The Biden Administration says the United States is not at war with the Houthis. We are bombing the hell out of them, but that’s not “war.” Sure . . .
G-Poem is not a surgical procedure, even though it is invasive, done under general anesthesia, and takes 2 hours to perform. G-Poem, which I hope to have done soon if my insurance pays for it, is considered by doctors to be a “procedure” or “intervention.” I learn something new every day.
Electric vehicles are not ready for prime time — especially in rural areas. Terrible actual battery life (especially in cold weather), high repair costs, lack of parts, and sparsity of charging stations that work make owning an EV a no-go for most rural people.
PayPal donations in 2023 dropped significantly, while Patreon supporters stayed steady. I know I don’t push asking for donations, but I wonder if I should be more aggressive in this regard.
Creon, a pancreatic enzyme replacement made from pig pancreases, is used for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency — a rare disease. I take nine capsules a day — three with full meals, two with smaller meals. Cost? Almost $3,000 a month. Fortunately, the drug company is paying most of the cost. How long this will last remains to be seen.
Gastroparesis, another rare disease, affects stomach/bowel motility. Food doesn’t transverse the bowel as it should. I’ve had food take 4 days to make it through my digestive system. Food will stay in my stomach for hours before emptying, leading to nausea, vomiting, pain, and a plethora of bowel problems. Gastroparesis is incurable, with few treatments available. Drugs, Botox injections, G-Poem, feeding tubes, and nerve stimulators are the only treatments available for gastroparesis.
I received some free light bulbs, night lights, and a power strip from First Energy (Toledo Edison). I wonder how much “free” is going to cost me on my electric bill.
Income tax time. Kill me now.
Winter is taking its toll on wildlife. Last night, we had three deer in our yard scrounging for food. This afternoon we had thirteen cardinals at our feeders — beautiful red birds against a white snowy landscape.
New year, new insurance company: Aetna Blue Cross, Blue Shield. My therapist is not in network. 🤬 We need universal, single-payer health insurance for all. This will not happen in my lifetime.
Bonus: New network programming is back. I’m already bored. We are rewatching Treme on Max. Now there’s an awesome show.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Hope your procedure helps!
Good luck on your procedure! 🍀🤞
Hi, Bruce. Yes, given these polar (vortex) temperatures we’re having (me, in Madison, WI), I worry a lot about the fate of all the dear creatures that grace our urban lives with their presence. How hard it must be for the over-wintering birds to face a week of windchills below -20ºF. And there’s a report out this week saying that we’ve lost 30% of our bird population in the last 50 years. But I say, anything for a McMansion, what’s a cardinal, a woodpecker, a hawk, when jobs and consumer actualization are at stake?
Bruce, I hope your procedure gives you some relief. I agree, healthcare in USA is shitty.
I need to see more progress and infrastructure before I invest in an electric vehicle…..
Since you get Max, give the famed “Deadwood” a try, provided you have a high tolerance for the f-word (as well as a few other choice naughty words).
Regarding electrical vehicles, the laws of thermodynamics won’t change… electrochemical potential is dependant on temperature. So they are as ready for prime time as they’ll ever be.
Those free light bulbs really are free. Power companies want you to conserve, because of all the regulations and expense to bring on new generation stations.
The Houthis has declared war on us, so I guess they like getting the hell bombed out of them. “الله أكبر”
I didn’t know the difference between “surgical procedure” and “procedure”. I’m a bit surprised there is a difference. As a young adult I had some acne removed with liquid nitrogen and that was called “surgery” on the bill.
As for donations… It might be amusing if you made a Robert Tilton or Bob Larson plea for donations video. Nah scratch that idea.
Bruce, I hope the procedure gives you some relief.
I simply cannot understand how people can claim to worship a “just” God while fighting to keep quality health care (which I think is a human right) from everyone.
Thinking of you and Polly, Bruce. Humming Janis Ian’s ‘Better Times will Come’ and sending the vibes your way.
Good luck with that procedure Bruce. I read the pubs on it and it does look promising.
It’s after 12 midnight, listening to podcasts about real- life crime,as I am reading your latest ” Hot Takes.”. I’m intrigued by this procedure listed in PubMed, and I wonder how come this treatment isn’t more widely known- it sounds like it will actually save money for both insurance companies and Medicare / Medicaid, because of the rates of positive improvement in patients. Doctors should be pitching this to the above departments ! I’m wishing you great success when you have this done. I’m going to ask my doctor just WHY aren’t enzyme complex capsules or gummies routinely prescribed to patients who are older,and not producing digestive enzymes much anymore because of age. Absorbing nutrients is so important. Especially for one’s looks, lol. In health food stores,the good ones are pricey !
I hope your procedure is approved and helps.
I recently started watching a show named “Evil” on Paramount+. It is not new, but I find it interesting. It’s a priest and a team of non believers investigating poses signs and miracles.
I agree with you on health care. We can do much better than the chaotic, patch system we have now. Unfortunately, doctors and insurance companies both oppose the idea. And in US government, money always wins over actual, useful solutions.
(Sage) “We can do much better than the chaotic, patch system we have now. Unfortunately, doctors and insurance companies both oppose the idea.”
If they continue to oppose the idea, this may eventually happen.