Maybe we need an Urgent Care BB Forum

[Cactuskate]

I’m not sure what is going on but it sure seems those of us on this BB have been dealt our share of bad cards lately.

Why animals alone on the first page of Off Course have hoodoo, In The Gate, First Cry and The Fjord Jockey up in arms.

Then there is the people side, Lord Helpus and her mystery malady, Fairweather and her back, and myself with the card hand from hell called cancer.

At first I was joking about the Urgent Care BB, but the more I think it would be a great place to post the supportive responses we are so good at. And it would prevent some of those from getting lost on the back pages so soon if the BB is having an overly active day.

What does anyone else think?
PS Thank you all for all your supportive posts in my situation. They do make a difference. And to all with their own bad situation, my support to you.

“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”

[gwen]

My doggy is sick too…my threads somewhere too!!

BARB*

House hunting on Long Island…we’re looking at cardboard boxes…since that’s all we can afford in a nice area…

[Tosca]

Hmm, I could use a few insightful words right now. My brother committed suicide three years ago from tomorrow. I was 15 at the time and it totally shattered my life. I thought I had somewhat recovered but lately I’ve been thinking about him all the time, and it hurts just as bad as it used to.

I’m also sick of taking care of other people. My friends view me as “the rock” of the group, the person they can go to with problems. It’s hard because I have to deal with their problems as well as mine (one of my friends, in particular, really worries me, she’s somewhat of a wild child and at the bar last week got the date rape drug slipped into her drink) and now I feel almost incapable of talking to them about myself. February is such a hard month.

~Tosca~ www.parajournal.com/users/julieclaire

Gandalf caressed him. ‘It is a long way from Rivendell, my friend,’ he said; ‘but you are wise and swift and come at need. Far let us ride now together, and part not in this world again!’

[Liverpool]

February isn’t my favorite month either. It includes the anniversary of my mom’s death from leukemia, at only 56 years old. I still miss her everyday, and I am sure I always will.

However, one thing that she reminded me about shortly before she died has been a great gift, and as simple as it sounds, I’d like to share it all with you. I am not great at following her advice all the time, but I am better at it than I used to be - and it sure has helped me to put things in perspective.

She reminded me that no one knows what might happen to them (or to someone they love) tomorrow. It really IS important to live each day to the fullest - refuse to put off what is important to you, and insist on taking the time to enjoy TODAY. Let go of the little stuff, and look for reasons to be happy NOW, not tomorrow, or when you get that raise, or get a job, or whatever.

I suppose that might sound rather simplistic and somewhat trite. But I think most of us do forget how lucky we are, and it is easy to focus on stuff that you would rather change. Once you switch gears and invest some energy into looking for the GOOD in your day, you may be amazed at how insignificant the other stuff becomes!

I hope I do not sound like I am minimizing the difficulties anyone here may be having with their health or life circumstances. I know that life includes sometimes very serious problems The support on these boards is great, and those jangling curb chains really ARE wonderful. Just hoping to add a few good thoughts to the mix.

[Animal-luvr]

It is so sad about all these deaths and illnesses, my thoughts are with all of you.

A man at my barn died on Friday of lung cancer. He was only 53 and has 3 children under 18. We feel so bad because he only told 2 boarders, he didn’t want anyone to know, so we never got to say goodbye. He has 2 horses. The hard part is that his kids want the horses but aren’t very experience around horses. The one is a really stubborn QH and the other is a young arab that needs a lot of training. I am not sure what will happen to his horses but I am guessing that his friends will find them a nice home. For now the boarders are going to look after them. It must be very difficult for his kids, I lost my dad when I was 18 so I can relate to them.

[Cactuskate]

I resemble that line of thinking.

There is alot to be said for true acceptance. Of people, of situations.

The Serenity Prayer says it best, IMHO.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”

[Duffy]

Oye ve…I’m really starting to believe that bad things happen to good people WAY too much.

Tosca - that is so much more than a 15 yr old, or even now 18 yr old, should have to shoulder.

I’m a lot older than you and my family has always thought of me as being the rock and being able to handle everything for everyone. It’s so hard, because you want to be there for them. But, on the other hand, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to lean on one of them for a change.

Well, I have to say, that the friends who I’ve met on this BB have been there to support me over the last couple of years. Thank you one and all.

Tosca, please know that we’re here for you as well.

[In_The_Gate]

I think I’m lacking the wisdom part…

Valerie
~VWiles02@yahoo.com~
Valerie’s home page
My horse was amazing tonight! She started off high, but then calmed right down, to the point where we actually broke to the trot in front of a fence. I have NEVER seen my horse do that. She was so good!!!

[Cactuskate]

I’m not sure what is going on but it sure seems those of us on this BB have been dealt our share of bad cards lately.

Why animals alone on the first page of Off Course have hoodoo, In The Gate, First Cry and The Fjord Jockey up in arms.

Then there is the people side, Lord Helpus and her mystery malady, Fairweather and her back, and myself with the card hand from hell called cancer.

