Archive for Healthcare

The Edible Garden; a Permaculture Workshop

The Edible Garden: a Permaculture Workshop

Wow. Milena and I had a great time Sunday at the Permaculture Event at Tom and Susan Armstrong’s “Park” out in Redmond. They are great people: very knowledgeable, energetic, loving, sharing. They own the Raw Source raw food store– it’s in their converted garage. And they brought in Bruce Horowitz, a really great permaculturist/sustainable comunitist/raw food chef from Bellingham. And there were about 8-10 other guests, all of whom were really great, too!

It was just a really positive time of learning about sustainability, permaculture and how its design principles fit into your everyday life, and just being around cool people. And creating stuff! Yes, Milena and I worked on the “Herb Spiral,” which is a circular/spiral-shaped built-up area for growing herbs. It is south-facing, and each quadrant or so has a special purpose. For instance, the southern quadrant or so is made up of sun-loving plants, since south is the direction of the sun. Likewise, the north-facing quadrant or so houses more shade-loving herbs, since they will be shaded by the more southerly plants. HerbSpiral.tTARgwmUospQ.jpg

Get it? One of the main principles of permaculture is that each element of the design serves at least 3 purposes. Another is that the elements are all symbiotic. So, efficiency is prime.

Gluten-Free Vegans!

Well, Milena and I are now on the “Quantum Diet.” Yah, apparently Oprah’s on it, and loving it, so Milena and Janelle got all excited about it, and we all got going on it like 3 weeks ago. It’s gluten-free and vegan! Yes, I’ve been a freekin’ vegan now for 3 weeks! And I really AM loving it! It feels so good to be able to tell people I don’t eat any animal products!

Now, I guess I’m not completely vegan, because I do use some animal products, such as leather, probably, in some of my shoes. And yes, I do have a leather belt or two. At least, i think they’re leather. Who really knows these days? Could easily be some plastic products…

But apparently one of the main ideas of the Quantum Diet is just consciousness. Just being conscious of what you eat, your effect on the planet, the way your body feels and reacts to certain foods. And I am noticing that it is easier for me to feel the effects of food on my body. Pretty dang cool.

I’m still wavering around 164 lbs. That’s nice, too.

Allergic to Sugar

Found out about a month ago that i?m allergic to sugar!!! Oh My GAWD!!! No freekin? SUGAR???

So, haven?t had ANY sugar– well almost no sugar– in three weeks! And I?m feeling … well, a little better, I guess…

House fails to override Bush’s veto of CHIPS

Americans are spending billions upon billions of dollars to kill Iraqis and fuck up that whole country. But we can’t spend a goddamn cent more on the health of American children???? What the FUCK???

Of course the prez is all for it. But the newly-elected, Democrat-led House of Representatives can’t do a thing  about it? I know these fuckers aren’t representing me!

The prez and lame-duck Republicans say that this bill would allow too many children to have healthcare!!!

And the worse thing about the whole fiasco? The politicians are more concerned about their “careers” than they are about our children. 

Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times article:

“This isn’t the last fight we’re going to have where Democrats will try to put forth legislation that is populist or will tug at the heart strings,” said Tony Fratto, the deputy White House press secretary. [yeah, we wouldn't anybody's feelings about children to influence their decision to deny them healthcare.]

Mr. Fratto added, “Is it a good day? No. A good day will be the day that we pass legislation that the president can sign. But it is gratifying to know that we’ve got Republicans with sufficient backbone who are willing to stand tall and fight on principle in order to get the policy right.” [yeah, some "principle" or other is much more important than the health of our children.]

But some Republicans, like Representative Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia, who was chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee when Mr. Bush ran for election in 2000, were furious with Mr. Bush for putting them in such a difficult spot on children’s health.

“He’s not going to get his way on this,” said Mr. Davis, who voted to override the veto and predicted that Mr. Bush would ultimately be forced to sign a measure similar to the one he rejected.

“And he’s jeopardizing people’s careers,” added Mr. Davis, who is contemplating a race for the Senate. [yeah, the careers of career-politician is much more important than the health of our children.]

On the House floor, Democrats told Republicans they would pay a political price for their opposition.

Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York, who is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said that “President Bush is going to be there at his ranch in Texas” at the time of the next election.

“He will not be with you at the polls,” Mr. Rangel said. “By that time, the truth will have caught up with the message that the president and you are using to sustain his veto.” [yeah, Rangel, hit 'em where it hurts: their careers! Forget about simply doing the right thing.]

Democrats are seeking ways to revise the bill to answer criticism from Republicans who said it did not focus enough on low-income children. Critics say the bill would allow coverage of children from middle- and upper-income families and of adults and some illegal immigrants. [Oh, come on! When nobody can afford healthcare, how can you argue about how poor you have to be to qualify for any healthcare???]

Mr. Bush has named three senior administration officials to negotiate with Congress. But Democratic leaders would prefer to deal directly with the president.

