Not for me

I frequently get requests on my blog to blog about something else, besides me and my ailments. I usually decline because they are not the focus of my blog - which can be summed up as things that interest me or annoy me. (How's that for a bit of selfishness?) I have even updated my home page with a note that I will not blog about other people's  issues. No one reads that. I still get requests.

Yesterday I got a request:

"My name is Mxxxx. I am an intern with Darna & Company. We have a new product in the market called the NoMoNausea band. This band uses peppermint aroma therapy and acupressure to combat nausea and vomiting. We have joined with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida to help patients going through treatment. For every band purchased in the month of October, a patient at the cancer center will receive one free of charge. Please visit our website, nomonausea.com, and amazon for more information. To receive $1 off use the coupon code: SAVBOOBS. We hope that this band will bring relief to the nausea and vomiting from the trauma of the chemotherapy treatment. Please share our information with others that deal with nausea and vomiting. Thank you for your time."

At first I just ignored it - because I felt it was a run on sentence/paragraph with typos which had clearly been cut and pasted from another blog. Then I decided it really ticked me off:

1. The coupon code is offensive.
2. From the coupon code and I can deduce that it is a pink project
3. Wrist bands for breast cancer patients? A lymphedema no-no.
4. Why should I care about a cancer center in Florida?

I admit that in the past I have used wrist bands and not thought much about the wrist band/lymphedema connection. Now I can no longer wear bracelets, even loose ones, because of lymphedema and arthritis/tendonitis, so why would I want a wrist band which puts pressure on my wrist? I can feel my arm swelling at the very thought.

So this clearly became a topic that annoyed me to no end. I do not recommend this product at all. They need a better marketing plan. Hey, I'm a marketing consultant, maybe they should  hire me.

I've got owies

So mature of me but I am having pain issues these days. Everything from a sore toenail to some more serious back pain. (Insert snarly, perky voice here 'on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain today?') Its definitely in the 7 range.

I have not been god to myself recently and in some ways, I have been downright bad. Everything from carrying heavy things to cutting my lymphedema hand to standing too much.

On the plus side, I put on a new pain path this morning, on the minus side, I cannot expect much relief rom my back until then. And with additional stupidity, I may border on cranky or possibly even crabbiness.

How idiotic, insensitive, and just plain dumb!

I read this article and the first words pissed me off:

'“Today, we are curing about 80 percent of all breast cancer. That is an incredible advance to 20 years ago when we were curing, at best, about 50 percent,”“Today, we are curing about 80 percent of all breast cancer. That is an incredible advance to 20 years ago when we were curing, at best, about 50 percent,”...'

Why is the word cure being used in conjuction with breast cancer? There is no cure! (Insert expletive here). At first I questioned his percentages and it is true that just over 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the US each year and just about 40,000 women will die from it. 40,000 is 20% of 200,000. I don't think the other 160,000 consider themselves cured, more like they spend their lives in watchful waiting. And a woman diagnosed with breast cancer can die of any number of other causes besides breast cancer before their disease becomes terminal.

'“What we are left with is this 20 percent where clinic-based drugs are not adequate, but we mustn’t burden the 80 percent for whom today’s standard is adequate, giving those patients unnecessary and experimental treatments,” he said.'

Really? Can you tell me which of the women with diagnosed with breast cancer are in the 20% or the 80%? We have some ways of telling but many women get breast cancer who have no know risk factors. Like me. 

Here's more: 

'In years past, treatment of breast cancer was limited to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Today, drugs are being used to rid the body of cancer cells before surgery becomes an option.

“That method has several effects. One, you can get away with lesser forms of surgery - lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. More interestingly, you can track the effectiveness of the drug by observing what is going on in the breast. Maybe in the future we will be able to track effectiveness by looking at what is happening in the blood,” Ellis said.

Very few people today die from cancer in the breast, he noted.

“The problem becomes the cancerous cells that have left the breast. They are more difficult to track. If you could chase those cells with a simple blood test, that would be real progress,” Ellis said.
The cancer cells, once they leave the breast, often find their way into other tissues and organs. Ellis describes the cancer cells as weeds that are allowed to take root.

