Will the King of Pop ever get to rest in peace?

(Greetings. I did say I might sometimes write about whatever moved me. I am a journalist and observer of pop culture. When moved by pop culture, I will write. The unrelenting Michael Jackson news media feeding frenzy moved me. Bear with me. We are back to sarcoidosis and health on Monday)

It is time to ratchet down the coverage of Michael Jackson.

Do not get me wrong: I am all for following and breaking legitimate news about The King of Pop.

The demand for all things and news Jackson remains insatiable two weeks after his death attributed to sudden cardiac arrest. According to a Reuters report this week, his music tops the pop charts.

Undoubtedly, there will be legitimate news when toxicology reporters are released; cops go after doctors, the on-going saga of settling the estate, the fight for custody of his children, his unreleased music, etc.

All legitimate news. But….

• Photos of his sheet-covered body on a gurney from truck to morgue

• Pics of him with the oxygen mask

• The “new” video of him on fire – old video people, different angle

• The rehashing of old news “Why Michael didn’t want to do the Pepsi ad (in the freaking ’80!)

Come on….Ghoulish.

Watching the news media descend on a big story is often like watching hyenas ripping up a corpse.

The quality of what is passing as stories – especially on cable news networks and these “entertainment-infomercial” shows, including Entertainment Tonight - is abysmal.

No wonder audiences are chucking their newspapers and turning off their TV news programs. There is too much fluff coverage anyway, and now this crap. It almost makes me embarrassed to be a journalist. I can only hope our good work is elevated over much of what is passing as Jackson reportage.

I am also embarrassed for many consumers. The demand for anything Jackson fuels the media feeding frenzy. I just wish we journalists used more discretion going after “stories.”

There are other stories out there. Important stories being ignored because the notebook- and video-camera-totting throng is dwelling in a perpetual state of Neverland.

News media, go find those stories. Audience, give a damn.

Rest in peace, Michael, although it would seem no one wants you to do so.

There's little to like about prednisone side effects

Kim Deal “kinda” likes prednisone and that makes my head reel.

Kim’s the lead singer of The Breeders, the alt-rock band from Boston known for quirky lyrics and tremendously abrasive sounds sandwiched between beautifully constructed melodies. “Cannonball” was the big American hit. From ’93's album Last Splash.

Deal, the ex-Pixie, says in an interview with Spinner magazine that she got a wicked case of poison ivy while gardening at her parent’s home and got a prescription of prednisone to treat it.

"I was working on the 'Fate to Fatal' song downstairs in the basement, and I was on Prednisone," says Deal. "And I was freaking out over this drug…"

"I was strung out on the Prednisone, man! It was crazy! That drug is nuts!" she says, half-jokingly. "Have you had it before? I kinda liked it. Whatever."

Doctors consider prednisone a wonder drug. The synthetic corticosteroid drug is particularly effective as an immunosuppressant, which is why doctors use it to treat serious inflammatory diseases, including sarcoidosis, and tumors.

Diseases and conditions treated with prednisone include autoimmune diseases like sarcoidosis, inflammatory diseases (including severe asthma, severe allergies, angioedema episodes, severe urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Bell's palsy, Crohn's disease, pemphigus and sarcoidosis), uveitis, various kidney diseases including nephrotic syndrome, mononucleosis Epstein-Barr virus, and to prevent and treat rejection in organ transplantation.

Prednisone can also be used to treat migraine headaches and cluster headaches and for severe aphthous ulcer (cankersore) outbreaks. It can also be used to treat autoimmune pancreatitis.

It is also an anti-tumor drug. Prednisone used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Non-Hodgkin lymphomas, Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and other tumors in combination with other anti-cancer drugs.

I take 50 mg of prednisone daily to treat pulmonary and cardiac sarcoidosis. I also take 10 mg of methotrexate each Tuesday. Both are relieving the inflammation in my lungs and heart caused by the disease.

Prednisone is doing the job, but…

Since I have been on this drug, I have had mood swings – I’ve even started crying at the end of movies! I last time I did that I was a kid and I cried at the end of The Yearling and Old Yeller. I was, like, 7! (I'm not that old! I saw both movies in '71).

Some days I feel manic; frenzied energy grips me and I can do anything. Some days I feel so depressed I don’t want to get out of bed.

