I Wonder Who the Patient Was

A new drug, Retatrutide is awaiting regulatory approval. and is purported to have weight loss effects similar to those of bariatric surgery.

It has now been revealed an unnamed 79 year old with obesity, obstyructive sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension was given the drug as a part of the FDA’s “compassionate use” program. (Alternate link)

Gee, a 79 year old fat f%$#er with political connections necessary to get the drug before approval?

I wonder who it could be.

Clearly, it is not Donald Trump, as they have denied this, and we know that this administration never lies.

Millions of Americans with obesity are eagerly awaiting a powerful new drug from Eli Lilly called retatrutide, which has demonstrated bariatric-surgery levels of weight loss. Some aren’t even waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration, instead racing to acquire it through sketchy means. 

But STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA have allowed one person to gain access to the drug through the FDA’s “compassionate use” program, a pathway that gives patients with serious and immediately life-threatening medical issues access to experimental treatments. 

This person was a 79-year-old man at the time the request was made in April, accordig to three sources familiar with the matter. Those sources, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals, said it drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the person receiving this drug was well connected.

………

STAT does not know who the patient is. But given the patient demographics and the unusual nature of the application, STAT asked the White House multiple times whether the patient was President Trump, who turned 80 a week ago, is overweight, and has expressed interest in obesity drugs. 

White House spokesperson Kush Desai directed STAT’s inquiry to the Health and Human Services Department. In response to STAT’s question about whether Trump has obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, Desai said a White House memo detailing Trump’s most recent medical evaluation “covers this.” The memo makes no mention of obstructive sleep apnea or pulmonary hypertension.

Mandy Rice-Davies applies, "Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?"

H/T Atrios 

Fun With Gila Monster Venom

After my two latest doctor visited showed high A1C, I was prescribed Ozempic.

I've lost a bit of weight over the past 5 weeks, high single digit, but I think that a lot of that is just a reduction in stomach contents.

I haven't so much noticed a reduction in appetite as I have noticed an increase in satiety.  I get full faster, and I stay full longer. 

Some interesting factoids at this point, first. there are preliminary indications that  GLP-1 drugs may prevent certain cancers , and second, Canada just licensed generic GLP-1 drugs.

In any case, I am definitely eating less. 

Speaking of Geriatric Democratic Party Leadership in Congress

David Scott (D-GA 13) just died at age 80.  

He was running for reelection at the time.

He had been removed as ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee by fellow Democrats because his health problems prevented him from showing up, and he was increasingly unable to string together a coherent sentence.

It is complete bullsh%$ that members of Congress are using their office and their staffs as assisted living aides, and while there are Republican examples like Mitch McConnell, the fact that 7 of the 10 oldest Representatives are Democrats, etc. is an indication of a problem. (Further numbers, 15 of 20, 22 of 30, 31 of 40, and 35 of 50)

I think that I see the problem here. 

Light Posting for a While

I'm brewing something unpleasant.

My eldest tested positive for Covid, but I did not yesterday.

I will check again tomorrow.

I feel like crap.

Seriously Old School Public Health

By, "Old School," I mean bloodletting, the technique likely responsible for the death of George Washington.

To be fair, there are therapeutic uses for the procedure, such as the treatment of excessive levels of iron in the body, and, in this case, excessive levels of the PFAS family of chemicals in their systems.

These chemicals, popularly called, "Forever Chemicals," accumulate in the body for a very long time, and so the treatment is to repeatedly remove blood until the levels are low enough.

Rather unsurprisingly, the victims in this case are in New Jersey:

Residents of Jersey have been recommended bloodletting to reduce high concentrations of “forever chemicals” in their blood after tests showed some islanders have levels that can lead to health problems.

Private drinking water supplies in Jersey were polluted by the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) at the island’s airport, which were manufactured by the US multinational 3M.

PFAS, a family of more than 10,000 chemicals, can build up in the body and are linked to conditions such as kidney and bladder cancer, thyroid disease and immune deficiency.

Bloodletting draws blood from a vein in measured amounts. It is safe and the body replenishes the blood naturally, but it must be repeated until clean.

“I just want this out of my body. I don’t want to end up with bladder cancer,” said Sarah Simon, one of 88 residents of the polluted area in whose blood tests found high levels of PFAS.

………

Worried about their health as a result of the mains water findings, more than 100 residents outside the plume area had their blood independently tested. The unverified results showed that 57% had levels of PFHxS above US safety thresholds and 15% exceeded levels for PFOS. Many reported health problems they thought could be linked to PFAS exposure. 

Everything old is new again, I guess.

I Feel Like Shit

30 minutes on an exercise bike.

Rather selfishly, Sharon* wants me to live forever, so she "Convinced" me to enroll at her gym.  (They had a special for adding family members)

Do not like.

^*Love of my life, light of the cosmos, she who must be obeyed, my wife.

Adding to the List

I am referring, of course to my list of "They Who Must Not Be Named."

This list is for entities who I have decided are simply never going to be worth my comment on them.

For the first time, I have added a non-human entity to the list, and rather surprisingly it has no ties to artificial intelligence.

I have added RFK Jr.'s brain worm to my list, though I might continue to discuss the worm as a world health issue, as it appears to be a rather common condition.  (Best guess at this is that it is a form of tapeworm, and this is a fairly common condition in the tropics called Taeniasis which effects millions)

I will continue to comment on the various inanities and insanities of the both his Presidential campaign and his other endeavors, such as his antivaxx advocacy, but the worm I see as little more than a justification for a profoundly lazy joke at his expense.

If I am going to make a joke about RFK Jr. it won't involve the above, it will probably be nastier, and more difficult, though I will do my best not to make a joke involving Sirhan Sirhan.

We Are Heading for a Disaster of Biblical Proportions: Old Testament, Real Wrath of God Type Stuff, Fire and Brimstone Coming Down from the Skies! Rivers and Seas Boiling, Forty Years of Darkness, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, the Dead Rising from the Grave, Human Sacrifice, Dogs and Cats Living Together... Mass Hysteria!

Seriously, we are talking about the end of the world when Matt, "Close Encounters with the Third Grade" Gaetz is right about something, and when he condemned the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling that effectively banned IVF, he was right.

I'm not sure that I can deal with the thought that Gaetz is right about anything:

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) expressed alarm about the implications of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that granted embryos the rights of people.

The decision prompted in vitro fertilization clinics in the state to pause the practice. Couples who have difficulty conceiving sometimes turn to IVF, whereby an egg is fertilized by sperm in a lab to create an embryo to implant in a uterus. Embryos are often frozen for later use or are destroyed if they go unused.

The court’s decision stemmed from a lawsuit by a couple whose embryos were accidentally destroyed at a clinic. The judges ruled that the state’s wrongful death laws do not exclude embryos, or what they deemed “extrauterine children.”

This is f%$#ed up and sh%$.

I Attribute This to Diet, Not the Divine

While delivering a fire and brimstone condemnation of Israel on the floor of the Turkish parliament, and after declaring that, "Israel will suffer Allah’s wrath," right wing Turkish MP Hasan Bitmes suffered a heart attack and later died in hospital.

He was 53.

I have a few points to make:

• I don't believe that God smites people like this.
• I am in agreement with Abraham Lincoln, who said, "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side"
• If God were smiting people for stuff like this, a good quarter of the members of Congress would be pushing up daisies.

I will say that my initial reaction upon hearing this news was significantly more ……… Biblical ……… than what I stated above, but (for once) I decided not to let my initial appraisal of the situation inform what I wrote.

My Cough is Getting Better

I got a Z-Pack (Azithromycin) and took the first dose a few hours ago, and I am already feeling better.

We were pretty sure that it was not viral, as Sharon* had the same symptoms, and responded antibiotics as well.