“If you have a dose of weed killer and you pour it on a tiny little thistle or weed, it would kill it stone dead, but the same amount of weed killer doesn’t kill a fully grown thistle. It might wilt a little and then return,” he said. “That’s very similar to cancer. Once the cancer cells begin to grow and get embedded, they can be hard to get rid of.”'

I'll just go get some 'human cancer Roundup' and blast away at those weeds before they can take root. You just tell me where they will be and if I am in the 80% or the 20%.

“The problem with mammography is that it is recommended in everybody every year after the age of 40, but only 1 in 8 women get breast cancer, so you are screening a lot of women who are destined never to get breast cancer,” he said. “High-risk patients might need yearly mammograms, but low-risk people might need it every 3-4 years.”

Hmmmm.... I was not at high risk twit face!

'When asked what can be done to reduce a person’s risk of developing cancer, Ellis said the biggest key is pursuing a healthy lifestyle, which means maintaining a good Body Mass Index (BMI).

Cancer made me fat. Starting with steroids in chemo causing bloat.

“A lot of women under-appreciate the role of alcohol in breast cancer risk. That is clearly dose-related,” he said. “Women who take more than a drink or two a week are gradually increasing their breast cancer risk. The more you drink, the higher the risk, so moderate your drinking as much as possible.”

Okay. Fine. Sobriety it is. Take all the fun out of life. As long as I can still have chocolate.

Medical screening is recommended to assess a person’s risk of developing cancer.

“If you have a family history, even if it doesn’t seem very impressive and the risk is small, get yourself over to chat with a genetic counselor. Genetic counseling and genetic risk assessment are still highly underutilized by the population,” he said.

Genetic testing is covered by most insurance, according to Ellis.

I didn't have a family history. None, nada, zip. Actually one of my aunts did some research and found that the only family history of breast cancer was one of my mother's second cousins back in the 1970s. I believe that the BRCA genes are responsible for only 5-10% of all breast cancers... So what about everyone else?

“There is no discrimination these days. That’s what prevented some women from testing because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to get medical insurance based on their results. ObamaCare ended that,” he said.'

No discrimination? WTF? Get real buddy. Unfortunately there is a fair amount of discrimination these days against people with cancer and many other reasons. Insurance companies haven't necessarily jumped on the bandwagon of paying for genetic testing. And the question of gene ownership and patenting is still up for legal debate in some parts of the world.

Go read the rest of this article here. And the man cited here is the director of the Breast Center at the Baylor College of Medicine. He clearly has not walked the walk and has no bedside manner. He does end by saying more research is needed - especially for him...

This article made me so upset. I felt he was talking down to patients and making statements that just weren't true.

Year round pinkification

Estee Lauder is going to new lengths to create year round pinkificaiton. In October 2014, they will offer story telling videos of four families facing breast cancer. They made sure to include young and old, Asian and African Americans so it can't be deemed racist, sexist, or ageist.

They have two good reasons for running the campaign year round. The first is that with breast cancer its a year round diagnosis, not just one month of the year. That is clearly been a complaint for decades. But the other is their multimillion dollar campaign won't fit into one month. I am sure they could have made it fit into one month but it doesn't really impress me yet.

There will be personal touches through the storytelling....

"The company plans to add a personal touch through storytelling, via documentary-style online videos featuring four real-life families affected by the disease. Viewers are also encouraged to upload their own videos and stories, which may be featured on the site in the future."

Will that include the hairless body and rushing to the bathroom. And maybe they will get extra Estee Lauder makeup to cover the chemo pallor.

"Some of the donations will also come straight from the company's own pocket.  The Breast Cancer Research Foundation will receive portions of sales from 15 "Pink Ribbon" products with brand names like Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, La Mer, Origins, and Estée Lauder itself. Furthermore, the retailer will donate one dollar for each uplifting photo shared on one of their social media platforms (with a cap at $22,000)."

And the truth comes out in two little statements. first of all the BRCF will receive portions from the sale of 15 products? And how much would that portion be? A tiny $0.50 on a $50 product? That is one issue here. The second statement is the $22,000 cap on the photos shared. Does that mean they will only donate up to $22K for all the pictures shared or $22K for each of the pictures shared?

