Exploring the Jungle - a Column by Mary Lott

What if Sadie Hawkins Day made me the doctor?

“Let’s get some blood work done,” my doctor suggested. A minute later, the nurse appeared, tray in hand. I saw the yellow rubber tourniquet, the syringe, and a tray of vials. I looked for the baby heel warmers to wrap the blood vials as soon as my blood was drawn.

Adapting and finding balance in caregiver-patient relationships

“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,” Blanche DuBois explains in the closing line of Tennessee Williams’ play “A Streetcar Named Desire.” DuBois is a Southern lady in the declining years of her life, attempting to adapt to a changing world. Because her abilities are no longer the…

Mosquito mischief put me on the path to my CAD diagnosis

Lurking out there amid my tropical splendor is a hidden foe. Don’t try to find it in the picture. This creature is too small to see unless you’re close to it. Yet, it is the world’s deadliest animal. My family and I have had a few run-ins with it.

Coping with cross-cultural connections and CAD

“Don’t use that glass! Get one from the cupboard,” I sternly told one of our boys last week. Our next-door neighbors were coming over to visit immediately after supper. I’d already prepped a serving tray containing glasses, napkins, a water pitcher, and freshly picked pineapple cut into slices. I do…

Eggs and equinox: How this CAD patient is seeking balance

“Stop where you are. Wait until I tell you and then move slowly,” I yelled at my husband and daughter, who were watching my efforts. I held my breath and, with excruciating slowness, removed my hands from around the egg. It was 2021, the day of the autumnal equinox. I…

Amid the many CAD symptoms, some are particularly personal

“Oh, good grief!” I rolled my eyes as I looked at my fingernail. “I don’t have time for this right now.” I was busy packing on a Tuesday morning as I prepped for my trip back to my home in Indonesia from my home in Alabama. The last thing I…