“Why should my tax dollars pay for your medical care?” she says. Her blue eyes are piercing against her softly tanned skin. Her eyebrows are raised, and her lips pursed in annoyance. At first I think she’s kidding. But she’s not. She is about thirty, and we know each other casually. She’s healthy, single, in […]
I Dare You. I DOUBLE Dare You.
Why aren’t you pissed off? I mean – really pissed off – if you’re a woman struggling with running a household and holding down an outside job, and barely able to make it? Maybe you’re home with kids and wishing you could work for pay but it’s more expensive to cover child care than what […]
A Round of Applause for Healing Hands
He paged through the test results from five weeks ago. Didn’t say much. There was a flicker of a raised eyebrow. I interrupted his concentration: “She said everything was normal.” He nodded, then shook his head for a moment at something, then turned back to me. He’s an older man. His face is a little […]
Physician, Heal Thyself…
Four years ago following a medical runaround that persisted for close to a year, a friend insisted I get on a plane, travel to France, and see a physician there. I did. With my medical records, my scans, and my stories of who said what and who didn’t say anything. I got answers. A diagnosis. […]
I did what I was told
Whatever it was, I did what I was told, the quintessential good girl following the rules: I studied, I smiled, I won awards, I did not rebel, I lived with secrets. I followed the rules and did not cheat though I saw others do so and prosper; I followed the rules and did not lie […]
Medical Marvels
At a time when the health care debate is raging, and we often feel overwhelmed by mounting medical costs and what seems like indifferent or below average care, it’s important to point out positive examples. There are many – when fine physicians and state-of-the-art facilities work wonders. Babies are always miracles, even when there aren’t […]
Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles? Not always.
“Pas de nouvelles… bonnes nouvelles, comme dit le proverbe.” No news is good news, as the proverb says. But is the proverb true? Or is no news just… no news? No news is no news In the case of an overseas friend who hadn’t written or called in awhile, it was true. Tout allait bien; […]
Living and Loving with Chronic Pain
If you live with chronic pain, the notion of “good days” and “bad days” is very different from your neighbor’s. It isn’t about missing a deadline at work, or the dry cleaner ruining your favorite suit. It begins with the morning A good day is one in which you can get up and move around […]