The Body Chronic

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Don't Just Take My Word on Prop 2: Another Body Chronic Speaks Out

The Body Chronic makes friends with other chronically-minded folks. One of the longest running chronic friends I've had in person (and I mean this in a good "chronic" way), is the subject of this video, put forward by the folks at Cure Michigan. It speaks louder than I possibly could.

Proposal 2 In Michigan--Stem Cell Research: An Issue for The Body Chronic

I originally posted this on my politics and pop culture blog, Only Baggage You Can Bring. As the election draws nearer, I feel the need to publicize it more.

I expect a lot off bullshit when it comes to ballot proposals. So you can imagine that it's hard to surprise me anymore.

Guess what? I'm surprised. I never thought there would be this much controversy over saying yes to medical research and a better quality of life.

Over the past few weeks, the opposition to Proposal 2 people have been fighting against common sense, dignity and just plan goodness. Mostly funded by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, the No to 2 people have been making such ridiculous and patently false claims that it makes Richard Nixon look like a saint.

Here are the facts from Cure Michigan:

Proposal 2 will provide for safe and ethical research as permitted under federal law;
Proposal 2 will keep in force Michigan’s ban against cloning; and,
Proposal 2 will allow doctors and researchers to use voluntarily donated leftover embryos for finding cures and saving lives. These leftover embryos are currently thrown away as medical waste.

Why is Proposal 2 necessary in Michigan? Because under the current state law, Michigan criminalizes the use of new embryonic stem cells to find cures—researchers can be fined up to $10 million and imprisoned up to 10 years. That means researchers at our top institutions and even private medical research facilities are being forced to make a choice--research and jail or losing time and money.

The No to 2 people are right about one thing--this is a moral issue. This is an issue about whether you want people with severe spinal injuries to have the hope to walk again. This is an issue about whether you want people with chronic illnesses, like me, to live a pain free life. This is an issue about whether you want people with Alzheimer's and Dementia, like Nana Grace, to have a second chance at their golden years. So if you believe in those things, you believe in voting yes to Proposal 2.

Part of the problem now is that people are being fed these lies about Proposal 2 and it's alleged potential for raising tax revenues, allowing unethical use of human embryos and so on--all false claims mind you. The reason this matters--the No to 2 people have more money and captive audiences.

So what can you do? You can donate. You can host a yard sign. You can speak to your family, friends and collegues. But do something and do it now. This is our future. This is our fight.

Don't let us wake up November 5 with a Michigan that is technologically inhibited and without hope. Donate here. And vote YES on Proposal 2.

Daily Inspiration 10/28/08

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. -Daniel Hudson Burnham

(In honor of the second anniversary of the death of my grandmother, my Nana, Ida.)

Monday, October 20, 2008

Daily Inspiration: 10/20/08

My work will be finished if I succeed in carrying conviction to the human family that every man or woman, however weak in body, is the guardian of his or her self-respect and liberty. -Mahatma Gandhi

Friday, October 17, 2008

Daily Inspiration: 10/17/08

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

-Winston Churchill

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Daily Inspiration: 10/16/08

The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.
-Mark Twain

(I don't know why, but whenever I feel the need for some wisdom, I turn to Mark Twain.)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Daily Inspiration: 10/15/08

Old elephants limp off to the hills to die; old Americans go out to the highway and drive themselves to death with huge cars.
- Hunter S. Thompson

Friday, October 3, 2008

Possibly the Biggest Case of a Body Chronic Ever

Some of you may have heard of the so-called Tree Man--a man in Indonesia who looks as if he is turning into a tree. For years doctors have been puzzled over his condition, wondering what turns his limbs into veritable tree trunks.

It turns out that he too has a chronic illness. He has an immuno deficiency of sorts which led to the HPV-2 virus taking over his body and using it as its own little chemistry set.

His story is unlike many of ours with chronic illness in that it is so visible to the naked eye. But it is like our stories in that the diagnosis was extremely difficult to find. Food for thought.

For more information, check out Treeman: Search for the Cure on Discovery Health, Sunday at 9 p.m.

Daily Inspiration: 10/3/08

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Confucious

On the occasion of the day after a big tumble for me.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Health Care and The 2008 Election--Issues that Matter

Check out my sister blog, Only Baggage You Can Bring all week this week for issues about health care and the election. So far we have discussed the candidate's proposals for health care coverage and world HIV/AIDS policies. We'll also be discussing stem cell research and medicare.

Come join the discussion!

