P.A.I.N

Persistent
Annoying
Inflammed
Nusance

Yep...that's what pain is. It can be your best ally when detecting other problems in your body and it can be your worst enemy when you don't know why the heck it's invading your body. I'm part of the latter group. I have no idea why I suffer so many physical setbacks. I mean, this has been happening ALL my life...one incident after another. The worst part of it all is when you have a completely functioning brain and hands. Some days I really sense that my mind did not shut down...even in my sleep. I never use to wake up tired, not only do I wake up tired, I wake up later than usual. Is this all part of aging? If so, this is not fun. I don't feel like my "normal" self. Every errand is intricately timed, so I know just how many steps I can take or how many times I can carry a bag before my body just gives out in some way.
Not trying to have a pity party, just wanted to talk about my reality right now. :::heavy sigh:::

Bass-ackwards!

"Bass-ackwards" was a term I would hear my Mother use when I was younger. I knew it meant somebody was doing something backwards or the wrong way but I had NO idea about the meaning of the word...literally.
"Bass-ackwards" is a word befitting our health care system in the US. Why, do you ask? Shall I list? I shall.
Bass-ackwards:
-Physicians that will continually prescribe medication to masked the side effects of other medications.
-Health benefits that will cover weight loss surgery but not the hanging skin it leaves behind, that continually gets infected due to trapped moisture in the creases of the skin. And they want to call the skin removal cosmetic surgery????
-Benefits that will cover surgery but not a homeopathic therapy that may take a little longer than the typical 6-8 weeks you're given to recover from a surgery.
-Not covering homeopathic or naturalpathic medications. Instead, go ahead and take a narcotic for years. When you need a new liver, they'll just put you on the 3-5 year transplant list. After all, your benefits will cover that surgery.
Of course my list could go on but I'll try not to "rant" too much today. I am so ticked that I've had to take out a $7000.00 medical loan to get a therapy that has literally saved my life twice in 12 years. Because neither physicians, nor the pharmacetical industry make any money off of it, it's not accepted by the AMA. What's not accepted by the AMA, doesn't usually get covered by your health insurance. Can you say "BASS-ACKWARDS"?!?
Do you ever remember hearing as a child, "They killed the man that had the cure for the common cold."? Yeah...well, I remember hearing it and thought it was just a crazy tall tale. The older I get and the more I find out about health care benefits, the medical and pharma industries, the more that tall tale begins to seem to have more truth to it. Check out this story about the "Cure for Cancer".
I'm a bit jaded with the medical and pharma industries right now. I found out a long time ago, you need to walk into your physicians office armed with the latest info because more than likely they WILL NOT know about it. I've made suggestions to my physician on what medication I'd like to try...or I've refused a medication the physician wanted to prescribe to me. It's sad, but I've even had a physician (in the past), I used like a glorified pharmacist. I would just call the physician, tell them what I wanted, how I wanted it and without a thought, the physician would prescribe it. Little did I know, I was doing damage to my own body. I'm sure the physician knew the long term affects but why should he tell me? That's just more money in his pocket in the future, right? Riiiiight!
Oye vay!

