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Yesterday the author of ML wasn’t feeling too well. She had (and has) what’s probably a recurrent bout of diverticulitis, a condition when a little pouch stemming from the colon becomes inflamed and causes pain and fever. This can be serious if infection of the colon’s wall progresses, or catastrophic if the colon ruptures. So I’m thankful, today, among other things that I’m feeling better with antibiotics, extra fluids by mouth and a good dose of rest. I’m glad, also, that I avoided the hospital for evaluation and treatment, as were de rigueur for this ailment 20 years ago. I’m lucky that, so far, I’m doing OK. And I’m reminded that illness is not a metaphor for anything. Really it’s a crapshoot — hard to know sometimes when it’s worth going to the ER or staying home and enjoying Thanksgiving with your family, as I did. —- Related Posts:Blood and Hip Surgery: New Study Supports Fewer TransfusionsTwo Minds on Medical ThinkingThoughts on the Death of Amy WinehouseThe Trouble With PlacebosLooking Back on ‘The Normal Heart,’ and Patients’ Activisim I’ll be staying near my home in Manhattan this week. But if I did have plans to travel by airplane for the holiday, I think I’d be apprehensive about the new screening procedures implemented by the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA). My concern is not so much with the scanners…Rather, I’m worried about screening errors — false positive and false negative results, and about harms – physical and/or emotional, that patients and people with disability may experience during the screening process. See more The Transportation Safety Authority Screens Travelers Inside and Out cancer survival | cancer treatment | Informed Consent | Medical Ethics | Oncology (cancer) | Patient Autonomy | TV | Women's Health
 “I don’t want to get sicker trying to get better and then just end up dying anyway” – Cathy, the 42 year old protagonist, with advanced melanoma, on the Big C. Spoiler alert: Don’t read this post if you don’t want to know what happens to Cathy in the Big C…After months of unusual and comfort zone-breaking behavior, Cathy See more Does Cathy Make the Right Cancer Treatment Decision in the Big C? I’m a bit puzzled by all the excitement about Merck’s new drug, Anacetrapib (MK-0859), that’s said to lower risk for cardiovascular disease by lowering bad cholesterol. Earlier this week at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, researchers presented promising findings on the drug, including results from the phase III DEFINE trial. The list of disclosures for that abstract is long and fairly shocking. On Wednesday, the results were published on-line in the NEJM.* The new drug interests me, as an oncologist, because it’s an enzyme inhibitor … See more Lots of Excitement about Anaceptrapib, a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug  Last night I stayed up late to see the season finale of the Big C. For the first time in watching this series about a 42 year old woman with advanced melanoma, in a near-final scene involving the protagonist Cathy’s teenage son, I cried. The storyline is moving, finally, in a real and not necessarily happy direction. See more First Season Ending of the Big C The November AARP Bulletin highlights a promising development in hospital couture: trendsetter Diane von Furstenberg has designed new, unisex gowns ready for wearing in hospitals. The new gowns provide style and full coverage, with options for opening in front or back according to the bulletin. A trial is underway at the Cleveland Clinic. See more Hospital Fashion News from AARP and the Cleveland Clinic |
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