I feel the need to shower. It’s time to come clean. Not in a drench me with lukewarm  water in an enclosed box kind of thing. I think this is more a metaphoric shower. In my posts talking about my autoimmune disease Sarcoidosis, I’ve always disguised my doctors’ names. It’s time to come clean.

I realized that those folks who do read my posts about Sarcoidosis may be looking for doctors to be their advocates. I know that the process of diagnosis, and just having this disease is emotionally draining. Not knowing where to start, or what doctors to turn to, or ones that even know what the disease is … that’s the hardest part. Not knowing. Feeling alone. Feeling helpless & hopeless.

I guess if I go back an list the characters in this long running play “Living The Sarcoid Life”  I could clear things up. Maybe a list of the ‘advocates’ and the ‘clueless’ might work. But then I also need to think of the liability of talking about the ‘clueless’ … can they sue me for libel? It is only my opinion. For now … just the advocates.

I’m waiting for Godot, or Godar, or maybe François Truffaut, or any of the other directors of “cinéma de la nouvelle vague française”. Actually I’m waiting for Casey, Dr Mike’s assistant to call me back. He’s investigating getting my pulmonologist appointment moved up. It was set for Monday July 11 @ 2:00 PM, but I didn’t want to have to wait through another weekend for him to take a peak at my lungs … as it were.

Miracle of miracles! He did it. Got it moved to today @ 4:00 PM. I have to run to Swedish to pick up my chesty x-rays & other assorted items. Then I’m off to sell CDs for my friend Amy. She’s playing a lunchtime gig at the IDX tower downtown. Anywho … more later. Have to jam …

Never thought I’d see the day I started blogging. Do I have a concept? No. Not yet anyway. But here it is the first entry, ground zero, all busted cherries & the like. What will it be? Don’t know yet … Maybe I’ll document my trials & tribulations with my latest physical malady!

I’m off for a chest x-ray. I’m on the hunt. I’m trying to find out if I have a cute little number called Sarcoidosis. Or not. A couple of wonderful lumps just magically appeared on my forehead. Went to bed one night … no problems. Woke up the next morning … two lumps the size of peas. They were hard … and sometimes they hurt.

After playing stump the doctor with my primary (un)care(ing) physician (PCP) & a dermatologist that just shrugged & said … “no clue” … I had a plastic surgeon remove them. His best line was, (in the middle of surgery) ” Wow … I’ve never seen anything like this before.” That’s always something you want to hear when a 70 year old man is scraping at your head with a sharp scalpel. The other is “oops … that looks like a nerve … maybe I shouldn’t go near that.”