It is very important to share medical information with one's children and family members. My nephew had a serious thyroid operation and when he first told me that he was going to have the operation he said they had found an "inward goiter". I asked if he had told the doctor that his grandfather, great-grandfather, and great aunt had goiters which required surgery. He asked, "I wonder why Dad never told me about that?" and I replied that he probably never thought that it might be important. When he told the doctor, the doctor said that he wished he'd known that fact because it would have helped him diagnose the ailment earlier.
Our management team was required to go to the Cleveland Clinic for our annual physicals for work. We would stay all day, have great number of tests and see five specialists. As I never had any childhood illnesses, no operations, and never had a serious illness, my personal history was rather spare, but the family history was quite extensive covering siblings, parents and grandparents. On one of the charts I checked that my father and grandfather had goiters. After my accident in 1995, I gained a great deal of weight and I checked "rapid weight gain" on my history.
When I met the internist he looked at my chart, saw that I had checked "goiter" and "rapid weight gain"; the doctor did a thorough examination and felt my neck and asked me numerous questions about my father's goiter. However, he didn't bother to ask WHY I'd had the "rapid weight gain" the previous year. Although I had never met him before, I sensed a great deal of excitement when he announced, "I'm going to have you tested for Hashimoto's Syndrome." I asked what it was and he said that with the thyroid and goiter in my family history, combined with the rapid weight gain, that those were symptoms of it!
I then explained to him why I had gained the weight: after my accident, I went from a great deal of daily activity to being on crutches for months and consuming more than 1,000 calories in Coca Cola per day just MIGHT have contributed to the weight gain. Nevertheless, he had all the tests performed but concluded that I did not have the syndrome.
I said, "Well, if I do have something wrong with me, I want it to have an interesting name!" He was not amused.
From the Mayo Clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hashimotos-disease/DS00567
"Definition By Mayo Clinic staff Thyroid gland Hashimoto's disease is a disorder that affects your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck, below your Adam's apple. The thyroid gland is part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body's activities.
In Hashimoto's disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, your immune system attacks your thyroid gland. The resulting inflammation often leads to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. It primarily affects middle-aged women, but also can occur in men and women of any age and in children.
Doctors test your thyroid function to help detect Hashimoto's disease. Treatment of Hashimoto's disease with thyroid hormone replacement usually is simple and effective."
It's deplorable that the Governor of Mississippi, who is supposedly preparing for a campaign for the Presidency of the United States, cannot take a stand about whether it is moral for the state of Mississippi to issue automobile license plates honoring Nathan Bedford Forest, a founder of the Ku Klux Klan. But, why am I surprised, when the Mississippi school textbooks call the Civil War "The War Of Northern Aggression"?
I am constantly astounded to see Confederate flags adorning homes and vehicles in Fayette County, Ohio.
Several years ago, we went to a birthday party at the home of one of my husband's family. There was a Confederate flag hanging from the porch. We had been there several times previously and the flag had not been displayed. I told my husband, "I won't be going in there." He said, "We're here, and we've brought a present." I said, "You can go in and I'll come back later and pick you up." My husband and I seldom have disagreements but he knew full well that I was not going to go in that house. He said, "You wait here." He took the present to the door and told them how I felt.
As they approached the car, I expected a huge, emotional confrontation, thinking that they would think that I had insulted them. Instead, the relative calmly asked, "Why would that offend you?" Stunned by his comity, my voice was trembling as I told them how offensive I found the flag. The relative said, "It's just about the "Dukes Of Hazzard"; I just have a collection of "Dukes of Hazzard" stuff; it's just fun." I asked, "Are you telling me that you don't know what that flag represents?"
He said that what it might mean to my "generation" wasn't the same as it meant to his. I asked, "Didn't you learn about it in history?" He said, "Well, yeah, about the Civil war, but I don't think it's a big deal today!" I said, "Those nutty people in the South are still fighting about the war and it IS a big deal!" I told him that they put falsehoods in their school textbooks and honor Jefferson Davis on his birthday!
He said that they would never want to offend me, but he didn't think it was important. I thought to myself, "You want people to think that a Southern sympathizer lives here?" but I did not say it.
