Ladies, what are you doing this evening?

[LizzieMaine]

Actually had a day off from work today, which meant doing, hanging out, and ironing two loads of washing, taking apart and cleaning the drain trap under the kitchen sink, mopping the floor, getting groceries, and finally, greasing the car. This evening, after changing the bed, I'm eating cottage cheese and listening to the radio. Yes indeed, party hearty.

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

This evening I will be working, lol. I work in the hospitality industry because of the flexible hours so holidays are a money maker for me. I will most likely be getting home around midnight and frying up a garlic and cheese omelette with a side of chicken sausage and watching some crime shows.

 

[Dorota]

This evening I'm on call, 7pm to 7 am, gear at hand, bike ready

 

[LizzieMaine]

Sitting here eating my cottage cheese and trying to decompress from another one of those days. I'm in a rough situation right now -- my landlord has decided he's sick of being a landlord and wants me to either buy the house by the first of August, or I'm disposessed. So I'm trying to arrange a Rural Development/State Housing Authority mortgage and hoping this time we don't get sunk by a ridiculously low appraisal (I've tried to buy the place twice before and both times the appraisal was far short of what he wanted for the place.) I made him an offer today and am a nervous wreck waiting for his reply.

I've lived here for fifteen years, and actually sold him the house in the first place -- when I had medical issues ten years ago, I had to sell out to pay the hospital bill. And I couldn't be out of here by August 1st if you held a gun to my head.

I spent today re-puttying windows, scraping peeling paint off the spare room ceiling, and replacing a broken window in the attic, which fortunately has not yet been infested by wasps, all to jump thru hoops required by the mortgage application. And then I went to work at the theatre where I blew a gasket over a last minute change in the schedule -- as in five minutes before doors were to open.

Too many more days like this and I'm going to run screaming into the night. And to boot, I think this cottage cheese has turned.

 

[sheeplady]

Sorry Lizzie. That absolutely stinks. I hope you are able to buy the house.

I had a horrible two days last week worrying over something a doctor said to me which turned out to be nothing. Needless to say, I need to find a new primary care doctor who understands basic anatomy. So I totally understand how a bad thing spreads and contaminates.

Tonight I had left over pizza and vegged on the couch, while dousing myself in aloe vera. One of the medications I am on results in "sun sensitivity." I didn't understand that this was code for: "Even using SPF 100 means you will burn worse than you have ever burnt in your life through your clothing in under 30 minutes." Next up I am using tea on it for awhile.

 

[Babydoll]

Resting my arthritic/achy legs tonight. Planning my big family reunion for next month, and watching World Cup soccer.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Sorry Lizzie. That absolutely stinks. I hope you are able to buy the house.

Well, he just dropped off the signed contract, so at least we're moving forward. The price is 7 grand less than he paid for it ten years ago, but I guess he really is serious about wanting to move on. Now I get to be nervous about the appraisal all over again, but this time the deal is going to go thru if I have to chain myself to the front door of the bank.

I had a horrible two days last week worrying over something a doctor said to me which turned out to be nothing. Needless to say, I need to find a new primary care doctor who understands basic anatomy. So I totally understand how a bad thing spreads and contaminates.

With a few exceptions, I'm almost as fond of the medical profession as I am of the banking industry. There are an awful lot of doctors out there who might be whizzes in the lab, but complete incompetents when it comes to understanding the impact their words can have.

 

[DecoDame]

Fingers crossed for you, Lizzie. Ever moving again has become one of the single most unattractive notions in the world to me. Especially now that I've invested such time and effort into our current home. I hope I only leave feet first, basically. I did enough bouncing around and packing boxes in my younger life to last me the rest of it.

I empathize, Sheeplady, on how easily a doctor can throw you for a loop with a careless phrase or word. My partner just went in for a basic exam, and was generally A+, except that she had complained about some mild dizziness recently when laying down. Having just gone over the fact that she's prone to ear infections and a year ago had a doozy inner ear infection that gave nasty vertigo for a week, this Doctor (who is the better of the bunch around here) started in on how she should go get a CAT scan asap to rule out a brain tumor. Really?? With no other indications of that possibility, you just wanna throw that out there? You don't want to maybe rule out the milder options first? Especially after having just irrigated her right ear because of wax impaction? shakeshead They have their toys and they wanna use it. He even admitted it was to make him feel better (cover his ass). That he likes to rule out the big stuff first, and go down the list to the lesser stuff. So, no, not generally a fan of the medical community, either. It irks me how hard it is to find a "do no harm" person these days, and with any kind of tact.

And I'll be doing tonite what I've been doing for toooo many years now: continue the house remodel. I'm slow, but ploddingly determined.

