colitis

I was back on familiar ground - the hospital - this morning, thus, missing work begrudgingly today. This morning began the sixth day in which I was trying to tolerate intermittent abdominal pains hoping that they would soon disappear. I wasn't sure of the cause as I hadn't experienced any diarrhea, constipation, or fever. My appetite was fairly normal albeit I was more conscious of what I ate sensitive to the discomfort. Besides this nagging pain in my belly, I felt pretty well.

I contemplated going to the ER at about 9:30pm yesterday, but that would have upset my entire night. I might not have gotten out of there until 3 or 4am. Instead, I decided to try to get a decent night sleep (which had been difficult the past two days) and wait until the morning and if I still felt the same, I'd go to the ER. I woke up at 4:30. The pain was still intermittent. Even though I really didn't want to miss any work, because it would set back the curriculum just one more day on top of what had already been postponed due to last week's snow day.

I hopped into a cab arriving and registering in at Weill Cornell-New York Presbyterian Hospital (my former playground before switching to Sloan-Kettering) at 6am. I was out at about 11:40.

A CAT scan was administered by the ER staff, which found inflammation of the large intestine due most likely to a bacterial or viral infection. My other abdominal organs according to the scan as well as my CBC both were good. Colitis was the diagnosis. The continued suppression of my immune system by the Tacrolimus keeps me more susceptible to infection than the normal person.

In fact, my last memory of feeling well was before eating lunch at school last week. Ever since then, the pain persisted increasing in intensity during the week but coming to a head this weekend. However, who really knows what caused the problem?

Dr. CM and my medical team at Sloan-Kettering were informed of my status by NYPH's ER team with the understanding that I'm supposed to update him of my progress within the week.

I was prescribed two medications - Flagyl (1 tablet three times daily) and Cipro (1 tablet twice daily) - which I started today. Within three days, I should feel much better but I am supposed to continuing taking the medications for six more days thereafter.

I hope to feel well enough to return to work tomorrow.

research study for bmt survivors

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct a study to see whether a website is a useful way to get current, helpful information to bone marrow and stem cell transplant survivors across the US.

This new website is called INSPIRE and is designed for everyone who is 2 or more years post-transplant, healthy or not.

INSPIRE offers specific tools and tips to help:

• maintain and monitor one's health

• managing stress

• building energy

If you think you may be interested in joining the INSPIRE study, check out its website for more details.

the bridge as muse

With over 15 inches of snow throughout the five boroughs, today's students (and teachers) received a snow day. I've been inside so far today, but plan to go out soon to take some photographs of the wintry mix.

Related to my photography project, yesterday evening I attended "The Bridge as Muse," an enjoyable panel discussion of artists and NYC scholars, at the Museum of the City of New York. The panelists discussed some of the various ways in which the Brooklyn Bridge has shaped America's artistic and cultural life. They also paid significant attention to the city's other spans about which I was pleased. Moreover, the evening was a discussion of how this great icon of America has inspired and transformed their creative vision and artistic work.

Bascove, one of my favorite artists, was one of the panelists. Jonathan Smith was another participant on the panel. He is a photographer, who for the past several years has been working on The Bridge Project: NYC, a photographic exploration and documentation of NYC's many different spans. I wasn't aware of his work until one week ago, when I first read the advertisement for last night's panel discussion. Naturally, I was very interested to learn about his journey and was transfixed when he shared experiences, such as run-ins with the police, while on shoots. I and other photographers, who focus on infrastructure, can relate completely.

friedman at the asia society

In addition to presenting insightful exhibitions on art and culture, the Asia Society also hosts engaging panel discussions between noted scholars and journalists on US-Asia relations.

Yesterday I just watched this discussion between Thomas Friedman of the NYT and Orville Schell of the Center of US-China Relations. Although China is a major focus of this talk, I found Friedman's arguments for why the past ten years was a "lost decade" as he calls it for America politically and economically to be very poignant and revealing.

If you have the time, it's well-worth watching.

viva tunisia!

When it comes to international news, during the past couple of days I've been gripped by the Tunisian overthrow of its president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, whose image is plastered everywhere in the country.

Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali Forced Out

Tunisia Leader Flees and Prime Minister Claims Power

I was fortunate to visit Tunisia twice and absolutely had a wonderful, enriching experience there. I was treated with so much warmth and hospitality by the country's people. Tunisia remains a special place in my heart.

The rapid speed in which Ben Ali's government collapsed is quite remarkable considering that Tunisia like all of North Africa and almost all of the Middle East is run by autocratic strong men. Although touted as a beacon of liberalism and stability, it is a police state whose poor mark on civil liberties was overlooked by Western powers because of its tough stance against Islamic terrorism.

This is definitely great news for the wonderful people of this small North African country. However, for a country that has been repressed for generations, will its people be able to construct a representative government without chaos? What kind of government will follow? Will the next government finally give its people the freedoms and economic opportunities that they have been deprived of for so long?

bronx economic guide

About two days ago, I received five copies of The Bronx New York: An Economic Guide, which aims to encourage businesses to invest in the borough with attractive images and information about its history, people, and neighborhoods.

Almost two years ago, a fellow Bronx photographer told me that the Bronx borough president's office was seeking photographs for a business-focused publication about the borough. I submitted photos to the publisher after receiving news of this exciting opportunity, but due to delays caused by changes in the borough president's office, the guide wasn't published until very recently.

My photographs can be found on the cover page (trees and buildings at the top) and pages 6, 18, and 42.

cancercare workshop

On Friday, January 21st from 1:30-2:30 PM EST, CancerCare will host a free live streaming workshop titled Understanding and Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects.