A few weeks ago my oldest daughter was having some pain in her lower abdomen on one side. She had complained about it for a week or so. For my oldest daughter, physical challenges are just part of her life. Don’t get me wrong, she is a very healthy lady! But she has the most sensitive system! Her skin rejects most metals, lotions and pharmaceutical products. She is also my girl that can make herself physically ill from stress. Not to mention her body does a good job of making itself sick on it’s own frequently.
From her insisting something more than “stress” was going on, we finally decided it was time to see a doctor. Being new to Cville I tweeted asking if someone could recommend a good doctor we could get into that day! The power of Twitter didn’t fail me! (On Mosaic Moment blog I talk about it!) We saw a doctor and after an ultrasound we discovered Lindsay had an approximately 2 inch in diameter cyst on one of her ovaries. The didn’t see anything solid which was good and we were told that they are common. Most likely it would reduce in size with hormone treatment or burst on its own. BURST ON ITS OWN!!! This is my baby!?
We call them Adult Children for a reason…they are still our children! I have been told of this trance-like state that mothers frequently talk of when posed with a potential life threatening event happens to their child. I can firmly confirm that it exists. I calmly think through what needs to happen, rationally consult the necessary experts and maintain a position of unwavering concrete support for my girls. Then in a quiet moment when no one is looking, I rip the band-aid off my nerves and release my fears.
This moment in our parent-child relationship is one that bond and define. To know how each deal with decisions, emotional waves, fear and…life! I didn’t have great examples of how to compass the maze for these times. But I hope by personally striving to show the girls by example what it means to handle those things that can bring our lives to a halt.
If your concerned if you or someone you love may have an ovarian cyst there are often little to no symptoms but here are some potential one:
Menstrual irregularities
Pelvic pain — a constant or intermittent dull ache that may radiate to your lower back and thighs
Pelvic pain shortly before your period begins or just before it ends
Pelvic pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
Pain during bowel movements or pressure on your bowels
Nausea, vomiting or breast tenderness similar to that experienced during pregnancy
Fullness or heaviness in your abdomen
Pressure on your rectum or bladder — difficulty emptying your bladder completely
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical attention if you have:
We’ve established that woman are the driving force in buying decision today. One of the elements I continue to be envious of yet brings a sly smile to my face is the influence of Moms in social media! All you businesses out there…be aware! You want to reach out and “talk” with the Wonder Woman of 2010?? Get on the social media/networking bandwagon!
It’s a simple mantra that seems foreign, counterintuitive and down-right risky to those raised with traditional media. But, consumer created media is one of the strongest influencers in the buying decision. Consider these statistics:
Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted — nearly 12 times more — than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of U.S. mom Internet users by online video review site Expo. (eMarketer, February 2010)
44% of Moms use social media for brand/product recommendations; 73% trust online community recommendations. (BabyCenter LLC, July 2009)
That said, real, nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror exists at many firms (and in particular in their legal departments) when contemplating encouraging just this sort of behavior … having consumers join and often lead discussions about the product.
It shows up in odd places. Just as marketers leap for joy to learn a celebrity uses their product, caution is suggested when reposting from a major news outlet. As experienced social media executers get with the flow of their particular niche on Twitter, nervous managers advise everything be run by legal. Even worse, in a crisis, too many companies, unprepared, let the naysayers take hold of the message … as they see it and broadcast it across the web.
I’m not advocating a reckless “anything goes” approach, especially for brands with significant equity. We do, of course, live in a litigious society. But by being too cautious one runs the risk of ignoring those moms who can be your biggest advocates and your best defense in a crisis situation.
So truly engaging the alpha moms, the influencers, the early adopters means letting them speak for your company. It’s not so far away from the traditional relationship that we’ve had with trusted media outlets … we shouldn’t be afraid.
This entry is a bit late in coming or I’ve just found the emotional strength to share it. My youngest daughter Courtney is now happily spending her days at JMU. She is a college student with the workload to prove it. But back in June came that one in a lifetime moment, high school graduation. She spent the last 2 years an incredible school here in Charlottesville called Renaissance School. It was a school that without doubt changed Courtney’s life.
The graduation took place in colonial square on a beautiful sunny afternoon outdoors. The event was intimate and warm with a whisper of pomp and circumstance. I could image no more fitting moment in her life conducted in such a way to begin forging her future. Her graduation, as with her sister Lindsay, is very precious to me. The graduating class only had 11 seniors moving on so each of the graduates were able to speak.
There are rare moments in a mothers life that make all the sacrifice, frustration and insanity worth every breath! My true desire as a mother is in the heightened moments of sheer joy and accomplishment or crashing devastation that occurs in my daughters lives (and everything in between) they will look to me and whisper a simple sentiment….”you made a positive difference in my life!” We as mothers hold ourselves to standards that may be unrealistic but in my opinion…nothing less than what my daughters deserve. If we are lucky our children can see beyond their own needs and recognize the fullness of unselfish love that has been the transparent bridge that they walk daily. Courtney’s graduation was such a day…..
get me wrong, she is a very healthy lady! But she has the most sensitive system! Her skin rejects most metals, lotions and pharmaceutical products. She is also my girl that can make herself physically ill from stress. Not to mention her body does a good job of making itself sick on it’s own frequently.
