hestipod

I've been through that over and over with doctors turning hostile and outright lying and am going through it again now after the worst year I have ever had pain wise. I never took a LOT by any measure, in fact very small doses just to get by, and only about half of the days in any given year as I cycled off and when situations were calmer. I have avoided seeking stronger things offline and will off myself before going there as its costly in every way and has no good outcome. I have a sensitive corpus it seems and can't take a lot of any medication, a built defense against massive addiction I am thankful for in a way, or else I probably would have ended up like some of the worst victims in a gutter using heroin. But I guess in the end what does it matter if you cannot get better anyway. Ultimately people just want to stop hurting and don't care about people's politics...and when it gets like this, and doctors and society and families are so hostile and blaming, the only plausible thing becomes stopping the existence that hurts.

I didn't downvote you. I tried to sue after hearing from multiple doctors abroad how badly it was done and how I never needed it, but it's not like people think from TV and "common knowledge". It's hard to win malpractice. Most cases are not frivolous but people think they are all money grabs. The doctors and their insurance companies do things like insulate surgery centers in friendly counties and under special business arrangements etc. There are small caps and extremely short statutes of limitations on many things. Even if I had won 100%, which rarely happens according to the lawyers, after all was said and done I might have gotten 10,000usd max...and that's nothing for taking away a future. People don't understand the reality of medical errors and malpractice. Patients always lose.

I fight this urge every day because of pain and have great empathy for both you and your wife. I was left in constant pain by badly done and, ultimately unneeded surgery. I have been off and on medication for many years now and have fought the system the entire time. I was recently cut off again after a long term doctor retired and the new options are all fairly hostile to pain patients.

The thing that is the hardest is that ultimately the best pain control for me is a safe and calm lifestyle and decent healthcare in the right conditions I can survive without medication, but with the loss of health and money goes your access to that lifestyle and healthcare, increasing the need for meds, at a time and situation in which you can least get them. I've tried nearly everything, at least that I can access, and that access, mainstream and alternative just gets worse here in the USA. I just need a small flat and a simple life in a city with connections and resources. I am stuck in the opposite.

I had a great, once in a lifetime, accomodative job opportunity abroad from a member here that I couldn't get to because of worsening pain and life stability and I sunk further as a result. Should have just gone and failed and gotten it over with rather than suffering more in worse conditions. It's a pit of quicksand once you get in it. It's hard enough in countries with good systems, but in the USA it's hopeless. I am now stuck in rural nowhere in so much pain with no good healthcare and transport and a horrid quality of life. I am over the debate and the "opiod crisis" and people's judgement here...I just want out and stable if thats even possible anymore, or it over. Tired of suffering every day.

I have told my story over and over so anyone truly interested can look in my history as I won't write it all again, but I lost my life due to America's system and have sunk further as an ironic consequence of only having access to it. Every time these topics come up I see people defending it or making claims that are simply false.

ACA was a horrible compromise because the right would not allow proper Universal Healthcare. In my state, as in many, there is a gap where you can be denied a subsidized ACA plan and Medicaid. I fall in that gap and get nothing but the privilege of buying a full priced ACA, poor coverage, plan for something like 7-800usd a month plus something like 6000usd yearly deductible plus the multi thousand coverage floor you mentioned. All of which is impossible for me. I did things right. I had a significant savings when this happened, spent most all of it on this stuff, I have a few hundred a month pension I was lucky to have, it doesn't cover my needs, I have no insurance or benefits. I was denied disability. This is America.

Someone else below also brought out the "I know lots of people from Europe who come to the USA for superior healthcare" line as well. I lived in Europe and never met or heard of a single person who did this. It surely happens. But its not "lots" nor proof of some superiority.

I recently got another diagnosis after having to really fight and spend a lot because the system is so broken. The 3-5min you get and insane costs for everything hinders care. I was already on the edge as my history points to...and have been trying desperately to move back to Europe where its not perfect, but even in the paid, private system I would have access to for the first years I can get far superior care to here for less. But the hits just keep coming and I don't see making it anywhere now. I wish people would care about others and how this system hurts them, rather than their politics. I will lose my life because of politics I never chose to be born into and that have continually reduced my quality of life. I just cannot understand why people continually deny this is the case and fight against that which helps all of us. I have mostly passed anger and am in intense disappointment on the issue. I just want to live. I am not allowed to.

I love the Polish colloqualism for it, "małpa" meaning "monkey" because of the curled tail.

Do you still enjoy it and how do you keep your love for it? I took up writing for a bit years ago because I love stories and reading, but I quickly found out I hated actually writing. I enjoyed ideas, intros, getting started...but none of the rest of it and it felt like work and a bother. I stick to reading now and wonder how common it is to have fun ruined by work when you aren't realistic about what its like on the other side. Like people who love taking photos...then learn to hate cameras as they struggle to earn shooting weddings and instagram models.

I love Chiang and wish he had more and longer stuff. Quality over quantity I guess.

I envy and truly admire people who suffer such adversity and who live good lives. I don't know if its because they usually never knew any different so can't compare, or if they just have an innate mental strength I do not. After losing my health and life I've had an extremely hard time accepting such a huge reduction in QOL that just seems to get worse and really wish I had their ability/outlook.

Works great for kg/lb conversions too.

kg x2 + 10% = lbs

lbs /2 - 10% = kg

I've yet to find a fast one for C to F temp conversions though. It takes a bit longer to do the 9/5-5/9 + or - equation in your head.

I get really stressed out driving without knowing the area/route ahead of time. With so much poor city planning out there, whenever I wing it I tend to end up in dead ends or winding cul-de-sac heavy areas where you can see where you need to be across a few feet of someone's yard. I've never really adapted to using phone/gps nav either for some reason as it feels so distracting and myopic. I still only use GMaps etc for preplanning. Give me a paper map and orientation to major streets any day.

>From experience, this “dark place” is entirely >self-manufactured by your own mind that is not taking >instructions from you. Working to address that is the >way out.

This is a frustrating belief I have come up against time after time from people who cannot seem to understand that their experience isn't everyone's. Most people I know who live in the dark place have plenty of valid external reasons. I know I do. While my mental state can be influenced by attitude to one degree or another, the root cause are entirely NOT self-manufactured. This is a real problem seeking any sort of care for it since people believe as you have stated either from their own experience of "getting better" from nothing but an attitude or primary situational depression etc, or because others have told them so. It's a universal complaint from those I know who have real issues.

I do. I worked in healthcare and the overwhelming majority of patients are legit. Same with any category where people are cynical and project that cynicism onto the majority. When I became a patient I became a victim of this categorization. I've been labeled immediately as drug seeking or mental or whatever and things have gone ignored or dismissed until I pushed long enough and hard enough for testing etc. I've told the story over and over irl about working in inner city hospitals and seeing people consistently dismissed and joked about for hours until testing prove them legit and then watching people scramble mostly to CYA not out of any empathy. Was a major contributor to my burnout in the field.

Calling worried patients with scary symptoms "nuts" and their issues "crap" really sums up the sort of thing I am talking about and is what makes patients afraid their provider isn't going to do their best to help them. Empathy is required for good healthcare. I recently got another confirmed and terribly depressing diagnosis of an incurable issue, but the provider I was working with was so kind, caring, and informative it reduced the mental impact as much as is possible. A dismissive provider, who was ultimately wrong, a few weeks before had me in an even worse head space than normal until I got to someone good. When I reached out to the wrong one to notify them they didn't seem care at all and dug in harder despite the proof/labs etc.

"A few bad apples" isn't because of the few bad apples. It's because the farmer decides all the apples are rotten, and throws them all out with the few rotten ones, while telling others constantly about those rotten ones as if they are the norm.

