7- Quick Takes Friday

Join Jen and the other Quicktakers over at the Conversion Diary.

1. That popcorn kernel Rosie put in her nose either got pushed out, was swallowed, or was never in there in the first place! She seems absolutely fine and is breathing well. That’s a relief.

2. With my mom in the hospital this week homeschooling has been a bust. My biggest fear is that with next week being Holy Week and the week after being the week the public schools are out – my kids might have a 3-week long spring break!! I absolutely refuse to let that happen, but it is absolutely going to be a struggle.

3. There are times in a woman’s life when it just might be okay to not be in a regular fitness program. All through high school, and my adult years including pregnancies, I was either taking four or more dance classes or jazzercising (that’s 30 years!) and for the last four, because of family pressures and money issues, I haven’t. Not an excuse. Not happy about it. Just a reality. Do I intend to do anything about it? Yes. And I have over the years increased my walking and exercise videos. But a sick kid (or sick mom!) or money issues can change those plans! So good for Valerie Bertinelli for getting back into a bikini! I am happy for her. But that ain’t gonna be me this summer and I’m okay with that.

4. Tomorrow I go on a retreat all day with my niece in preparation for her confirmation at Easter Vigil. This will be the first Easter Vigil in about 10 years that I have been a regular person in the pew, and not a musician. I think I’m okay with that too.

5. The pizza shop in our neighborhood was robbed the other night. A 20-year-old punk went in, pointed a sawed off shotgun in the 37-year-old owner’s face and demanded money. The store owner gave him a stack. The punk leaned over, saw more money and started cussing, so the store owner gave him more money. When the robber backed away, the pizza man was afraid he was going to be shot and killed, so he pulled out his legally concealed weapon and shot the guy 4 times. And in true horror movie fashion, the guy got back up and the pizza man shot 3 more times. This kid was tough because he was able to cross the street before he collapsed and then he died at the local hospital. The pizza man called it in over 911. I understand some in “the hood” are giving the pizza man grief about this. Some are really angry that he shot the robber at all I guess. The pizza man says he was afraid for his life, the life of his employees, and for the costumer who was sitting there waiting for an order!! I agree. So last night we ordered our dinner from our local pizza shop. I told him I was so sorry he had to go through that, and I told him I think he did the only thing he could have done.

I’m also really sorry that this young man died. He is Calvin’s age. Calvin grew up in this neighborhood too. Went to the public charter school, and probably had the same income level.  But  now he is working 50 hours a week at two jobs. So I think there were other career choices this guy could have made besides robbing pizza stores. But that was his choice. He suffered the consequences.

6. So after visiting mom yesterday and hanging around to speak to one of the doctors (which I did, but there was no new news) I went home. A few hours later my girlfriend called me. She had been visiting my mom when three doctors came in, none of whom I am personally familiar with but they are gynecologic oncologists. Anyway they basically told my mom that the mass in her abdomen is probably ovarian cancer! My friend started to ask some questions and I guess one of the docs pulled rank on her and said, “I’ve been doing this for 32 years and in my opinion this is ovarian cancer.” He told my mom she will need an open procedure with an incision from the belly button downward to remove the mass. It’s too large to do it any other way. And then they left. If my friend hadn’t been there, and if she hadn’t called me, I would know none of this. Mom’s take on it at first was that some doctors came in and told her they needed to do some surgery somewhere and she told them no. sigh…

I was totally pissed. I called the hospital desk and I told the clerk that since I have my mother’s power of attorney under no circumstances is any one to go in there and give my 81-year-old, sick, confused, scared mother any more bad news without giving me a chance to get there first!! The clerk totally agreed with me and I understand there is a note on the chart and on her door! That seems sort of common sensical to me, but I guess to some clinicians, it’s not.

Bonus quick take: I use to be so thankful that there was no cancer in my immediate family. Heart disease seemed to be the thing that got us, or old age. When my father got prostate cancer, I rationalized that I could at least NEVER get that! And he was over 70 when he got it and lived to be over 90, so that seemed calming to me as well. But now my mother is trying for a grand slam. She had bladder cancer 11 years ago. Four years ago she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and now ovarian cancer. Suddenly my looming 50th birth seems a little scarier from the potential ways it could all end up!

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