Having a great time with my visitor from California. Today it's hot and humid an the only day this week when it won't be raining, but it's also sunny and gorgeous out, which is quite the change for us! Yay sunshine!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Four Topics
Number One
I don't want a boyfriend. Not that anyone has asked or that I'm going out and meeting people these days, but I was thinking about it the other day because of the book I'm reading and I realized that the idea of a boyfriend is very unexciting. There are several possible reasons for this. One, I'm a psychopathic loner. Two, I have too much else going on and no time to care about someone else that much. Three, I don't have any hormones and so no desire for any romance. Two and three are definitely true, and hopefully one isn't :)
Number Two
I'm having trouble typing and doing fine motor skills because of weakness and numbness in my right hand and arm. And I get these terrible hand and arm cramps.
Number Three
I decided to defer my entry into a masters in education with elementary teaching certification program until next year. I'm too weak to run around after kids, and since I'm having mobility problems it would be difficult to get around. The woman who is in charge of the program has been great and very helpful to me, and even said I could take a class in the fall if I'm up to it. I'm actually relieved that I won't have to start a full schedule of classes at the end of June. It also gives me more time to complete the two online prerequisite classes that I haven't finished yet. Normally I'd have six months to complete them, so in July I have to finish, but if I were doing the masters they'd have to be done before that started, so by June 20th I'd have to be finished. Whew! I need a break!
Number Four
It's still raining! The amount of rain we've had this spring is unbelievable. I thought that living in the north of France had made me used to the rain, but it never rained this heavily for this long. In Michigan we luckily haven't had all the problems with tornadoes and flooding that other parts of the country have had, but it's been a really crazy spring. The temperature was pretty cool until a couple of weeks ago, since then it's gone back and forth between the 60s and 80s every few days, and the rain has been almost constant. I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed again this month, to be honest! It's been nuts this year. I'm kind of enjoying it though, as strange as that is! I'm rarely outside and I'm not driving so I don't have to deal with the bad parts of the crazy weather and can look out the window and exclaim about how rainy it is or how cold it is. Life is luxurious when you have limited mobility :)
I don't want a boyfriend. Not that anyone has asked or that I'm going out and meeting people these days, but I was thinking about it the other day because of the book I'm reading and I realized that the idea of a boyfriend is very unexciting. There are several possible reasons for this. One, I'm a psychopathic loner. Two, I have too much else going on and no time to care about someone else that much. Three, I don't have any hormones and so no desire for any romance. Two and three are definitely true, and hopefully one isn't :)
Number Two
I'm having trouble typing and doing fine motor skills because of weakness and numbness in my right hand and arm. And I get these terrible hand and arm cramps.
Number Three
I decided to defer my entry into a masters in education with elementary teaching certification program until next year. I'm too weak to run around after kids, and since I'm having mobility problems it would be difficult to get around. The woman who is in charge of the program has been great and very helpful to me, and even said I could take a class in the fall if I'm up to it. I'm actually relieved that I won't have to start a full schedule of classes at the end of June. It also gives me more time to complete the two online prerequisite classes that I haven't finished yet. Normally I'd have six months to complete them, so in July I have to finish, but if I were doing the masters they'd have to be done before that started, so by June 20th I'd have to be finished. Whew! I need a break!
Number Four
It's still raining! The amount of rain we've had this spring is unbelievable. I thought that living in the north of France had made me used to the rain, but it never rained this heavily for this long. In Michigan we luckily haven't had all the problems with tornadoes and flooding that other parts of the country have had, but it's been a really crazy spring. The temperature was pretty cool until a couple of weeks ago, since then it's gone back and forth between the 60s and 80s every few days, and the rain has been almost constant. I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed again this month, to be honest! It's been nuts this year. I'm kind of enjoying it though, as strange as that is! I'm rarely outside and I'm not driving so I don't have to deal with the bad parts of the crazy weather and can look out the window and exclaim about how rainy it is or how cold it is. Life is luxurious when you have limited mobility :)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Movie Shooting!
