The Joy of a Little Walk

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I’m feeling better than I have in months! My doc gave me a new anti-inflammatory, plus a rescue drug for those days when I have severe pain, and just after one dose of the anti-inflammatory I could feel the difference! I am on Day 4 now and I am thrilled to have some mobility back. (Refer to The Enemy I Must Face for the story of my condition.)

I took a walk last night. It wasn’t a long one, but it was a start. It was smooth walking for the most part and I enjoyed the mild heat and the green all around me. (We have trails on our property so I don’t have to actually go anywhere.) I looked up and watched the birds as they flew over and smacked at a few little flying pests flitting about my face. Even that annoyance didn’t bother me because I was enjoying being able to walk with very little pain! With any luck, this new medication will continue to “do it’s thing” so that I can walk most evenings.

I continue to do my water exercises, which feel wonderful! I am “riding my bicycle” (stationary peddler) every day and I found a DVD of Yoga for Arthritis. I’m not sure I can do many of the poses, but I will do a few now and again, in hopes that I will regain strength after some time and be able to add more. My dietary changes, well….I keep goofing up, however doc said I had lost 20 lbs. so I must’ve done something right!

One day and one walk at a time…..I shall persevere.

WARNING: Some Doctors Are Hazardous To Your Health

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I went to a doctor a couple weeks ago and really got nowhere in terms of pain relief. I left wondering “What the heck was I thinking going to this guy?” But how would I have known he was a jerk, since I had never met him before? Now I know.

My records actually made it from the orthopedic doc’s office to “jerk” doc’s office. I didn’t have too long of a wait before being called back or before the doc actually came in. I was surprised about that! The nurse took down all my vital information before telling me the doc looked like Santa Claus and that he was easy to talk to. Then she left the room.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I didn’t DISagree with everything this doc told me. I just don’t like his bedside manner and his knowledge, or lack of knowledge would be more accurate. He first told me I needed to lose weight. I know this. I’ve been struggling with my weight since my first child was born and wasn’t diagnosed with hypothyroidism until my youngest child was 3. I’ve been on meds for all this time and granted sometimes I don’t eat right, but even when I have consciously made an effort to lose weight, nothing happens. I had lost some weight recently though and I am still working on it. Doc proceeded to tell me I need more exercise. REALLY? And how does he think I’m going to do that when I am in extreme pain 24/7? He told me I need to eat a low fat diet. He asked me what do I eat for breakfast? I told him I normally don’t have breakfast. He snipped at me, “You really should eat breakfast; even if it’s just a piece of sausage or bacon!” WAIT. WHAT? Didn’t he just tell me to eat a low fat diet?

Because of my response to the exercise suggestion, he next asked me what I was taking for pain. I told him I had tried all the OTC pain relievers and the only one that helped a little was Aleve (Naproxen Sodium). I told him I didn’t like taking it all the time. He asked me why and I told him I didn’t like the Increased Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke that accompanies this drug. I could hear in his voice how shocked he was at my statement. He said to me in a tone that I didn’t like, “Where the heck did you hear that?” I told him since I had found out I had arthritis I’ve been doing research and all my sources said the same thing. He said he had never heard that. He said that Naproxen Sodium was the drug of choice for arthritis pain. He looked me straight in the eye and told me I was WRONG. Then he told me that I must have it confused with Avandia, which is a medication for diabetes type 2. He said that Avandia may be pulled from the market for the same thing. I knew it wasn’t Avandia because I wasn’t researching diabetes medications. I was researching arthritis and arthritis pain relievers. I told him that ALL of the NSAIDS have the same warning. He sat there and flat out told me I was wrong, again, and that I must have Avandia and Aleve confused, after all they start with the same letter. Give me a break! Ok, I’m not the most intelligent person in the world but I am not stupid and I was very resentful of his tone as well as his assumption that I must be stupid. Now, I don’t mind a few side effects. I know I may not have all the side effects, heck, I may not have any of them. However, I DO mind life threatening warnings.

Now, even though I was uncomfortable taking this medication, he prescribed it anyway! At this point I was just fed up and wanted out of there. But before I left I decided to test him. In my research I had learned that the only way to rule out rheumatoid arthritis is to run a specific test. I asked him, “What kind of arthritis do I have?” He proceeded to tell me the difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. I was fuming. I already know the difference because I researched it. I told him very sternly, “You didn’t answer my question. What kind of arthritis do I have?” Then he told me it was osteoarthritis. I asked, “How can you tell that just by looking at me and my records?” He told me it was because I don’t have the typical curling deformity of the fingers that accompany rheumatoid arthritis. Can’t people have RA without having it advanced to that degree? I’m disgusted at this point and I really want to kick him in the balls. He didn’t run any tests, nor did the orthopedic doctor. He could be absolutely right in saying that I have osteoarthritis but his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired. IMHO, he is making an assumption without doing tests. Experience? Perhaps. Laziness? Perhaps. Arrogance? Perhaps. Probably all three.

