Blurry vision is not fun. I had this the first time when I started the migraine preventative... it went away- but it's highly annoying, and makes me feel like I'm going crazy- especially since it's my near-vision that's affected and I'm nearsighted. So, All of a sudden, my far away vision is fine, but I'm squinting at the screen here trying to type.
I may have to go out and buy a pair of reading glasses- the OTC ones for this week... It's hard to work when looking at your computer monitor is hard and you can't make out the letters.
I slumped down in front of CVS, having just thrown up two times- luckily not on myself either time. Once in a very public garbage can, and the other in a more out- of the way place...
I had just paid for frova out of pocket- waiting on preauth to come back into place- had thought it would be done by today (fun with insurance) took one-went outside for head to clear before getting into the car.
15 minutes later, police cadets and their superiors come into the store
Oh, good, I thought. They should be able to help me up... I don't have the strength to get myself up right now.
Wrong.
I'm sitting up there, clutching my CVS bag and...- Extend a hand to one of 'em- the instructor- and ask for help. He may have thought I was asking for money... but even still...
Try again. No luck
Multiply this by like 12 attempts. I'm on the sidewalk. Next to the gum, near the ants- going marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah. I have wires on me- but they're not going to my ears- they obviously scream medical device- don't they?
Finally, I take the bag, and with all of the strength I can muster, ask the last one- "Help, please- I have a medical condition- I can't get up- but I can stand if I get help up." He reaches down and helps me up. His superiors are staring ahead- as if I wasn't a person- or if they wouldn't have instructed him to touch me... as if I were toxic. But this young cadet did help me up. I thanked him. He said "glad to help, ma'am."
What the heck. Why did this happen? Invisible illness problem? Did they think I was enjoying sitting there, reading the tabloid headlines through the CVS glass door.
I got in my car- head resolving in the next 3 minutes to the point where driving back to work was okay. But, peeved. And then, what did I see? The same cadets in their cars ahead of me on the way back to work. Laughing and talking inside their private cars... One cadet turned back to see me behind him. I know he saw me- 'cause the rest of the car turned their heads. And I saw the one who had helped me- giving me a half wave. I nodded back at him and gave the same tentative half wave.
Still. The whole experience left me with more of a bad taste in my mouth... worse than that of the original bile from the migraine.
It's the rest of the lax team... some who lost so much- respect, academic standing, guilt by association,
It's about a community (Dook) that had to go through this episode (I can't believer i'm defending duke)
it's about the high school seniors who had committed to duke and then watched from afar as their school-to-be was bashed (and not b/c of the performance of the b-ball team. HAH! Had to get it in. )
It's about Durham, North Carolina which became a town under siege by exploitive news media (read: nancy grace, rita cosby, etc...)
It's about race relations coming to the forefront in ways that were unpredictable, sometimes positive, and sometimes, very negative
It's about Lives of the parents of the the accused, the friends of the accused, the siblings of the accused, their friends.
It's about the people of North Carolina who were promised a DA who swore he would not run for a second term when appointed to his position... and then lied.
It's about the waste of state resources spent on this case.
And it's about the fact that he could have ended it all... just by playing within the rules of the legal game... but didn't.
Nope. It's not just about three Duke Men. It wound up being about so much more.
A Republican state senator has introduced a bill in the state legislature that would legalize use of marijuana for medical purposes, the Florence Morning News reported Jan. 12.
Sen. William Mescher said his wife's death from lung cancer 24 years ago moved him to propose the medical-marijuana bill, saying that some doctors told him at the time that using the drug could help ease the nausea arising from chemotherapy. "There were concerns that she would become addicted," he said. "Here this woman had maybe two or three months to live -- and in extreme pain. It didn't make any difference if she became addicted."
Mescher's bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Medical Affairs.
Please- I know that my representative (for DU's info- David Price- D-NC-04)will stand with me to support the troops... but I'm not sure about my senators.
Pork goes into every bill. We all know that. Heck, even the pig farmers know that down east!
Please, Senator Dole- as a humanitarian, and former head of the red cross, stop the bleeding.
Senator Burr, you won election to represent the people of North Carolina. That includes those who live at the many military installations in our state. Please- stand together... and help the veto pen not stand in the way of the money needed to address the many things that our brave soldiers and families need.
God Bless You All, and May You have the strength to stand with the American People, rather than with Partisan rhetoric.
May the people bringing the suit- the man and his wife find peace in knowing that they have set precedent for such cases against Merck for Vioxx.
While the financial liability to Merck from this one case is probably not great enough to eat into its' financial profits in a serious way, The fact that this case was decided for the NJ man and his wife sets Merck up for a potential loss that may be meaningful to the company.
