Doctor Patient Relationships - An Update

This blog is an update to Doctor Patient Relationships.

After we filed our complaint and a visit to the Bonners clinic it was clear to us that Kaniksu Health Services are NOT worth going to. The DR in Bonners was only interested in covering their backsides and not truly interested in helping my husband.

After 2 hours of arguments and multiple "rigged" tests, he spouted, verbatim, what Joyce Wilson in Sandpoint said. He explained that he was "validating". My husband, feeling not at all satisfied with their services, stopped by Sandpoint Fire and had a blood pressure check which came out normal. To "validate" further, he stopped at Sagle Fire and had another blood pressure check which also came out normal. The next day he went to a health care provider in Spokane and had another full physical completed with a blood pressure check and EVERYTHING came out normal.

He called the patient advocate service and complained and wanted charges removed. After a week, they did not answer. He called once more. Still no answer. He called again and said that if they did not resolve the issue he would be filing a complaint with the state among other agencies. It was only then they finally called and backed off the charges. Regardless, we are proceeding to file a complaint with the state board of nursing against Joyce Wilson and we will complain to agency responsible for giving this organization funding. Why?

The answer is simple. 1. Joyce Wilson is too incompetent to practice medicine. 2. Kaniksu Health Services will not get rid of her and is responsible for her actions.

If you seek health care, avoid Kaniksu at all costs. Your life will thank you.

Be Careful What You Wish For

I know that statement sounds very cliche. This week in my son's literature lessons we have been reading and discussing stories in which a character is allowed to make wishes. Things go wrong or the character is not so happy with his wish as they thought they would be and ends up dealing with the fallout of their wish. The moral or lesson of the story is, Be Careful What You Wish For.

I find myself wishing for something all the time, and for me, none of my petty wishes come true. It is more of a wishful hope I suppose. You know, I wish I could win the lotto, things like that. Well I'm certainly not going to win the lotto unless I play and I'm not playing because I don't have the money to waste on the lotto. Maybe when I'm 85 and about to die, then I'll buy a ticket. LOL

Wow, getting off topic. Anyway, there are several other things I would like to wish for, and I think about what the consequences might be if those things were to happen. I would hate to wish for a million dollars and someone died so that I could have that, or someone robbed a bank and dropped the money at my door. No that would not be good.

But there is one wish that I would really like. If it were to come true, then 90% of our stress would be gone and I could work on the other things that I would like to wish for. lol I think the consequences for the one wish would be tolerable. lol

I know you are wondering what is it that I want so bad that I am willing to take the consequences, but I'm not going to say. That is between me and "my genie of the magic lamp" so to speak, but when it happens, I will be sure to let the whole world know! In the meantime, I'll keep my wishes in my head. ;)

Words Have Weight

I really love these articles from DailyOM, they are so inspirational and when I feel low or off and I read one of these articles, it really puts things in perspective. This latest article is about the words we speak and how big of an impact they can have on our lives. The smallest word can make the biggest difference, one way or another. That is why I choose this article today...I hope that you all (one person in particular) can realize that the things they speak of to their children can make a drastic impact in their life...not not always for the better.

Take care what you say...especially to children for their minds are the clay in which we mold. Make sure you mold them in a positive way.

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Words Have Weight
Feeling Our Words

Choose the words you speak with carefully as they are more powerful than you know.


Words carry energy and this gives language its power and its potential to heal or hurt. Most of us can remember a time that someone sent a word our way, and it stuck with us. It may have been the first time we received a truly accurate compliment, or the time a friend or sibling called us a name, but either way it stuck. This experience reminds us that what we say has weight and power and that being conscious means being aware of how we use words.

The more conscious we become, the more we deepen our relationship to the words we use so that we speak from a place of actually feeling what we are saying. We begin to recognize that words are not abstract, disconnected entities used only to convey meaning; they are powerful transmitters of feeling. For the next few days, you might want to practice noticing how the words you say and hear affect your body and your emotional state. Notice how the different communication styles of the people in your life make you feel. Also, watch closely to see how your own words come out and what affect they have on the people around you.

