January is almost over and thank goodness. There is a saying that if you can survive January in the north then your seasonal depression battle is almost over. We were so spoiled by the mild November and December weather.that January has seemed brutal. We are however very blessed that the major blizzard went around us. I am praying for those who are buried in the massive snowfall. The sun is out here today and it has lessened my sullen mood. I am actually going to go out today and enjoy the sun.
Yesterday was one of those days that you get up and suddenly you wish you had slept through it. I wanted to cry last night but I kept telling myself to suck it up and reminded myself that we cannot change the past. Today is a better day and I am going to enjoy it.
I have had three meetings this month cancelled due to the bad weather and yesterday finally had some friends over. It was nice to fill the house with some laughter. However my friends noted that I had a bag of lettuce in the refrigerator that had been recalled due to a listeria outbreak. I did not know and I would have continued to eat it. I felt ill immediately and told my husband who has also been eating it. We are now worried along with some other friends who had bought and ate the lettuce also. On-line they had instructions as what to watch for. I saw that the incubation period could be a week or 21 days before symptoms occurred and up to 70 days. I think my mind was playing tricks on me as I felt ill last night. I called my dad to alert him of the recall and he was trying to reassure me not to worry. Okay Dad, I am going to listen to you and keep enjoying my healthy days. My friend tried to make me laugh, as she said we were playing Russian roulette with a bag of lettuce. That is not my idea of fun, but I realize my friend was trying to make me laugh as I had a look of panic on my face.
I have to accept that there is nothing we can do except pray and keep on living each day to the fullest. If we start having any symptoms we will be at doctors office pronto.
On a lighter note my husband and I went to an award dinner last night for LLS. They had a celebration for some of the top fund raisers for 2015. My husband and I were honored for our continual support of LLS. We surpassed our goal and was in the Bright Lights club. It was a nice dinner and of course it is always nice to be among other people who are struggling with the whole cancer journey. The highlight of the evening were of course children. One boy was honored as a Leukemia survivor and he was celebrating a one year anniversary. The other story of the evening was a little girl who had raised nineteen hundred dollars by herself for LLS. She had sold candy and was proud to say that she did it in honor of her Nana that has myeloma. She is an inspiration for all of us.
As we departed last evening from the awards dinner, we were saddened to hear that they will not be having the Leukemia and Lymphoma conference in the spring. It was hosted by LLS for patients and their families. We were told that the person who hosted this event lost the position due to cuts and consolidation of positions. My husband and I were very sad to hear this. We had attended the conference many times and it had helped us connect with other patients, learn about new medications, and all the research happening with blood cancers. It also helped us heal and have our fears validated by people who understood us. . We feel lost now and I am sure many others feel the same.
My last rant today is that darn cancer has worked its' way into my life again. I was saddened yesterday to find out that my childhood friend has breast cancer. She and I have been writing to each other for the last 44 years. Ironically she lives in northern Texas. We were separated when her father was transferred to another state for work. We never let that stop us from continuing a friendship based on letters and now an Internet connection. I still have a box filled with letters from her. We have seen each other a couple of times over the years, but our last encounter in person was about 29 years ago. My prayers are being sent to her and her family. God bless all cancer patients !
Seize the day and live it to the fullest and I hope wherever you are there is plenty of sunshine.
Life is beautiful !!
Elizabeth:)
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Medical Patient Rights
If I never heard the word cancer again in my life I would really be a fortunate person. In reality the word cancer is part of our every day life. Cancer does not discriminate and for some it is a death sentence. I am always happy to hear the wonderful stories that resonate from people who have beat the odds and have spent many years in remission and have been declared cured. I am also dismayed by the stories that are heart breaking when all treatment fails, or it is too late for anything to be done. I am also upset to hear people say that a patient or a caregiver was the problem for bad care they received. I recently read that statement on social media from a patient that had exceptional care. I am very happy that they received the exceptional care and that they are living life to the fullest. However to blame a person or a family caregiver for bad health care is beyond thinkable.
We are responsible for how we react to the situations we are in, but not for the actions from the health care team. A patient may be in shock or angry which happens when their mortality is confronted. They may become vocal or withdrawn and depressed. They certainly don't want to also deal with someone telling them they are a problem because they are unable to cope. There are so many things that could be going on with a patient at the time of diagnosis. It takes a strong medical team to help patients. We should never turn a deaf ear on a patient or family, because we don't want to deal with their pain. We as health care providers and I am included must show empathy for their pain or situation and try to develop a care plan that helps them cope or vent their fears, anger and frustrations. We always need to remember no matter how tired we are as health care providers that patients that are dealing with life threatening situations do not need to hear our burdens. We need to dump those burdens on proper counselors that are provided for the health care team.
My husband and I never want to hear again that we were a burden, because we had a hard time coping. Those were the words from a social worker at a well known Cancer Center. We want every patient to be evaluated and counseled before treatment begins. My husband's rights as a cancer patient were all violated and I pray every day that no one ever has to hear a doctor say he does not care what happens to his patients. I also never want a patient advocate to tell a patient that what happens to them is not any concern of the health care team. The advocates need to be trained to uphold the confidentiality of the patient and help resolve issues and not to judge them.
There is a reason that there is a list of patient rights at all health care facilities and we as health care professionals should know and honor the patients bill of rights. We may not always agree with the rights, but they are in place to assure that patient receives excellent health care despite any personal feelings we may have. All cancer patients should receive and understand that bill of rights upon admission.
