Monthly Archives: February 2012

Cellulitis

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Cellulitis

This isn't my leg, but it's a good rendering of what my leg looked like.

Two days ago I woke up with serious pain in my right ankle. When I looked at my leg, it was red halfway up the shin – and very hot to touch. The ankle pain, below the big bones on either side, was very sharp with movement.

I was scared. The first thing I thought of was that the rash could be caused by Lamictal, which I’ve been taking for some years. I know even though that in almost all cases, people who get a rash from Lamictal have been taking it just 2-8 weeks, but there have been isolated instances where rash occurs after longer use. And those rashes are no joke – they can be disfiguring, crippling or even life-threatening.

If you’re taking Lamictal and a rash appears, prompt treatment is essential. I went to the local Emergency Room. Continue reading →

Feeding the Cats

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LucyLucy sits by her bowl and waits. Even if she’s not looking at me, there’s this Presence demanding my attention. If there is no food in the bowl, she meows in an alto voice. If there is food in the bowl, she sits and Waits For Mommy To Do Her Job. In this case, I need to go to the bowl and either fork the food around or at least press a finger into it. At that point, she’ll eat. Slowly. Very, very slowly. That’s okay, because she throws up frequently, especially after a full meal. If she doesn’t eat it all at once, there’s a better chance it won’t come up again. Isn’t it amazing how a quarter of a can of patè can become a 3/4 puddle of cat vomit?

BuzzBiggest and youngest of the three cats, Buzz also has the highest voice – and though he doesn’t whine for food, he becomes hysterically vocal once Mommy has the cat food can in her hand. Purring and meowing at the same time, he stands on his back legs, stretched up as high as he can go, his tail vibrating furiously, until the food is in his bowl. Then he attacks the food and has cleaned the bowl (he gets a full can of Friskies filets in gravy) in about 90 seconds. Occasionally, however, he sniffs it and then diligently tries to cover it up. By that time I’m preparing to feed Continue reading →

Reuters and MSNBC Get It Wrong on the DSM-5 Controversy

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MSNBC just reported via Reuters on the flap over the DSM-5, the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that psychiatrists use to diagnose mental illnesses. “More than 11,000 health professionals have already signed a petition (at http://dsm5-reform.com) calling for the development of the fifth edition of the manual to be halted and re-thought,” says the article.

The article then talks about a number of proposed new mental illness diagnoses, some of which are, I agree, tough to swallow. For example, creating diagnoses for sex criminals “may allow offenders to escape prison by providing what could be seen as an excuse for their behavior,” says the article. Such diagnoses could indeed lead to legal nightmares, to be sure. And yet – you gotta admit some sexual predators certainly are sick.

There are two things, though, that bother me about the news report. The first is this statement: Continue reading →