"While Estée Lauder had been planning to focus heavily on Internet platforms for some time, the recent success of the ALS Association’s Ice-Bucket Challenge proved the effectiveness of online activism, with nearly $80 million raised in one month, compared to $2.5 million last year."

Well goody for them. They are using social media and internet platforms and want to tap into the online activism as with the Ice Bucket Challenge. Sorry. I doubt it. The ice bucket challenge worked because it was a single guy who started it, not a corporation and it was a nice hot summer time where a bucket of ice isn't so bad. January would be bad. Its very difficult to create an online viral success. the best ones are teh spontaneous ones that cross borders, touch a nerve with people, and have a sensne of humor and one-up-manship (I triple dog dare you to dump a bucket of ice water on your head). 

I'm sorry a pink ribboned product isn't going to make me do much of anything. And some ad agency must be raking in big bucks for all of this.

This is stupid

Why are patients with Medicaid diagnosed with breast cancer later than those with other insurance? This is our national health insurance for those without other insurance and it does not provide screening mammograms or educate its patients on the need for them?

"Stage II breast cancer was more likely to be diagnosed in Medicaid patients than any other insurance designation, including self-pay. We suspect this is the result of lack of use of screening mammograms or lack of access to care altogether. Further research needs to be performed examining the time course of diagnosis in the advanced-stage population. Surveying patients diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer as to whether they were undergoing age-appropriate routine screening or if they had impediments to gaining access to medical care would reveal possible areas for improvement in the healthcare system. It would be interesting to examine the barriers to care according to insurance status as well."

Stupidity at its finest. In the 21st century no less.

Sued for not disclosing cancer had returned?

What? But it is a sad state of affairs for Valerie Harper. She was starring in a play in New York City and her brain cancer returned. The playwright and several producers are mad that she didn't tell them until she was having problems on stage from the treatment. So they filed a lawsuit. Tough cookies you guys!

Now I assume she was under some kind of contract with all sorts of weird clauses that you usually do not see outside the entertainment world. But it is stated in law that medical issues are no business of the employer. But they are mad so they are suing her.

And where is their compassion? You may remember in January she disclosed that she had three months to live as result of her brain cancer. She is now cautiously optimistic.

Let me just say a few things about this as I am seriously ticked off:

1. You are morons and being childlike. She was sick and couldn't perform.
2. She has cancer and doesn't know how long she will life.
3. Its none of your business that she had cancer before and she had no way of knowing that it would recur.
4. Finally, don't you have any sense of compassion?

Twits!

A stupid idea in my opinion

So would you wear a breast cancer sensing bra? Or even add a smart device to your bra that would be an early warning for breast cancer? I think this is stupid.

The premise is that self exam and mammogram compliance is not 100% that this way your bra or a gizmo attached to it can detect breast cancer early. Hmmm.... Nope. No way.

Personally I wouldn't wear one if you paid me. I think it plays to the insecurities of all women who are scared they might develop breast cancer.

The developers of this gizmo have raised $560,000. It has the CE mark so they will start selling them in Singapore. This brainstorm  is because the Singapore government gave away 10,000 mammograms but only 30% were used so they feel the need is there. So are women in Singapore who didn't bother to get a free mammogram going to wear a gizmo on their bra? I am not so sure.

It still needs to get through FDA trials here and will take a few years but I won't be buying one. Sorry. I think this is an idea that had good intentions, but not going anywhere.

A stupid idea in my opinion

So would you wear a breast cancer sensing bra? Or even add a smart device to your bra that would be an early warning for breast cancer? I think this is stupid.

The premise is that self exam and mammogram compliance is not 100% that this way your bra or a gizmo attached to it can detect breast cancer early. Hmmm.... Nope. No way.

Personally I wouldn't wear one if you paid me. I think it plays to the insecurities of all women who are scared they might develop breast cancer.

The developers of this gizmo have raised $560,000. It has the CE mark so they will start selling them in Singapore. This brainstorm  is because the Singapore government gave away 10,000 mammograms but only 30% were used so they feel the need is there. So are women in Singapore who didn't bother to get a free mammogram going to wear a gizmo on their bra? I am not so sure.

