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From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

benjamincburns.com

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Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#191

Post by protomyth »

Mc_Big_G wrote: post #101
madaxe_again wrote: post #50

I don't have a brain tumour, but I have had, and am still having, an experience which has made me think seriously about my mortality. I'm 31. About three years ago I started having three/four day long bouts of total delirium, roasting fever, extreme nausea, can't even keep sips of water down when it happens - by day three or four, I'm usually too weak to move, totally dehydrated. Two years on, my GP is still going "c…

The ineptitude of doctors never ceases to amaze me. One particularly idiotic fellow proudly announced to me and the entire office that he'd discovered I have diabetes. Even if that has been true, the manner in which he announced his pleasure at the epiphany made me want to punch him in the balls. hard. After a confused and sad ride home it only took a short talk with my extremely unqualified wife to convince me that…

A friend of mine was told by a doctor that he had AIDS as it fit his symptoms and he had been an inter vinous drug user long in the past (what drug counselor hasn't?). Didn't wait for test results. He was a bit peeved and relieved to find a negative test 2 weeks later. He had the flu.

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#192

Post by protomyth »

nwienert wrote: post #174
madaxe_again wrote: post #50

I don't have a brain tumour, but I have had, and am still having, an experience which has made me think seriously about my mortality. I'm 31. About three years ago I started having three/four day long bouts of total delirium, roasting fever, extreme nausea, can't even keep sips of water down when it happens - by day three or four, I'm usually too weak to move, totally dehydrated. Two years on, my GP is still going "c…

Just want to say I've been here too. I also had supposed gallbladder failings. Bouts of painful nausea so strong I couldn't begin to describe. Vomiting for days on end, even water un-drinkable. Nearly every episode ended in tears, screaming, non-stop dry-heaving, brain-stopping trips to the ER, where only Dilauded would calm me enough to sleep and somehow "reset". After 25+ of these episodes (which would last typical…

I think your last paragraph gave a fine moral. I wonder how many people who could have lived died because their support disappeared? The quicksand kills so many because no one is left to throw a lifeline. It's so very hard to believe in yourself when no one else does.

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#193

Post by IndianAstronaut »

clusterfoo wrote: post #146
Mc_Big_G wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ineptitude of doctors never ceases to amaze me. One particularly idiotic fellow proudly announced to me and the entire office that he'd discovered I have diabetes. Even if that has been true, the manner in which he announced his pleasure at the epiphany made me want to punch him in the balls. hard. After a confused and sad ride home it only took a short talk with my extremely unqualified wife to convince me that…

Hey, look at the bright side, at least yours didn't turn out to be stage IIIc cancer, after three months and two doctors assuring me "You're young! It's probably nothing." Even with a family history and scans showing an enlarged lymph node. This is the most common story you'll hear from a cancer patient. The most upsetting part is how critical early diagnosis is: the difference between stage II and IIIc can be the di…

I know doctors will hate that, but you do have to do your own research.

My mother was on phen fen for weeks even after telling the doctor she had chest pains. Only after she read a newspaper did she find out how horrible it was. The doctor was clueless and careless.

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#194

Post by throwaway8878 »

NewDispAccount wrote: post #122
madaxe_again wrote: post #50

I don't have a brain tumour, but I have had, and am still having, an experience which has made me think seriously about my mortality. I'm 31. About three years ago I started having three/four day long bouts of total delirium, roasting fever, extreme nausea, can't even keep sips of water down when it happens - by day three or four, I'm usually too weak to move, totally dehydrated. Two years on, my GP is still going "c…

First, I'd like to say thank you for writing this. I'd also like to add a little for others who may be in a similar situation. Just to set the background, I'm in my mid-40's, was a responsible adult, and had a house and family, and worked as a programmer for 15 years. I was fairly typical as a programmer -- a bit overfocused, had an excellent memory, strong reading skills, etc... I wouldn't say I was a great programm…

FYI: acute diabetes has the same symptoms (fatigue, memory loss, fade out) as you mentioned, and is easy and cheap to diagnose with a blood test. Skip sugary drinks and candy until you get a test.

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#195

Post by allworknoplay »

madaxe_again wrote: post #50

I don't have a brain tumour, but I have had, and am still having, an experience which has made me think seriously about my mortality. I'm 31. About three years ago I started having three/four day long bouts of total delirium, roasting fever, extreme nausea, can't even keep sips of water down when it happens - by day three or four, I'm usually too weak to move, totally dehydrated. Two years on, my GP is still going "c…

A good lesson not to ignore things, and for everyone to be aware that sudden changes in their colleagues behaviors are more likely serious issues of any sort than they are laziness or idiocy.

I was fortunate in college to discover fairly serious cancer very early (total accident), and am very appreciative of the support I received at the time. Likewise, someone very close to me who had been behaving oddly for a while was diagnosed with a serious nutritional deficiency that explained everything.

Bodies and minds are terribly imperfect, and if someone you know is suddenly behaving oddly, at best it's a serious personal problem, at worst it's a physical problem even they may not recognize. Be a friend to them!

