Welcome to my personal blog about navigating complex care and other hard topics.

In the Spring of 2023, I thought I had lost my mind.

Almost overnight, I had uncontrollable dry mouth. Unchecked thirst and urinary frequency followed.

After lab tests, radiology images, and a few hospitals visits, I had a reason. Two small tumors in my brain were disrupting the way my whole endocrine system worked.

I’m a healthcare worker, and have been for a decade, so I thought I could navigate a health experience well. I was so wrong.

Chasing the secondary illnesses was messy as I had to relearn my body and work with new specialties. Treating the tumors was another level of working through complicated instructions and schedules.

I had one head start after another and still struggled to be my own patient advocate and navigator. My grandmother died from CNS lymphoma complications. My father had a tumor and surgery in almost the exact same spot. My wife’s family had so many health issues they could take up a season of House, M.D.

Because my brain biopsy went through my nose, I had days of thinking more than talking. Breathing was more important, and verbalizing turned to contemplation.

The more I thought, the more I knew that my own journey in my own head was a journey others struggled on. Every day I visited digital support groups of patients and loved ones fighting for good care. It’s not that their providers were bad, but complex care is complex. Understanding the how and the why is a full time undertaking.

So came the re-invention of this blog into a way finder for the weary and a map to medicine.

If you’ve made it here, thank you for your serious approach to the care of yourself or your loved one. I want to share with you my experiences, my unexpected victories, and my hope in the process.