SERIAL KILLER Carle Foundation Hospital Murders Again

This time, the victim was my beloved father-in-law, Michael Kent Orn, aged 65. I always called him, "Dad."

His death was caused by MEDICAL MALPRACTICE of Carle Foundation Hospital doctors, who, on September 11, 2007, ordered he drink the complete, usual adult dose of a Fleet's Soda preparation mixed with orange gatorade as preparation for a colonoscopy scheduled for the next morning. This would be the last of any kind of food, drink, or nutrition he would receive, other than that delivered intravenously.

Dad DID NOT NEED this typical colonoscopy preparation because he had been a very atypical patient. After being admitted to the hospital through the ER on September 2nd, 2007, he had been on strictly a liquid diet for more than a week while doctors waited for a bowel obstruction to clear. Therefore, there was nothing IN his intestines to flush out with the Fleet's Soda prep -- EXCEPT, very unfortunately, at least part of the original bowel obstruction, which immediately recurred once Dad drank enough of the prep solution.

But Carle Hospital's asshole, I mean, "expert" doctors cannot possibly deviate from any of their prescribed procedures because it would require them to actually THINK.

Dad and I BEGGED the nurses multiple times to check with the doctor, and then to get a doctor in there to actually PHYSICALLY EXAMINE him because he was obviously becoming increasingly uncomfortable and concerned as he drank more of the preparation. Dad's abdomen was distended and rock hard after he'd drunk less than half the Fleet's Soda prep solution. Over the space of two hours, his bowels did not make a SOUND and he did not require use of the bathroom at all; he should have been going fairly constantly starting no more than about fifteen or twenty minutes after he first started drinking the disgusting concoction.

Although the nurses did contact the doctor perhaps three times, no doctor came to actually SEE Dad, much less EXAMINE him; the nurses did not physically touch Dad's abdomen to verify how hard and distended it actually was; and the order from the doctor remained the same: Dad was to drink the entire solution.

Suddenly, having not yet drunk quite half of the Fleet's solution, Dad went into respiratory distress because his obstructed intestines in his hard, distended abdomen were pressing into his diaphragm and lung, which prevented him from taking deep enough breaths to fully and properly oxygenate his blood.

Dad only had his left lung, by the way. His right lung was removed in January of this year, when he was pronounced cured of lung cancer by his doctors. The fact that he had only one lung is why the doctors did not consider surgery to find and remove the bowel obstruction; such a surgery would have taken as much as twelve hours, and this would have required him to be on a respirator. In Dad's weakened state, the doctors believed that once he was put onto a respirator, he would never be able to get off of it, and so the possibility of surgery for the bowel obstruction was eliminated.

The experiences of respiratory distress and having his stomach pumped only made Dad even weaker. Although he tried, they were simply too much from which to recover.

The saddest part of the whole situation is that Dad just retired on Friday, August 31st, 2007, and of course, like anyone does, he had been dearly looking forward to spending his retirement with his family and doing the things he enjoyed. Instead, he was admitted to the hospital within two days of his retirement, and died fifteen days later on September 15, 2007 at approximately 4:30 p.m. central time.

Tags: Carle, medical malpractice, Michael Orn, Mike Orn, Michael Kent Orn, Michael K Orn, routine medical care, colonoscopy, Fleet's Soda, retirement, health care

Official Announcement

INDEPENDENT NEEDLEWORK NEWS is now up and running.

For me, that counts as a happy dance!

Thanks in advance for all publicity or word of mouth!

Tags: Independent Needlework News

And Around We Go (originally posted on CraftGossip 7/19/07)

My job as the Needlework Editor at CraftGossip.com is one job (my bosses are in Australia).

My job as Show Director for the National Counted Cross Stitch Show (NCCSS) was a second, entirely separate job (my boss was located at Rockome Gardens in Arcola, IL, USA).

There was absolutely NO connection between the two other than that I utilized my CraftGossip blog to advertise the NCCSS -- at no cost to Rockome Gardens, by the way -- because it fit in exactly with the job description for my CraftGossip blog. Without me and my CraftGossip blog, the 2007 NCCSS would have completely failed because there was NO OTHER ADVERTISING FOR THE SHOW WORTH MENTIONING (although I did get us a spot in The Gift of Stitching online magazine ... which Butch Phillips apparently thought so unimportant, even though it would have hit our TARGET AUDIENCE of stitchers, that he couldn't be bothered to pay the $40 fee for the one month spot available).

Butch Phillips, the self-titled Mayor of Rockome Gardens, according to his TV commercials which must have cost thousands of dollars to make and air, clearly does not understand anything about paid blogging or Internet marketing. He has several times made the erroneous statement mentioning CraftGossip as a "pay for hit site," and made it sound like I receive $1.00 for every hit or something equally ridiculous! I don't even receive $.01 per hit, and that is because CraftGossip is NOT a pay per click program. Pay per click advertising is a type of Search Engine Marketing ... and CraftGossip is NOT -- you guessed it! -- a search engine. Rather, to the best of my understanding, it is an affiliate (have you checked out CraftBits yet?), and specifically, a revenue sharing program which uses contextual advertising.

A lot of people seem to think I made a great big bunch of money from CraftGossip because of NCCSS-related posts, and that:

1. It was a conflict of interest.

2. I should be paying Butch because it brought so much traffic to my site.

3. I really shouldn't complain about not getting paid by the NCCSS or Rockome Gardens because I made enough already through CraftGossip thanks to Butch.

The truth is CraftGossip is a fledgling craft-related blog site, and I was lucky to get in on the ground floor as one of their first editors. I signed up on one of the last days of January 2007. I have not yet received a payment from CraftGossip, and that is because less than $50 is due me at the moment. As soon as my earnings total $50, I'll receive payment.

