What the Hell was That?
When Cate Blanchett came on stage at the Oscars last night Derek said, “It looks like she’s wearing an ottoman!” I’d have to agree. …
February 2011
Review: What the Dog Saw
OK I’m a little late to the party on this best-seller by Malcom Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers. It’s already in soft-cover and still on the top sales lists. …
Back to the Inner Drawing Board…
A CT scan appointment took me back to University Hospital this morning. …
Grooming Shortcuts
I’m only going to be one-armed for a few more weeks so it’s not that big a deal. But I have been exploring ways of making the daily cleaning ritual easier. …
Non-Beliebers
Oh for the love of….  16 year old pop phenom Justin Bieber was asked some very inappropriate questions for a Rolling Stone magazine interview. He answered them. Now there’s all sorts of fury in the US over his answers. …
Dumb Inventions
Dragon’s Den is one of my go-to TV shows “on demand” when there’s nothing else to watch. I’m hooked on the idea of people appearing before a panel of rich, powerful people and doing their little invention dance to try to attract investments and partnerships.   …
EMS Experience
By the time I called 911 on January 24th I had hard evidence that I was seriously ill. …
An Introduction to Ivy
Ivy is my PICC line. Because it carries my I.V… we call it Ivy… get it? …
Questions and more Questions
I have a lot of time to think.  Time to think, nap, read and watch TV. If I didn’t feel like shit, and the weather was better, it would be paradise. …
Sisterly Advice
Janet Jackson is out with a new book about her self-esteem issues and how she overcame them. …
Review: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Someone whom I respect – I can’t remember who – recommended this novel. I had started it before my hospital stay and it arrived along with a bag of magazines, puzzle books and a writing pad I had asked for.  After everything else was read, unpuzzled and written, I returned to the novel. …
Tastebud Twists
Something unexpected has occured as I recover from this sepsis incident. I’ve always been a coffee … freak  I love my java. Give me a big mug of something bold and I’m in heaven. But I seem to have lost my taste for it! …
Bike Show Weekend
The biggest weekend in my husband’s year is underway. The World of Motorcycles Expo is on at the Western Fair Agriplex. Today is the final day, 11 – 5. …
Timing is Everything
You know, I really didn’t mean for this to become – at least temporarily – the sicky sickerson blog. But it’s where my head is at. Visits from my nurse, Geraldine, are usually my highlight for the day. She is determined to teach me to change my own IV bag. I pretend I don’t get it, but I do – I just don’t want to do it myself! What’s next, doing my own electrical and plumbing too? …
Thank You for Being a Friend (with apologies to the Golden Girls)
You don’t really know who’s in your corner until you’re down for the count. …
Thank You for Being a Friend (with apologies to the Golden Girls)Read More »
And Now For Something Different
A belated Christmas present from hubby arrived while I was away. …
Trying to say Thanks
There are simply too many heroes to keep track of when you’ve been in hospital for two weeks with a serious illness. But I’m going to try. …
A Bit About B
Let me tell you about my roommate. ‘B’ went home yesterday. She has Crohn’s disease which is chronic and incurable. It causes incredible pain and complications in the bowel and painful inflammation of the joints.
This beautiful 20-something woman knows more about her disease than most doctors. She has had to educate herself in order to cope. Within a day of being here she was in a wheelchair, with her ankles and knees doubled in size. The worst part about that aspect is that they must test the fluid for infection before they can give her anything for the pain. And there is pain, lots of it.
This is the hand that B has been dealt. While her friends party without worry she deals with flare-ups that land her in the hospital. Fortunately she is on a new medication that is reducing the number of incidents and helping her live more normally. She is so cool. She taught me how to use Baxter, the IV dispensing machine. She taught my nurse how to change my PICC line dressing without causing me pain. She was released yesterday and I hope she doesn’t have to come back. She made my stay here more tolerable and gave me some big laughs, too. She handles her situation well because she has no choice. This is her life. I got really sick but chances are, I won’t get that sick again. For B it’s a matter of when. Â She rocks and I hope they find a cure for her.