For the past few months I have been so sick, off and on, and really haven't been with it enough to blog or do anything else reliably. But right now I am going through a period of relative calm and health and have decided I am going to change my blog a bit. Though I am a Cushing's survivor, I am so much more and I just don't want to be defined by my illness(es). They are part of who I am, but they are not who I am. I'm a wife and mother, a friend, an aunt, a doting gramma, a poet, an artist, an appreciator of many things. (And a maker-upper of words!) So I may still discuss Cushing's, but it is not the focus of this blog OR of my life. I will share photos, art, recipes, funny things my grandkids say (oh come on, you know kids are funny!), ask the big questions and just be myself. I just want to live my life! Now, saying all of that, if anyone reading this blog has questions about Cushing's, ask away. I will help you in any way that I can. I want to always give back, because I had so many people who helped me when I was trying to get diagnosed.

So, onward and upward!

GRRRR

An obese model lying seductively in a red bra and black lace panties has become the poster child for why a husband should cheat on his wife in ads slapped across the Internet this week.

"Does your wife scare you at night?" asks an ad for Ashley Madison, the dating site that promotes affairs outside marriage.

As a woman who has to fight her weight constantly, and who generally is losing the battle, this ad infuriates me. Who says obese people are not attractive or sexual? AshleyMadison, apparently. What a bunch of despicable human beings.

There are so many reasons I hate this ad. I'd hate it even if it didn't feature an overweight woman. And the model says she did not give permission for this image to be used in this fashion. She runs a website for men who love big women and thinks they are sexy. She's used to being adored and treated well, not being used as an object of derision.

This ad implies that if there's something you don't like about your partner, then it's perfectly alright to cheat on her. Maybe next they will say "If she spends too much money on groceries, have an affair!" Or maybe even "He leaves the seat up? Have an affair!" I'm thinking the people who run that website think any excuse for an affair is a good excuse.

The CEO says it's better to have an affair and keep the marriage together than to just leave. It is my opinion that he really thinks his wife would miss him if he left. I think not.

Here's the link to the ABC news article about it:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ashley-madison-fat-ad-shames-obese-women-porn/story?id=14908377#.TrszYkOXusp

I Will Think About It Tomorrow

I'm in Scarlett O'Hara mode. I had a serum cortisol test last week at 4 pm. It was 16. That's too high, but nothing is definitive at 4:00. The good news is the doctor who ordered the test knew it wouldn't prove or disprove Cushing's, but said if it was really high or low we'd know to check further. Honestly, I doubt that 16 will concern her. I wish it didn't concern me. But the stress I am constantly under lately might have something to do with it, too. I will think about it tomorrow - if I have to. Right now I feel ok (most days) and can live with it.

Tribute

This post is a tribute to a woman who is well known in the Cushing's community, our own Mary O'Connor, affectionately known as MaryO to those whose lives she has touched. Mary had Cushing's Disease rear it's ugly head in her life in 1983, long before the internet. She diagnosed herself after reading an article in a woman's magazine, then spent a couple of years trying to get a doctor to listen to her. When she finally did get to treatment, she was amazed to meet other patients in the hospital who were going through the same thing. She decided she would make a difference by making Cushing's awareness her goal. She created and runs the website www.cushings-help.com that has thousands of Cushing's patients as members on the message boards there. (She does this all without pay!) She also runs several other websites and blogs. She has been an advocate for all of us.

Well, Mary, I have news for you. Your work is paying off! Recently I've been in a position to tell people about Cushing's. And they don't say "What's that?!" They say "Oh no! I know about that. Here - look at my sub-clavicle fat pads!" (I have to admit that I was slightly taken aback by that comment!) Others have told me they've read about it, seen it on TV, know someone who had it. Mary, the word is out. People are learning about Cushing's! Your work has made a difference. YOU have saved lives, and no doubt will save more just because people have access to more information, thanks to you. People no longer have to suffer alone or feel humiliated and crazy. We owe you, Mary. Thank you so much.

So now, let's all educate the doctors!