Our house wasn't chosen for the movie they're shooting in town right now, but another one in the neighborhood was, so my mom and I spent a few hours there last Tuesday watching the goings-on and chatting with neighbors. It sounds like these are not the scenes they wanted to shoot at our house, and this family was contacted a couple of months before we were about their home being used in the film, so no jealousy issues. And after watching what went on during the shoot, I'm glad they decided not to use our house. They drag stuff in and out, make holes in your yard, there are tons of people all over, and they kick you out of your house to change it and use your things. There weren't many people watching, just the people who own the house they were using and a few people from the neighborhood, and a couple of random people from around town, so maybe 15 total. That surprised me, I thought there would be a ton of people watching, but no, there weren't, and it was definitely better that way!
The "security" people, who I guess were there to keep us from running across the street or something. wouldn't let us take pictures of the outside of the house, which I didn't get at all. I snuck a couple of pictures on my cell phone, but they're sideways and I have a new laptop and can't figure out how to use the photo editing software, so you won't get to see them, unless I figure it out. Sorry guys. I did get a picture with one of the stars though! Which I also won't be posting, but it's a pretty good picture. You can email me if you want to see it.
It was a fun experience to watch, but nothing really happened. It was exciting when the stars arrived, in Cadillacs, and waved and came over to take pictures and sign autographs, but that was just for a few minutes. Most of the time they were in the house filming, and we were just standing around trying to make conversation. Michigan passed a tax credit bill a few years ago to entice movie studios to film here, so a few different movies have been in town, but they're reducing the tax cut because we're in so much debt, so the number of movies being filmed here is going to decrease. But a bunch of the people who were there had been to other tapings around town, and they were really into being there and talking to whoever they could talk to, and knowing when the stars would be coming and leaving. And it was my first celebrity siting, and I feel like everyone else in southeast Michigan has had a gazillion already! It was a fun experience. Then today when my mom and I were driving back from my appointment we saw the movie trucks again at a different house, so we'll have another opportunity to watch!
The "security" people, who I guess were there to keep us from running across the street or something. wouldn't let us take pictures of the outside of the house, which I didn't get at all. I snuck a couple of pictures on my cell phone, but they're sideways and I have a new laptop and can't figure out how to use the photo editing software, so you won't get to see them, unless I figure it out. Sorry guys. I did get a picture with one of the stars though! Which I also won't be posting, but it's a pretty good picture. You can email me if you want to see it.
It was a fun experience to watch, but nothing really happened. It was exciting when the stars arrived, in Cadillacs, and waved and came over to take pictures and sign autographs, but that was just for a few minutes. Most of the time they were in the house filming, and we were just standing around trying to make conversation. Michigan passed a tax credit bill a few years ago to entice movie studios to film here, so a few different movies have been in town, but they're reducing the tax cut because we're in so much debt, so the number of movies being filmed here is going to decrease. But a bunch of the people who were there had been to other tapings around town, and they were really into being there and talking to whoever they could talk to, and knowing when the stars would be coming and leaving. And it was my first celebrity siting, and I feel like everyone else in southeast Michigan has had a gazillion already! It was a fun experience. Then today when my mom and I were driving back from my appointment we saw the movie trucks again at a different house, so we'll have another opportunity to watch!
Monday, May 9, 2011
I successfully shamed the medical students into being good doctors!
My session with the medical students went really well. I felt good about the way it went from the reactions of the students, and afterward the feedback from the professors was fantastic. I was also surprised by a $50 Visa gift card, which was totally unnecessary but very nice.
I spoke to first year medical students who are taking an infectious disease class right now, and my mom is one of the teachers, so the other professors have been hearing about my medical issues for the past almost seven years now. They asked me to come in for their unit on immune suppressed patients and the issues they deal with. My mom and I were on stage together to respond to their questions. I was expecting them to ask more medically based questions, but the students really seemed to respond to the fact that we're all around the same age and asked some really great questions about dealing with being sick. One asked what makes a good doctor, they wanted to know what I'll be pursuing a masters in, asked about my health insurance, the reaction of friends, how I entertain myself when I can't go out and do anything because of my immunosuppression, side effects of medications, etc. The two questions that stood out to me because they were so personal were one about how I maintain a good attitude through this, and one about dating with cancer. The attitude question, I tend to be a positive person and I also have a great support system. Dating with cancer, well, that one is a little more complicated. A lot of the time that I've been sick I was/am so concentrated on myself and what's happening in my life that it wouldn't be fair to a boyfriend, and I wouldn't be interested in having someone in my life anyway. It's also hard to find someone who would put up with all of the medical visits and crap like that.