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#196

Post by pstuart »

byuu wrote: post #159
mingmecca wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can relate to this. A few years ago I was a 30 year old guy who felt like a feeble 70 year old. I was tired, depressed, and just didn't feel well at all. I had a blood test and the doc was flabbergasted at how low my Vitamin D levels were. Technically I had rickets! But then I started taking 10-15k of D3 a day and in a couple of weeks I felt great. Now I take 5k in the summer and 10k in the winter and haven't a had…

Exactly how I felt! I'm 31 now myself. I'm really hoping my experience is like yours, because I'm still not 100% myself again. Currently 2.5 weeks in. I can't even imagine what my levels were prior to taking the 500% RDV supplement I was on before having my blood checked. But at All doctors will only prescribe D2 (ergocalciferol); so you really need to go and get D3 (cholecalciferol). Your body naturally produces D3,…

Vitamin K should be considered here as well. K1 is found in leafy greens, while K2 is found in meat and poultry (liver is a super source), and natto.

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#197

Post by orangecat »

jkaunisv1 wrote: post #157
johnaspden wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Death is a bad thing. Anger is appropriate. We can probably fix it. If not in time to save ourselves, we might be able to save our children. We need to start now and spend a fortune. People need to stop pretending that it's ok.

I don't want my children to grow up in a world where you have to work at McDonald's for 100 years to afford buying a small house on the outskirts of a city. All because old wealthy people just keep accruing more wealth and never returning it to the cycle of the economy. When I look at the power structures of the modern world and the control that corporations have over our governments, I don't extrapolate positive cha…

I don't want my children to grow up in a world where you have to work at McDonald's for 100 years to afford buying a small house on the outskirts of a city. All because old wealthy people just keep accruing more wealth and never returning it to the cycle of the economy.

The economy doesn't work that way. You and your children are not poorer because Warren Buffett is rich.

Death is part of life.

So are Alzheimer's, cancer, polio, and people with bad vision being eaten by bears. Which of those should we not address?

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#198

Post by webnrrd2k »

clusterfoo wrote: post #146
Mc_Big_G wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ineptitude of doctors never ceases to amaze me. One particularly idiotic fellow proudly announced to me and the entire office that he'd discovered I have diabetes. Even if that has been true, the manner in which he announced his pleasure at the epiphany made me want to punch him in the balls. hard. After a confused and sad ride home it only took a short talk with my extremely unqualified wife to convince me that…

Hey, look at the bright side, at least yours didn't turn out to be stage IIIc cancer, after three months and two doctors assuring me "You're young! It's probably nothing." Even with a family history and scans showing an enlarged lymph node. This is the most common story you'll hear from a cancer patient. The most upsetting part is how critical early diagnosis is: the difference between stage II and IIIc can be the di…

> Good doctors are few and far between, and good diagnosticians...

This has been my experience, repeatedly. The GPs I have had aren't motivated to get to the bottom of any problem that can't be solved in one 15 minute visit, and refers anything out to specialists. The specialists have all diagnosed me with whatever issues fit their specialty. No one in the US medical field seems interested in actually finding out the real problems, just what's easy for them to diagnose or fix.

After writing this I realize how cynical it reads, but it's the truth! I'm sure there are good doctors out there -- maybe in a teaching hospital?

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#199

Post by webnrrd2k »

clusterfoo wrote: post #146
Mc_Big_G wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ineptitude of doctors never ceases to amaze me. One particularly idiotic fellow proudly announced to me and the entire office that he'd discovered I have diabetes. Even if that has been true, the manner in which he announced his pleasure at the epiphany made me want to punch him in the balls. hard. After a confused and sad ride home it only took a short talk with my extremely unqualified wife to convince me that…

Hey, look at the bright side, at least yours didn't turn out to be stage IIIc cancer, after three months and two doctors assuring me "You're young! It's probably nothing." Even with a family history and scans showing an enlarged lymph node. This is the most common story you'll hear from a cancer patient. The most upsetting part is how critical early diagnosis is: the difference between stage II and IIIc can be the di…

> Good doctors are few and far between, and good diagnosticians...

This has been my experience, repeatedly. The GPs I have had aren't motivated to get to the bottom of any problem that can't be solved in one 15 minute visit, and refers anything out to specialists. The specialists have all diagnosed me with whatever issues fit their specialty. No one in the US medical field seems interested in actually finding out the real problems, just what's easy for them to diagnose or fix.

After writing this I realize how cynical it reads, but it's the truth! I'm sure there are good doctors out there -- maybe in a teaching hospital?

Re: From hacker to hospice in seven weeks

#200

Post by orangecat »

bentcorner wrote: post #124
doktrin wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only skimmed the piece, but it has a self-contained TL;DR at the bottom ("morals"). If I were to make my own abridged TL;DR, it would be "aging is a human tragedy that we can and should fix"

I worry that a victory over aging would be opening a pandora's box on humanity's progress on social change. It is my personal opinion that a person's opinions of social norms, cultures, and traditions are largely fixed throughout one's lifetimes, and it is death (and birth!) that allows a society to shift its morals.

Imagine a world where people don't suffer from aging, but that does have the problems you envision of slow social change. Would an appropriate solution would be to release a pathogen that slowly cripples everyone's bodies and minds over several decades before killing them?
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