It still needs to get through FDA trials here and will take a few years but I won't be buying one. Sorry. I think this is an idea that had good intentions, but not going anywhere.

This is stupid

Why are patients with Medicaid diagnosed with breast cancer later than those with other insurance? This is our national health insurance for those without other insurance and it does not provide screening mammograms or educate its patients on the need for them?

"Stage II breast cancer was more likely to be diagnosed in Medicaid patients than any other insurance designation, including self-pay. We suspect this is the result of lack of use of screening mammograms or lack of access to care altogether. Further research needs to be performed examining the time course of diagnosis in the advanced-stage population. Surveying patients diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer as to whether they were undergoing age-appropriate routine screening or if they had impediments to gaining access to medical care would reveal possible areas for improvement in the healthcare system. It would be interesting to examine the barriers to care according to insurance status as well."

Stupidity at its finest. In the 21st century no less.

Not for me

I frequently get requests on my blog to blog about something else, besides me and my ailments. I usually decline because they are not the focus of my blog - which can be summed up as things that interest me or annoy me. (How's that for a bit of selfishness?) I have even updated my home page with a note that I will not blog about other people's  issues. No one reads that. I still get requests.

Yesterday I got a request:

"My name is Mxxxx. I am an intern with Darna & Company. We have a new product in the market called the NoMoNausea band. This band uses peppermint aroma therapy and acupressure to combat nausea and vomiting. We have joined with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida to help patients going through treatment. For every band purchased in the month of October, a patient at the cancer center will receive one free of charge. Please visit our website, nomonausea.com, and amazon for more information. To receive $1 off use the coupon code: SAVBOOBS. We hope that this band will bring relief to the nausea and vomiting from the trauma of the chemotherapy treatment. Please share our information with others that deal with nausea and vomiting. Thank you for your time."

At first I just ignored it - because I felt it was a run on sentence/paragraph with typos which had clearly been cut and pasted from another blog. Then I decided it really ticked me off:

1. The coupon code is offensive.
2. From the coupon code and I can deduce that it is a pink project
3. Wrist bands for breast cancer patients? A lymphedema no-no.
4. Why should I care about a cancer center in Florida?

I admit that in the past I have used wrist bands and not thought much about the wrist band/lymphedema connection. Now I can no longer wear bracelets, even loose ones, because of lymphedema and arthritis/tendonitis, so why would I want a wrist band which puts pressure on my wrist? I can feel my arm swelling at the very thought.

So this clearly became a topic that annoyed me to no end. I do not recommend this product at all. They need a better marketing plan. Hey, I'm a marketing consultant, maybe they should  hire me.

Stupid me

I have excuses. I have chemo brain. I have fibro fog. But sometimes I am just plain stupid. This was one of those times.

We are on vacation (note to all the burglars - we have a house sitter and our neighbors know we are away and we don't have anything valuable anyway). Two weeks before we left I made a big project to make sure we had enough of prescription medications to get us through our trip. I checked all of the bottles, refilled a couple.

The day before we left, I went through and filled up our medicine boxes - daily ones - with enough pills to get us through. I carefully packed my break through pain pills. We then designated a little tote bag for all of our medical needs. The first tote was rejected because it was too small so we moved to a slightly larger one. This is serious business.

Then I packed up some over the counter medicines including some Emergen-Cs - you know the packets of vitamin C. I put those in the little zip pocket because they are flat. I put in Tylenol, Mucinex and all that kind of thing.

The next day I went and put elastic bands on the pill boxes so they would not pop open in transit. Then I put in the extra prescription bottles  and double checked and triple checked. I had everything I needed.

As we went out the door I said to my husband the only thing that would get me to come back home would be if I forgot any medication. I told him that I had it all under control and had triple checked it twice.

We arrived on Sunday after driving 90 minutes (we are on the beach if you must know). Monday is pain patch change day. I am on Butrans pain patches - they last a week and provide a consistent dose of opiate medication to keep my pain all under control.

I went to get a replacement patch. THEY WEREN'T THERE!!! What I thought were replacement pain patches were the Emergen-Cs. Damn, triple damn, [insert all obscenities you know here].

