Food Allergies? Fast Food?

Gabbi has that milk allergy and it sucks. I end up taking food with us wherever we go and I literally DARE the staff to question why I bring in outside food. Seriously I am more than welcome to give them the scoop but I doubt they want to hear it all. haha Usually no one bugs us about it. She's just 2 after all.

Anyway I wondered what kind of fast food she could eat if we were out. I really am not a huge fast food fan. I prefer a dining experience but sometimes we need something quick but we never know what she can eat. The fries at McDonalds have milk. The nuggets have milk. Insanity!!! BUT the chicken strips do not. I have never had the guts to give them to her. Cross contamination in places like this is a concern. It is a milk allergy though not a nut allergy. She gets very sick from anything that has milk in it. But I am not sure if a little cross contamination would make her sick or not. I would want to be very careful. Some people don't get how serious her allergy is. It's bad. So I have to be really careful. I found this list:

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutrition_ingredients.html

That link lists all of McDonalds ingredients with allergens listed in bold at the end of the item. How nice! It needs to be frequently checked because ingredients can and DO change often. Don't take any chances.

So hope that helps some of you out. Now I am off to start a Pathophysiology map. =/

Crabby Old Woman

This is something we've been shown in class a few times. Chokes me up really. So beautiful!

What do you see nurses,
What do you see?
What are you thinking,
When you look at me?

Do you see
A crabby old woman,
not very wise
uncertain of habit,
with far away eyes.

A person who dribbles her food,
and makes no reply
when you say in a loud voice,
"I do wish you'd try"

A woman who doesn't seem to notice
the things that you do,
and forever is losing
a stocking or shoe.

A person, maybe resisting at times,
lets you do as you will,
with my bathing and feeding,
and handing me my pills.

Is that what you're thinking?
Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes nurses,
cause you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am,
as I sit here so still,
as I rise at your bidding,
as I eat at your will.

I'm a child of ten
With a mother and father
and brothers and sisters,
who love one another.

A young girl of sixteen,
with wings on her feet,
dreaming that soon now
a lover she'll meet.

A bride soon at twenty,
the heart gives a leap,
remembering the vows
that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now
I have young of my own,
who need me to build
a secure, happy home.

A young woman of thirty,
my young now grow fast,
bound to each other,
with ties that should last.

At forty, the young ones are grown
and soon will be gone.
But my man stays beside me,
so I don't feel so alone.

At fifty once more,
babies play round my knee.
Again we know children,
my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me,
my husband is dead,
I look at the future,
and I shudder with dread.

For my young ones are all busy,
rearing young of their own,
and I think of the years
and the love I have known.

I'm an old woman now,
and nature is cruel.
Nature makes old age
look like such a fool.

The body is crumbled,
grace and vigor depart.
There is now a stone
where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass,
a young girl still dwells.
And now and again
my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys,
I remember the pain,
and I'm loving and living
life all over again.

I think of the years,
all too few, and gone to fast,
and I accept the stark fact
that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, nurses,
open them and see,
look a little closer, nurses...
Please....see the real ME.

Author Unknown

This anonymous poem has been attributed to several sources. It is generally described as having been found among the possessions of an older woman who died in a geriatric ward of a hospital.

Mean Debt Collectors

There is one debt collector that has always been very mean to me. She is rude and tells me "I know you can pay this bill!" Or when I set up a payment arrangement she declares "that's NOT enough!"

Listen. I got very sick. I saw a specialist for my pregnancy, a specialist for my cancer, a regular OB, and my regular oncologist. I saw radiologists for xrays, scans, etc. I had test after test and spent DAYS in the hospital. I was in ICU. One night in ICU was well over $14,000. Yes I have insurance but the costs still remaining were HUGE.

For some reason this woman thinks we are rich. Or perhaps she thinks she's the ONLY bill I have to pay. Surprise, it is not. We are paying a little to every single medical bill I have including TWO trips on Life Flight. One of those is $15,000. What it boils down to is we have been making a monthly payment to this collection agency. It's not a ton of money but it has always felt good to me to see this bill going down a little bit at a time.

Until today that is. We were served papers saying we've refused to pay. They are suing us for over $4000. We are supposed to go to court. There is absolutely no way number one that we can pay that bill. No way. A little at a time is hard, much less all at once. The second thing is I have class. No it may not seem huge to some of you. Call in, or something you might think. It's not that easy. It's the night before clinical which means I have to go to the hospital, meet my patient, gather my assignment and get all the info I need to deal with the patient the following day. I cannot do that if I am not there can I? We can miss just 1 1/2 days of Clinical and then we fail. I cannot imagine missing. I need this experience!!! I am learning. Besides we have indeed been paying this whole time. I don't know how they can sue us?

I really don't know the answer to this one but now I am pretty stressed out. This is just one debt collector. One hospital. Insanity.