People are Dumb!

Here's a story about a couple of locals at their best...Wow...


Woman Claims She Got Therapy at Store

On her way to have a mammogram in July 2007, Ann McGrath and her partner stopped to pick up dog food at a pet store called The Critters & Me.
McGrath claims she got some bad medical advice along with the kibble, and last week she filed suit against the store owner — an old friend — saying the owner told her the mammogram would be harmful and instead persuaded her to undergo “bioresonance therapy” using a machine at the pet store that its manufacturer promotes as a tool for veterinarians.
McGrath took four treatments at The Critters & Me with the “Bicom 2000” machine.
The lump in McGrath's breast continued to grow and, the lawsuit says, the delay in getting a doctor's treatment caused her breast cancer to progress to Stage II.
McGrath's suit against The Critters & Me owner Laura Moore says it was “unconscionable” that Moore told McGrath to rely on the Bicom 2000 instead of a mammogram.
Moore on Monday wouldn't comment on details of the suit but said, “This is the most shocking thing coming from a 16-year friend that I've ever had happen in my life. It's a 'he said, she said.' ”
“It's hurtful. I treat animals, that is what I do,” Moore said. “I just did this because she was a friend.”
Moore said she does homeopathy and bioresonance therapy for pets as a supportive treatment. “All the animals I treat are under vets' care,” she said. “I am not a people-treatment person. I have a dog food store.”
McGrath did not have the mammogram, the state District Court lawsuit states, because of Moore's statement to her that small benign lumps often occur in breasts and that “the radiation exposure from the exam would be harmful.”
McGrath's suit says Moore had “successfully provided homeopathic consultation and care” for McGrath and her partner, Susan Kennedy, in the past.
McGrath had discovered the pea-sized lump in her right breast in early July 2007, and a nurse-practitioner who examined her gave her a prescription for a mammogram. McGrath and Moore are both San Miguel County residents.
The lawsuit states Moore took McGrath to a treatment room near the back of the pet store at 1403 Agua Fria and had her sit in a chair next to the Bicom 2000 machine. Moore took a sample of McGrath's blood “and placed the blood sample in the Bicom 2000 machine and began an evaluation.”
Then Moore told McGrath that she could “guarantee” that McGrath did not have cancer or pre-cancer, “explaining that the lump was benign and could be shrunk by continued treatment on the Bicom 2000,” the lawsuit states.
According to a Bicom Resonance company statement at its Web site, the Bicom 2000 — promoted as “Today's Veterinary Treatment for Allergies” — works by having electrodes placed on the body “which conduct frequency pattern 'information' in the Bicom 2000.” The information is then “improved” in the Bicom 2000 and “returned to the body as therapeutic signals via another electrode.”
McGrath returned to the store in July 2007 for her second treatment on the Bicom 2000, which cost $53.94, according to a receipt included with the lawsuit.
A third treatment followed in September, and also included a treatment to relieve arthritic pain.
A fourth treatment was done in November.
By December 2007, McGrath noticed the lump was growing. The lawsuit states that, when McGrath confronted Moore, she was told that “if the tumor is growing, it's because you are not receiving enough treatments.”
McGrath made an appointment with an allopathic physician, Raphael Shapiro, for February 2008. During that visit, McGrath had a mammogram and a sonogram, which confirmed that McGrath had Stage II breast cancer.
McGrath was told by subsequent physicians that her delay in diagnosis and treatment had caused her breast cancer to progress to Stage II, for which she was advised to have a double mastectomy.
McGrath underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

I've Got Sunshine

Well beautiful people, I'm excited to report that the sun is shining brightly in the high desert, warming our hearts and increasing our vitamin D production! The weather is gorgeous! If I had to choose a day whose weather would never end, today would be that day. High 60s to low 70s with a slight breeze and clear sky...perfect. It's been cooling off at night to around 40 degrees or so and it's so refreshing to go outside in the morning and smell the cool, crisp air. To reiterate, it was a beautiful day! I even got to lay in the sun for a little while. Ah...

It seems that even the mutts enjoyed the day. So much in fact, that they had to take yet another group nap! Man, Kona looks like a chunk! She's chubby to start with, but the camera must have added another 10 pounds. Poor Koners!

In Other Medical News

In other medical news, I finally found a Rheumatologist who takes me seriously! The first time I saw her, she spent 2 whole hours with me, getting a detailed medical history and performing a thorough exam. Wow! Anyway, after running a few more tests, which as always, came back negative, she decided that we have to stop simply treating the symptoms and try to get to the bottom of the problem! She said that the symptoms strongly suggest Behcet's and that fact can't be ignored even if the test results are inconclusive. I'm still shocked! It's as if she actually cares! Anyway, she wants to start me on immunosuppressants to see if they help. The only problem is that I can't be on immunosuppressants right before or right after a surgergical procedure. That fact alone was probably the straw that broke the camel's back and finally made me realize how bad my neck is and how much I need to have it repaired, sooner than later. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on that as well, but I'm hopeful and so thankful that someone is finally willing to try to help me! Yay for that!

