It’s been three good years with me and my dental hygienist. We had a good thing going. I would see her every three months like clockwork. I brush two to three times a day, floss every day and if I have any problems in between my scheduled visits, I call or go in. When you have Sjogren’s Syndrome, you have to take care of your teeth or you can lose them.

I missed my appointment because I was sick. Same thing happened with my re-scheduled one. Now we are on appointment number 5. When I called to re-schedule, it happened. She didn’t even have the nerve to tell me herself. She’s ending it. If I lived in Texas, I’d be looking for a Plano Dentist, but I’ll have to take a new hygienist instead.

I’m planning on meeting a blogger friend who is vacationing at Disney. We decided to meet at her hotel and do lunch. When we made these plans I was feeling well and didn’t think I’d have any problems. I figured I’d need to rest before driving home, but I could sit at DownTown Disney on a bench or even take a nap in my car. But with the way I’ve been feeling, I’ve asked my Mom to go with me.

This has me thinking and worrying too. What will I do if I’m not well for my daughter’s wedding? I will be there any way I can but I want to be able to enjoy myself. It’s so awful knowing that there is a good chance that I might feel sickly.

I worry about making travel plans for the same reason. If we did have to cancel, I’d be so disappointed and know I’d let my family down. The one thing I learned is to always buy travel insurance just in case and to be sure that it pre-existing conditions.

I came across this video from my Google Alert set to Myasthenia Gravis. I am amazed at the the way that this young man who is only 13 is able to describe what MG is all about. Lewis Schofield, who also has Asperger Syndrome, a form of Autism, was diagnosed with MG in April of 2008. He was most likely 12. With his ability to make this video to educate people about this disease and to inspire people at the same time, I bet that there are offers for marketing jobs coming his way.

I admire him. Plus he makes me really think that I need to be grateful for what I have. How can I complain after seeing what he is going through?

Although I live in a rural area that has three hospitals and more doctor offices than you can count, is mainly populated by senior citizens and tons of surgery centers, finding specialty health care here is often very difficult.

If fact for me finding a neurologist that knows how to treat Myasthenia Gravis correctly was impossible. I have to travel over an hour to my neurologist. I’m fortunate that he is used to working with patients who live out of town and is willing to communicate with my doctors and if need be emergency room doctors here.

But, this can take a toll on me as a patient, especially when I am having a flare up. I need to have a ride to his office even if it is for a check up because I can’t drive that distance back and forth in one day. My husband has to take a day off from work for these doctor appointments. We are fortunate because his job offers FMLA, Family Medical Leave Act, so his absence is paid for.

But going through this, makes me want to research New York movers and move to a big city so I can find a specialist close to home. For those of you who live in rural areas, does this same thing affect you?

You have the right to vote! From the NP Action site:

Disabled Americans have a constitutionally protected fundamental right to vote, just like the rest of us. Beyond this constitutional protection, federal and state laws ensure access to voting places and systems. Election officials must comply with these regulations to avoid litigation. The law gives disabled voters the same opportunity to vote as able bodied citizens, even if extra assistance by election officials or poll workers is required. For example one election law expert suggested offering curb side voting for disabled voters administered by trained poll workers. In general, polling places and workers must be sensitive to the needs of the disabled and make good faith efforts to provide at least the minimum of statutorily defined accommodations at each site.

Federal laws that protect voting rights of the disabled are:

Voting Rights Act of 1965- In addition to providing sweeping protections for minority voting rights, the VRA allowed those with various disabilities to receive assistance “by a person of the voter’s choice”, as long as that person was not the disabled voter’s boss or union agent.

Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984- Mandated “handicapped and elderly” access to polling places, and provided for the creation of permanent disabled access voter registration sites.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990- Prohibited discrimination against “individuals with disabilities” and required that accommodations be made for disabled citizens at places of employment, public service, as well as private operators. The ADA was enacted to ensure that the historical exclusion of disabled Americans in numerous areas, including voting, would be scaled back significantly. Sixteen years after the passage of this landmark legislation, compliance issues remain, with suits filed against local governments to compel better and faster compliance under the law. Read about a recent case here.

If you come across any type of difficulty voting, be it gaining access to your place to vote, voting itself or discrimination from poll workers, please call the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931(voice) or 1-888-305-3228 (TTY - For those who are deaf or hard of hearing). Call right from the polling place if possible. Do not let anyone take your right away to vote! There will be poll watchers available and on call all day during Election Day, November 4th.

There are also volunteers who will be manning the phones for any type of problems at the polls so that these can be handled as soon as possible. In case your issue cannot be solved right away, you have the right to vote using a provisional ballot. But that is a last resort. So please know your rights and take action by calling if there is any problem you come across.

Here is a great video called My Voice, My Vote about your right to vote when you have a disability:

I’ve f0und some more ways to help fund research for Breast Cancer research:

• A commenter wrote that you can text “Komen” to 90999 to donate $5 to Susan G. Komen For The Cure!
• Email a Duck, Raise a Buck from Munchkin.com. Just create a cute duck and send out an email. Every person that opens the email, helps raises 5 cents for Susan G. Komen.
• Buy your own duck for $2.99 and “Munchkin will donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure* a minimum of $0.20 or 100% of net proceeds (whichever is greater) for each pink duck sold, from May 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $10,000.”
• Donate to the NBCF, National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. online.
• You can also register for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk for 2009. This is not only a way to raise money but a very empowering thing for women to do.

Let’s try to remember these things all through the year and not just in October, Breast Cancer Awareness month.