Tuesday, February 28, 2012

In Remission!

I never thought I would say those words aloud. My chances for getting into remission were as good as the probability I would get this rare disease. I thought I would let all my friends who didn't know that the chemotherapy worked and my disease is in remission! I appreciate all the support I have been given over the past 4 years. It was a rocky road to travel and you all gave me a shoulder to lean on when I was feeling weak. Autoimmune diseases are very hard to diagnose and to treat. I am glad to have such a supportive wife who is also a top notch researcher. Without her I might not even be here today.

I  found that my system administration and network troubleshooting skills really paid off when it came to researching my disease. I was able to find ways around the paywalls for a lot of the scientific literature and studies that were published about my disease. It is amazing how companies like Elsevier take research done at public schools and then put the important parts behind a paywall.

Troubleshooting complex network problems is very similar to troubleshooting the nervous system. Axons route to the neurons which get feedback from the dendrites. I want to thank the people who have mentored me in the science of system administration. You know who you are and I am very grateful for your patience and help. Also for cleaning up any messes I have left behind.

If you know anyone who is going through treatment for an autoimmune disease feel free to give them my contact information. I have been through the process and might have an insight or two to share when it comes to dealing with Neurologists ;) Now that I am feeling better I will try and get at least one Infosec\Linux\Sysadmin related post out a week.

--ian