Yesterday I went with plan A - taking my breakthrough pain tablets every four hours. It wasn't enough. At all. I didn't even tell my husband until last night. His first question was when was I going home to get them? I said I hadn't decided.

This morning I decided. I was in so much pain. I got in my car at 10am with the plan on going home and coming back by 2pm so I could enjoy the beach. While driving, I was trying to decide what didn't hurt. The answer was my right shoulder. [But now that is hurting too.]

I had to lie down for a couple hours before I could contemplate driving back. Now that I am back I am finally getting to blogging and have taken pain pills and am lying on an ice pack until I feel better.

I was really stupid.

PS The cat is royally pissed off at me. I left. He is not happy. He doesn't eat when I am not there. He will just have to suck it up until I get home.

How idiotic, insensitive, and just plain dumb!

I read this article and the first words pissed me off:

'“Today, we are curing about 80 percent of all breast cancer. That is an incredible advance to 20 years ago when we were curing, at best, about 50 percent,”“Today, we are curing about 80 percent of all breast cancer. That is an incredible advance to 20 years ago when we were curing, at best, about 50 percent,”...'

Why is the word cure being used in conjuction with breast cancer? There is no cure! (Insert expletive here). At first I questioned his percentages and it is true that just over 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the US each year and just about 40,000 women will die from it. 40,000 is 20% of 200,000. I don't think the other 160,000 consider themselves cured, more like they spend their lives in watchful waiting. And a woman diagnosed with breast cancer can die of any number of other causes besides breast cancer before their disease becomes terminal.

'“What we are left with is this 20 percent where clinic-based drugs are not adequate, but we mustn’t burden the 80 percent for whom today’s standard is adequate, giving those patients unnecessary and experimental treatments,” he said.'

Really? Can you tell me which of the women with diagnosed with breast cancer are in the 20% or the 80%? We have some ways of telling but many women get breast cancer who have no know risk factors. Like me. 

Here's more: 

'In years past, treatment of breast cancer was limited to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Today, drugs are being used to rid the body of cancer cells before surgery becomes an option.

“That method has several effects. One, you can get away with lesser forms of surgery - lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. More interestingly, you can track the effectiveness of the drug by observing what is going on in the breast. Maybe in the future we will be able to track effectiveness by looking at what is happening in the blood,” Ellis said.

Very few people today die from cancer in the breast, he noted.

“The problem becomes the cancerous cells that have left the breast. They are more difficult to track. If you could chase those cells with a simple blood test, that would be real progress,” Ellis said.
The cancer cells, once they leave the breast, often find their way into other tissues and organs. Ellis describes the cancer cells as weeds that are allowed to take root.

“If you have a dose of weed killer and you pour it on a tiny little thistle or weed, it would kill it stone dead, but the same amount of weed killer doesn’t kill a fully grown thistle. It might wilt a little and then return,” he said. “That’s very similar to cancer. Once the cancer cells begin to grow and get embedded, they can be hard to get rid of.”'

I'll just go get some 'human cancer Roundup' and blast away at those weeds before they can take root. You just tell me where they will be and if I am in the 80% or the 20%.

“The problem with mammography is that it is recommended in everybody every year after the age of 40, but only 1 in 8 women get breast cancer, so you are screening a lot of women who are destined never to get breast cancer,” he said. “High-risk patients might need yearly mammograms, but low-risk people might need it every 3-4 years.”

Hmmmm.... I was not at high risk twit face!

'When asked what can be done to reduce a person’s risk of developing cancer, Ellis said the biggest key is pursuing a healthy lifestyle, which means maintaining a good Body Mass Index (BMI).

Cancer made me fat. Starting with steroids in chemo causing bloat.

“A lot of women under-appreciate the role of alcohol in breast cancer risk. That is clearly dose-related,” he said. “Women who take more than a drink or two a week are gradually increasing their breast cancer risk. The more you drink, the higher the risk, so moderate your drinking as much as possible.”

Okay. Fine. Sobriety it is. Take all the fun out of life. As long as I can still have chocolate.

Medical screening is recommended to assess a person’s risk of developing cancer.

“If you have a family history, even if it doesn’t seem very impressive and the risk is small, get yourself over to chat with a genetic counselor. Genetic counseling and genetic risk assessment are still highly underutilized by the population,” he said.

