Captain Autoimmune

Perhaps this should be my new title. Or maybe I can just tell people, "Autoimmune is my middle name."

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes today. For the last few weeks I have had some symptoms that I was sure were not related to my multiple sclerosis. I have lost a lot of weight (20 lbs or so), had constant thirst, frequent urination including a few times a night (my daughter, Erica, asked me if I had an enlarged prostate because she had seen a commercial about it), extra fatigue (to the point I was literally shuffling around at work by lunch time), and a sharp increase in blurry vision. I researched the symptoms myself and was pretty sure it was diabetes.

Sure enough, when I went to see my doctor today, he said it was diabetes. He wanted to admit me to the hospital since my blood sugar is so high, but I was disinclined to acquiesce to his request. I talked him into giving me some small doses of insulin until I get in to see the diabetes specialist on Friday. He also wants me to come in every day to get my sugar checked and make sure I don't collapse and go into a diabetic coma or something.

The doctor told me that having one autoimmune disease such as MS makes me more likely to get another. I have two now, so maybe I should start planning for which one I would like to get next. Perhaps I can get one that won't require shooting up. As excited as I get about injecting myself with drugs, I think two diseases requiring it is enough. The next one can have meds in a pill form and I'll be cool with that.

Now that I've been through this twice, I think I can easily say what the absolute best part of being diagnosed with a disease is. It's not when the doctor comes in and tells you what's wrong with you. No, it's when he leaves the room and you're left sitting there alone. You are all alone struggling to grasp what you have just heard. Everything around you seems to fade away. Neither of the diseases I have are life-threatening, but they do change your life on a certain level. That time spent sitting alone in the room after you've heard the diagnosis, but before you can leave, is the worst part of the whole trip. It's so easy for your brain to run wild and start coming up with horrible scenarios.

I admit to being somewhat depressed today after hearing the news. I'm sure it will continue off and on over the next few weeks as I come to grips with this new disease. It's natural, but I know that I will come through. I believe that everyone is tested in their own way and I think this will be one of mine.

I'm up to the challenge.

The Petraeus Testimony

General Petraeus will be testifying before Congress Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, had hoped to continue the drawdown in order to relieve the strain of repeated combat tours on U.S. troops and their families. But Gates recently sided with Petraeus on the wisdom of a period of "consolidation and assessment" expected to last at least several weeks, and possibly months. Gates and Admiral William Fallon, the outgoing chief of the U.S. Central Command and Petraeus's direct superior, have expressed concern that leaving 140,000 troops in Iraq will continue to erode U.S. military readiness. But President Bush, mindful of the centrality of Iraq to his legacy, has made clear that what Petraeus wants, Petraeus will get.

The problem is that neither Petraeus nor Bush have answered the question of why the surge is continuing when the stated goal of the surge - space for political reconciliation - has not been met. It doesn't matter how safe we make it in Iraq if the Iraqi government does not come together and form a functional body. Bush has done nothing concrete to pressure Maliki to make something happen. If Maliki has no incentive to form a coalition government, then he can screw around forever and our troops could be there for "one-hundred years." Is that in the best interests of America.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Weekly Music Video

The awesome Van Halen with "Hot for Teacher."



I wonder if the almost daily stories of inappropriate conduct between teachers and students can't be traced back to this video. People do seem awfully inclined to believe most of what they see on TV. Not that I think we need to get rid of this great video, though. That would be a crime against humanity. Rather we should teach people to use their damn heads. That is a Herculean task, but one that needs to be undertaken.

Charlton Heston Has Passed Away

Charlton Heston, well known for his larger than life persona, has passed away. He was in so many great movies from Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments to Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green. It's too bad he couldn't come up with a miracle to save himself. He will be missed.

Oh, I'm Dead Serious

I feel like I have a relatively good grasp of the female mind, as good as any male can have anyway. I've been surrounded and outnumbered by them all of my life. When it comes to dating them, though, I feel clueless.

I've asked two girls out in the last couple of months. Both situations were remarkably similar. Both girls had flirted with me a lot, not the mild flirting that happens all the time, but the kind that goes beyond that in word and deed and to me anyway indicated an interest in something more. I asked both girls out. Both said in the aftermath, "Are you serious" and then told me they had boyfriends.

I, of course, felt stupid afterwards in both cases, though I know I shouldn't have. Neither had a ring on their finger or ever said anything about a boyfriend. Both flirted very heavily and it wasn't just me thinking it. I had other people comment on it. In my view, both were giving off signals that they were interested in more than flirting, but as it turns out they really weren't.

So, is this normal? Is that how ladies of my generation act? Is it just me or do other men out there have similar stories?

Clinton Is At It Again

How many times are people going to give Clinton a pass for lying. This time it's about a mother at a hospital. I used to (way back when) defend Clinton to some of her rabid detractors. I can't anymore. She just keeps sinking lower and lower without shame. I'll be glad when the primary is over and she is out of the spotlight for awhile.

Protection Order...For a Duck?

You know, as much as I like animals and hate to see them abused by punk kids, I think a court order of protection for a duck is a little ridiculous. Can't the cops just go talk to the kids parents? Smack them with a mischief charge or something and have them do community service? That's just me, I guess.

