It’s like they know when I need to take a trip. And then try to screw it up. I am going out of town the country for a week, starting tomorrow. On Wednesday, my doctor prescribed a lower dosage of paroxetine, to help me wean off it. Cutting the pills I have in half was [...]
Fri, July 30 2010 » 1 » 1 Comment
The Queen of Optimism asks: “Who has made a positive difference in your life and what did they do?” In May of 2006 I’d just been released from the hospital, when my doctor asked me to come in for a follow-up. “We think you might have cancer,” he said. “You need to go see a [...]
Sun, July 25 2010 » 1 » 1 Comment
Act III of the 4/02/2010 episode of This American Life will be interesting to anyone who has heard of helminth therapy to treat autoimmune diseases. It focuses on a man named Jasper Lawrence, who decided to treat his severe asthma with hookworms acquired the, um, natural way. He sounds like a reasonable guy on the [...]
Sat, July 24 2010 » 1 » 1 Comment
So last week, I was trying to get my Paxil prescription refilled before I left for vacation – despite virtually no cooperation from my pharmacy. On Tuesday morning, I called my doctor for a refill. “Sure, we’ll send that in.” A few hours later, I called the pharmacy. “Your doctor just called it in; it [...]
Fri, July 23 2010 » 1 » No Comments
I am supposed to be on vacation this morning, headed down to Florida for a week. Instead, I am sitting at my computer, waiting for my pharmacy and my doctor to get their shit together, so I don’t have to go cold turkey on my Paxil, and end up a homicidal maniac burying his victims [...]
Tue, July 13 2010 » 1 » 1 Comment
For this week’s PFAM, Leslie asks… “What have you done (or what do you aspire to do) in spite of illness?” When I was first diagnosed, my doctor told me I had to take it easy: too much stress would make me sicker. That meant no sports, no hard classes, etc. So I stopped going [...]
Mon, July 12 2010 » 1, Uncategorized » No Comments
I wrote this post for Change.org, and my editor decided it was “not right for Change”. I still think it’s important, so I want to publish it here (with minimal edition). Recently [Change.org] welcomed a post from Fran Drescher, asking readers to support her charity, Cancer Schmancer. I hope some lucky reader enjoyed a call [...]
Mon, July 12 2010 » 1, Uncategorized » 2 Comments
A novel crime against decency by Duncan Cross
