8/26/13
8/25/13
Minor Update
Thanks to all who left comments on my last post. Your tips and experiences are really helpful.
I nearly lost it with the doctor's office on Friday because I couldn't get a call back. And when I finally talked to a real person, it was a nurse who could answer none of my questions. We will definitely be changing doctors. In the meantime, I spent a good part of my day tracking down a pediatric endocrinologist. Even in a big city, they are not easy to come by, most of them wouldn't make an appointment without a referral, and the earliest appointments are months away. But eventually, I found a specialist, made an appointment for late October--the earliest I could get in with anybody, and directed my doctor to make the referral to specialist and send over PS's records. It was all far more difficult than it needed to be, if the primary care physician would have done his freaking job.
I know in the great world of terrible diseases, this one is not so bad. It just sucks to have a chronic illness diagnosis at 14. And my bigger concern is her risk of related illnesses--so I want as much information as possible so that we can do whatever we need to prevent or minimize future problems.
Between this and other issues this week has been really shitty. I'm feeling like I must have really pissed off karma. I just want to crawl in bed and hide under my covers and wish all the bad stuff away. Unfortunately, that doesn't really work for grown-ups.
I nearly lost it with the doctor's office on Friday because I couldn't get a call back. And when I finally talked to a real person, it was a nurse who could answer none of my questions. We will definitely be changing doctors. In the meantime, I spent a good part of my day tracking down a pediatric endocrinologist. Even in a big city, they are not easy to come by, most of them wouldn't make an appointment without a referral, and the earliest appointments are months away. But eventually, I found a specialist, made an appointment for late October--the earliest I could get in with anybody, and directed my doctor to make the referral to specialist and send over PS's records. It was all far more difficult than it needed to be, if the primary care physician would have done his freaking job.
I know in the great world of terrible diseases, this one is not so bad. It just sucks to have a chronic illness diagnosis at 14. And my bigger concern is her risk of related illnesses--so I want as much information as possible so that we can do whatever we need to prevent or minimize future problems.
Between this and other issues this week has been really shitty. I'm feeling like I must have really pissed off karma. I just want to crawl in bed and hide under my covers and wish all the bad stuff away. Unfortunately, that doesn't really work for grown-ups.
8/22/13
Not Cool
I took PS to the doctor yesterday. Mostly just a well-child check. To go ahead and start the HPV vaccine. And because she had been complaining a lot about being tired and having headaches. I didn't know if it was normal teenagerness or something else. So it seemed like a good time for a checkup.
Her vitamin D is low. And so is her thyroid. Unfortunately, I learned all of this via a voice message because I was stuck in meetings all afternoon. The doctor never returned my call back. I'm not happy that this news was delivered via a voicemail with no call back. I have a lot of questions.
But my cautious googling has me a bit freaked out. PS will likely have to take thyroid meds for the rest of her life The meds contribute to low bone density--already a risk for her. If it's not treated, her children could have birth defects. And she could develop a goiter. And hypothyroidism is associated with rheumatoid arthritis--what my mother has and the thing I am most terrified of inheriting from her. But I am even more terrified of my children inheriting that ailment.
I had better talk to the doc tomorrow. I will insist on a referral to a pediatric endocrinologist. I need to know what is causing this--and if there is anything else going on. Honestly, I don't trust my doc to do a thorough review.* I only recently started going to him, and he doesn't seem to be particularly detail-oriented, although he's happy to give out meds. He doesn't have a family history--so he doesn't know that her grandmother who died from cancer also had thyroid issues, and that her other grandmother has multiple autoimmune diseases (the most common cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune disease). I need someone who wants to figure out the whole picture and not just a quick fix to an immediate problem.
In happier news, we found out that SS made the select choir in middle school. This is somewhat hilarious, since she absolutely will not sing in front of us. So I had no idea what her chances were. But apparently the kid can sing.
*Yes, I know this means I should look elsewhere. I just changed from a doc who wouldn't listen to me and would give me meds for anything, so it was a welcome relief to actually receive treatment for real ailments. Finding a good doc is not an easy thing.
Her vitamin D is low. And so is her thyroid. Unfortunately, I learned all of this via a voice message because I was stuck in meetings all afternoon. The doctor never returned my call back. I'm not happy that this news was delivered via a voicemail with no call back. I have a lot of questions.
But my cautious googling has me a bit freaked out. PS will likely have to take thyroid meds for the rest of her life The meds contribute to low bone density--already a risk for her. If it's not treated, her children could have birth defects. And she could develop a goiter. And hypothyroidism is associated with rheumatoid arthritis--what my mother has and the thing I am most terrified of inheriting from her. But I am even more terrified of my children inheriting that ailment.
I had better talk to the doc tomorrow. I will insist on a referral to a pediatric endocrinologist. I need to know what is causing this--and if there is anything else going on. Honestly, I don't trust my doc to do a thorough review.* I only recently started going to him, and he doesn't seem to be particularly detail-oriented, although he's happy to give out meds. He doesn't have a family history--so he doesn't know that her grandmother who died from cancer also had thyroid issues, and that her other grandmother has multiple autoimmune diseases (the most common cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune disease). I need someone who wants to figure out the whole picture and not just a quick fix to an immediate problem.
