I'm lazy

Or maybe I should be kind to myself and say I've been unmotivated to blog.

Nah. Lazy is the correct word.

Let's see what I've actually done in the last week:

1) Spent a couple of days online comparing cell phones and plans. I am done with Ntelos and their non-customer-service service. I've finally decided on a Blackberry Bold, whatever that is. It seems to have good customer reviews and it can be tethered (through AT&T) to my laptop (for an extra $60 a month) when we travel, and I don't have to keep that tethering for a two-year contract. The monthly plan includes unlimited internet access with the phone and--the big draw, besides being able to access the internet with the laptop when desired--Geez. I got interrupted and I cannot remember what the big draw is. *sigh* Oh yeah, AT&T's minutes roll over if they're not used. I rarely use even 200 minutes a month, and my current plan is for 600 minutes, and if they're not used, they're gone. Forevah. The new plan will include 450 minutes, which will be more than plenty.

2) Read a lot. I finished Stephenie Meyer's The Host. It was really really difficult to get interested in it, but after trying several times (and having nothing else within reach that I wanted to read) I finally got into it. It's an unusual story that I won't even try to explain. It's defintely not Twilight (many would say that's a good thing).

3) I won a contest! Barbara Bretton (if I were at my own desk I could link you, but I'm not so I won't; you can google her name and find her website) chose me as one of her winners and sent me two signed books. One is her last one, Casting Spells, which is about a town of--get this--vampires, werewolves, fairies, and all kinds of supernatural beings (there's even a screaming banshee) and the half-human owner of the best yarn shop in New England for two years running. What could be more appropriate for me to read after being caught in Twilight's spell? I've only read the first few chapters, but it's a light-hearted, fun book. The second in the series (this woman has written tons of books) is due out in June and is about the same town and people and knitting store. I'm looking forward to it.

The second book is Just Desserts, which sounded so familiar, because I already own it, but written by someone else. I guess there's no copyright on titles.

Barbara has several websites, one of which is this one; I think another one is here. You know my memory. I hope that you'll check her, and her books, out. Free books are one of the ways to my heart!

(Hmmmm. It looks like those links will work; if not, blame my brain.)

3) What else have I done. Oh yes, we went to my oldest grandson's first race on Saturday night. First race driving with the big boys, that is. He's 9, the youngest ever to race at that track. One man in his class is 66--how he got into that tiny car is beyond me.

B is an impressive young man. He's been driving in go-cart races since he was maybe 5, and he's quite good. He's done well practicing with the older guys. Fortunately we got there a little too late for his qualifying run; I called my son when we pulled into the parking lot to see where we were supposed to go, and B's brakeline had failed. Failed. As in no brakes. He's 9 years old. What did he do? He calmly zig-zagged around a few cars and aimed the car into the grass, where it stopped on its own.

I would have freaked (both as the driver and the grandmother watching this happen). K said it scared the piss out of him. My boy is eloquent, like him momma. But not B. He handled it well and moved on. I'd still be shaking if I'd done that.

Also, when they first got to the race track, his car wouldn't start. No problems during the practices, but on race day, they came in multiples. They got it going again, then the brakeline blew out.

So the races started (and, thank you, God) it was the first race of the evening. 25 laps, approximately 23 seconds per lap. B started out in the back of the pack since it was his first race, but by the time his clutch burned up on the second lap, he had moved up two spots.

I mean, poor kid! He very calmly aimed the car into the pit area and talked over his headset (this is like professional racing, with full burn-proof gear, the works) to his dad who told him to stay in the car until he could get over to him. B was devastated, but he didn't show it other than being very subdued.

It was just as well that he didn't finish the race; the whole thing was under the yellow flag except for a lap or two, with one car spinning into the wall and the rescue squad and wrecker heading out on the track; fortunately the guy was okay; then the race was called five laps early because it was starting to rain.

We left after B and his mom and dad came back over to the grandstand (and after paying $30 to spend an hour or two there, but some things you do because it's your grandkid even though it scares the crap out of you). Let's just say that I'm not a racing fan. My ex, the bastard, loved racing, and the last one he took me to (over 20 years ago) he told me how "disappointed" he was that he'd gone to the trouble of taking me out and all I did was sit there and read. Instead of being grateful that I'd agreed to go to something that bores me to tears, he was "disappointed". Well, guess who took a book and read this time? Tom, that's who, while I knitted. So HA!

(Yes, I'm childish and vindictive and still hold quite a grudge, thankyouverymuch.)

4) Then Sunday it was pretty and sunny and I spent some quality time in the sun. Ahhh, the warmth of the sun. I know it's not good for the ol' skin and I'm looking like my grandmother much sooner than I think I should, but it's something that I crave.

5) I'm turning the heel of my second Buckeyes/Eclipse sock. I'm loving the yarn.

6) One of my prescriptions finally showed up today. One. There are two or three more that haven't arrived.

As you can see, I've been terribly productive lately. And interesting.

I need to get a life.