I thought it was great that they were so interested in my life and how I deal with being sick rather than just asking about the medical stuff. People who are interested in patients are the best doctors. You want a doctor who cares about you as a person, not just someone who wants the paycheck a doctor gets. I tried to impress on them the dehumanizing aspects of being a patient and how important the comportment of the care team is and what sort of behavior patients appreciate. It seems like these students will make good doctors. Several of them came up to me after the class was over to thank me for coming and speaking to them too, which was nice.
Clearly I successfully brainwashed them into being good docs. You can all thank me in another three or four years when they're residents :)
I spoke to first year medical students who are taking an infectious disease class right now, and my mom is one of the teachers, so the other professors have been hearing about my medical issues for the past almost seven years now. They asked me to come in for their unit on immune suppressed patients and the issues they deal with. My mom and I were on stage together to respond to their questions. I was expecting them to ask more medically based questions, but the students really seemed to respond to the fact that we're all around the same age and asked some really great questions about dealing with being sick. One asked what makes a good doctor, they wanted to know what I'll be pursuing a masters in, asked about my health insurance, the reaction of friends, how I entertain myself when I can't go out and do anything because of my immunosuppression, side effects of medications, etc. The two questions that stood out to me because they were so personal were one about how I maintain a good attitude through this, and one about dating with cancer. The attitude question, I tend to be a positive person and I also have a great support system. Dating with cancer, well, that one is a little more complicated. A lot of the time that I've been sick I was/am so concentrated on myself and what's happening in my life that it wouldn't be fair to a boyfriend, and I wouldn't be interested in having someone in my life anyway. It's also hard to find someone who would put up with all of the medical visits and crap like that.
I thought it was great that they were so interested in my life and how I deal with being sick rather than just asking about the medical stuff. People who are interested in patients are the best doctors. You want a doctor who cares about you as a person, not just someone who wants the paycheck a doctor gets. I tried to impress on them the dehumanizing aspects of being a patient and how important the comportment of the care team is and what sort of behavior patients appreciate. It seems like these students will make good doctors. Several of them came up to me after the class was over to thank me for coming and speaking to them too, which was nice.
Clearly I successfully brainwashed them into being good docs. You can all thank me in another three or four years when they're residents :)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Just wanted to post something new
I think I'm going to leave the matzah background up for a little longer, even though Passover was finished on Monday night. I already wrote about how much I like Passover as a holiday. It';s a contest between Passover and Hanukkah for my favorite holiday. I like the candles and the lights of Hanukkah, and the different dishes we use for Passover. Clearly my priorities for picking favorite holidays are good and religious-based. Haha.
I felt like writing but I don't really have anything to write about that I haven't already put on here. The weather is a little warmer, but still totally cloudy and we're getting a lot of rain. The new thing this week is that we finally have some leaves and flowers on the trees, and it's basically still March, rather than May. I would like a little sun, please! I have to say though, the fact that my physical ability is pretty limited, I'm kind of hoping the weather stays bad because I can't do much outside right now. Sorry folks who live in Michigan, I'm being a little selfish.
I can't believe it's May already. This year is going by so fast! January seems like it was just a few days ago. I can't believe I've had these physical problems for five months now. I haven't walked up a staircase normally in five months. Hopefully this physical therapy will work.
Hmmmm.... can't think of anything else to bore you guys with. Oh, this week I'll be talking to first year medical students about being an immunosuppressed patient. I'm hoping to traumatize them into being good doctors :) Hahaha. I'll fill you in.
I felt like writing but I don't really have anything to write about that I haven't already put on here. The weather is a little warmer, but still totally cloudy and we're getting a lot of rain. The new thing this week is that we finally have some leaves and flowers on the trees, and it's basically still March, rather than May. I would like a little sun, please! I have to say though, the fact that my physical ability is pretty limited, I'm kind of hoping the weather stays bad because I can't do much outside right now. Sorry folks who live in Michigan, I'm being a little selfish.
I can't believe it's May already. This year is going by so fast! January seems like it was just a few days ago. I can't believe I've had these physical problems for five months now. I haven't walked up a staircase normally in five months. Hopefully this physical therapy will work.
Hmmmm.... can't think of anything else to bore you guys with. Oh, this week I'll be talking to first year medical students about being an immunosuppressed patient. I'm hoping to traumatize them into being good doctors :) Hahaha. I'll fill you in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)