For anyone who knows me privately, I have a love and desire to learn the historical nature of my community.
While I was at a local mcdonald's visiting with a friend, I saw a wonderful picture of the old time Fort Vancouver barracks (that used to be occupied until 2009 - 2010 when they left for Joint Base McChord - Lewis near Tacoma Washington in a joint move by the United State government to close down underutilized bases or military camps - installations, which Fort Vancouver was.)
This got me to thinking how MANY local treasures that I really did not know existed until some slight-of-hand of life kicked a momentary glance my way. It just seems like it happens all time down here. Some glorious old building I come across one day is overgrown with vegetation or is really fixed up, cleaned up and rejuvenated into the wonderful splendor.
A great example of this is the local 2 and 3 run theater, the Kiggins downtown. A lot of young adults, families and people of Vancouver and surrounding Clark County know of this little treasure off Main Street just an immediate block north of the old Seventh Street Transit Center off Main Street. If you search on the social media site Facebook for "The New Kiggins theater" you'll see all the wonderful people that are volunteer to turn this old yeller of a local theater into a wonder hotspot that this community could enjoy for future generations. With a new coat of paint, pulling old worn chairs out and sold locally to help raise money to revitalize this wonderful place of history!
Friday, December 3, 2010
If it could not get any worse....
I am not sure how much worse it could get. For someone who HAS used Emergency Room services over the past decade because of uncontrollable infections and blood glucose problems, its just unconscionable that some one would limit access to the very most basic service of a hospitals emergency room, especially for someine who has a chronic disease like mine.
Link: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget.htm
Bullet point under October 22, 2010.
I do hope my 49th district representative & senator is reading this. I am out watching how you will be taking notice and care of this mess. AND FOR ALL SERIOUSNESS, Please stop playing the one sided political talking points Mr. Moeller. I am sick of hearing 'em.
How many election cycles has a certain political party had majority in both the state house of representatives, governor and state senate?
I can count through Gregiore, Locke and Mike Lowry whose name is fallin' out of my brain. So for nearly 25+ years, its been a one sided game. And you know, it takes TWO political parties to make the United States go round & round. ( in reference to my commentary on "It takes two to do the tango of life.") So I am not letting the other side off the hook either!
Link: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget.htm
Bullet point under October 22, 2010.
- An additional three-visit limit a month on emergency room visits would be added for Medicaid clients.
I do hope my 49th district representative & senator is reading this. I am out watching how you will be taking notice and care of this mess. AND FOR ALL SERIOUSNESS, Please stop playing the one sided political talking points Mr. Moeller. I am sick of hearing 'em.
How many election cycles has a certain political party had majority in both the state house of representatives, governor and state senate?
I can count through Gregiore, Locke and Mike Lowry whose name is fallin' out of my brain. So for nearly 25+ years, its been a one sided game. And you know, it takes TWO political parties to make the United States go round & round. ( in reference to my commentary on "It takes two to do the tango of life.") So I am not letting the other side off the hook either!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Medicaid cuts proposed for Washington State
For some who might not know, I suffer from a debilitating and brittle form of Type 2 diabetes. And because I used to work, I DO have some functioning idea of what is like to put food on the table from a paycheck and have to pay for medical care out-of-my-own pocket along with insurance.
In 2001, I developed myfirst runaway infection. Though its not funniest place, it was at the top of my butt. I tried nearly a year to control it through Rocephin (injectable antibiotic Ceftriaxone) and high doses of other pill form antibiotics to try to stem its growth. I even had to have personal primary care physician use local anesthetic and a scalpel to open up the wound so it could properly drain several times over several visits.
Eventually that did not work, so I had to resort to a surgeon specialist in Bellingham Washington that had to cut out the infection in an outpatient surgical setting. Having to wear a special diaper for nearly three months while it was effectively healing. I remember a special medical tape that felt like a specialized ductape that held my butt together. Its in a very sensitive area where the spinal cord connects to lower body fuctions. If there had been one mistake, I might not be walking!
