Following veteran's overdose death, report finds problems at Miami VA drug …
The patient then was transferred to an inpatient mental health unit, according to the report, and several days later he was admitted to the drug abuse rehabilitation program, where he again tested positive for cocaine. He was placed on restriction with …
Read more on MiamiHerald.com

Opinion: Building on an 90-Year a Legacy at Glen Cove Hospital
Glen Cove's highly acclaimed inpatient rehabilitation program and Traumatic Brain Injury Unit also currently remain at Glen Cove, although they will continue to be evaluated in the context of health care reform and community needs. Working together …
Read more on Patch.com

For those with brain injuries, community education key to rehabilitation
STEPHENS CITY — In 2011, Marley Robertson of Stephens City, then 24, had the next three years of her life planned. But when a tractor trailer struck her on Interstate 81 as she drove to Harrisonburg for a wedding, everything was thrown off course …
Read more on Northern Virginia Daily

Study Finds Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital Patients Have Better Outcomes …
A new study released at a meeting of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) demonstrates that patients treated in inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and units, like Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton Illinois …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Nod for slum rehabilitation scheme near Mahim Bay renders CRZ norms useless …
MUMBAI: Activists have decried the state environment authority's decision to allow a slum rehabilitation scheme near the Mahim Bay. The decision, they said, "erased the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)" as the entire city's coast comprises bays and creeks …
Read more on Times of India

APNewsBreak: Astros prospect details drug struggle
APNewsBreak: Astros prospect details drug struggle – San Diego, California News Station – KFMB Channel 8 – cbs8.com. Member Center: ….. Singleton was immediately admitted for a monthlong stay at an inpatient rehabilitation center. "I knew I had a …
Read more on KFMB News 8

Nursing Homes: Where Safety is an Afterthought
The lawsuit, brought by California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, resulted in an order by the San Francisco County Superior Court for the department to begin its investigations on time as required by law. In October, the Foundation Aiding the …
Read more on ThePopTort

DC Council votes to eliminate jail time for marijuana possession
“D.C. will serve as a model for jurisdictions where, for one reason or another, full taxation and legalization is not yet possible,” said Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance. The landmark vote …
Read more on Washington Post

Addicts need access to inpatient care
The goal of the event is to push for better access to inpatient substance abuse treatment programs. Malin said many addicts have difficulty getting their health insurance plans to cover the treatment they need, particularly if it's an inpatient program …
Read more on Schenectady Gazette (blog)

Hoffman among thousands of addiction victims
Recovery from drug addiction is possible with treatment, lifestyle changes and awareness, doctors say. They may recommend inpatient rehabilitation for up to six months, followed by ongoing therapy and self-help meetings, such as those offered by 12 …
Read more on Monroe News Star

06.09.12

Image by colemama
Part of the base of a palm tree reveals the rough hewn remains of a palm frond, as well as the smooth dotted bands of previously dropped fronds. Looking at the variety here, one hardly misses the more featured feathery fronds that are the tree’s signature.

So, it has been awhile…and likely will be sporadic for the summer’s remains, but I plan to be back more often than not. I have missed my daily handling of the camera, the pure pleasure of composing some of nature’s beauties, the sharing of images with Flickr friends and the conversations they often bring, and even the more difficult task of writing about my submitted image.

My life turned so upside down in the last month or so that not even the camera could soothe. Struggles with a triple whammy prevented me from seeing the world as I previously did…and to be honest, it hasn’t been pretty. The short story of my three-fold ‘excuse’:
1) After about a month of not feeling well with various symptoms, doctor visits and tests, I landed in the hospital in early May with near renal failure (a long back story on the ineffectiveness of my then PCP) and a diagnosis of lymphoma, non-Hodgkins type, stage 3B. The good news is that the prognosis is excellent. The bad news is that chemo sucks! I have had 2 of the 6 aggressive treatments and the side effects of fatigue, nausea, ‘chemo fog’, headache, and more lead to considerable apathy. Thankfully, there’s about a week to 10 days where I’m back to ‘norm’ before being zapped again.
2) About three weeks after my diagnosis, I headed to the east coast of FL to prove to my mom (who is 90, but acts like she is 70 and has a social calendar of a 20-year old) that I was ok. Unfortunately, she had a stroke and was in ICU for a week. Complications from the initial ‘clot buster’ medication have set her back, but she is trying to get well enough for therapy and is in an inpatient rehab facility now. After the initial week of staying with her, I had to get back home for chemo and have been too vulnerable to infection so far to visit/help again – frustrating!
3) Then, just when you think nothing more can happen….Saving the ‘best’ for last – my principal decided to ‘give’ my job to another person in the district (one whose position was recently cut due to budget decisions by the School Board). Though I still have a job, I don’t yet know what it will be…I’m negotiating to ‘turn these lemons into lemonade’ – Time will tell.

But barriers are only what you make of them. Sometimes we need to tweak our own attitudes, sometimes we need to gently massage the environment and generally we need to bond with others through serendipitous or cultivated means, but such obstacles do not have to hinder. I am not a very good ‘victim’, but I’ve had to convert all that I have to fight these events of the last month and have sadly neglected my camera and all that it brings.

Breaking ground back into Flickr today is an accomplishment, but I know it won’t be daily (the onslaught of chemo alone changes the inner core of me). The therapeutic nature of photography will be tapped when there is strength to be dedicated there, but in the daily posting absence, please know that everything I have must be committed to overcoming these consecutive ‘whammies’.

Cedars-Sinai, UCLA team up to open inpatient rehab facility
The new hospital, expected to open in late 2015, will more than triple the capacity for inpatient rehabilitation in the community. The beds currently available for inpatient rehab—28 at Cedars-Sinai and 11 at UCLA Health—are usually full, according …
Read more on ModernHealthcare.com

Amanda Bynes Completes Inpatient Rehab But Doesn't Appear For NY Criminal …
She was reportedly released from a rehabilitation facility in California this week. The troubled starlet was due in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday morning to face charges related to an incident in which she allegedly threw a bong out of the window …
Read more on Medical Daily

Amanda Bynes Leaves Treatment Center for Parents' Home
"Amanda and her entire family would like to thank everyone who's contacted them with good thoughts and wishes for Amanda's recovery," says a statement from lawyer Tamar Arminak. "Amanda has completed her inpatient rehabilitation and she's feeling …
Read more on People Magazine

A Forever Recovery Launches Vicodin Information Center to Raise Awareness …
A Forever Recovery, a leading addiction treatment center that has pioneered a moral reasoning approach to recovery that empowers each individual client to access the spiritual, cognitive, and fellowship support that they need, has launched a new …
Read more on PR Web (press release)