• Being Well,  LGBTSR

    Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis

    Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.

    It started with sharp recurring pain in my abdomen and ended with a three-hour visit to the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. I waited four days for it to go away, thinking it was related to the acid reflux (GERD) I’ve been treating with medication the past three years. I’d had a virtual visit with my gastroenterologist on Monday to set up my next colonoscopy. He asked how my acid problem was doing and I said fine, because I hadn’t yet experienced any problems. Then, because life works this way, it hit me on Tuesday. Bloating, pain, and the bowel problems usually associated with those symptoms. Was it food poisoning? I wondered. I kept thinking back on what I’d eaten the past couple days. And then it went away … only to return every few hours.

    Finally, on Saturday morning just after midnight, I woke up in excruciating pain. Was my esophagus rupturing? Was I having a heart attack? I called the 24-hour nurse line provided by my insurance company, spoke to a very helpful nurse, and it was decided I should go to the emergency room.

    Three hours after arriving, and an hour after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. Course of treatment: antibiotics, clear liquids only for two days, and a list of mitigating measures provided in the paperwork they gave me when I left. As it turned out, the doctor was the daughter of our forester, who takes care of our annual filing to keep our property designated as a tree farm. It’s a small world.

  • LGBTSR

    Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare in a few months and am interested in getting a Medicare Advantage plan to cover my health care and medications. What tips can you provide to help me pick a plan?

    Ready to Retire

    Dear Ready,

    Medicare Advantage plans have become very popular among retirees over the past 15 years, as nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans, which accounts for about 42 percent of the entire Medicare market. Here are some tips and tools to help you pick a plan that fits your needs.                                                                                

  • Savvy Senior

    Savvy Senior: How to Get Help as an Elder Orphan

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    I need to find someone honest and reliable to look after my estate, health and long-term care when I’m no longer able to do it myself. I’m a 67-year-old recent widow with no children and one sibling I rarely talk to. Any suggestions?

    Solo Ager

    Dear Solo,

    This is big concern for millions of older Americans who don’t have a spouse, children or other family they can depend on to watch out for their well-being. While there’s no one solution to this issue, here are some tips and resources that can help you plan ahead.

  • Book Reviews,  Books,  Featured Book

    Featured Book: Unexpected Bravery: Women and Children of the Civil War, by A.J. Schenkman

    Shared from LGBTSr.com.

    This week’s Featured Book is a fascinating look into lives most of us don’t know anything about: women and children who enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Among them was Albert Cashier, a man we would now call transgender. Born female, Albert spent almost his entire life as a man, beginning in boyhood. His military bravery was so highly thought of that the people around him protected his secret even after many of them knew about it. And this is just one of over a dozen stories told through archival material, letters, and first-hand accounts, of people who may otherwise be forgotten. A completely satisfying read. You can listen to my recent One Thing or Another podcast with the author HERE.

    About Women and Children of the Civil War

    The American Civil War divided the United States from 1861-1865. During those years, over two million soldiers served in both the Union and Confederate Armies. What is little known is that not only the numerous children, some as young 12, enlisted on both sides, but also women who disguised themselves as men in an attempt to make a difference in the epic struggle to determine the future of the United States of America.

  • Featured Authors,  Featured Book,  LGBTSR

    Featured Book: Unexpected Bravery: Women and Children of the Civil War, by A.J. Schenkman

    This week’s Featured Book is a fascinating look into lives most of us don’t know anything about: women and children who enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Among them was Albert Cashier, a man we would now call transgender. Born female, Albert spent almost his entire life as a man, beginning in boyhood. His military bravery was so highly thought of that the people around him protected his secret even after many of them knew about it. And this is just one of over a dozen stories told through archival material, letters, and first-hand accounts, of people who may otherwise be forgotten. A completely satisfying read. You can listen to my recent One Thing or Another podcast with the author HERE.

    About Women and Children of the Civil War

    The American Civil War divided the United States from 1861-1865. During those years, over two million soldiers served in both the Union and Confederate Armies. What is little known is that not only the numerous children, some as young 12, enlisted on both sides, but also women who disguised themselves as men in an attempt to make a difference in the epic struggle to determine the future of the United States of America.

  • One Thing or Another Columns

    One Thing or Another: Reunited And It Feels So Old

    By Mark McNease

    Shared from LGBTSr.com.

    It’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.

    If you’re reading this you’re probably old enough to remember the 1978 hit, Reunited, by Peaches and Herb. That song came out a year after my high school graduation, and it seems an appropriate choice now that I’ve been invited to our 45th reunion. I can’t make it this year because we’re going on our annual vacation to Provincetown. Had I been able to attend, it would have been a first: I have not gone to any reunion since leaving Indiana three days after snatching my diploma and packing up my orange Gremlin to head to California. It was a stick shift with no spare tire, but I made it across the continent, and only went back every year to see my parents until they passed away. After that, Indiana became a place to store memories, some of them great, many of them deservedly faded.

    I’m not someone who insists that age is a number—tell that to my bones. Age is real. Days pass, weeks pass, years pass, and every living thing ages in the march of time. I’ve also given instructions to euthanize me on the spot if I ever say that anyone is so-many-years young. I would be mortified as well as humiliated if, should I live that long, anyone calls me ninety years young. It’s patronizing and patently false.

  • LGBTSR,  Podcast Pick,  Podcast Picks

    Podcast Pick: Queer Writers of Crime, with Host Brad Shreve

    Recently named by BuzzFeed as one of the 20 best LGBTQ podcasts to listen to, Brad Shreve’s Queer Writers of Crime has returned better than ever. After a brief hiatus following his first 100 episodes, host Shreve has brought this essential podcast back for fans of LGBTQ+ mysteries, thrillers and suspense fiction and the authors who write them. Full disclosure: I’m on soon for a second go-round, with a thoroughly enjoyable conversation about books, characters, and point of view.