Thursday, May 4, 2006

Wordplay and doctor's appt...



This week is going by quickly for me.  Chelsea arrived on Tuesday and we have been visiting.  I got to feel the baby kick.  Alot.  Awwwww....  He (I think it's a boy) is an active little thing.  It's really nice to have her around and talking about baby topcs.

                             

I had an appointment out of town with a neurosurgeon at Hershey yesterday as I am looking for a new doctor.  I am giving up on Johns Hopkins to care for my chiari malformation and pseudotumor cerebri.   They have really disappointed me.  Since they put in the wrong shunt it has been downhill.  They won't admit to putting in the wrong shunt.  The doctors seem too busy.  They lose things.  They never call me back.  I can't get a hold of them.  My own g.p. can't get my records from them.  And it goes on and on.  So I went to Hershey yesterday to see if they could care for my neurological needs.  It was a no-go.  They really don't want to follow up on someone else's "work" and they said they didn't do follow up chiari care.  I explained to them that I had the wrong shunt put in.  I guess they didn't want to deal with the mess.  They told me to either go back to Johns Hopkins  or get all my records together and go somewhere else.  I mentioned the Chiari Institute in New York.   The doctor said this was the best place he had heard of and he recommended it over anywhere else.  So I am going to get a hold of the Chiari Institute and see how they feel about my visiting them.  I am going to do all I can do over the internet, by phone and by mail.  Perhaps I won't even have to go.  Maybe they can even find me a doctor locally.  I am just so tired of traveling to doctors that are out of town.  It is such a stress on my body and a stress on the drivers that I have had to round up.  Wish me luck!    Oh, one more thing, I saw Krissy yesterday.  For those who don't know, she and John are back in Hershey at the Hope Lodge.  Well, Krissy is at the Hope Lodge and John is in the hospital.  John has a few things wrong with him and needed to be re-admitted.  He could be in for a few weeks.  If you want to read about what is going on with him visit my sister's
journal.  She is able to write occasionally as the Hope Lodge has a computer.

                                       

On to "Wordplay".  I wanted to talk about foreign languages today.  The one language I was taught in school was Spanish.  I took it for three years.  My ex-husband is Puerto-Rican.  We lived with his family for a couple of months.  You know, I learned more Spanish in those couple of months than I did in the three years I took classes.  They didn't know I knew what they were saying, but I was picking it up quickly, and they were saying some not-so-nice things sometimes.  Gee, that wasn't so good.  Shame on them.  I have forgotten alot of the Spanish that I have learned as I haven't used it in about ten years.  I do know some American Sign Language.  I can sign the alphabet and some words.  How about you?

Can you speak any foreign languagesHow did you pick them up Did you learn any in schoolPlease write down a sentence or two or three so we can see the language and please translate itCan you speak more than one foreign languageDo you know any sign language or Braille Have you taught any languages to anyoneIf you could learn another language what would it beDo you have any foreign language stories?  Please leave your participation to these questions in the comments section.  If you want to do this as an entry in your journal please come back and leave your entry URL so we can go back and read it.  Thank you!

Finally, please visit the Breast Cancer Site every day this month.  They are doubling the clicks this month.  That means more free mammograms for those who can't afford them!  Thanks so much!  Have a good day everyone!  xox

18 comments:

  1. You do what you must to get the best care. You deserve no less!

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  2. yes! I speak tagalog (I'm from the Philippines) so.."kumusta ka na?? Sana makakita ka nang mabuting doktor.." (means how are you & I hope you find a good doctor)
    Gem :-)

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  3. Oh I do hope you manage to find a Doc who will take you on ,and get things sorted out for you ,Chelsea looks blooming what a pretty girl ,and the babes kicking how exciting .......Jan xx

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  4. Hope you find a doctor soon hun.

    ~ Susan
    http://journals.aol.com/njmom72/TheStrawberryPatch

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  5. Chelsea looks gorgeous... all aglow!

    be well,
    Dawn


    ps... I will be back for the wordplay later...

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  6. Hi Val,
    I took French in high school and college and I took ASL I and II in college--but you lose it if you don't lose it.

    hmmm--a french sentence
    Vous ete un chevre!

    sorry--couldn't get the accent marks.
    It means you are a goat---very nice insult if you ask me!

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  7. I'm sorry you were given the run around at Hopkins.  They're known for that.  Hershey's neurosurgeon isn't that great anyway.  Check out the Chiari Institute!! They claim all the time that they have to fix other neurosurgeon's mistakes.
    Have a good evening.

