High Hopes for a 10 year reunion

Last week we missed Amy's 10 year high school reunion. This week my reunion is coming up and we are still undecided whether or not we are going to go. Most days when I think back on my time at Mesa High I have a sense of wanting to leave that chapter of my life closed with a mental bookmark that lets me look back on it from time to time. I have not ever really wanted to jump back into the mix and see how all the random people who wandered the halls with me have ended up.

I was thinking about how lame it is that a lot of my friends are not going. That fact also takes a lot of my motivation away from attending. I think though about how 10 years ago I would probably be too cool for a 10 year reunion...maybe my old friends are still too cool for all this. Maybe I've just gotten un-cool...or old.


Regardless I haven't been too enthusiastic about the whole scene. I just hope that if I do go I find out that I've aged significantly better than everyone else I went to high school with, and that my table looks something like this. (cowboy hat because it's at the Rockin' R Ranch)

The Real Michael Jackson Conspiracy Revealed

The media has been talking ad nadiseam about Michael Jackson's death these last couple of weeks and all the theories of how he died, why he did the weird things that he did and what was really going on in Michael Jackson's life. I found myself only mildly interested if at all in the whole affair until I stumbled across an old picture of Michael Jackson started filling in a lot of the pieces for me.






















If you look closely at Michael's face you can see that it's looking a little rubbery. This photo was later re-touched by head executive studios to look like this.

























So what is going on here? Well, it became pretty obvious pretty quickly after looking at this other picture I saw of the Jackson's hanging out and relaxing.




















Look at young Michael Jackson on the far left! The media and everyone else has been wondering why Michael spent his life as a black man trying to look like a white woman when the truth is so obvious. He was really a white woman who wore a black mask in order to sweep the world as a black man. We've all been so blind.


So why did he look like a real black kid when he was young, but then look somewhat deranged when he was older....simple. He didn't like changing from his original mask when he was a kid and it stretched out over the years. We all know his love for masks, what we didn't know what his love for his very first mask.

Why didn't we see it earlier...

Now, the really shocking part. Why did this never come out before. Why wait till now? Because the woman under the mask died just hours before the announcement that Michael Jackson died. Yep, you guessed it. It was Farrah Fawcett.

Of Course! The controversy about whose kids he has been raising because it was his male doctor who gave the sperm. It doesn't matter who the father was, Michael was the mother! Plastic surgery? No! it was that piece of $**! mask that was stretched to the limits over the years. Strange high voice for a grown man? Wake up! it's a woman! Sleeping with little boys? What elementary teacher hasn't these days? (except my beautiful wife of course). Use of drugs? No! Everyone knows Farrah was fighting cancer near the end, those drugs were legit!

And now at the end, finally the truth can come out. I imagine he/she wanted to tell everyone for years, but there were handlers too close to the situation who couldn't let that happen. So Michael, Farrah...RIP.

WICKED!

Last night we went with my brother, his wife, and my parent to see the much awaited play, Wicked! It was my first experience with this play and I loved it! What a fabulous play! I thought it was funny, clever and eye-opening! Perhaps the title should have been "Twisted" in comparison to the movie "The Wizard of OZ." You can't help but watch the "Wizard of OZ" and think that the "Wicked Witch of the West" is indeed wicked..but the play opens your eye's to an entirely different truth. Over all this play spins a whimsical enchantment that even the toughest of audiences would fall in love with.

I finally got to see my other niece yesterday! Helen, Dallas (Andrew's older brother) and our niece Isabel are all visiting from Australia! It seems like we haven't seen them for what feels like ages, but truly it's been since our wedding and Christmas. Yes, we have 3 adorable nieces Isabel, Audrey and little Peyton Anne (Logan and Ashley's) is on her way to make our 3rd! I enjoy watching Audrey who's 1 and can't believe how quicly she has grown! Isabel has grown so much too, I can't believe she's 2 all ready, time flies! I was worried Isabel wouldn't recognize us, because it's been a while since we have seen them, but she came right to me! I was glad when we stayed the night at his parents and got to meet up with everyone again. It was wonderful seeing Helen, I wish they lived closer, they are a lot of fun and we look forward to spending some time with them while they are here!

What's up Doc?

What's Up Doc?

UPDATE

I love my new doctor! Dr. Falk is very thorough and responds very quickly to any questions or concerns I have. He told me that the pains were normal and took the time to explain why I was having them and where they were coming from. He is very good about educating his patients about what is going on inside of them instead of just letting them assume all is well when they're in pain and are given no logical explanation or the time of day to hear them out. He is also very good about erring on the side of caution instead of the latter. If I'm really worried or have symptoms that are bad, my new doctor takes the time to answer the phone and talk to me right then, or has me go in to get tested, where as I would wait weeks to hear back from my Doc in Casa Grande and it would've been way too late by the time he responded to fix things if they had gone badly. I just feel so much better with the switch even though it turned out to all be okay in the end, I'm glad I switched back. For some reason I'm no longer nervous about seeing the doctor and for the first time I feel confident that when I leave the office that I leave knowledgeable and with assurance that all is going well.