I said, "I'll make you a deal; I'll bring you an American flag to display!" He shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's cool!"
The next day I took them a flag with a pole and staff to mount to the porch, along with a copy of flag etiquette which was free from the American Legion.
They took down the flag but I've often reflected that they thought it was "just" something about the Dukes of Hazzard!
Yesterday a friend asked, "Remember John Gary?" I said, "Oh, wow, the first time I ever went to a night club was at Annarino's in Dayton and we saw John Gary!" She asked, "Remember that song from that Ray Bolger musical that was a flop?" I said, "Oh, yeah, it was "Once Upon A Time". She said that she had been reading an article about "flops" and that show "All American" was a famous flop and Mel Brooks just wrote one of the acts and quit. I said that I did not know that bit of trivia.
She said that she always remembered John Gary's rendition of the song. We reminisced about John Gary and "what might have been" if rock and roll hadn't dominated the music scene in the 1960s. I told her that my mother said John Gary was the "heir to Perry Como." I said if he'd been a future generation he could have been successful like Harry Connick, Jr. and Josh Grobin. I told her I would get out the John Gary records and we could listen to them to see if he were as good as we remembered.
She called later and said, "Get on You Tube; there's all kinds of John Gary songs and he's wonderful!"
John Gary used to appear on Ruth Lyons Fifty-Fifty Club every time he was playing in the Cincinnati/Dayton/Columbus/Indianapolis area which WLW covered. He also appeared numerous times on The Tonight Show with Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson as well as on the Ed Sullivan Show. He had his own television show and was a summer replacement for the Danny Kaye Show.
When guests were with Ruth Lyons we learned a great deal about their backgrounds and accomplishments. John had been in the Marine Corps and was a scuba diver who held underwater endurance records and had patented underwater devices. He was also an expert with a bow and arrow and pistol.
If I had not belonged to a Union, I would probably have been fired from a job which was my first one with a major corporation with a good wage and benefits. I was hired as a General Production (GP) worker and advanced to Machine Operator. After GP workers received training from each Machine Operator, they were placed in a Pool. Each night GP workers were assigned to jobs, but instead of the Supervisor assigning them, the Operators were allowed to choose which GP workers they wanted from the Pool. The Operators with greater seniority received first choice, thus, I, as the most junior Operator, received whomever was remaining. When the GP's were not needed on the machines, they were given rework and floor work tasks to perform. As a GP, I had set production records and when I won the bid to become an Operator, I set many more Production records.
Every night when I submitted my production report I realized that my excellent productivity enabled the Supervisor to be a "star" and quite honestly, he was very nice to me, putting thank-you notes and free dinner coupons in my check envelopes, sent flowers for my birthday, and the most appreciated, a cold Coke on my workbench because he knew that I wouldn't leave the machine to go to the vending area as others did between breaks! When I received those flowers my husband remarked that he had never heard of that. I said, "But you see they're from him AND his wife!" He was good to me and I was good to him, always accepting overtime.
It was obvious that our Supervisor was spending an inordinate amount of time with one particular new woman whom I will call "The Princess" (because she actually said that about herself!). So secure was she in her role as a "protected species", she bragged to the other women about the affair and that he was going to leave his wife and she even showed a Polaroid picture of him, reclining nude, with a red bow tied around his erect Mr. Wiggly.
When I needed an extra helper on my machine, I always received "The Princess" as the more senior Operators did not want her. She SHOULD NOT have made it through her probationary period, but she did because of the "special relationship" with the Supervisor. She was not a good worker and took advantage of every situation, knowing full well HOW she was "protected". At a Union meeting, a person who was a self-proclaimed "Christian" said that the Union should do "something about her immorality" I jumped up and said that it was against Union rules to get a fellow Union brother or sister in trouble! "The Princess" heard about the incident at the Union meeting and told me she was surprised that I defended her. I told her that she was merely naive and he was the one who should be held accountable because he represented the Company.
She would take extra long breaks and when she got back to the work area I would have her piled up and she would shut off the machine. I would promptly turn back on the machine and keep piling her up. She called for the Steward and I told him that he needed to tell her that she was interfering with production and needed to be back from breaks on time. Of course the Steward had to agree with me. Once, the Supervisor was talking to her and she was behind and I told him to get out of the area as he was "holding up" production.