Random Rantings About The Pregnant WOMAN and Proposition 8

Okay...what's the deal? Why is this woman#1 - saying she's a man? #2 - talking about her pregnancy as if it's news worthy? It is just me or is this not such a big deal? LMBO! When I first saw the headlines about a "Pregnant Man", I immediately thought "side show". When I saw the interview on Oprah, (of course this is my opinion) I thought, "That's a woman! That ain't no man!"
Tracy or Thomas or whatever she calls herself is NOT an anomile. If you've seen a woman in menapause, you've probably seen a woman with a beard, mustache and at the very least peach fuzz. If you've seen a woman that had breast cancer in both breast, then you've seen a woman with no boobs (aka double mastectomy). Lord have mercy! My womb is the final thing that differenciates me from drag queens, trans-sexuals and gay men...therefore I am a WOMB-MAN!
I'm pissed! The nerve of her, having her "cake" and eating it too. The media is promoting this as if "she" has the best of both worlds. She can look like a man AND have babies like a woman. I heard someone in the media describe her as a "third sex". (Yes, I saw the NatGeo, Taboo episode about cultures that have a variety of sexes.) THAT is where I draw the line. I mean, why go through the trouble of taking male hormones, and legally changing your name and sex only to bear children later. THAT...is just not right. The hoopla is all about the fact that she has legally changed to a male...ON PAPER PEOPLE, ONLY ON PAPER!!!!!!!
You know what? I can wrap my head around people who just happen to fall in love with someone that's the same sex, I struggle with men who display what they think is a feminine persona. (Often times their behavior is crude, loud and severely exaggerated.) I'm still a little taken aback by individuals who are OBVIOUSLY male, dressing in women's clothing. I mean...for real? I saw an individual a couple of months ago that was obviously male. He looked so awkward, so uncomfortable and extremely self concious. It was just not cute. You can take all the female hormones in the world, your hands, head, feet and the length of your arms and legs don't change.
Regarding Proposition 8...whatever, man! The legal jargin is claiming that allowing same-sex individuals to marry will increase revenue in weddings and gays want the same "dignity and respect" to the lifetime committment that marriage represents. Um...you have got to come better than that. Yes, our Constitution says that all "men" should be treated equally. Do I think the writer's of the constitution were thinking about same-sex marriages or a third sex at the time it was written? Hell no!
Let's just let everybody marry. Brothers and sisters....fathers and daughters...first cousins! Heck...go for it. Let's just see how fast it takes for all the birth defects (physical and mental) from all this intermarriage to kick in. Most same-sex couples don't have children, so how long will it take for our population to decline? Same-sex couples are usually in a very high salary bracket. The gulf between the haves and the have nots gets greater and greater. I use to think I was middle class, but I think I'm sliding down the slope a bit. (Okay, so I'm digressing a bit.)
I can barely afford medical, life, home/auto insurance as it is. I don't want actuaries and statisticians to start pulling metrics and concluding something like, "There's a greater health risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fibromyalgia, etc. with 2 adult females in the household, so medical benefits should increase because of it." OR, "There's a greater risk of HIV or AIDS with same-sex couples..." Okay, so that latter isn't true but I think you get my point. Please...Pleeeaase...PLEASE do not pull the race card and throw it in the gay deck. Why was everyone in hiding or "in the closet" until 45-50 years ago? Afraid of persecution? Heck...at least you COULD hide. I can't hide my color, my kinky hair or my round butt (well...some have and do with plastic surgery) to blend in with the majority. I can't say, I was born white, chinese or indian just because I feel I have a kindred spirit with a culture or have an affinity for things of a certain culture. I don't know of anywhere in history where a group of individuals were forced into a homosexual lifestyle for hundreds of years.
In some instances homosexuals have walked in the footsteps of African-Americans. We got BET, they get Logo. We have specific vacations and cruises, they have Olivia. Heck, they've gone FURTHER than African-Americans. They have they're own condos, gay bars, gay beaches, gay friendly hotels...and the list goes on and on.
As an African-American woman, 95% of the time I travelled, I was the only African-American woman on the plane, in the hotel, at the conference. I had NO choice! Sometimes, I could tell as I approached a hotel registration desk, the person behind the counter was a little surprised to see me.
Okay...let me stop because I'm really beginning to randomly rant. LMBO! Whew!

The Planet, Going Green and My Top 10 Predictions for the Next 20 Years.

I love green...it's my favorite color. Anyone who knows me, knows I love green. I have loved green since I was a child and the reason is because of nature. It seemed like green meant life or health because in nature, green things were alive! Now green is no longer just a color, it's a noun AND an adjective. You can "be green", "go green" or "think green". Too bad this whole "green movement" has come too late.

I think we have done irreparable damage to the earth. If we had only taken a tip from the indigenous people of this continent and only used what we needed, we wouldn't be in this predicament. The damage is done. Now it's time to pay the piper and suffer the consequences. I know that sounds morbid, but it's the truth. Everywhere I look, organizations are forecasting things to occur in the next 20 years.
The Great Barrier Reef could be gone in the next 20 years, if global warming isn't slowed.
Oil supplies will start to run out in the next 20 years.
80% of Arctic Sea ice will be gone in 20 years.
Are experts thinking that we can slow down global warming in 20 years? Says who? I think in the next 20 years we'll be so preoccupied with the results of the damage of the late 19th and 20th centuries, we may see more adverse results than positive. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there is a global effort to "Save the Planet" but has it come too late? Yeah...I too think better late than never, but is my non-use of plastic bags and bottles, use of energy efficient doors, windows and large appliances and paperless billing statements going to do any quantifiable good? I'd like to think so but I can't help thinking, we might just be too late. Have we already gotten to the point of no return with the Earth?