If people really think I don't deserve to be paid for my work AFTER THEY HAVE READ ALL THE FACTS, I'll determine how much of my current earnings balance was earned through NCCSS-related posts, and then send Butch a check for 90% of whatever that amount turns out to be. I'm willing to do this not because I'm already rich off of CraftGossip, but because 90% of very little is still hardly anything.

So my answers to the above three points are:

1. None of my bosses at the time minded, so it was not a conflict of interest.

2. Butch hired me knowing ALL ABOUT CraftGossip, and with the full intention of using it as a resource to advertise the NCCSS. I was more than happy to do that, as my CraftGossip blog wouldn't begin to earn money without Internet traffic, and a link from Rockome Gardens' website to me here on CraftGossip would have been very beneficial. Butch was to link to my CraftGossip blog immediately after he hired me; that was part of my CONTRACT with him. He failed to meet his contractual obligations and didn't link to me until approximately seven weeks afterward. This lengthy delay caused me to lose out on a significant opportunity to develop an audience for my CraftGossip blog -- some portion of which would still be regular readers today, which is called a "loss of future income" in legal terms. Butch is lucky I'm not presently planning to sue him for that loss of future income, but then, I'm still attempting to collect what I was owed to begin with from him.

3. Many needlework designers work two jobs -- their designing job, and their "paying job." I was working two jobs also -- my CraftGossip job, and what was supposed to be MY paying job until I do actually bring in enough to comfortably rely on just my CraftGossip earnings. Butch stiffed me. It's similar to working one job during the week and a second one on weekends. I expected to get paid for both, and I trust I will eventually get paid by CraftGossip -- but Butch stole from me. I was NOT a willing, informed, or consenting VOLUNTEER for either CraftGossip or Rockome Gardens' NCCSS. CraftGossip knows this and is honest. Butch took advantage of me and is dishonest.

If you still don't believe me, consider this: Would I post this here on CraftGossip where my bosses will see it if it weren't true? It IS true. I already asked for and received permission to post this from Shellie, and of course I'll be hanging onto her email.

Tags: Butch Phillips, pay per click, Search Engine Marketing, CraftGossip, Rockome Gardens, National Counted Cross Stitch Show, NCCSS, paid blogging, Internet marketing, pay for hit site, affiliate, revenue sharing, contextual advertising

As Verbs Change Tense Around Me

A few weeks ago, I met a wonderful, wise, and wickedly witty woman. She was the mother of a new friend of mine. Creel deserves a list of fabulous adjectives, too, but this post is about her mother.

Charl Krauss was an artist who painted with watercolors and sculpted clay. She was a mother and a grandmother. I'm sure she was many more things, too, but I didn't get the chance to find out what, although I knew almost immediately upon meeting her that I wanted the chance to hear about them from her. She was just 67 when she died two weeks later.

During lunch the day I was to meet Charl, Creel and I had been discussing some of my difficulties getting medical treatment, and she told me about having the same kind of problems getting proper treatment for her mother. Her mother was dealing with a number of medical problems, any of which are known to cause extreme pain, and yet every time Charl asked a Carle Clinic doctor for pain medication, she was ignored and left to continue suffering. At least one physician treated her as a drug-seeker -- threatening her that if she didn't stop asking for pain treatment, she'd have to find another doctor. Creel and Charl kept seeing different doctors at Carle Clinic, to which they were limited by their insurance resources (Medicaid/Medicare); they were not financially able to pay a non-Carle doctor.

As I've had the same experience with Carle Clinic doctors, I agreed with Creel that this was elder abuse, and encouraged her to take her mother to my primary care doctor (who I'm sure accepts Medicaid/Medicare and who also would have worked with them financially) to get proper care and pain treatment for her mother. She never got the chance.

After lunch, I followed Creel over to her house to try helping her with some problems she was having with her computer, and that's when I met Charl. I was struck almost immediately by two things. First, Charl reminded me of someone I couldn't quite identify. Second, the house was jarringly cold -- keeping the air conditioning turned up high was most comfortable for Charl. Even so, I recognized just as clearly as if I were looking in a mirror from Charl's wizened appearance and the way she held herself that she was in constant pain.

Charl didn't move from her chair during the entire time of my visit, although she adjusted her position within it often. I recognized that, too -- and the focused, almost trance-like expression which remained on her face no matter what we were discussing. These are the things people who are in excruciating pain learn to do, subconsciously, in order to manage pain which is not being properly medicated. Charl was better at it than I am -- much better. Not once did she lose her train of thought, as I do so often when the pain becomes overwhelming, and have to ask anyone to repeat herself -- at least, not while I was visiting.

Charl's mind was very much alive and as eager for knowledge and conversation as any intelligent person I have ever met. I wish I remembered the afternoon in exquisite detail, but instead what I remember are mostly impressions -- laughing out loud with Creel and Charl, giving and receiving validation over our common experiences, believing each other about the experiences we did not share, and feeling not nearly so alone as I usually do.

I also remember the room being absolutely full of color. There were paintings on every wall, done by Charl and her late husband. Multicultural influences dotted the room -- I remember lots of orange, red, and purple. Lots of warmth, both in color and in the feelings generated by the people within the room, such that the cold from the air conditioning was soon undetectable.

When Creel left the house for a short time to pick up one of her children from school, Charl engaged me in conversation about my own medical issues, which Creel had shared with her. Charl asked many questions about what had happened to me and who I had seen already, and generously offered advice on where to go next. At one point, Charl stopped and actually apologized for asking me, "so many personal questions." I could only laugh and tell her I truly didn't mind, as, after all, I had "put it all out there" on my blog in the first place, and I thanked her because her response -- both the validation and the attempt to assist -- was exactly what I had been seeking. I also thanked her because it is so rare that anyone bothers to do those things -- listen to another, believe her, and try to help.

