I spoke this about this briefly on Kagro in the Morning yesterday, but it wasn’t clear how it worked. Now we know. Oh, and climate change skeptics rejoice! We’re off the hook! New research indicates it’s been the earthworms all this time! [Read more…]
Thank you all from the bottom of my healing heart. I have reached what I need and even have a little cushion. All told FtB readers generously pitched in several hundred dollars, easily covering the shortfall caused by the inevitable delay of a badly needed short term disability check and then some. That check didn’t come again today, so sure enough, your donations made the difference. I was able to get my critical meds refilled and go to cardiac rehab because of you. Thank you all so much! I am really touched, last night when those emails started showing up I had to wipe away some tears.
I will never, ever, let anyone ever tell me again that atheists can’t possibly have a sense of right and wrong, or that we lack morals or empathy because we don’t believe in super natural beings, after this. Even if I have to be a little bit rude about it. I just won’t tolerate it ever again.
I’ll be on Kagro in the Morning tomorrow, Thursday, discussing science and anti-science, heart healthy month and if time permits the ACA, better known as Obama care. Times will be announced and linked tomorrow at 8 AM Central time here on this site!
I’m not sure how this works or what fundamentalists will make of it. OK, on second part we know what they’ll think, they won’t like it. But apparently a group of researchers have used Three D printing technology to fashion a human embryonic stem cell, or literally a facsimile thereof: [Read more…]
It was a busy day, too busy to post, but no one I know died, no one I know tried to kill themselves, I didn’t suffer any major health set backs. My finances are in decent order. Plus I was able to walk a brisk mile and a half in cardiac rehab, then do some stair stepping; which almost gave me enough of my usual runner’s/workout fix that I felt halfway normal for the first time in weeks.
I may be on some radio and, possibly, some TV shows this month. Starting this Thursday as a matter of fact, I’ll be on Kagro in the Morning. Which has grown quite a bit since the last time I was on. February is healthy heart month so I’ll be discussing that with another guest, Dr. Greg Dworkin. I’d like to do a short bit on anti-science ledge, so please, post or email any suggestions.
This video of Lawrence Krauss is well worth watching if you haven’t seen it yet. It reminded me of the video of Penn Jillette, worth revisiting and posted above. Enjoy.
Guys and gals, I’m not there yet. But there is a possibility that at some point during this month I might need to beg for money. A few months before my heart attack I just happened by the good grace of the FSM to load up on short and long-term disability. I even bought extra STD and LTD, plus premium support in case it turns into LTD, which all makes me feel pretty damn smart right now. There was the usual paperwork delays with the STD, but this week I got the final approval. Of course there’s a waiting period for that STD and, naturally, they mail the checks instead of e-deposit. All my bills for February are paid, I do not lack for food or power or cable or Internet. I’m good on meds for at least a week.
But looking ahead to the next two weeks, co-pays for multiple doc visits several times a week, cardio rehab three times a week, and endless Rx co-pays are eating me alive. I’m not in dire straits yet and I think it’s going to be OK if those checks show up. But I just wanted to warn everyone upfront, I’ll know how bad it is by the middle of next week and there’s a chance it could be bad. If that happens, and you’d rather visit other sites come that time where you’re not pestered like this, I wouldn’t blame you one bit. I have some good news below the fold though … Regs Only! [Read more…]
[Names and minor details changed slightly for privacy reasons. This is a sad story, don’t read it if you are down]
Yesterday me and another friend stumbled onto the semi-conscious body of a dear friend of ours, S/he was face down, face white as a ghost, lips so blue they were almost black. I thought for sure my friend was already dead. But when we carefully turned the body over a slight exhale came out. I had 9-11 on the phone, I’m certified for CPR. So were trained and went through the classic routine, putting my head on the chest and looked, listened, felt. When I heard/detected a barely audible thready pulse and shallow breathing I almost cried out in relief.
I’ve been asked to jot down a post about my heart attack for February, heart health month. For patients, docs and emergency responders can read this post, written when I was actually having a full blown, massive myocardial infarction. Below is a rough draft, a work in progress, it was written quickly and clearly needs to be punched up. I know you guys are probably tired of hearing about this, but if you are so inclined, maybe a peek behind the creative curtain will result in anecdotes, and suggestions that will make it somewhat readable. [Read more…]
Yesterday was a very weird day. No sooner had I reconnected with an old friend than another old friend I see all the time died unexpectedly leaving all of us who knew him in complete shock. I’m afraid to open up the Internet or turn on any channel beyond the cartoon network this morning.
Update 3 Jan 2015: Med students, heart patients, and interested people, here is an actual post written detailing the signs and symptoms felt while I was suffering what was later diagnosed by a cardiologist as a major heart attack. If you’re up for kicking in a few bucks to help with spiraling healthcare costs due to heart attack and poverty level disability pay, my paypal email is posted above.
So I got the cath results: It wasn’t a minor heart attack folks. It was a full blown widow maker where a primary coronary artery got blocked 100%, and that blockage was right at the top, high enough up that the bottom two-thirds of my entire heart could have been deader than fried chicken. I would have been dead before my body hit the floor.
How am I still alive, much less able to spend the last several hours running up and down stairs, straying all over the hospital, flirting with night nurses (Oh man, the brains on these gals, I can’t stop talking to them, their science-y minds are so incredibly hot!) just a few hours after the cath that confirmed a massive myocardial infarction? Well, it’s not a miracle … [Read more…]