I think at my age (oh yeah...I turned 40 on Nov. 11th), I'm finally able to "see" change differently. When you're young it tends to creep up on you. Like, I don't know when microwaves came out, I just remember suddenly having one. As you get older, you see what necessary changes are to come and can anticipate the resistance that will come with it. Well...these are my 10 predictions and some of the challenges that I think will follow:
1. A law will be passed that solar or wind power use be mandatory in some city and states (e.g. CA, AZ, NM, NV, HI). The pain will be the cost to transition from current power to solar power. I'm sure the government will have some nice incentives.
2. Video phones via the Internet will replace land line phones. Remember that phone Sly Stallone used in "Demolition Man"? when he answers a ringing phone in his new apartment and a video of a girl almost naked appears and she says something like, "Oops! Wrong number?"
3. Hot-house gardening will replace normal gardening because weather conditions will be hotter than it has ever been.
4. Home manufacturers will have a "standard" solar heating/cooling option for newly built homes. Traditional heating/cooling will cost more.
5. Model houses will look more like Florida homes with the enclosed pool and fiber cement, stone or brick siding.
6. Most people will work from home and utilize web conferencing/meetings. To ensure accountability, your boss will be able to view you either on camera or from your keyboard strokes to ensure you are working.
7. Physical education will become mandatory for children K-12. It would utilized the Nintendo Wii system. Not the dodgeball days of old. When a child has their gym class, they will have a variety of activities they could do for an hour, like tennis, bootcamp, hip-hop dancing or rhythm boxing. For special needs children, a physical therapist will be available.
8. Hair and body products will go back to the basics (e.g. olive oil, eggs, mayo, coconut oil, oatmeal baths) and manufacturers of organic products will blow chemical based products out the water. This may give rise to more lice breakouts.
9. Plastic bags will be banned in the U.S.
10. Bed bug and termite infestations will be on the rise due to the use of natural bedding and furniture products.

Will some of those predictions come to pass? I hope so!

Dr's = Professional Guess-ers

Let's face it! Physicians go to school to be professional "guessers". They're almost like a human search engine. You feed them the data (e.g. symptoms), click enter and your symptoms run through the database of their years of practice and medical school. The output is either information they are currently specializing in or maybe the most recent data given to them by the last pharma salesperson they encountered. Okay...so what! The last statement is a little unfair to physicians, however, in may instances it's probably true. Let me share my story...
I am one with multiple medical issues that started when I was a young 20-something.
Issue #1 - Dermoid tumors on both ovaries. Result? One ovary yanked (by a physician who suspected I had PCOS (poly-systic ovarian syndrome) but ruled it out) and a half of one yanked a year later (by a different physician, recommeded by the first), only to have totally desentigrated and dissappeared over a period of years.

Issue #2 - The darn scar tissue from the first two surgeries! (Taken out by a 3rd physician!)
Issue #3 - After years of tonsilitis, I got my tonsils taken out at age 30! One of the worst pains I've ever felt in my entire life! (Physician #4)
Issue #4 - Severe herniated disks in my lumbar region. Was on med leave from work for about 2 months. Physician #5 couldn't help me, Chiropractor #1 couldn't help me, so I was sent to Chiropractor #2 to do decompression. It saved my life!
Issue #5 - Obesity. Physician #6 attempts with dietician and pills but nothing worked but this time I was also diagnosed with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. Yeah...the same thing that Physican #1 ruled out 5 years prior. I was then sent to Physician #7 for Roux-en-Y.
Issue #6 - Major pain in left ankle. Enter Physician #8, who attempts correction with pain meds and orthotics but neither worked. Physician #8 sends me to Physician #9. Physician #9 diagnoses a torn legamint and corrective surgery.
Issue #7 - I trip and fall 3 months after the above surgery and break my right ankle and fracture my right leg. Back to Physician #9 for repairs (2 surgeries).
Issue #8 - Issue #4 comes back to visit periodically over the years.
Issue #9 - Issue #4 comes back with a vengence and results in a pinched nerve. After almost 4 months of medical leave, once again, Chiropractor #1 saves my life with decompression therapy.
Issue #10 - Diagnosed with DDD (Degerative Disc Disease) and every disc in my cervical spine is damaged (2 herniations, 1 huge bulge and all others with lesser bulges). Undergoing decompression therapy but this time is not as effective as in previous years.

