Last month was Breast Cancer Awareness month and I blogged about my experience with a false positive mammogram.  Ironically, this is now the center of a new debate: if women, with little to no risk of breast cancer, should have annual mammograms before age 50. According to the U.S. Preventative Services Task force mammograms should begin at ...

I admit...I'm a facebook junkie.  I'll tell my kids I have to work and they come into my "office" and I'm on facebook.  "HEY!  That's not work!" they say.  Maybe playing Bejeweled Blitz is NOT work, but networking can be, right?  And man, has it helped me to develop a writing career beyond my ...

The weekend between the call for a repeat mammogram and the actual appointment passed quickly.  I stayed busy with family to keep my mind away from the unknown.  Being a person who compartmentalizes emotions, denying anxiety was easy to do.  So, it took my by surprise when my sister and friends rearranged their schedules to escort ...

My doctor informed me this summer I was of age to receive my baseline mammogram.  He paused for a moment in the hallway and glanced into my eyes.  ''You've always had lumpy breasts, right?'' I nodded.  Before he closed my chart, I caught a glimpse of a circle he had drawn on an image of a breast.  I swallowed hard, but decided ...

I have been following the first season of Nurse Jackie closely. Not only am I enjoying the show, but I also find the heated debate around it very interesting. Ainsley Maloney's  coverage of the show at Advance Perspective has had great comments, as well as Suzanne Gordon's website.   The show has brought the reality of drug ...

Thank you everyone for great feedback.  It's always good to hear options and ideas and thoughts from the other side.

Most insurance companies require a copay for different types of appointments, including ER visits.  This seems reasonable enough, and most of the rules, depending on the particular policy make sense.  But now that the hospital I work in attempts to collect these copays before discharge, the inequalities of our health care system are ...

I can see where long sleeves can breed infection.  It makes clinical sense.  But being a person who is cold most of the time, I need long sleeves.  Also, at my place of employment, staff with tattoos on their arms are required to cover them up, forcing them to wear long sleeves, too. This is very good information to have, and I'd ...

I ran through the door at 3pm, a few minutes late.  The hallway was filled with stretchers and wheelchairs holding patients that had been waiting for hours.  The air was warm and thick; the air conditioner had apparently malfunctioned again.  I swallowed my urge to run out the door into the fresh air and weaved through numerous ...

Brittany, What great insight you have!  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  I now look at the book with new eyes. Loretta