Traveling with injectable methotrexate? and a 'See you later'

Part of being an ex-pat is flying in commercial airplanes.  Lots of commercial airplanes.  I have so many frequent flier miles with one airlines that each time I get on one of their planes (without the Munchkins) I'm upgraded to business class.  Sweet....

Being a very frequent flier, I'm used to going through security in various airports, and I'm deeply appreciative that security personnel have difficult jobs. Nobody enjoys being searched, x-rayed, scanned, etc (at least nobody I know does).  I also am very used to following the rules.

So, I find myself in a bit of a tangle.  Munchkin #2 has been prescribed injectable methotrexate for her arthritis.  I must say, she and I are actually happy about this. We're ready to try something new that might stop or at least ease up on the pain.  The clincher is that for various reasons, we're going to have to travel with pre-filled syringes of methotrexate when we fly home.  Joy....not....

I'm very very confused.  I'm simply going to air my confusion here.  Please do not under any circumstances use my confusion as 'law' or a 'how to' guide.

The airlines say we can travel with my daughter's meds as long as she has a prescription.  The country we are flying into (or at least their websites) says we 'might' be able to travel with my daughter's meds as long as she has a prescription. Frankly, I just can't tell what's ok and what's not. 

So....

What does one do?

I can't fathom trying to do any of this without a reasonable reading level and a background in science. (I have a background in science if you hadn't figured that out already).  When I think about science education taking a backseat in schools, it makes me feel sick. How are those kids going to communicate with their doctors?  But, I'm hopping down a bunny trail....

So......I'm going to hop further down that bunny trail.....and totally change subjects.....

I wish to bid a very found see you later to my Dad's best friend, Jim.  Growing up, Jim was kind of a 'legend' to me.  I remember hearing stories of him and my dad slashing their way through the deep brush and deep woods literally creating new trails.  Jim, you were loved by many and will be missed.  And thanks for that excellent bottle of rum. I don't know if I will ever enjoy the cheap stuff again.

Peace.

I need to add a post-script to this. We've had no trouble traveling with meds. We put everything in a little travel bag designed for diabetics along with a photocopy of the doctor letter and photocopy of the script (I hold all originals with important docs). We have not had a problem yet. (Nov. 26, 2013)

Dust off the old resume

I was recently approached about taking on a full-time sort of paying job again.  I'm seriously considering the position. However, I don't want to turn in my resume until I know the status with this new pediatric rheumatologist we're taking Munchkin #2 to today.  If I'm going to have to head to the home country 4 times a year, there's no way I can work a full-time job. Plus, being a woman already in the country on a visa, employers think they can get away with paying way less than you are worth. Women getting low pay is a massive issue across the region.

It's interesting going through one's old resume.  Frankly,  there's stuff on there I had forgotten I'd done. I remember a time in my life when I struggled to fill a one page resume with anything meaningful.  Now, it's a struggle to keep it down to two pages.  And, how do you decide what parts of your life to delete and what not to delete?  Those 2 years you spent volunteering with low-income kids? Gone? Delete?

So much of what's really important to me, I can't put on a resume.  I'm a wife and a mom.  I get my kids to all their appointments and activities.  I keep a large house humming along and in good order. I'm a daughter, a cousin, a friend. 

I'll know after this afternoon if I'm sending that resume.  Who knows, maybe the job is already filled.

Peace.

Summer Dreaming and Happy Father's Day!

First, Happy Father's Day to those who celebrate it today.  See you in a few days, Dad!

Second, What I'm day-dreaming about:

1. A great new pediatric rheumatologist in town - appointment is set for early this week.

2. crisp evening air

3. bunny rabbits nibbling on clover outside my bedroom window

4. shopping malls where I can actually afford to buy stuff

5.  wearing shorts, scummy t-shirt and hiking boots to run errands

6. other women not thinking I'm some kind of freak for wearing shorts, scummy t-shirt and hiking boots to run errands

7. Mountains of breakfast foods that are familiar AND made at my fave breakfast restaurant

8. basic courtesies like holding a door open for a complete stranger AND saying 'Good morning'

9. no dust

10. sleeping for three days straight unless I'm out roaming around in the woods

I do enjoy living in this exotic environment, but lately the little things that put me on edge have really been piling up. It has been a hard year to enjoy the good stuff about being out here in the sand.  I'm hoping a few days/weeks back in the home country will help give me a much needed attitude readjustment. 

Peace.

Arthritis Advocacy

If you have political pull in the States or if you are a registered voter, please please please advocate for kids who have arthritis.  As an ex-pat, my family has good medical insurance because the company wants to keep us here.  I shudder in fear what that would mean for my daughter if that situation changed. 