You may notice that when we speak quickly, without thinking, or rush to get our ideas across, our words don’t carry the same power as when we speak slowly and confidently, allowing those receiving our words time and space to take them in. When we carefully listen to others before we speak, our words have more integrity, and when we take time to center ourselves before speaking, we truly begin to harness the power of speech. Then our words can be intelligent messengers of healing and light, transmitting deep and positive feelings to those who receive them.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2010/22176.html

Toy Story Trailer

Fifteen years ago I watched Toy Story and loved it. I was already heading off to college when it came out, and originally thought it was going to be a silly movie. Until I watched it. I was excited when Toy Story 2 came out and my son laughed hysterically as we watched. Now more than 10 years later, we get to see Toy Story 3! Yay! I'm a fan, so I wanted to share! :D



Toy Story 3 will be coming out in theaters June 18!

Ten Years and Counting!

This year my husband and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. It feels like we just barely met, and at the same time it feels like we have been together forever. We are soul mates and cherish each other dearly and I wanted to surprise my husband this year with a special celebration.

I have been looking for nice hotels and I happened to see a couple of really nice looking Bed and Breakfast facilities. I am really excited about this and as I plan our little celebration, I get even more excited about it.

So far the top runners for our "hotel" experience are the following, although I must admit, I am really partial to the first one..:

The Blue Mountain


The Doubletree


The Hilton Garden



The Staybridge Suites


Stay tuned for our final choice later! :D

Open Heart

Approaching life with an open heart means that we have opened the door to a greater consciousness within ourselves.

Spiritual teachers have always pointed to the heart as the seat of consciousness, and recently Western science has found evidence to support this realization. It turns out that the heart has its own central nervous system and is not simply under the rule of the brain as formerly believed. Anyone who has taken the time to explore the heart knows this and, more important, has realized that the heart is the source of our connection to a consciousness greater than the ego. Approaching life with an open heart means that we have opened the door to this greater consciousness, taking up residence alongside it in the seat of our soul. Fortunately, at this time there is a lot of support for this shift energetically as well as practically. To some degree, approaching life with an open heart is as simple as shifting your attention onto your heart.

Eventually you will be able do this any time, any place, but at first it may help to try it in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Simply sit with your eyes closed and draw your breath into your heart. As your breath expands your chest cavity, your heart expands and opens. You may feel tenderness or sadness in your heart, and you may also feel relief. Any emotions that arise can be effectively witnessed and healed through the meditation process, which benefits both your physical heart and your energetic heart. The more you practice, the more you will find your heart opening to your own presence and to all the situations your life brings.

When we open our hearts, they may feel tender and vulnerable, which simply means that they need our loving attention as we cleanse and heal them of past hurts and blockages. This process asks us to practice some of the heart’s greatest lessons—patience, compassion, and unconditional love. On the other hand, we may take up residence as effortlessly as a bird returns to its nest. Either way, approaching life with an open heart simply means returning to our true home.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2010/21713.html

Farm Life

My little farm is growing quickly. When I was plowing this morning, I counted 20 chickens, 4 rabbits, 6 cows, 5 calves,2 horses, 5 turkeys, 2 sheep, 2 farm cats, 2 turtles, a duck, and 5 deer. My three tractors are parked neatly next to my little cottage and I have beautiful white roses growing out front. I just harvested my yellow roses and now my fields are plowed and ready for planting. I gathered all the eggs, milked all the cows, collected all the feathers, etc and made lots of money. Too bad it isn't all real. Yeah, okay, I will admit that I am addicted to the FarmVille game on Facebook. LOL

One day, however, I would like to have a successful farm. I would like to wake up early and milk the cows and know that I will be making a profit from the milk. I would like to also bring that fresh milk in with some freshly laid eggs and make breakfast for my family. One day, I will harvest my crops that will feed my animals and family and the excess would be sold at the local farmer's market. And one day I would like to ride the horses out into the pasture and watch the sunset on a warm summer night.