Prednisone makes my blood pressure spike and I have to take the maximum amounts allowed of carvededilol, lisinopril and hydralazine to control it. I take folic acid to guard against possible cell damage that could be caused by prednisone and methotrexate.

Prednisone causes insomnia, which I try to take advantage of by writing or doing on-line research. I have been prescribed Zolpidem (Ambien) to counter that side effect.

I am so tired of pharmaceuticals.

Patients are advised against alcohol intake while on prednisone. It’s rough on the liver and the combination could cause problems, including cirrhosis.

Prednisone causes joint pain; weight gain and facial swelling (moon face!); increased blood sugar for diabetics; pronounced fatigue or weakness; mental confusion and indecisiveness; blurred vision; abdominal pain; peptic ulcer; infections; painful hips or shoulders; steroid-induced osteoporosis; long-term migraines; severe joint pain; cataracts; anxiety; black stool; stomach pain or bloating; severe swelling; mouth sores or dry mouth; and avascular necrosis.

There are other side effects, too. The preceding are the big ones. Doctors prescribe the drug because it works so well and then prescribe medicines to manage the side effects.

Deal’s an artist. She might like mania and depression. I can appreciate them, too, because they can be an artist’s greatest partner. I am a journalist by trade, but I am also a budding fiction writer and prednisone might be fueling one of the greatest creative spells I’ve ever had. My sample readers say the passages I am spinning are riveting.

However, I would be happy to trade getting off prednisone for a case of good-old-fashioned writer’s block.

At least writer’s block doesn’t make you lethargic, achy or prone to wanting to smash things like The Incredible Hulk, or to cry at the end of 50 First Dates. It’s an Adam Sander film for heaven’s sake!

Kim, good luck with the tour. Enjoy the prednisone side effects. I want off!

Inspiration from a memory about a cemetery

When I was a child, my dad took the family to Virginia to meet his peeps and to see the land from where his family hails. My brother Todd and I were probably 11 and 13 at the time.

Dad took us to a slave cemetery outside of Bracey, Virginia, where his aunt and uncle owned a farm. I knew little about American slavery back then but I knew it was exploitation and that the conditions under which slaves labored were brutal.

So I was surprised to see tombstones with ages 75 and older.

My father told me that the slave community considered a fellow slave “blessed” when they hit age 75 and deserving of honors, including a proper burial with head stone.

Slaves did not retire. They worked until they died. Some had chronic diseases, including diseases like sarcoidosis... Some of those slaves lived until their 90s, according to their head stones.

Today, Americans on average live 77.6 years, according to figures from National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The life expectancy of American white males is 76 years compared to 70 years for African-American males.

The life expectancy of American white women is 81 years compared to 76.9 years for American black women.

Humans have lived rich full lives in the face of chronic disease since the dawn of time. I simply intend to be one of them. It is hard work, but working to live is better than doing nothing and waiting to go.

Recovery-wise, my docs and I talk about six months to a year. There is a chance that I might have to continue a maintenance dosage of prednisone, around 10 mgs daily, but I am focused on tapering off to nothing and seeing what it is like.

I was first diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2005. It was discovered after an x-ray for different problem. There was evidence of sarc in my lungs, but it was dormant back then. Now it rages in my lungs and might affect my heart, too. The treatments, however, are working. I am feeling good, although there are some interesting side effects.

I am hoping to control it again through healthy diet, exercise and supplements. My mom found a homeopathic pharmacist I am going to work with, too. I'm going to look at everything under the sun to lick this thing.

I have read stories about people living with and managing sarcoidosis and other chronic diseases for 25, 30 years, flare-up free. I imagine myself being one of those people. I am trying to live a lifestyle that will help me achieve that goal.

Disease has been around forever and people have lived rich, full lives while dealing with it.

(Note: Thanks, mom, for pointing out the missing pronoun. Even editors need editors...;)

Moon face blues

I have moon face.

I hate it. Specifically, I hate the way I look.

I am taking prednisone to suppress the symptoms of sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks vital organs. In my case, my heart and lungs.

There is no cure, but it can be controlled by corticosteroids, including prednisone, and chemotherapy drugs, including methotrexate.

I am lucky. I am not suffering through many side effects. Not yet, thank God.

The longer one is on high doses of prednisone and methotrexate, the more at risk one is of severe side effects. We'll see. The goal remains to get off these drugs as soon as possible.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed the moon face side effect. I have a full face anyway, but now it looks like a brown full moon.