Genetic testing is covered by most insurance, according to Ellis.

I didn't have a family history. None, nada, zip. Actually one of my aunts did some research and found that the only family history of breast cancer was one of my mother's second cousins back in the 1970s. I believe that the BRCA genes are responsible for only 5-10% of all breast cancers... So what about everyone else?

“There is no discrimination these days. That’s what prevented some women from testing because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to get medical insurance based on their results. ObamaCare ended that,” he said.'

No discrimination? WTF? Get real buddy. Unfortunately there is a fair amount of discrimination these days against people with cancer and many other reasons. Insurance companies haven't necessarily jumped on the bandwagon of paying for genetic testing. And the question of gene ownership and patenting is still up for legal debate in some parts of the world.

Go read the rest of this article here. And the man cited here is the director of the Breast Center at the Baylor College of Medicine. He clearly has not walked the walk and has no bedside manner. He does end by saying more research is needed - especially for him...

This article made me so upset. I felt he was talking down to patients and making statements that just weren't true.

Year round pinkification

Estee Lauder is going to new lengths to create year round pinkificaiton. In October 2014, they will offer story telling videos of four families facing breast cancer. They made sure to include young and old, Asian and African Americans so it can't be deemed racist, sexist, or ageist.

They have two good reasons for running the campaign year round. The first is that with breast cancer its a year round diagnosis, not just one month of the year. That is clearly been a complaint for decades. But the other is their multimillion dollar campaign won't fit into one month. I am sure they could have made it fit into one month but it doesn't really impress me yet.

There will be personal touches through the storytelling....

"The company plans to add a personal touch through storytelling, via documentary-style online videos featuring four real-life families affected by the disease. Viewers are also encouraged to upload their own videos and stories, which may be featured on the site in the future."

Will that include the hairless body and rushing to the bathroom. And maybe they will get extra Estee Lauder makeup to cover the chemo pallor.

"Some of the donations will also come straight from the company's own pocket.  The Breast Cancer Research Foundation will receive portions of sales from 15 "Pink Ribbon" products with brand names like Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, La Mer, Origins, and Estée Lauder itself. Furthermore, the retailer will donate one dollar for each uplifting photo shared on one of their social media platforms (with a cap at $22,000)."

And the truth comes out in two little statements. first of all the BRCF will receive portions from the sale of 15 products? And how much would that portion be? A tiny $0.50 on a $50 product? That is one issue here. The second statement is the $22,000 cap on the photos shared. Does that mean they will only donate up to $22K for all the pictures shared or $22K for each of the pictures shared?

"While Estée Lauder had been planning to focus heavily on Internet platforms for some time, the recent success of the ALS Association’s Ice-Bucket Challenge proved the effectiveness of online activism, with nearly $80 million raised in one month, compared to $2.5 million last year."

Well goody for them. They are using social media and internet platforms and want to tap into the online activism as with the Ice Bucket Challenge. Sorry. I doubt it. The ice bucket challenge worked because it was a single guy who started it, not a corporation and it was a nice hot summer time where a bucket of ice isn't so bad. January would be bad. Its very difficult to create an online viral success. the best ones are teh spontaneous ones that cross borders, touch a nerve with people, and have a sensne of humor and one-up-manship (I triple dog dare you to dump a bucket of ice water on your head). 

I'm sorry a pink ribboned product isn't going to make me do much of anything. And some ad agency must be raking in big bucks for all of this.

Crap, crap, crap

I have been a bad person. Once again I didn't break any laws or get arrested or anything. But this weekend is my last two craft shows of the year. I have been knitting like mad to get as many UFOs (Unfinished Objects) completed so I could sell them. I usually try to space out my knitting because of my arthritis so I have less self induced pain. I wasn't very smart this week. I am done knitting for a while.

Yesterday I drove on a gray day an hour away to a craft fair that was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. It was in a lovely old building's basement. That had two sets of steep stairs to get in or out.

While I was there I lightened my load by selling a few things. But I did buy a gift basket for a friend. I also entered their raffles and did not win the MP3 player I really wanted, but I did win two food baskets - one Chinese and one Italian - which are full of canned goods. One was so heavy I could barely carry it.