I feel you. I have RSD, a related disease, and even today half the doctors I see either dismiss it or do not believe in it. I went through YEARS of blame and denial before a very kind specialist in Europe spent time with me and gave me answers. By then it was too late to put it in remission, but their treatments did reduce it some, for which I am grateful as I'd not have lasted beyond that time without it. But day to day its still life altering. It's taken so much from me, that I cannot even afford to deal with it well anymore, let alone the other inevitable medical things and aging.

Pain is too often ignored, dismissed, miscategorized. While psychosomatic issues and stress positively make things worse, it's not always the root of all issues and too often it's projected as such. It will ultimately be the end of me as there is no realistic way to get enough back to survive long term.

I know it's anecdotal and people live their own experience, but in my own experience dang is the only moderator I can recall having a conversation with where it WAS a conversation and not some authoritarian declaration. He even seems to go out of his way in comments to explain his thoughts and I have seen him change his mind and admit things as well. I wasn't aware he was Canadian but it funnily feeds the positive stereotype of politeness in our northern neighbors. Most people in positions of power online seem to be little Joffrey types with take it or leave it attitudes regardless of how you speak to them.

Also add me to the people who didn't know it was "Dan G" for the longest time and loved "dang" as a name.

It's interesting how one or two dissenting views amongst a majority neutral or even supportive results in "This place is <insert bias> now!" I wonder why absolute agreement is required for some people to not feel attacked or marginalized.

Not rude at all and happy to give input, however my circumstances are different than those with MS/ALS etc so not sure how relevant it will be. I can still "technically" walk, move, appear fairly normal outwardly, I am just in severe pain all the time, have ongoing damage to joints and nerves from surgery that caused this, and my endurance and mental state has gone with it. It's a slowly creeping degeneration after a massive initial decrease, and isn't at all like those mentioned neurodegenerative issues where brain function is failing rapidly. I have some other physical issues as well that compound this.

From a philosophical point of view for ME personally, VR/AR/the internet/gaming etc isn't an adequate substitute for "real life" and I personally don't derive enough from substitutes to feel my quality of life is good, it's more just clinging to SOME interaction as I do here on HN. However I am sure for some people it is enough to make a significant impact and I find it a worthy avenue to pursue.

From a physical point of view, my circumstances make even the above things worse as I have some visual issues that cause headaches/eyestrain etc severely with most modern display types for some yet undetermined reason. It's none of the obvious once like PWM/blue light etc. So I am in a really corner case spot with tech and clinging to a super old device or two that aren't long for the world. I also have monovision and severe amblyopia so VR headsets don't work even if I could stand the display tech. I can stand a few min here and there to post a comment. But I cannot spend hours online or on screen anymore. A perfect ironic hit since that was about the only earning potential left and its already cost me the one real shot I have had in years. So often people are facing multiple disabilities from multiple angles.

I hope its helpful although I doubt I said much of substance.

I remember when Skype debuted and after only crackly POTS calls as a reference point, the clarity whilst speaking from the USA to a friend in Berlin was AMAZING. I am not sure of dates but at some point it started to decline not just in call quality but UI and everything really, I assume this is when it was sold but cannot be sure. I had hoped Wire would fill that void for me PLUS add encryption, since some original Skypers were involved, but it seems to be fading as well on the Personal side.

I had assumed from the title it was about AI rather than a proxy brain, but as someone with a damaged meat bag and miserable QOL as a result, I long for a transfer into an artificial body/brain where once can repair/replace parts and be as good as new. I don't imagine its possible at all really, let alone in the short time I have left, but one can dream.

I hitchhiked quite often in Europe around the turn of the century. Something that was unheard of in my suburban middle American youth. It seemed like the most normal thing in the world in Central Europe/The Baltics especially with travelers in orderly queues respecting who arrived first etc. Mostly it was great and someone would pick you up in short order and the resultant conversations were interesting. Occasionally you'd get dropped in a bad spot or an unlucky time and you'd wait a while. Only once did I give up and take a train after 24 hours of nothing and sleeping overnight on a park bench in the rain. I'd love to have the health and freedom of those days again.