So prednisone's side effects include high blood pressure, moodiness, joint soreness, sleeplessness, weight gain….and, moon face…Other stuff, too. Glaucoma...

Too @#$%ing much.

I know that the problem disappears after prednisone treatment is ended, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. But sarc makes one feel like shit anyway. Moon face is just piling on.

I should be grateful that things aren’t worse, but I wish I was going through this during the winter when we were all covered up by hats, sweaters and coats.

The only thing I can do is talk with my docs, keep with the program – I am not quite done with prednisone, although the docs have reduced it from 60 mgs a day to 50.

I plan to see my pulmonologist next week. Perhaps he will see enough progress to reduce the drug to 40 mgs.

I am trying hard to eliminate moon face. People who have had the problem and doctors recommend the following to reduce weight gain while on prednisone:

- Avoid salt

- Avoid alcohol

- Avoid sugar

- Drink plenty of water

- Exercise

The challenge is that the moon face side effect dovetails nicely with the mood-altering side effect. I see my reflection in a mirror and just want to crawl back back into bed.

But I know that I am engaged in a marathon, not a sprint. I have to go through some rough patches to get to the good plains, so...

…I’ll get through it…I’ll get through it…

How do you handle these drug side effects?

Lord, please help me get 10 pull ups

For some reason, I find myself thinking about my college days (daze). It's a mid-life thing….OK mid-life crisis thing. Hate to admit it, but true.

I guess some things can’t be avoided. At a certain point in life, you realize that life is probably half over. Time to re-prioritize goals. Pull ups are on the immediate horizon.

Back in the day, in my late teens and through my 20s, I was fit. Not rippling muscle fit, but much firmer and very strong. But we age. At some point, it just becomes especially challenging to keep fit, especially if in these times when most of us have desk jobs, an unlimited number of processed foods enticing us and all sorts of diversions to take our minds off of working out in any form.

Right now, I walk, anywhere between 1-1/2 to three miles a day, depending on how I feel. I just need to do more. I have no illusions about being a pure athlete. The NFL has no use for 40-something tight ends. However, in my quest to conquer sarcoidosis, I am committed to getting in getting to the point where I can do at least 10 pull ups – hopefully by July 27. My birthday. I'll be 44 (Gotta figure out how to illustrate this story line. Guess I’ll shoot a little video as proof of success or failure).

Last week, a dear friend of mine from my middle school and high school days found me through facebook.com and said hello. She has a vibrant freelance photography business, a loving partner, beautiful cats. Charlotte, everything you told me, it all sounds great and I am so happy for you.

Charlotte was the one that made me reminisce about times when I did not get winded or tired (I meant to ask her if she remembered our marathon bicycle rides from back in the day). It was in the dorms on at the Temple University Ambler, Penn., campus that I actually wowed folks with the number of pull ups I could do. I felt like I could do them forever.

I was not a jock. Always an artist; specifically a writer and cartoonist. But I to defray expenses, I was always on the prowl for jobs and they were manual labor gigs delivering paper routes - UPS truck packer (sorry about those packages, folks); carpet cleaner; mover, stuff like that.

I was always fit and lean. I'm six-feet, three-inches tall (I thought it was 6-2, but Northwestern nurses find the extra inch. I'm claiming it but I thought we shrank as we got older).

The battle with pulmonary and cardiac sarcoidosis has definitely made my weaker. I acknowledge that I am better now after treatment, but the road to recovery is long. And I need benchmarks, so I have the intermediate goal of pull-ups.

Back in the day, the pull-ups routine – besides keeping me in shape – was a straight-up “chick magnet,” my way of demonstrating strength and virility. I know that.

Now, pulling off 10 solid pull-ups is a marker of success along a long road to wellness. And the goal of building muscle and losing fat. I'll eventually add push ups and squats, just using my own weight. But today, we do 1-1/2 miles, some pull ups (which actually might mean me just hanging from the pole until my system recovers from the shock of my desire to actually do something).

Bottom line is this: I need a physical challenge. The drugs that are suppressing my sarcoid symptoms, prednisone and methotrexate suppress the immune system. A sweaty gym might not be the best move right now.

But I have a deck that is a perfect personal obstacle course. I am turning it into a jungle gym for a 43-year-old kid. I'm also eyeing a little outdoor playground on Ashland. Seems like a fun place to play.

Try not to laugh too hard if you see me there just hanging from the pull up station.

