Month: August 2022

Economics

I thought of an economics class I took in college today. I had to take one economics class as a pre-rec for my bachelors degree. I was thinking about this because I took intro to Economics because it satisfied my requirements. I needed one math class so I took that because it was offered in the summer and that’s how I operated when I was a college student.

I was pregnant before I was even accepted to UofM-Dearborn so my college experience then was to work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and take classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I took full loads for every single semester and I went extra full-time in the summer! I had to finish college and get our own place (Sean and I) before Sean got too old!

I was thinking about this economics class because I remembered my professor. I even remembered his name! Twomey. So economics is not my bag, it’s too math-y for me! But I needed those three credits so I took it in the summer. I remember he was probably mid 50s and I liked how he explained things.

We were talking about a huge amount of money for something for being fined or it was thousands of dollars, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars and I remember he looked at the kid sitting in the front desk and kind of nonchalantly said, “That’s more money than you and me have in our pockets together!”

I think that I was outgoing and gregarious at WMU because I was enjoying my college experience. But it all changed and a degree was a necessity at U of M and it was a race to finish! I remember that professor Twomey came up to me after class close to the end of the semester and asked me what my major was.

I kind of smiled because I knew that he was asking me because I wasn’t really doing well in the class! I said to him, “Secondary education with a major in English and a minor in history.” Then he said, “So, you don’t need this class?” I smiled wider and shook my head and told him, “A ‘C’ or better and it counts.” I remember him just nodding and saying, “Oh, you’ll be fine then!

I don’t remember what I received in the class, maybe a low B? But I got my degree even before Sean started preschool! But, I thought about this class because I liked how he explained macro and micro economics to us. I was thinking about that today because what Dr. Harris said to me regarding my vision is 100% accurate!

Dr. Harris told me that he did not want to raise my prescription because he did not want me to sacrifice my nearsighted vision. It made sense to me today because I am NOT wearing my contacts! I have to blog on my iPad now because I no longer can see anything other than my text messages on my phone because I have it set to larger text (it’s two ticks away from the right) my vision is deteriorating and I really can’t think about that no but yesterday I was wearing my contacts and I could not blog because I cannot see with my phone. I am writing this blog post with my phone sans contacts so I can see.

I’ve been thinking about that, I can’t really see distance (the macro) with or without my contacts but I can see (the micro) without them.

Fitting

Yesterday, we went to St. Alphonsus. My Mom took so many pictures and as I sat in the car I realized that that’s as much a blow to her as it is to me! She was an adult making all of the memories we all have from there and I was just a kid. My family LIVED at St. Alphonsus! I thought I would share a bunch of the pictures here today but I can’t. I looked at this picture it’s just began to cry… AGAIN!!:

I have ALWAYS been an overly dramatic teenager and especially while I was a student within these walls of both the grade and high school! This is the song that is playing in my head now:

This song seems super fitting to me and I wish I knew how to make a Flipagram and set the pictures I have to this song but I am 40 so I can’t do that!!!

“Play That Smokey Robinson Song!”

The other day, we listened to Smokey Robinson music as my Mom washed my legs and tended to my feet. Smokey Robinson songs are so familiar to me! It reminds me of being a child because I heard so much of that music growing up! I grew up with so much Motown music so when I heard this song playing from the basement, I thought it was Smokey Robinson. I really like that song and I didn’t think I heard it before.

I went downstairs as my brother Steve was listening to music and I asked him to “Play that Smokey Robinson song!” I don’t think that my brother made fun of me too much when he corrected me to tell me that that song is sung by Lenny Kravitz. I really liked his voice and I think it sounded like Smokey Robinson and that is a hill that I will die on!!!

19 “Butt Stickers” OR “Mayday?”

So, yesterday I had my infectious disease appointment and Jen said that I don’t need to come back unless I get another sore. She gave me something to prevent pressure sores on my tailbone. I have decided to call them my, “Butt Stickers.” I asked Jen yesterday if she could prescribe them to me so therefore Medicaid will pay for them. Since I am on both Medicare and Medicaid because I no longer work and I am disabled, I pay for some stuff but Medicaid will kick in when they feel that I have paid far enough. I met my spenddown a couple years ago on December 28. That means I only had until January 1 to get all of my medical care covered because on January 1, my spend down begins again! So, with these being prescribed to me that can be something I have to pay for that will take off from the amount that need to be paid before Medicaid kicks in.

It is a very complicated process that I am just beginning to try to navigate and it’s quite frustrating but Jen tried to order them for me but she said that since I do not have an active sore, they won’t pay for them. The whole point of using them is to prevent getting a pressure sore because these pressure sores on my feet are excruciating and I cannot even fathom how much it would hurt if this was on my tailbone AND I am in a wheelchair?!

