800 Calories a Day

Super Donuts

My doctor suggested I try logging my daily food consumption using a “diet” app so I can track my calorie intake.  That seemed smart. So I slogged through the Android app store to find something decent (ugghh) and have been logging for about three weeks. I am averaging 800 calories a day. I am aerating […]

Allegheny Health Network Esophageal Institute Mistakes are Hard to Swallow

Allegheny Health Network

This is somewhat jumbled in my brain, but I’m going to try to write it down. I went for an endoscopy this AM at Allegheny Health Network, the goal was to affix a Bravo chip to my esophagus to monitor ph levels for a few days. I woke up in agony. In addition to the […]

Autoimmune Dysmotility and Me: Part Five Subtitled “Allegheny Health Network is Not Doing So Great”

Tomorrow morning, I’m heading in for my second endoscopy in about eight months. This one is supposed to attach a ph monitoring device called a Bravo to my esophagus. My procedure is scheduled with Dr. Blair Jobe at the Allegheny Health Network Esophageal Institute in West Penn Hospital. The Esophageal Institute is supposedly among the […]

Ten Years Ago This Weekend, I Voluntarily Committed Myself to a Psychiatric Unit

Forbes Hospital Mental Health

Content Note: mental health, psychiatric hospital I’ve written extensively about my mental health. It has been a lifelong battle that I wasn’t even armed for until I was age 22. And now at age 50, I am uncovering new layers of my story and history that sometimes feel amazing and sometimes, so very sad. In […]

Measles Outbreak in Pittsburgh: I Tried To Get a Booster and Here’s What Happened

Measles Pittsburgh

I was born in 1970 and am reasonably sure my parents had me appropriately vaccinated. But I do not have a relationship with them, nor would they be reliable reporters. My mother actually kept out records for years in our baby books, but those were tossed by my brother. Soooo … I’m relying on the […]

Chronic Casual Ableism at My PCP

I saw my PCP last week because I have some chronic symptoms that aren’t connected to a cause – things like feeling nauseated, no appetite, restless sleep, constant need to pee. I presumed it was medical menopause. But as usual the doctors make it about my mental health, no matter the symptoms. I’m going to […]

My Essay on Hysterectomies and Trauma Informed Care Published Today at PublicSource

I wrote a thing, summarizing the institutional failures around gynecology and sexual trauma. Among other failings. Also, in the pensive cover photo you can’t see that I am standing next to a litter box while my cat is licking my ankles. I’m a pro. Gynecologists should have nursing or social work staff doing follow-up with […]

In the Devil’s Grip and Sick of it All

I’ve had quite stretch, these past few days. After spending scores of hours covering a big story last weekend, I was not feeling so great by Tuesday. I chalked it up to stress and the ever-present allergies. By Thursday, I felt worse still as if someone had put a belt around my chest and pulled […]

My Latest #Hysterecovery Update

lesbian hysterectomy

I haven’t posted an update on this recently, so let me remedy that today. I had my surgery on January 10 so I recently passed the four month mark. In terms of the actual hysterectomy, I’m doing pretty good. No significant physical problems with the exception of having to pee a lot more often and […]

Here’s How My Hysterectomy Went

lesbian hysterectomy

Let me start by clarifying that my procedure was relatively smooth and I’m hitting all of the recovery benchmarks. That being said, what a day! We arrived at the hospital at 8:50 on the nose for my 10:50 surgery. They gave me something in my fluids and I was drifting in and out for a […]