I am doing well with weight. Folks on large doses of prednisone gain weight I did, but began working immediately to fix it. My size-42 jeans are starting to sag in the ass. Awesome.

I have a crazy goal of getting back into size 34 or 36 – crazy, I know. But the pants, they are beginning to sag. So I am going for it.

Weight loss has many benefits. Obesity fuels so many diseases that slow down people. Even limited weight training helps, too; stronger bones and muscles, revved up metabolism; improved self image.

I'll never be 180 pounds again, but I can get to a better weight for my frame and heart. So, I am going for it.

The late, great NFL defensive end Reggie White - one of my favorite athletes - died of complications of sleep apnea and sacroidosis in 2004 at the age of 43. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2005, but it was dormant back then. It became active and raged for a year before being properly diagnosed in March.

I am cool with it and up to the challenge of getting well.

Lord, please help me get just 10 pull-ups.

What exercises do you do to get/stay in shape?

After Jackson's death, spotlight remains on sudden cardiac arrest

Image via Wikipedia

The deaths of Michael Jackson and ad pitchman Billy Mays pushed heart disease to center stage these past two weeks.

Some 300,000 Americans die each year of sudden cardiac arrest, according to figures from the American Heart Association. The survival rate is low. Folks do survive, though, especially if they receive medical help within the first 10 minutes of an attack.

With that in mind, I interviewed Dr. Ajoy Kapoor is a cardiologist and sarcoidosis specialist based in New Haven, Hamden and Branford, Conn.

He explains sudden cardiac arrest; what people can do to prevent and treat it.

I want to be transparent: Dr. Kapoor was among the doctors who tested me in 2005, when I was first diagnosed with sarcoidosis. It was inactive back then, slight evidence of scarring of lung tissue. I have always been good about going to the doctor for regular check-ups, but I asked for exams checking specifically for signs of flare-ups. That may have helped me avoid the situation in which I find myself.

Here's what Dr. Kapoor had to say:

Q: What is sudden cardiac arrest?

A: Basically, it is the abrupt lose of heart function. In generic terms, in laymen’s terms, the abruptness of the loss of function is key.

Q: How is sudden cardiac arrest different from a heart attack?

A: Heart attacks are a broad category. Not all heart attacks result in sudden cardiac arrest. Not all heart attacks or myocardial infarctions cause sudden cardiac arrest.

Q: What causes sudden cardiac arrest?

A: Lose of blood flow. Blockage of an artery. An arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat or the actual heart muscle of valve might physically be disrupted. You can disrupt it in a way to create a whole in the heart or valve. Seventy percent of cases have atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease (at its roots); another 30 percent is caused by a variety of arrhythmias (cardiomapolies; dilated heart; congenital heart abnormalities; valvular abnormalities).

Q: Who is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest?

A: If they are young, it could be due to congenital abnormalities, cardiomypothy; heart attack.

Other contributing facts are

- Smoking

- High blood pressure

- High cholesterol

- Diabetes

- Smoking

- Lack of exercise

Then there are many things we still don’t know. One can have good cholesterol, be a non-smoker and still die of sudden cardiac arrest. So, we also follow markers of inflammation. But none of these gives us a complete picture.

Q: What tests can I take to find out if I am at risk for sudden cardiac arrest?

A: Give your doctor your history physical; submit to an EKG (electrocardiogram); blood work. Then decisions can me made on that information and those results. Some people may need extra testing and some people may not need extra testing.

Q: Are there definitive treatments for sudden cardiac arrest?

I stress prevention. It is important to modify life style. Smoking cessation, exercising, lowering cholesterol, (controlling) diabetes. People need to take care of themselves. Prevention is key.

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Folks do survive sudden cardiac arrest. Their stories at the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Website are uplifting. Check them out and have a great, safe Independence Day weekend.

Celebrity deaths grim reminders of heart disease

Michael Jackson via last.fm

For Michael Jackson and Billy Mays, the Grim Reaper apparently showed up in the form of heart disease.

Sarcoidosis has affected my own heart, so the deaths of these two celebrities made me sit up and take notice.

It was initially reported that sudden cardiac arrest killed The King of Pop. However, the cause of death was “deferred” by the L.A. County coroner’s office until more test results are available. That could be weeks from now.

Autopsy results last week indicate that Mays, pitchman extraordinaire for Oxyclean and other product lines, died of a pulmonary embolism.