Here’s the icing on the cake: I was desperate for pain relief so I got the prescription filled. Along with the medication comes a few pages worth of drug information; side effects, how to take the medication, what to report to doctor, etc., etc. But the very first line of one page reads WARNING: MAY INCREASE RISK OF HEART ATTACK & STROKE.

So Doc, I was wrong huh? Maybe you’d better do some research of your own. I am sending a copy of this drug information page to him in hopes that he will do just that.

I Hate Guns

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My son wears a t-shirt that says “Guns Don’t Kill People. People With Mustaches Kill People.”

I think this statement is half right. The other half is just plain silly. But it makes me stop and think about how much I hate firearms.

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

Personally, I wish guns weren’t so easy for people to get their hands on. It’s far too easy to jump the gun, pardon the pun, and accidentally shoot your wife (sister, brother, daughter, son, or best friend) because you thought he/she was an intruder. There are so, so many people in this day and age with mental disorders and anger issues. You really have to be careful who you piss off! You could be facing some nut-case with a gun whom you accidentally bumped into at the grocery store. Or perhaps someone who was late for work got fired because you were driving too slow in front of them. Well, you get the picture.

I hate that people find it necessary to have guns in their homes, especially when there are children also in the home. I am afraid to look up statistics on how many young children have been injured or killed where a gun was in the home. Not to mention, teens and preteens who think it’s cool or funny to show off Dad’s gun to a friend, only to learn that it was loaded. I hear people say “as long as you have respect for the gun…..” That’s not even close to being true! It can happen, even if you have the utmost respect for your gun. Accidents can and do happen. Every day. Everyone wants to think “it won’t happen to me or my family” but it can. Let’s not forget about Columbine High School. Why was it so easy for 2 teenage boys to get their hands on firearms?

I hate guns. Period. I wish this world was a more peaceful place to live; where we all could get along without violence and without guns.

Parenting and Children’s Privacy

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I don’t claim to be the best parent in the world. No one can claim that, for heaven’s sake. When we have our first child, we are newbies. Babies don’t come with instructions and no matter how many books we read, we will never be fully prepared for the job of parent. Parenting is a difficult job but is also a very rewarding job.

We all have different ways of parenting. One parent’s way might be different than another’s, but that doesn’t make it “the wrong way.” There is one thing I feel very strongly about and that’s privacy. Children, no matter the age, deserve (age appropriate) privacy. I’m not talking about privacy to do whatever they wish. That would be ridiculous and dangerous, obviously. It’s totally natural for teens to want privacy. Perhaps just some alone time in their rooms, a conversation on the telephone, an email to a friend, or maybe just hanging out with a friend after school or on the weekend. We need to keep in mind that these young people are trying to discover themselves. They are developing their own distinct personalities, their own individualities. It’s a tough time for teens. They are under a great deal of stress and peer pressure. It’s only right that they are given a little privacy to unwind, be themselves, reflect and have a life that they can call their own. That doesn’t mean that we let them run rampant and do whatever they please. By all means, DO find out who they are friends with, DO know where they are going, DO get to know the parents of your child’s friends, DO keep the lines of communication open. Communication is key!

These days kids of all ages are finding a place for themselves on the internet. This can be a disastrous thing or it can be a positive thing. While we must keep close watch on what our children are doing online, this doesn’t mean spying. Having open communication at all times with your child is very important. This can’t be started when they are teens. This must be developed from the time of the child’s birth! We can’t expect communication if we haven’t had it all along. We must have parental controls on our computers to protect our children but we mustn’t spy on them…unless they give us a reason to, which is another subject altogether.

Many young people keep journals, have private chat conversations online, have their own cell phones and computers and many have Facebook (or other networking) pages. Just because they have these private areas of their lives does not mean we should treat them as though they are “up to no good.” Just because one child got into trouble at age 15, doesn’t mean your other children will follow suit. In other words, don’t punish all your children for the sins of one.

We mustn’t alienate our children! We must keep them close to the heart, guide them and protect them but also let them grow into the wonderful human being you hope they become. You can’t do that if you spy on them and mistrust everything they do.