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This is my review of medical experiences since my pregnancy began. It's to inform others who have moved here, or are not in love with their current OBGYN in CG. It's also for the curious or those who have advice.
My first experience pregnant, and with the Casa Grande OBGYN wasn't the greatest. I was sick with a fever, severely dehydrated, throwing up, and had severe intestinal pains. I was just plain sick. It just so happened that I had scheduled an appointment prior for pregnancy with my OBGYN, so I went in thinking that timing couldn't be better. I couldn't see strait or walk strait, so I had my husband drive me in, driving was out of the question, I needed help walking! They made me wait for what seems like ages while I was in tears hunched over in a ball in the waiting room with children and women staring on like what's going on, but for the first time I was in too much pain to care.

After waiting and waiting, Andrew asked if we could have a room, we went in and waited for another long spell (long after the time they were scheduled to see me, probably an hour or even two) the door opened and the desk lady came in and told us if I was in that much pain we should go to the emergency room - without seeing the doctor. I said I had just come from my regular doctor and he wouldn't touch me until I saw my OBGYN. I had indeed made an appointment here to see the doctor and I needed to see him. My new doctor eventually arrived and agreed to give me an ultra sound to make sure things were ok because I was so sick, but he couldn't see much from rubbing the tool on the top of my stomach, so he decided to go in and view me from the inside where he said my intestines were inflamed to the point that he couldn't really see. The nurse told him after we were looking at the monitors that he forgot to put the protective sterilized casing on the tool he was using inside of me. I wasn't feeling good enough to realize or panic until later... I just kept telling myself that "he's the best in Casa Grande" as I had heard that Dr. Phillip Ivey was the head OBGYN down here and everyone seemed to love him. That's another story.

THE EMERGENCY ROOM

9 Hours later in the ER and just barely receiving care, we finally got to see a doctor. Needless to say we weren't impressed with the emergency room or our first experience with our OBGYN. At the ER I was asked if I wanted morphine to deal with inflamed intestines and giving several IV's because my blood pressure was through the roof. I refused the morphine as I was pregnant and scared or side effects even though they said it would be fine.

I was given another ultra sound in the ER. The tech asked who my OBGYN was, and then said he wasn't very good at ultra sounds, and that he often recommends the ER instead. Andrew sat patiently by my side for 9 hours late into the night and we both swore off this ER, instead we are going to drive to Gilbert as they have wonderfully short wait times. Casa Grande's ER is known as a death trap, rumor has it that if you have heart problems you should just start digging your own grave, because by the time they see you it's most likely too late. We were hopping rumors were wrong, but now I'm not so sure.


BACK TO THE OBGYN

Another experience with this doctor, was when we argued about my height. He said I was 5''9 and told me, "you don't shrink after high school." I told him that I know my own height and that I've always been 5''7. After arguing for a bit, he said we'll just measure you again, and guess what, 5''7 it was.

When I was having serious problems with nausea, the nurse practitioner recommended medicine that would help me with the symptoms. I had told her what I was allergic Codeine just prior to her writing up the prescription. When I got the prescription filled, I read about the components of the medication. Codeine, was a large part of the medication so much so that there was a warning label on it. I had just told them not to give me this as I have a reaction to it every time. I didn't take the pills, thank goodness I had since enough to read it first.

Last but not least, I have been having sharp pains below my bottom left rib for months. They have been getting increasingly worse over time. When I asked my doctor if it could just be the baby, he said it was impossible! I told him that I had read somewhere that sometimes baby's kick or even can crack their mother's ribs but he denied it. I was now worried, what was my pain coming from?

He told me after my 3rd visit over a 4 or 5 week increment regarding the same symptom, that if the pain increased he would do an ultra sound just to check it out. I was really looking forward to ruling things out, especially since the day before I was spitting up blood, once in the morning and once in the evening. I was really beginning to get worried, as my feet and leg instantly blew up -swollen that same day and I thought I could feel liquid moving in them when I walked. I couldn't touch or sleep on my left side without what feels like bee stings on my inner left side and I sometimes jolt awake in pain. Now for the first time my shoulder blade on the same side began to ache too. Sometimes it felt like fluid or something swollen from the inside and I just wanted to have that fluid removed or drained. I informed my nurse practitioner of all of the above including my doctor's last observation and that he said if it got worse, he would check it out in hopes that they would follow through with the ultra sound or at the very least tell me it was all normal.