“We intend to sit down with the president any time he is ready,” Ms. Pelosi said. “We hope that will be soon.” [yeah, you tell 'em, Nancy. After all, it is the "principle" of the thing that matters.]

Chances for a quick compromise with the White House looked slim.

Representative John B. Larson of Connecticut, a member of the House Democratic leadership, said, “We have a president frozen in the ice of his own indifference toward the children of this country.” [Unfortunately, very true, Mr. Larson.]

Ms. Pelosi said she had no interest in an idea promoted by some Republicans in Congress: providing tax credits to middle-income families to help them buy private insurance for their children. [When he can think at all, he can only think in terms of tax cuts.]

Tempers flared when House Democrats compared Mr. Bush’s veto of the child health bill with his support for the war in Iraq.

Representative Pete Stark, the California Democrat who is chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, told Republicans: “You don’t have money to fund the war or children. But you’re going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.” [right ON, dude!!! Now that's calling it like it is!!!]

Drug Study Phobia

Drug studies. Geez, what a fucked up thing, eh? You get paid (pretty well, by my standards) to be a guinea pig for some nameless huge-ass (and probably evil) drug company. (I mean, any entity that is THAT rich HAS to be evil…)

Now, if you even barely know me, you know that I have a heavy-duty blood/needle/hospital/doctor’s office phobia. But I’m only working half-time, and Dallas is expensive.

Well, M and I saw this one HIV drug study in the Dallas Observer Classifieds that offered $2,000 apiece! Geez! Four thousand bucks?!?! THAT boosts my courage real quick! We’ll do this one quick drug study and pay off a credit card! Yeehoo! We’ll do three or four a year, and be out of debt in no time! Yeee-hew!!!

So, we wake up bright and early this morning for the pre-screening at 8am. M and I were so excited, we got there 15 minutes early. I’m feeling really excited, ready to be on our way to richness.

We signed in, sat down, read the disclaimers, filled out a few forms. But then when we started reading about what the study entails: “If you are a woman, you must use at least two kinds of contraception.”

“Why?” I asked M.

“They don’t want you getting pregnant during the study. It could mess up the baby.” Eeek.

“Well, that sounds creepy.” Reading on, it said, “If you are a man, do not donate sperm for 30 days after the end of the study.”

Again, I asked M: “Why?”

“Your sperm is no good for 30 days after the study is over.” Ugh.

I really started noticing how much the place smelled like a hospital. I started getting a bit queasy, so right there in my little folding chair outside the reception room, I put my head between my legs and had M read to me. It just got worse. White bread toast for breakfast. Blood tests. My stomach started doing back flips and double-twists. I broke out in a cold sweat. I got tunnel-vision. I told M, “I’m not feeling very good.”

HA! That’s the understatement of the year!

M asked the receptionist if she could come back to Thursday’s screening. She got the OK and we split. We needed gas, but I couldn’t move. She pumped it in the blistering cold wind. Then she drove us over to Nodding Dog, where I had a tall cocoa and she had a terrible breve. I began to feel human again, and I drove me to work. And voila! Life goes on…

Sister’s in Hospital

My sister Deana’s in the hospital. Last night at 7, Mama heard “why? why?” from Deana’s room, ran in there, and found her unconscious on the floor. She tried to revive her, but cdn’t. Called 9-1-1. Ambulance cdn’t reviver her either. Took her to the emergency rm at Spohn South, and finally she came to enough to tell Mama her “head really hurt.” They did a CAT scan (which we know no results), and have been wanting to do a spinal tap, but when they tried Deana resisted too much.

They think she may have meningitis. Apparently another court reporting student at Del Mar came in yesterday, but refused treatment. Meningitis is either a viral or bacterial infection of the spinal fluid. According to the CDC website, particularly suseptible are students at college dorms, those in close living quarters with carriers, and old people. 10-15% mortality rate. My parents are 75 and 70, and Deana has been living with them now for three months or so. Not good.

Anxiously awaiting…

She’s OK

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*sigh* she’s ok. Just got back from the hospital. MRI and CAT scans were both negative. They wanted to do an arteriogram/angiogram, but when they explained to her that there was a 5% chance of the procedure causing a stroke, Dna said no thank you. Good for her.

They were freaking clueless, actually. When we got there, Dna was down in radiology. When the two RNs from radiology delivered her, they told us they didn’t know anything, they were from radiology.

One of Dna’s three doctors had told Mama that Dna wasn’t contagious. But he had apparently not made a note of it for the nurses, as one of them insisted we MUST wear facemasks. But while we were in Dna’s room, another nurse came in and fiddled with the IV machine without a mask on! When M told her the other nurse had not recieved note from a doctor that Dna was no longer risk of contagion, she just rolled her eyes and said, “whatever.”

See what i mean? Our freeking healthcare system is on the fritz big-time. I don’t trust any given doctor or nurse or other healthcare professional as far as i can throw them.

And who can afford it, anyway???