Health & Wellness

Game Plan

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:04:40 -0600

I’m a football player, a quarterback with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. I’m used to pain. You get hit, you get up and keep going.

But I’d never felt anything like the pain that ripped through my gut that January afternoon in 2004. One minute I was sitting in my lounge chair at home watching TV, the next minute I was doubled over. Not even Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hitting me from the blind side hurt that bad. For a few minutes, I could hardly breathe. Finally the pain went away.

Wonder Dog

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:57:04 -0500

It started with small things. I'd wake up in the morning feeling weak and unrested, despite having slept through the night. Maneuvering the groceries out of my car, I'd suddenly get so dizzy I'd have to put the bag down on the ground to get my bearings again. As someone who has lived with MS for more than 30 years, I was used to coping with my symptoms. But these new episodes were distressing.

"I'm Too Young for This!"

mcherkezian — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:34:13 -0600

The woman on the phone said she was a nurse. “Ms. Barber, I’m calling from your HMO. I just wanted to let you know we’re writing a prescription for you—it’s a bone-restoration medication. Your scan results show that you have osteoporosis.”

Clunk. I dropped my laundry basket, heavy with one more load before our vacation to Colorado. “Osteoporosis?” I sputtered. She must have the wrong Karen Barber. No way I could have osteoporosis! I was young—well, not old, anyway—the picture of health.

Lousy Golfer, Inspiring Guy

jbloustein — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:17:44 -0500

D.J. Gregory grew up loving golf. And, like many of us, his game could be better.

He readily admits, “I’m lousy.” Playing from the forward tees, he averages between 105 and 114.

Then again, this 31-year-old from Savannah, Georgia, swings with one hand—while keeping his balance with a cane.

Gregory was born with cerebral palsy. He endured five surgeries by the time he entered first grade. Doctors told Gregory’s parents he’d never walk, but with hard work and unyielding determination, he did.

Body and Mind

mcherkezian — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:15:47 -0600

David Hebert, a 16-year-old junior varsity quarterback from Houston, Texas, lay in a hospital room last fall, eagerly awaiting a visit from Kevin Everett, his football hero. Hebert had snapped his neck trying to make a tackle, paralyzing him from the waist down. When Everett, a 6-foot-4 former Buffalo Bills tight end, who lives in nearby Humble, strode through his doorway, Hebert was almost lost for words. “I want to become like you one day,” he said.

A Wedding Day to Remember

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:22:43 -0500

Five years. That's how long I'd had the headache I was suffering with while I was planning my wedding. To most people a headache that lasts more than a day or so is inconceivable, but I'd been dealing with chronic migraines for much of my life.

More than once I'd ended up in the hospital because the pain was unbearable. Usually I managed with painkillers and a concerted effort not to get too stressed out. Or excited. But what bride-to-be doesn't get excited about her impending wedding day?

Football Takes a Hit

jbloustein — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:24:49 -0600

There’s a code of honor among elite football players: “You keep playing, unless you lose consciousness,” says 37-year-old former NFL quarterback, Trent Dilfer.

And that’s the way Dilfer played the game. He suffered his first concussion in college while playing for Fresno State. He can’t remember the details, not because of memory loss, but because he considered it insignificant. A few moments of wooziness, then he was well enough to keep playing.

The Accidental Luger

jbloustein — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:53:22 -0600

Erin Hamlin, 23, is the reigning world champion in women’s luge and the first woman from outside Germany to stand atop the podium in a Luge World Championship since 1993.

Her involvement with the sport began almost as a fluke, but she’s battled several challenges in becoming a world-class athlete, including debilitating migraine headaches.

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The New Sam

admin — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 09:11:00 -0600

On January 19, 1979, a 19-year-old man was skiing in the mountains above Vancouver with a friend. He attempted a trick—one he'd done before—in which he skied downhill between his friend's legs.

Wheelchaired Rapper Inspires

batch — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:05:25 -0600

While some rappers tend to talk about gang life and violence, one teen is putting a positive spin on the music genre by using his experience living with muscular dystrophy as inspiration for his lyrics.

Austin Puckett, a teenager from Springboro, Ohio, is used to wowing the crowd with his musical gift, although he admits that some people may be a bit skeptical when he takes the stage, according to the Dayton Daily News.