I just learned that IF I was living in the States under 'good' US based health insurance, my daughter's meds if she starts on a biologic drug, could cost upwards of 30% of $2000US/month.  That's around $600/month WITH good health insurance.  Now, do I really know what our actual situation would be should we ever move to the States, not a clue.  But, for many families these costs are crippling.  And if the kids don't take the drugs than the kids would be crippled.

http://www.biocenturytv.com/player/1576037741001/1575734700001  Excellent little video explaining the difference in the States between a co-pay and co-insurance and what this can mean for someone with a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis. 

http://www.biocenturytv.com/player/1576037741001/1575734699001 Further explanation. 

We need more research and kids need good access to these very expensive but potentially life changing drugs. 

Peace.

Mowing the grass- what to do with the clippings?

Ok. This is just too crazy not to post.

The husband woke up early this morning to mow our grass in the back garden while it was still cool outside. Because the grass was long and we have a large garden, there were about 10 big bags of clippings to dispose of. The local community gardeners dump all the grass clippings and hedge trimmings in big piles around  the neighborhood.  Since we are not allowed to dispose of grass in the trash bins or large dumpsters, we bag it just like the gardeners and leave it where they leave it for the trash crews to come pick-up. We've been doing the same routine for the past year.

The husband and I had to run errands today. We had a very pleasant day. Bought blinds for our living room, a new pot for one of our indoor trees and visited furniture stores for a new sideboard to put in the room with the billiards table.  The munchkins stayed home finishing up last minute school projects and doing chores.  A community/neighborhood security guard rang at our gate while we were out. The munchkins didn't know how to communicate with him, so I phoned the guards' building once we arrived home.

Here's the conversation:

Me: "Hello, I was out running errands and the children said you came by our villa."

Security: [Very angry tone of voice] "Madam, you must move the black bags of grass clippings".

Me: "I am confused. What grass clippings?" 

Security: "Your grass clippings."

Me: "If they are my clippings, where do I put them?"

Security: "In your villa."

Me: "I can not put grass in my villa. Where do I put bagged grass for pick-up?"

Security: "You must move the clippings."

Me: "Where are grass clippings supposed to go?" {I'm thinking...we're only doing what EVERY gardener in the neighborhood does!!!!!!!  I KNOW the local gardeners are not hauling bags of grass off on their bicycles!!!!!!!  I passed 3 massive piles on our way home through the compound!  We're even using the neighborhood employed gardeners' piles!!!!!!!}

Security: "You must move the clippings. No grass clippings in common areas."

Me: "No grass clippings in common areas? Ok. Then where are grass clippings supposed to go because they are not allowed in the bins?"

Security: "You must move the clippings."

Me: "I am very confused. You need to speak to my husband." 

I should know by now that being a 'girl', I shouldn't even bother trying to talk with some folks about things.  But, I still try. I feel so frustrated and helpless here some days.  Security is coming by at 5pm today for a face to face meeting with the husband.  The really frustrating bit is how did security know they are ours? My guess? Well, my guess is our new neighbors are hacked that my husband was out mowing on a Saturday morning instead of at like 12 noon in +100F heat like the poor neighborhood gardeners.

It would be nice if I spoke more local languages. I'm so very ready to deal with one culture and one language for a few weeks.

Peace.

Venus and the Sand Box

Out here in the sandbox, I really get to contemplate just how hot the sun can be.

I loved this video.  Enjoy.

12 days and a wake-up until summer holiday.

Peace.

School Uniforms - the Horror Show

Ok.  I'm seriously going to show my stripes here.  I loathe school uniforms.  I know; I know.  They make it easy to get dressed, they are supposedly cheaper, yada yada yada. {Insert sound effect - Thhbbtttt!}

I seriously miss seeing my munchkins in normal 'street' wear. I miss their blue jeans, and the carefully selected t-shirts.  I miss the color and variety of their shoes.  No more....sigh...  Now, I get to see kids schlepping around the school with their shoes held together with tape because the assistant headmaster made them remove their shoelaces for being white laces instead of black laces. 

Today, in a bold brave attempt to avoid the rush, we tried to buy their uniforms for next year.  The week before school, you can't even get into the uniform shop.  Babies screaming, mummies screaming, kids groaning in the heat and the horror, "I have to wear that tie? It's ghastly! It'll choke me to death!"  And, for these supposed 'inexpensive' school shirts, I have to shell out the equivalent of like $30 US per shirt.  Umm yeah....right.  I'd rather hit the sales rack at a Macy's or Bloomingdales thank you very much! (Assuming one can get to the States!).  We'd get better stuff, and cheaper!