In 2002 & 2004, I had both of my outer metatarsal toes amputated because they were infected to the point that the infection was moving up the leg. I had heavy doses of antibiotics including intravenous and healthcare stays in hospitals because of the uncontrollable nature of the blood glucose levels. Some might say that know me in my real life, think that I might be a type 1 or 1.5 or a cross between the two. Eventually after seeing a world renown wound specialist that couldn't seem to pinpoint the source of the infection, I had an orthopedic physician cut them out.
This lessoned into two visits after foot surgeries to local nursing homes with rapid infused antibiotics to help kill the infection in my feet in what what remained of them. During these three years, I had to swallow my personal pride and ride around town in a wheelchair! Eventually I did take my wheelchair with me on my next move & adventure.
At this point around 2004, I knew that I had to make a change both for my own mental acuity but also for my health. The local Bellingham transportation system for those who do not drive is very limiting if you live out in the rural area. And in some areas, its just stifling because you be basically shut-in some times of year (the winter) OR you get used to the local yahoos up there. A lot of my young adults friends have moved away from this community because its so very limiting mentally. A lot of people who continue to live there move there for its quaintness, the local university jobs, closeness to Seattle or Vancouver BC jobs or have the income from a job or career retirement to live out the rest of their lives there.
For a youngin' adult, its a place that most move away from for employment, economic OR educational ideals and mature in their lives. Some may move back but I have not heard any of my friends interested in moving back except for the ocassional family gathering during a holiday event.
In 2005 when I moved back to Vancouver in Clark County, Washington, I became fully aware that I needed to have a retina reattachment surgery to effectively treat my ailing right eye. I had all ready had three to four years of laser eye treatments through a Seattle retina specialist that I was referred too to try to control the bad eye vein growth and inner eye bleeding.
I want to thank any medical professionals that may be reading this from Clark County. I may have been one of your patients for some reason OR another. We have some of the best physicians in the WORLD here who moved here to our little piece of heaven. Right next to an airport, alpine skying in the winter, bike trails, mountain climbing and the ocean that is ninety minutes away. Thank you for taking such great care of me!
Since I moved here, I have only had three emergency room episodes. MY blood sugar control is better
and my health is better. Got out of my wheelchair and started to walk in special foam insert diabetic shoes for the next four years. For the ocassional flare up, I'd use my trusty crutches to take off the pressure.
I also used crow wakers & boots. So some might say I'm a medical supplier's dream!
Now fastforward to today:
My next journey is to try and find some form of woundcare to take over for my podiatry which the state is cutting due to budget cuts.
Link: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget/Medicaidproposedcuts.pdf
Or the prettier version: http://tinyurl.com/29h5y2f
Yep, I am now amongst the living poor who cannot afford insurance. And if I don't have insurance or medical coverage, I'm a dead goner. If you have not read above, I am have had all of these complications BEFORE my 36th birthday. Nope, not 50, 60 or 70 year old centurion that most of these usually hit as a diabetic.
I am walking amongst you and you may not know that I bleeding from an perforated foot ulcer that won't heal. That I am one of the lucky few that loves to see a medical professional to cut out that overgrown deadskin that cycles from "Oh, its wonderfully healed" to "Oh God, how deep is that?" several times a month.
Add to that, the cycling depression up and down, the worry in January 2011 of "how the fuck am I going to get my medical coverage covered?" No, I do not want to be a ward of the state but with this disease as bad as it is & has robbed me of so much, do you think I could keep a good, clean, calm composure when I see what local bloggers say and what the governor proposes to cut?
My medication in March 2011, Vision, Dental Health and podiatry are cut immediately. And the coup-de-gre for me is this:
"An additional three-visit limit a month on emergency room visits would be added for Medicaid clients." Ocotber 22, 2010 press release. Link: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget.htm
Have you ever been in a crisis where your body does not respond to a beaurocrats idea of beancouting?
