Daily Dose of Healthcare

4 Comments / Health and Wellness /

I read this post from Arianna a few weeks ago and I’ve been saving it for just the right time to blog about myself.  (Go read it and come back, it’s about "disconnected medical care")

TW has been dealing with a mystery bump for quite some time.  The GI doc wanted it GONE ages ago.  Another GI doc was sure she could snag it via colonoscopy but the "dark lady of digestion" was not sure.  She thought she would perforate the colon and that was not a risk she wanted to take.  So, she referred TW to a surgeon.

The surgeon was not sure he wanted to deal with this because he didn’t want to cut the colon if he didn’t have to.  Scar tissue on a Crohn’s colon is bad news.  So, the "dark lady of digestion" did another colonoscopy and we thought she was going to remove the mystery bump but she didn’t.  She just got more pictures of it to show the surgeon.  MRI was done, just to get more pictures.  All of the pictures were shared between the docs, pretty quickly and easily – they’re all available online but only in black and white  So that led to the surgeon having to request the color slides, which took more time.

Finally, they scheduled a combo colonoscopy/laproscopy to deal with the mystery bump and all went well.    All in all, I wasn’t feeling like we were getting "disconnected care".  I didn’t understand why the color slides weren’t available online to the surgeon, only black and whites – that doesn’t make sense to me at all.  I should find out why that’s the case, surely there must be some good reason.

Where I do find a disconnected healthcare issue is within the hospital itself.

TW had to go to the hospital where the mystery bump removal was going to be done and pre-register.  At pre-registration, she was asked for her complete health history, current medications, emergency contact person, "do you wear glasses or dentures etc…" Makes sense to ask those questions before surgery, before nerves set in, while a patient is clear-headed and able to answer questions properly, right?

Why is it that after surgery, when the patient is either groggy from surgery or in pain after surgery, that the nurses on the floor must ask every single one of those questions AGAIN?  I don’t understand this at all.

During this visit to the hospital, the nurses actually put the data right into a computer – why wasn’t it already there?  It’s the same hospital.  Why couldn’t the nurse pop in her name or scan her bracelet and immediately have her pre-registration info there?  That would be quicker and less stressful for the patient and it would seem like it would be safer as well.  What if the patient forgets to say "I’m allergic to ____"  or "I have a history of _____" and those things become an issue during the hospital stay?  If that data was already available to the floor nurse, then the process would be down to "do you have any personal items with you?" and "what’s your pain level?" 

Nursepammie?  Anyone else out there have a good reason as to why MY idea wouldn’t be more effective and helpful to everyone involved?

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Daily Dose of Nice

Daily Dose /

Kristen at The Mom Trap and Motherhood Uncensored (she gave out candy bars at Blogher, ya know) is doing something really nice.  It’s better than nice, it’s awesome. 

YOU can help her do something nice, did you know that?  You can click into her blog everyday, boost her page views, and that will help her get more Clubmom Points.  The more Clubmom Points she gets, the more she has to donate to a worthy mom.  Now that is cool.  Not only is Kristen doing something good for a mom, but YOU will also be doing something good for a mom and all it costs you is a click a day into Kristen’s blog (which is worth clicking into anyway, duh). 

Go now and tell all of your friends.  Go now and nominate a mom worthy of Kristen’s Clubmom points.  What are you waiting for?  GO!

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The Edge Chronicles – Freeglader

2 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites /

I finished a book and almost forgot to blog it, that’s how tired I still am. Geez. OK the book, I finished it. The seventh in The Edge Chronicles series, Freeglader. If you haven’t picked this series up, and you have children 7-12 or an affinity for children’s literature, then you should give the series a try.

We’ve all agreed that the first book was the best, the second was pretty good, the others sort of ho hum but only in comparison to the first two. This last one, much better. It tied up all of the loose ends from the other books. Gave a lineage, so to speak, showed us what happened to the missing sky pirates and librarian knights. It was a good way to tie things up. Which makes me wonder if this is the last in the series. I think it probably should be. Not because I’ve not enjoyed reading the books, I have. It just felt like an ending to me, tying up the loose ends, explaining all of the missing pieces – the end, happily ever after and all that stuff.

Oh darn, I just read a review on Amazon and it appears there are more books, though they seem to fit into some of the other segments we have already read. Interesting. Weird. I’m not sure I want to backpedal my way through those. I hate reading a series out of order and I’m afraid that is what this is going to feel like… ah well, they are quick and easy reads, I’ll probably give them a try if they become available at our library.

