But I dont want to!

What the hell is that nurse in Maine thinking? Okay, she went ot Africa and treated patients with Ebola. She came home and was treated horribly and was stuck in an isolation tent in a hospital parking lot. Finally she was allowed to go home. Officials want her to stay in home confinement. Instead she went for a bike ride.

I mean really. She tested negative for Ebola but it can take 21 days to incubate so she still may be infected. She is not cooperating.

She isn't some kind of God who can tell if she has Ebola or not. She is a regular human being with nursing training. Ask the doctor in New York who rode the subway thinking he wouldn't spread Ebola.

Can we please start to be rational about this?

If you are at risk, just returned from treating Ebola patients in West Africa, do you mind cooperating and staying isolated for 21 days to be sure? There aren't a lot of good cures for this disease.
If you are running a fever and you did just return from West Africa, call your doctor for instructions and don't go wandering around the city until you find a crowded emergency room to treat you.

Ebola is a real problem and is on the verge of becoming a disaster. With a little bit of cooperation by all involved, it can more easily be controlled and contained. Grow up, chill out and cooperate, please!

But I dont want to!

What the hell is that nurse in Maine thinking? Okay, she went ot Africa and treated patients with Ebola. She came home and was treated horribly and was stuck in an isolation tent in a hospital parking lot. Finally she was allowed to go home. Officials want her to stay in home confinement. Instead she went for a bike ride.

I mean really. She tested negative for Ebola but it can take 21 days to incubate so she still may be infected. She is not cooperating.

She isn't some kind of God who can tell if she has Ebola or not. She is a regular human being with nursing training. Ask the doctor in New York who rode the subway thinking he wouldn't spread Ebola.

Can we please start to be rational about this?

If you are at risk, just returned from treating Ebola patients in West Africa, do you mind cooperating and staying isolated for 21 days to be sure? There aren't a lot of good cures for this disease.
If you are running a fever and you did just return from West Africa, call your doctor for instructions and don't go wandering around the city until you find a crowded emergency room to treat you.

Ebola is a real problem and is on the verge of becoming a disaster. With a little bit of cooperation by all involved, it can more easily be controlled and contained. Grow up, chill out and cooperate, please!

Being rebellious

We all have the desire to run away and join the circus or drop everything and take the day off for fishing/skiing/golf/shopping. I usually go from required space to required space and not whine too much. My life is focused on these places: my job, my house, the hospital for doctor appointments, and the gym with side trips to the grocery store, see my parents, and occasional other events.

Recently I have been feeling over tied to my house and the hospital. I have been stuck at home because of the weather and car problems. I have been at the hospital too DAMN often recently.

On Tuesday morning I have a doctor appointment - where I break in a new doctor - and on Thursday I have a dentist appointment and get some fillings done. I really do not want to have any medical appointments this week or any time soon. Unfortunately the doctor on Monday should probably turn into additional appointments that will give me some relief in some areas.

Between those appointments and a few other obligations I will squish in my job and hope there are no more DAMN snow storms to keep me stuck at home.

What I really want to do is be irresponsible and do something fun. Today we are going out to a fancy brunch for a belated Valentine's. I feel like all we have done this weekend is eat. Tomorrow we hope to retrieve the car from where it broke down on Friday and have no other plans. My inner rebel allows me to think of irresponsible things to do to get outside.

This may include going to the beach. Yes we just had several snow storms back to back but I really could use a walk on the beach. It is not covered by snow because the tide removes it. But the tides are wrong so I need to rethink that. Or I can take my dilapidated body outside and go snow shoeing which invariably leads to pain and whininess.

My inner rebel is going to get me in some kind of trouble with my self I can tell. I'll rebel and do something I really shouldn't and then pay the price with pain and whininess. But I need to do something!

My inner rebel

I am being a rebel. A rebellious patient indeed. First of all let me state I am taking all my medications properly and know better than to miss any of them - or my body might implode or something.

I have always been a fan of coloring outside the lines. After the first cancer diagnosis I had to relearn to enjoy life but not play in traffic. Now I am sick of being a 'good' patient. My inner rebel needs to kick in for a bit.

So I am rebelling. I am debating which doctor appointments I can/should cancel. I mean I still have doctors that I wonder why I am still seeing. I might just sneakily cancel them and see if anyone notices. I mean why am I still seeing my radiation oncologist?

I know its part of a scheme by the hospital to make sure their cancer patients get seen regularly. Insurance will cover the visits to a radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, surgeon annually. So the hospital spaces them out through out the year to make sure that combined with your PCP you see a doctor every three months. I'm thinking every four months is fine with me.

I am probably not eating enough vegetables. I am probably drinking too much wine. I am stretching myself too thin regularly. But I would rather not go to the doctor and spending my time and money doing other things.

So my inner rebel is allowing me to do this and not feel any guilt.