My nose is now running like a faucet, which is a sign of the fever breaking, (no, I did not actually have a fever) and my muscle pain and general lassitude have gone away, so I should be well enough to go to work tomorrow.

So poorly written and ill-thought out rants will be resuming.

^*Love of my life, light of the cosmos, she who must be obeyed, my wife.

Negative

So all I have is "just" a nasty cold with a cough and a sinus inflammation.

Needless to say, this sucks wet farts from getting pigeons, but it's better than Covid.

My deepest apologies to my reader(s) being deprived of my timeless prose over the past few days.

To quote the old Yiddish proverb, "דער מענטש טראַכט און גאָט לאַכט," Man plans, and God laughs.

I should be back up to speed in a few days.

Posted via mobile.

No Posts Tonight

Still feeling like something that the cat dragged in.

Going to urgent care tomorrow.

Taking a Night Off

I have a headache and a cough.

Posted via mobile.

Happy Dance!

I just picked up Sharon* from the airport.

Her mom is doing better, and she is back home after 2½ weeks.

And they were forced to eat Robin's minstrels in the frozen land of Nador,and there was much rejoicing!

^*Love of my life, light of the cosmos, she who must be obeyed, my wife.

No Blogging Tonight

I'm feeling like crap, and aching all over.

I did the test though, and it's not Covid.

Posted via mobile

Light Posting for a While

Some health issues with my Mother-in-law, so we are scrambling to get Sharon^* down to Memphis.

If you are Jewish, do a Mishabayrach for Miriam bat Chana Shifra.

Current state of things is concerning, but not dire.

^*Love of my life, light of the cosmos, she who must be obeyed, my wife.

That Amount of Alcohol Would Kill Me ……… and 3 Elephants ……… and 2 Blue Whales……… and the Crew of the Starship Enterprise

You may recall that some time ago, I sober blogged a Presidential debate.

It nearly killed me.

Based on preliminary calculations the amount of alcohol required to survive the Republican Presidential debate tonight would not only kill me, but it would require enough alcohol to cause significant collateral damage casualties.

So I will note be watching.

I'll read summaries tomorrow.

As They Say in Japan, “クソ食って死ね Senator McConnell”

Roll Tape!

It looks like Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell appears to have had an ischemic incident at a press conference. 

Unfortunately, he recovered relatively quickly.

Our increasingly geriatric leaders are increasingly problematic:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday abruptly left a news conference after he froze midway through his opening remarks and appeared to be unable to resume speaking immediately.

McConnell began the GOP’s leadership weekly news conference by saying lawmakers were on a path to finishing a major defense budget bill this week.

“We’ve had good bipartisan cooperation and a string of —” McConnell said.

He then froze and remained silent for about 20 seconds, staring straight ahead, before other members of GOP leadership intervened. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), standing at McConnell’s side, asked whether he was okay, but McConnell did not respond verbally.

“Do you want to say anything else to the press?” Barrasso asked McConnell, before suggesting that McConnell take a break.

“I’ll take him back,” Barrasso said to the other members of the leadership team, guiding McConnell away from the dais.

McConnell, 81, returned after several minutes, and after the news conference was over, was asked by reporters to address what had taken place.

………

An aide to McConnell who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly said the minority leader felt “lightheaded.”

Yeah, sure. 

He felt light headed, no stroke at all.

………

The incident took place about four months after McConnell fell and suffered a concussion and a broken rib at a private dinner at a Washington hotel in early March. The Kentucky Republican was absent from the Senate for nearly six weeks as he recovered from his injuries. He returned to the Senate in April.

Jeff Tidrich wrote, "Every Democrat hopes Mitch McConnell is ok and recovers quickly".

I don't.

BTW, if the title is bad Japanese, feel free to correct me.  I used Google translate.

Damn

My son, just testes tested positive for Covid again.

I have not, and I got my (previously scheduled) booster today, and we are all masking in the house.

This really sucks.

Damn.

Daniel Ellsberg has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is entering hospice care.

He is saying 3 months.

A brave man, a patriot, and an American hero.