At the pinnacle of frustration, I begin to wonder if all these issues have a common diagnosis that is going unnoticed. I know there are privacy issues involved, however, my wish would be that my entire medical record could be online, so any physician I went to could see my vast medical history. Along with that feature would be a database that would automatically query certain symptoms or key words in my records and match them with possible diagnoses. These possible diagnoses would then be scrutinized by my primary physician to determine (possibly through further testing) if the database queries were accurate. I know...we're not quite in the "Jetson" era yet, but we're getting close.

I'm tired of narcotic distributing, pill promoting physicians. I don't blame the physicians by themselves. Our society demands "quick fixes", so we're more apt to take a pill to get us back to work quickly than to take the time to allow our bodies to heal more naturally. Hmmmm...did I just say our current society doesn't allow us time to heal our bodies? How sad but true.

My sister recently had a friend that committed suicide. She was taking 22 pills a day. Ultimately her husband realized (too late), her physician was giving her medications to lessen the side effects of other medications. What a vicious cycle! Why is it that some physicians give regard to the side effects of long term narcotic use on your liver and others don't even mention it? How is it that I could take Darvocet for almost 10 years and no physician warn me about the side effects it may have on some of my internal organs?

Thank GOD for the internet and my ability to seek out information for myself. Many times, I've had to arm myself with data about my OWN symptoms and bring that data to the physicians attention or suggest a test, therapy or alternative to medication.

Currently, I have had to spend $7,000 (a medical loan) on decompression therapy not paid for by my benefits. Why is it not paid for? Well...a person in the medical field told me the AMA and the "grand poo-bah's" of the JAMA don't support homeopathic therapies because there is no money to be made. The use of drugs keeps the money pipline wide open to those in certain government agencies, and the medical and pharma industries. Hmmmm...so, where's the health of the patient considered in all of this? Yeah...

About Barak Obama...

Today I was asked the following questions: What do you think about us having a Black president and what does it mean for Blacks? Wow. Those are short questions, however, they warrant a very detailed response. My response will consist of observations as well as opinions.

Americans (of all colors) either receive/acknowledge or reject Obama's African side. Fewer see him as an American with the beauty of both cultures. Even fewer reject/ignore his White side. While America is called a melting pot, it by no means concludes we have accepted the differences that makes the US what it is, it only means we are probably more tolerant than some other countries.

I'm encouraged we now have our first Black president. (Mind you, I would have been just as encouraged if he were any other minority.) If anyone can legitimately be called an "African-American", it's Barak Obama. (He doesn't have to do a DNA swab to know just what part of Africa his heritage comes from.) What I don't want, is for "Black" or "African" to be the ONLY thing anyone sees. While for African-American's he's the best thing since Martin Luther King Jr, I want African-American's to see more of what he has become, has done for the community and is currently doing. I want Obama to become a beacon of hope and springboard for young Black (and minority) youth to now KNOW, it IS possible to be President of the United States and not just something cute every parent says to their young child to motivate them to excel in their education. I want ALL American's to see the history of his public service. I want them to see his fortitude in the midst of failure, his commitment to his family, his pursuit of what he thinks is right and just. Don't judge him or laud him because of his color alone. Research his track record, look at how he progressed to get where he is. No short cuts, no under the table dealings...just pure hard work and long hours in the halls of higher education.

I admire him more because of his transparency. He makes known to the public his past indiscretions and failures. It disarms the media that would make it their priority to discredit him in some way. It seams as though Obama learned very early, if you open your own closets, people won't go searching for skeletons.

My hope is the American's that voted him in, won't anticipate instantaneous change. It would be quite unfair of America to think 1 year and 9 months of campaign promises are going to come to their fruition in the first 4 years he's in office. It's also unfair to think he could clean up the actions of the latest (soon to be former) President. I'm glad President Elect Obama, stated in this November 7th press conference, "Let me close by saying this. I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead. We have taken some major action to date, and we will need further action during this transition and subsequent months. Some of the choices that we make are going to be difficult. And I have said before and I will repeat again: It is not going to be quick, and it is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in."
With that said, American's owe President-elect Obama, the same respect and support we've given previous Presidents and to expect no greater advantages or disadvantages for any particular race, creed or color of people.