I have but only gotten a taste of farm life with our chickens - real chickens mind you, not cartoon chickens in the game. It was wonderful to have so many farm fresh eggs, they taste so much better than store bought. I got a taste of farm life when I grew my garden from seeds and harvested the vegetables with my own hands. There is something really great about knowing that you raised it all on your own. It's indescribable, but it makes you feel really good about yourself.

It's mid winter and unfortunately, I cannot plant my garden right now, so I suppose FarmVille will have to suffice until then. ;)

Communication

Expressing ourselves honestly from a centered place is essential to our sense of well-being.

When we are in a relationship where we feel listened to and understood, we count ourselves lucky because we know how rare that experience is. We reserve our most intimate selves for the people who, along with us, cocreate an open space where we feel free to express ourselves and listen without judgment. These relationships, which thrive on open communication, can mean the difference between existential loneliness and a deep sense of belonging. We all long to feel heard, understood, and loved, and clear communication makes this possible.

Sometimes problems arise in the process of expressing how we feel, but it is always worth it to do the work. Even in our less intimate relationships, expressing ourselves honestly is essential to our sense of well-being. Whether at home with family or in the outside world, successful communication requires some forethought; otherwise we risk blundering through our relationships like the proverbial bull in a china shop. However, too much forethought can stifle us or cause us to pad our words so extremely that we end up saying nothing at all or confusing the matter further. The good news is that there are many methods that can come to our rescue, from meditation to visualization to journaling.

If the person we need to communicate with is open to sitting in meditation together for a set period of time before speaking, this can be invaluable. When we are calm and centered, we can count on ourselves to speak and respond truthfully. We can also meditate on our own time and then practice what we need to say. A visualization in which we sit with the person and lovingly exchange a few words can also be a great precedent to an actual conversation. If writing comes easily, we can write out what we need to say; it may take several drafts, but we will eventually find the words. The key is to find ways to center ourselves so that we communicate meaningfully, lovingly, and wisely. In this way, we honor our companions and create relationships in which there is a genuine sense of understanding and respect.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2010/21711.html

A Few Laughs

I have been at it trying to come up with something to blog about today. I have written several different blogs and when I was finished, decided that none of them were worth posting. Mostly I was trying to convey my disappointment in something and complain some more.

After a rather stressful day with more stress to come...now we await until Wednesday...then a huge amount of stress will evaporate, or I'll be ever more stressed. It sucks to stress when it's PMS time too. Seems 10,000 times worse than it is. Anyway, after a horribly stressful day, I read my blogs and decided I would rather post something humorous and hope that it would lift my spirits.

As I searched the internet for something funny, I came across a LOT of great material. However, being in the crappy mood that I am in, the material would not necessarily be appropriate. It was sarcastic, morbid, and very sardonic. While I got a laugh out of it, I decided against posting it to my blog.

So instead I leave you with this...

A reason why you should look over your child's homework.

Probably this is why you should always look over your kids homework. It only take a few minute in the morning and it can save you a lot of embarrassment. Following is the drawing a kid made about his parent’s work. The teacher asked the kids in class to draw how their parents make money. The teacher got panicked after looking at the picture the child drew. She rushed to principal’s office, who called the mother of child for some serious talk.

Before I tell you about the profession of the kid’s Mom, have a look at the kid’s drawing.



In explanation, the mother sent a letter with the child the next day in order to explain herself to the teacher:

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told Sarah how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had. Then I found one more in the back room, and several people were fighting over who would get it. Sarah's picture does NOT show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

Writing a Novel

Every once in a while everyone gets the urge to write a story. I have had that urge many times and written many short stories that ended up left in a folder never to be seen again. All of those short stories are horrible. They are ridiculous. They are just plain bad.

