International Women's Day - Sisters, You and Me - March 8, 2014

Sisters, You and Me

I stand beside you, sister,

Wherever you may be,

And hope, one day, that life, for you,

Will be one of equality.

As I eat my morning meal today,

I pray for women filled with dread,

No food upon their tables,

Anxious for the day ahead. 

I think about the girl child,

Whose face never bears a smile,

Born to a life of poverty,

Never made to feel worthwhile.

I see the ancient woman,

Her wrinkled face wracked with pain,

Not able to afford health care,

Even if it were possible to attain.

This international day of women,

Must carry through the year,

The baby steps and efforts,

The promises undertaken here!

We cannot turn our backs,

On the oppressed and those in grief,

If we all put our hearts together,

We can initiate relief.

We can show that we, as women,

Will, somehow, find a way,

To improve the plight of thousands,

Who suffer abuse each day.

We can unite, worldwide, as sisters,

To make life better for us all,

In support and love and kindness,

We must answer to the call.

Carmen M Henesy

Copyright (c) 2014 by Carmen Henesy
All rights reserved. 

Alphabe Thursday - "I" is for Impossible - Felled by a Stone - November 18, 2010

Alphabe Thursday - "I" is for Impossible - Felled by a Stone - November 18, 2010

I woke up, early the morning of 17th, with incredible pain in my left flank and left lower
abdomen.  Being the lucky receptacle of numerous kidney stones, I was immediately
aware of the culprit/s causing the pain and, in fact, Dr. Yan had even given me a copy
of the CAT scan done during my recent hospitalization.  It showed  numerous stones.
She encouraged me to make  an appointment, in the near future, to see my urologist,
one of the premier stone specialists in the San Francisco area.

I got up to drive my youngest son, Jeremy, to the train station but, before I left, I faxed
a note, along with a copy of the report to Dr. Kahn.  I came home, fully intending to put
on my make up, and head to the ER at CPMC.  However, I was in real agony when I
got home, I really was in no state to drive so I took a Vicodin, praying for some relief and
crawled into bed.  Laying there, chanting, "Why me, Lord?", I did fall asleep until
awakened by the telephone an hour later.  It was a concerned Dr. Kahn, telling me he
wanted me to come to his office for immediate x-rays.  He also told me he was starting
his first of three surgeries for the day and was leaving the next morning for a week away.

I saw him briefly, he asked me to go to the ER for IVs and pain medication and he also
gave me a stronger pain medication to take at home.   He said he would read the x-ray
films later.  Well, I left ( had to move my car from the very expensive parking garage
which closed at 7PM ) but, when I couldn't find a parking space within three blocks of
the hospital, I drove on home, doubled up in pain.  I drank a liter of water, took on of his
prescribed pills, bundled up under my heated throw and slept until Dr. Kahn called at
9:30PM as he finished up his last surgery.  I felt much better but he told me there was
a 6mm stone lodged in the ureter which would be almost impossible to pass.  He said
it would "absolutely have to come out" or it could damage the ureter or kidney and
went on to explain a "minimally invasive" procedure ( I did not like the sound of that but
I do trust his competence ).  He said he was sending an email to his partner and to call
the office in the morning.  I went back to sleep and, amazingly, slept all night - and the
entire day today!!  Dr. Sharlip called about 10AM and said that, while it was highly
unlikely that I passed the stone, perhaps, I did.  I will see him tomorrow morning for
further x-rays and we'll go from there.  I ended up sleeping the entire day until 4PM this
afternoon.  I guess  being tortured by pain really takes its toll on the body.  And, yes,
I can truly say, the pain from kidney stones is more than the delivery of any of my three
sons and the last, Jeremy, at 9 pounds, 11 ounces, was no stroll in the park since I had
no anesthesia of any kind, not even an epidural.  At least, I know I'm done with childbirth
but with more than a dozen stones showing on x-rays, I live in dread!

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's alphabe Thursday!

Emergency Room - Saturday, June 12, 2010

Emergency Room - Saturday, June 12, 2010

I have been miserable since this past Monday when I did my swan dive off the curb at the beach in Pescadero and fell, with a decidely unladylike flop on my right shin.  The whole area has continued to swell and the entire right leg has been affected.  It's been five days now and the last twenty-four hours have gotten much worse.  I am in so much pain and the bruising is everywhere.  I've been icing it and keeping it elevated as much as possible.  Last week, I completed a ten day course of Septra, an antibiotic for cellulitis in that lower leg but, today, the leg was warm to the touch, very edematous ( swollen ) and extremely painful.  As much as I hated to do it, I finally went in to the emergency room. 

The doctor gave me IV antibiotics and a ten day regimine of antibiotics by mouth and he wants me to come in the morning for another venous ultrasound.  I told him I'd just had one on the 4th which was negative but he is concerned that, since the injury, I might have developed a clot.  All I know is that I am in a lot of pain!  I'm supposed to stay in bed with my feet elevated ( like I've been out dancing every day, right? ).

Forgive me if I can't keep up with posts and comments and following your blogs for a few days.  I'll try to have my laptop in bed to work but it isn't all that easy.  As soon as I'm back to normal

( well, abnormal ), I'll catch up!

Hugs to everyone!

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