I’ve been struggling to even out my sleep schedule. Last night I suddenly knew what I needed: a cup of reishi mushroom tea. Reishi grows in the forest, and abundantly on dying hemlocks. I photographed the one above in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It’s a large, hard mushroom, with colored bands and a red waxy cap. … read more Magic mushroom
Tag: medicine
Flutter byes
Said goodbye to some old friends today. Little by little, I am winnowing my belongings so that our rebuilt house doesn’t feel so stuffed when we move back in. Clothes. DVDs. Books. Art supplies. Bulky accumulations of memories and identity that I can’t let go of. Today it was herbs. I learned the basics of Southern … read more Flutter byes
What I learned when I almost died
Exactly one year ago today, to the hour, an axe hit me in the head. A brain aneurysm ruptured and flooded my head with blood. The extreme pain, dizziness and nausea cut a dividing line through my life – one second I was fine, the next I was on the verge of death. I can … read more What I learned when I almost died
Regaining pain
For about a month Tom’s been having pain in his right hand. Lately it’s gotten worse and affected his ability to do physical therapy with his hand. It limits his range of motion. Even wakes him up at night. It’s a crampy pain, “like there’s too much blood in my hand,” he says. And his … read more Regaining pain
The cooler people
Here’s a pro tip, one of many from my encounters with the health care system this year: When you have an appointment with a specialist, take a cooler. Not to offer the doctor a beer. Not to carry a spare heart for transplant. Though you might find both of those useful, too. No, bring a … read more The cooler people
Fill in the blank
Because Tom can’t write much yet, I’m filling out his medical forms. It’s bad enough doing these stupid pieces of paper for myself; doing them for someone else is a real pain in the arse. First of all: Why the hell are these forms still on PAPER? The big advance for medical offices has been … read more Fill in the blank
Type Tom
Tom’s blood sugar has had the doctors scratching their heads. For him, this is a typical medical experience. He’s always outside the norm, and they don’t know quite what to do with him. Since his stroke Thursday, Tom’s glucose levels have been high – 200s, even high 200s, where normal is 80 to 100 and … read more Type Tom
Passion for a flower
I’ll never forget the first time I saw one. I had just moved to North Georgia and was taking a walk when this wild-ass flower caught my eye. I thought it was plastic at first. It had frilly fringes, purple petals with pink and white stripes, and a big yellow cruciform jumping out of the middle like … read more Passion for a flower
The urban naturalist
Chi-i-i-i-rp! About a month ago, I was walking through Dunwoody at the perimeter of Atlanta, and over the din of cars and the MARTA train I heard a lone cricket. Chi-i-i-i-rp! In the middle of an April day, I really didn’t expect to hear a cricket within view of the gigantic King and Queen office buildings. I was passing a field, … read more The urban naturalist
Big brown jug
My sisters and I long ago stopped buying each other gifts for birthdays and Christmas. I think we all hate the process of shopping for presents because, when you live far apart, it’s a guessing game with too many wrong answers. There’s one gift that my sisters will accept any time of the year, though. It’s always … read more Big brown jug