One night, I had a guy named Charlie assigned to my machine, along with "The Princess". It was obvious to me that Charlie had been drinking. Yes, I am totally opposed to drinking, but I called the Steward and told him, "You need to get Charlie out of here." What happened next is STILL unbelievable to me: the Steward went to the Supervisor and told him that I was complaining about Charlie drinking (I know this from what later transpired!). At break, the Supervisor and General Supervisor witnessed Charlie going to his car and drinking. Charlie was fired.
I didn't know at the time that I was receiving the "blame" although I had noticed a coolness from some of the men. One night, walking out, one of the guys I considered a buddy, said he couldn't believe that I "Got ole Charlie fired." I asked, "What the Hell do you mean--I tried to save him!" The guy told me that he was there when the Steward told the Supervisor I was complaining about Charlie drinking. I told him, "Not only is that a lie but it is also a Goddamned lie!" The next day I demanded a meeting with the Union President, the Steward, the Supervisor and the witness." The Steward admitted that what I said that I said was true but everybody knew how I felt about drinking and that "The Princess" had complained! I said, "Yes, but I told YOU to get him out of here--if I'd wanted the Supervisor to know, I would have told him--you're the one who got Charlie fired!"
That same weekend my brother and his wife came to stay the weekend and they would spend one day with her family and one with mine. My sister-in-law's sister was best friends with the wife of the Tool and Die Maker at work. My sister-in-law said that her sister told her that they were trying to fire me at work. I was shocked. I said, "How could they fire me? I have the best production, I've never missed a day of work, I've worked all the overtime!" I was incensed! I called my sister-in-law's sister demanding to know exactly what was said and then I called the Tool and Die Maker and asked what was said. He told me that "The Princess" hated me and wanted her boyfriend to get rid of me and that I'd made the Steward and Supervisor look bad because of the Charlie incident and "The Princess" had bragged that she was going to get me fired for being so mean to her.
On Monday, I went to see our attorney who gave me this advice: "Slander is like mud--if you try to wipe it off while it's wet, you'll just smear it--but if you wait until it dries, you can just brush it off!" (Years later, I learned he stole that quote from Louis Nizer) He prepared a "cease and desist letter" with copies to the Company, the Union and to the parties I knew who were "spreading the story". You can imagine the tremors felt from that earthquake.
On Tuesday, after he had received his letter, the Supervisor came up to me, and his lip was quivering and his voice was quavering, as he said, "I can't believe you did this." I said, "I can't believe that you did this to me, especially after my productivity is what made you the star, but I'm not supposed to talk to you about this under advice from Counsel, but I am going to tell you that I will see that YOU are the one who is fired." He said, "Why would I fire you--you have the best production." I said, "Well, your girlfriend has told everybody you were going to fire me because I make her work hard."
That's the moment I decided to run for Steward. My campaign was simple: I asked each person: "Do you think I'm a better worker than him? Do you think I'm honest? Do you think I'm smarter than him?" I won by 3 votes.
As Steward, I was mean, vindictive and petty. I even filed a grievance for a 25-cent pay discrepancy and the Supervisor tossed a quarter at me and I moved aside and it hit someone and I filed another grievance about that. [After I became a Supervisor the Company attorney told me he couldn't believe they promoted me as I was the meanest Steward he'd ever encountered and I would not "settle" at any step and demand arbitration unless it was resolved my way.]
Within three months I had filed more grievances than the former Steward had in 3 years! I became a "Philadelphia Lawyer-type Steward", memorizing the Contract and quoting it endlessly. I made sure that I was "out on call" every night which caused the productivity from my machine to plummet. The Supervisor would have to assign other Operators and they would never achieve my Production levels! When I was working on the machine, I made certain my Production was always 100% but NEVER more. He asked me what had happened to my figures, to which I answered, "You really can't expect me to give more than 100%, can you?" He tried to get the other Operators to bring up their Production figures to no avail; This caused the Department's figures to suffer, which of course was brought to the attention of higher management. This caused meetings which of course none of the Union members would say what the actual "cause" was. I thought, "How stupid are they that they can't see the effect of a machine that was producing 120% on average was now the lowest producer?" Prior to this, I had never turned down a minute of overtime, but after that, I turned down all overtime and a number of other people also refused, which had a detrimental affect also.
