Columns

Few phenomena fascinate me more than human happiness. So often we get caught up in the idea that we would be happier if so-and-so happened. I’m sure I won’t be the first to tell you that the grass ain’t always greener on the other side. This idea is known as…

We need to talk about pain. Growing up, there was a clear delineation in my mind: Cystic fibrosis (CF) could be painful sometimes, but it wasn’t a disease that caused constant pain. It was almost a mantra in my mind: “At least I’m not always…

At night I lie awake and I worry about you. I worry if you’ll drive home safely that night. If the ache in your chest is really a ticking time bomb, rather than a proton pump inhibitor problem known by most. I worry because I love, and I love…

Climate change is an emergency facing humanity. As we continue to burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases, solar heat levels build up in the atmosphere, which acts as an incubator, causing our planet to get hotter. Some populations will be more severely affected by climate change than others…

I have what some might call a bad habit. I can easily spend hours a day playing video games. My favorites are role-playing games that allow me to create my own character, down to the most minute details of their appearance and backstory. It’s common…

On some days, the motivation to pedal a stationary bike and feel the burn and breathlessness for 20 straight minutes is buried under a layer of mucus lining most of my airways. Pulmonary rehab five days a week has tuned my body so that I can dramatically feel the weakness…

My tattoos hold more stories than my scars. In a way, my tattoos are my scars — they’re just the ones I chose. After almost every major medical hurdle, I’ve decompressed through ink. It’s a way of choosing the needles that hurt me, instead of having them forced upon me.

Hi, my name is Brad Dell, and I have clinical anxiety disorder. Well, disorders. Three types. My generalized anxiety disorder is well-documented in my columns. It’s plagued me since sixth grade, beginning when I’d lie in bed at night, sweaty and staring at the glowy star stuck to my…

I recently wrote a post on social media about my health struggles. Having disappeared from the online world without explanation, I had come to terms with my feelings and felt ready to share. Part of my motivation for sharing what I had been…

Doctors receive training in particular specialties and, in some cases, subspecialties. But “specialties” and “subspecialties” can be described as a “broad array of diseases” and “broad array of fewer diseases.” I’m not trying to dismiss the expertise of medical professionals or reduce them to their skill sets. I’d never…