Hi, The Mighty Turtle is back and saltier than ever!
A lot has changed since I first launched The Mighty Turtle in 2009. I began as a blogger and now I'm on my eighth year in stand-up comedy. I'll be performing locally in California until around the fall. You can also catch me on my monthly Zoom show, "Live! And Still Here Comedy Hour" on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 4:30 Pacific Time and my forthcoming podcast, "Yes, I'm Still Here".
I grew tired of WordPress's weird-ass glitches, so I simplified my life by joining Blogspot. Thanks for following me here. Yes, I did wipe the original blog out of existence because the things that helped me in 2009 are outdated and I'm a much better writer. I have saved posts and will be reposting them in an updated version. No one should have to filter through that crap to get helpful information.
The subject matter of "The Mighty Turtle", has always been about my adventures through healthcare with private insurance and veterans healthcare, and now it's new and improved. I hope you find my work helpful, stress-relieving, and funny. My motto is, "Laugh at What Scares Me".
I'd like to clarify the use of the terms, "health care" and "healthcare". You may already know this, but I didn't the difference between the uses.
Healthcare: (noun or adjective) The system of services.
Health Care: (noun) The actions of a person getting healthcare.
Which has the feel of this quote, "In the dictionary under redundant it says, "see redundant." - Robin Williams "Live at the Met".
Scleroderma and sarcoidosis will be discussed, cussed at, and joked about. Both are progressive, degenerative diseases that kill people. I've been living with both for 27 years. I have an entire stand-up bit about how bad the name scleroderma is for marketing.
Now that we've got our technical jargon figured out, let's get to my disclaimer.
In no way do I intend to minimize the horror of any stage of illnesses.
Humor is a great way to get people to relax and remember what's being said and I have used it as a tool for the past 27 years to teach doctors, nurses, and caregivers about what I have experienced. I do not say that I have taught patients - they already know. But I do hope to give patients of any chronic illness hope that they can survive.
When I was a kid and I had problems, I would think about the next day and how much it would be better. Eventually, I used it to envision my future. It didn't make my illness any easier, but it helped my brain cope along with mountains of antidepressants and decades of therapy.
People with rare illnesses feel isolated, but we are not alone. After my diagnosis of sarcoidosis, I discovered that people with other diagnoses have similar symptoms and every one of us experiences the stages of grief. In fact, when it's chronic, we cycle through these stages as one complication is managed and another one appears. So if you do not have what I have, you'll most likely relate to some of my experiences. When that happens, just replace what I have with what you have, and then it will feel more like we are in this together- because we are.
My secret to surviving? Your guess is as good as mine, unless somehow crossing my fingers and repeating the mantra, "Don't die, don't die", is a big secret. In no way do I wish to minimize the actual horror people experience. I'm just here to make you laugh at what scares me.
Thanks for reading!
Karen
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