Friday’s Feast

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged? 

The last person I hugged was Jehara.

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

A woman should never be without lipstick!  Even if you don’t wear make-up, lip gloss/lipstick can always brighten up a face.  In addition to this, according to Emily Post, Lipstick is the only make-up a woman can use at the table.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Yellow is the color of intelligence, and analytical thought.

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

My pictures would revolve around the simple things in everyday life.  I would also try to tell stories with my pictures.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

Honestly, I don’t remember.  I was going to be all intellectual, and put something down, but I really am not sure about this one.

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Thursday Thirteen - Thirteen Healing Stones

Thirteen Healing Stones 1.  Amethyst - Promotes spiritual awareness, improves self worth, aides with headaches, insomnia, and meditation.  For the Crown Chakra. 2.  Dark Green Jade - Opens the qualities of mercy and compassion, opens and heals the heart.  Frees one from anger, selfishness and greed.  Known as the Kwan Yin stone - it helps those on the path to enlightenment.  For the Heart Chakra. 3.  Lapis Lazuli - Cleanses the mental body, promotes deep penetration to heal outdated thought forms and mental patterns.  Prevents negative thoughts from becoming karmic patterns, releases outworn karmic patterns for healing.  Changes negative views of reality to positive outlooks, heals mental body damage from old traumas in this life, reprograms the mental body, facilitates all healing.  Lapis is best worn with other stones like Amethyst or Rose Quartz to mellow and gentle its effects.  I always use this stone during crystal healing.  For the Throat and Third Eye  Chakra. 4.  Sodalight - Balances the pituitary gland and the Third Eye Chakra.  Heals the lymphatic and glandular systems and nerve endings.  Soothes and heals the central nervous system.  For the Third Eye Chakra. 5.  Chrysocolla - For women’s all-healing and internal physical healing.  Assists with releasing grief, pain, sadness and fear from the emotional body and aides in the entrance of joy, certainty and peace.  Supports letting go, surrendering pain and worry to universal love.  For the Throat Chakra.  6.  Blue Calcite - Soothes the throat, eases the ability to speak out, heals throat center blockages and throat diseases, clears old this-life traumas held in the throat.  Supports peaceful assertiveness, aids shyness, promotes the ability to speak ones needs.  Soothes anger, creates readiness for peaceful change to ones life, and brings inner peace and quiet within.  For the Throat Chakra. 7.  Bloodstone - A very protective stone.  Fosters courage, creativity, healing, and moving forward in one’s life path.  Cleanses the blood.  For the Heart Chakra.  8.  Amazonite - An excellent stone for people who work at a computer all day.  This stone protects your energy from other sources like microwaves, t.v.’s, and computers.  It is a soothing stone that calms the brain and nervous system.  It balances masculine and feminine energies.  It dispels negative energy and emotions.  For the Heart Chakra.  9.  Blue Lace Agate - Makes self-expression easier, aids speaking out, aids speaking and validating one’s emotional truths.  Offers courage, aids shyness and tendency towards self effacement.  For the Throat Chakra. 10.  Botswana Agate - Affects the heart like a stone thrown into a pool, with rings and ripples radiating out to heal old pain.  Heals heartache and heart pain layer by layer.  Replaces pain with joy.  Heals and warms the heart offering comfort and security.  For the Heart Chakra. 11.  Petrified Wood - Aids concentration, grounds and centers those unable to persevere on their life path and life goals.  Slows one down.  Heals being scattered, flighty and indecisive.  Helps those who cannot complete what they start, promotes setting and keeping goals, steadies and stabilizes.  For the Root Chakra. 12.  Pyrite - Aids prosperity.  Uplifts and grounds at once.  Helps with self control and will-power.  For the Navel Chakra.  13.  Malachite - Detoxifies the emotional  and physical body, releases negative/painful emotions, clears and releases old traumas from this life and past lives.  Detoxifies the liver and gall bladder at physical and emotional levels.  This stone brings things out from within.  This is said to be a stone that is protective and enhances prosperity.  For the Navel and Heart Chakras.