There were so many things I wanted to ask Charl about her life -- about the interesting pieces of information her daughter Creel had shared with me. But I held back, realizing that would be rude because neither Charl nor Creel had already "put it all out there" on a blog or elsewhere, and assuming of course that there would be another time.

In the meantime, I enjoyed what Charl did choose to share with me immensely. Her response when her 4-month-old grandson managed to poop all over her lap while she was holding him was hysterical, and somehow spoke volumes about much older males who had not treated Charl with the respect she deserved.

On my way out, my eyes fell on a detail among all the colors in the room. It was an elephant, and suddenly I noticed there were elephants everywhere ... and so I admired Charl's elephant collection aloud, and mentioned my own elephant collection at home.

Later that evening after I returned home, I finally figured out who Charl reminded me of ... me. It was not that Charl represented who I'd like to be someday -- although I certainly admired her and would be honored to be like her. It was that I sensed in her, as there is in me, a desperate resignation which comes from having been ignored too long, particularly by doctors. Charl, like me, was a woman struggling valiantly to communicate with and obtain help from a very uncooperative medical system while enduring incredible, untreated pain. Like me, she had thus become fiercely angry and with very, very good reason. In Charl's case at least, that sense of desperate resignation was an emptying hourglass almost out of sand.

Friday afternoon, June 8th, I spoke briefly on the phone with Creel, whom I hadn't heard from for a while. She told me her mother had suddenly passed away. I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn this vital, vibrant, and valuable woman I had met just weeks ago had vanished from this plane of existence.

I was also saddened, but NOT at all shocked, to learn the cause of her untimely -- and certainly excruciatingly painful -- death. The cancer had been missed by numerous physicians over numerous visits at both Carle Foundation Hospital's Emergency Room and Carle Clinic. All these doctors missed diagnosing Charl's cancer SOLELY BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO LISTEN TO, BELIEVE, AND APPROPRIATELY TREAT THEIR PATIENT. THEY WERE CALLOUS, ABUSIVE, AND NEGLIGENT. THEIR ACTIONS WERE NO LESS THAN MALPRACTICE AND, IN MY OPINION, MURDER. AND THE SCARIEST THING IS, CARLE'S DOCTORS DO THE SAME THING EVERY DAY, ALL DAY, WITH ALMOST EVERY PATIENT. BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE, CHARL'S TREATMENT WAS THE APPALLING NORM, RATHER THAN A REGRETTABLE EXCEPTION.

I don't care what kind of cancer Charl had, how fast acting it was, how difficult to diagnose, or about any other "mitigating factors." A gentle, generous human being -- a woman who was HURTING -- was not given the respect and dignity of being believed and appropriately treated when she repeatedly told doctors she was in pain. That woman is now dead after suffering a death confirmed after the fact to have been an excruciatingly painful one. The doctors who had the power to make her life a whole lot better, and maybe little bit longer, are all walking around as if nothing has happened, and that makes me terribly angry.

Most people are terrified of getting cancer. Imagine having end stage cancer and being unable to get even a Tylenol #3. That's what happened to Charl Krauss.

It's unconscionable.

At Carle Clinic, it's standard operating procedure.

Tags: Charl Krauss, Carle Clinic, doctor, pain medication, Illinois, elder abuse, cancer, minimum standard of care, negligence, medical malpractice, murder

A Charlatan Exposed (originally posted on CraftGossip 6/3/07)

It took Butch Phillips over seven weeks to put a link to CraftGossip on Rockome's website with regard to all the work I was doing for the National Counted Cross Stitch Show (NCCSS). He kept saying his "web guy" had so many other things to do that putting up one link, which would have taken about thirty seconds, just wasn't on Mr. Phillips' list of priorities.

However, Mr. Phillips has managed to remove that link after only a bit over a week has passed. Don't you think this proves he could have put UP the link a lot faster than he did?

By the way, putting up that link to me on CraftGossip was part of my initial payment agreement with him. Because he'd renegged on ALL of that payment agreement, I had stopped working for him by the time he finally did get around to putting up that link. He has yet to come through on any of the other elements of our payment agreement, and, of course, there is no way to calculate the amount of traffic and revenue I lost by his not linking to me much earlier as he should have done.

Meanwhile, all the work I did for him remains intact and online on CraftGossip, and stitchers continue to visit that information. I hear that enrollment in classes and Country Evenings is up to 200 individual students -- and that's thanks to the hard work and long hours I put in ... But I'm not asking for thanks; I'M DEMANDING THE PAYCHECK TO WHICH I'M ENTITLED.

I still haven't received it. I'll let you know if and when I ever do, and what had to be done to get it. My complaints to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) for non-payment of wages, as well as for not being paid even minimum wage or overtime wages as the law requires, were mailed last week. The laws IDOL enforces will require that I be paid significantly more than Mr. Phillips and I had originally agreed to, so he would have done well to have just paid me back when he was supposed to, or at least when I first began asking for it.

Tags: Butch Phillips, NCCSS, National Counted Cross Stitch Show, Rockome Gardens, breach of contract, Illinois Department of Labor, non-payment of wages, minimum wage complaint, overtime wage complaint

Copyright Violations -- One Example (originally posted on CraftGossip 6/2/07)

As you all know, I was the Show Director for the Rockome Gardens' National Counted Cross Stitch Show (NCCSS) from 4/7/07 through 5/30/07. Because the management and owners of Rockome Gardens refused to pay me for work performed, I resigned from that position.

I am the Needlework Editor on the Needlework Blog on CraftGossip.

Since 4/7/07, I posted numerous items on CraftGossip related to the NCCSS, including detailed NCCSS class descriptions.

