Tales from the Lung Void

One perk of not running: the daily shower is now optional. Instead, I’m using forest bathing ( Shinrin-yoku ) to purify myself. The photo was taken yesterday, on a sunny day. Today it’s raining, so ironically, I’ll have to shower to recover from the bath.

The timing of my current healthcare experience is a masterclass in recursive absurdity. My latest blood work is in—visible to me online on Health Gateway—and the results are clear: acute inflammation, anemia of chronic disease, and liver and pancreatic markers that are under significant stress. Since I’m negative for COVID, Flu, and RSV, it’s safe to say this isn’t a viral infection—it’s just the cancer being itself. I called the provincial oncology nurse for guidance, and she suggested I contact my family doctor so he can "decide" on the next steps. When I noted that a GP can't possibly grasp the full cancer context, her solution was that he could then refer me back to the oncologist. It’s a perfect, circular referral loop. Judging by the AI’s interpretation of these numbers, I may well die before I even get to my CT scan in 2 weeks. Addendum My cardiologist friend reviewed my labs. He thinks it’s just minor inflammation, fluid or a random virus and told me not to lose a...

This latest episode of my misadventure kicked off Monday afternoon with a visit to the St. Paul’s ER, courtesy of some persistent shortness of breath (SOB—and yes, the acronym is entirely appropriate). Because I’m immunocompromised, I spent the first night in the "prestige" of ER isolation. It even has its own toilet! By Tuesday morning, I’d migrated to a standard ER bed, and by evening, I’d truly hit the jackpot: a "sleeping pod" in a four-person room in the Medical Unit. While the bed was a marginal improvement, the real feature was the "Sheryl Upgrade." Having her there makes the scenery—and the situation—infinitely better. The staff at St. Paul’s was exceptional. From triage and the admitting ER doctor to the tireless ward nurses and the respirologists who took the time to explain the "why," the care was consistently warm, human, and sincere. I was finally paroled on Wednesday afternoon. My final tally for a first-ever stay in a Canadian hosp...