Neck Update

Just over 2 weeks ago, I had another injection in my neck. In reality, it wasn't one injection, but six. The anesthesiologist told me that, since most of my pain is in my neck itself or manifesting as headaches, he didn't believe that a traditional epidural would provide the most relief. He recommended injections to a total of 6 specific sites of my cervical spine. His hope was that he could target specific sites of swelling that were pinching other nerves and affecting tissue besides the nerve root to my left arm that had previously been causing me so much pain. I told him that I wanted to do whatever would help my pain the most, so we agreed on the 6 injections versus the traditional epidural.

He forgot to tell me how bad they would hurt! Ouch! After the first one, which went in just below my left ear, I was ready to be done! Sadly, there were still 5 more...bummer. The good news is that I survived! My neck was so stiff after that I wasn't able to turn my head at all for several days, which wasn't really that much of a change, come to think of it... Oh yeah, and I was really light headed and off balance after the injections, so the doctor had to walk me out to the car, where Keith, my chauffeur, was napping! How embarrassing! I felt like a complete dummy, having to be escorted to the car my an MD. I bet he's glad he went to school for over 8 years so that he could do that! Ha!

I had some pretty amazing bruises and poke holes in my neck for quite a while afterward. I even thought about gluing some bolts to my neck for a Frankenstein"ish" effect! I have to admit that it was kind of fun freaking people out by showing them the huge bruises and the holes, in a neat little row, on each side of my neck. It totally freaked some of the vets out! Being elbow deep in a dog doesn't bother them at all, but anything that invovles people makes them almost faint! What a weird concept!

Anyway, 2+ weeks later, with remnants of a bruise that now look like a hickey (great...), my pain is worse than it was before the injections and my head feels like it could explode at any time. It's bad enough that finally I made a call to the surgeon, informing him that I can't do this anymore and that I'm ready for surgery. Much to my disappointment, 36 hours after the call, I still haven't heard back from him. Dumb. Maybe tomorrow... At any rate, looks like that's my only option at this point. I'm pretty scared, but excited at the same time, hopeful that it's gonna help. I'll keep you posted with updates. And don't worry, my mom has promised to come stay with me a while and take care of me. I love my mom! Oh, and I want my neck brace signed...just an fyi!

Beware!

Those who are squeamish may want to cover their eyes for a second here. Arachnophobes, I'd recommend that you check out the blog another day. This also applies to Entomophobes, of course.

Okay, THESE LIVE IN MY HOUSE...

THIS IS NOT OKAY WITH ME!

A few nights ago, I saw one for the first time. I admit that I had been warned that they exist, but that didn't seem to matter much at the time! It was about 1 am, and I had already been in bed for 1/2 an hour or so, but I was still awake because my dog, Hyside, would NOT quit whining, barking, and scratching at the door. I figured that he needed to go potty, so I let both him and Kona out a couple of times. They sniffed around the house, went outside, and came back inside without issue. After letting them out twice, the whining continued. At this point, I was tired and frustrated and about ready to kill Hyside, so I got up to let him outside one last time. I did not make it down the stairs to let him out, however. There, on the wall above the stairs, was the most freaky bug I have come in contact with to date! It was about head-height on the wall and about 3 inches long. The thing was massive and had, what seemed like 100 legs! Wow, not really what I was going for at the time! Let's just say that I FREAKED out!

First, I yelled down the stairs for my roomie, Josh, to come save me. Of course, he was outside in his studio. Then, I ran to get my cell phone and tried to call him. His phone was inside, so he didn't answer. Since Hyside saw the bug even before I did, I was yelling at both dogs trying to keep them away from the horrid creature. After a few minutes of distress, I decided that I had to go out to Josh's studio, with the hope that he would come rid me of the source of my distress and that the bug wouldn't run away while I was gone. Josh came inside, but, of course, the insect had disappeared. That was not reassuring. Now there was a huge bug with a hundred legs running around somewhere upstairs, and I had absolutely no idea where! And now I had to sleep up there?!? Ugh. The three of us-me, Josh, and Hyside-searched for the insect for about an hour before I was satisfied that it was out of sight and there wasn't anything else I could do.

It's safe to say that I did NOT sleep well that night at all. I even made Josh help me move my bed away from the wall! It didn't really help. I still run around looking up at the ceiling and walls so that I can spot it earlier vs. later next time he shows his little face! The good news is that it seems that Hyside is watching out for me. That's the only explanation I can give for his incessant barking and scratching at the door. He knew it was out there. In retrospect, he was searching the house, sniffing around, much more than usual when I was trying to get him to go outside. I don't know if he heard the bug, or had seen it earlier, but he was on it like white on rice. He's my little hunter for sure!

After, I did a little bit of research and found out that the vial creature is called a house centipede and that it hunts spiders. That's good news, I guess. I'm still trying to decide if I'd rather just have the spiders, though. I'm leaning toward yes! Ugh!