The Singing Patient (Carla): Blog

What does being diagnosed with a serious disease mean to you?

This is a really interesting question, and oddly, one no doctor has ever asked me.

Talk about a great open-ended question. If you're at a cocktail party and want to get someone else to handle the bulk of the talking (specifically someone who has been diagnosed with something serious at some point in life), this question will let you off the hook for a good half hour. Come to think of it, I guess that explains why doctors don't ask that question.

Many of you have probably already heard about the idea of affirmations.

Lots of folks suggest using affirmations as a way to create change in your life, whether it be improving your health, your relationships, your financial position, your weight, stopping a habit such as smoking, etc.

Giffords "absolutely could hear everything we were saying," Gillibrand said. "And Debbie (Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida) and I were telling her how much she was inspiring the nation with her courage, her strength, and we were talking about the things we wanted to do as soon as she was better."

Gillibrand mentioned having another night out with Giffords and her husband for beer and pizza. And Wasserman Schultz recounted telling her, "Come on, you've got to get better, because we expect you up in New Hampshire this summer" at Wasserman Schultz's vacation home.

As some of you know, I've been writing a book during the course of the past year. It's a collection of humorous essays about dealing with illness- and health care. My publisher asked me do a little writing about writing, so I'm sharing this with you all here as well (then maybe I'll sing some of my songs about singing and talk about talking while walking to the treadmill):

I write usually when I get up, while my mind is fresh, or late at night, when the whole neighborhood is quiet. I’m usually teaching guitar lessons in the afternoon. My next-door neighbors have lots of keg parties, so I don’t even bother trying to write on weekend nights.

I don’t deal well with noise distractions. There’s nothing I can do about that stupid leafblower that shows up every Tuesday for five hours. My husband is far more cooperative. Sometimes when he’s listening to music, I gently offer him a pair of headphones. Or if he’s playing the guitar, I suggest maybe my office upstairs might be more comfortable [...]

I used to think if i just didn't eat wheat, I was gluten free. Then I found out I needed to avoid oats, barley and rye. Anyhow a lot of breads that say "rye" are wheat plus rye. Then I started learning how many places wheat and gluten are hidden- soy sauce, shampoo (!), envelope glue, other sauces, whipped cream, oy! Here I was having given up so many foods I love (pizza, pasta, birthday and wedding cake, sandwiches) and I was still eating gluten and not even knowing it.