In happier news, we found out that SS made the select choir in middle school. This is somewhat hilarious, since she absolutely will not sing in front of us. So I had no idea what her chances were. But apparently the kid can sing.
*Yes, I know this means I should look elsewhere. I just changed from a doc who wouldn't listen to me and would give me meds for anything, so it was a welcome relief to actually receive treatment for real ailments. Finding a good doc is not an easy thing.
Ouside My Comfort Zone
We had our first fencing tournament yesterday. It was an in-house tournament, so not super formal and there were only familiar faces around, but it was sanctioned. I didn't come in last!
PS, TT and I have only been fencing for about 6 weeks, so none of us had great expectations. We are the newest in our club by quite a bit, and several of the others have competed nationally.
Doing this really is outside my comfort zone. For one thing, it seems most people don't suddenly pick up fencing at the ripe old age of 38. There are a few adults in our club, but most of them fenced when they were younger. The vast majority of the club is teenagers. And most of their parents stay for our practices. I have no idea what they think about the old lady hanging out with all the kids. But I roll with it. Who cares, right? At least I'm active and not sitting on the sidelines.
And I'm highly competitive (duh--like most type A lawyers). But that makes it hard for me to stick with something that I'm not naturally good at. I'm not naturally good at this (or anything that requires athleticism). But it's fun. And it's great time with my girls. And it's more exercise than you would think (especially when our coach goes all Jillian Michaels in our drills).
So I'll keep working at it. My goal in this tournament was to get at least 5 points (or touches) against my opponents. I got 17. And I won one bout! The kid I beat was only 13, but built like a linebacker and was an experienced fencer. And I scored some great points against the two girls who fought the final bout. (One of them said she was going easy on me at first, but I surprised her because I was better than she was anticipating.) At least I made them work a little for their wins, and they didn't steamroll me. Overall, I am very happy with how I did.
PS and TT were in a younger pool going against two very experienced fencers. They didn't place well, but a lot was due to the small pool and the stiff competition. I think they will do fine in a larger pool and should be ready for a real tournament in the fall.
PS, TT and I have only been fencing for about 6 weeks, so none of us had great expectations. We are the newest in our club by quite a bit, and several of the others have competed nationally.
Doing this really is outside my comfort zone. For one thing, it seems most people don't suddenly pick up fencing at the ripe old age of 38. There are a few adults in our club, but most of them fenced when they were younger. The vast majority of the club is teenagers. And most of their parents stay for our practices. I have no idea what they think about the old lady hanging out with all the kids. But I roll with it. Who cares, right? At least I'm active and not sitting on the sidelines.
And I'm highly competitive (duh--like most type A lawyers). But that makes it hard for me to stick with something that I'm not naturally good at. I'm not naturally good at this (or anything that requires athleticism). But it's fun. And it's great time with my girls. And it's more exercise than you would think (especially when our coach goes all Jillian Michaels in our drills).
So I'll keep working at it. My goal in this tournament was to get at least 5 points (or touches) against my opponents. I got 17. And I won one bout! The kid I beat was only 13, but built like a linebacker and was an experienced fencer. And I scored some great points against the two girls who fought the final bout. (One of them said she was going easy on me at first, but I surprised her because I was better than she was anticipating.) At least I made them work a little for their wins, and they didn't steamroll me. Overall, I am very happy with how I did.
PS and TT were in a younger pool going against two very experienced fencers. They didn't place well, but a lot was due to the small pool and the stiff competition. I think they will do fine in a larger pool and should be ready for a real tournament in the fall.
8/9/13
Life...it's busy
I've been burning the candle at both ends for a while now. I doubled my typical monthly hours for July, knocked out the first draft of a national journal article, and wooed a new client. I'm on track for another very above-average month for August. I'm ready for some down-time, and I'm thrilled that this is my first unplanned weekend in more than a month.
Last weekend was my shopping weekend with the twins with a stay at a resort hotel. The shopping was fun, and the pool at the hotel was awesome. I think we may have to start an annual tradition. It was really fun to get some girlie time.
The weekend before that was my cousin's wedding. The one my mother was able to attend, despite having to travel more than 350 miles. Despite the fact that it was in a very old, historic location with plenty of stairs and uneven brick pavement. But she couldn't make my brother's wedding, a mile from her house with no accessibility issues.
I did my best to keep the drama to a minimum. My brother was angry enough that he didn't want to attend at all. However, since I kept his daughter after his wedding, he had to travel here to retrieve her, and didn't really have an excuse not to attend. We managed to avoid her until after the wedding. But the bride wanted a photo with all of her family. I was walking up to the group and apparently had my bitchface on while approaching my mother.
She said, "are you mad?"
I said "yes, I am. What you did to [Brother] is not ok." She was stunned.
My brother told my aunt he wouldn't be in the photo. But the bride didn't know anything about the drama and said "wait, where's [Brother and New Wife]" And someone else said, "yeah, where did they go?" Obviously my family did not know about what had happened. So I said, while smiling at the camera, "He's not here because HIS mother didn't bother to show up for HIS wedding."
