[GreenKeys] Illnesses

[Web Williams]

Don, I wish you well soon. While I don't share any of your illnesses,
I have plenty of my own, of which you are aware because you and I
communicate frequently off-list.

1. Essential Thrombocythemia, a myeloproliferative neoplasm (bone
marrow cancer) since 1999. (I make too many platelets.)
2. Kidney stones twice.
3. Diverticulitis about 7 times.
4. Three bouts with gout.
5. Recently found benign tumor lumps in my chest.
6. Cholesterol and blood pressure issues.

Lots of pills all day long. The diet the doctors want me on is so 
restrictive
I said "the hell with it" and eat what I want as long as I know it won't 
put
me in the hospital (i.e. I steer clear of seeds, nuts, whole grains, 
etc.) The
kidney stone doc said no dark green leafy vegetables, no milk, no 
high-calcium
containing foods. The gout doc said only miniscule portions of meat and no
meat juices or "taurines". The cholesterol doc said no red or fatty 
non-fish
meats. The blood pressure doc said no salt or sodium, which means no
canned or boxed foods aside from boxed frozen vegetables. The doctor
for the lumps in my chest said no more caffeine or chocolate. What am I 
left
with? Mashed potatoes, macaroni without the cheese, and pablum! Basically,
if it tastes good, I can't have it! So- for those of you old enough to 
know what
the "flying fickle finger of fate" award looks like, that's the award 
I'm giving my
doctors this year for Christmas!!! I'd rather die with a smile on my 
face from
having eaten well than from starvation!!!

Oh, and the saying isn't  "there is comfort in misery", it's "misery 
loves company"!

73 all, Happy Halloween! -Web (WY3X)