One last point I want to make is that all cancer patients are to have a care plan for survivorship. It is their right to have this plan in writing. It is not the right of the physician to tell you there is no such thing. This is your life and you want to live it to its fullest.
I hope that the patient that said that bad care was because of the patient or family is never mistreated or discriminated against. Yes, there is always going to be a percentage of people that present challenges in life. It is up to us to learn from them, instead of passing judgement. They help make us accountable for our own reactions. I want to read and experience that 100 percent of people touched by cancer will have exceptional care. No cancer patient or family members should be discriminated against due to financial reasons, social status, race, education, profession, religion, personal beliefs, mental problems, or other illnesses.
My husband is a survivor and we not only survived the cancer, but we survived all the challenges that came with it. We didn't give up despite those who turned their backs toward us and friendships lost along the journey. We picked ourselves up and with help healed our soul. We walked away from the negative people and filled our life with people who love us. We surrendered our problems to God and forgiveness prevailed. God bless all cancer patients.
Life is beautiful !!
Elizabeth:)
We are responsible for how we react to the situations we are in, but not for the actions from the health care team. A patient may be in shock or angry which happens when their mortality is confronted. They may become vocal or withdrawn and depressed. They certainly don't want to also deal with someone telling them they are a problem because they are unable to cope. There are so many things that could be going on with a patient at the time of diagnosis. It takes a strong medical team to help patients. We should never turn a deaf ear on a patient or family, because we don't want to deal with their pain. We as health care providers and I am included must show empathy for their pain or situation and try to develop a care plan that helps them cope or vent their fears, anger and frustrations. We always need to remember no matter how tired we are as health care providers that patients that are dealing with life threatening situations do not need to hear our burdens. We need to dump those burdens on proper counselors that are provided for the health care team.
My husband and I never want to hear again that we were a burden, because we had a hard time coping. Those were the words from a social worker at a well known Cancer Center. We want every patient to be evaluated and counseled before treatment begins. My husband's rights as a cancer patient were all violated and I pray every day that no one ever has to hear a doctor say he does not care what happens to his patients. I also never want a patient advocate to tell a patient that what happens to them is not any concern of the health care team. The advocates need to be trained to uphold the confidentiality of the patient and help resolve issues and not to judge them.
There is a reason that there is a list of patient rights at all health care facilities and we as health care professionals should know and honor the patients bill of rights. We may not always agree with the rights, but they are in place to assure that patient receives excellent health care despite any personal feelings we may have. All cancer patients should receive and understand that bill of rights upon admission.
One last point I want to make is that all cancer patients are to have a care plan for survivorship. It is their right to have this plan in writing. It is not the right of the physician to tell you there is no such thing. This is your life and you want to live it to its fullest.
I hope that the patient that said that bad care was because of the patient or family is never mistreated or discriminated against. Yes, there is always going to be a percentage of people that present challenges in life. It is up to us to learn from them, instead of passing judgement. They help make us accountable for our own reactions. I want to read and experience that 100 percent of people touched by cancer will have exceptional care. No cancer patient or family members should be discriminated against due to financial reasons, social status, race, education, profession, religion, personal beliefs, mental problems, or other illnesses.
My husband is a survivor and we not only survived the cancer, but we survived all the challenges that came with it. We didn't give up despite those who turned their backs toward us and friendships lost along the journey. We picked ourselves up and with help healed our soul. We walked away from the negative people and filled our life with people who love us. We surrendered our problems to God and forgiveness prevailed. God bless all cancer patients.
Life is beautiful !!
Elizabeth:)
Friday, January 1, 2016
Happy New Year 2016 !!!!!
Happy New Year !! Goodbye 2015 and hello to 2016. The past is gone and we get a 365 new days to live and make the life we want. The sun was out this morning for the first time in a week. I woke up with a big smile in my face, yes sunshine is what the soul needs. My husband and I are going to bundle up and go outside to view those beautiful rays. Yes, life is beautiful !!!
We had the warmest December on record here in the north and also one of the wettest. We managed to be spared by the tornadoes that touched down and the flooding, but they were both too close for comfort. My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes due to mother nature. Sending lots of prayers to all of them.
We are finally getting a taste of winter. We woke up yesterday to a light dusting of snow and freezing temperatures. It was a shock to the body as my husband and I ventured out. The wind stung our face. The body has not adjusted to the cold yet. We are hoping to continue to have a mild winter and spare the snow.
I am going to do what I love to do today and that is cook and leisurely enjoy the day. I have to eat my blackeyed peas for good luck. Every day is a new adventure and I am wishing everyone good health, peace, and love. Watch out 2016, because here I come!
Life is beautiful !!!
Elizabeth:)
We had the warmest December on record here in the north and also one of the wettest. We managed to be spared by the tornadoes that touched down and the flooding, but they were both too close for comfort. My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes due to mother nature. Sending lots of prayers to all of them.
We are finally getting a taste of winter. We woke up yesterday to a light dusting of snow and freezing temperatures. It was a shock to the body as my husband and I ventured out. The wind stung our face. The body has not adjusted to the cold yet. We are hoping to continue to have a mild winter and spare the snow.
I am going to do what I love to do today and that is cook and leisurely enjoy the day. I have to eat my blackeyed peas for good luck. Every day is a new adventure and I am wishing everyone good health, peace, and love. Watch out 2016, because here I come!
Life is beautiful !!!
Elizabeth:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)