 

[sheeplady]

I empathize, Sheeplady, on how easily a doctor can throw you for a loop with a careless phrase or word. My partner just went in for a basic exam, and was generally A+, except that she had complained about some mild dizziness recently when laying down. Having just gone over the fact that she's prone to ear infections and a year ago had a doozy inner ear infection that gave nasty vertigo for a week, this Doctor (who is the better of the bunch around here) started in on how she should go get a CAT scan asap to rule out a brain tumor. Really?? With no other indications of that possibility, you just wanna throw that out there? You don't want to maybe rule out the milder options first? Especially after having just irrigated her right ear because of wax impaction? shakeshead They have their toys and they wanna use it. He even admitted it was to make him feel better (cover his ass). That he likes to rule out the big stuff first, and go down the list to the lesser stuff. So, no, not generally a fan of the medical community, either. It irks me how hard it is to find a "do no harm" person these days, and with any kind of tact.

The vast majority of my medical team is really quite good, and I know I am fortunate in that. They are kind and caring and loving individuals who would do anything they could for me. However, my primary care doctor has staff that are completely incompetent. Apparently my primary didn't pay any attention in school. I spent two days of my life convinced that in the worst case scenario I had ovarian cancer and in the best case I was going to lose my ovary in surgery. It turns out that even if I had massive ovarian cancer, you cannot feel an ovary on an external exam. You should have seen the look on my GYN's face when I told her the primary said it was my ovary based upon an external exam as part of my physical.

Lesson number one: Never mention to a cancer survivor that you believe they could have a different odd, rare, aggressive, and deadly cancer. It does not put them in a happy place.

Even worse is that my primary was supposed to contact my GYN to line up a sonogram to see my ovaries, but her office never even called my GYN. So you scare me like that to the point where I am on the edge of coping and you can't even have your staff call over to get me tested?

I'm even clueless at this point what to do with my primary.

----
Lizzie- I am glad your landlord signed the paperwork. I will keep you in my thoughts about the appraisal- I hope it goes well.

I hate moving. I hope you don't have to move.

 

[DecoDame]

Jeez, Sheeplady. :eeek: So sorry they worried you like that. Did you eventually get the sonogram scheduled then? Did your GYN have a different opinion?

The worst part of modern medicine to me is how fragmented the care is. I get that they have specialists for every aspect of the body, for increased expertise, but the problem comes when not communicating with each other about the whole picture (body). That and the assembly line feeling of rolling through the exam is...offputting. I'm glad you generally have a team that you feel good about. It seems like it's getting rarer to find Doctors to have faith in. I know there are competent people in it for the right reasons, but the modern structure and system seems designed to hamper proper care sometimes, rather than help. All the technology in the world can't help if the doctors and nurses are exhausted, overwhelmed and see you for 10 minutes... imo, of course. I guess we shouldn't wish for just a sensible, small family doctor anymore - the kind that help birth you and see you thru life and remembered that you broke your arm at 10 - but....I kinda do.

 

[sheeplady]

Jeez, Sheeplady. :eeek: So sorry they worried you like that. Did you eventually get the sonogram scheduled then? Did your GYN have a different opinion?

So I got the sonogram scheduled, because my husband called my GYN directly and explained what was going on. My GYN (who is an OB too, and delivered my daughter) is very good- she is one of the most recognized OB's in the area. She knows me up and down and sideways after a high risk pregnancy and then having me as a patient while I went through breast cancer. I get- and have always gotten- very good treatment there. I thank god I went to see her with my breast lump- otherwise I'd be dead if I went to my primary I have a feeling.

The sonogram was totally normal. The conversation after with the GYn went like this:
GYN: If you were having pain, why did you not come see us, rather than your primary? Come see us.
me: I was just going for a regular physical and the primary spotted it. I'm just having pain all over from getting back in the gym. I don't know what she felt, because I couldn't find it on my own or feel it when she examined me.
GYN: Why was your primary doing a GYN exam? You just had one in March.
me: She wasn't.
GYN: Wait.... she felt your ovaries externally?
me: Yes, she was pressing on my lower stomach, just below my belly button.
GYN: You can't feel your ovaries from the outside. (Rolls eyes. Not at me.)

She examined me to double check that there wasn't any kind of lumps in my body and suggested that I consider getting a new primary. I think the GYN was kind of ****ed at the primary for doing this to me.

Meanwhile, it's a over a week later. I wonder if my primary office *ever* called over.