Daily Inspiration: 10/2/08

When this debate is concluded, a motion will be made to lay upon the table the resolution offered in commendation of the administration... We object to bringing this question down to the level of persons. The individual is but an atom; he is born, he acts, he dies; but principles are eternal; and this has been a contest over a principle. -William Jennings Bryan

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Daily Inspiration: 10/1/08

People don't want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.
-Chuck Palahniuk

Monday, September 29, 2008

Monday Chronic Roundup:9/29/08

PCOS/Insulin Resistance/Diabetes

Interstitial Cystitis/Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Vulvodynia

Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Allergies/Asthma/Celiac Disease

Other

Does talcum powder cause ovarian cancer?

Daily Inspiration: 9/29/08

If all the rich and all of the church people should send their children to the public schools they would feel bound to concentrate their money on improving these schools until they met the highest ideals. -Susan B. Anthony

Friday, September 26, 2008

Friday Chronic Roundup is Now Monday Chronic Roundup

Rule 1 for having a crazy life and chronic pain/illness: schedule yourself accordingly. In that vein (pardon the pun), I am moving the chronic roundup to Mondays, so I'll have more time to truly prepare. That way, first thing in the week you'll have the roundup for the previous week.

Sorry for the confusion. And enjoy your weekend!

Chronic Glossary

Note: The information on this site is intended to create a support network amongst those living with chronic illness and/or pain and their loved ones and friends. It is not meant to be nor should it be used as an alternative to medical advice.

celiac disease--Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley.

chronic fatigue syndrome----CFIDS is characterized by incapacitating fatigue (experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina) and problems with concentration and short-term memory. It is also accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscles, unrefreshing sleep, tender lymph nodes, sore throat and headache. A distinctive characteristic of the illness is post-exertional malaise, a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion occurring within 12-48 hours of the exertion and requiring an extended recovery period.

chronic headaches/migraines--By definition, chronic daily headaches must occur at least 15 days a month, for more than three months. The signs and symptoms vary depending on the specific subtype: chronic migraines, chronic tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache and hemicrania continuua.

fibromialgia-- Signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia can vary, depending on the weather, stress, physical activity or even the time of day. Common signs and symptoms include:widespread pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), headaches and facial pain, heightened sensitivity. It's common for people with fibromyalgia to report being sensitive to odors, noises, bright lights and touch.

insulin resistance--Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes usually have no symptoms. You may have one or both conditions for several years without noticing anything. If you have a severe form of insulin resistance, you may get dark patches of skin, usually on the back of your neck. Sometimes people get a dark ring around their neck. Other possible sites for these dark patches include elbows, knees, knuckles, and armpits. This condition is called acanthosis nigricans.

interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome--Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a condition that results in recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region. Symptoms may include an urgent need to urinate (urgency), a frequent need to urinate (frequency), or a combination of these symptoms. Pain may change in intensity as the bladder fills with urine or as it empties. Women's symptoms often get worse during menstruation. They may sometimes experience pain with vaginal intercourse.

irritable bowel syndrome --Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder characterized most commonly by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. IBS causes a great deal of discomfort and distress, but it does not permanently harm the intestines and does not lead to a serious disease, such as cancer. Most people can control their symptoms with diet, stress management, and prescribed medications. For some people, however, IBS can be disabling. They may be unable to work, attend social events, or even travel short distances.

pelvic floor dysfunction--Pelvic floor dysfunction, or obstructed defecation, results when the external anal sphincter and/or puborectalis muscles do not relax appropriately when defecation is initiated. People with pelvic floor dysfunction strain excessively in a feeble attempt to eliminate stool from the rectum.

polycystic ovarian syndrome-- If you have polycystic ovary disease, you are likely to have some of the following symptoms: Abnormal, irregular, or very light or infrequent menstrual periods; Absent periods, usually (but not always) after having one or more normal menstrual periods during puberty (secondary amenorrhea); Acne that gets worse; Decreased breast size; Development of male sex characteristics (virilization), such as increased body hair, facial hair, a deepening of the voice, male-pattern baldness, and enlargement of the clitorus. Diabete; Increased hair growth; body hair may be in a male pattern; Infertility; Poor response to the hormone, insulin (insulin resistance), leading to a build-up of insulin in the blood; Weight gain.

vulvodynia--The International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) defines Vulvodynia as chronic vulvar discomfort or pain, characterized by burning, stinging, irritation or rawness of the female genitalia in cases in which there is no infection or skin disease of the vulva or vagina causing these symptoms. Burning sensations are the most common, but the type and severity of symptoms are highly individualized. Pain may be constant or intermittent, localized or diffuse.