It is still illegal and he was nabbed for DWI just a few years ago.

I was so glad to see this addition to the site and I hope it goes on longer than just the month of Feb. When the website first started last year there was some talk about having a health section but it never got off the ground. I’m an FNP and I think the best preventative medicine is education.

I have 15y/o triplets who were conceived with the assistance of clomid after several years of trying to get pregnant. At the time I was pregnant, we lived in SLC, UT and my ob/gyn suggested going to a parent of multiples support group. When we got there, the word “blessing” was being peppered throughout the descriptions of people’s experiences. What struck me and my husband was how many couples already had 4,5,6 kids at home. Many of them had all girls and so were going to their physicians and asking for fertility treatment in order to “finally have a boy”. I always felt sorry for all those girls who were born to families that were just going to keep getting pregnant until they got their prized baby boy. The sadest part was how many of those couples trying for a boy ended up with triplet girls…I have no idea if they went back to those same docs to try again.

But it’s not true that rich or poor, we get care…I would estimate that 25% of my adult patients are self pay. Many of them working. Everytime I decide on a to prescribe a drug, I have to go through the gymnastics of if a pt will be able to afford the medication I think is best. My prescribing practices are always impacted by economics-is the drug on a $4 formulary, can our clinic pharmacy fill it on a sliding scale. It’s ridiculous that my choice of treatment is so strongly impacted by what the pt can afford-not what profits our practice-what the pt can affort (big difference). On the other side, many friends and family have recently had to wait several months to see a specialist for referrals which should have been done sooner (because by my lithmus test as a provider, the problem was affecting daily life). And as far as electronic charts go-overall, I”m for them. Any provider who looks at their “tablet” instead of in the eye of the patient, would have done the same with a chart. The ability to have access to lots of information quickly is invaluable. The current problem is that each clinic and hospital system can choose their own software. None of the software talks to other software so often, the information is still printed from the electronic record, faxed to the clinic that needs it, where it is printed again and then scanned into the new software-Of course with cover sheets aplenty….still lots of paper waste. Overall, I agree that high tech in the boonies is a blessing-we were still able to function today even though the power was out for probably 100mi radius. Our generator our computers to keep us up and running will only our usual amount of communication snaffoos.

Hi Frannie and Diana, The change.gov website is great and Senator Daschle really seems to be trying to glean an understanding from all perspectives. As practitioners, we were encouraged by our assn to go on and express our concerns and experiences. It has made me hopeful that change really may come because the politicians are looking for answers from patients and providers-not from big business. The website is definately worth a look not only with regard to healthcare but education, energy, foreign policy…I feel real hope:)

Maurine, I like the way you think. I’ve found lots of added bonuses in the alternatives I’ve turned to in order to spend less. I now have my 15y/o dtr cut my hair. It is never quite right so I’m always asking her to fix this or that…We always end up laughing at something and it’s just a sweet time for us-she told me a few weeks ago that all her friends are amazed I trust her to do it-that comment and the smile on her face- definately priceless. We haven’t gotten to eat out much since moving to a small town several years ago-it allows us to have far more relaxed and impromtu dinners with friends-and the kids have to do more cooking too. We have so many conveniences and haven’t ever gone hungry or cold so it’s not really giving up anything if life has been full of luxuries we often take for granted.

I needed the levity of the Jack Black musical because I’ve been so angry and scared by prop 8. The idea that rights which have previously been upheld by the state supreme court can be taken away astounds me. I worry what other rights are in jeopardy with this new tactic.

Dora, we have an old friend who started making mix tapes in the 80s and would give it each year with his card. Now we have a 20 + year collection of music-much of which we never would have been exposed to. I treasure this collection. Javier is lucky to have you.

What would happen to the marriage and divorce rate if we saw these couples everyday on the newstands instead of celebrating infidelity and instant romance?

Lou, your response almost makes it worth him being on the list. What a perfect analogy.

I like the cut and I’m not sure it’s sexist-we would notice if Anderson Cooper showed up one day with a dye job or if Dr Phil got hair plugs.

It is a health care issue not a moral issue and when you look at the true demographics of who uses medical care, you see that it cuts across all age, religious and socioeconomic groups. We also cannot decrease the number of abortions in the US until we make birthcontrol readily available and affordable to all women.

Happy belated birthday Lena, Your birthday falls smack dab in the middle of birthdays of two of the most important people in my life, my mom (78) and brother-so in my book you belong to a very elite club. The next time you are feeling the weight of sadness you should reread these posts and be reminded of how your very honest and vulnerable post struck a deep chord with so many women. Though this sadness is uniquely yours, it is also part of the fabric of so many lives. You gave us a treasured gift on your birthday. Thank you.

Do something for someone else. .

This is why my family now keeps a lovely lesbian hen community in the back yard:)