I have contacted Yahoo to remove the YahooGroup located here because my copyright has been violated by Adana Adams. Every last one of the NCCSS class descriptions I wrote and put on my CraftGossip blog has been copied word for word and put into Word format on that YahooGroup by Ms. Adams.

The original class descriptions I wrote are all easily accessed here.

I am the author of the unquoted portion of each of these documents, and that content belongs solely to me.

With Rockome Gardens Mayor Butch Phillips' permisson, I quoted from the 2007 NCCSS Show Book; that content, of course, belongs to Rockome Gardens and the NCCSS.

CraftGossip is the only location on the Internet where all NCCSS information is supposed to be available with the possible exception of Rockome's website. Rockome's website is linking to my CraftGossip blog even now after I am no longer the NCCSS Show Director partly because this is the only site where that information is available to the public, and partly because their linking to my CraftGossip blog was part of the original payment terms of my contract for working for the NCCSS.

The pictures belong to the individual designers whose classes are being advertised.

At no time has anyone asked for permission to use MY writing on the YahooGroup Rockome_NCCSS, and I have not even been credited for it.

I first became aware of these multiple copyright violations through this message posted by Adana Adams, who is a moderator in that group, and who has violated my copyright in the past such that I have learned to keep tabs on her:

From: adana69

To: Rockome_NCCSS@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 11:26 AM

Subject: [SPAM] [Rockome_NCCSS] Re: I created albums for each teacher....

Thanks Cindy for all the work you've done on the site to get it up to speed. Let me know if I can help you in any way.

I worked into the night uploading, downloading, formatting and inviting stitchers to the group and see this morning that several have come onboard. WELCOME!

This morning I uploaded class pictures in the photo section of the site for some of the instructors. If I didn't do your section and you would like me to, please contact me. If I did your section and you're not happy with it, please feel free to delete what I've done or ask me and I will.

I've also put all the class info with pictures (from another site) into word documents and uploaded those to the file section. Again I've only done certain instructors (please don't read too much into this as I'm willing to do more but only if asked).

Also in the FILES section you'll find the forms needed to enter under 2007 ENTRY FORMS along with other misc information. I'd like to thank Butch for his efforts in getting this site up and running and for the access he has given myself and others.

Adana
adana69 (at) yahoo.com

In her message, Ms. Adams says: "I've also put all the class info with pictures (from another site) into Word documents and uploaded those to the file section." Her words, "(from another site)" are the only credit she gives me for the work I did in authoring those documents; this is NOT proper credit. Furthermore, Ms. Adams never requested my permission to use the work I created in this way.

I do not now, nor will I ever give permission for MY writing to be used on the Rockome_NCCSS YahooGroup by Ms. Adams or anyone else ... or anywhere else by Ms. Adams.

Just to be clear, please compare Ms. Adams' document titled "MARY KNAPP.doc" with the corresponding post I made on CraftGossip. Please skip down to the second class, Night Fire. “Fire up with this 4-way Bargello using warm colors and beads. A bright star in the dark night you create with silk floss on black congress cloth ... ” is in quotes, as I put it in quotes while typing it because it is from the 2007 NCCSS Show book.

However, the text which follows shortly afterward is NOT in quotes because it is my own writing. It is MY copyrighted writing, and this can be proven by the fact that my inadvertent spelling error wasn't even corrected by Ms. Adams ("simply" should have been "simple"):

Isn’t this simply beauty just lovely? I think it would make a lovely holiday piece if you didn’t want to hang it up year-round, and it really looks like there isn’t all that much stitching to be done … So if the black seems intimidating to you, don’t let that get to you. Give this one a try; I bet you won’t be sorry!

Every last one of the files Adana Adams put up on the Rockome_NCCSS YahooGroup describing the classes being offered at the NCCSS is a copyright violation of my writing on CraftGossip. By doing so, she has not only stolen my work, but she has also stolen potential readers -- equating to potential dollars -- out of my pocket.


I have already made appropriate legal contacts to protect my copyrights.

Tags: CraftGossip, Adana Adams, NCCSS, National Counted Cross Stitch Show, Rockome Gardens, Butch Phillips, breach of contract, copyright infringement

Caveat Emptor re: NCCSS (originally posted on CraftGossip 5/30/07)

I regret to announce I have not been paid once cent by Rockome Gardens for the work I have done. Sadly, it has become clear this matter will not be resolved except through legal channels. Therefore, I am resigning from Rockome Gardens and the National Counted Cross Stitch Show, effective immediately, and cannot currently endorse the NCCSS as I had previously.

I certainly hope it is not the case, but based on my own experience, I don’t believe the teachers will be paid by Rockome Gardens either. However, at this point, it does appear all the teachers are still planning on showing up at the venue; they feel an obligation to the stitchers who have signed up for classes and Country Evenings. As of the last count I was given, it was shaping up to be a very good year, with class enrollment almost quadrupled in a week and a half.

As far as I am aware, stitchers to whom refunds are already due have not received them, although Angie Miller is not behind on paperwork (as Butch Phillips had told me to say she was if anyone asked ... ). Again, I hope it is not the case, but I have no reason to believe such refunds will be issued.

The competition awards are also significantly under-sponsored as of today's date. I have serious doubts that Rockome Gardens will be able to come up with the nearly $7500 in sponsorships needed for those awards in the fifteen days which remain before the show begins.

I've already heard plenty of criticism about being truthful regarding this experience. I based my decision to come forward on the fact that teachers and stitchers who might find themselves out money in a few weeks time would have had good reason to be upset with me for NOT informing them I thought there was a problem earlier, especially if I could have saved them from losing any additional money they might not have spent in the interim. That people like to shoot the messenger is certainly true. :( I believe I had an ethical and legal obligation to make this information public. I did so only after numerous attempts to work privately with Butch Phillips to obtain my paycheck over a period of three weeks, and then following several more days of trying to obtain my paycheck after making the designers involved with the NCCSS aware of the situation. If you think my making this public is unprofessional, I remind you that when I started working on the NCCSS I promised to communicate with everyone -- and no matter what, to tell you the truth. I have done exactly that even when it has most definitely not been beneficial to me -- and those kinds of ethics are what define a professional -- and a reporter.