At first I was joking about the Urgent Care BB, but the more I think it would be a great place to post the supportive responses we are so good at. And it would prevent some of those from getting lost on the back pages so soon if the BB is having an overly active day.

What does anyone else think?
PS Thank you all for all your supportive posts in my situation. They do make a difference. And to all with their own bad situation, my support to you.

“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”

[ErinB]

It does ring true.

While I’ve (so far) been blessed with a decently trouble-free life (well, aside from becoming a teenager, which may well scar me for life), I’m a worrywart and a hypochondriac so in a way, I always have some sort of disease. Ha.

Seriously, if anyone ever wants to IM me, you can! thatsMissPiggy2U or SkittlezNCombos, depending on which one I’m on. Or TricolorGriffen@yahoo.com.

And I agree, this is a very bad month. My Griffen, He-Who-Never-Colicked, recently colicked, and the vet detected a heart murmur while she was treating the colic.

But it must mean that next month will be the best ever!

~Erin B #1
Politically incorrect at all times. (PIAAT)

[Chef_Jade]

12 year old girl at my barn almost died from mystery illness until a specialist diagnosed her with a very rare form of Valley Fever. She is on the mend and will be out of the hospital in 2 weeks. Thank goodness!

Another BB’er that I am friends with lost her father recently.

Our groom was killed in a car accident several months ago.

I have been discussing the recent increase in accidents/illnesses with my roommate as well. She has 2 friends from school (in their 20’s) who both have cancer.

Sometimes the world seems very chaotic!

[Merry]

I say we all set a date and time for curb chain jingling and a recitation of each individual’s chosen prayer/mantra/meditative chant/primal scream, done in the name of our afflicted friends. And then, in synchronized unison, we walk outside and pet our favorite horse.

Surely that would get the attention of Someone Somewhere, eh?

“You just keep thinkin’, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.” – The Sundance Kid

[HN73]

After FPP last night we got to take one of our JRTs to the emergenncy clinic so his shoulder could be stapled back together.

Not tragic, but a medical issue none the less!

There’s no place like first place.

[Louise]

And, especially for you Tosca. It is a burden, being the “strong one.” You do get tired of it, and I know very well that urge just to lean on someone, for a little while, every now and then. That’s when, as Duffy said, you come here, or, you go hug a furry being.

I hope that everyone’s pain lessens, very soon.

---

“We ride and never worry about the fall.
I guess that’s just the cowboy in us all.”
Tim McGraw

[Heidi]

It’s odd, I’ve been thinking the same - there must be a curse on our fellow BB’ers, their families, and friends.

For starters, my father had a stroke recently; and though not a major one, it’s left him diminished (shuffles, slurs, he doesn’t have full range of motion, his left side is drooped).

My father has always struck me as the very picture of health and immortality - he doesn’t smoke, drink, weighs in at a mere 130 lbs; egads the man is at the gym five days a week! That he’s mortal, and as he approaches his 70th birthday, the realities of aging parents, have smacked me upside the head.

Then of course my best friend’s neighbour has been diagnosed with brain cancer - two months after giving birth. One of our barn-mates, who’s a surgeon, recently operated on a fellow surgeon’s daughter, who’s suffering from stomach cancer; and I’d swear the fates must be cruel as she’d only just buried her husband at Christmas - he died at 49 in a car crash.

[cranston]

This has been a bad month for my family as well. My father, who has never been sick a day in his life, went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago because he felt tight through his back on his golf swing. To make a long story short he has lymphoma and kidney cancer. He will be having surgery this afternoon. I would appreciate any and all curb chain jingling today! My dad would also appreciate a silent prayer to the patron saint of golf, if there is one - I told him it was St. Andrew!

[Everythingbutwings]

The small company I work for (under 50 employees) has had three people die from cancer.

One who could only be treated by NIH, one whose bizarre type could only be dealt with at Johns Hopkins and the third who had such blinding headaches and frequent lapses into unconciousness that took him to the emergency room only to be told that nothing could be found and he couldn’t stay for a headache.

After several MRI’s and four trips to different local hospitals, a “benign” tumor the size of a baseball was discovered in his brain stem. His daughter was killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, leaving him and his wife to raise their 8 month old grandson, his funeral was February 8th.

Besides those tragic three, two co-workers have died at an early age from sudden heart attacks and three others are recovering from even different forms of cancer. (We called EPA and were assured there was nothing going on. We also discovered that Fairfax County Health Dept no longer has a unit for investigating this sort of phenomenon.)

Throw in two former co-workers (one of whom was my father) who only worked in this facility for a brief period and have passed on at an early age.

Now, my stint with the death of my broodmare and bottle raising Little Orphan Maddie doesn’t look so bad, does it? Neither does my ACL surgery.

Wings stood on my foot yesterday at Frying Pan and (thank goodness it didn’t get stomped and crushed), looking back, I am glad I was able to be there on a sunny day and feel my horse stand on me!

Cactuskate, ReginaPony, Fairweather, Sarapony, BreezyMeadow, you all are inspirational. When I feel a need to have some Whine with my cheese, I think of how extremely fortunate I truly am.

[Goodyfourshoes]

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