I believe Obama to be the first President since Kennedy, to capture the real pulse and feel of this generation, not only nationally but globally as well.

Who's really runnin' thangs?

First statement. GOD is sovereign! There is no doubt in my mind that He is the creator of everything, however, the "principalities and powers" that run rampant in this earthly realm...who are "they"? I honestly don't think it's the President. There are far wealthier and more powerful "players" in this cat-N-mouse, governmental game and I think "they" have been runnin' this game for centuries. No, I'm not a "conspiracy theorist". I think this government that is supposed to be run "by the people, for the people" is really being manipulated by "Illuminati-like" people.

I really do think there are a bunch of white men, over the centuries, that have manipulated everything from the stock market to gas prices to the overall economy. I keep imagining it as their "Great Chess Game" and the American people are the "pawns". Come on people! How the heck does gas go from almost $5.00 to $1.50 in a months time!
I think our government is made up of both emotional reactions from something as trivial as hearsay and strategic alliances, so that the extreme wealthy can continue to gain more wealth.
About 11 years ago, I worked for a company that traded commodities. I can remember one instance of a farmer suggesting another farmer's corn had some kind of mold in it. Through the course of one day, I watched that rumor run straight to the Chicago Board of Trade and corn prices dropped severely. Companies actually stopped buying corn until someone could corroborate the "moldy corn" story, only to find out the next day, it was just a rumor. I can remember how shocked I was to hear of another farmer committing suicide over a similar rumor.
I blame the media. I place some journalist in the same category as the sleezy "paparazzi" who track down stars just to get the worst picture of them, only to sell it at the highest price they can get to a gossip rag. The media is such a sticky wicket. We endorse television stations and media conglomerates to communicate to us the happenings of the world, but because of the 5th amendment, we don't tell them "how" to serve it to us. Because most people want truth and the media knows we want truth, we assume that's what we're being fed. What we really get is an individual's personal "spin" on the truth, which often results in a flat out lie. Depending on what level of exposure the journalist has access to(from the town paper to CNN), the more we seem to readily believe it or at least want to believe it.
Unfortunately, because of the Internet, any "Joe Schmoe" can post a lie and the domino effect of that lie (all depending on the topic) could be disastrous. The word "Internet hoax" didn't exist 20 years ago. (I would give an example but I don't want the Secret Service knocking on my door). There are people who Google their own name, their company, their clients...just to see what is being said about them, to see if any real truth leaked out.
So, who's runnin' thangs? Guess. Much money, much power. Did you know there were "suddenly" 178 billionaires (globally) as of March of 2007? That's BILLIONAIRE people. Did you know Warren Buffets stock trades are so huge they're not traded on the open market for the public to see? (And I would imagine there are others as well.) And then there's "us". The people who can't purchase a measly 1.6% stake in a company for $240 million. We are...the CONSUMERS! We buy the latest, greatest cellphone..."they" buy the company. We buy the food with the cool new packaging..."they" trade the company for profit. Remember that song from the musical,"Cabaret"?

I guess the haves and the have-nots will always be. In a world like this, if you don't find contentment in God and what He provides you, you will be miserable. No wonder the bible says, "...Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)

History In The Making

I am in awe. I can't believe, I am on the cusp of a major, monumental, history making event. I've wanted to document it somehow, but no one media seems to be sufficient. Should I blog it? Vlog it? I have a feeling YouTubers are going to shut the servers down Tuesday and Wednesday.
I'm both excited and tired. I'm tired of the political "machine" running overtime, blowing pictures and statements by McCain and Obama out of perportion, hearing everything from forboding prophetic words to racial slurs. It's absolutely ridiculous! November 5th could not come any sooner!
On another note, how very said that Barack Obama's grandmother would die on the eve of the election. Obama doesn't even have time to properly grieve...bless his heart. I pray that God would give them strength and courage and the privacy to grieve. Public life can be so demanding. Blogging and vlogging is about as public as I can get. I'm definitely a behind the scenes kinda girl.
Back to the history thing. I want to take in every moment, every emotion. I want to make sure I write about it in detail, so my great-great-great grand "whatevers" can get some intimate detail that may be lost in the history books.
Here we go...making history!