Tags: Rockome Gardens, NCCSS, National Counted Cross Stitch Show, Butch Phillips, breach of contract, non-payment of wages, Illinois Department of Labor, ethics

He Called Me Twinkle, and I Loved Him

Today, Memorial Day, I honor a very special man. He is one of America's great veterans who willingly gave up his life to protect the many freedoms we hold dear and a way of life we too often take for granted.

EDWARD JOHN PRINGLEMEIR

Loving Husband,
Devoted Father,
Professional Realtor,
Motivational Instructor,
Ordained Minister,
Community Supporter,
Rugged Patriot,
Proud Marine,
Loyal Friend

This was my eulogy for him:

Although I knew Maggie online through a cross stitch list for several years, it was actually Edward I met first in person. I don't recall if Maggie was indisposed at the time or out running a quick errand, but I remember feeling awkward -- though only for a very short time. Edward introduced himself and I offered my hand to shake his. He said, "We don't shake hands here. We hug." That was Edward.

When my husband proposed to me and I called to tell Maggie and Edward my happy news, Edward was the first to answer the phone. He asked me one question: "What makes this man good enough for you?" I said, "He looks at me the way you look at Maggie." His response to that was, "That's good enough for me," and he turned the phone over to Maggie. That was Edward.

Depending on what time of day I would call, Edward would always answer the phone with a cheerful, "Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! How may I help you?" (With me, it was usually evening. ;>) I always thought this was just one of Edward's charms. It was only when I mentioned how much I missed this to Maggie a week or so after he died in her arms that she told me he did this because computer calls are programmed to respond to, "Hello," so he avoided saying that word when he answered the phone. Still, I find it charming and miss hearing his greeting. That was Edward.

I sent an email to Maggie venting and seeking advice about a disagreement I was having with my husband once. Then I turned around and sent the same email to Edward, and I asked him for his opinion, too. He was honored to be asked. His advice was sound -- of course, Edward agreed with Maggie, so the advice couldn't have been anything other than good advice. ;>) That was Edward.

He was a husband, father, and grandfather who loved his family unconditionally. He was a dear friend who considered his friends his family. He was a Marine and a patriot. He was a real estate agent. He was very supportive of Maggie's craft interests (cross stitching, crazy quilting, knitting, and so on), and helped her run a small craft-related business. He was very involved in volunteer work with his local police force. He and Maggie officiated many, many weddings together -- passing on their own blessings to many other couples. He loved each of these roles and took great pride in them. That was Edward.

He had rosy cheeks, a robust laugh, a big smile, a full white beard, a zest for life, and just the right nose -- the picture of Santa Claus. One of my favorite pictures of him -- all dressed up and ready to officiate a wedding with Maggie is above -- Maggie made those clothes, by the way.

He was not a wealthy or a healthy man (at least, not by the time he came into my life), and yet he still gave so much, and he did so with great relish and energy. He found joy in every day and shared it widely.

If he were here, he would probably share some sage advice and funny stories. He would want to hear laughter, not tears. He would wrap everyone in hugs. He would show sincere interest in and respect for each person and be overjoyed to see them. He would proudly show off the pair of socks Maggie knit for him. He would dance with her. He would bring joy to his own "party."

I wish I could think of a joke or a funny story Edward might share. Actually, I can think of several, but none that seem quite appropriate -- and Edward would probably wink at me and chuckle for feeling that way.

He will be deeply missed by many. The police station's training room will be very full today. Even though I am not physically there, I am honored to be among the very large group of people who were blessed to know Edward.

Merry part, Edward ... until we merry meet again.

EDWARD JOHN PRINGLEMEIR

Born July 11, 1941

Livonia, MI

Died June 29, 2004

Novi, MI

Edward Pringlemeir was killed on American soil on June 29, 2004 -- the victim of medical malpractice and manslaughter (according to the Military Code of Justice) committed by a Full Colonel in the Naval Reserve at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That Full Colonel, Dr. William Barrie, refused to renew a prescription for Plavix, a medication which prevents blood clots. Just as predicted by the pharmaceutical manufacturer for patients needing Plavix who are removed from it abruptly, exactly five days after being removed from this medication, Edward Pringlemeir suffered a massive heart attack and died at home in his wife's arms.

In Michigan, the law requires an autopsy unless the physician of record signs a death certificate stating the deceased died from natural causes. Dr. Barrie was also Edward Pringlemeir's physician of record -- and readily agreed, covering up his own culpability. This was a clear conflict of interest.

Another obvious conflict of interest is the fact that Dr. Barrie was also the head of the committee to cut VA pharmaceutical costs. I believe this is the real reason he took Edward off Plavix, which at that time was a non-formulary drug.

Three lawyers refused to accept the case because it means going up against the VA and because there was no autopsy done.

Today, nearly three years later, the Veteran's Administration still refuses to acknowledge culpability, has repeatedly denied Maggie Pringlemeir's claim for disability and indemnity compensation, and has left her a destitute, dangerously desperate, and still very much grieving widow.

