Graduation Day Pix!

B'SD

9 Iyar, 5775

Scroll around this blog to refresh your memory about when I was studying around the clock to complete my ICD10 medical coding education. And very, very tired.

Classmates and I completed two years' worth of pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, pathology, medical terminology, medical coding techniques, medical coding laws (zillions of laws), and much more, for our ICD10 medical coding education, in less than one year.

We passed US certification exams
this past August, and received 
our US degrees. 

We broke records and delighted Israeli government officials who'd facilitated the ground-breaking US education program in Jerusalem, Israel. 

Our group of women is Israel's only supply of certified ICD10 medical coders!

Government officials presented our Hebrew teudot aka certificates, yesterday. I hope you sense our excitement in my photos.

Despite the academic, financial, physical, political and other pressures upon us, a bunch of former strangers became long-term friends. 

WOW do we remember the industry-wide shock Obama gave with his SGR - Sustainable Growth Rate - HG 3402 law, preventing Health and Human Services from implementing ICD10 as standard medical coding practice in the USA. It messed up our employment plans, the entire US medical coding industry, and World Health Organization demands for American compliance.

It definitely had a negative impact on the US medical industry. I've tweeted about that, as have other medical coding professionals.

Classmates pulled through the crisis by being there for each other.

Here's my study partner (we used to work in a business together, long before class began).

Some other photos of happy graduates:

Some of the governmental officials 

in charge of our education:

My special excitement has been that I completed my studies on the same day as all the students, despite my vision disability.

Many classmates found it hard to believe that I never asked for "accommodations." Some of them did not realize that I had a disability until they were told about it long after the class was under way.

I relied on my skills plus all the physical and occupational therapy techniques I'd mastered over time. GOD pulled the picture together. I used to pray for that as I studied!




Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill yourself with confidence as best you can.

Fireworks & Fun

B'SD

7-8 Iyar, 5775

I'll be rushing back & forth around the country a bit this week, preparing to relocate.

Packing up my home, garden and office is a tedious task, so I'm happily reflecting on memories of having spent quality time with friends over the past week, including on Yom Ha'atzma'ut/Israel Independence Day.

Here are a few pictures I tool of the fun fireworks.

While I traveled this past week, I met several people who read this blog. It was fun to find out what they like about it, and how the blog or book have helped them to face medical, emotional or other mental health issues. 

Everyone seems to enjoy the upbeat look at a sometimes wearying life. Readers and friends often ask me how I can be happy, considering the hardships I've faced.

I focus on fun, however it can be experienced in sensible ways. Feeding your spirit can carry you a long way. "Perseverance is the secret of all triumphs" said Victor Hugo. 

Stay tuned: Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony for that long-ago ICD10 medical coding course I passed in August. Pictures to be taken!





Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Feed your fire to persevere. Make life fun, to get you past the painful parts.

Boosting Your Brain Power - Deliciously!

B'SD

2 Iyar, 5775

I'm delighted to share some food news with you: 8 Nutrients that Protect the Aging Brain.

Those foods protect all brains since each of us ages with every passing moment. 

Want more good news to go with those blueberries and chocolate?

A mom reached out to me the other day, pleading for help. Her little girl has developed Trigeminal Neuralgia, and suffers excruciating pain shooting through her face at unpredictable intervals.

I responded by sharing the  list of pain-fighting foods listed in

              

I eat them regularly, leaving my medical team impressed that I suffer ZERO pain though my trigeminal nerve was nicked during life-saving surgery. 

I do experience come-and-go numbness and the occasional difficulty at pronouncing words correctly, but never pain.

I invite you to boost your brain power with even more foods than those mentioned in the above article. 

Read EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge and learn how to end other types of pain such as Charlie Horses aka severe leg cramps, back pain and fracture pain, among other problems - without medication.

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. The content tastes great!





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your life with pleasantries.

Healing, Bucket Lists and More.

