Don’t pass go

I'm over on Substack now and I wrote a piece on not listening to my body during an early spring adventure. Give it a read: https://bentcolumn.substack.com/p/dont-pass-go

Asking Mr. Roboto

I'm over on Substack now and I wrote a piece on Artificial Intelligence answering some questions about chronic illnesses. Give it a read: https://bentcolumn.substack.com/p/asking-mr-roboto

It’s still raining

I don’t know how long it takes for something to be obvious. How many individual accounts of the same story? How frequently do we need to see the same symptoms? When do they, the people and institutions in power, connect the dots or follow the strings? More and more often, journalists and celebrities are publicly …

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Happy-ish feet

Feet. The often ultra-divisive body parts that allow us to stand. I never understood the love or hate for feet. They were considered simply functional in my culture. Heavily worn, toughened, and critical to mobility… feet were used and not thought of unless they had a problem. With age and travel, I learned that many …

I owe you

Borrowing from one person to pay another is a way of life most of us are either currently in, or have experienced before. Is there a more fitting metaphor when it comes to living with a broken body? I know that I’m constantly navigating between which symptom or body part that I’m willing to trigger …

Getting dirty

I drone on endlessly about being in nature. The scientifically proven benefits are well-known. The personal stories are countless. While much hasn’t been said about how people with chronic medical conditions and pain can easily incorporate nature-based activities into their daily lives, we should be an important part of the conversation. I’ve touched on the …

Don’t get left behind

Every few weeks, an article will pop up declaring scientific breakthroughs in the medical community. They will herald new and promising treatments for the afflicted. There will be vague explanations of technology driven research and claims that THIS! THIS ONE! is the beginning of the end of suffering for thousands, millions of people around the …

Can I eat this?

No fiber. No fat. My diet is pretty much the antithesis of commonly practiced healthy guidelines. Gastroparesis is an up and down condition. It flares and wanes depending on many things, some of which you have no control over. Pain, nausea, and vomiting are often relentless. Since gastroparesis is basically a paralyzed stomach, learning major …

The end isn’t near

I moved again! Not far this time, but the arduous process of packing, unpacking, and settling in doesn’t seem to fluctuation depending on distance. It’s always time consuming and energy zapping. As I’ve written about before, I have moving down to a bit of a science. This was no different, with one major exception: My …

Tripping into peace

A few weeks ago, I underwent surgery to eliminate all of the cancerous tissue in my uterus. Even though I was under full anesthesia, it was fairly quick as far as surgeries go, around an hour, and I was able to head home later that day. I was incredibly lucky and they were able to …