Her perfectly good car was literally stolen from her -- towed away as an eyesore because she could no longer afford either the monthly insurance or the annual vehicle registration costs -- by the mobile home community in which she rents a space for nearly $600 per month. She hardly survives on her own disability check, food stamps, contributions of food and payments of her utilities by her local church (whom she dares not tell she is not Christian, not even in this country, with its supposed freedom of religion), and an over-reliance on the few friends she has left to provide her with the transportation she regularly requires after alienating all the rest in fits of anger (lashing out at and blaming all of us who care most about her for the fact that nothing in her life seems to go right since the loss of her beloved husband). She is actively seeking her next husband on the Internet but keeps falling victim to married men -- and worse (yes, it is actually possible) -- who are only interested in taking advantage of her. Her chat transcripts are obvious evidence that her all-too-ready offers of online sex (with the promise of more) are largely the reason she is being victimized by entirely the opposite kind of man than Edward was or would ever have hoped she'd find. Her emotional state has become very precarious and I can only hope her remaining friends will somehow succeed in helping her through these terrible crises.

Tags: Edward Pringlemeir, Edward J Pringlemeir, Edward John Pringlemeir, Maggie Pringlemeir, Marine, medical malpractice, manslaughter, William Barrie, Plavix, heart attack, VA Hospital, Veterans' Administration, coverup

Why I Have (Almost) No Faith in Doctors in My Area

I could write ad nauseam on this subject. In fact, I have. I have plenty of friends who've received the emails over the last five years, and some of them probably still have them to prove it.

I have also written my Congressman. Multiple times. His office has always responded, been polite, tried to help by making a handful of phone calls, but ultimately been of absolutely no help whatsoever. Not his fault; it's the system that's the problem.

I've also written all three of my Senators -- so glad the useless Fitzgerald retired; sadly, I must report Obama didn't bother to respond; to be fair, neither did Durbin (but Durbin's not running for President* now, either). For kicks, I even wrote to President Bush (you really didn't think he would respond, did you?). Also to Senator Clinton (nope, she's not really concerned about health care ... OR women's health care in particular ... just talking out the side of her mouth like politicians are wont to do), Senator Kerry (not from him either, though he was busy with the Presidential race and all ... ), numerous local and not-so-local newspapers and television news organizations (apparently, I haven't hit them on a slow enough news day yet, and postage is going up again ... along with gas prices, so I'm running out of money to continue going to my incessant doctor's appointments as it is, especially while continuing to fill my I-can't-count-that-high-with-just-two-hands number of prescriptions sent to me by mail).

Anyway, what's on my mind at the moment is the lump in my breast. I found it a little over a month ago. It worried me for a number of reasons.

Before I start, I should mention that for a year in graduate school I was a model patient for medical students for breast exams and pelvic exams for both the MD and the OD schools of medicine at Michigan State University. That means I've been paid $25 an hour to get naked in front of a bunch of pretty terrified medical students in order to assist their supervising doctors/professors in teaching them how to appropriately examine a female patient in a clinical environment. That means, looking back, that I was being recognized as the expert in the room -- as the expert at least on my own body, and to some degree as the expert on female bodies in general -- among a group of soon-to-be-doctors and at least one already-fully-qualified physician. I had no idea then, just how lucky I was to have that experience -- just how rare an opportunity it was. The best and most surprising thing about the experience, though, was how much I learned about my own body -- including plenty I had no idea I didn't already know, much less that I might be very glad to know it later. For instance, from then on, I've known when a gynecologist is able to locate my "shy" ovary or not; many just pretend to, thinking I have no idea. Fools. I'm here to tell you, ladies, that most of the gynecologists out there -- male or female -- are NOT regularly examining both of your ovaries because they have trouble finding at least one of them.

Now back to the lump. As soon as I found it, I knew it was different from the usual fibrous cysts my breasts are full of; these feel like hundreds of BBs. What I found was a different shape and size -- long and more uniform, a bit like a snow pea. I immediately looked for a matching lump in my other breast because if there were a matching lump, then there would be less reason for worry. No match. I noted that while all my usual BB-like lumps hurt (they always do; fibrocystic breasts suck), this lump does not hurt -- at all. Another potentially bad sign. I definitely knew I needed to have this lump checked out further by a qualified doctor.

Well, my annual exam was already scheduled for a week or so later, so I just waited. I decided not to mention the lump to my doctor. I wanted to see if he found it first himself before I mentioned it, as that would let me know, too, whether or not to worry. He found it immediately. He looked for a matching lump and found none. We chatted about it, and I told him I'd just found it about a week before in my regular monthly breast exam, explained how it felt to me to make sure he and I were talking about the same thing, and he said he thinks it feels cystic (which usually means benign), but he wanted me to have a mammogram and see a surgeon for a second opinion to be safe.

This is all still fine and just the way things should be. My primary care physician is an excellent doctor, so I gladly drive an hour each way to see him. It took me over three years to find him, though.

But oh, what I had to suffer through first! I had already been "terminated" by another doctor (Robert A. Brown, OB-GYN in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois) who was so offended when I refused to take a medication he prescribed for endometriosis (Lupron) because I read on the manufacturer's website that Lupron was NOT recommended for people with certain other health issues, one of which I had, that not only did he terminate me, but he convinced an entire full-service clinic (Christie Clinic) to do so as well. Dr. Brown was in the process of joining Christie Clinic, but then did not actually join them ... But he somehow convinced a clinic which he was never a part of, is not a part of, and has no plans to become a part of to terminate one of their current patients whom he didn't want as a patient. I had numerous doctors I saw regularly at Christie Clinic, and by regularly, I mean weekly in some cases. I'd been seeing doctors at Christie Clinic for two years and had long-established relationships with my physicians; not one doctor, to my knowledge, had ever made a complaint about me prior to Dr. Brown's ridiculous complaint. Yet suddenly, based only on the word of a doctor who had -- and still has! -- no connection whatsoever to Christie Clinic, without interviewing or warning me in any way, all my healthcare was suddenly terminated. I was notified by mail that my care with Christie Clinic was terminated. Period. I was not able to communicate with any of my now-previous physicians about the situation. I was not even ALLOWED to appeal the situation with Christie Clinic. Christie Clinic had decided to terminate me, their decision was final, and I was out of luck. I was without all health care whatsoever. It did not matter that I had insurance of any sort (my insurance covered THAT full-service clinic and no other). It did not matter that I had not only NOT done anything wrong, but in fact, had done EXACTLY what I am supposed to do: I had double-checked to make sure that a medication which had been prescribed for me was safe for me to take. And because I had done MY job as a conscientious patient, which may very well have saved my LIFE, I suddenly had no medical care at all! And furthermore, I had NO RIGHTS to fight that decision! It is now some three to four years later, and the situation with Christie Clinic remains unchanged. None of their doctors are ALLOWED to see me because I was "terminated clinic-wide." HOW IS ANY OF THIS EVEN LEGAL?

