Stand Up for Mental Health

Mental Health Disorders Info

Grades

As a teacher, the most stressful time of each quarter is the week before grades are due.  That means each quarter as we head for break I am a complete wreck.  It's not because there is so much work to do; actually the work load decreases significantly as I am preparing to wrap up the term.  All of the sudden, though, parents and their children care about their grades.  They haven't really been worried for the eight weeks prior, but they want to know how to pull the grades up.

Out of the blue, work that has been missing for weeks is turned in.  I have found a way to make that grading go quickly; students get half credit for late work.  What is harder, though, is the stack of paperwork that students want me to copy.  Worksheets that they lost, instructions to assignments that they don't remember, it all adds up to more work for me.

I have been telling students for two weeks that all missing assignments were due on Friday, giving me enough time to get my final grades in by our Wednesday deadline.  On Thursday, the request for papers was incredible.  I finally told students I just couldn't get them everything they needed.  We had a nice class discussion about being proactive.  I feel badly, but I'm really trying to realize that their lack of planning is not my emergency.  I do the best I can to help students be successful, but I just couldn't produce everything they needed at the last minute.

Saturday afternoon I got an email from a parent that hurt me tremendously.  She was upset that I "gave" her son a failing grade in social studies, even though I explained his danger of not passing more than four weeks ago.  I offered an extra credit assignment, that if done well, could raise his grade by 50 points, giving him a B or possibly an A.  The assignment would have really shown comprehension of the subject, thus taking the place of the original scores.  I figured that I would give the student the benefit of the doubt that he just needed more time to master the material.  In my mind, this was a win-win situation for all of us.

Friday afternoon, the deadline for the extra credit assignment, I looked at what was turned in, and I was disappointed.  The project was half done and lacked effort.  I only gave him half the points I had told the parent were possible, and I honestly felt that was being generous.

I've done my best to motivate this student, and I was told in the email that the parent felt I had not given the student credit for the hard work he put into the original work in social studies.  I hate that.  I hate the implication that I don't see the good in my students; I do.  When they have a gap in the skills necessary to be successful, though, I am honest about that.

I hate grades.  I hate the judgement that parents, students, and teachers feel surrounding those scores.  I've done my best, though, and I just have to remind myself that assigning grades is part of the job I signed up for.

Allergy Test Results

So, the allergist was a bit baffled at the results of the skin tests. He really expected to see different results. Because of this, he ordered a total of nine blood tests to be done. A couple of them are to confirm some of the allergies that showed up. One is to test for Valley Fever, which he is pretty sure will be positive. The other is to finally get a "real" test for Lupus, which he will also not be surprised at a positive result after looking at how swollen my fingers and wrists were yesterday. He also ordered a test to check for antibodies to confirm if I ever actually had shingles. He really wants to know if that really was shingles that put me in the hospital two years ago or if we have been barking up the wrong tree all this time. I'm not sure what the other tests are for, but that's enough for now.

Even though my allergy tests showed I am allergic to pretty much the entire outdoors for ten months out of the year, he didn't prescribe or even recommend a daily allergy medication. I'm not having any of the symptoms that go along with those allergies typically, so the medication may not help. He's waiting until the blood tests come back to see if there is something else that is causing the reactions to the pollen.

He did ask me to stay away from onion, tomato, and citrus fruit altogether, but I only have to worry about the foods themselves. I don't have to read labels and look for hidden ingredients. Just the obvious foods. So, no more pizza or chilli for me. WHAT am I going to request for my birthday dinner now? Since I can remember (age ten at the very least), I have had lasagna or chilli on my birthday.

Finally, I am VERY allergic to cats and should not sit on couches where cats have been hanging out. It looks like I'll be sitting at my parents' dining room table for now when we visit, until he decides what to do after reviewing the blood tests. The only other thing that I had more of a reaction to than cats was parakeet feathers. What a strange thing to test for and to react to. He said I should not get a pet bird of any kind.

Allergies Part II

So, I'm basically allergic to the whole outside.  Seriously.  My biggest reaction to yesterday's testing was rye grass, but there were many trees and weeds/ bushes, too.  Thursday I'll go back to find out what the treatment plan is going to be.  I'm hoping this is going to give me the answers I'm looking for as to why I constantly feel sick.  At this point I'm ready to just find out how to get better.

Who Are You? Part 7 (Part 2)

Ha, this is part 2 for ME, but this was originally written as Part 7 on Sunday Stealing.  See Part 1 for more answers in this series.

94. Where do you see yourself in 4 years?
I hate this question every time I see it.  I have NO clue, and I kind of like that about life.  Four years ago I couldn't have told you I would be here doing exactly what I am doing.  I like that life is unpredictable.  What I DO know is that my oldest daughter will be getting ready to learn to drive and my youngest daughter will be getting ready to enter high school.  CRAZY!

95. If you could choose, how would you want to leave this world?
I don't think I have a preference, and I really don't want to get to make that decision.  No matter how I go, I hope it is painless for me and does not cause my family trauma.

96. If you had only one week to live, what three things would be bumped up on the bucket list?
I don't have a bucket list.  I have really done everything that I want to.  I guess I would visit Sea World and the San Diego Zoo.  Even that, though, would depend on where my family was financially.  If that trip would leave them hurting for money, I would just stay home and enjoy our time together.

97. What is one thing about you that really stands out?
Nothing really stands out about me, and I like it that way.  I like that I can blend into the background when needed, especially in crowds.

98. What three words best describe your personality?
Generous, honest, friendly.

99. What three words would others probably use to describe you?
Blunt, kind, giving.

100. What advice do you have to give?
Live life YOUR way.  Only you know where you have been and where you want to go.

Emotional Distance

Prompt:  What do you need to emotionally distance yourself from?

I've got a strange situation happening at work, and I find myself easily pulled into the drama.  I don't want to be a part of the problem, but I also don't want to turn my back on a person who could use a friend.  I'm trying to find that balance between caring about the situation and not letting myself get involved to the point where I am too entangled.  Argh!  It's frustrating.

Allergies

For years I have jokingly told my husband that I am allergic to him.  This week we found out that, in a roundabout way, that is true.  Poor Daniel!  I felt so bad after my appointment with the allergist.

After giving up on trying to figure out what is wrong with me, my family doctor said that I should see an allergist.  That doctor, he said, can also look for autoimmune disorders and know more about where to go next.  Not thinking it would do any good, but willing to try just about anything at this point, I made an appointment with an allergist.  Thank goodness for really good insurance!  I never would have been able to afford this visit if we were paying cash.

The allergist spent over an hour just going over my history and symptoms.  At first, he said he could have written my book for me.  Then he hit the part where I got "shingles" two years ago.  That was the part that started to not make sense to him.  Fortunately this doctor seems to enjoy a puzzle and said that he has lots of homework to do.

Then it was time for the exam.  The doctor verified that I have four distinct rashes on my body.  That, too, was confusing to him, and he agreed that we need to find the cause not just treat the rashes.  Especially since there doesn't seem to be anything that works effectively for all the rashes.  When one starts to go away another gets worse.  It seems to be never ending.  Again, he said he wanted to do some homework and do some allergy testing before he began treating the symptoms.  He REALLY seems to want to understand what is going on with my body.  I haven't felt this hopeful in years.  We FINALLY might get some answers.  If nothing else, this guy doesn't think I'm nuts.  I was beginning to wonder myself.

The appointment had time scheduled in for one round of allergy testing, and the doctor decided to throw in ten ten foods to check as well.  Forty different allergens were scratched into my skin, then we waited fifteen minutes to see if there were reactions.  Boy were there reactions!

I had severe reactions to Bermuda grass, Mesquite trees, and cats.  Well, guess what my landscaping husband plays in all day?  You guessed it, grass and trees!  Those are the most common varieties in Arizona, which is why I was tested for those to begin with, and there is no question my body reacts.  So, I'm allergic to my husband when he comes home from work.

From now on Daniel will be putting his clothes directly into the washing machine and showering before he does anything else.  No kissing me, no sitting down for a glass of water.... straight to the shower!  He has already moved his landscaping equipment from our garage to a place where it won't be bringing debris into the house.

Out of the ten foods tested, I reacted to three of them.  There was enough of a reaction that the doctor said to start cutting out tomato, onion, and orange.  In fact, he said that I should just skip all the citrus fruits.  Ug!  He's tested for more foods next week, too.

Even the doctor was surprised at how many reactions I had.  There were some sensitivities, too, but he said we aren't going to worry about those for now since there were so many bigger issues.  I don't have a treatment plan yet.  We'll finish the allergy testing, the doctor will compile and analyze the data, then I will have a third appointment to decide what we are going to do.  No matter what, I see some big lifestyle changes coming my way!