When I was 19, I made my first trip to the US on vacation and fell in love. I drove into New York on a chilly June night from JFK and knew this was my home, this is where I was meant to be. I came back every year for vacation after that and eventually I…
Day 40 Of My Mantra Meditation “Challenge” Complete.
I am practicing meditation for a few years now but mostly guided meditations and not everyday. A lot of the time I would fall asleep during it. Today I finished a “test” (I prefer test over challenge) of doing a mantra meditation for forty days straight and I have not missed a day. I will…
When It Rains, It Storms
I posted last time that my friend was going in for testing and they discovered that he has lung cancer. He is not in a really good place, but that is another story. Last week I got a call that my mother was having trouble breathing and that she was going to the nursing home…
Knowing When To Support Quietly
“I’m having surgery on Monday” were the words that came up on my iPhone screen two weeks ago from a longtime friend. I’m not going into the details of the conversation, but it turns out that he has early stage lung cancer. He hasn’t gotten an exact diagnosis as yet, but he isn’t handling it…
Being Able To See Past Old Mistakes – Appreciating And Respecting Everyone
As a species, we are all very judgmental and anyone who says they are not are just lying to you and themselves. In reality, when you think about it, being judgemental is what keeps us alive. When I meet someone for the first time, I get an instant impression of their personality, and I base…
The Weekend Revisit Of: The Only True Healer Is You
I came across a blog recently that was written by a person with some of the same conditions that I have – heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. The tone of the writing was very angry and bitter towards both the diseases and the establishment.
Wise Words Wednesday – Ziad K. Abdelnour
“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” ― Ziad K. Abdelnour
In The 1800s, Carib Indian Was The New Black, Or How My Ancestors Lied About Our Ancestry And Now My Sarcoidosis Genetics Makes Sense
When I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis I was asked if my heritage had either Scandinavian or African as these people were more susceptible to getting Sarcoidosis. According to what I knew, I had neither of those heritages in my DNA. I have always been fascinated with my genetic heritage because my family is so different….
Wise Words Wednesday : Joseph Campbell
Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain. – Joseph Campbell
Wise Words Wednesday : Audrey Hepburn
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’! -Audrey Hepburn
The Weekend Revisit Of : Finding My Dreams In A Song
The other day my wife asked me if I had any dreams and I honestly could think of none. Have I allowed my condition to stop me from truly living? How the hell could I not have any dreams, or have I locked them away so that I don’t end up getting disappointed, or worse yet, I subconsciously don’t think I will
What Is Typical Acceptable Reality
I want to put forward a thought on human behavior. First, take one hundred people in your contact list, be they personal, work associate or someone you went to school with but don’t really know well. On a piece of paper, write their names and their cell phone numbers next to it. Go to bed…
Wise Words Wednesday : Aesop
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. -Aesop
My Most Visited Post Ever
If you are on Plaquenil and never saw my little old post, head on over to “Plaquenil Withdrawal” and check out why this is the most active, multi-hit post for the past five years. I really can’t figure it out.
The Weekend Revist Of: A “Thinking Out Loud Post” – Waiting
Ever wonder why we wait so long at the doctor’s office? It seems there are more people in the waiting room every time I go to my cardiologist. Today I had an appointment at 11:15 and as I was checking in, another person came in and checked in for the same time for the same…
Please, Enough With The Bible Misquotes And Quotation Overuse
I browse a lot of blogs everyday and a recurring theme, especially in health blogs, is bible quotes. I have nothing against anyone quoting the Bible, but if you are going to do it, then please put a quote that is actually referencing what you are talking about and not something completely different because you…
Wise Words Wednesday : Henry James
Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself. -Henry James
The Most Selfish Thing A Person Can Do
I get daily emails of top news stories for my town and surrounding areas and in close proximity are two large bridges that span the mighty Hudson river and a major train line that goes into New York City. Every week, sometimes more than once a week, someone kills themselves by jumping off one of…
The Weekend Revisit Of: Not So Special Anymore
When I first was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, I was just your average sarcoidosis patient. And as time went by, the hole in my heart was discovered, then they found that the sarcoidosis had become active in the heart and the heart went into failure. Then as a result of those things, I developed pulmonary hypertension,…
Remembering To Laugh
Have you ever wondered how your mood or attitude can affect someone else? I know it does for me. I could be having the best day and then I come across a rude store clerk and it just gets my goat. Rudeness is just about my biggest pet peeve, but I am learning to go…
Wise Words Wednesday : Wayne Dyer #2
Kindness, Always Kindness Originally Posted on MAY 11, 2012 If you find yourself in a confrontation of any kind with anyone, be it a family member or a stranger, before reacting ask yourself, “Is what I am about to say motivated by my need to be right, or my desire to be kind?” Then pick…
Losing The Battle But Never Giving Up On The Fight
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it” – Margaret Thatcher This is my fifth or sixth attempt of coming off of prednisone and again it failed miserably. I started weaning off in November and had pain that was tolerable, and in the middle of February I decreased the dose…
The Weekend Revisit Of : Lessons From Nature
Running off into the night, I could not help but be amazed at his survival instinct. He was injured, surely hurting, and yet still it was not in him at all to ever give up. His nature was pure survival. To just continue kicking.
Shaking The Family Tree Can Result In A Knock In The Head
For some reason, race plays a big part of statistics when it comes to a lot of things, sarcoidosis especially being one of them. I personally have a pet peeve with questionnaires that require your race for statistical purposes or whatever and that stems from the fact that I come from a long line of…
Wise Words Wednesday : Wayne Dyer
Forgiveness Originally Posted on MAY 10, 2012 Revenge, anger, and hatred are exceedingly low energies that keep you from matching up with the attributes of the universal force. A simple thought of forgiveness toward anyone who might have angered you in the past will raise you to the level of Spirit and aid you in…
Pill Pack Is A Great Service, But Not For Me
In 2014 I saw an article about Pill Pack, an online pharmacy that sends out your prescriptions to you prepackaged in little packets according to what time you take them. Each pack is dated and has the time you are supposed to take the meds, and which meds are in the packets for that particular…
The Weekend Revisit of “Simplified – What Is Heart Failure”
A reader wrote asking me to give a simple explanation of what is heart failure. It’s simple. At the age of 45, your heart is required to take a mandatory multiple choice exam, of which it must get 70% grade or higher to pass. If not, it fails, thus heart failure. Okay, I tried. I…
Is It Possible To Get Life Insurance When You Have Sarcoidosis?
I came across this article (Click on link below) on how to get life insurance approval despite having sarcoidosis. Unfortunately, this does not hold for cardiac sarcoidosis as if you check any insurance application with anything related to the heart, you are denied faster than a person ordering steak at a vegan restaurant. However, I hope…