We always buy the shirts at the uniform shop because they have the school logo on them - no other choice.  The trousers, however, we always buy in the home country since they are usually cheaper/better quality.  This next year, they are changing the girls skirts.  They will have a single pleat in the front.  To quote a kid I overheard in the shop, "They're ghastly! Do I have to wear THAT?"  Not only are they not pleasant to look at, but they are going to be utterly impossible to find a version that is cheaper/better in the home country.  Rats, they figured us mums out! And, these school skirts are being made so we have to have them tailored to the correct length.  The horror!  We'll have to make trips to the shop for fittings amidst the smell of sweaty children, dust from the neighborhood blowing in the doors, a parking lot where 4X4 is necessary and all for the bargain price of about $35 US per skirt!  The horror!  And......since they moved the uniform shop to the new more convenient location (it is a better drive, just on packed sand road), there's no more stopping on the first floor for an ice cream as a light at the end of the long uniform store tunnel. 

Give me blue jeans or give me death? Ok, maybe that's exaggerating.....

13 days and a wake-up, but who's counting?

Peace.

Renting - the Bizarre Saga

We lived in a large flat our first 3 1/2 years in the Middle East.  When we needed to shift around a bit, we decided to change to a villa since the munchkins are growing, and it was getting crowded trying to have friends over.

We rented/leased a lovely villa in a very nice area. Because I loathe moving and trying to find places to live, we signed a two year lease.  Our landlord told us halfway through this lease that he is putting the villa on the market.  That was a couple of months ago.

Well....

Yesterday, a local Islamic bank tried to deliver papers to the villa via our local security guys.  I didn't take them because I know they are not for me - they did not have my name or my husband's name on them.  I don't know who they were for.  Which got me to thinking....

We have not heard anything from our landlord (and we know that he has a mortgage through an Islamic bank for this villa).  Not a single call from an estate agent - absolutely nothing.  We know he paid way more for the villa than it is currently worth (not unusual in the area).  We've seen all kinds of places drop in value.  But, we have seen some rise in value in the region.  So, real estate can be a tough game. 

I phoned our landlord's assistant this morning, a very nice lady.  I told her I just wanted to touch base with her because we'd be leaving on summer holiday. I also mentioned that we had yet to hear from an estate agent regarding the supposed possible sale of the villa.  I asked her what the current status was. She told me that only my landlord could answer these kinds of questions.  What a totally bogus response!  This is lady who does EVERYTHING for our landlord.  If anything breaks, we call her.  Before, if we were going on holiday, we'd call her.  The situation is so totally bizarre. 

So, we can only hope that nothing odd happens while we are on holiday.  If I did have to fly back to the sand box to deal with our landlord, it would just be a typical moment out here in the sand.  Hoping for the best, but I'm planning for the worst.

Peace.

Pool table and other bits (all Rheumatoid stuff)

15 days and a wake-up. The count down to summer holiday is running.

We are now the proud owners of a pool table.  It also is an air hockey table, but it needs a new motor.  Then...it has a top you put on it, and it's then a ping pong table.  The whole thing is in the room that is supposed to be our formal dining room.  It fits beautifully.  And nicely fills up what is otherwise totally wasted space.

We acquired the pool table from a friend of mine who is returning to her home country.  Great we got a pool table, bummed that my friend is leaving.  So goes the ex-pat life.

Now,  for the other bits....

Munchkin #2 has an appointment with a Germany based pediatric rheumatologist within the next week or so.  We're really hoping she's a great doc.  Munchkin #2's wrists were very painful last night.  The problem we are having besides seeing our kid in pain is that we don't know what is a 'normal' pain level for a kid with rheumatoid.  Do we push the docs?  Do we just keep her as comfortable as possible with heat packs and ice packs?  We don't know what 'normal' is anymore.

We're hoping that between this new doc coming into town and with Munchkin #2 getting to hang with other kids this summer who have RA, we'll be able to learn what 'normal' is supposed to be. 

So...we're all hopeful right now. 

Munchkin #1 should finish with his final exams this week.  Then, 'la la time' at school begins. 

BTW, the way our cat Max looks in today's snap kinda sums up how we're all feeling.  It is so time to take a rest.

Peace.

Weather Update and Countdown

It is currently 111F/43.8C outside.  Forecast said, "Plentiful sunshine. Hot."  Humidity is at around 10%.  In other words, it feels like an oven when you walk outside the front door.

We encountered a hotel with bed bugs a few months back.  We washed all our stuff, but I couldn't wash the luggage.  It's bagged now in black trash bags and 'baking' in our garage.  Heat is occasionally useful. 

18 days and a wake-up.  The countdown to 'home' is ticking.

Peace.