------
The sad thing is that I'm a decently smart person. I knew on some level that my ovaries were deep in there, and likely couldn't be felt externally- I said this to my husband several times. I also know (and something the GYN brought up and the primary should have known) that I am negative for the BRCAII gene that causes breast and ovarian cancer- I brought this up several times too. Logically I should have known, and at some level I did know, that the chances I had some other form of deadly lady cancer was slim to non-existent this close to having had breast cancer treatment.

But I am still not functioning on all cylinders when it comes to my health. It's kind of like having post-traumatic stress disorder- I heard "It could be ovarian cancer" and I just got triggered right back to when my daughter was two weeks old and my OB walked in and said, "I'm sorry, but you have breast cancer." Cancer's not something I've watched people go through, it's something I've been through. I know what it's like to have nausea after chemo; pain so bad after chemo you can't move in bed because your bones, joints, muscles, and skin all hurt in unique different ways.

I think I could tolerate all of this if I actually felt like my primary's office gave a damn. I mean, people make mistakes. But you think I might have ovarian cancer and you can't be bothered to call someone to get me tested in a timely manner? Really? That is what really upsets me.

 

[DecoDame]

Firstly - great news on that sonogram!! And well, you're understandably upset.

That's a couple of major fumbles by your primary. Have you considered letting her know exactly how she failed you? Yes, doctors are a more "elevated" service, but it's still a service that is provided. She should know that calls aren't being made (giving her the benefit of the doubt on not knowing about her front desk) and as for her unique diagnostic technique, ideally she should be called on that before she inflicts it on the next gal, ya know? It might spare someone else similar worry. Can't hurt to speak up, especially if you're looking to leave her practice anyway...

But main thing is you're doing well. :high5:

 

[VintageBee]

I am glad that we have known our doctor for 30 years, can call him anytime and he's always willing to listen and ask us what we would like to do...he knows we research as best we can before we go in. We just finished a throat cancer scare yesterday, thinking my husband had it.. All the signs but nothing is there...to be extra sure, he has an esphogial scan tomorrow morning. Thankfully it only took 6 weeks from start of problem to finish....he has heartburn issues and it's complications from that.
So, suffice it to say we are putting our feet up, sitting in front of the fan (it's 85) watching the World Cup, with me periodically reading, "At Home With The Queen".
Praying you get the house, Lizzie!!
Sheeplady, definetly find a new doctor! There are some who still care....personally, I'd avoid Kaiser docs at all costs....too many bad experiences for me to go to one ever again. I'd rather push up daisies.

 

[Babydoll]

Scouting colors of yarn for my upcoming fall and winter line of baby hats on Etsy. Having a daughter, I struggle with coming up with the cute boys hats. Girl stuff is just so much more fun for me to create.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Spent most of the day on the porch roof, fixing and painting the upstairs windows. I reek of mineral spirits, my hands are filthy, my hair is filthy, my face is filthy, and at least a couple of times today my mouth was filthy. So tonight it's a hot bath and try to get all the paint and putty out from under my nails.

Meanwhile, I signed a pile of papers on the mortgage application today. Now my fate lies in the hands of the appraiser. If the appraisal comes in over $102,000, I keep my home.

 

[St. Louis]

How is that? Are you trying to refinance?

I spent the day taking a friend to the hospital ... this is someone who loathes medical situations and tried to convince me and everyone else that severe chest pains don't mean anything and would probably go away on their own.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My landlord's given me until August 1st to either buy the place or clear off. He's tired of being a landlord, even though I sold him the house in the first place.

I'm going with a USDA Rural Development loan, and they're very very fussy about lead paint and such things. I've never lived anywhere that wasn't completely swathed in lead paint, and I long ago gave up chewing the windowsills. But nevertheless, they insist all lead paint must be removed or "encapsulated," which means thoroughly painted over. I hate to paint even in the best of times, but when I'm on a four week deadline I hate to paint even more.

I'm the type that talks everyone into going to the hospital, even though I hate to go there myself. Hope your friend came out OK.

 

[VintageBee]

St. Louis...hope you friend is on the mend.

Lizzie-hoping the house is yours too sweet!!

Tonight we flew a kite in the neighbors orchard, ate some apricots and looked for pig damage along the irrigation lines,
Yup. He's romantic like that

 

[DecoDame]

I'm working through my stash of mulberries that I scored off the many ignored trees in our neighborhood. No one seems to know they're edible.

 

[St. Louis]

Thanks for the kind wishes. My pal is doing better, but further tests are in the offing, which will mean more coercion by me. Tonight I'm going to knit quietly, sip ice cold lemonade, and ignore the cats.

Lizzie, good luck on the house. It couldn't possibly ask for a better or more careful owner, I'm sure!