So here is my Mayday of sorts to a anyone in the medical field:

These are the, “Butt Stickers” and we counted them yesterday and my Mom said that I have 20. I’m changing it today so that means I only have 19 more, “Butt Stickers.” So, since I wear them for three days, that still only gives me 57 days of tail bone protection?! I have a little bit of time before I have to add that into my monthly expenses because I DEFINITELY will do that but if anyone has an
In” somewhere, hook a girl up?! 😂😂😂

NOT Prepared

My Mom and I had a very productive afternoon today! We first left the house and went to the hospital downtown to the infectious disease clinic. Jen says my feet look wonderful and they are almost healed. Tomorrow, Sonya is coming to take pictures and measure my sores and take my blood pressure and temperature and stuff. We will talk about how long she will continue to come. Jen says that I don’t need to see her unless I get another sore and my Mom told her that we do NOT want to see her!

After my good report, my Mom and I drove to Saint Alphonsus. I had to get my OWN pictures! I rarely drive by there much these days even before the pandemic but I think I will be very saddened when it is gone.

I attended there from kindergarten through 12th grade graduation. It was strange to see it and I sat in the van in the parking lot as my Mom walked around to take pictures and I was flooded with 1 million memories! All ranging from kindergarten and playing ‘What Time is it Mr. Fox?’ under the overhang all the way to Homecoming dances and spirit week my senior year!

It was a very strange feeling and after we went there, because we had a van, we went to Dairy Queen and got ice cream! I rarely leave my house and there will only be a Thin Mint blizzards available during the summer and I HAD TO get one!!!

We also picked up a dozen partially cooked pierogi from Sabina’s because that is something I am still able to eat. As my Mom went to get the food, I sat in the van and looked at the pictures of my old school and I thought of this song and when it started playing on my phone, I started to cry! I was not prepared for all of this emotion at all and it will take me some time to unpack it but this is the song that popped into my head:

Thick.

I have my return appointment with the infectious disease clinic today. My feet are getting better but they are not done yet! My Mom went to pick up the van today and when she came back, she said that it is, “Thick” outside. That concerns me and of course she sang that song AGAIN!!!

I found out last night that this song was released in 1966. When my Mom was only 14! So OF COURSE I would NOT know it at all!!!

Concerned

I want to start off this blog post by stating that I am so concerned about my vision! I currently am wearing my contacts and my glasses and therefore cannot read my phone. I place pictures and videos on my blog using my phone. I need to wait until it saves on my phone and in my blog dashboard so then I can edit my blog post using my iPad that I bought in January. So I am writing this here stating that I am super concerned about it but I was going to write a different blog post with that same name but I just want to say that it’s concerning!

But, about this particular blog post. My Mom got her hair colored today and she asked me to check the weather because her phone is not currently working. I told her that it was 94° but that it felt like 105°!!! I was so grateful that I am not going out of the house today! But then that concerned me because tomorrow I go back to the infectious disease clinic.


Every single time for a few years now, whenever I tell my mom that I am concerned, she sings this line from this song! She always would ask me if I knew what song she was talking about and I look at her straight in her eye and remind her, “I was born in 1982.” Of course I would not know that song! But we never tire of laughing when my mom sings that line because so much with my disease progression is concerning me and I constantly say that I am concerned and my Mom answers in turn like this:

Biting the Dust

I was being extremely careful with my chapstick because I did not want to have to have another, “Bag of Chapstick” even though that always makes me think of that student back when I taught English. Late last night, this happened:


I am going to finish this in probably a week but this song plays in my head every time this happens:

Wince

Today, after Sonya left, my Mom and I were talking about shoes. It seems like I am a far cry away from shelltoes and wearing chucks seems like a lifetime ago! I saw an internist before my feet became a problem and she asked me why I even wore shoes. I was kind of offended by that question and thought because I am a human being and everyone wears shoes. But, thinking about it now, since the problems with my feet started in April, the only time I wear shoes is when I leave my house. Currently, I am not even wearing my compression socks. These wounds need to heal first!!!

I had talked with Sean and my Mom about Crocs a few months ago. `I was quite reluctant to entertain this idea but at this point, it’s worth a try. I searched for them a while ago and now I received emails all the time. I showed the shoe I am thinking about and she asked if it gives. My current shoes are having a problem allowing my foot to slide in easily which causes my heel to hurt on both feet. As my Mom was describing putting my feet into my shoes, she looked at me and commented on seeing my, “Wince…”. She saw my wince because I DEFINITELY winced! The thought of forcing a shoe on my foot even at this point it so difficult just thinking about it!

August 2022 Faves

My feet are slowly getting better, so beyond slowly! My wound care nurse came today. The other day I needed songs to comfort me because I am trying to get off of the pain meds. This is the Apple Music playlist I decided to listen to. It made me feel better: