Heartburn

Every time I come across a picture or video of Lucy getting mad – it makes me giggle, because one of the first things they asked me in the ER was, “Is she vocal?” She wasn’t speaking words, but she had a voice and she used it! She was just taking in her surroundings. When they started poking her they found out just how big of a voice she had 😂 That’s my girl!

Some days I have a cascading day of “medical triggers.” (I am not sure what else to call them, because one triggers another, and most of the time there wouldn’t be a simple connection between them.) Well, my body decided today is the day! I woke up before the moon had disappeared with a bad feeling of acid reflux in my chest and stomach. Quite possibly due to the chocolate chip cookie and tea I had before bed last night, hand to forehead. When I stood up to go do the things necessary to take care of this, the left side of my head asked for the day off (a.k.a. migraine). Assuming this was the air pressure spike. Once I had taken my medicine and did what I know to do for all these things- it was “normal” waking time. Not to mention both my parents have upper respiratory things going on, so we are all wear masks, and gloves, and clinging to our Clorox free and clear these days.

By now I had enough medicine, food, fluid in me that I was ready to rest, and felt pretty confident that I could lay down without any reflux burning up my chest and stomach. However, the brain has literally a mind of its own. It was like, “Oh you think you are ready and calm? Let me show you what I can do!” Now, if you have ever had any kind of pain, I think you will know what I am about to explain. When you have intense pain, you are always aware of the next “episode/flare” (for lack of a better word) lurking around the corner. You don’t want to be- but it’s just the hard reality. So if you have a tendency to be anxious or have a ticker tape brain 24/7/365, this gets amped up when you have to be completely still while feeling like gum on shoe. When I laid down and got settled today, the ticker tape was telling me, “this pain is not going away,” “Lucy was in this much pain, you can handle it too.” All lies from Satan. So I did what I a whole lot: I began breathing in and out slowly until I felt my body relax, then began saying over and over, “Jesus.” If you ever want Satan to run with his pants on literal fire- just cry the name of Jesus! I was saying, Jesus, because 1. Satan does scurry. 2. That’s all my body would let me say in between breathes. 3. His name is all-powerful and He knows all!

I am feeling better now, thanks to wonderful doctors who have worked with me for so many years to get things working. (However, in our neighborhood it’s Mowing Day, so hopefully it doesn’t return 😕) And some of this reflux and pain is probably from all the “T”s being talked about and debated. I admit I am weary of all the politics, but we cannot get weary. As a couple of politicians have said, “people are dying, and people will die.” How about some questions to make us all think about the happenings in our government – local, state, federal- legislative, judicial, and executive?

Reciprocal: expressing mutual action or relationship. With this definition in mind, are the tariffs being enforced really reciprocal or just “formulated?”

Little to no exceptions for pharmaceuticals, steel, etc- who will this hurt the most?

USA farms export soybeans, grains and feeds, meat, fruits, vegetables, tree nuts- some of these farms are just getting back on their feet in western Carolina- this is there life savings, their 401K, their retirement, what is this going to do to their families and employees?

There are 964,00 small businesses in North Carolina, which employ 1.7 million of those in the state. My guess is that most of these businesses have to at some point purchase something made in another country. I had multiple companies have to move their wholesale warehouses overseas when I had my shop. Simply because Americans didn’t want to pay the made in USA price. What about now? Yes, the quality was excellent when it was made in the US, and the price was higher because of that quality, but the shopper’s feedback was “too expensive.” This indeed is frustrating for small businesses who are trying to do the right thing and keep coming up short. So how many will go and how many will survive?

Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, DHHS, FDA, CDC, USAID (shall I keep going?) The “dismantling” (fancy for: destroying) of these departments, Are they hurting or effecting those around the President, or the people he chooses to ignore, that survived the tornados last week, and go golfing instead?

Yes, I am mad and angry. And this is a somewhat political post. But I will not apologize, for this reason: the most vulnerable are being completely overlooked by those who don’t have to rely on these essential, long established departments. Babies, toddlers, children, retirees, elderly, the medically compromised, and it eventually, if not already will hit close to home for you.

I will have to say I have been in the dumps about some of the politicians not speaking up, but yesterday’s hearing on tariffs gave me a smidge of hope. (I will link below- its over 2 hours- but its worth watching)

Why in the world did I share the story of my morning and then get into all the above? Glad you asked. The first 30(ish) days of this administration is like the start of a slow burn in my chest, knowing that eventually I will feel that burn in my gut. Then at 60(ish) days, I stand up and the reflux is still there, but the pain in my head alerts me of the incoming difficulty the day may bring. And I must prepare and be proactive.

Be alert! Be proactive! Keep your listening ears open! And your hearts open to the stories of others!

Life Book of the Week: Penny: The Forgotten Coin, by Denise Brennan-Nelson