Photo snapped, everyone disbursed. Other cousin high fived me "that was awesome." I apologized profusely to the mother of the bride (my aunt) for the drama that spilled over into cousin's wedding, and explain how hurt my brother was and how humiliating it was to explain over and over why his mother wasn't at his wedding.
We stayed on the opposite side of the room from my mother for the reception and left early (with the reasonable excuse that it was an hour's drive back to our house and we had the kids).
In other news, I took TT to the pediatric cardiologist for a checkup today, and she has outgrown her heart defect. Yay!!!
TT, PS and I are still fencing. TT decided to stick with it after all, and they are ahead of me because they've made a lot more classes than I. I'm glad to have an activity I can do with them, and I'm glad they've both found a physical activity they enjoy. I enjoy it too, but I'm frustrated with my slow progress. I'll admit that I tend to not stick with things unless I'm good at them. I'm not naturally good at this. But hopefully I will get better. And the workout is a good thing, I can definitely feel my legs right now.
I've plateaued on the weight loss front, after losing about 25 pounds. Mostly because I've been too busy to shop, plan, prepare and then log the foods I eat. But at least I've made enough healthy lifestyle changes that I have maintained even while being super busy. Now that things have slowed down a bit, I'm trying to refocus so I can lose the last 7 pounds of my original target. Many of my clothes are too big, but I don't want to go shopping until I lose that last bit. I'm also annoyed that my belly doesn't seem to be shrinking. My arms and shoulders are looking great (I think the fencing is helping), and my already skinny legs are getting skinner (I wish they wouldn't), but my stupid belly won't budge. After stuffing two babies in there, nothing short of plastic surgery may work, although I suppose I should at least try a good ab workout.
The girls go back to school in two weeks. I'm in a bit of a funk, dreading the end of summer. I hate the extra craziness that the school year brings, and I think it will only be worse with the twins in middle school and participating in athletics and choir and band and theater.
Last weekend was my shopping weekend with the twins with a stay at a resort hotel. The shopping was fun, and the pool at the hotel was awesome. I think we may have to start an annual tradition. It was really fun to get some girlie time.
The weekend before that was my cousin's wedding. The one my mother was able to attend, despite having to travel more than 350 miles. Despite the fact that it was in a very old, historic location with plenty of stairs and uneven brick pavement. But she couldn't make my brother's wedding, a mile from her house with no accessibility issues.
I did my best to keep the drama to a minimum. My brother was angry enough that he didn't want to attend at all. However, since I kept his daughter after his wedding, he had to travel here to retrieve her, and didn't really have an excuse not to attend. We managed to avoid her until after the wedding. But the bride wanted a photo with all of her family. I was walking up to the group and apparently had my bitchface on while approaching my mother.
She said, "are you mad?"
I said "yes, I am. What you did to [Brother] is not ok." She was stunned.
My brother told my aunt he wouldn't be in the photo. But the bride didn't know anything about the drama and said "wait, where's [Brother and New Wife]" And someone else said, "yeah, where did they go?" Obviously my family did not know about what had happened. So I said, while smiling at the camera, "He's not here because HIS mother didn't bother to show up for HIS wedding."
Photo snapped, everyone disbursed. Other cousin high fived me "that was awesome." I apologized profusely to the mother of the bride (my aunt) for the drama that spilled over into cousin's wedding, and explain how hurt my brother was and how humiliating it was to explain over and over why his mother wasn't at his wedding.
We stayed on the opposite side of the room from my mother for the reception and left early (with the reasonable excuse that it was an hour's drive back to our house and we had the kids).
In other news, I took TT to the pediatric cardiologist for a checkup today, and she has outgrown her heart defect. Yay!!!
TT, PS and I are still fencing. TT decided to stick with it after all, and they are ahead of me because they've made a lot more classes than I. I'm glad to have an activity I can do with them, and I'm glad they've both found a physical activity they enjoy. I enjoy it too, but I'm frustrated with my slow progress. I'll admit that I tend to not stick with things unless I'm good at them. I'm not naturally good at this. But hopefully I will get better. And the workout is a good thing, I can definitely feel my legs right now.
I've plateaued on the weight loss front, after losing about 25 pounds. Mostly because I've been too busy to shop, plan, prepare and then log the foods I eat. But at least I've made enough healthy lifestyle changes that I have maintained even while being super busy. Now that things have slowed down a bit, I'm trying to refocus so I can lose the last 7 pounds of my original target. Many of my clothes are too big, but I don't want to go shopping until I lose that last bit. I'm also annoyed that my belly doesn't seem to be shrinking. My arms and shoulders are looking great (I think the fencing is helping), and my already skinny legs are getting skinner (I wish they wouldn't), but my stupid belly won't budge. After stuffing two babies in there, nothing short of plastic surgery may work, although I suppose I should at least try a good ab workout.
The girls go back to school in two weeks. I'm in a bit of a funk, dreading the end of summer. I hate the extra craziness that the school year brings, and I think it will only be worse with the twins in middle school and participating in athletics and choir and band and theater.
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