I experienced everything from dirt poor people in rusting apart cars who were willing to share everything they had with you, to people in obscenely expensive suits and luxury rides who were unbothered by your road grime. A particularly memorable trip was in a high end Mercedes at terrifying speeds from Genoa, Italy through southern France, and having/getting to wander around Monaco for a few hours in while the driver tended to some business there on the way. The cheapest thing I could find to drink was a 10 Euro lemonade at a cafe as I watched private helicopters come and go from a seaside heliport. Definitely too rich a place for me, but one I never though I would see.

Aviation proves that untrue. Mostly people follow them. That some will not doesn't invalidate their worth. I am always confounded by people who argue everything isn't good enough, and then nothing ever changes as a result.

Yet people still cut off the wrong bits, leave things inside. Read this is you want to get mad: https://www.nj.com/hobokennow/2008/06/humc_suspends_doc_who_...

The doctor who did this is still practicing last I checked, as are the staff involved in covering it up, and the hospital he worked for was not informing patients of his history.

Another shockingly similar case: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/412903/HOSPITAL-SETTLES-...

Just two cases I remember reading about. Over a quarter million or more per year according to most sources.

Medical mistakes are the THIRD leading cause of death in the USA. Actually, conscientiously using a checklist to reduce that isn't too much to ask.

I was trying to find a razor that means the opposite of Hanlon's since I find malice/greed etc is far more often the cause of problems than stupidity. Seems there is no accepted named one.

This is extremely common in middle America where I live. People using social services but opposing it for others. They believe they have earned and deserve it, and the others are abusers who haven't.

He really isn't. He hits the rumble strips constantly when staring at his phone, and it only takes a second of inattention to kill someone. Being lucky so far isn't proof of competence. This attitude is the exact problem I was addressing in relation to the article...people thinking THEY are safe and others are the real problem and why we need checklists/rules.

They fail because of egos and arrogance. This is the root cause of a lot of life's problems. People think they are above it and too smart etc. They hate being "told what to do". An example, I have a family member who will complain about texting and driving from some position of superiority but who does it constantly himself. When challenged with that behavior he refuses to acknowledge it. He believes he is above it, better than those who cause accidents, and only those "lesser" people need to follow rules. It's an incredibly common behavior and doctors are no different...and in some cultures more likely to assert their status.

Yeah I read some article years ago saying they were embroiled in lawsuits. I am surprised they are still claiming the M400 is "in development" after this long. Sadly seems more of a long term money siphon than any real project.

I remember the Moller Sky Car ads that were in every Popular Science magazine of my youth 35-40 years ago. That beautiful, deep red, futuristic machine with the rotating engine pods was something little me was sure I'd be flying around in some day. Life disappoints.

"The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi has an interesting part of the plot involving GMO food and companies.

It's fun to think of other ways one might interpret the sign in the article's main photo if social convention changed enough it wasn't obvious.

A machine that can reanimate the dead perhaps? Energy that can turn bones into a living person?

I wonder who the primary audience is intended to be? I would think future societies at the point these sites could be lost (thousands of years per the article's suggested readability) to common knowledge would have tech to scan/detect such sites. Though its always possible for things to regress as a result of some disaster.

I think its a combination of a few things. First I think there are automod policies that use keywords in these conroversial topics to throttle. Second I think an ugly truth people don't want to admit is tech is heavily slanted to his supporters and those who find his values appealing due to the gender, class and age weighting in the industry, and nationality on this site being predominately American. Third there is a concentrated effort in every relatively neutral forum to downvote/argue/oppose, some of which is organic and some active measures. You often see an initial and rapid hit and downvoting of comments critical of him or the country in general, but then as the other hemisphere wakes up it balances out.