Lucky Dorito

Where has the summer gone? I know that’s what my kids keep asking …. as today marks the beginning of school. I hate that our schools start sooo stinkin early, in the height of the August heat. Poor kiddos, they are dreading it in some ways - and so is their mama. Back to early bedtimes, set schedules, homework detail…. no more carefree summer days. Sad, sad. This week has been a blur of activity, so I thought I’d try to recap my recent trip before I forget it all!

For every fabulous and wonderful moment of the continuing education meeting I just attended in Chicago, there were opposite moments of sadness and heartache. I love the camaraderie, the mentorship, the cutting edge knowledge from the top professionals in my field, the *free samples* of dental products that I haul home to dole out to patients when indicated, and the opportunity to meet a bunch of *listers*!

Those of you that have known me for a while, have heard me mention belonging to a *list-serve* with other dental hygienists. It was created by one extremely visionary woman named Amy and we usually just refer to it as *Amy’s List* and refer to ourselves as *listers*. It is basically an email support group with nearly 5,000 hygienists members now. I love to read it, following particular threads of interest, even if I don’t comment often. (Sounds sort of like blogging, huh?)

Several years ago, when having 500 members was a big deal - I was probably more active with posting on the List then I am now (that was before I found blogging, actually. I suppose a lot of the time I devoted to the List now gets eaten up with my blog) … but I still faithfully read the posts on the list. After a while of participating, you start to recognize names and conjure up mental images of each hygienist. Their personalities show through in their writing and you learn a little about their personal lives, not just their clinical practice. And, with time, it’s become just one giant community of dental hygienists offering wisdom, support, practical answers to questions related to our profession and a resource overflowing with a fountain of knowledge.

So you can imagine my pleasure to finally be able to put FACES with their NAMES at this meeting. (Some I met in Washington DC last year, by the way) It is such fun to meet people face-to-face, especially when you feel like you already KNOW them! (Again, sounds so much like blogging, doesn’t it?)

By the same token, you can imagine the incredible heartache I felt when I found out that the keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies was not there - because she had a stroke last weekend. Wow. Shocking. She was replaced by one of my absolute favorite speakers whom I loved getting the opportunity to hear again… but even the whole time I was listening to her (and even still now) in the back of my mind, I keep praying for the other one.

There was also another speaker, whom I know by name only, that was not in attendance because her husband was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she couldn’t leave him for this meeting. Of course, I surely don’t blame her at all - I would have done the same thing! I pray for them also.

(Sidenote: In case you’re wondering - I am leaving out names of these people on purpose - you never know who might stumble across this post and be upset seeing their name or their family members’ name… so I am just trying to be respectful of them. I have been very upset by all this news though and need this outlet of expression to *vent* about it. I know you understand. I also know that you are some powerful prayer partners out there….I could sure use your help.)

The third sad story I heard about while in Chicago really takes the cake. I have laid in bed for several past few nights thinking of this sweet family and what they must be going through. It’s odd how sometimes you hear about someone and you just can’t get them off your mind, isn’t it? I take that as a sign to pray again - whenever it comes to mind. This woman recently gave birth - maybe 4 weeks ago now to a baby girl (which I believe to be her 3rd child). Here is what I was told: Two years prior to the birth, she had been experiencing back pain and when she sought medical attention, the doctor gave her pain medication (maybe muscle relaxers) saying it was a strained muscle. She continued to have trouble with this pain in her back, even the whole time through her pregnancy. She was told that the pregnancy weight was probably making her back troubles worse and that it was normal to experience back pain while pregnant. Three weeks after the birth of the baby, she was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Wow. WOW. It just makes me so angry that the doctor was totally remiss in not pursuing other answers when her back pain continued. (Now, there is the possibility that by the time her story got to me, it had been twisted and changed - you know how that happens. So even if the details aren’t exact, they are probably pretty close.)

While I was away, the mother-in-law of a friend also had a stroke. She was moved to a Rehab Hospital Wednesday to begin the long recovery process. Also, the uncle of one of my patients Tuesday had a massive heart attack this past Sunday and is still unconscious (as of yesterday). The bad news just surrounds me right now.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past week praying for these people. My prayer list is really long right now (starting to resemble Santa’s Naughty and Nice list)… but, I don’t mind. Prayer is a powerful tool… not only for those you’re praying for… but for me too.

In the coming days, I hope to revisit the whole notion of “moving” - I’m sure you’re wondering what is up with that…. and I have some exciting news about Suki, since several of you have asked about her lately. Be on the lookout for that!

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