish (early 40's maybe) who's very willing to attend most events.  He's a sweetheart of a guy and his wife is equally delightful.  Nice to see management get more involved.

It's fricking cold here.  We've been trying not to use the propane heaters because propane is so expensive but after having a portable electric heater run for an hour yesterday in the bathroom with all the doors closed in raised the temperature a whopping 1 degree, from 53 to 54.  Tomorrow I'm lighting the pilot light on the heater in the bedroom and turn it on because it was 51 when I got up this morning!

Dr. Sanity's new puppy is doing a fine job of learning to be a therapy dog.  She spent our session on Friday sleeping on my lap.  She still has that puppy soft skin and her eyes are to die for. Very soothing while we were discussing a very difficult subject.  

Book Club was yesterday.  We're small but we're dedicated, all 4 of us.  For this month we had read 2 books because both were relatively small.  One was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and other was The Zoo Keeper's Wife.  I recommend both highly.  The Zoo Keeper's Wife is a bit difficult to get into in the beginning but well worth the struggle.  We had our usual lovely time, the nun, the City Attorney, the semi office manger of a law office and me, along with the food and wine.  We all feel the same about most issues but obviously come at them from very different perspectives.  I can't even remember how long we've been together now but it must be close to 10 years.  We've had other people come and go, we sometimes believe we intimate them because none of us are exactly shrinking violets.  We never hesitate to speak our minds or nail one another to the wall if given the opportunity.  These women are such an important part of my life.  Where I can just be me.

Did I mention it's fricking cold here?  And guess who gets to go out in the cold, walk the dog, bring in firewood, take out the garbage and walk the dog again?  Yes you're right that would be me.  And that doesn't count trips to Kaiser.  Last week we saw the surgeon in Oakland at 11:45, about an hour away if the traffic is good - oh please excuse me while I pull to the side of the road and laugh hysterically because it's more like 2 hours.  Then had to be back here for physical therapy at 5 pm.  Yes a lovely day indeed.

 Yea, I found my camera cable!!!  Boo, I haven't figured out how to download the pictures yet.  For someone who loves technology as much as I do it's a rather embarrassing admission.I think that's all I have to say tonight because I'm running out of steam and still have to bring in fire wood and walk the dog.

Oh now I'm really pissed!

Remember the post I wrote yesterday about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force considering changes the rules for mammograms?  Well today they did it.

I'm not sure if I'm more stunned, angry or outraged.  If I had followed their every other year guide line my cancer would have been well on it's way to my lymph nodes, brain and bones.  And I'd be well on my way to death, yep my tumor was tiny (1/4" get out your rulers to see how small that is) but deadly.

As it is I have the "pleasure" of being felt up every 3 months for the next 2 years.  My type of cancer is more likely to reappear in the first 5 years.  After that I'm pretty much home free, if you can ever consider yourself home free after having cancer.

Oh and in case you missed it, I'm seriously pissed!  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it, but I WILL DO SOMETHING.

New Controversy Brewing

 There is a new study out that suggests women should not be screened for breast cancer until the age of 50 and then only every other year.

Yes well, statistics and theories are nice but what about women in their 20's through their 40's?  Or women like me who had a clear mammogram one year only to find a tiny but deadly tumor the next?

I realize that there are inherent risks in getting mammograms but it seems to me the amount of radiation you're exposed too is more than outweighed by the benefit getting it in the first place.  Did that sentence make any sense at all?  I know what I'm trying to say but it's not coming out of my brain clearly.

Obviously, to me anyway, the sooner you have a mammogram and catch something that looks suspicious, the sooner you have an ultrasound or MRI which confirms the findings good or bad.

Yes these are expensive tests, health care reform anyone, but they save lifes.

'The CISNET analysis shows that screening every other year maintains almost all of the benefit (an average of 81 percent) of annual screening with almost half the number of false-positives.'  And what about the 19% it doesn't benefit.  That's one hell of a huge number by my standards.

I'm sure there will be more information to follow but I wanted to open the door to get  people's attention.  The more questions you ask, the better informed you are and the better decision you and your doctor can make.

That's my soapbox rant for today.

For those of you who are interested

This is an article from the Sonoma County Humane Society that features Larry, Colin and I.

I've been blessed with knowing Carol Rathmann for almost 20 years now.  I knew exactly who to turn to when Larry crossed his arms in his hospital bed and said I need a dog.  What would we all do without our dear friends to support us?