It is legal, though. I sent a complaint to the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, and they sent an investigator (Steve Wagy) who drove four hours round-trip to my house from Springfield, Illinois in the pouring rain to YELL AT ME to drop the complaint! He told me any doctor can refuse to treat any patient for any reason INCLUDING THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN, THE SMELL OF YOUR COLOGNE, and a bunch of other ridiculous bigotry I can't believe is legal but apparently is. That's what we get for OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK?

We've changed insurance companies several times, and they've tried to remedy the situation. Blue Cross/Blue Shield wasn't able to change anything with Christie Clinic with respect to my case, even though Christie Clinic is in violation of their contracts with BC/BS as far as denying me care. Currently, we are with Aetna and working on the same battle ... It's not even about whether I WANT to go to Christie Clinic at all; it's about what's right and what's NOT right. It's about principles. And if I can't get things fixed by going through the appropriate channels, then I can at least use my freedom of speech to say something about what's happened to me, to say that it's WRONG, and to say that it should not EVER happen to anyone else.

Sorry, I got sidetracked again. The problems with the medical community in my area make me so irate I do that a lot. Anyway, back to the lump. So my doctor ordered a mammogram and referred me to a surgeon.

I went for the mammogram, which was the usual -- squashed like a pancake (and COLD!) and not even offered my choice of syrup (I like blueberry or blackberry). The mammography technician could feel the lump, which is basically in the crease where my underwire would run ... not an easy spot to get on a mammogram. She marked the spot with a little sticker and tried several times, making me feel palpably more sore each time, but was unable to get that sticker to show up on the mammogram. The technician commented that I was able to tolerate the pressure very well; I replied that I could handle whatever she needed to do for a few seconds in order to protect my health -- also, I knew I would be feeling it the next day a lot more. She took the x-rays she got over to a radiologist, returned, and told me the mammogram was abnormal, so I'm immediately sent, carrying a paper clearly marked, "Mammogram-Abnormal," over for an ultrasound.

The ultrasound technicians (there were two) could also feel the lump. They were far gentler than any mammography machine could ever be. After having numerous ultrasounds on my ovaries for endometriosis and on my kidneys for kidney stones, I have found ultrasounds to be very painful in the past, but these two women were both supremely gentle, and I actually relaxed. They took numerous ultrasound pictures of the lump and both said they didn't see anything that looked to them like anything other than "normal breast tissue," but of course, they cautioned me, the radiologist and the surgeon would have to look at the pictures and reports.

A couple of days later, feeling completely out of proportion with my own body -- I mean it felt like my breasts had turned into bowling balls they hurt so badly, and whenever I wasn't in public I was walking around holding them up with my hands -- I went to my follow-up appointment with the surgeon. He told me the mammogram was normal. This was news to me, and I questioned him about that. "Nothing to worry about," he said. "Just a quick way to get you into ultrasound to look at a difficult area to view on mammography." So are you saying that the mammogram didn't show the lump in question? "Yes, that's a good way of putting it ... God was ... very generous with you." (Gee, thanks, and actually, I've always wanted to look into a breast reduction, but I suppose now is not the best time ... I have a feeling it might confuse him.)

Okay ... Now what about the ultrasound? "Well, I can't see anything on the ultrasound either." I asked what he meant by that ... Is the ultrasound not showing anything to worry about in the spot where the lump is? Or is the ultrasound giving a similar problem providing information on a lump in that particular area like the mammogram is? He hemmed and hawed a little but finally got around to, "This lump is in a really difficult area, and it is not showing up on mammograms or ultrasounds."

Fine, so the next step is a biopsy then, right? "Well, no, we don't want to hack you up needlessly." Uh ... well, I don't consider finding and removing a potentially malignant tumor to be 'needless hacking.' "Well, you see, if we can't see the lump on a screen, we can't biopsy it."

??? This next paragraph occurred only in my thoughts: Okay, now I'm stumped ... Am I a video game? It seems to me that since the lump is palpable by all who've tried to feel it, then it should be simple enough to LOOK AT IT WITH YOUR EYES as you pinch it between the thumb and forefingers of one hand while taking aim at it using whatever tool is appropriate with which to take a biopsy in the opposite hand. Apparently, this technique is now so far from the pinnacle of modern medical expertise that it isn't DONE ... or something. I decide to say nothing for the time being, having already established such an impressive termination record with doctors in this area.

Okay, then, what do we do? "Well, I don't think we need to do anything. I'm pretty sure it's a benign cyst. Most lumps in the breasts are." Yes, I know all the statistics, but if we all listened to those, none of us would have the lumps we find checked out, so why is that a good enough reason for me to not worry just because you're quoting the statistics to me? "Well, the area this is in, this could be a pimple, like from an ingrown hair."

