Author Archive for: DaveDias

6.30 p.m.

Thanks for checking in…

Irene had a rough day at dialysis…

Blood pressure dropped several times in the 80’s/40’s
2 needle infiltrations through the fistula
Nausea at 8+ in a range of 1-10
After driving home experiencing extreme dizziness
Her lack of regular sleep (rest) is a growing frustration

She’s trying to get comfortable because the infiltrations are very painful.

Thanks for caring,
Dave

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The United States enjoys what I term as HEROIC HEALTHCARE.
What do I mean by Heroic Healthcare?

I was there when our first daughter was born two months prematurely requiring immediate, life-saving surgery to overcome an esophagus abnormality, where her esophagus was attached to her lung rather than the normal development.  We were told when this surgery occurred (1980) that 20 years earlier the medical community would not have been able to successfully perform the “heroic” surgery, saving Jocelyn’s life.  Our medical insurance paid dearly for this procedure, the hospitalization and aftercare.  Jocelyn is now a healthy, 29 year old woman.
I was there, when Irene was expecting our second child and she was told to abort by her OBGYN …. because Jocelyn’s medical issues were “hereditary” and the same incidence would re-occur.  That information later proved to be outrageously erroneous after consulting with another physician who performed “heroic” research on the matter.  JoAnna is now a healthy, 25 year old woman.
I was there when Irene was hospitalized with an undiagnosed disease.  After a two week local hospitalization she was transported by ambulance to UCSF; two days later she was diagnosed with incurable Primary Amyloidosis.  We are intimately involved with the system, oftentimes changing the course of routine protocol because of our influence.  UCSF and others have used “heroic” efforts to save Irene’s life using modern medical technology, many circumstances of which have been articulated on this website.  Our health insurance provider has paid in excess of seven figures for treatment protocol and continues to pay ongoing medical expenses.
Everyday, across this nation, committed doctors, nurses and countless emergency medical personnel use EXTREME measures and HEROIC medical acrobatics to save lives.  Our society places such a high value on human life that extreme measures and “heroic healthcare” are what we have come to expect as routine medical protocol.
Billions of dollars are invested and spent each year by pharmaceutical companies, bio tech firms, centers of excellence, medical research centers, teaching hospitals and more, for inexhaustible research in the bio tech field.  Why?  To discover medical breakthroughs, perform “heroic healthcare”, and to save lives.

The

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7.45 p.m.

Irene experienced another needle infiltration today at dialysis.

Thanks for caring,
Dave

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