Why one shouldn't blog after taking a sleeping pill

See a couple of posts down.

*holds head in shame*

I've got to remember

not to take Ambien and then go read in bed. This morning I saw that I'd picked up yet another book to read after I "finished" the first one. All I remember is looking at the clock, seeing that it had been 10 minutes since I took the pill, then waking up this morning.

Will I ever remember finishing The Devil Wore Prada, or am I doomed to reread those last few pages and never remember it?

My precocious baby

is having her SupprelinLA implant thingy tomorrow. Think good thoughts, please. Thank God for insurance!!!

Little A

A couple of weeks ago, at her yearly medical checkup, my sweet little A, barely 8, was given a scary diagnosis, one that we've suspected for a while, but one which her pediatricians over the last two years have said, "Oh, that's perfectly normal these days."

Blogger is not allowing me to link directly lately. This is the link: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sexual/precocious.html (okay, that doesn't appear to be working, either, but it's the correct address)

From the above link:

" What Are the Signs of Precocious Puberty?

In girls, the telltale signs of precocious puberty include any of the following before 7 or 8 years of age:
breast development
pubic or underarm hair development
rapid height growth - a growth "spurt"
onset of menstruation
acne
"mature" body odor "

A has the first three symptoms, has since the age of 6. Six! My gosh, I was well into my teens before I...... well, actually, I never had boobs until I gained weight the last few years, same with hips. I wanted boobs. Now I just want my shirts to fit again.

A's okay with the boobs. She likes them just fine. The hair? Notsomuch. Actually, it freaks her out. Totally. (I don't much blame her.)

Now, if those symptoms were the only problems Precocious Puberty caused, well, having a period at age 6-8 can be traumatic (hell, I never got used to it and was absolutely delighted when menopause finally, finally became an official diagnosis for me), but a child who's been well-prepared by her mom can cope.

But. There are problems.

(Again from the above website) "How Does Precocious Puberty Affect a Child?

When puberty ends, growth in height stops. Because their skeletons mature and bone growth stops at an earlier age than normal, kids with precocious puberty usually don't achieve their full adult height potential. Their early growth spurt may make them initially tall when compared with their peers, but they may stop growing too soon and end up at a shorter height than they would have otherwise."

A has just gone through a very rapid growth spurt. The pediatrician ordered a hand xray, which is the way it's determined if the bones have started to fuse, which means that growth will soon stop. Also, it determines the child's "bone age". A's bone age is 11-12. She's barely 8.

A's height is currently 4'6", which is at the 95th percentile for girls. Sounds good, huh? But what if she only grows a few more inches?

I'm aware that this can sound really superficial and also cruel to those who aren't tall anyway. But I'm going to use that word--"but"--we're a tall family. A's mom is 5'7", her dad is 5'10", I'm 5'9", my son is 6'5". My shortest sister is 5'7" and my two nieces are almost 6'. Mom is--or was, before she started shrinking a little--5'9", Dad is 6'. A has always expected, with good reason, to be tall (although it really disappointed her that she'd be too tall to be a good gymnast). She's always been the tallest or close to the tallest child in her class. She's used to that.

So. A saw a pediatric endocrinologist this week. He looked at her hand xray and immediately said, "She doesn't have much time", meaning that she can start her period any minute now. Her bones are fusing. He said that her pediatrician should have referred her two years ago. Oh, J tried. She told the peds, each visit, of her concerns and asked them to check things out. Nope, it's "totally normal these days". Those two pediatricians may have cost A a good 7-10 inches of height. That's totally unacceptable. What else have they overlooked when a mom insisted there was a problem?

The ped endo ordered more blood work for the insurance company, not because he needed it for a diagnosis, he said, but because the insurance company would insist upon having it before they'd consider paying for the treatment, which is $30,000 a year. (Note to former peds: You owe A's family approximately $60,000. Thank you for your attention.) Now, the ped endo said A might have a couple of weeks before it's too late to start the treatment. It's going to take another week for the bloodwork to reach the insurance company, then, it'll be 2-3 weeks before their decision, then, if it's approved, the surgery for the implant has to be scheduled. It could be months before all of this is accomplished. Remember up there: "She doesn't have much time?"

Treatment? Again--same website: "The currently approved hormone treatment is with drugs called LHRH analogs - synthetic hormones that block the body's production of the sex hormones that are causing the early puberty. Dramatic results are usually seen within a year of starting treatment with an LHRH analog, which is generally safe and usually causes no side effects in children. In girls, breast size may decrease - or at least there will be no further development. Growth in height will also slow down to a rate expected for children before puberty. A child's behavior usually becomes more age appropriate as well."

And this treatment is $30,000 a year, one implant good for a year, usually done until the girl reaches 10 or 11. The implant was just given FDA approval (yeah, I know, that's a comfort) less than two years ago; before that, the drug was given in injections every 28 days. That works well with most kids. (Catch the sarcasm there?)

