Strap yourselves in, folks, because today I’m talking health care. I know, this is an author website. But I’m also well aware that any post I write about Julianna and Down syndrome touches some visceral spot in my readership. I accept this without fully understanding it. So let’s talk health care, because as a disability…
Read MoreAll articles filed in health care
The Saga of Orthotics, and why it’s important to talk about it during an election year
I hope you’ll bear with me today, because there’s a reason I’m about to tell this story. One thing that sometimes accompanies an extra 21st chromosome is “pronation.” This means that due to low muscle tone, the feet turn out. Julianna has fabulous health and good cognitive functioning but her feet are regularly regarded as…
Read MoreWe Need a Thoughtful Discussion About Birth Control (A No Easy Answers Post)
There is a reason I generally don’t post about headlines: it takes me time to process things and make sure my first reactions all hold water. I hate the tendency to react without thinking, the way it leads us to view everything in black and white and fail to acknowledge the nuances in every situation,…
Read MoreMountains, Molehills, Contraception, and The Zika Virus
When I heard the radio headline yesterday afternoon, I groaned. Because I knew I was going to have to blog about the pope’s comments, and as a proponent of natural family planning, it would be hard to convince anyone that I’m approaching the topic objectively. But there under the awning of the Gerbes fuel station,…
Read MoreAn Epic, Blog-Worthy Doctor Visit
Over the summer, I have been to the doctor with my kids eight times, plus Michael’s tubes and four visits to have Julianna’s glasses fixed after Michael got hold of them. It’s always tiresome and chaotic, but nothing compares to yesterday’s ENT visit. Let’s back up a week, to Julianna’s well child check, the visit…
Read MoreWho’s The Expert Here, Anyway?
It’s no secret that I have a healthy skepticism of a lot of modern “wisdom.” This often puts me at odds with doctors. I’ve complained before about the waste of time that is a well-child check, unless immunizations are necessary, because it fills up appointments that would better serve someone who is–gasp–sick. I get particularly…
Read MoreChildren’s Miracle Network: How Many Adults Does It Take To Entertain My Kids?
I was offline all day yesterday, and I haven’t even checked my email yet to see what kind of backup I have to claw out from beneath today…so I am merely going to share a few photos from the Children’s Miracle Network radiothon last Thursday, pictures I can subtitle “how many adults does it take…
Read MoreIn Which Unsympathetic Mommy Learns Her Lesson
It woke me up sometime around four this morning, less than an hour after being up to nurse: a dull sense of something not feeling right. I’ve had a sinus infection for two days, one I’ve been trying to self-treat with Sudafed because in the last 2 1/2 weeks, we’ve already spent $90 in doctor…
Read MoreWhen Sick Moves In
When sick moves in, you don’t always know it’s happened at first. It’s just a cold, right? Okay, a long and extended cold, a toddler who needs a “tih-oo” every five minutes, but no big deal. An infant who has to have his nose suctioned periodically for a week, then two, then three. When sick…
Read MoreJonah, Marines, and prenatal diagnosis
Jonah had a really bad attitude. God gave him a job he didn’t want to do– the people of Nineveh weren’t worth his trouble–so he took off in the opposite direction, only to find himself stuck in the belly of a fish. When he proved indigestible (how lucky for him he was spit out near…
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Kathleen M. Basi 