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My Turn: Read essays by Health section readers
MY TURN
It took years to identify the cause of her 'nervous stomach.' Now the most common insensitivity she encounters is from people.
MY TURN
She's no Olympian, but back pain (and the advice of a neurologist) got her in the pool and exercising.
MY TURN
She has COPD, so a portable oxygen supply is a necessity. If only people would see her before they saw her treatment.
MY TURN
A little, light torture, anyone?
MY TURN
Her father, lost in the fog of Alzheimer's, won't remember the promise she can't keep.
MY TURN
Every morning I get out of bed slowly and shuffle off to the bathroom to take my pile of pills, including a pain medication that has been vilified to the extent that I shudder to speak its name (to borrow a little from Harry Potter).
MY TURN
It's the little things that add up to a deep well of support.
MY TURN
On a trip to the art museum, my son, my husband and I stopped in the cafeteria for lunch.
MY TURN
Our king-size bed used to be such a symbol of fun for me, and not just for the reason you might think.
MY TURN
Whenever I heard the phrase "broken ankle," I assumed the subsequent events: cast, crutches, cast off, bit of limp, back to normal. I never considered the possibility that the ankle supports the full weight of the body. In short, the anklebone is not only connected, it had better be well-connected.
MY TURN
Public misunderstandings, and the occasional laugh
MY TURN
A former advertising executive finds that being able to do whatever she wants beats being a stress junkie.
MY TURN
This isn't an easy subject for me, but it's one many will relate to. I have rheumatoid arthritis. Thanks to the wonders of medical science and a doctor who worked with me for five years to get my "Molotov cocktail" just right, I am, for the most part, in remission.
MY TURN
Revelations come from a new relationship as cancer patient and caregiver.
MY TURN
Stress is yours for the slaying. Just get the upper hand on what's in your head.
MY TURN
Be grateful for procedure's benefits, book an early appointment and stock up on food for afterward.
MY TURN
Younger adults stricken by disease share emotions, details of treatment with refreshing candor.
MY TURN
Her friend's mom died of a heart attack at 49. Her friend is worried about history repeating itself. But the way the mom lived is very different from the daughter.
MY TURN
When your loved one is hospitalized, you quickly learn to recognize who's there to help and who's not.
MY TURN
She opted out of those crowded fitness classes and found inspiration in the famous folks who lead her in DVD workouts.
MY TURN
Beauty can also mean helping the planet.
MY TURN
But her commitment to therapy and willingness to try new medications to stave off panic attacks gives her ever-increasing control.
MY TURN
Pedaling to work is such a joyful thing -- if only all those recent new cyclists (with an aversion to high gas prices) would go back to their cars.
MY TURN
There are 8 million Americans allergic to cats. My fiancee is one.
MY TURN
A personalized design reflects his vocation and defines his illness.
MY TURN
Morgan Jaffe lost her mother to breast cancer 11 years ago, but the memories never waned. This year, she'll participate in her fourth Avon Walk.
MY TURN
After 13 years of the illness, she maintains a positive outlook while adapting to a body that no longer cooperates.
MY TURN
At 80, she was told she no longer needed periodic colonoscopies. Why?
MY TURN
Workouts become a habit when you look forward to the conversations.
MY TURN
Once, she taught aerobics classes. Now, after months of losing muscle mass to Budd-Chiari Syndrome, her first workout in years is a lesson in self-awareness and strength.
MY TURN
At a routine exam, her gynecologist's last-minute query results in early treatment via laparoscopic hysterectomy. Would every doctor have the time to inquire?
MY TURN
A man's delight in boating provides a daughter with vibrant memories of a father, before Alzheimer's, in his prime.
MY TURN
The time it takes to sustain health in twilight years takes away from living.
MY TURN
A teacher's students may scoff at him for leaving his car at home, but he wears his yellow safety vest with pride.
MY TURN
A man whose physician father also has the same diagnoses finds solace and advice reading the book.
MY TURN
A hospital stay in England illustrates the gaps in the American healthcare system.
MY TURN
She wanted a body 10 pounds lighter. She got a renewed mind and a surprising amount of reading done.
MY TURN
Numbers don't lie, especially when it comes to weight. But sometimes they don't tell the full story.
MY TURN
Rationalizing away symptoms might calm jangled nerves, but it can also prove dangerous.
MY TURN
A teenage boy's brash comment misses its mark. Why try to turn back the clock when you are forging ahead?
