Comments by "Stephen Villano" (@spvillano) on "Chubbyemu"
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Back when I was working a long gig at TUH, a radiology department "Case of the week" image of a neonate was posted on the board.
Classic gassy abdomen. The department head noticed my looking at the image, a few comments back and forth and I asked if the child survived beyond 12 hours. Pretty much 12 hours precisely.
I suggested imperforate anus. None of his residents recognized what was going on in the image, so doctor asked me to give a presentation on that case, as I was correct. Thanks to insurance companies requirements for rapid discharge, the infant had never passed a stool and was incapable of doing so, obstructing the bowel, resulting in ruptured intestines.
What captured doctor's attention was my sad shaking of my head when examining the simple x-ray.
Totally preventable, still haunts my many nightmares.
The irony is, I was there as an IT guy. But, I was also a military medic and trained in basic x-ray reading and that particular case was one I bumped into during study.
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Had some junior soldiers decide to mess with my constantly present thermos of coffee. I pretended to not notice the hot pepper sauce dumped into my coffee.
So, I picked up some indicatorless OC spray, bathed the thermos with it, allowed the solvent to evaporate, leaving a fine film of OC over the thermos and only handled it with gloves on. The next time they messed with it, well finger oils are solvents, the OC adhered to their fingers and people love to touch their faces and especially eyes.
Getting the crap off of the thermos was annoying, but the lesson was learned not to screw with Sarge's shit.
Instead, got comms cables switched around, they got batteries disconnected, just regular pranks.
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I lost my wife of over 41 years to sepsis, rapidly advancing from a dental infection on a weekend. Within around 6 hours of initial pain, she had died while I was outside having a cigarette. Initiated CPR to no avail, while on the phone with 911. Brief interruption to open the door for law enforcement, who ran and retrieved his AED to no avail. EMT's arrived, took over compressions to no avail when the paramedics arrived and plugged in the monitor. No pattern, not even pulseless electrical activity and I recommended discontinuing CPR (old military medic here, I know those monitors and treatments intimately). They continued for another 20 minutes, then called the hospital for the code to be called.
Four hours earlier, she'd helped me carry in $400 in groceries.
Couldn't eat for a week, as every time I saw that food, I saw her carrying it inside for me.
Two weeks of nightmares of her ribs fracturing under my compressions.
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Me: Activated charcoal to the esophageal region and stomach, then gastric lavage, while also intubation and supportive therapy.
And 1e^77 Our Fathers and Hail Mary's, of whatever faith that you follow equivalent.
Surfactants and oxidants are nasty species. Nasty, as in, better to get into naked polar bear wrestling in the polar bear's habitat, while it's hungry and has young to guard and provide for.
It's nearly as bad as the worst chemical exposure possible for humans, HF exposure being worse and that stratified field is rather rare, overall, for the average populace (HF can be found with "Halon" fire extinguishers, once it meets a fire and as most operators will forget proximity warnings, be fired into the fire and sit there to breathe in a very nasty chemical).
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Remember, the VA budget was cut every year I served, from 1982 through the first year and a half of our GWOT. Hence, they ration sparse tax dollars and it's now purely reflexive actions from the privations of those decades.
So, put the blame on Congress and the taxpayers, who whined about their tax rates, to hell with the veterans.
Whenever you hear how "The troops are #1", realize that it's the third digit being raised.
Around a decade before the GWOT began, I had a clinical rotation through a VA hospital. Most of my time was spent on the oncology ward, with every patient being on the DNR board. Some were so ill that they required a flotation bed to prevent pressure ulcers, but had to be authorized by a board, as there wasn't enough money to get the number of those specialized beds for all of the patients that needed them.
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@AnymMusic well, there is Mercury the planet, Mercury the old space program and ethylmercury, as well as dimethylmercury. The ethyl variety was known as Merthiolate or the preservative thiomersal, which is rapidly removed from the body.
If you're into art, remember the shade vermilion? Mercury oxide, which is also fairly toxic. Don't get me started on how often as kids, we played with regular mercury metal. Back then, nobody thought it could be harmful.
Of course, that's back at the beginning of the ice age... As near as I can tell, it was an absolute miracle we didn't manage to kill ourselves back then! The only times I came really close was in the Army and that was during a war, where some really unpleasant people objected strenuously to our very existence. They're quite placid now.
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@mina-xt1mj chuckles remembering SPO2 83 - 85 on room air, tachycardia, severe hypertension, lungs with minor collapsed pockets and pockets with fluid.
When notified of my thyroid storm, I said, "Thank God it's only a form of CHF!", words I never thought I'd ever utter. Our youngest was hospitalized at the time for COVID-19 and due to metabolic issues associated with her PCOS, wasn't doing well. All, because the COVID floor she worked on became lax on protocols.
Convalescent serum quickly put her on the mend.
Addressing my thyroid storm sent me on the mend.
COVID-19 would kill me and my wife, so mask up and avoid being tripped with my cane - repeatedly, folks.
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@Elora445 I actually was lactose intolerant at birth, that went away, then returned after my gallbladder was removed (that's a complete mystery here, as lactose is produced in the intestine, so totally weird). Long and short, I'd give laban or kefir a shot, as the bacteria consume the lactose completely and I've yet to see a lactose intolerant person have a problem with either.
Your mileage will likely vary, as individuals are different.
One upside to the 9 months that I was intolerant after surgery, got to fall in love with goat milk. I'll treat myself to some around once a year. One warning there, it's fatty as all get out. Cow milk is around 4% fat, goat and sheep milk is much higher in fat.
Oh, I also use kefir in place of buttermilk, as both have lactic acid from bacteria and impart quite similar flavors with a bit less fat.
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I've an odd pica effect.
Wanting to rotate diet incessantly. So, I've still Thanksgiving dinner in the fridge and clams and linguine sitting happily alongside, each in rotation with other dinners.
And a hint on rotation, ranging from veggie burgers to a love of fish.
If it ain't moving, I'll eat it, if it is, I'll get a bite on the run.
For ramen, some green beans in a can and drained works, an egg adds to wealth.
Rice and everything in the leftover tray works great.
Been poor, won the title, survived is the real title.
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