Last year, I decided that I was going to write an actual novel. It wasn't until the later part of the year that I had enough ideas and motivation to start it, but since then, I have kicked out quite a bit. I have completed 28 chapters, 365 pages, and 85,000 words and I have yet to finish. The book is only half complete and already I am getting ideas down for the next book.

Am I crazy? Probably. But I feel that there is much more to my characters than what I have written in this novel. I do not want to devote a lot of time with their background in my current novel because I feel it will take away from it. So there *will* be another book.

Will I ever be a best seller? I don't know that. I certainly hope so. I think my book might be a good read for a variety of people because it focuses on the very things we deal with everyday in our real lives. It just has a twist to it. Regardless if it ever gets on the New York Times Best Sellers, I have had a blast writing it, I will continue to have fun writing it, and at the very least, I know that my husband likes it. haha!

Lies! All Lies!

Grrr... being a woman I hate going to a mechanic's garage. Mainly because I have this preconceived idea that the mechanic will lie to me because I am a woman and I don't know anything about cars.

Well, over the past few years, I have actually learned a lot about cars. I'm no expert, I will never claim to be, but I can typically stay up with a conversation between a couple of mechanics and I can name a part by it's proper name to the car parts store. I don't tell them "It's the thingamagig with the whatsitcalled". It is "the alternator" or "my idle pulley" or "the clutch bearing". Whatever it happens to be.

Over a few years, I have learned who I can trust and cannot trust in the world of mechanics in our little town. I have my husband do as much work on the car as he can, but since he is a truck driver, he is not home often and so I take my car to certain people.

I came across a problem once and was suggested that I take my car to a certain shop and replace the battery. I did. I drove my car in and they put in a new battery and charged me an outrageous amount for the battery. I guess labor was more than the battery. I have a 5 year warranty on this battery. I smiled and paid the bill and felt confident at the time because this shop claimed to be "good Christians" and "trustworthy". Well, it was just about a year, my car started having problems again. I checked many things and came to the conclusion that it was either the battery or the alternator.

The alternator checked out okay, but the battery was low. I decided to take the battery back to the shop to have it tested, and since my car would not start, I had to borrow my neighbor's car and take out my battery. At this shop, I explained that the alternator was good, but my voltage meter read low on the battery, and could they please check it to make sure it was okay.

The mechanic smiled, took my battery and hooked it up to the voltage meter and said "It's just low. Go home and charge it and it will be fine." I took it home and charged it. I put it back in the car and it would not start. I had to jump start it. I thought that since it was low, it really just needed to run for a while and would be fine.

It was fine for about a month. The past few weeks, it started getting harder and harder to start the car. It would do the infamous "rrr-rrr-rrr" before it would kick over. Well, I threw my jumper on and it started right up.

Today I went to start my car, I had to mail a patient complaint for my husband and I wanted to get it out this morning. My car won't start. Grr. I toss the jumper on it and it starts right up.
Now, OBVIOUSLY there is something wrong with the battery if it cannot stay charged. My alternator is fine by the way. My guess it's the chemicals or water or something. I'm not taking it apart. But my point is, my trust in this "good Christian and trustworthy" mechanic has been completely broken. Perhaps they were just busy at the time when I came in and did not have time to help me properly, whatever, but they could have at least let me know if that was the case.

Will I ever do business with this mechanic again? Absolutely not. I feel that they lied to me - whether that was the intention or not. I feel like they did not care. I felt like they were in a hurry to "get me out the door" so they could goof off or finish talking about their day weekend of hunting. I just did not feel like they took an interest in fixing my car. This is why I have my husband do most the repairs on my car. And this is why a lot of women do not like taking their cars to the shop.

So the next time your car breaks down, make sure you KNOW of a mechanic that you can trust. And sadly enough, being a "Good Christian" mechanic does not always mean that they are trustworthy.