MY TURN
Want to see the far-reaching effects of stimulants? Check out a college campus.
MY TURN
Some people can't stand the word "irregardless." A close friend of mine cannot stand hearing the word "panty" used in the singular.
MY TURN
With friends and family in the land of Omaha steaks, it's hard to explain that you're no longer a carnivore.
MY TURN
JUDGING from recent studies of the college recruiting process, there are more than a few sports stage parents out there. I should know. I was one of them. Yet beyond being constantly told to back off by friends who were frenetically pushing their kids in school, I found scant little coaching for parent coaches.
MY TURN
Inside a 'little blue book' is her record of trial and triumph.
MY TURN
Medical advances settle a baby boomer's fears and illuminate one of life's everyday miracles.
MY TURN
IT'S become our annual tradition. A fortysomething, fiftysomething, sixtysomething and seventysomething spend the weekend at a health spa in Ojai. My mom treats her sisters and me. To take advantage of the mother-daughter special, her sisters masquerade as her daughters.
MY TURN
A counselor knows the despair that addicts feel. He also knows recovery is possible.
MY TURN
For a mother and her epileptic daughter, a Chinese herbal tea is sweet balm.
MY TURN
It took misdiagnosis, a nudge for her doctor and a search for the right face mask, but now she can rest.
MY TURN
A change-of-life daughter who's heard this all of her life offers a different perspective on late motherhood.
MY TURN
An experienced patient has time-saving tips for docs.
MY TURN
What looks like aspirin could turn out to be trouble for the wrong patient.
MY TURN
My usual walking routine is to trek briskly for at least an hour a day, up and down the neighborhood hills. I find this to be the perfect way to ward off osteoporosis and scare away extra pounds. It's also good for my mental health. As my feet pound the pavement, I think about everything and anything and, sometimes, nothing at all.
MY TURN
To her, 'survivor' is just too passive.
MY TURN
A mother considers the doors that her son's illness has forced her to lock tight.
MY TURN
When a runner has to do without her iPod, she gets a chance to hear something else: her inner voice.
MY TURN
There I was, a relatively healthy old guy in a stall shower, preparing to celebrate a 34th wedding anniversary with my ever-loving spouse, Elsie. While reaching to turn off the spray, I slipped, lost my balance and fell forward, hitting my noggin on the shower seat, then bounced onto the tile with a thwack to my ankle -- an obvious detriment to a soccer tryout with the Galaxy.
MY TURN
Her son's cancerous leg tests a mother's ability to separate emotion from medical reality.
MY TURN
Among all the conflicting nutritional news out there, one thing's clear: Dark chocolate has benefits.
MY TURN
She got a pedometer to keep track of daily walking. Now she can't go anywhere without it.
MY TURN
She was headed for impairment, but a pediatrician spotted the red flags.
MY TURN
The Chinese foot massage was pure torture -- yet afterward, she was feeling no pain. Ahh, $12 therapy.
MY TURN
Many of us have been through illnesses that require operations, risky procedures or recurring downtime that can change our lives, even if we fully recover. Any of this makes us face our death.
MY TURN
I feel a fluttering inside me. Well, sometimes it's more like an elbow to the gut. She's my third child, a happy surprise. But the real surprise will come once she is born. We have a rogue gene in our family that gives her a 50% chance of having a rare skin disease called epidermolysis bullosa -- EB for short -- characterized by extremely fragile skin that becomes blistered with even minor friction.
MY TURN
We were standing in the perpetually long line at Versailles waiting to purchase our tickets, after which we would stand in another long line to get into the famous palace, when I turned to my 17-year-old grandson and asked if he noticed anything odd about the throng of people around us.
My TURN
In my 45th year, I learned about life -- through my 12-year-old daughter's pain.
MY TURN
Pharmaceutical companies want us to play doctor. Sickness sells, but I'm not buying.
MY TURN
Many people, while conceding that recreational walking is a convenient, low-tech and effective exercise, complain that it is much too boring to be worthy of their efforts.
MY TURN
Years ago HIV/AIDS was the "it" health news item. As consumers of media, we have moved on to the next epidemic: autism.
My TURN
It was March 1997 and I was leaving the USC psychiatric ward.
MY TURN
She's found an upside to aging: the Senior Olympics.
MY TURN
The time has come for someone to conduct the definitive research study on baby bouncing. Not the kind where the baby does its own bouncing, but mothers bouncing babies to settle crying "events."