Futurelawyer

Medical Issues? There's A Drug For That.

We're from the (Government, Drug Company, Political Party, or any Institution...you pick), and we're here to help you. Once lost, can trust be regained?

Why Men Of A Certain Age Don't Like Going To The Doctor.

I practice Stoicism. So, knowing that bad news will come, and that I control my reaction to it, I can handle anything. However, that doesn't mean that I rush towards bad stuff, on purpose. Let life, or a Doctor whose sole job is to find something wrong with you, come to me. I am in no hurry.

And The Georges Glamping Hits Keep Coming.

Okay, now I am convinced that this week of glamping is a doomed exercise. After RV tire failure, a power outage at the campsite, and the hottest August I can remember, yesterday afternoon, at Hollywood Studios, Diane fell going down a steep ramp, and sustained a gash above her right eye. We spent the afternoon at Osceola Regional Medical and Trauma Center. Fortunately, a few stiches were all that was required, and she didn't have a concussion. As with everything this week, we are rolling with the punches, and it is pretty amazing that we have a more memorable camping trip than we ever have had. I don't like hospitals, however, and, sitting there in the waiting room brought back some pretty awful memories. Writing about it always helps me, since it puts into perspective the fact that life happens, and the only variable is how we react to it. Back in our peaceful little peace of paradise, we are sharing moments that we will always cherish. Hugs are always sweetest after you have suffered together. 

He didn’t like hospitals.

Imposing buildings filled with humans

who cared.

They were surrounded by suffering;

but, they didn’t know anything.

The buildings were strong and tall.

What did they hide inside?

He got up from the sterile chair.

He walked on the carpeted floors.

He looked for more comfortable furniture.

He wasn’t calmed by the soothing music.

The waiting room felt like a furniture store

trying vainly to look like a home.

The nurses and doctors looked like aliens.

He was in a landscape populated by green gowns

and white masks.

The metal jewelry hung from their necks.

Every now and then someone screamed like a sailor

trying to keep calm

in a storm.

He heard the disembodied voices coming from loudspeakers

gave instructions to strangers

whose lives hung in the balance.

He told himself that this elaborate show

was a necessary preparation

for the inevitable.

He tried to remember his mantra

that we all die.

Instead, he only remembered

that he was in a hospital

and he didn’t know

whether she would ever come out again.

Fever Phone. Your Smartphone Can Be A Thermometer.

Your Smartphone Can Take Your Temperature...There's An App For That. Our Smartphones already can do variable heart rate measurements, perform an ECG, and other medical tests that once required a Doctor or a Hospital setting. Now, a new app is being developed that allows the taking of temperature, and is proving to be accurate within half a degree. In fact, tests are being run using Smartwatch screens in the same way. I do a daily ECG on my watch now, and it does a good job of doing a variable heart rate and letting me know if my heart is in sinus rhythm or afib. As the sensors become more sophisticated, these devices promise all of us better results in the future. I suspect that it was a lot easier to fool our moms when we were young and they were sticking glass tubes in our mouths, than it will be to fool a screen sensor that is placed against our forehead. Look our for FeverPhone. It will be in an app store near you.

 

Avoid Doctors! Diagnose Yourself On The Internet!

Now that we have ChatGPT, you don't even need to check out websites. Just ask a question, and you will be given an accurate diagnosis in sixty seconds. Google is toast.

"My Doctor Is Dead".

I Smoke Between 15 and 20 Cigars A Day. Tom Kirkendall, a friend and fellow lawyer, sent this little vignette to me after my post this morning about eating what you want. Of course, I try to be reasonable; but, I don't believe all the crazy stuff about diet that so called experts have foisted upon us over the decades. We are so risk averse in our modern lives that we forgot how to have fun. I suppose the last straw for me was requiring young children to wear masks all the time, when the science about their efficacy was far from proven, and which has since been proven to be useless. We tear down playground equipment to avoid injuries, which certainly have happened; but, at what cost to our children? So, while we laugh when George Burns tells Carson that his Doctor is dead, it is a fact that some of us live a long time, and some of us don't. Don't neglect to live while worrying about what you eat or how you play.

Welltory - Now I'm A Believer.

Welltory Heart Rate Monitor. A confession. In the early days of Smartwatches, I was critical of apps that purported to measure physical activity, and prod the user to exercise. I confess that I have not been a big advocate of a lot of exercise. I still am not. However, lucky as I am to have reached the ancient age of 75, I am much more conscious of my body's reactions to stress, age, and physical impairment. Some years ago, I underwent a triple bypass, and, while I don't run marathons, and need help with long distance mobility, I am generally healthy for my age. I also have recognized the utility of smartwatch monitoring of heart rate, and regularly perform ECGs, heart rate measurements, and so forth. This new app, first available in iPhones, is now available for Android, and it does some really sophisticated modeling based on the really great sensors in the modern smartwatch. We all know of the great advances in artificial intelligence, and this app uses those advances to make some really great suggestions about a user's current health. It measures heart rate variability, and uses those measurements to make some great conclusions and suggestions about overall stress, health, and current needs. $79 a year, and much cheaper than a visit to a physician. It is like being hooked up to a Startrek tricorder 24-7. Check it out. I'm a believer.

 

Before Anesthesia Was Invented, There Was No Elective Surgery.

You had to be in a life and death situation to undergo surgery before anesthesia was invented. This was the common method of causing patients to lose consciousness enough to undergo it.

Follow The Science. But, Better Wait A Hundred Years.

100 years ago, the science told us to wear a radium patch on our lower backs. It was said to cure all sorts of ailments. The claims were, of course, touted by a company that made radium appliances. The next time someone tells you to follow the science, it might be a good idea to ask some questions. 100 years later, the science tells us:

"Exposure to higher levels of radium over a long period can lead to death and other severe health problems. High levels of radium can cause cancer (especially bone cancer), anemia, a problem with the blood; fractured teeth and cavities, and growths in the eyes called cataracts."

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Have To Attend Long-Range Planning Meetings.

We waste a lot of living time trying to plan for the future. We don't, any of us, know whether our future will happen; but, we live our lives as if our future was limitless. Sure, a law firm must consider what may come in the future, and take steps to protect the firm, if the future happens. But, long range planning should be concentrated on expecting the worst, and preparing for it. We waste time when we assume we will have a future at all. Even large organizations should spend most of their time maximizing the present. As a solo, I get to spend my time enjoying today, and whatever time I have left will take care of itself. The new gurus call it meditation, or mindfulness. New science tells us that stress and worry are more dangerous for the heart than smoking, or obesity. My prescription? Stop worrying. And, no long range planning meetings.