She stopped and looked at my chart. She then announced that the doctor had tested me way too early for diabetes and anemia. She asked if there was a reason he tested me so soon, and I told her that he really doesn't talk to me, so I have no idea, I thought it was just time to. She said she was going to re-test me for those two things and that she would talk to my doctor regarding the pain I was in to see what they should do as my doctor was in the office at the time. She then said that babies can break ribs (I was like what? the doctor told me they couldn't?) So I waited and I drank the sugar drink. I asked the practitioner if I could get some water to chase it with, and she said sure, but the lady who takes your blood told me she would have to retest me if I took a sip. I waited waterless for an hour in the waiting room.

A secretary handed me a slip of paper, without a word from my doctor. It was a write-up to see a "physical therapist for back pain". I was astounded. It felt like I had gone in with a foot problem and been diagnosed with a sore throat!

Finally my name was called by the lady who runs blood tests. I thought that surely the doctor or practitioner would take 5 minutes and explain to me what was going on at least, but after I gave blood, and I was dismissed. I turned around and had to ask at least for an explanation. I politely went up to the counter and said I would be happy to wait for the doctor or practitioner, for a quick review on the situation as I was confused and would feel much better with their reasoning. I also said it didn't make since as the doctor told me on my last visit that an ultra sound was his next step. The lady's at the desk pulled out my chart and looked it over, then said he had written down that physical therapy was what he had written as his next step. I was baffled, he had never mentioned it, all he said was a possible ultra sound was next. I said I'd really like to see either my doctor or the practitioner and I'd be happy to wait.

I noticed that the waiting room was completely empty, most of the desk lady's were gone, and the rooms were open with their lights off in the back. They said that they thought the doctors had left, but would double check, it was around one. A minute later, at the desk they told me that both of them were still there and that I could wait in room 4. I went in and waited, finally I was going to get the answer I came for! I just wanted an explanation.

The same desk lady came back minutes later, she said the doctors weren't coming and that was what their final decision was. They both had agreed to it. I asked her what happens next if it ended up being much more serious than this? She said that I could go to therapy and come back tomorrow if it didn't work out. I thanked her (thinking that they would probably send me to a toe specialist if I returned the next day- perhaps he's trying to beef up his buddies pocket books), I teared up realizing how truly powerless I was and knowing that only the ER (a 9 hour wait and ridiculous expense) or my OBGYN had any say in the baby's and mine well being and it practically scream that they could care less, I was just another number to them. (I haven't been able to keep sugar down without getting sick and hadn't eaten before going in so my emotions were shot and my sugar level was through the roof as I haven't had that much in such a long time), the lady who broke the news genuinely apologized seeing my distress, I told her it wasn't her fault, (she was just delivering the message) and so I left without a thought to reschedule (realizing that I need to begin my appointments every two weeks as I'm entering my 3rd trimester).

I explained to my husband what they said and their prognosis, he wasn't impressed, there seemed to be a pattern with these people. He said he thought that would occur, but wanted to be sure before we went somewhere else, and that our next step was to get a second opinion. I went down to our regular doctors office, Cotton Wood Medical Center, which we love, and asked if they could even just look at me, to make sure things were normal, as my OBGYN said the pain wasn't pregnancy related. They said they couldn't touch me because I was prego. I wanted to go somewhere else for a second opinion, even if it just verified the first, I just wanted to hear it was normal from someone who was a doctor because mine said it wasn't normal and that it wasn't pregnancy related.

I called around to other OBGYN's, it seems that when you are 27 weeks prego, your options are very limited, no one would look at me unless they took me on as their full time patient, and even then it was rare for a doctor to do so this late in the game.

I've decided to go to my old doctor Dr. Joel Falk, I'm sure it's long over due and I should have switched to him earlier, but I wasn't waiting a minute longer, I called and begged to get in. I was concerned about the commute to Mesa and being at home alone when contractions came. My old doctor was the doctor I saw before I got married. He works in Mesa, and he was fabulous, he was always willing to sit and explain or ask questions, I really felt like he knows his stuff.

Dr. Ivey didn't talk to me, I had to ask him if I should be sleeping on my sides or getting tested for this or that he wouldn't even return my calls and I would have to call to get any test results and wait on the phone as I demanded an answer. It seemed like the nurse practitioner contradicted his words a lot and she was always wondering why he did things on my chart the way he did. I felt like no one knew what was going on.

I finally went to http://www.vitals.com/ to compare doctors. My current doctor in Casa Grande didn't have the best reviews, but my old one had outstanding reviews and even received the patients choice award just last year, phone calls were returned within a day! I feel tons better about the switch and I haven't even gone to see him yet!