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Early Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about Health Insurance Companies 1. They only care about money 2. They do not want people to get better. 3. They over-rule your Doctors recommendations 4. They give crappy customer service 5. They live for fucking people’s lives up 6. They make money off of the sick and dying 7. They discriminate 8. They demoralize 9. They are unorganized 10. They bring shame onto this country. ( See the movie Sicko!!!! People in France, England, Canada and even Cuba were amazed at how bad our health care system is thanks to Health Insurance Company Greed.) 11. I HATE THEM!!!! 12. greed, Greed, GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 13. They would rather people stay sick or die, then get the treatment they need.

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My Students

Yesterday, my students brought food for a party after class.  They all made foods that they love, foods from their original countries.  It was a wonderful feast!  We had a really good time.  They practiced their English, and I practiced my Spanish. 

My students are all very hard working, genuine people.  They have a real love of life, their families, and food.  I am lucky to have the opportunity to get to know and teach them.  I learn so much from them.  I enjoy learning the stories about their families, their jobs, how they came to the United States, and why they came to this country.  I have heard some amazing stories.  I have heard many stories of discrimination.  This makes me extremely sad.  Why can we not develop an immigration policy that is more equitable?  I understand that we have to protect our borders from terrorists.  My students are not criminals or terrorists.  They are people like you and me, with hopes and dreams.     

I Still Hate Insurance Companies and Drug Companies (Escpecially Eli Lilly)

I just thought I would give you all an update about my Humatrope.  Since receiving the letter from Aetna Denying my Humatrope, my doctor has submitted an exception request, and then an appeal.  The lack of customer service at Aetna is incomprehensible!  The lack of assistance that I am getting from Eli lilly is even more ridiculous!!!!! 

Eli Lilly has an organization created to assist the patients, The Humatrope Reimbursement Center (HRC).  I have to say they are wasting their money with this one!!!  I have been working with this group since last year, and it is like smashing your car into a brick wall while driving 100 miles an hour. 

I have called this place and called this place and called this place to no avail.  The person assigned to my case, is this chick named Vanessa.  The woman never returns my calls, and rarely answers her own phone.  When she does call me, she mixes my case up with others, asks questions she has asked before, and makes promises she never keeps, and then blames her mistakes on my doctor’s office.  

The Humatrope Reimbursement Center (HRC) is supposed to help patients with:

• Obtaining a description of the benefits provided through their insurance plans.
• Understanding their insurance coverage and what options are available.
• Coordinating and submitting claim forms and documentation required by their insurers.
• Appealing any denials of coverage from their insurers, whenever possible.
• Exploring other sources of coverage and reimbursement.
• Working with their doctors’ offices to make sure all necessary information is promptly supplied to each patient’s insurer.

I know this is a free service they are providing, so I hate bitching about it, but I am telling you they seem to be more of a hindrance then a help.  They wasted my doctors office time by having them fill out the same paperwork 5 times.  It was so bad that the drug rep and her boss had to go to my doctors office to finally complete the paperwork.  My doctors office kept blaming the HRC, and the HRC kept blaming my doctors office.  This process literally took months.  If the list above is what they are supposed to be doing, I can tell you that from my experience, they have not helped me with any of those issues.  I had to hound them to help me, I gave them information about my insurance company, I have had my doctors office fax, call and mail them information.  They open and close my case with no rhyme or reason, and Vanessa from the HRC told me that she could not help me with the exception or the appeal.  Once again, Elli Lilly states that the HRC is supposed to assist with this.  I could go on and on about the problems I am still having with this group!