B'SD

1 Iyar, 5775

Iyar is the name of the new Hebrew month, and the Hebrew letters of the word are often interpreted to stand for the Hebrew version of the phrase "I am GOD your healer." I recommend ramping up your prayers at this time. 

This is an auspicious time for blessings. The trick is to recognize them.

Want to keep things in perspective as you wait for your prayers to be answered (or figure out that they're being answered over time)? Read motivational The Moral Bucket List. 

Speaking of bucket lists, I'm kinda wistful for not having achieved a specific item on mine. The Aurora Borealis effect visited more US sites than usual this year, and I missed out on the phenomenon. I've always wanted to stand within its light show. sighhhh...

Two more quick comments for today: 

1) Israeli readers need to know that the paper edition of

sold out in Israel. You can buy it directly from the publisher, who ships faster than famous online booksites. Please do. I'll be paid faster that way.

2) Journaling and/or blogging can be an effective way of releasing stress and recovering balancing perspective. 

A friend of mine writes a moving, insightful blog Chronicles of an NF Survivor about her struggle to deal with necrotizing fasciitis. You might appreciate her searing honesty and simple humanity. In real life, she's a funny, clever lady and super-wife and mom.

If you need a fast FYI to answer the question "What is fascia?" I'll give you a quick response: It holds us together under our skin. Think of Saran Wrap preventing lots of squishy, gooey stuff from spilling out of or sloshing around in a container, if you're American. 

Adding "-itis" to a medical word for body parts means that it is infected/inflamed, BTW. 

No matter where you're from, you can check this Wiki entry for a more clinical idea of the stuff.

I'll be back on the road tomorrow, for a week or so. I just might have some nifty medical news to share with you then, so stay tuned for updates.





Need to know who, what and where something can help you to better deal with a medical issue? Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fight your fear, pain and problems with ever-better character.

Vacation Pix and Good Health

B'SD

30 Nisan, 5775

I'm sighing for the last day of Nisan, a month of many miracles. Some of them will be more widely known in the future.

For now I'm sharing photos of things I saw during my vacation time in the Negev, the southern part of Israel.

The Negev Art Museum held an exhibit about donkeys in Israeli Culture and lore:

The Carasso Science Museum offers fast facts about physics and a few other topics. I enjoyed the art, the spiritual side of what humans perceive to be reality, and some quiet time:

Despite the hard physical work before and during Passover, the rapid changes in the weather and a diet quite different from my usual fare, I found my health to be quite stable. 

Time with new and old friends, and to reflect on life, seems to have served me well at a time of year when I usually catch a cold.

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Find serenity in silence.

Spring Break Update

B'SD

20 Nisan 5775

I'm on vacation during Passover and delighted to have met fans of this blog who hail from different parts of the world. It's an experience to discuss the posts in different languages, to find out which one a specific person valued and another reader preferred. I've been fascinated by the conversations several times in the past week or so.

Overall, it seems that most of you enjoy the humor invested into the messages I share and almost ALL of you appreciated the non-allergenic cleaning tips.

I was surprised to listen to several people who've bought the EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge book but failed to read it cover-to-cover. I immediately cited the page numbers or chapters that specifically address their concerns. Then I enjoyed the profuse "Thank you's" I eventually received as people contacted me to relate the problem-solving that followed our interaction.

EMPOWER Yourself with 

information you need. 

Use it well.

OK, back to simple vacation time: I'm charging up my emotional and content provider batteries as I share time with old and new friends in real life, enjoy cultural pursuits and simply let myself "be."

I might post photos after Pesakh/Passover is over. I find it hard to do on the road as my schedule is a bit unpredictable.

Let's enjoy the rest of spring break together. All I ask are two favors: Be nice. And drop me a line about the posts you enjoy. Let me know why you liked a specific message and what you'd like to read more of.

 


Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Minimize or end your medical or mental health problems with a reassessment of your situation and what you can do about it. Then take necessary actions.