Klein on Iraq

Joe Klein usually writes good stuff about Iraq. His most recent post over at Swampland includes some questions Congress should be asking Petraeus during his upcoming testimony. To whit:

*What exactly is the U.S. interest in a fight between Shi'ites? Are you planning to deploy U.S. troops in Basra or any of the other southern cities?
*Why should we take sides between two militias, the Mahdi Army and the Badr Corps, each funded by Iran?
*How deep is the Badr infiltration of the Iraqi Army? Why do most U.S. commanders on the ground refuse to share their mission plans with their Iraqi counterparts in advance?
*How do you create a national army if you don't have a functioning national government or, for that matter, a nation?
*With the foreign fighters and Al Qaeda largely contained--one last big battle looms in Mosul--just what exactly is the U.S. mission in Iraq?
*Do you believe that Iraq is a good location for the permanent U.S. bases that the Bush Administration and John McCain clearly desire?

What do you think the odds are of any these questions being asked? Yeah, probably about zero. Why do we keep reelecting these clowns to office?

Prestigious Teachers

Matt Yglesias responds to a post from Ezra Klein calling for making teaching more prestigious. I agree with Matt that this really is not a feasible endeavor. Trying to create elite teaching programs is not going to suddenly make people think that it is a worthwhile profession to enter.

Fixing schools is going to require a different tack which includes greater teacher flexibility within their classes, curriculums aimed at individual students rather than the big group in the middle, less interference from school boards, greater parental involvement, and economic reforms that bring the lower class up. Of course this is just a start and imagine how much of a furor would be created with any one of these. Someday I plan on making these a reality.

Until It Sleeps

I had my three-month visit yesterday for the multiple sclerosis study I am in. The study coordinators wanted me to see my neurologist as soon as possible because they thought I may be having a minor flare-up. He was able to squeeze me in yesterday, so I went to see him.

I've been getting waves of blurriness in my vision off an on. I've also been getting odd tingling sensations that come and go mostly in my legs. The doctor said that unless it gets worse it is probably a minor relapse and I don't need to get steroid treatments to calm it down. More troubling to me is the fact that I have lost 15 pounds since my visit in January. My diet has not changed, nor has my routine. The doctor says he isn't too concerned unless it continues. We'll see.

All I know is that this hasn't put me in the greatest of moods.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

I took my daughters to see this movie last night. They enjoyed it and so did I. I do have to agree with Roger Ebert, though, that the PG rating is rather stretching things. There are some scary scenes which would probably not be good for younger kids. The pacing felt a little odd toward the end and more exposition and background info would have been nice, but overall this was an entertaining family movie.

The Torture Beast Just Won't Die

A memo has just been declassified that reveals the thinking (or lack thereof) in this administration's quest for the right to torture. It's scary stuff. This most certainly needs to be out in the open so that the American people fully understand what Bush and his cronies have done.

Science Education...Or Lack Thereof

I think stories like this demonstrate a growing lack of basic understanding of science amongst a large chunk of our population. Yes, it is very tragic that so many children are being diagnosed with autism. Several major studies including independent ones have shown, however, that MMR vaccines are not the cause. That's not stopping people from going forward with lawsuits though. Apparently they all know more than the scientists. That's not to say that scientists never get anything wrong, but to disagree with so many different scientists and scientific studies is not just foolish; it is ignorant.

The Ladies

My mother and daughters tell me that the guy in this commercial is just like me.



Personally, I don't know what they are talking about. This guy isn't cool like me. Or something.

Back to the Grind

The worst thing, certainly, about being gone from work for a week is going back. When I went in this morning, I had about 120 emails requiring follow up and a dozen voice mails. Of course, I made little progress on these because numerous problems cropped up throughout the day so where I was worse off by the end of the day. When I left, I had 173 actionable emails sitting in my inbox. Sigh.

Torture Techniques

Andrew Sullivan has a post up about torture techniques the Bush Administration. I think it is important to keep hammering away on this issue. We can't just let it slide and forget about it. The President of the United States has authorized torture. The Congress has done nothing to stop it. This is not what America is about. I am ashamed of our country that torture is happening on our watch under the authorization of the Executive Branch and the condoning of it (by lack of action) by our legislators. We the people need to let our government know that we do not approve of torture and will not rest until it is no longer the policy of the USA.

Incidentally I was watching an episode of classic Trek tonight with my daughters, "The Cloud Minders." In it Kirk is visiting a planet to get a valuable mineral to save another planet. Anyway, the leader of the planet starts torturing someone and that sets Kirk off. He goes off on the guy and tells him that he will not allow torture.

Too bad Bush won't take some leadership lessons from Kirk. Personally, WWKD is one of my mantras and it hasn't led me astray, yet (provided I remember to ask, of course).

Two More Down

I finished two more classes today. I have one more left which is done at the end of April. It's hard to feel much of a sense of relief, though. I don't even want to look at the grades for my last few assignments since I really half-assed them. I am just feeling so burned out right now that I could barely muster the effort to do them, let alone do them well. I'm also way behind in my one remaining class.

I can't wait for May. I'm not taking any classes that month. A break is what I need.

Weekly Music Video

Jeff Buckley singing "Hallelujah" live. I could listen to him singing this song all day and not get sick of it.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret