Since, I’ll be out of town next weekend at the American Pain Foundation Summit, I skipped my monthly chronic pain meet-up today to spend time with my husband. I miss my ‘in-pain’ friends, but know that whether in person or through e-mail we will always be there for each other.
I need face-to-face time with my husband. Since I no longer am able to work, I sit home most of the time alone while my husband works (and works). Today, our face-to-face time included a trip downtown Raleigh to Escazu, an artisan chocolate shop. This is NOT ordinary chocolate, but handmade dark chocolate. YUM! We had been there before in the winter for a delicious hot chocolate (like no other) and now we went and bought a couple dark chocolate bars (we only bought them for the health value, yeah, right!). More time together when we watch the NASCAR race on TV tonight (we love NASCAR!)
Another way to please this girl? Business cards. I received my American Pain Foundation business cards today. I guess that means I’m official. Something as simple as a business card (even though I told the APF I didn’t need them) really makes me feel worthy. I guess I have value again.
Chocolate and business cards. What a great day!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
APF Motivating Me to Blog
I’ve said this before, I need to get motivated to blog more often. I think I have a reason this time … the American Pain Foundation (APF). For months, I’ve researched their site, talked to several people and found I like what they believe in. Plus, I still have to find my next chapter in life. I have a friend who gets satisfaction from helping individual people. Not me. I continue to find that I am still a corporate nerd. I like the idea of working in a big organization and helping to make change. I’m a small cog in the bigger wheel, but I’m not the entire wheel. I worked for General Motors and Saturn Corporations for more than 20 years. I enjoyed that environment. Most people say they don’t like that world. Too many rules. Too many boundaries. Too many personalities. Too many unmotivated, unprofessional people you have to work with. I agree. That’s the challenge. I like rules – so I can bend them. I like to know the boundaries – so I can push them. So, here is the American Pain Foundation.
Not that they have too many rules or unmotivated, unprofessional people. But, they are an established organization … with a mission that I believe in. I think I have found my next chapter – volunteer work with the APF. My schedule. My limitations. Maybe, I can make a difference for people with pain.
So, it’s time to start blogging again and continue to tell my story.
Not that they have too many rules or unmotivated, unprofessional people. But, they are an established organization … with a mission that I believe in. I think I have found my next chapter – volunteer work with the APF. My schedule. My limitations. Maybe, I can make a difference for people with pain.
So, it’s time to start blogging again and continue to tell my story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Next Chapter
I'm only on page 17 of my current reading book (Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber) and it motivated me to blog. I have neglected my blog for way too long. Excuses: I became a grandmother and was too busy meeting the grandson and helping my daughter; the weather has me down in the dumps; I had to find a new doctor; and the list could go on and on. Plus, I've been stuck on my "next chapter." Who am I now that I no longer can work and am dealing with on-going chronic pain.
Yesterday I had lunch with Susan, another expert on dealing with pain. Lunch was great; socializing was fun, and the talk was helpful, informative and also motivating. After lunch, I went home to rest and picked up this book. "Thursdays at Eight," according to the back cover is about four women who meet weekly for breakfast -- to talk. To tell their stories, recount their sorrows and their joys. To offer each other encouragement and unstinting support.
It starts off with Clare, by herself, telling her story to the readers. Her breakfast group decided that each of them needed to come up with a word for the new year. Clare, struggling after a nasty divorce, is searching for that word. She writes, "I need a word that fits who I am today, the woman I'm becoming. The woman I want to be. Just a minute. Who I was. Who I want to be. Why do I have to change? There's nothing wrong with me." She doesn't need to change. She decides on the word faithful. For her, it's not about new beginnings or new discovery; it's about being faithful to herself.
I'm struggling to figure out the new me. I DO have to change what I do and how I do some activities (because of the pain and its limitations), but I don't want to change the real me. The next chapter has to be about me being me. I'm still stuck, but with the help of Susan (and others) and the power of me, I think I'm ready to move forward.
Yesterday I had lunch with Susan, another expert on dealing with pain. Lunch was great; socializing was fun, and the talk was helpful, informative and also motivating. After lunch, I went home to rest and picked up this book. "Thursdays at Eight," according to the back cover is about four women who meet weekly for breakfast -- to talk. To tell their stories, recount their sorrows and their joys. To offer each other encouragement and unstinting support.
It starts off with Clare, by herself, telling her story to the readers. Her breakfast group decided that each of them needed to come up with a word for the new year. Clare, struggling after a nasty divorce, is searching for that word. She writes, "I need a word that fits who I am today, the woman I'm becoming. The woman I want to be. Just a minute. Who I was. Who I want to be. Why do I have to change? There's nothing wrong with me." She doesn't need to change. She decides on the word faithful. For her, it's not about new beginnings or new discovery; it's about being faithful to herself.
