Skip to main content

Other Blogs

I read a lot of blogs. I read political blogs, both conservative and liberal, healthcare and health insurance blogs, and I read other patient blogs just to name a few. I used to read a lot more blogs than I do now, having come to the realization there is more to life than reading blogs. They can pretty much consume your entire life if you let them, especially if you're also writing your own blog or two.

Today I was reading a fellow blogger's site who has chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and I realized that he relates all his postings to his CLL. One such article was Opportunity Cost, Opportunity Lost, which I thought was particularly good, and which I pointed out on this blog a week or two ago. He also did another post about the three day rule, where if you buy something, under certain circumstances, you can return it in 3 days, and related it to his CLL.

I want to know how he does that? How do you focus on something seemingly unrelated, and relate it back to your disease? I wish I could do that, or do I?

I tend not to focus on my disease, at least not on this blog. On my other blog, I try to focus on things I am passionate about, like healthcare reform, which may be related to the fact I will always need health care, and about dealing with doctors, since I know quite a few of them, but for the most part I don't consciously try to relate all my postings to my MCL.

But don't get me wrong. I read David's blog, I enjoy his postings and I recommend everyone read his blog. I'm just not the philosophical type who sees meaning in everything that goes on around him. If I were to try that, things might get a little depressing, as if things aren't depressing enough already, and who wants to be depressed all the time. Not me, that's for sure!

We only have a limited time on earth. Some of us are here for longer than others, but in the scheme of things none of us is here for very long. And unless we've done something really important, like invent the light bulb, or discover the Theory of Relatively, when we die, we will quickly be forgotten, and life will still go on.

So except for the occasional topical post on healthcare in general, don't expect to learn too much about what it's like to be sick, from me (I did that when I first started this blog, back in December 2005) except to know that just because you are sick, it doesn't mean life is over. In some cases it's just the beginning.

Oh yeah, and I just got the results of my latest blood work, and my lymphocyte count dropped 15K, which is a good thing, while everything else remained stable. Of course the downside (there always has to be a downside) to that is, one test does not a trend make, but now I do have something to look forward to next month. :)

Comments

Becky said…
I don't know if it is healty to equate or compare everything to a disease. I think it's good to forget sometimes.

I often forget I have epilepsy and have done alot of solitary things like ride my horse or my motorcycle. Of course dr's "advise" me not to.

I kind of lost my train of thought. Damn. Apparently I shouldn't blog alone. Oh, I know, I don't want to be constantly aware of my being different and conscously compare everything to my epilepsy. With the exception of famous epileptics like Dostoyevsky. Man that dude could write.

But I do compare evertything to a Seinfeld episode. Is that healthy?
Marc said…
What makes Seinfeld such a good comic, and his show so good, is was a representation of the way things are. Granted it was slightly exagerated, but still it's not too tough to compare everything to a Seinfeld episode.

So that actually is healthy!
Becky said…
Oh good. I'm normal after all.

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...