Exploring the Jungle - a Column by Mary Lott

Turning my head away from the fiend with the needle, I closed my eyes and began mentally walking down a path through a forest. I had only “taken” a few “steps” when the nurse called me back to reality: “Are you OK?” “No! I’m not OK. You’re stabbing me with…

“Pokey, I’m back!” I called out as I returned from shopping. I staggered backward as Pokey assaulted me — slurp! slurp! slurp! — in an effort to jump on my shoulder and lick my face. Placing my shopping bags on the nearest table, I accompany Pokey to the couch and…

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” — Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV) “When you are up to your arse in alligators, it’s difficult to remember…

“But I’m leavin’ on a jet plane/ Don’t know when I’ll be back again.” — John Denver That song was running through my mind the other day. “Zip!” I jimmied open the zipper of my carry-on to throw in my essentials for the next several days. It was time to…

“I’m going to prescribe Rituxan [rituximab] for you,” the doctor said. I immediately envisioned myself losing all of my hair. I had no idea what to expect, nor did I understand anything about my diagnosis of cold agglutinin disease (CAD). I learned soon enough, though. Over the…

In May 2018, I entered the unknown “jungle” of a cold agglutinin disease (CAD), accompanied by what my doctor calls chronic lymphocytic lymphoma. CAD is a rare disease, and in April 2018, I had no understanding of it. Sadly, most people, including some in the medical profession, also…

I carefully pulled myself out of the sunken bathtub and waited a moment before swinging around to stand up. I gripped the sink next to me, pulled up, and caught my breath. “Whoa!” I thought to myself. “That tired me out. Good thing I don’t have to be at work…

A student was waiting at my desk as I walked into the classroom. I smiled as I dropped my books on the desk and looked at her expectantly. She’d been absent the previous day. “Mrs. Lott, did we do anything while I was gone?” That was a stupid question. My…

I looked to the right and then to the left, searching in vain for landmarks. I had no clue where we were in the water. I was leading a group of divers and had just committed a gross and dangerous error: I had gotten us lost! We swam on the…

Click! It’s time for a routine checkup. I wait a few minutes for the webpage to load, then add the parameters of my proposed travel. Anxiously, I scan the list of available flights and begin my research. I have certain criteria for the booking; paramount is the cost of the…