??? More thoughts I kept to myself: Remember when I said this lump was about the size of a snow pea? That's pretty big. If it were a pimple, it would hurt. A LOT. Regardless of what were causing it. It doesn't hurt. At all. I'm not buying the pimple idea. Benign cyst I can buy ... I just want someone to give me solid proof, that's all. And I am NOT asking for too much in demanding that.

The surgeon encourages me to continue monitoring the lump and having annual mammograms (I haven't reached age 40 yet, so I've not yet started my annual mammograms ... this is my second one, though, after finding an odd lump ... the first one disappeared on its own) and to consult him "next year" if needed. He "reassure[d]" me that he "really didn't think this was anything to worry about, although [he] can't guarantee it." No, of course he can't -- that's why he's not paying me $25 an hour anymore to sit in front of him and eight to ten freaked out medical students. Now, it's practice, and I'm supposed to trust him as the expert -- and if I challenge his expertise, he might "terminate" me. Then, it was teaching, and I was one of the experts in the room.

It's not that I'm actually all that concerned that this lump is anything to worry about ... But how the heck is this kind of reaction called "early detection"? What if by "next year," this lump is stage 2, or 3, or 4 of something that could have been taken care of minimally invasively right now?

How many other women get the same kind of response I did ... and then die because of it? Even if I'm not one of them, this worries me. It isn't right. It shouldn't be happening.

When I live in an area where a multi-million (or is it multi-billion?) -dollar breast cancer center is being built, and the best answer I can get is "we don't want to hack into you needlessly," from a doctor incapable of doing a simple biopsy the "old-fashioned" way, I'm a bit concerned all that money contributed by some generous donor is being severely mis-spent.

Because my father-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in late November or early December (and has somehow miraculously ended up being one of the few lucky ones whom even his own doctors are calling "cured," but of course we all had our share of scares and tears along the way), I want my husband and his family to hear the words, "her biopsy came back benign." I've been trying to keep my husband out of this whole thing, barely mentioning at all that I found a lump, or that my doctor found it, too, or that I had a mammogram, and so on, because I knew he would be panicked. And he is ... and I have nothing to reassure him with other than, "Well, if they can't see it on a screen, they can't biopsy it." (Good grief ... how do people get pregnant in this day and age with thinking like that anyway? Or did Bush miss the boat on a form of birth control that could actually be effective?) Meanwhile, I haven't told any of my husband's family, or my own family either -- but why should I have to go through this alone? And now I'm stuck in something tantamount to limbo alone as well? Nope, that's just not a good enough answer for me.

I understand the size of my bosom has complicated the initial testing procedures; in fact, I suspected this would be a problem in the mammogram in the first place. However, this in no way makes the next step any less important.

Regardless of the fact that our world has become so reliant on technology and video games, it's intolerable for a surgeon to no longer know how to do a simple biopsy without the aid of a monitor and a joystick, a computer mouse, or some other technological equivalent. The fact is, I could do this biopsy in my own home with the help of an assistant who isn't afraid of needles; a syringe; and a lab technician willing, knowledgeable, and qualified to examine the sample. And my PCP's office will be hearing from me tomorrow about scheduling with a doctor who IS capable of doing a proper biopsy. It's my right to be able to do that much to protect my health NOW -- not after this lump gets big enough to reach a techno-reliant surgeon's radar screen.

(And if my PCP's not willing to listen ... Well then I'll be soliciting cross stitching friends -- because none of you are afraid of a needle like my poor 6'6" husband is -- and we'll manage to biopsy the darned thing ourselves. I surprised myself by getting a tattoo recently; I'm sure I can tolerate the pain of an unanesthetized biopsy. All I'll need then is a lab analyst. I bet there's a cross stitcher out there who does that for a living somewhere, too!)


*For the record, right now I'm trying to decide between Edwards (whom I did not think to write to previously; perhaps I will now) and Obama. What can I say -- they're both HOT! Actually, I really mean that (well, they are both HOT, too); they are the two current Democratic candidates by whom I'm most impressed at this point. There are things I like about Hillary (but she's not HOT, although I am liking her hairstyle lately) -- but the thing I've always liked best about Hillary is her husband (pretty HOT), and even had he always been a more faithful example of a husband than he has been, liking the spouse is not a good enough reason to choose the candidate.

Tags: Illinois, medical incompetence, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, health care, feminism, feminist, women's health care, breast cancer, fibrous cysts, fibrocystic breast disease, Robert A Brown, Champaign-Urbana, OB-GYN, Christie Clinic, healthcare, terminated, Department of Professional Regulation, Steve Wagy, mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy, MRI, breast

Can You Identify the Designer?

I've been admiring a mermaid pattern on eBay for some time. However, the eBay sellers who are selling this mermaid kit are located in Asia and routinely sell kits they've put together which I know are copyright violations. The copyrights belong to Mirabilia, Lavender & Lace, etc., and at this point, the kits I've seen this eBay seller put up for auction have been items that have never been legally available as kits. So I highly suspect the mermaid kit I like is also a copyright violation.

What's more, I have written to the eBay seller to ask who the designer is. The eBay seller claimed it is a Mirabilia pattern. The fact that this mermaid is definitely NOT a Mirabilia design is another strong indication that this mermaid kit violates copyright law.

I want to know who the designer is so I can buy the pattern legally and support that designer, but I have no idea who the designer actually is. Also, I want to be able to kit the pattern myself, so that I know I can trust the materials, rather than buying what may very well be shoddy materials and an almost certainly illegally copied chart through a rip-off artist who charges ridiculous amounts for shipping and whose eBay ID changes regularly -- probably due to being shut down by eBay for selling shoddy kits which violate copyright.

Therefore, I'm asking for your help. If anyone knows the designer of this mermaid or where I can purchase it, I'd very much appreciate the information. And please feel free to ask anyone you know who might know who the designer is to check out this post as well. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.