Oh what the heck, let’s have a little Edge Chronicles fun while we’re here….Looks like I’m Twig, that’s a bit of a surprise actually. I thought maybe Cloud Wolf.

#1 Twig

#2 Cloud Wolf

#3 Maugin

#4 Slyvo Spleethe

#5 Cowlquape

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Books to Buy!

3 Comments / Favorites /

I find it hard to read in hospitals so I’m a little bit behind on book reviews at the moment. Surely I’ll finish a book today, now that we are home and I’ve taken the day off to rest and regroup. But since there are no guarantees in life, I thought I’d post some book recommendations for you to hold you over.


First up – Selected Days: 2005. Woolgathering! is one of my favorite blogs. Elizabeth Perry is fantastic! It’s hard to believe she wasn’t really an “artist” all of her life, her work is just that good.


A Life Less Convenient: Letters to My Ex is written by Jen Burke of A Life Less Convenient and Transcending Gender. The first time I went to her A Life Less Convenient blog I read every post. Every single one. And, I often go back and re-read some of her posts. The book, it’s a must have for me. It should be a must have for you too, Go buy it.

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The Dark Lady of DNA

1 Comment / 2006, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

As a rule, I don’t like biographies about scientists. As a rule, I don’t even like a lot of science themed non-fiction. Based on those two rules, I shouldn’t have liked Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA, but I did.

Actually, I really liked it. It wasn’t the writing. It wasn’t because the race for DNA was compelling. I just plain liked Rosalind Franklin. Possibly because she reminds me of TW’s doctor (who I now call The Dark Lady of Digestion) and I like TW’s doctor a lot.

Whatever. I’m glad I finally made time to read this. I’m glad sassymonkey suggested it when I was looking for biographies for Michelle to read. Rosalind Franklin was cool.

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Daily Dose of September

9 Comments / Day to Day /

September arrived early this year.  Before I have people calling me or emailing me or private messaging me, I’m going to beat the rush and post just a wee list of special events that have happened here in the last 10 days.  Are you ready…

1) We’ve had 4 family birthdays.
2) I’ve driven TW to the airport and back.
3) The half child and his friend have replaced the serpentine belt on the car twice.  The first time, wrong belt.
4) I’ve had 3 dead batteries.  OK just one battery was dead but it happened 3 times.
5) 1 new battery was purchased.
6) In a 5 day period, I was in the car ALONE for 15 hours. 
7) In that same 5 day period, I was in the car with other people for 10 hours.
8) Jenn was sad because her luggage was lost and I being the non-compassionate mother that I am – laughed.  Which made her mad.  And it was her birthday.
9) Our wireless router died.
10) I’ve had 9 phone meetings.
11) I have spoken to the dirtbag on the phone, for no good reason that I can come up with except that – he’s clueless. 
12) Jenn, probably has kidney stones and is a little scared and a little over-dramatic because she’s an August woman AND because I had horrid kidney stones and she remembers how sick I was and how horrid I looked in the hospital dealing with them.
13) TW is heading into surgery in just a few hours.
14) I will be sitting in a waiting room with people and no internet connection.
15) My ankle, it’s still screwed up.

So, there you go.  September arrived early.  I’m just peachy.  So don’t ask.  Don’t call.  Don’t send mail. Don’t private message me.  I know you mean well but just don’t.  It doesn’t help.  And I’m not a nice person who can pretend that it does.  I’ve got 3 weeks and then this too shall pass.  So there.  Happy September, one and all.

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Chasing Crusoe

Classics /

As you may remember, I recently finished Robinson Crusoe.  Of course this means that everytime I turn around I will see some sort of reference to Crusoe or to being shipwrecked or something.  It’s some sort of law that this will happen.  (Should I do a post about how often The Moonstone makes an appearance in my world?)

Check out this multimedia piece – Chasing Crusoe.  Interesting.  It was slow loading at first but once it got going, it’s pretty cool.

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Daily Dose of Birthdays

4 Comments / Holidays, Kid Talk /

20I feel old.  I always feel old but today I feel extra old.  It’s Christopher’s birthday.  He is 20.  How did that happen?

Presents have been opened.  Candles blown out and wishes made.  Cheesecake eaten.  A lot of electric guitar has been played.  His g/f is on the phone and I suspect he will head out shortly to celebrate the rest of his day with people who don’t feel as old as I do
today.

Old. Old. Old.

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