Colin is turning into a bit more of a hand full than we had imagined, nothing like a 110lb dog who hasn't had his bad puppy manners tamed to keep you on your toes.  But he's really mellow and even people who are not especially fond of dogs love him.

We went to dinner at a friends house last week and one of the guests not known for his passionate love of dogs was trying to figure out how he could smuggle Colin out without us noticing.

Even Dr. Sanity caught the bug

The new dog bug that is.  She allows her patients to bring their dogs to their therapy sessions if they choose.  Apparently a number of us have new dogs and it's made her long for a new dog herself.  She had to put her beloved dog down about 18 months ago.

She read in the paper about these puppies and went to visit them.  One came up wrapped herself around Dr. Sanity's feet and it was mutual love at first sight.  Dr. Sanity first said yes then no.  She told me how on fire she was for a new dog at my Friday session.  But she was going to wait for a couple of things to happen on Monday first.  She decided she couldn't wait, went to visit the puppy today who put her paws around Dr. Sanity's neck and snuggled up to her like a baby.  The wall fell and Dr. Sanity will be picking up her puppy next week.

I never thought I'd be a sucker like that until I met Max.  I'm not a dog person, I've ALWAYS been a cat person but Max was special.  When I was so sick during chemo all I coud do was lay flat on my back he laid on the floor on my side of the bed every single day from morning to night until I recovered.  He was protective of Larry but especially protective of me.  I thought I'd never even like a dog as much as Max after he died.  I really wanted another Pyrenees but the fates were against us at this time.  Larry, wheelchair, walker, crutches ...  Thus we ended up with Colin.

Yes Connie I've gone to the dark side again but my first loves are still Sophie, Ted and Emme.  You would get the greatest kick out of Emme.  She spent her entire life, about 16 months living in the shelter.  It's a delight to watch her discover new things. Now that it's winter of course fire wood is coming in.  There was a stick of kindling on the floor and she pushed it.  IT MOVED.  I thought she was going to have a heart attack right there but maybe she only needed a sip of champagne : )

A brief interlude ...  we went to meet the dog trainer last night because we had missed the first class, orientation. Our main event for the evening was going to a friend's for a dinner of choppino, OMGF it was go good but I digress.  As we arrived at the designated spot, Copperfield's in Healdsburg  we realized we'd forgotten the walker and the wheelchair.  How could we have possibly forgotten not ONE but both.  As a result Larry and Colin spent the hour I spent with Mike in Copperfield's in the car.

The three of us headed off to dog school this morning.  We knew we needed a training collar because 1) Colin paid no attention to the training harness and 2) he chewed through part of it so it's off for repair.  Apparently the hot new training collar is the Martingale .  It's basically a cloth choke collar that's easier on the dog than a traditional metal collar.  We purchased our collar and went off to class.  He was less than impressed with the collar and got bored toward the end of class because he already knows how to sit, is so smart that most of the training bored him - RAPIDLY.  The most hysterical was the one where you place a treat on the ground and as the dog goes for it you cover it with your foot.  If the dog looks away it gets rewarded.  He was very excited the first 2 or 3 times.  After that he laid down and looked at us as if to say "how stupid do you think I am?  I know you're going to cover the treat with your foot so I'm not even going to bother making an effort"  I personally found it quite hysterical and he got rewarded for it.

As it turns out Colin has converted me again to being a semi-dog person again.  He's big, only 13 months old and 110 lbs.  He's expected to gain another 20 to 30 lbs and grow a bit taller.  Currently he stands 31" at the shoulder and 36" at the head.  Yeah he's going to get bigger.  But he's the most mellow guy.  In fact one of the people we had dinner with last night tried to smuggle him out and Mike doesn't even like dogs!

Everyone at Western Farms, our go to place if Healdsburg dog house doesn't have what we need, fell in love with him.  He's generally calm and approachable for kids up to adults.  Now If we could just get him to stop using his giant feet when he's excited.  I have bruises down both thighs because he gets so excited and he doesn't realize the power he has.We're greatly looking forward to the next six weeks of dog school.  We may ever cure him of a kid's version of "I didn't do it".  His version is "duck did it"  Every time he does something he knows he's not supposed to do he runs over to duck (who was once fluffy and white) grabs him and either shakes him for all he's worth or makes him squeak.  You know he's feeling particularly guilty if he makes duck squeak - riotous.  He is a great lift to my spirits which as you know have been sinking of late.