Little Zen of the Prairie

"Your blood pressure is really good," the tech commented. Today was my pre-op appointment at Duke, and they were running through all my medications, taking vitals, drawing blood, and reviewing my pre-surgery game plan. Mom and I got up at 5 AM this morning so that we could be on the road by 6 … Continue reading →

“Let me know if I can help!”

This past weekend, I was a guest panelist at ConCarolinas. It was a wonderful weekend, and desperately needed. Struggling with my health and trying to focus on self care has been very isolating and insular - and it was nice to be among so many of my friends and just feel mostly … Continue reading →

What’s in a smear?

"I knew it had to be you!" my ob/gyn doctor cheerily exclaimed as he walked in to the exam room. "I mean, how many people named Cherijo can there be?" We shook hands and I smiled back. It felt good to be remembered so happily by someone, especially someone as busy as he was. It had been three … Continue reading →

Medical spreadsheets are soooo very sexy!

"I can see you are going to be my gold star patient," the nurse remarked, as I responded to each of her intake questions with a piece of paper with all the info she needed. For me, doing my medical homework gives me back a small feeling of control. If I walk in to a doctor's appointment with … Continue reading →

Feeling like fake news

I recently texted to my mom: "There's still a part of me that still feels like I must be faking all this kidney stuff even though the pain and prognosis are real. I guess it's denial? Like OK, I'm done being sick. But then my body says, I don't think so, buckaroo' and my side starts hurting … Continue reading →