Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died • Hacker News Board

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#71

Post by godzillabrennus » Sat, May 02, 2015, 8:54 PM UTC

shabda wrote: post #16

I will take this time to write something I wrote on Steve Jobs death: go get a comprehensive health check today. In our community, we are data driven about everything, except our health and body. I will copy what I wrote 1304 days ago, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 In January 2009 I was Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, in July 2009 I had a kidney transplant. Looking back there were so many telltale sign…

Shabda,

Thanks for sharing! Having known and worked with you for years I could not agree more. I ran the startup life for 6 years and it'll eat you alive if you let it.

Regards, Lane

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#72

Post by foobarqux » Sat, May 02, 2015, 8:56 PM UTC

mrbill wrote: post #53

sergiotapia wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He looked otherwise healthy I wonder if it was something related to sleep apnea. Ryan Davis from Giantbomb also died suddenly while on his honeymoon. http://www.giantbomb.com/ryan-davis/3040-93335/forums/ryan-d...

Way too many people dismiss sleep apnea. Folks, it can kill you - or cause other serious problems. In addition to narcolepsy, your general metabolism can get messed up too. I spent 4+ years not getting any REM sleep and my metabolism STILL suffers as a result - even 14 years after starting on CPAP and using it EVERY night since then. It's too long to go into here - but I did a writeup years ago about my "journey", al…

How do you measure your metabolism?

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#73

Post by calinet6 » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:03 PM UTC

adevine wrote: post #52

CatDevURandom wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My spouse -- an md -- cringed a bit when I read your post. And not because it's not well meaning, or important, but because without qualifying what "comprehensive health check" means, that check could very well do you more harm than good. So, yes. Please find a good primary care physician you trust and visit on an annual basis. Make sure you update that phsyician with what's going on in your life. That includes any f…

I would actually be more critical of "regular checkups" than your post. If we are looking at being "data driven" when it comes to our health, the jury is definitely still out on even having annual physicals for otherwise relatively young, symptom free individuals: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/opinion/skip-your-annual-p... A central problem is that you get loads of false positives when you are screening symptom-f…

As a recent sufferer of health anxiety, I couldn't agree more. You can really go overboard with tests that are often harmful, and without a really deep understanding of statistics, it's difficult to understand exactly what they mean.

I am thankful every day that I had a great GP who both did enough to be prudent, and also helped me stay balanced and not go overboard, in just the right way. I could have been a lot worse off had I continued to pursue treatment.

That said, in a state where anxiety is controlled and my health is now stable, it's still important to be aware of changes and new symptoms, and to have an annual standard physical with a doctor you trust and stick with consistently so they know you and your body over time. Just don't go overboard.

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#74

Post by brianwawok » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:04 PM UTC

shabda wrote: post #16

I will take this time to write something I wrote on Steve Jobs death: go get a comprehensive health check today. In our community, we are data driven about everything, except our health and body. I will copy what I wrote 1304 days ago, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 In January 2009 I was Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, in July 2009 I had a kidney transplant. Looking back there were so many telltale sign…

Flip side - Many doctors will see a high cholesterol number and immediately try to put you on statins. Which is not really that clear cut, statins have a lot of side effects that are downplayed by the sellers - and a lot less potential upside in otherwise healthy people with high cholesterol (because the fundamental cholesterol test given is flawed, the better tests are more expensive and harder to read (variables like cholesterol size and such matter a lot, but not even in the standard test))

So sure - get health checks done. Then be prepared to spend weeks or months double checking what your doctor is telling you, and possibly getting 2nd opinions and more tests.

Personal story: Head health test. High A1C. Diagnosed Diabetic, despite being a very fit triathlete who hasn't drank soda in 6 years and eats 2 weeks later got into a 2nd doctor for another opinion. Turned out my test was just bunk. A1C is fantastic. Apparently it happens all the time (a bad test). My first doctor did not tell me this at ALL.. just told me I was a diabetic and to stop drinking so much Soda.

My takeaway? If not showing signs, don't bother with routine tests. Too many medical quacks.

