Every post about the surgeries themselves that I’ve tried to write starts turning into a book. But I want to write something about them, since it’s the only time this kind of surgery has been performed on someone with Saul-Wilson syndrome, and I want a patient’s (or caregiver’s) perspective to be available somewhere for othersContinue reading “the joys of medical experimentation”
Author Archives: Andrea McDowell
fun facts about hospital stays in the time of covid-19
Visitors don’t really exist. In the hospital Echo was at, most patients were allowed one visitor for one visit for their entire stay. That was it. For most of the patients, this was fine; they were cognitively fully functional and were, physically, ok on their own for relatively short 1-2 day stays. For one ofContinue reading “fun facts about hospital stays in the time of covid-19”
Happy Old Year’s End
New Year’s Eve has a whole other flavour this year, doesn’t it? Less “Hurray! Let’s celebrate the start of another year!” and more “Is it dead yet? Are we sure? Should we set the corpse on fire to be on the safe side?” I’m drafting this in November–already looking forward, yes, but also anticipating thatContinue reading “Happy Old Year’s End”
organizational culture is toxic
I know! Months between posts, and then two in one week. This isn’t a new thought, but it’s one that keeps coming to me, and I’m curious to hear what you think: Organizational culture is toxic. It fosters us-vs-them thinking. The loyalty it creates among members makes it hard to, for instance, speak out againstContinue reading “organizational culture is toxic”
Stitches
First, I’d like to say: I know all of the approved ways of managing stress and anxiety. I know you’re supposed to move, ok? Exercise! I know. I know about healthy eating and getting enough sleep, connecting with loved ones, spending time in nature. As it turns out, when you’re in the middle of aContinue reading “Stitches”
Commanding Hope (review)
(This review written in exchange for a free e-version of the book, provided by NetGalley.) *113th climate book* Climate activists tend to obsess over a small number of theoretical subjects: Is capitalism the devil, or our saviour? Is climate change its own separate issue, or the end result of colonialist patriarchal white supremacy? and DoContinue reading “Commanding Hope (review)”
A beautiful afternoon
In the beginning of 2020, going to the art gallery would have meant finding a Saturday with a couple of free hours and – going. Now it’s a lot more complicated. We’ve wanted to go since it reopened in, I think, July? And kept saying: this week, if you’re feeling up to it; this Saturday,Continue reading “A beautiful afternoon”
a bit about sewing, a bit about not-sewing
This week we got the news officially: those of us working from home will continue to work from until at least January 2021. Which includes me. Which means, at a minimum, I will have no need for tailored work clothes until at least late winter. I’m also not social dancing. Some classes have started upContinue reading “a bit about sewing, a bit about not-sewing”
(Almost) All We Can Save: Review
To begin with: I can’t claim to be unbiased or a disinterested observer (but, no one can). No one reads 108 books about climate change without deep investment, and most of the contributors in this collection I am already familiar with; if not in books, then in newsletters, articles, scientific papers, youtube series, podcasts, documentaries,Continue reading “(Almost) All We Can Save: Review”
reparative reading, Funny Weather and a very hard year
While chronic illness and complex medical conditions have been indisputably good practice for coping with uncertainty and restrictions during a pandemic, they have also had a significant downside, and that is: with medical offices and services shut down to restrict the spread of covid, our own medical conditions have become harder to manage. My diabetesContinue reading “reparative reading, Funny Weather and a very hard year”