My only hope is that if this DOES hurt merck badly enough where they have to tighten their belts, they do so at the top- by affecting the salaries of the CEO, not the workers (like my friends who work for Glaxo doing drug development). These scientists believe in what they're doing- they're not in it to get rich. Usually the job pays well, but the actual researchers shouldn't be penalized because they were motivated to get additional degrees, obtain knowledge, and these research facilities are dream jobs for some... good pay- a chance to make a difference possibly- creating something much bigger than they are...
And while the researchers should not suffer from any outcome determined by the financial implications of potential multi million dollar lawsuits, there are many other employees who also had NO part in the deception and greed. Unfortunately, this tends to be where some of the personnel cuts occur when a company is hit like this... Included into this category are the other staff- the secretaries, the janitors, the people in Shipping/Handling, the lab techs, the interns, and many others.
from the user (ColbyDog) " Military Recruiting done Simpson style... Episode 1805. Arguably, one of the best anti-recruiting shows ever produced! This is just a snippet... you gotta see the rest! (less)"
Source: NC Democratic Party Weekly E-Newsletter! (sign up at www.ncdp.org )
Dole and Burr Voted Against Veterans' Health Care This week, as details about the deplorable conditions at hospitals responsible for helping our wounded soldiers continue to emerge, Republicans like Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr joined the chorus of outrage demanding to know how our government could have so severely failed them. But behind all the rhetoric is the harsh reality that, when they had a chance last year to provide funding for these facilities, Senators Dole and Burr chose to put party loyalty ahead of our brave men and women in uniform.
During the 109th Congress, Senators Dole and Burr voted FIVE times to block Democratic efforts to provide more resources to veterans and military health care. They voted against an additional $2.8 billion for veterans' medical care in FY2006, against pegging funding increases for the Veterans Administration to inflation and the demand for care, against establishing a $1 billion trust fund for improving health facilities, against closing corporate tax loopholes to fund an additional $1.5 billion for veterans' medical services in FY2007, and against a Democratic amendment that would have provided a mandatory five year funding stream of $104 billion for veterans' health care.
It means that if your doctors don't work together as a team, you don't have a chance.
It means that when you ask for your chart and get it, you find out what your doctors really think of you. And it may not be pretty. It means relying on doctors to follow through on their promises, and not have their egos take hold- when they're over their head, they need to say so. It means relying on yourself to know that someone's stringing you along. It means cynicism. It means that you need to be proactive. It means that it won't get better unless YOU do something about it- although YOU feel like curling up in a ball and crying.
It means that chronic pain is dismissed. That you're seen as just another whiny patient who the doctor can't cure. It means that you may look as bad as you feel. That weight gain from some drugs happens- and getting it off is just another thing that you can't afford to focus on during acute flareups. And that weight is unhealthy- you know it. And sometimes, my knees aren't happy carrying the extra 20lbs.
It means knowing the pharmacists by name. Knowing which one is going to be helpful- and for whom it's just a job.
It means dealing with doctors who treat you like crap. Others who say nice things to your face, but whoa- what did they just write about you in your chart.
It means you never know what's coming. Will today be the day that the condition flares and you can't predict it, and the thought's always there, lurking somewhere in the recesses of your mind.
It means your work may be affected. It means that you may live in fear of losing your job. It means that you need that job to keep your insurance- if you even are lucky enough to have insurance through work.
It means that if nothing flares up, or changes, even with insurance, I spend over $120 on prescription drugs per month. That's $1340/year if no other Rx meds are added to the mix. It means that when I travel, I have so many prescription bottles in my bag that it takes up almost a whole pocket of my backpack.
It means being told that your coping skills aren't good enough- and it's all in your mind.
It means that I will never get a chance to get back the last year of my life- lost to chronic illness, pain, tears and hospital bills
It means that at the current rate, I'll be paying off my medical bills for longer than I will my new car.
It means that sometimes I get tired of fighting for myself and throw a pity party- but no one wants to come. It's lonely being the only one at a pity party.
It means explaining that unfortunately, you can't make x, y, or z- although you've looked forward to it for a long time. And sometimes, letting other people down hurts more than you care to admit. Or would admit to anyone other than those whom you know are your ally.
It means finding out who your friends really are. And loving them. It means that they know that you're trying your best, and don't take your absence as a slight if you can't make it at the last minute. And you appreciate that more than you could ever let them know in words. So, you send cards, thank you notes, and other things to let them know how much they mean to you.
It means that if your partner isn't supportive, it's going to be a long ride.
It means that I know all of these things to be true.
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