Would you like to face the hospital who is going to call after YOU Have been in the hospital with a chronic disease and is calling to collect on a ER or other hospital bill you have NO money to pay? No, I am not talking about some person skips out on their responsibilities but the one who is so poor, so sick that there is no option left but to visit the local emergency rooms like all the other people who cannot afford medical care because of the other cuts?
Maybe one of my local state representatives or senators might see this. Because I believe they TOO know someone, maybe a very close person to them who may a chronic disease like recurrent cancer, diabetes and many of the other wonder ones that take YEARS to kill their victims. But when you now have to choose between your medical care or eating, which one would YOU choose?
In 2001, I developed myfirst runaway infection. Though its not funniest place, it was at the top of my butt. I tried nearly a year to control it through Rocephin (injectable antibiotic Ceftriaxone) and high doses of other pill form antibiotics to try to stem its growth. I even had to have personal primary care physician use local anesthetic and a scalpel to open up the wound so it could properly drain several times over several visits.
Eventually that did not work, so I had to resort to a surgeon specialist in Bellingham Washington that had to cut out the infection in an outpatient surgical setting. Having to wear a special diaper for nearly three months while it was effectively healing. I remember a special medical tape that felt like a specialized ductape that held my butt together. Its in a very sensitive area where the spinal cord connects to lower body fuctions. If there had been one mistake, I might not be walking!
In 2002 & 2004, I had both of my outer metatarsal toes amputated because they were infected to the point that the infection was moving up the leg. I had heavy doses of antibiotics including intravenous and healthcare stays in hospitals because of the uncontrollable nature of the blood glucose levels. Some might say that know me in my real life, think that I might be a type 1 or 1.5 or a cross between the two. Eventually after seeing a world renown wound specialist that couldn't seem to pinpoint the source of the infection, I had an orthopedic physician cut them out.
This lessoned into two visits after foot surgeries to local nursing homes with rapid infused antibiotics to help kill the infection in my feet in what what remained of them. During these three years, I had to swallow my personal pride and ride around town in a wheelchair! Eventually I did take my wheelchair with me on my next move & adventure.
At this point around 2004, I knew that I had to make a change both for my own mental acuity but also for my health. The local Bellingham transportation system for those who do not drive is very limiting if you live out in the rural area. And in some areas, its just stifling because you be basically shut-in some times of year (the winter) OR you get used to the local yahoos up there. A lot of my young adults friends have moved away from this community because its so very limiting mentally. A lot of people who continue to live there move there for its quaintness, the local university jobs, closeness to Seattle or Vancouver BC jobs or have the income from a job or career retirement to live out the rest of their lives there.
For a youngin' adult, its a place that most move away from for employment, economic OR educational ideals and mature in their lives. Some may move back but I have not heard any of my friends interested in moving back except for the ocassional family gathering during a holiday event.
In 2005 when I moved back to Vancouver in Clark County, Washington, I became fully aware that I needed to have a retina reattachment surgery to effectively treat my ailing right eye. I had all ready had three to four years of laser eye treatments through a Seattle retina specialist that I was referred too to try to control the bad eye vein growth and inner eye bleeding.
I want to thank any medical professionals that may be reading this from Clark County. I may have been one of your patients for some reason OR another. We have some of the best physicians in the WORLD here who moved here to our little piece of heaven. Right next to an airport, alpine skying in the winter, bike trails, mountain climbing and the ocean that is ninety minutes away. Thank you for taking such great care of me!
Since I moved here, I have only had three emergency room episodes. MY blood sugar control is better
and my health is better. Got out of my wheelchair and started to walk in special foam insert diabetic shoes for the next four years. For the ocassional flare up, I'd use my trusty crutches to take off the pressure.
I also used crow wakers & boots. So some might say I'm a medical supplier's dream!
Now fastforward to today:
My next journey is to try and find some form of woundcare to take over for my podiatry which the state is cutting due to budget cuts.
