If we could just stop saying ‘if you just’ to patients
I think the “if you just” culture is hurting sick people. Have you heard sentences that start with “if you just”? They often end by oversimplifying an issue that’s likely not that simple.
Life in the Grey
— Bailey Anne Vincent
Bailey is a Deaf 34-year-old with atypical cystic fibrosis. She has been a journalist, columnist, and novelist for almost two decades, but is also an altruist, feminist and narcissist who likes to ask for “fatty sushi” that’s not on the menu (it’s cream cheese, egg and avocado, respectively). She is artistic director of the body-positive dance company Company 360 in Virginia, as well as a professional dancer, choreographer, and homeschooling mother of two girls. As a formally misdiagnosed mutant, she hopes to raise awareness of atypical CFTR disease and help anyone who isn’t genetically in the black or white feel less alone. For more on her activism or art, please see www.catchingbreaths.org.
Featured Post
Many with cystic fibrosis can barely afford to stay alive
It’s extremely expensive to have cystic fibrosis (CF), as I do. It’s extremely expensive to have any chronic illness. It’s extremely expensive to be sick. I’m beginning to wonder if the system…
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My dreams and nursing home plans don’t include liver disease
“How am I going to get old like this?” I was watching the film “Thelma” with my husband last night, and five minutes into the opener, I found myself crying. I’m not…
I’m not allergic to steroid injections, but they’re making me sick
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with steroid injections. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Going in for injections…
I’ve had over 8 serious medical operations since 2023
During my three-year hiatus from my column, I endured the following: A cervical spine disk replacement, a sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion, a hip fracture, a second SI joint fusion (repair of the…
Yes, I’m still alive: Returning to my column after a 3-year hiatus
My name is Bailey Anne Vincent, and I am still alive. Hi. It’s me. I’m the problem. (Courtesy of John LaBarbera Photography) Three years ago, I was a long-running columnist here at…
Here Is Why Saying I Have a Dancer’s Body Is Not a Compliment
Someone told me I had a “dancer’s body” the other day, and I pretended it was flattering. “Thank you,” I said, since I hate refuting compliments (and believe intent matters more than execution), but…
How My Pain Could Make You a Better Person
I’m starting to doubt the reasons why I doubt myself. Let’s start this column in a weird place: constipation. If one of my best friends is constipated (I bet you didn’t think we’d…
If You Need a Miracle Today, Read This
“What should I write my column about?” This is what I asked my Tiny Dancer the other day, while mass-prepping as many columns as possible before having surgery on my cervical spine. This…
I Keep Rescheduling Doctor Appointments and I’m Sick of Apologizing for It
I canceled another doctor’s appointment. “I cannot get there in time and get back for work,” I said to my partner as I was writing this. “If I get stuck in traffic, or…
What’s a Gastric Pacemaker, and Why Do I Have One?
I want to introduce you to my gastric pacemaker. I’m not sure how many people know about her or what she does, and how she may have saved my life on more than one…
Am I Repeating Myself, or Am I Just Broken Again?
By the time you read this, I will be going into surgery. I said that in my last column, which literally was titled “I’m Having a Scary Neck Surgery,” and I just had…
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