Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Under Our Skin

I have had two tick bites in my life. Both of those ticks carried Lyme disease. Last summer I came down with it, and luckily I had the trademark bulls eye to prove it, since my blood work came back negative. This past July, I came down with the same symptoms again, but had no bulls eye.  The last tick bite I had was in April, so I thought I was in the clear since I hadn't become sick. I didn't know that you can be bit by a Lyme diseased tick, and not get sick from it for several months. I also didn't know that something like 50% of people with Lyme's don't get a bulls eye, and that blood tests are highly unreliable. It was because I knew the symptoms, and knew what to do.
My doctor is not completely with me on my feelings about Lyme disease. She's following the Infectious Disease Society of America's (the IDSA) guidelines, which are highly biased, and quite frankly are making people with Lymes sicker. She agreed however to put me on 2 weeks of the antibiotic doxycycline, and reluctantly agreed to one week more when I asked her to treat me just like she had the last time. I'm not a fan of the antibiotic, it took me a few days of taking it before I could finally hold it down. It's nasty, but untreated Lyme disease is far nastier.
I have a cousin, who is 13 now. 4 years ago, she was bit by a tick at school. The nurse removed it, and told her mother to watch out for the bulls eye. There was no bulls eye, but about 9 months later, she became very sick with flu like symptoms. Her mother had her tested for Lymes, and it came back negative. She took some antibiotics and didn't get better. It wasn't until her mom took her back for more blood work that they discovered Lymes. After visiting one of the only Lyme literate pediatric doctors in the country, she spent a year on IV antibiotics and has been pain free for 2 years. The problem with seeing a Lyme literate doctor, is that your insurance won't cover it, based on the IDSA's guidelines. Lyme is considered treated after 3 weeks of doxycycline. This is true of some cases like mine, but if its left untreated, it is significantly harder to reverse. Did I mention that over half of the doctors on the IDSA board work for the insurance companies? Hardly sounds like a fair match. There is a wonderful documentary that everyone should see. It's called "Under Our Skin" it can be found on Netflix as well as your local library. I believe that one day they are going to find cures for diseases of unknown origin, such as MS, Lou Gehrig's disease and Parkinson's. I also believe that the unknown origin will be untreated Lymes. But that's just my opinion. Go watch the movie and make up your own mind!

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Change Is A Coming..



Soon you'll see different things here on my blog. I was contacted a few weeks ago by a guy named Dicky. Yes, dicky. He works for a marketing company and is representing  a local automotive group. He's offering some local bloggers money for ad placement, customer reviews, and  such on their blogs. Sign me up. Sell me out. Whatever, I need some cash! So, if you see new stuff here, please check it out! The more clicks the better! When I heard from this guy, we scheduled a phone call, twice. He emailed me the day of the call, and said he didn't have time to talk, and would I be available the following day, same time. Sure, because I have nothing else going on. I waited for his call for about an hour, before I said fuck it, I've got shit to do, and just thought he was a flake. Whatever. It was about a week later, that I awoke in the middle of the night (where I do my most logical thinking) and got really pissed, who does this Dicky  think I am? I mean, if you say you're going to call someone, then just fucking call them! So, despite wanting to email him right then and there, I decided to at least wait until the sun had come up. Nothing says crazy bitch better than  sending an email to a total stranger all fuming and pissed, in the middle of the night!
My email was simple, and straightforward. I wrote "Was it something I said? Or wrote? Just curious why you blew me off last week" There. easy peasy lemon squeezy. He responded right away. He was very apologetic, and thought he had sent me an email about rescheduling (which he did not) And he still wanted me to be part of the whole blog rental thing, or whatever it's called. Fine. I emailed him back, apologetic as well..sounding less like a wounded chick waiting for a boy to call her, and more like the witty, mildly insecure girl that I am.
So, in short, I'm hoping to be blogging more,  I'm not sure how it will all pan out. If it'll be worth any of the aggravation of putting myself out there, but I gotta try and do my part..I created a page on facebook for my little blog..feel free to like it, and comment, tell me what you think (unless it's negative, cause then can just keep it to your freakin self!) kid. I kid..I love constructive criticism. really.  My loser cruiser is currently at the shop getting itself a fancy new exhaust, and water pump. Which isn't cheap btw! And I need a purpose, besides being a wife, a mom, a seamstress, and just an overall awesome person..;)



Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Under the Lights..

Every year the kids soccer teams get to play a night game, under the lights, in a neighboring town. These games are so fun for the kids and everyone always looks forward to it. I was especially looking forward to it this year, because of being the ass coach and all.
I had gotten a couple emails during the day from parents wanting directions to the field. In an extremely timely fashion, I replied with the address, and an attached map. Yes, you should be impressed, a map for me is a big deal.
 My son and I left before the rest of the family because, you know, I'm the ass coach, and we need to be there either early, or at the very least on time. Imagine my surprise, and baited anxiety, to see an entirely empty field. Immediately, my son starts freaking out..but I quickly calm him down and tell him it's fine. We're the first ones here. We're early!! Something sadly, he's probably never experienced with his mutha before!
So, we get out of the car, and start commenting on how different the field looks. We both agree that they must have moved the goals and the bleachers. Sure. Sounds good. While we waited, I hit the porta potty, which was naturally disgusting, as any little "house" would be that contains random peoples dookeys.
After more waiting, and more wondering, my son says "where's the cemetery that used to be here?" I had no memory of a cemetery, but then again, I have no memory of last week. So, I think he's confused. That must be another field. And then he says "Mom, where are the lights?"  At that point, they were finally going off.  In my head. Shit. We were totally at the wrong field, and now we were late. We jumped back in the loser cruiser, and flew to the other field. We made it before the game started, but not before the rest of my family had been there, and then went out looking for us afraid I may have had car troubles.  And, where was my cell phone? Lost. Only to be found later under a pile of clean clothes on my bed waiting to be folded. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, b/c my husband and I share a cell phone. what is this, 1999?
Anyway, this wasn't the only problem of course. Miraculously, one of the parents ignored my directions and got their own, and  the other parents (the parents of twins, who I adore) showed up 2 minutes after we did. The Dad looked like he had just been to war. With his wife. whoopsie.
The worst part, was that my sister, who had driven right home after work, picked up her 3 kids, got back in her car, and then unbeknownst to her, drove to the wrong field. I borrowed a phone from the other ass coach, but I could not, for the life of me,  remember her number.
I had to leave the field, right at the beginning of the game, and fetch my sister. She was only mildly annoyed, and more relieved that she could park her car, and get her 3 restless kids out of it! I'm not sure why I didn't have a heart attack that night, it wouldn't have surprised me.  We ended up crushing the other team 6-0 and are currently undefeated!  There is another game, at a different school this season, but I'm pretty sure no one will be asking me how to get there! Maybe there is an upside to my stupidity!

I love my iPhone!!!

I never knew how badly I wanted an iPhone until I was given one. Yes, GIVEN one. I had posted random shit about  my crusty old iPod touch on Facebook. About how it wouldn't take a charge and that I had been borrowing  my kids, which was a total pain in the ass for everyone.
So, imagine my delight when a friend asked me if I was still looking for an iPod, and offered me her old iPhone because her husband was passing down his 4G to make room for his new iPhone 5. Well hells yes!!  I had no idea what the differences would be, since I'd never had anything but my first generation piece of shit. Obviously there's a huge difference! There's a camera, that takes video too. I could also download an app to play solitaire! Something the old crusty one could no longer support (solitaire!! That's how OLD it was)
When I asked my friend what she wanted for it she simply replied "zero dollars."  I have the best friends, I really do. Of course I couldn't just take this from her without something in return, that's just bad juju, so I brought her a bag I had made. One of the first bags ever stitched, and one that I thought went very well with her.
I hope she's getting some use out of it, I am getting a TON of use out of my new (very gently used) iphone, minus the phone part because I still haven't convinced my husband that we should get rid of my other phone, and use this instead (it's always about money..money, stupid fucking money).
Anyway, if my friend ever reads this, I just want to say thank you again! I am beyond excited about it, and love it! You da best!! xo