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  8. I sure you hope find the best care. We pray for that. It's time you felt better.
    Your daughter is so lovely. I'm glad you got to feel the baby move.....wonderful experience.

    As for wordplay, I grew up speaking English and Italian. I understand Italian spoken around me. Especially Neapolitan. I can speak it but it with a few mixed up dialects and make myself known to other Italians if I had to. I took French in HS for four years and if an American speaks it, I can usually understand it but if a real French person does, no way.

    The only story I could think of right now about languages is working in a wicker store many years ago and two Italian ladies were talking about how they were going to trick me into selling them a product for a lower price and I let them talk and talk and when they walked over to me, I told them, in Italian, I wasn't the owner and couldn't lower the price. You should have seen the look on their faces. LOL!

    Angela

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  9. I do hope you can get help with your medical problems. Noit fun having to run about trying to get them sorted. Jeannette xx

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  10. I hope your medical situation works out...

    I am finishing up my 2nd year of Spanish.  I HATE THE CLASS!...well, let's just say my affinity isn't towards a foreign language.  I am really struggling.  Thank heaven I won't be taking it next year.  I'd really love to learn, but I think I'd need to go live in the country and immerse myself.  If I could wake up some morning having learned a new language I might just pick Gaelic.  For practical purposes, Spanish.  
    -Kellen

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  11. I made a journal entry about this one . . . go on over and take a look:  http://journals.aol.com/firestormkids04/FromHeretoThere/entries/1476 Love, Penny

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  12. hello sweetie so sorry to hear all your troubles going on you are still in my prayers though and krissy how sad to go back alredy they are in  my prayers too your daughter looks so cute and glowing i know how excited you are and am so gald you got to visit with her i know it made your week now for your question no forgin languge for me although when guila was little we lived near a lot of kids that only spoke spanish so she picked up so quickly and still today she understands some and speaks a little her dad too but only medical termonalgy for him I do know some sign languge as when i was young my step mom would work with special needs and i learned to talk to some of them with sign languge hope you have a great day God bless kelley

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  13. Had spanish class and it sucked in my opinion words and sentences are backwards and too much for nothing i dont plan on going over there for any reason so im not worried about it and im glad im through with it.

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  14. Hi Val!   I came over from Pennys journal.  I thought that was your sister in the picture! I was so surprised to read that she's your daughter!  Is this your first grandbaby?  I'm sorry you are having such health problems. I've had a few myself. I humour the Drs and try my best to take care of myself.  If you would like to know more I have something that would help.  Not a cure, mind you, but does help your health no matter what your problem might be.  I've never heard of what you have. Parts of it I can figure out by the name, but not all of it.  I'd really like to talk to you about it. Feel free to email me if you want.

    I'll be back anyway! :)  So Krissy is your sister?
    Bless You

    Darlene
    http://journals.aol.com/djohn52/AgeingGracefullyWithAllTheHelpIC/

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  15. Thanks for the link to the Breast Cancer site - I clicked and will pass on the link too!

    'On Ya' - ma

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  16. Ola! Come esta? Hello How are you?
    Cuando se llama? Me llama es Barbara. What is your name? My name is Barbara.
    Donde esta usted?  Where do you live? (I THINK-lol)
    Cuando se anos?   How old are you?  (I think).
    I was trying to remember some of the basic sentences I learned from 2 years of Spanish in HS, uhm...34 yrs ago this month. It's 4:25 a.m.  I can't remember crappo.  LOL I'd love to learn French.  My duaghter  took it in HS and still speaks it enough to carry on a conversation with her French teacher when she runs into her.  I would also like to learn an Asia lang. Like Japanese or Chinese. It just seems so foreboding.  

    Chelsea is beautiful and I hope it was an awesome visit.  Is she going to find out the sex ofhe baby? I bet you have just loved every minute of having her there.  

    Praying for you to find the best drs outthere for you and the condition you have.  
    Love ya
    Barb  

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  17. I took three years of Spanish in junior high and high school.  I can say:  Hablo espanol.  LOLOLOL.  Actually, I can understand some Spanish when it is spoken.  If I could learn another language, you know what it would be?  Latin!

    Krissy
    http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink    

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  18. Hi Val~ I took Spanish 3 years too. I know a few words of Hungarian from my grandparents. I wish I knew French and Swahili (sp?), but I am not a quick stury at learning languages...Sweetie~I encourage you to call the place in NY & I hear your frustration. Sorry Hershey was of no help! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help--ok? Your daughter is a beauty! ;-) Deb

    http://debbted.blogspot.com  <<<new one

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