Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Stress

So I am sitting her in the waiting room of the cardiologists office, trying to decide just how much stress can come one persons' way.

He may tell me I can have my medication or that I am screwed or that he has no idea.

Kaz and Mac are fighting and annoying each other because summer vacation has started. Their end of year concert was cancelled and all of the children left in tears because some idiot parent had their kid tested for swine flu, and it came up positive. SO PANIC ENSUED. *eyeroll* Meanwhile, 30 or 40 other kids have been on and off sick for weeks, all with the same symptoms, which means that our school, just like every other private and public school in Toronto is riddled with swine flu. And it's no big whoop! Sniffles and aches people. One day of fever. That's IT.

If people really were that terrified of swine flu due to an actual physical vulnerability, they'd get the Flumist vaccine, which is a live vaccine and actually does offer some protection against a wider range of the flu viruses, not to mention the pneumonia vaccine. Or say---how about washing their hands? But do they do that? Hell, no.....much better to spread panic and stupidity everywhere we go.

My BIL P is being subjected to horrifically bad health care in the hospital he is in Montreal. No one is giving a shit about his physical problems like the strokes he has had, or the liver failure or cardiac followup on his quadruple bypass or doing anything to diagnose or treat his issues. They just keep adding and adding more and more psychiatric drugs. They recently had a giant team meeting and admitted that they have no frigging clue what is wrong with him. However, the Docs really don't think we should bother to investigate or get second opinions.

Guess what I think??

Guess whose husband isn't listening to her??

Sigh

My other BIL Ph is in the throes of a bad divorce and custody fight and it's almost over. I haven't blogged at all about it, (on the off chance my blog was ever discovered) but Mr.Cotta and I have been trying to be supportive of him and it may be safe to talk about, but holy crap, thank goodness we are nearing the end! The custody fight was bizarre, and would you believe, my niece is fourteen? Yet no one seemed to give a shit what she thinks except the judge thank God! (My niece wanted a half and half time split that worked around her school, sports, and social life. She also wanted it to be flexible and casual because she doesn't like fightiing. Instead they called the lawyers and went to war.) This week, they are in the final throes of who gets what in the house. Then he moves out and it's done.

Ironic aside for some of my audience--my niece was an IVF baby and yet---things did not work out so perfectly, eh? Parenting and marriage after IF aren't so easy and maybe getting a live baby doesn't solve anything after all.

More stress; trivial kind, we have so many freaking ants in our house, the roof job is a disaster, the dishwasher broke, the freezer on the fridge is broken.

I swear, I couldn't make this shit up if I tried people.


Updated to add: Cardiologist says my echo is perfect and I have an exceedingly perfectly healthy heart. Now to do battle with my GP.....

11 comments:

  1. Maybe the tide is turning. One good step (an all-clear from the cardiologist) can be the motivation for things to start moving in a less stressful direction.

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  2. Excellent news from the cardio. Sorry about the other stuff. You certainly have had more than your fair share.

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  3. have you tried cloves to treat the ants? they're safe around the kiddies and they really work.

    glad that the cardiologist gave you good news!

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  4. Chamomile tea. Seriously, dont laugh, one can take too many man-made drugs, you need to get back to nature. Try a detox if not ;)

    HUGS for your stress levels

    xxx

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  5. Sorry about the stress, but yay about the cardiologist news.

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  6. Great news about the echo! Here's hoping your GP will relent now.

    As for FluMist ... I thought folks with asthma or otherwise compromised immune systems are not supposed to take it? (For instance, Little A couldn't get the Mist, but her healthier big sister did when we did vaccines this year). Plus I don't think the current vaccines offer real protection against H1N1. Hopefully the reformulated vaccines that come out in the fall will help on that front.

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  7. Wabi, the reason that FluMist is more effective against a wider range of viruses than the shot is because it is a live attenuated vaccine and therefore stimulates the body to protect against more virus variations than just what the shot is developed for.

    They proved this during a couple of recent seasons when they chose wrong and the shot version was useless and the Flumist patients were fine.

    Being a live vaccine, there is also a miniscule theoretical risk that if you get the vaccine, you will get the Flu. But it has never happened. Other live vaccines had this problem, like smallpox, but that was a completely different formulation. So the lawyers looked at it and over reacted and write that anyone with asthma or bad lungs or immune systems should not take it. Even though when the flu shot fails, as it regularly does, those same individuals will get the Flu anyway and definitely be ill.

    Unfortunately medical science never entered into it. Because the people who could benefit the most from the Flumist vaccine, like people with asthma, won't get it now...and for absolutely no good reason.

    There is a reason many lawyers hate drug company lawyers.

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  8. Aurelia, I agree there is a possibility that FluMist, even with its increased risk of side effects, might be a better bet for immune-compromised people than coming down with the flu is. That could be true. It's a shame there are no big studies on this.

    The point of my comment was that immune-compromised people who are at high risk of dying from flu cannot take your suggestion of getting FluMist. That drug is officially contraindicated for asthmatics, diabetics, etc. So even if someone with a supressed immune system wanted it, I doubt they'd find a healthcare provider willing to let them roll the dice and take it.

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  9. Yay for the echo. The rest, sigh, what can I say? I know nothing more than that I wash my hands and Baby Man's hands even more often these days (with soap). And I swear, it's time for you to abandon that house and start over. It's cursed.

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  10. Damn... At least you got good news on your echo!
    I wish I knew why I'm surfing aimlessly around when I should be blogging about the recent [HA] drama in MY life...

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  11. I just found your blog and immediately followed. I love your honest writing and I have two biological children and one stepchild and we are trying for our last baby. i just had a miscarriage at 13 weeks after trying to get preggo foooorever. it's good to find ya.

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