Kay M.'s comments

What not to say to people in distress (1) - Blog Entry

02 Aug 2006 08:18 PM

What a great article. I have had people tell me the worst things before. My little sister is a fine example. Last year she asked me, "So what is this Lupus thing anyhow"? Ooooh! I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle her. Yes, we live across the country from each other. We hadn't seen each other in a long time. I gritted my teeth and told her she had a computer and probably the skills to use it, and she should look up my illness. What irked me was that I had been hospitalized four times due to my Lupus and she hadn't even bothered to learn about it. When I was first diagnosed she told me, "Oh, I just wouldn't have time to have a serious illness" (another time I wanted to punch her) A few months ago I had a long talk with her and told her if she didn't want to know about me, and my health she could throw away my email and phone number. She suddenly looked things up. :)

Diabetic Neuropathy - Blog Entry

02 Aug 2006 02:23 PM

Aimee, Feel free to ask me anything about neuropathy, nerve disoders, Diabetes and diet or anything else related to caring for someone with these issues. I hope I will be able to help you. (I also hope to be able to blog about them in the future) :)

A Vaccine Against Obesity? - Blog Entry

02 Aug 2006 02:20 PM

Sign me up! Kidding. With my compromised immune system (Lupus) I couldn't do the vaccine anyhow. OOOOooooooh I hope I get to blog for families so I can share my stories too. I am crossing fingers and toes. Aimee, do you by any chance belong to a writing site called wdc? You would know the initials if you did. I can't help myself, I keep coming back for more of your writing.

Adoptee's Poetry - Looking Through The Glass - Blog Entry

02 Aug 2006 09:51 AM

Nicole, Your poetry takes my breath away. I see so much of my own words echoed in yours. How ironic that my first blog was called "Through The Looking Glass". I cover issues of light and darkness repeatedly in my personal journal and poetry on another writing site. I'll have to tell you about an experience I had which explains my fascination with light/dark. Again, always a pleasure to read more from you. Thanks. :)

Adoption Poetry: Not All Roses and Peaches! - Blog Entry

02 Aug 2006 09:46 AM

Thank you for sharing your inspirational feelings and emotions about adoption searches. My own search for my birth mother was initiated by my twin sister. It ended up being a mixture of emotions. It has taken me twenty years and many poems and journals to sort out my feelings. I have shared some of my own poetry as well. At this point I am even considering a chapbook about my journey. People who haven't walked in our shoes can try to empathize but may never truly understand the myriad of emotions involved with being given away and then adopted into a whole other family. Thank you for sharing.

Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! - Blog Entry

01 Aug 2006 06:22 PM

I'm so glad this wasn't advice for adults on perfection. I keep trying to be perfect--and I fall short every time. LOL. I will have to look for this book, it sounds simply adorable. I am enjoying reading your blogs.

To Test or Not to Test: Zygosity in Twins - Blog Entry

29 Jul 2006 09:58 AM

Thanks for sending me in the direction of this article. Yes, we were called fraternal twins. Interesting story though. My mother (um the biological one... I was adopted later) realeased the first egg which became my sister. From what I understand the split off egg which was me... was not fertalized right away. My twin thrived in the womb. I did not. She was able to go home right away without any health problems. I spent nearly a month in an incubator. We had very few differences. Our birthmarks were slightly different, and when my hair came in it was more curly than hers.

In childhood we looked enough alike we could switch places. Hee Hee. When we were adopted at age 10 our new parents decided we needed individual identities so they stopped the dressing alike and even had us in different classrooms. We began to get different haircuts and look slightly different. They even had us celebrate our birthdays on seperate days. I think it was good for us. Thanks again for your articles! I will continue to read everything you write. I really like what I have read so far.

Teacher Preparation - Blog Entry

29 Jul 2006 09:25 AM

As a former elementary teacher I feel compelled to comment on your article. While some think it is a "thankless" profession I tend to disagree. When I would see the "aha" moment as I taught children basic skills I felt completely rewarded for what I was doing on a daily basis.

My income never compensated me for my work though, you are right about that!! As for the comments from Valerie--Wow! I would like to know what state she is from. Our teachers here in Kansas make 26k right out of school and if they are extremely lucky they might be able to find a school that pays closer to 30k a year. For this amount, the teacher is expected to: teach a full classroom, make lessons and special plans for disruptive or special students, recess duty, join at least two after school comitee's, attend meetings, keep grades in a grade book and on computer, correspond with parents, and much more. Many people think teachers have the summer off. What they do not understand is that over the summer we have to organize for the next year, continue our education by taking and completing courses and have our lesson plans ready to turn in to the principal by two weeks before school starts.

Indeed, I quit after only a few years. Not because I burned out. I quit because I became sick. I hope to be blogging about all this very soon.

Exercise for Diabetics - Blog Entry

28 Jul 2006 05:09 PM

Another great article on diabetic care! You cover your topics well. The only other item I would have mentioned would have been about the snack itself. When some people think about snacking they may want to grab something pre-packaged. Most diabetics need to be careful about what they eat.

In my case, I am borderline diabetic. My blood sugar drops drastically and I get quite shaky. There are good snacks and bad snacks. I need to avoid starchy foods which will break down to sugar quickly. Though vegetables are good for me and low-calorie they lack the one thing I need after a workout. I need PROTEIN. Yes, the best kind of snack would be cheese and crackers or peanut butter or something else with protein. This way my blood sugar doesn't drop and make me feel woozy. Of course, as Aimee says, I carry a bottle of water with me to replenish myself. Water is extremely good for me. Soda's contain too much sugar or caffeine.

Goldenseal - Blog Entry

28 Jul 2006 04:58 PM

Very good information. I think it is important to know that anyone who has allergies (particularly to ragweed) should check with their doctor before taking this herbal supplement. Many people are highly allergic to echinacea and anything containing byproducts of the herbal supplement, and could have a violent reaction.

Anyone with a compromised immune system should be even more careful. My Lupus makes my immune system practically nonexistent so I must check with my doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications or supplements. I feel most people should be this cautious.