I unpacked the baskets into my bubbe cart, which is my best friend at these events which are on one floor.

And dragged it up the two flights of stairs,  hoping some nice healthy person would show up and help. That hurt.

Then I made a second trip with my giant duffle bag on rollers which contains all my scarves. Much lighter but still not with out its share of pain.

Then I made two more trips of the light weight things.

Today my body hurts. I had an ice pack last night. Today I need more pain pills, arm splint and maybe compression sleeve.

But I have to uncover the car while Walter shovels snow and I can hit the road within an hour to go to another show where I will stand on my feet for six hours.

Crap, crap, crap.

Tomorrow I will sleep late and stay in bed until I feel like getting up.

Sued for not disclosing cancer had returned?

What? But it is a sad state of affairs for Valerie Harper. She was starring in a play in New York City and her brain cancer returned. The playwright and several producers are mad that she didn't tell them until she was having problems on stage from the treatment. So they filed a lawsuit. Tough cookies you guys!

Now I assume she was under some kind of contract with all sorts of weird clauses that you usually do not see outside the entertainment world. But it is stated in law that medical issues are no business of the employer. But they are mad so they are suing her.

And where is their compassion? You may remember in January she disclosed that she had three months to live as result of her brain cancer. She is now cautiously optimistic.

Let me just say a few things about this as I am seriously ticked off:

1. You are morons and being childlike. She was sick and couldn't perform.
2. She has cancer and doesn't know how long she will life.
3. Its none of your business that she had cancer before and she had no way of knowing that it would recur.
4. Finally, don't you have any sense of compassion?

Twits!

How the hell did that happen?

I have a very responsible system for my medical bills. Every couple of months I call and say I want to pay all balances over 30 days old and put them on a credit card that I pay off regularly. I used to pay bills each month as they came in. Then I would get refunds from the hospital all the time. So I gave up on that system.

For the record this week when I went to the doctor they said I didn't need to pay my co-pay because I had a credit balance.

So to my surprise, yesterday I got a statement showing a balance going back to February which had a note that it would go to collections if not paid asap. So I called this morning and paid three outstanding bills, one each from January, February, and March. The January one had just gone to collections. I asked about that since I knew it took about six months until the insurance company decided what they would pay. I was told basically they look at the visit date and not the date it was actually billed before deciding to send things to collections.

How helpful. I have never had anything in collections before. How mortifying. And why couldn't I pay all these bills last time I called in October?

How rude, tasteless, insensitive and completely stupid

The UK based Pancreatic Cancer Action recently ran a series of ads saying such lovely things as "I wish I had breast cancer". Please close your mouth if you are gaping at this.

And the woman in the ad says she would do it again.

How bad is this? Let me count the ways.

1. The organization claims it is hard hitting on purpose - a shock campaign to raise awareness. Well tough cookies. I know you want to be hard hitting but you could do it with out being offensive. And rude, tasteless, insensitive and completely stupid. Where were your brains people? Where was your reality check on your ad campaign?
2. The woman in the ad says she would do it again and has no regrets. I'm sorry you have pancreatic cancer and a short time to live. But you could have gotten the same diagnosis and prognosis with breast cancer. 
3. This is a nice clear example of how the pink ribbon campaigns and awareness have frivolized (if that wasn't a word, before it is now) the real severity of a breast cancer diagnosis. Cancer is cancer. And even if you paint it pink and put a little ribbon on it, its still cancer.
4. No cancer is better than any other. I have had two 'good' cancers if you must (but really please don't). There is no good cancer. Stop comparing them.

 This gets the tasteless and insensitive award for 2014 from me.

I've got owies

So mature of me but I am having pain issues these days. Everything from a sore toenail to some more serious back pain. (Insert snarly, perky voice here 'on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain today?') Its definitely in the 7 range.

I have not been god to myself recently and in some ways, I have been downright bad. Everything from carrying heavy things to cutting my lymphedema hand to standing too much.

On the plus side, I put on a new pain path this morning, on the minus side, I cannot expect much relief rom my back until then. And with additional stupidity, I may border on cranky or possibly even crabbiness.