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For What It’s Worth
S
o, I have gotten back into reading just about everything I can get my hands on, after watching tons of movies on Netflix, and remember now, how much I enjoy it! Not that I stopped reading, you understand, but more that I decide to give up a book after thirty or so pages if the content doesn’t interest me. I used to feel compelled to finish every book I started because, as a writer, I wanted to show my support to the author, which I know is completely pointless, because the author doesn’t have super-powers and cannot possibly know that I have given up. Anyway, I find myself reading several books at a time, one for reference, one for paranormal, one for romance, one for mystery, and have books stacked up all over the house. I find it comforting, if not a ironic reminder of my deceased father, who used to also have books stacked up by his reading chair, all opened, all being read at the same time. I found myself judging his behavior as odd, and now, it appears I have followed in his footsteps. Funny how we find ourselves becoming our parents sooner or later! Anyway, I picked up this book called The Deep Places, written by Ross Douthat. It’s a memoir of illness and discovery, which interested me because of my nursing background. The book is about a New York Times columnist, at the prime of life, who has acquired Lyme disease from a tick bite, although he was never diagnosed immediately, and by the time he had gone from one doctor to another, it 30
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by Dr. Melfi, Ph.D.
was mere speculation as to why he suffered such muscle and joint pain. That, in and of itself, was interesting, but more than that, it really brought to light, chronic illness and the people who suffer from sometimes unidentified illnesses and pain which baffle physicians, or worse, find physicians who believe that symptoms that don’t respond to treatment come from a place of hypochondriasis. The physical anguish that he suffered, was second only to the mental anguish of other people’s skepticism, as if he no longer knew his own body, and was forced to believe that perhaps, his symptoms, were part of an underlying mental disorder. It was only until he found the strength to stand up for himself, to rally physicians who believed him, that he finally comes to terms with not only his suffering, but that of thousands of others who have fallen through the cracks of a medical profession dictated by time constraints, insurance companies, and the Almighty dollar. A point he made, that really stuck with me, is that when a catastrophe occurs among family or friends, everyone gathers around to try to help, to offer compassion and sympathy, and cards wishing a speedy recovery. But as days turn into weeks, then months and then years, those people, who mean well, cannot sustain giving what the ill person needs. They become tired of the whole ordeal, and even if their words are the right ones, mentally they have moved on with their own lives, leaving the patient either to lie about “feeling better,” or to isolate themselves from the
people and activities that were once pleasurable. I find this accurate, and depressing, because most of us are not hardwired to stagnate, and thus, many go forward, while those with chronic illness have to hang back. I also learned quite a bit about Lyme disease, and was astounded that it wasn’t really recognized as a very serious illness and one that can cause physical and neurological damage for years, until 1991. So, although it is more prevalent in the woods, and especially up north, (hence, think Lyme, Connecticut) it can be carried into the house on your pets in Florida. Check them carefully, to avoid what this man and his young family had to deal with. As well, the first five years of my articles have been condensed in a coffee-table sized book complete with pictures, so if you are interested in purchasing one, please call My Living Media to have a copy (or several) mailed to you, or if you prefer, to pick up. Thank you, as always, for your readership!
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