What we Have Here Is...

I love that phrase! "What we have here is, a failure to communicate"....once again I am quoting a movie. After all, don't we all watch a movie and pick a character that we relate to? Lately I have been depressed.
As you all know, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and HPV a few months back. I had done everything the doctors said, including surgery and a 1 week stay at the hospital from hell. I have not posted much recently due to being depressed...who wants to hear about others problems when we all have them, right?
Today, was a breath of fresh air, for a change. Bela and I went to the mall to buy a present for his nephews birthday party tomorrow and then went for a few beers afterwards. We talked and discussed a lot of things and some times we debated (a nice way of saying "argued") about ongoings in our life. Mainly our new website that we are trying to piece together. We both got a little tipsy and went minor grocery shopping at the store next to the pub to get bread and meat for sandwiches.
Bela arrived at the check-out counter before me as I was looking for any kind of "gummi" treats on sale. When I met up with him at the cashier, I had thought he paid. So i went and started grabbing the change left on the counter. He looked at me and said something that might as well been "blablabla" actuality was " to nije naše". I realized that he was speaking Croatian and said "what?". But then he repeated what he said. I read the sign language and put the money down on the counter.
As we left, I could not help but finally laugh after a week of depression. He did not realize that either he was speaking Croatian or I did not know Croatian. Either way, it was a failure to communicate but was exactly what the doctor should have ordered.
What is the phrase... "laughter is the best medicine"? I have to agree! I feel better than I have in a long time.
So you may ask yourself, especially those who do not think cervical cancer is health related (sorry, had to mention that again)...what does any of this have to do with the blog about cervical cancer? It has everything to do with it.
The blog is titled "Surviving Cervical Cancer"...and today I learned how to survive.
It is not about doctors, medicine, surgery..it is about communication, friendship, laughter, and everything else that makes our lives better. Survival...that is a strong word used so lightly. It is what we do everyday, in our own way.

Is Cancer a Health Issue?

Before I receive irate comments about the title, I will explain.
I belong to a few blog directories and link exchange sites where reviews are allowed and for the most part, welcomed. Now most of the comments consist of "great blog" or "very informative" or even "I like your approach". However, I received one in particular review that stated that I should talk about health issues.
Interesting choice of words. I was under the impression that cancer was not only a health issue, but a huge concern and one of the leading causes of death in the world. If that is not health related, than I am not sure what is.
Now, as some of you know, when choosing a directory or link exchange, you have categories to choose from. So should "Surviving Cervical Cancer" be classified as entertainment, social, computer/web, adult, or health? Let's narrow this down into the categories mentioned.

• Entertainment: I do aim to please and have a morbid way of putting things into perspective. I am also my own best friend so I believe I am entertaining:)
• Social: Feel free to comment and I will try to respond....thereby making it social:)
• Computer/Web: I used my computer to post this blog on the web..need I say more?
• Adult: I also talk about female body parts so I guess it can be construed as for adults.
• Health: It's a blog about Cervical Cancer and HPV!

Now I don't know exactly how to take that review. Should I be upset? Should I message him? Should I pity his outlook on women?
No, I simply use my non-professional, non-health related blog to bring to the attention of all women out there with this disease, to be weary of people like this guy. Anyone who does not think that Women's Health is in fact a health issue is seriously disturbed but can also be seen as prejudice against women.
My blog states "philosophical views....first hand look...". I never said it was a site for medical information that can replace a doctor visit. However, was it the "conization" post, the "facts about cervical cancer" post, or the talk about health care in Croatia that seemed more entertaining than a health issue to him?
And as you may have figured out, I have stressed the fact that it was a male who posted that review.
Note to men: no offense, but you are not exactly my target audience. You do not have a cervix and cannot fully grasp the emotional and physical pain of a women who has dealt with this type of cancer. If you have a friend or loved one who has, and are sincerely interested in the subject (as my boyfriend Bela...think he read more on it than me actually)...then by all means, feel free to comment or become a follower. Men are welcomed here, but not the ones who have a site dedicated to saving the planet but feel women aren't as important. For those who think the latter, they should follow their family tree to see where they came from....you don't have to go far. Just look at the woman beside your father.

My Stay at the Hospital Part 3----Monday

We arrived bright and early on monday morning at "klinika za ženkse bolesti i porode"...basically it translates to "hospital for women". after asking 3 or 4 people for directions, we finally found the ward we were to be in. the wait was only about a half hour, so it wasn't so bad (though having more than 3 chairs in the waiting area would have been nice). but then we found out that "monday was preparation day". so basically, sunday was just a trial run and i was regretting not having that morning cup of coffee i deprived myself of. my boyfriend, bela, had then informed the nurses that i spoke very little croatian and i was from america. one nurse (we will call her blondie) , responded with, and i quote, "no problem".
so we go into the room that i will be staying in. it is what i described, with the 4 beds, 1 toilet, 1 shower, 2 closets, and 1 tv (which i guess is only for the lucky 2 people on the one side of the room), no curtains which equals no privacy. upon further inspection of this facility, i noticed that there were not any towels in the shower room, no hospital gowns (not even the paper ones), no juice or watered offered (even at meals), no toothpaste, toothbrush, paper towels, shampoo, or any other little complimentaries you might receive at a hospital. we even had to ask for our toilet paper. this just all seemed odd to me as i was under the impression that hospital was in fact short for hospitality. pretty much, if you didn't bring it, you didn't have it.
so i picked a bed, only 2 left (yes, the ones without the tv) and bela left. i unpacked some belongings and waved to my 2 roommates, who waved back but that was about the extent of our conversation for the day. i cracked open a book that i had bought just for my visit (very good btw..."one last scream" by kevin o'brien). i then fell asleep reading it due to lack of sleep the previous night....to be continued

My Stay at the Hospital

i am back and not too soon. i got the results from my conization and am officially cancer free (insert extreme happy face here) though my entire experience was nothing short of a nightmare but gave me plenty of material that i will share with you starting now. however, since i have so much to say, this post or posts rather, will be broken up into little segments so i don't leave anything out. i wish to describe every little detail to its fullest and hope to achieve that. i also have a few photos that i took to prove this to be real, which i will post in some of the articles. here is part 1 of my story:

the once white walls were just a memory below the soot and everyday filth that cover them now. Torn and raggedy venetian blinds hung from the dirt and mildew infested windows (or at least the windows that did not have the security bars on them). the large, heavy doors were a dark green with what used to be cream colored molding, to which only fragments remained. plastered hallways were chipped and dimly lit. it was the type of place that one would think of when asked to describe a setting for a horror movie. unfortunately, it was real. it was the hospital that i had my surgery in...a woman's hospital actually. as you can tell, it was far from a pleasant experience.
the view from my room consisted of moss-covered rooftops and a dead tree. in the middle of the room was a black and white dinette table with 4 matching, yet taped-up, chairs. this was actually the only good thing about the room. though seeing how we were bedridden, it posed as more of a centerpiece that we could admire instead of portraying the functionality it was meant for. i guess in order for you to really appreciate the experience i had rendered, i should take you step by step.......to be continued