Lots on My Mind

I started a post last night about my SL work with U2inSL all weekend long on my stay-cation but didn't get it finished. I'll try to finish that up and share it later in the day.

My post was interrupted last night by a phone call from my mom who is spending most of the summer in Flagstaff, AZ where it is much much cooler (7,000 ft elevation). By now you might have seen the news. (NBC Today Show clip here) Mid afternoon yesterday two medical helicopters collided in town near the hospital. 6 of the 7 passengers/crew/patients were killed. Our good friend is a fireman/EMT who just recently began working on the rescue helicopter. Thankfully, I was able to contact his wife - one of my best friends from Flagstaff and teaching days, and he is ok. He was on the unthankful duty though of rescue and putting out the brush fire. We are still waiting word for who the crash victims were. I'll hold my breath. Even though it is a town of 60,000 - it is still the size where you tend to know so many. Having taught there for 10 years, and lived there for 17, I worry that the names will be familiar. Either way, no matter what the names are, it is a horrific tragedy.

Then, my morning this a.m began with another doctor appointment. Sometimes it seems like that's one of the purposes of stay-cations, don't you think? Get all caught up on everything you put off the rest of the year? Anyway - I saw the dermatologist. It has been about 10 months since I was there. I finished a 8 month series of Accutane ending last September. Having battled with acne my whole life, it was an incredible solution. Super intensive with scary side effects - but I have been so happy with the results - it was totally worth it. Anyway, I went not because of that, but because I had this weird mole thing that just appeared one day near my temple but up in my hairline. It grew almost overnight and Dave and the kids teased me I had an antler coming in! We all laughed and I got my butt to make an appointment right away. It never grew bigger than the size of um...the size of a small pencil eraser - in fact it was probably 1/3 of that - and hidden in my hair. But - last week... it just fell off!! LOL TMI? Grossed out? Sorry - couldn't resist sharing that :) Anyway I kept my appointment.

The good news - this silly thing that was there and now gone is... "all a part of the aging process!!!" GOOD LORD! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! "Ok... so how long do I have to wait for the next horn to grow?" was the first thought running through my mind. Then, since I was wearing a sleeveless cami/tank, I noticed she kept looking at my left shoulder. I asked her to look at a spot that she had once told me was nothing - just all part of having babies and hormones... about the size of a dime on my left shoulder... red and white and shaped kinda like an upside down pear. She freaked out. Well, freaked out in a doctor-type way. "How long have you had that? That must be a scar? Are you sure that isn't a scar? You've never had any injury there?" After I reminded her she had looked at that about 2 years ago and told me it was nothing - when it was about 1/2 its size, she said "Well, it needs to come off. It could have 'finger' type things under the surface of your skin and we need to biopsy it ASAP." Well... reassuring huh? I went from having an antler to being a natural aging 39 year old to having something that is hideous and needs to immediately be extracted from my body. The part that scared me was learning the procedure they will biopsy it with had the word chemo in it.

So... I await the results of my head CT to see what in the world is living in my sinuses and if I truly do have a brain knocking around up there. I will have to wait for the biopsy until July 17 and then results days after that. But in the meantime, I have to just be thankful for all I have and remember that life is short and I suppose I could be hit by a bus at a moment's notice, right? Ok - I'm on my stay-cation not near any busses - but you get the idea.

Thanks for listening. I added a new sidebar addition called Punkymoods that I thought was a perfect compliment to my blog on a day like today. Cheers to finding good news and blessings in the rest of my day - and for you doing the same.

Waiting

Don't you think waiting at the doctor's office is just the worst? I love our family doctor - she is the best and a working mom of 4 kids too - what more could I ask for? But waiting to see why the pressure in my head won't go away after my really bad migraine makes me nervous. I'm trying not to be a hypochondriac - and Dave has told me I am in super big trouble if I get any sort of news that would threaten to leave him alone with 4 kids. BUT that isn't going to happen - he couldn't be that lucky :) heehee.

So in the meantime I was wishing Joonie would throw up a bubblegum quiz for me to take my mind off things. Blissie's shopping success from the weekend has helped some :) In her email updates, she says there is nothing like a new Ann Taylor dress to help you beat the NYC heat wave they are facing. How can I not agree.

Ok back to waiting and seeing if this really posts :) Cheers!
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

I cannot go to school today...

When I was little, my favorite poem by Shel Silverstein was "I cannot go to school today said little Peggy Ann McKay." I recited it last week to my son who was complaining about feeling sick and not wanting to go to school. That'll teach me...

We have been fighting the hideous flu season bugs at my RL house for weeks. First strep then sinus infections and ear infections. It takes the fun out of RL and SL frankly when you can barely hold your head up and form complete sentences. Monday I went to work and they actually sent me home saying I looked horrible. Man, I thought I looked good :) Shows you how sick I was LOL.

So I set out to see just what is available on SL if you are sick. There was a wide range of care facilities and obviously designed around the varying health insurance programs you are able to afford.

I first saw a doctor at this amazing facility. Or.. I thought I was going to see a doctor. I waited and waited but no one was around. It was reminiscent of going to the OB/GYN when obviously he is off delivering a baby and the staff forgot you were in the office. I poked around in the cupboards and stole a few free pens and then I headed off to find a facility with some help.

This place definitely had a staff and directed me to lay down. They tried to have me join their SL group :) I wondered what that would mean and voted not. I could hear someone in the next room having a baby so I assumed this hospital was mostly used for birthing. Since the staff seemed to not care if I explored and conducted services myself, I set out to find out what was wrong with me. After a chest xray they determined I was beyond help and started to wheel me toward the morgue. Who says you can't get good healthcare on SL! At least those I love will be left with my good SLife insurance :)

Seriously, nothing like a good strong round of antibiotics and some stiff cough syrup/decongestant to get you back on the road to perfect health. Yes, after fighting something on your own with every home remedy known to man for 3 weeks, it IS time to suck it up and seek RL medical help. Thank goodness I did! I've gotten some good rest. And, I will try to look my best when I return to the office tomorrow so I don't scare everyone away. I've been gone so long now I'm not sure if they'll remember what I looked like when I left.

Until tomorrow, I'll just snuggle under the blankets on the couch and take one more quick nap.