Chronically Ill Tuesday.

Welcome to the first ever Chronically Ill Tuesday post - a regular space for me to share some of the fun that is chronic illness with my reader/s. Thought I'd begin on a light note with a letter I wrote  to my immunologist after a recent visit.

Dear Dr C.
Trot off today to hospital immunology ward for my regular appointment with you.  Love these visits. Can't tell you how much. Begin as always by getting lost in corridors of hospital, a fun labyrinth layout that has brazenly done away with windows, leaving self to reflect once again on architect of building's character. Wondering for example what force of creativity/mental illness could possibly explain such a layout. Chide self though. Possibly being unfair to architect. Building probably just designed to specifications. Those specifications being "Re-imagine hell then suck all oxygen out of it".

Finally arrive at hell's transit wing - the Immunology/radiology/chemotherapy waiting room. Have to say, enjoy the hour long wait. 

Finally our moment. Have been waiting two months to see if immune system has built antibodies to pneumococcal vaccine challenge.

Discover, unsurprisingly, immune system mounted no challenge. This meets protocol to enter the Intragram trial. But no, you've thought up further diagnostic criterea/circus hoops to put me through! Goodness no, these are not tears of frustration. They are tears of joy at the thought of more tests - who doesn't enjoy a god forsaken process?

"Your condition is not life threatening Mia"

"Correct Dr C. That is why have had it for 25 years now"

"And as we've discussed, Intragram is liquid gold. A very scarce resource. We need to be sure you are a good candidate for the trial".
So understand Dr C. And don't mind me. I'm just enjoying our time consuming, fruitless visits. Plus did I mention how much I like your registrar? I love that he is so young, so fresh out of Med school, seems to have had absolutely no life experience and exhibits zero interpersonal skills. I particularly enjoy sharing my difficult medical history in his compassionless, robotic company and then hearing him repeat it back to you in diluted terms. And by all means when you need to discuss me with him, pretend I'm not in the room the whole time. That's ace. Oh, and if you could possibly arrange it? A painful diagnostic procedure in view of thirty first year med students.
Till next time,
Yours, 
Mia.
P.S Why are the magazines in the waiting room so old? Don't you understand that Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden  have stopped dating and have two children already??????

Well, that's it for this weeks Chronically Ill Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed it!

What Kind Of Blog?

Been blogging for a month or so now and while am enjoying it greatly will admit to struggling as to where blog fits in vis a vis bloggingsphere. For example am I a crafting/design blog (see tutorial)? Or am I a leading independent voice in the online blogging fashion community (see photo of shoes)? A go-to site for inspirational parenting maybe (see post)? Or a Home Styling/Pets Enthusiast blog? Then again who is to say I can't be all? One line of interest I'd like to develop further in this blog is chronic illness. I've always had bit of an eye for the zietgest and honestly I really feel chronic illness is on the verge of trending any time now and thus could really position myself as someone with voice of substance. Having said that I wouldn't want to back this blog into a chronic illness niche per se. And in fact don't want to attract too many followers with actual chronic illness. Sick people are kind of depressing don't you think? I wish they would wash their hair more.

Anyway, in anticipation of the trending wave for chronic illness blogs that (in my opinion) is gathering pace right now as I type, I've had this really great regular feature post idea which I'm thinking of calling Chronically Ill Tuesdays. Sort of in manner of Etsy Friday or Thrifting Thursday. Where  every Tuesday I would share some stuff about chronic illness you might enjoy. Be it a helpful tip regarding a prying pharmacist or how you can take the pyjamas/dressing gown combo from day to night and back to day again. Of course the idea is still in it's infant stages. Like might do it on a Monday instead. Then I'd call it Chronically ill Monday.

Reality Bites.

Conditions here at moment (hard to treat infection, stressful study load, crap weather) are not overly conducive to happy mood. Manage to locate small window of joy however in feel good movie genre and thus hatch a brilliant plan involving purchase of 90s X-gen hit Reality Bites off ebay for total bargain price. Successfully execute above plan (though excuse me videokat019, if item description says like new as though just taken out of shrink wrap item should not have scuffy type marks all over jewel case) and suggest to teenage daughter that should watch movie too as will definitely help get to know me better as person since Reality Bites is, like, total documentary of life in early 90s for young persons. Cosy up on lounge for viewing and explain to daughter during opening scene (Winona Ryder character giving valedictorian speech to what looks like crowded Supebowl stadium) that movie is totally realistic and so reminiscent of my 90s youth that I may at times need to wipe away nostalgic tear, but not to be overly troubled by that. Also should think of me as Winona Ryder character - impossibly luminous, talented, loved by all most hottest guys - only with Janeane Garofalo's personality (lets face it, Winona is bit of a wet blanket and really not sure she can act). For those who have not seen movie it goes like this: I - oops,  Winona -  playing the smart and beautiful Lelaina - must decide between nice Yuppie character Michael (played by Ben Stiller) and her sexy/unwashed unemployed slacker housemate Troy (played by Ethan Hawke) who did not bother to graduate College despite a super high IQ which he  then deploys to great effect throughout movie with obscure literary references and  carelessly clever put downs to anyone in his vicinity - though especially to Winona who has rejected his advances, broken his heart and triggered some emotionally crippled defence mechanisms. In a particularly powerful scene where Troy's grunge band "That's My Bike" is playing at hipster grunge cool hangout, Troy takes out his deepest hurt by dedicating a vicious rendition of the Violent Femmes "Add It Up" to Lelaina. For anyone who remembers this era, particularly through the music of "the Femmes", this is a resonant moment. Of course such cruelty only makes Troy even more sexy (as if his greasy hair, commitment phobia and useless education weren't already enough) and they end up together in what is clearly an upbeat and happy ending. I had forgotten this ending and was taken a little by surprise. 

Like watching any movie with daughter, and because am super, over involved, responsible parent,  I wondered what message Reality Bites had sent daughter and what questions I should raise for her to think about - something had not done since Miley Cyrus' last offering with all that upsetting and unnecessary on screen boot scootin'.  For example what if in the months to come, after the honeymoon period wore off, Lelaina finds she doesn't 'understand' Troy's music? Does "That's My bike" just do covers or do they have their own sound and a shot at taking that somewher? What were the chances of Troy overcoming his fear of inadequacy and learning how to effectively communicate his insecurities without lashing out defensively instead? And for her part would Lelaina come to realise that some dresses are just better worn with a bra?

Ultimately hope daughter came away with idea that if someone is mean before you go out with them they will not change just because you are together. Also that some dresses are just better worn with a bra.

Would love it if Hawke and Ryder teamed up for a sequel so we could see what became of their  grunge love story twenty years later. Kind of like when Hawke reunited with Julie Delpy for the sequel of Before Sunrise. Perhaps they are married and Troy has a comb over? Hey, is that a pitch or what.

Anyway must go as have important date with ebay to buy more DVDs. Am kind of on 90's binge now and am looking to purchase Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and the 90s version of Great Expectations.  All Ethan Hawke movies but that is just co incidence.