Same difference says the spokesman of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association.

During the autopsy, Mays showed signs of hypertension and arteriosclerosis disease of the heart, both known risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest, says Dr. Vince Mosesso, the SCCA medical director, in a press release.

Mosesso says SCA is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths annually in the United States.

“…In many cases the first sign of heart disease is sudden cardiac arrest,” Mosesso says. “(The deaths are) a reminder that we should all make every effort to know about, avoid or modify the possible risk factors for heart disease. Those with diagnosed heart disease should be vigilant in their medical care and lifestyle habits to reduce the risk of cardiac arrest.”

Risk factors include:

- high blood pressure

- atherosclerosis (coronary artery disease)

- previous heart attack, heart failure

- diabetes

- smoking

- obesity

Sudden cardiac arrest is a silent killer, so know the symptoms and what questions you should ask your doctor so he/her can help determine your risk. With sudden cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. Blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs, according to National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Website.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a condition in which the pulmonary artery or one of its branches is blocked, according to the National Heart and Lung Association Website. It usually occurs when a blood clot from a vein becomes dislodged and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs, according to www.nhlbi.nih.gov/.

According to reports including comments from Dr. Vendand Adams, the-Tampa-based Hillsborough County Examiner, Mays “had an enlarged heart, a thickening of the wall of the ventricle which takes blood to the heart." The results of other autopsy reports are pending.

Jackson’s situation is still shrouded in secrecy. However, millions heard the 911 call from Jackson’s house and read or heard that Jackson’s cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray and then paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

There was also a report that the doctor prescribed or administered Demerol and Oxycontin to Jackson. Through attorneys, Murray has denied the assertion.

SCA usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes. Heart attacks are different from SCA. The heart can continue beating during an attack. SCA prevents that, shutting down the supply of oxygen-rich blood to vital organs. News accounts say that paramedics sent up to 3/4s of an hour trying to revive Jackson.

I’m paying close attention to results from the Jackson autopsy because my heart has been compromised by sarcoidosis, according to my physicians. They say that there is evidence of myocarditis, inflammation of the myocardium or muscular part of the heart, and cardiac sarcoidosis. It was probably caused by an infection and it can lead to heart failure or sudden death if continues to deteriorate. We are closely monitoring progress.

As I wrote in an earlier blog post, I have a team of docs, electro-cardiologists, who want to place a playing-cards-deck-sized defibrillator in my chest, just in case. But I am on prednisone and methotrexate, both of which suppress the immune system. The surgery to install a defibrillator is minor, but there’s still a risk of infection, so no operation. Not yet.

My goal (after consultations with several specialists) is to see if the heart stabilizes or gets better over the next few months. I have never felt a palpation or other problems, but I must admit that this heart thing is an albatross around the neck. I don’t think I am timid because of the problem, but I am damn sure always aware on a certain level.

I walked 1-1/2 miles Tuesday and thought about it as I began to break a sweat and breathe heavily.

Myocarditis can be treated with antibiotics; anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce swelling; diuretics to remove excess water from the body; low-salt diet and reduced activity. The condition is known to improve, doctors say, but is also known to get worse. To me, that is when the defibrillator would come in handy. But not at the moment. I like my odds of overcoming this.

We’ll try hard and we’ll see where we are at the end of July.

I expect to see a change for a better the next time we look at chest pics. I am getting stronger, I feel it. I do not think I am hoping against hope.

Meanwhile, God bless, Michael, Billy.

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Mosesso is urging patients to follow some basic healthy heart guidelines:

- Share with your physician any family history of heart disease or sudden death and symptoms you have, including chest discomfort, shortness of breath, palpitations, indigestion and abnormal sweating, especially if associated with exertion or exercise

- Carefully follow physician recommendations on prescribed drug therapies for blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol

- Exercise regularly. Even a regular walking routine of 30 minutes per day can significantly improve heart health

- Don’t smoke

- Maintain a healthy diet low in saturated fat, high in fiber and heavy on fresh fruits, vegetables and low fat, high-protein seafood and meats

Mosesso also urges people to learn how to do cardio pulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator.

For more information, please visit www.suddencardiacarrest.org or view SCAA’s educational video on sudden cardiac arrest at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXFEIoNkfQo.

Meanwhile, God bless you, Michael, Billy.

(Friday: More on sudden cardiac arrest)