If A receives this treatment, she will possibly reach 5'6", acceptable given her family history. If not, at most, she'll reach 5'. Full adult height at age 8. When A heard that, she said, "I want the implant," and J agreed.

Maybe I've been overly hysterical about this. It's hard to tell; I'm too close to A to be objective. But it's a pretty scary thing for a little girl and her grandmother who didn't have her first period till she was 13.5. And is 5'9" tall. And doesn't have to shop in the little girl's section at age 55.

It's really been difficult finding blog entries dealing with Precocious Puberty. It's my hope that someone (a mother or grandmother or sister) will Google PP and find this blog and start writing about it themselves. We need personal perspectives from those who have or are going through it.

Then there's that whole gymnast thing.....

P.S. The ped endo looked at B2, who the regular ped said is the size of a 6-8 year old, asked how old he is; when he heard "4", said that he'll be testing him next.

Hamster wheel, part deux

Tom and I left work early yesterday afternoon to go to our dr. appt with our new GP. This is a big deal. I've had a difficult time finding and keeping GPs for the last few years. First there was the lady doc who left without any notice after three years in the office. I saw her on a Wednesday and found out two months later, when I called for an appointment, that she'd just up and left town the next day. I liked her; she always listened to me and was helpful.

Fortunately (I guess) another doctor had bought her practice. I made an appointment for a prescription refill visit, left work, and sat in his waiting room for over two hours. During that time I heard all kinds of griping from his nurses. When he finally saw me, he bitched about the help, told me that he didn't have time to discuss my meds with me, and anyway, he didn't think I should be taking those meds. I calmly told him that the doctor who had the practice before he did had prescribed them, my psychologist had recommended them, and I intended to keep taking them. He hastily scribbled out prescriptions for 30 days' worth and tossed them at me, sneering. The man sneered at me. He then told me to make another appointment to discuss these things.

On the way out, I once again heard the nurses discussing Dr. Charm in low voices. When one finally asked if she could help me, I told her that I wouldn't be returning and would soon have my records sent to another doctor. She was sympathetic.

Tom suggested that I make an appointment with his doctor, whom he liked. I did, and I liked him too. He was always on time, he was thorough, he listened to me closely and was willing to try new ways to manage my cough.

Unfortunately, it turned out that he liked women and self-prescribing drugs, not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily legally. After his first trial was delayed a couple of months, the state medical board suspended his license for a year.

So another doctor came in to fill in for him until he could regain his license. Unfortunately (again), another woman accused Dr. Lover of sexual impropriety in his office, then he was arrested for forging prescriptions for narcotics, and regaining his license became an improbability. Doc Crazy filled in for about 8 months. Doc Crazy was old, very old, and very hyperactive. He couldn't stay in the exam room for more than a couple of minutes before he was up and running to find his prescription pad, some book or other, or to ask the staff a question. He was also extremely slow. The average appointment with him lasted about 2-3 hours. It got to the point that I wouldn't make an appointment unless I was dying. Forget refills.

Last week that office called me to tell me the results of my chest CT scan that Dr. Pulmo had ordered (and who hadn't bothered to call with the results). The nurse said that they had a new doctor, so I made appointments for Tom and me.

We left work early for appointments starting at 3. We shouldn't have done that.

Of course some sickie lady was sitting in the waiting room moaning and groaning and they took her in first (had worked her in). I can understand that, but. Our appts were at 3, and it was 4:45 before the doctor came in. We'd already expressed our displeasure at having to take sick leave and then sit that long, and the nurse said that this was the first time he'd been late in the two weeks he'd been there. Well, the last new doc to come in, Crazy Doc, took 3 hours with my first appointment with him and they'd had to work someone in there, too. But, Dr. New Doc actually listened, even though there were patients waiting after us (he damn well better take time with us). I'd taken in a number of things I'd printed from the internet about my cough, and he read the email from the dr. in Warrenton (who emailed more info today for the GP) and prescribed a low dose of Neurontin (I thought it was for seizures, but it's for neuropathy) that can be increased up to 10x this strength. He said it's well-tolerated by most people, and it shouldn't make me stupid. He told me to stop taking benedryl because it's drying me out, to keep water or warm tea with me all day, and to stop talking as much as possible. (Ha! I answer the school phones for 25% of each day.) He said to start taking Xanax again in combination with Neurontin. Also, his recommendation is to move somewhere it's warm and humid. I told him I can't do that for another 5-8 years, but I'll keep that in mind.

He said that he thinks that my bronchial sacks are probably inflamed and that's what's causing the cough. Water doesn't help because the tickle isn't in my esophagus. He thinks that it might be time to do a brochioscopy to see if my lungs are inflamed. I asked why on earth no doctor had said that before since I've had just about every stinking test other than that; he said that it's invasive and more dangerous because they put a big tube down the throat and into the lungs to take a sample. It can collapse a lung.

So I'll try Neurontin first. I took the first one today. I don't feel too stupid yet.

At least, not much more stupid than usual.