Link: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget/Medicaidproposedcuts.pdf
Or the prettier version: http://tinyurl.com/29h5y2f
Yep, I am now amongst the living poor who cannot afford insurance. And if I don't have insurance or medical coverage, I'm a dead goner. If you have not read above, I am have had all of these complications BEFORE my 36th birthday. Nope, not 50, 60 or 70 year old centurion that most of these usually hit as a diabetic.
I am walking amongst you and you may not know that I bleeding from an perforated foot ulcer that won't heal. That I am one of the lucky few that loves to see a medical professional to cut out that overgrown deadskin that cycles from "Oh, its wonderfully healed" to "Oh God, how deep is that?" several times a month.
Add to that, the cycling depression up and down, the worry in January 2011 of "how the fuck am I going to get my medical coverage covered?" No, I do not want to be a ward of the state but with this disease as bad as it is & has robbed me of so much, do you think I could keep a good, clean, calm composure when I see what local bloggers say and what the governor proposes to cut?
My medication in March 2011, Vision, Dental Health and podiatry are cut immediately. And the coup-de-gre for me is this:
"An additional three-visit limit a month on emergency room visits would be added for Medicaid clients." Ocotber 22, 2010 press release. Link: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget.htm
Have you ever been in a crisis where your body does not respond to a beaurocrats idea of beancouting?
Would you like to face the hospital who is going to call after YOU Have been in the hospital with a chronic disease and is calling to collect on a ER or other hospital bill you have NO money to pay? No, I am not talking about some person skips out on their responsibilities but the one who is so poor, so sick that there is no option left but to visit the local emergency rooms like all the other people who cannot afford medical care because of the other cuts?
Maybe one of my local state representatives or senators might see this. Because I believe they TOO know someone, maybe a very close person to them who may a chronic disease like recurrent cancer, diabetes and many of the other wonder ones that take YEARS to kill their victims. But when you now have to choose between your medical care or eating, which one would YOU choose?
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Being diabetic & poor
I wanted to tell another side to the story that you might not be hearing politically. I won't try to sway your political leanings one way or the other but allow you to make your own mind up.
(And one thing I personally despise is someone coming to me & telling ME how or who I must be or feel.)
The Washington state governor is proposing to cut medicaid patients access to healthcare. They are also proposing to cut in March 2011 access to medications. They also have adult hospice, adult vision & dental care in the cross hairs.
There is more if you want to read the September 30, 2010 press release on the subject:
(http://www.dshs.wa.gov/mediareleases/2010/pr10088.shtml )
Now I do believe that DSHS has to absorb its fair share of cuts. In this economy, the state simply does not have the money to deliver every expectation a citizen has. And there are lobby forces at the state capital at work on just about every single issue trying to muster up the political will for its own causation.
But what I have a problem with is that they take certain medical care things LIKE podiatry or other basic life medical care (sorry my bias but I had to have this. Read my last entry as to why.) and call it "optional care?" Is it optional that I must seek podiatry care to stay out of a wheelchair?
in the following weeks before I have to move, I am going to be calling upon my state legislators (who by the way, they won in the perspective districts this past week) to talk to them about my medical situation. Maybe they can find it somewhere else to come up with the 400 thousand dollars to save my podiatry treatments. I know that there are going to be a lot of push and pull from many other sides to cut taxes and spending. By my life hangs in the balance if this continues.
(And one thing I personally despise is someone coming to me & telling ME how or who I must be or feel.)
The Washington state governor is proposing to cut medicaid patients access to healthcare. They are also proposing to cut in March 2011 access to medications. They also have adult hospice, adult vision & dental care in the cross hairs.
There is more if you want to read the September 30, 2010 press release on the subject:
(http://www.dshs.wa.gov/mediareleases/2010/pr10088.shtml )
Now I do believe that DSHS has to absorb its fair share of cuts. In this economy, the state simply does not have the money to deliver every expectation a citizen has. And there are lobby forces at the state capital at work on just about every single issue trying to muster up the political will for its own causation.