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#75

Post by walshemj » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:06 PM UTC

shabda wrote: post #57

CatDevURandom wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My spouse -- an md -- cringed a bit when I read your post. And not because it's not well meaning, or important, but because without qualifying what "comprehensive health check" means, that check could very well do you more harm than good. So, yes. Please find a good primary care physician you trust and visit on an annual basis. Make sure you update that phsyician with what's going on in your life. That includes any f…

We could argue about what comprehensive means, but if you see my post below, the test I recommended has blood work for internal organs health check, chest xray, abdomen ultrasound and (pap smear/mamogram etc depending on gender/age). This requires one single blood draw, and no significant levels of radiation. Most tests do have some degree of false positives, but there a number of defensive diagnostic tests which are…

Yep you don't want to hear "ooh " that looks a bit small when you have an ultrasound scan of you kidneys :-(

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#76

Post by brianwawok » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:07 PM UTC

papasmrf wrote: post #49

Of course we dont know why he died but I echo the sentiment that you need to be getting annual physicals and blood work to catch potential issues sooner rather than later. A few years ago a nurse told me my blood pressure was a bit high but I didnt think it was that high to worry about so I never followed up on it. Then a few months ago I went for a dental check up where they checked my blood pressure and after a par…

What are the side effects of your blood pressure medicine? Do you regularly exercise? Meditate? Have you looked into treating blood pressure other ways than a pill?

Knowing something (blood pressure is high) is cool.. but turning that into (I must pop pill X) doesn't always seem like the best strategy.

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#77

Post by solipsism » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:15 PM UTC

carc wrote: post #59

giarc wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do they draw blood and ask for a urine sample? Do they make you strip down and examine you from head to toe? Do they make you "turn and cough"? Do they listen to your heart and lungs? Do they look in your mouth? Do they look in your eye? Do they ask you about your health history? If some or all of these are "no", it's not a comprehensive exam.

Some of these aren't even up to date. Lets stop acting like we're health experts here. If your doctor is still making you do "turn and cough", then your doctor is using out of date practices (source: my GF is a doctor). Similar to another person's post above, she cringes at posts like this. You SHOULD go to the doctor to get check up each year, but you should not just go get every test under the sun just in case. The…

Could we also stop acting like our girlfriend being a doctor makes us qualified to give medical advice? What evidence in particular, aside from your girlfriend, do you have for the claim that the groin exam for inguinal hernias is outdated? Is this subject in your girlfriend's field? What publications does she cite?

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#78

Post by dredmorbius » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:15 PM UTC

roaree wrote: post #18

csense wrote: post #15

For those of us who've never heard of this guy, what did he do, and why is this the number one story on HN right now?

He was the CEO of a huge and successful startup, and husband to Sheryl Sandberg.

And Sandberg is the COO of Facebook and author of the book Lean In, about women in tech / business.

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#79

Post by paulsutter » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:16 PM UTC

brianwawok wrote: post #74

shabda wrote: post #16

I will take this time to write something I wrote on Steve Jobs death: go get a comprehensive health check today. In our community, we are data driven about everything, except our health and body. I will copy what I wrote 1304 days ago, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 In January 2009 I was Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, in July 2009 I had a kidney transplant. Looking back there were so many telltale sign…

Flip side - Many doctors will see a high cholesterol number and immediately try to put you on statins. Which is not really that clear cut, statins have a lot of side effects that are downplayed by the sellers - and a lot less potential upside in otherwise healthy people with high cholesterol (because the fundamental cholesterol test given is flawed, the better tests are more expensive and harder to read (variables li…

Maybe a better lesson would be to get a second opinion on major diagnoses. Doctors are also human, and medical diagnosis is difficult.

It's a good question what are the best tests to do periodically. I doubt that "none" is the right answer.

Re: Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

#80

Post by downandout » Sat, May 02, 2015, 9:20 PM UTC

brianwawok wrote: post #74

shabda wrote: post #16

I will take this time to write something I wrote on Steve Jobs death: go get a comprehensive health check today. In our community, we are data driven about everything, except our health and body. I will copy what I wrote 1304 days ago, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 In January 2009 I was Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, in July 2009 I had a kidney transplant. Looking back there were so many telltale sign…

Flip side - Many doctors will see a high cholesterol number and immediately try to put you on statins. Which is not really that clear cut, statins have a lot of side effects that are downplayed by the sellers - and a lot less potential upside in otherwise healthy people with high cholesterol (because the fundamental cholesterol test given is flawed, the better tests are more expensive and harder to read (variables li…

If you don't trust your doctor, step one would be to find one that you do trust. If you don't trust any doctor, then you're going to have a difficult life should you encounter serious health problems.

And yes, you should stop drinking soda, diabetic or not. Nothing bad will come from not drinking it, but plenty of bad things can come from drinking it. Telling you this doesn't make either your doctor or me a "quack".