I'm struggling to figure out the new me. I DO have to change what I do and how I do some activities (because of the pain and its limitations), but I don't want to change the real me. The next chapter has to be about me being me. I'm still stuck, but with the help of Susan (and others) and the power of me, I think I'm ready to move forward.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Cart Before the Horse
Today on msnbc.com, I read an article (written by Philip Rucker, Washington Post) about health care reform and one of the problems not being talked about enough. I have been preaching this problem since day one.
Click here to read the entire article: "Reform May Exacerbate Country-Doctor Deficit; Small-Town Reality: Even With Insurance, You Need Somewhere To Go"
The article discusses the dilemma of providing insurance for millions of people and then those people calling for a doctor appointment -- when there is a shortage of doctors. "A physician shortage has long plagued rural areas. Young doctors saddled with medical school debt are more often drawn to such lucrative specialties as radiology or anesthesiology in big cities or suburban areas, where they can earn double the $120,000 to $140,000 salary of a rural family practitioner."
"But if some or all of the estimated 40 million uninsured Americans become covered under health-care reform and suddenly seek general doctors for physicals and other everyday medical issues, experts say need and supply would collide."
"It's a crisis," says Wayne Myers, a doctor and former director of the federal Office of Rural Health Policy. "The larger picture goes like this: Half the doctors ought to be in primary care, and about a third of the doctors have been in primary care."
"Anticipating the shortage, members of Congress included incentives in the health-care bills, including a loan repayment program to train more primary care physicians and an expansion of the National Health Service Corps to get more doctors to underserved areas."
"The system's going to be overwhelmed when everybody's insured," Dr. Ben Edwards says. "We're putting the cart before the horse. You've got your little insurance card and there's no doctor to show it to -- or you have to wait eight weeks to see one."
Shouldn't we fix this problem BEFORE we add millions to an already strained and ineffective system?
Click here to read the entire article: "Reform May Exacerbate Country-Doctor Deficit; Small-Town Reality: Even With Insurance, You Need Somewhere To Go"
The article discusses the dilemma of providing insurance for millions of people and then those people calling for a doctor appointment -- when there is a shortage of doctors. "A physician shortage has long plagued rural areas. Young doctors saddled with medical school debt are more often drawn to such lucrative specialties as radiology or anesthesiology in big cities or suburban areas, where they can earn double the $120,000 to $140,000 salary of a rural family practitioner."
"But if some or all of the estimated 40 million uninsured Americans become covered under health-care reform and suddenly seek general doctors for physicals and other everyday medical issues, experts say need and supply would collide."
"It's a crisis," says Wayne Myers, a doctor and former director of the federal Office of Rural Health Policy. "The larger picture goes like this: Half the doctors ought to be in primary care, and about a third of the doctors have been in primary care."
"Anticipating the shortage, members of Congress included incentives in the health-care bills, including a loan repayment program to train more primary care physicians and an expansion of the National Health Service Corps to get more doctors to underserved areas."
"The system's going to be overwhelmed when everybody's insured," Dr. Ben Edwards says. "We're putting the cart before the horse. You've got your little insurance card and there's no doctor to show it to -- or you have to wait eight weeks to see one."
Shouldn't we fix this problem BEFORE we add millions to an already strained and ineffective system?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Building Furniture is fun ... and painful
I love the IKEA store in Charlotte, NC. We went there before Thanksgiving and bought lots of great stuff including bedroom furniture, a dining room table and chairs and an entertainment center. Problem is all the stuff has to be assembled ... by us. I am having so much fun assembling it ... and am pleasantly amazed at how well everything fits together. Of course, everything is held together by screws and that screwing motion is killing me. Yesterday, I assembled a bench that had more than 50 screws. Each and every turn of the screwdriver increased the spasms in my back. Even with extra pain medication, I felt it all night. This morning I am still aching. Even though I see those boxes of unassembled furniture, and want so much to build more, I am forcing myself to rest today.
Of course the resting includes dusting every CD before it goes into its new storage bin. And that dusting motion is back and forth with the same muscles I overused yesterday. Sometimes, I get SO frustrated.
Rest is important right now because I am counting down to the birth of my first grandchild in about 10 days -- I'll need all my strength!
Of course the resting includes dusting every CD before it goes into its new storage bin. And that dusting motion is back and forth with the same muscles I overused yesterday. Sometimes, I get SO frustrated.
Rest is important right now because I am counting down to the birth of my first grandchild in about 10 days -- I'll need all my strength!
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