But what I have a problem with is that they take certain medical care things LIKE podiatry or other basic life medical care (sorry my bias but I had to have this. Read my last entry as to why.) and call it "optional care?" Is it optional that I must seek podiatry care to stay out of a wheelchair?
in the following weeks before I have to move, I am going to be calling upon my state legislators (who by the way, they won in the perspective districts this past week) to talk to them about my medical situation. Maybe they can find it somewhere else to come up with the 400 thousand dollars to save my podiatry treatments. I know that there are going to be a lot of push and pull from many other sides to cut taxes and spending. By my life hangs in the balance if this continues.
Living with diabetes (what the hell..)
Since my blog really does not get a whole lot of attention, maybe this is a good time to start a blog session about the major cancer on society that I have, diabetes. Some of the constituents (people) with the disease really do have a wonderful life, from the young to the very old.
But my personal experience with Diabetes has been quite the opposite.
And you cannot measure or base one persons experience and success of the disease to another. Yes, there some mileage markers in the disease and there are treatments depending on how bad the disease is and how to effectively treat it.
WIthin the past decade from 2000 to 2010, I have had retina reattachment with diabetic blowout in the back of my eyes, two partial toe amputations, multiple hospital stays in Bellingham and Clark County for uncontrolled blood sugars, staph foot infections, degradation of my feet to point that now I am going to the foot doctor about once or twice a month for cutting out dead tissue without any pain medication, they call this debridement.
I have also had two stays in nursing homes for 30 to 90 days stays with intravenous antibiotics fed through tubes up my arm, up capillary blood vessels or return blood flows to my heart where the intraveneous solution was dispensed into my heart and put throughout my body.
I also have full body neuropathy, meaning all the feeling in my body is dulled to the touch, I also have no taste or smell either, its all numbed. I barely can eat much anymore.
I have heard all the comments about LapBand, stomach stapling and other surgical interventions. This would not be successful on me since I allready believe that I have kidney damage from the exposure of two decades of having the uncontrolled diabetes. The stomach control procedure also take a psychological couseling & every other avenue BEFORE they are tried. One in particular, gastric bypass is irreversible. So if you go back to your same old emotional or out-of-control eating habits, you will still gain the same weight back or have other complications from what I have been reading over the past few years since these surgeries became popular because of medical advertising.
I have also had butt crack skin removal surgery which was my first uncontrolled skin infection. I was not able to sit down for nearly a year while that area healed. Having Rocephin antibiotic injections along with antibiotic pills to try to attempt to kill it.
Then I moved back to Clark County, Washington in 2005. Boy, did my medical situation improve for better. No, it meant the monthly or twice-monthly debridements. I still use crutches & had other surgeries to help with my feet and other issues. Bu the frequent hospitalizations stopped and I am out of the wheelchair for the past five years.
But my personal experience with Diabetes has been quite the opposite.
And you cannot measure or base one persons experience and success of the disease to another. Yes, there some mileage markers in the disease and there are treatments depending on how bad the disease is and how to effectively treat it.
WIthin the past decade from 2000 to 2010, I have had retina reattachment with diabetic blowout in the back of my eyes, two partial toe amputations, multiple hospital stays in Bellingham and Clark County for uncontrolled blood sugars, staph foot infections, degradation of my feet to point that now I am going to the foot doctor about once or twice a month for cutting out dead tissue without any pain medication, they call this debridement.
I have also had two stays in nursing homes for 30 to 90 days stays with intravenous antibiotics fed through tubes up my arm, up capillary blood vessels or return blood flows to my heart where the intraveneous solution was dispensed into my heart and put throughout my body.
I also have full body neuropathy, meaning all the feeling in my body is dulled to the touch, I also have no taste or smell either, its all numbed. I barely can eat much anymore.
I have heard all the comments about LapBand, stomach stapling and other surgical interventions. This would not be successful on me since I allready believe that I have kidney damage from the exposure of two decades of having the uncontrolled diabetes. The stomach control procedure also take a psychological couseling & every other avenue BEFORE they are tried. One in particular, gastric bypass is irreversible. So if you go back to your same old emotional or out-of-control eating habits, you will still gain the same weight back or have other complications from what I have been reading over the past few years since these surgeries became popular because of medical advertising.
