Pete’s Musings

Good news is that I am finally down to ‘just’ 5mg of pred as of Saturday. Bad news is that I think the joint pain from the withdrawal is starting. I hurt my back pretty bad last week (read last post) and that still hasn’t improved. Add to that a pretty bad neck ache as well as pain the hands and ankles. I know it’s worth it in the long run, but why does it have to hurt so much? Went through this late last year and was bad then too. I have another 2-4 weeks at this level, then drop again. 2.5mg is not any better. blah.

I don’t like to complain (despite doing it a lot!), but this Read More »

This always happens. I start to feel as though I’m doing ok healthwise and maybe can start to get back into life more … then something happens to give me a reality check.

We lost power here in St-Jean yesterday. It was hot and there was a powerful storm that knocked down power lines, etc. I had the misfortune of actually being up and about when the power went off. Why? Well, let me tell you. Because I was up doing this or that, I was not in bed and I was not in my chair. So that means that BOTH power-adjustable devices were locked in their unusable positions Read More »

Some good news last week from my doctor … results from my blood test shows that my LFT (liver function tests) are all NORMAL. And really low on top of that. ALT 17 AST 18 ALP 96
Even last fall when I was excited about reaching normal, they weren’t this good (they were in the 30’s). So that’s great news, meds are doing their job and Read More »

You know, I have an awesome set of bookmarks that I’ve accumulated, sorted, and organized over the past 15 years or so … I suppose I should share some of them. Since shopping is one of my major activities (despite having little money), I like to prepare for the trip and find the best deals before I go. I also do not like going through paper sales flyers - they get my fingers dirty and some of them make me sneeze! So here are some links to the online versions of the flyers Read More »

It’s nice to have a semi-scientific rationalization for this drive to blog. lol

Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

Scientists now hope to explore the neurological underpinnings at play, especially considering the explosion of blogs. According to Alice Flaherty, a neuroscientist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, the placebo theory of suffering is one window through which to view blogging. As social creatures, humans have a range of pain-related behaviors, such as complaining, which acts as a “placebo for getting satisfied,” Flaherty says. Blogging about stressful experiences might work similarly.

Source: Blogging:It’s good for you (Scientific American)

I meant to post this a month ago … but the images just sat on my desktop. Well time for a cleanup! OK. so I had a transjugular liver biopsy and they took the sample in an unfortunate area which basically short-circuited the circulation in my liver … connecting the input directly to the output. This resulted in sporadic and sometimes massive blood loss. It’s a very rare complication, but obviously it does happen. Most doctors don’t even consider it a possibility because it’s so rare, and are convinced that the bleeding must be from elsewhere (despite the patients insistence!). Many Many endoscopies are required to convince them that the bleed is not in the stomach, intestine, or colon where it is more commonly (i.e. varacies). The bleeding actually occurs in the liver and drains into the colon through the common bile duct, as depicted in the above diagram. Read More »

Looks like I’ve been a bit remiss in my blogging. I guess I’ve been a bit preoccupied with all the goings on around here. I’ve been to my doctors, things are looking ok. My liver enzymes are dropping and so is the evil prednisone that goes along with them. My blood pressure is good. And I’ve been following my blood sugar also, which seems ok. Gets a bit high after supper, but not too high that it’s dangerous. Important thing is that it’s normal in the day and not high all the time. It seems to bounce back fairly rapidly too, so i’m producing plenty of insulin. It’s just the prednisone that Read More »

It’s April, this month marks 3 years since I returned to Canada after my postdoc and PhD in the US. That’s a long time. And what a mess it’s been for the most part!

When I returned to Canada, I was burnt out from research and in a depression of sorts. My intention was to take a few months off and just relax, something I never did between all my other major life changes (i.e. between my various degrees). At the same time, I figured that I would be able to stay with my sister for a short time, help out a little bit with her kids (who were still in after school daycare at the time!) … all this while myself getting settled back in Canada and start looking for a job.

Well it certainly didn’t turn out that way! The first few months were fine. Getting to know the kids as their unique personalities started to develop, spend some time with them, have fun. Made the decision to move in with my sister, finding a nice place to live closer to her work and where I could be around, but still independent. That didn’t last too long. I quickly became wrapped up in all the household disagreements and troubles … then I started to get sick. Read More »