In the meantime the affair between "The Princess" and the Supervisor had cooled and she learned she was pregnant! One night, she was assigned to my machine and she was crying and I told her to go to the restroom and I would get someone else to take her place. She said, "He lied to me." I said, "But, he lied ABOUT me and that's even worse!" She said, "But you're trying to destroy the father of my baby." I answered, "They should have told you about Planned Parenthood in orientation." (Yeah, I know I'm a smart-aleck.)
Finally, the Supervisor was given the ultimatum: resign or be fired. He chose to resign. I assumed it was because of the tremendous loss of productivity. Only later did I learn that someone had gotten into the locker of "The Princess" and that Polaroid picture had made its way to the Manufacturing Manager. A number of people thought I did the deed and how I wish I could take credit for that, but I learned later that her so-called "best friend" did it. With "friends" like that.....
As a young person, for six years, I worked for the railroad and I was a member of the Railway And Steamship Clerks Union. My boss was the Terminal Superintendant in Indianapolis. The head Trainmen Union guy, Ron, was known as a real hard rock. I had heard about his toughness when I first went to work there. Finally, after a few weeks, I met him. He was about six feet five and 250 pounds--a real bulldog of a man. He walked in my office and gave me the eagle eye. He introduced himself. I asked him if he had a daughter named Ronidean. He looked at me suspiciously and said “Yes”. I said, “Oh, I worked with her at Vonnegut Hardware, and I just loved her”. Everything in the world changed at that moment. I could tell he loved his daughter (who was built exactly like him). He was my "friend" from that day forward. Because of that friendliness, he seemed to change in his roughness around all of us in the office. ["Ronidean": he named her after himself; his middle name was Dean!]
As part of my job, I had to take the minutes of every meeting of investigations: i.e.: train wrecks, Rule G (drinking), sexual situations (e.g.: a crossing guard propositioned two black girls and said he would pay them 50 cents each for oral sex. They did it, but he never paid them).
The investigations were held downtown in Indianapolis. I would walk into the room with my boss, and there, at a huge table, would sit a table full of Union representatives – local, state, etc., along with Ron. All of the biggies showed up for these meetings. I was only 21, but somehow they didn’t intimidate me. [Sue says it's the arrogance of youth.]
They did not allow tape recorders in there because, I believe, they were hoping I would make a mistake in taking the minutes but I didn’t. It was an exciting time at every investigation, and I admired the way the Union fought for their people. I will probably always support the unions.
On Facebook, and at recent rallies, I see and hear the old Union battle cry of "Union Maid" and I think of Mother Jones, Leonora Barry and my personal heroine Frances Perkins, and the other women important in the labor movement and how those brave women were the inspiration for the Women's Liberation movement so many years later.
I spent nearly all of my work life in management positions and many people are surprised when they learn of my support of unions. I always say that I've worked in union and non-union shops and I prefer the union shops because it keeps us "honest"! Not that I didn't have go-rounds with the Unions; after all, I worked with the UAW at two different shops but I never LOST a grievance because I respected and followed the Contracts. When someone in Management would refer to it as "the Union Contract", I would always correct them and say, "It's OUR Contract!" I found that many management people caused many of their own problems by not KNOWING the Contract.
My support of unions goes much deeper than "honesty". It's not only because three of my brothers are strict unionists but I also reap the benefits that are derived from my husband's having been a union member for 40 years. My husband and I worked at the same company but our health care plan comes from his employment; as a retired management person, I would have to pay three times what my husband is paying for us.
Before I was a management person, I was a union member and I became a Union Steward and Union office holder. I was a member of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters And Butcher Workmen Of North America and The United Paperworkers. My older brother helped to organize the American Bakery and Confectionary Workers Union at Pennington Bread, where my father was a member of management. As his younger siblings, my brothers and I heard the daily fights about the "evil" union from my father and the "savior" union from my brother! You can guess on which side Neil, Norman, Duke, Les and I sided.
Hashimoto's disease is a disorder that affects your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck, below your Adam's apple. The thyroid gland is part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body's activities.
