Another Health Update

The last two blood tests have remained the same which is encouraging, but I still have kidneys only functioning at 20-25%. I am on my way to annual conference and know it will be difficult with hotel food, etc., but I will do it! Not only do I have to virtually eliminate all sodium from my diet -- but potassium and phosphors as well. It is just a matter of making my kidneys work overtime to eliminate these minerals from my body. So if I put fewer of those minerals in -- the less they have to work to do their job and the longer they might continue working. Anybody outthere have an extra kidney to spare?

The Devastation Continues

As if the original two position eliminations wasn't bad enough -- or the next eleven wasn't bad enough - I now find that one more key employee is being transferred. Transferred??? Why you ask? There is no answer. That leaves nine employees to do what 23 were doing -- which originally 29 were doing. Through the last five years we have worked smarter and scaled down services and looked at new ways to do things. We had done all we could and staff had taken on as many new responsibilities as they could -- which of course increased their work time and hours but without additional help or compensation. And this is how dedication is rewarded? In addition to the 60% loss of staff we now can talk about the actual budget. The funding for the integrated library system was slightly reduced as was the database budget, but that we will be able to survive. But then when you add all the other budget line items, like equipment repair, new equipment, materials of instruction, professional library resources, professional development, etc., my budget was cut 92% -- no typo here -- 92% or in other words, I have 8% of the budget I had in previous years. Can this be real? Yes, it is! Once again the message is clear -- that libraries and the instructional value they add and their contribution to student achievement is not valued.

When It Rains It POURS!!!!

Feeling very good, I went to work this morning to an office of six departments employing 24 wonderful staff members. This afternoon when I left, it was raining, I felt miserable and so helpless as I left a devastated office where on July 15 there will only be 11 staff members. My county is experiencing the same financial shortfall that is happening all over the country and to balance the budget my office was reduced by more than half. The positions have been eliminated and just a month ago during the first round of cuts I lost two staff members. Total of 13 eliminated with only 11 left. To begin with it seems unfair and lopsided for my department to take a hit of over 15% of the cuts that central office received. Secondly, it sends a message loud and clear -- the library media program is not valued. And that is the very reason I came to this county nine years ago -- because they valued the library program and saw that the program was an integral part of the instructional process and that we made a difference in student achievement. Doesn't seem to be the case any longer!
All operations of Library Media Services were together in my department. My office which housed the instructional component, the Professional Library, Review and Evaluation Center, The Production Center, Acquisitions, and Technology for the Integrated Library system. All operations need to continue, but how one person, a few with a secretary, can continue to fulfill the responsibilities I have not figured out yet. Who will do them if we can't? Will they get done? Efficiently? Effectively? There is no doubt in my mind that those who made the cuts do not know what we do -- or do not understand what we do -- or do not want to understand what we do -- or do not care what we do -- or perhaps all of the above.
I feel the need to head to The Outer Banks to sort things out. The rain only made the gloom worse - I wanted to run an errand, but with the rain and traffic and my mood, I just turn around and headed home. But as I was driving home - I saw a beautiful full rainbow - and the rainbow when I first saw it ended right at my office building. I hope that was an omen that all the staff affected, who in my mind are wonderful valued employees will find that rainbow with a "pot of gold" waiting for them. There is a reason for everything -- I really do believe that -- but in this instance I haven't accepted this devastating blow!
Score: 13 for them - 0 for school libraries and our students!

Health Update

My primary care physician adjusted my medication in the three weeks I was waiting to see the specialist and I reduced my fluid intake and virtually cut out all sodium - down to under 500 mg a day. All that drastic change in my life style resulted in my blood pressure dropping when I stood up after sitting and at times if I stood too long - like grocery shopping. Then with the constant fatigue and dizziness I returned to my PCP. It seems I was dehydrated! Once again adjusting the medication made all the difference in the world -- the next day I felt better than I had in the previous three weeks. After seeing the specialist I was informed that my kidneys are functioning at 35% - not good. A week later another blood test was taken, which shown there had been another decrease, down to 30%. I was put on iron and medication to keep my bones from becoming brittle. And being the librarian that I am -- I got my hands on every piece of information I could -- I have even thought about starting another blog just dealing with CKD, as there seems to be a lot of us out there. Kidney disease caused by diabetes is the commonest cause of kidney failure requiring treatment by dialysis or kidney transplantation. I have been diabetic for 35 years. I will have a biopsy in July to determine/verify the cause. Last Wednesday I was told by the specialist that if the decline continued as it had been, I would need a transplant in three to six months. But to hold off contacting the centers for evaluation as she wanted another blood test, which I will have tomorrow, to see if things leveled off and my body adjusts. So in the meantime I am going to live each day to the fullest doing what I enjoy and what is important in life. As I feel good, the doctor approved my going to Anaheim for conference, which I will do -- so see you there!