Now, let me talk about Aetna.  My doctor’s office, the Humatrope Reimbursement Center, and I, have faxed, called and mailed information to Aetna.  We have sent test results, lab results, and the letter of Medical Necesity to them over a million times.  Every time I call Aetna to get a status update, they tell me they have not received any of this information!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Okay now, WHO IS LYING??????  Is it Aetna?  Is it my doctor’s office?  Is it the Humatrope Reimbursement Center?  Is it me?  If I am not already crazy, I think I shall be soon.  Why is this so complicated?  I have an illness, Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency.  My doctor tested me for it.  My doctor prescribed medication for it.  You would think it would not be so f*%@$g difficult to get the medicine I need to live a normal life!!!!!!!!  I am truly about to just give up.

Another Friday’s Feast

Appetizer - The world is coming to an end. There’s no way out. You only have time to say one thing to one person you know. What would you say, and to whom?

I would say “Oh crap!!!!”  to my Dog Cosmo.

Soup - Name something you’re absolutely crazy about.

I am crazy about rocks.  I love minerals and the wonderful way they make me feel!!! 

Salad- What’s that nickname you don’t want anybody to know about? C’mon!

BJ,  I am not saying anything more…..

Main Course - Which country would you like to visit, and why?

Mine is New Zealand also.  I have always wanted to be a Ki-Wee.  The filming of Lord of the Rings was in this beautiful country. 

Dessert - Your favourite pet peeve?

When people are judgemental.

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Friday’s Feast

Appetizer

Name one thing that is unique about you.

My favorite Sesame Street character, when I was a child, was Grover.

Soup

Fill in the blank: My favorite Stone is Amethyst but I like Fluorite too.

Salad

What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings?

Mixed woods, natural and white washed.

Main Course

Who do you talk to most often on the phone?

My younger sister.

Dessert

What level of responsibility do you have in your job?

 I am an ESL teacher to primarily Hispanic people.  I love teaching adults English!  I love teaching about the United States.  I love my students. 

Thirteen Things about My Father 1.  He loved to fish. 2.  He loved to read when he had the time. 3.  His favorite poet was Pablo Neruda. 4.  He loved pound cake. 5.  He drank Dewar’s Whiskey. 6.  He had a mustache. 7.  He was a Naturalized American Citizen. 8.  He knew more about American History and Government then most Americans. 9.  He taught me the Importance of education. 10.  He viewed me as a possession. 11.  He sexually abused me.  12.  He was physically violent with me. 13.  In some perverted and sick way, I think he loved me.

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My First Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about Amethyst. 1. Purple is my favorite color. 2. I see and read auras. 3. I love my Cosmic Cosmo!!!!!!! 4. The ocean is my favorite place. 5. I have dug up some of my crystals at the mines in Arkansas. 6. As a child some of my fondest memories were at Pikes Peak in Colorado. 7. I love the mountains. 8. I believe in Magic. 9. I visited Jane Austin’s home in England, and stood by her writing desk, and looked out her bedroom window. 10. I love to create art. 11. I have wonderful friends. 12. One of my favorite films is the french movie Blue, from the Red, White and Blue Trilogy. 13. Another one of my favorite films is - The Double Life of Veronique - The music in this movie is heart-wrenching.

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I Hate Health Insurance Companies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received a letter on Saturday from my health insurance company.  They have decided  not to approve my Humatrope.  This is a drug that is very important to me, because I have Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency.  The letter was signed by some dude named Mark Rubino, R.Ph, M.H.A..  He is the Chief Pharmacy Officer with Aetna Pharmacy Management.  Why can a pharmacist override the decisions and directions of a doctor?????????????  My doctor thinks I need the medicine!  My doctor went to Medical School.  Then she completed specialty training in endocrinology.  Did Mr. Rubino?  No, I think not!  I also went through a 4 hour L-dopa/Arginine test that proved that my body does not produce growth hormone.  I did not sit there for 4 hours having substances I.V.ed into my body, and having my blood drawn every 30 minutes for the fun of it!!!  @#!*%$#@  I did not undergo closed MRIs that lasted what seemed like forever to just entertain myself!  *&^%$#*@ Who are these people that make these arbitrary decisions about my health????? 

 I am sure they will get their bonuses for turning down patients who need help!  Michael Moore’s movie Sicko was right on target.  If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. 

I feel right now that I am in a battle for my life.  I want to live a better quality of life, a normal life.  It has taken seven years to find answers to the problems causing the deterioration of my mental and physical health.  Now that I have a big part of that equation solved, I can’t get the medication anymore that was helping me work towards obtaining the life I once had, and the life I dreamed about.  The medication I need is Human Growth Hormone, and now with baseball players, and possibly other athletes misusing the drug, it is going to make it harder for people like me to obtain it.

I have a somewhat rare disorder called Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency.  What this means is that my pituitary gland does not produce Growth Hormone.  In adults, Growth Hormone Deficiency can cause the following list of problems:

• weakened heart muscle contraction and heart rate
• increased arterial plaque and blood pressure
• elevated lipids or fats in the blood:
 - cholesterol 
 - low density lipoproteins (LDL)
 - triglycerides
• decreased exercise capacity due to decreased cardiac output
• decreased energy due to decreased metabolic rate
• abnormal body composition:
 - increased abdominal obesity (waist to hip ratio)
 - decreased bone density due to decreased synthesis of bone
 - increase in fractures and osteoporosis
 - decreased muscle strength and muscle size
 - decreased lean body mass
 - increased fat mass
• low blood sugar:
 - dizziness or fainting
 - weakness or tiredness
 - headaches
 - poor concentration or memory
Physical Symptoms
 - lack of energy or fatigue
 - decreased sexual desire
 - muscle weakness
 - sleep problems
 - weight gain
Psychological Symptoms
 - shyness
 - withdrawal from others
 - nervousness or anxiety
 - problem with sleep quality
 - decreased social contact
 - sadness or depression
 - feelings of hopelessness
My Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency was caused either from some sort of head trauma (I had a very physically and sexually abusive childhood,) or from a prolactinoma or small pituitary tumor that has damaged my pituitary gland.  This has also reeked havoc with my hormones causing me to lactate (produce breast milk), and problems like having my period every two weeks.  It also might have caused my Hypothyroidism as well.  According to the Pituitary Network Association, 1 in 5 people have pituitary tumors.  In most cases they go undiagnosed unless a person develops some of the symptoms, and like in my case, once they start producing symptoms they can go misdiagnosed for years.

I went over 7 years battling the symptoms, going from specialist to specialist, and each doctor telling me to “just exercise and lose some weight,” which is hard for people with this disease to do because it causes enlargement of the heart, physical exertion intolerance, and causes your body to convert muscle to fat faster.  Doctors also told me that my symptoms were related to the sexual abuse I received as a child, or because I was on anti-depressants.  Depression, isolating behaviors, and apathy syndrome are also symptoms of my illness.  One endocrinologist, rated as one of the top in the Dallas area by D Magazine, without any testing looked at me, listened to my symptoms and simply told me quote “you are just too fat.  Exercise, lose some weight, or have a gastric bypass.” Endocrinologists are the specialists that are supposed to diagnose this problem!  All the while both my physical and mental health were declining.

It started for me at the peak of my professional career.  I had been working in Telcom/Technology for eight years, was making more then $80,000 dollars a year, and was looking forward to hopefully one day also having a family in addition to my career.  Back then I never dreamed I would be where I am now, alone, fighting a mental and physical illness that has destroyed my life and my body.  Without Humatrope, the Growth Hormone that I have been on, my life is not worth living!  I have been on the medication for about a year and a half and the improvement in my physical health has been tremendous!  I can now exercise, walk my dog, and even walk into the grocery store from a far parking spot without collapsing in exhaustion, all of which I used to not be able to do.

Now my new insurance carrier does not want to cover the drug, and even if they do the percentage I will have to pay will go up significantly.  Since this is a costly drug, it will be a struggle for me to afford it.  It is a catch 22 situation.  I want to have my life back, and the main drug that will help me to do this, I can not get!  I am at a loss for what to do, please help!