I have also had butt crack skin removal surgery which was my first uncontrolled skin infection. I was not able to sit down for nearly a year while that area healed. Having Rocephin antibiotic injections along with antibiotic pills to try to attempt to kill it.
Then I moved back to Clark County, Washington in 2005. Boy, did my medical situation improve for better. No, it meant the monthly or twice-monthly debridements. I still use crutches & had other surgeries to help with my feet and other issues. Bu the frequent hospitalizations stopped and I am out of the wheelchair for the past five years.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Remember, your sacred humanity depends on...
Ok, guys, gals & the whatever crowd, I just want to remind everyone from which ever broadstroke or small stroke you are painting yourself with, Please, PLEASE take a minute out of your day & vote! (If you can legally.)
November 2, 2010 is a big year of initiatives here in the State of Washington. It's also going to be big year of new & fresh faces from the next generation filling in political offices.
If you need some help, please refer to the online voters guide here:
http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/osos/en/pages/onlinevotersguide.aspx
November 2, 2010 is a big year of initiatives here in the State of Washington. It's also going to be big year of new & fresh faces from the next generation filling in political offices.
If you need some help, please refer to the online voters guide here:
http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/osos/en/pages/onlinevotersguide.aspx
Friday, October 22, 2010
What one man can do with motivation!
If you want to see one man's hell bent on getting computers, knowledge, experience and love of people, please go see Ken Starks. You'll see what he has been able to accomplish for the lower income and class of peope in the Austin Texas and surrounding areas.
He continues to amaze me with tenacity, broken limbs, health limitations and just about a heart of gold what one man can do with help from others to bring change to his community and to help his kids out with working machines.
There is a variety of posts, some political, some not and what he continually does on a very limited budget of personal donations to him of dollars and hardware and how he makes his non-profit linux can do with so little.
There is a former Free Geek non profit (www.freegeek.org) from Portland and EmpowerThy (http://www.upgradeyourcommunity.org) in Vancouver Washington that has a similar feel to Ken's zeal here in Vancouver. Executive Director from Both programs is Oso Martin. If you are from the Portland Metropolitan area, please check out both of these wonderful non-profits that are helping their communities with education, social action and many other wonderful community aspects.
Or may you have the shear tenacity to start a program of your own. Be sure to never over extend yourself or allow your location to become the local trash dump for electronics. Follow all of your local state, city and regional laws, seek area people who may have done this before to avoid making big mistakes and face BIG fines.
Basically what I am saying is find a local or regional leader (also known as a mentor and there are many different models to doing this type of work, so no one way is the right way unless you create a huge dump!) who has done this before, get involved in their operations, talk to them and find out what pitfalls they faced in starting up and learn from them.
He continues to amaze me with tenacity, broken limbs, health limitations and just about a heart of gold what one man can do with help from others to bring change to his community and to help his kids out with working machines.
There is a variety of posts, some political, some not and what he continually does on a very limited budget of personal donations to him of dollars and hardware and how he makes his non-profit linux can do with so little.
There is a former Free Geek non profit (www.freegeek.org) from Portland and EmpowerThy (http://www.upgradeyourcommunity.org) in Vancouver Washington that has a similar feel to Ken's zeal here in Vancouver. Executive Director from Both programs is Oso Martin. If you are from the Portland Metropolitan area, please check out both of these wonderful non-profits that are helping their communities with education, social action and many other wonderful community aspects.
Or may you have the shear tenacity to start a program of your own. Be sure to never over extend yourself or allow your location to become the local trash dump for electronics. Follow all of your local state, city and regional laws, seek area people who may have done this before to avoid making big mistakes and face BIG fines.
Basically what I am saying is find a local or regional leader (also known as a mentor and there are many different models to doing this type of work, so no one way is the right way unless you create a huge dump!) who has done this before, get involved in their operations, talk to them and find out what pitfalls they faced in starting up and learn from them.
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