RECORDING THE WORST.

My brother, Bill, was mediflighted to Mark Twain St. Josephs hospital for open heart surgery. Millions of them are done every year, nothing to it, right?  Omigod. Not unless it is you or someone you know who has the surgery.

He looked wretched and probably will not be happy that I posted his picture strapped to his new buddy, the machine that keeps him heavily monitored. I won't see him again until March.


His daughter, Rena and granddaughter, Amber drove up from Southern California to be with him.


Practically the only thing not hooked to cords was his feet. Rena gave him a foot massage.

Time in the ICU is limited, so we went out for brunch after our visit. The women will return later in the day before heading back to Southern California.


And, my prankster son, Doug, brought him an All Meat Pizza, a bottle of booze, and an appointment with one of those women who hang out on Wilson St. wearing net stockings, commonly called a Ho. Bill was a bit out of it to think it was very funny, not to mention it hurts to laugh. The staff thought it was a gas. We wait until the worst moments and use humor to downplay our anxiety.  And, we are grateful to share what little time we can sneak in, even recording the worst.

DISCOVERIES ALONG THE WAY.

Travel is a varied and unpredictable activity.    Normally, when I return to Murphys, I blog whatever I’m doing on the way home. I stopped in Las Vegas to visit my son and daughter and their families, took pictures and tried to blog from their computers as I’ve done before. Nope! Not this time. I’ve discovered that the new electronics security measures refused me admittance to my own email and blog even though I have the  passwords. This time security wanted the type of internet service I pay for, (POP account)  and the ISP numbers to go with it. Wha?  Is anybody likely to carry around POP account ISP numbers when they travel?  No!  When I was in Thailand, I was able to get my mail, but not from a private computer in Las Vegas?  Annoying.
I arrive home and my home computer claims it doesn’t recognize me. It puts me through the identification process as well, but, at least I didn’t have to provide my ISP Numbers. I believe it is time to buy an Ipad that is lightweight and easy to carry back and forth to the Motor Home.  Maybe.  Don’t yet know how many pictures I can store on it. Gotta find out exactly how it works.
While in Vegas, I,  and my grandsons and daughter-in-law,  attended the Bodies Exhibit. I had seen the ads on a previous visit in 2011 but was never tempted until a woman on the plane told me she took her son and how much they enjoyed it. As many drawings in my science and health books, brochures from doctor’s offices I’ve seen over the years, I was quite amazed by this exhibit. How can you, on a real dissected body, see everything, including the nerves, the veins, the capillaries; the  inside and outside of the intestines?   You see every gland, how every muscle works. I had no idea how small my pituitary glad is, nor how small my appendix is, and so on.  Many surprises about exactly how everything fits in the body cavity. They had bodies showing how artificial shoulder and hip and knee joints  attached to them work. How lungs, kidneys, liver and hearts look with various tumors, and diseases compared to their healthy counterparts. A smokers lung and a brain after a stroke are not pretty nor artful as the amazing healthy body. It was very educational, interesting and surprising.   I’d recommend it especially for families with children.
So, now, I’m reading my mail which includes the John Hopkins Health After 50 Newsletter;  The University of California Wellness Letter, and the Public Citizen’s Health Letter.  All have great information with a particular slant. The two university letters will deal with such things as Can coconut oil treat Alzheimer’s?, Why is liver cancer on the rise?; The Colossal colstrum claims.  What supplements work and which are bogus?  Studies on the The Fast and Feast Diets.
The Public Citizen Health Letter is more political and valuable. You get the real poop from them about what goes on in the medical community.  They give a list in each issue of  drugs and dietary supplements by class that have had recalls and field corrections by brand name and company.   The recalls are often due to the incorrect dosage information indicated on the bottle and the outside carton labeling.  Often it is incorrect expiration dates; adulterated materials or impurities in the tablets, or lack of the significant ingredient in supplements; wrong amount of inert ingredients in a tablet and so on. They also publish recalls on products that prove dangerous to consumers, from chain saws to  baby toys. But, most importantly they give you detailed information about the relationship between the FDA and the drug companies; fraud and scientific studies and laws that weaken consumer protections in the medical field. My most recent letter deals with Medical Devices. It kind of makes you sick to read:  Industry Lobbies to Weaken Medial Device Oversight.  Or, Inadequate FDA Monitoring;  Rising Recalls For Medical Devices. Scientific Fraud On The Rise. Controversy Over Cognitive Behavior Therapy Solutions. Or, how about this little factoid:  In just the third and fourth quarters of  2011, at least 225 lobbyists lobbied members of Congress or executive branch officials on issues related to medical device regulation.  Of course, the industry does not want you to know that some of these devices are unsafe; they injure and even kill patients.  Doctor’s who oppose this approach to regulation have been know to be threatened and slandered.  Hmmm!  Interesting. After reading the honest poop, you need to read those other health newsletters to read stuff like Eat well be well, and A diet that builds brain health,  to counteract the terror after learning our Food and Drug Administration is bought and paid for along with our congress.  Dang I hate it when the news is bad. In this case, ignorance may hurt or kill you.