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An Update on Patrick Volkerding
Noryungi writes "Patrick Volkerding, the maintainer of Slackware Linux has posted an update on his health problems on the ChangeLog of Slackware-Current. Unfortunately, it seems his health is getting worse and not better... Again, if you know some specialist in viral infections, contact Patrick ASAP. Hang in there, Pat!" Our original story.
He said in his message that he'd gone to the Mayo Clinic. There are bigger cities than Rochester, MN, but not better clinics. Mind you, there may well be a clinic of the same caliber that has more experts in infectuous disease ... that I do not know, but just because a city is larger doesn't mean it has better facilities.
At least he found the Oregano oil
Hope Patrick is feeling better soon - cardiac stuff is scary++ and the things he describes are going to cause him long term troubles even if he does recover
I am very easy to get along with, but I don't have time to waste being nice to people who are being stupid. -Theo
Seriously, if you kept yourself informed, you'd realise by now that Pat was _never_ self medicating, when he was on antibiotics it was always under perscription.
Ask 8 slackers a question, get 10 awnsers (a citation, but I can't remember from who)
Finding a good doc is like finding a sysadmin (or car mechanic, or plumber, or electronics engineer) who actually knows how things work as opposed to being adept at the 'good practices' dance.
About 15 years back a friend had psittacosis that was so bad they had him on IV antibiotics for a year. It's pretty rare in humans and usually not so severe.
It took him forever to find a doc who recognized what he had.
I'm no doc, but common sense would suggest that if symptoms suggest an infectious agent, sampling and investigation of the site of infection would be in order.
As for docs, I had one who looked at an x-ray of my hand in which three bones were clearly broken with a good 3/8 inch between the broken ends and tell me that my hand was fine! Even the x-ray tech didn't see the breaks. It was a surreal experience. Ditto for my moms fractured pelvis (she fell through a rotten section of floor in a building we we're thinking of buying). X-ray tech and doctor did not see the fracture until I pointed it out on the film. They were going to send her home with some pain killers!
Last example was bicep torn completely off the bone in my forearm. Pretty obvious something was wrong. Bicep all bunched up near my shoulder. It was the THIRD doctor who looked at it that finally agreed something was wrong (although he still misdiagnosed). Finally found a good orthpedist who had seen the condition (pretty unusual) before.
Now I'm the grandest Tiger in the Jungle!
As you can read here in his last post on
The only time we don't report out normal mouth bacteria is when we are working with a specimen from, uh, the mouth.
Ed Uthman, MD
Pathologist, Houston/Richmond, TX, USA
Look, I can appreciate how important this guy is. I respect all of his accomplishments and the things that he has done to help the linux movement. When his story was first posted on slashdot, several of the hospital network gurus came up to me and asked me about it in our CIS meeting.
I assumed that this was posted (like everything else) on slashdot to generate discussion and comments. I did so. If you don't like my opinion, you can set me as your foe and choose to ignore my future posts.
If you were to reread my post, I wasn't giving advice. I was just giving my opinion of his situation.
Seriously, if you kept yourself informed, you'd realise by now that Pat was _never_ self medicating, when he was on antibiotics it was always under perscription.
/.,
Exactly.
I'm also getting some people who are telling me that this whole issue was caused by antibiotics that weakened my immunity. However, from around 2/2003 to 11/2004, I did not take _any_ antibiotics. When I started to get really sick in October I hadn't had antibiotics in well over a year. I had only two short courses of antibiotics in 2002 and 2003 for what seemed to be bronchitis (though the docs never verified if it was bacterial or viral but just said, "here, eat some Cipro).
One more time:
I have not been "self-medicating".
I have never, ever, taken antibiotics until I felt better and then stopped them, allowing a resistant relapse to occur. I have, however, been given an insufficient initial course of antibiotics for prostatitis in 2001 (which is what then required a long course of Cipro).
For those who are making fun of my supposedly improper use of medical terms, or wrong context, or whatever: this is not my field of expertise and we both know it. I don't hassle people trying to get computer help from me when they use incorrect jargon. Maybe BMDFH should be a new acronym.
On the hypochondria theory: anyone who has ever spent any significant time with me in person would shoot that one down in an instant. The last two months have been highly unusual for me, and I've never been inclined to think that I'm sick, to worry about that, or to go see doctors.
I hate being a pincushion.
Oh, and I know that seeing a new doctor causes a reinvent the wheel syndrome, and that when you tell them how many other doctors you've seen recently they tend to suspect you're crazy rather than physically ill. I know this all too well. However, if the antibiotics I've taken are suppressing the usual clinical evidence then I'm in a bit of a catch-22. As sick as I've been, the idea of using my body as a petri dish doesn't appeal to me much, comprende? Plus, some of these bugs (especially anerobes) simply don't culture well, and they won't go for the slam-dunk with a needle biopsy. At some point you'd think there would be a time for proactive treatment. Like in, say, a patient with no history of heart trouble who has complained of a recent fever and infection who has developed a new mitral valve prolapse.
I guess that's about it for now. I know some of you think I'm an behaving like an idiot, or whatever. I only hope that those of you who feel that way never find yourselves in my shoes.
To everyone who has offered well-wishes, thank you!
Best regards to
Pat
Please excuse my sarcasm and distaste in advance.
/. but a patient cannot read and contribute to their own care?
Patrick, don't listen to this #$%@ doctor, keep reading and fighting for your health. If you are reading this patrick please remember to remind your doctor's you have a brain, and read up on patient rights. If you get really frustrated ask to speak to the Hospital Administrator the next time you are in the ER. Nothing says action like calling the Money, I mean boss. If it is the weekend ask for the nurse or doctor admin that is covering the hospital (not just the ward).
Now to the response...
Being a simple-minded newbie like Patrick I can't imagine how I can attempt to respond to...a doctor on the subject of medicine!
I will vouch for your credentials since you start by exposing your ego! "you have a patient who is trying to diagnosis and treat his own condition"
A few questions:
How could an intelligent patient that is not a doctor possibly understand all this medical stuff! How could the patient understand what they are experiencing! How is it a doctor can read and contribute to
I am not just spouting crap here, I am truly empathetic for Patrick's plight. I have had years of medical problems (now I'm fine) and ten times as many frustrations with egotistical doctors that don't listen. I could easily write a book of my experiences recounting when doctors where down right wrong.
I am not saying that the patient is always right however reasons should be given why they are wrong, with the proof to back it up (journals, etc). The patient knows his/her body best.
The 'pop' Patrick described could have been his mitral valve failing, which would not show on an x-ray. So there is just one counter diagnosis to your words of wisdom.
Let me demonstrate the extent an ego can interfere with care. My with had to be on coumadin (blood thinner) after about 3 weeks she began to develop sever pain in here right leg and foot. We called the doctor, he immediately put her on nerve pain medicine attributing it to a pinched nerve. The pain increased over the course of a week (with the new meds). In frustration I (close your ears children) began to research coumadin side-effects. The doctor swore that was impossible and that side effects to coumadin would present themselves within the first week. (he was wrong, read on). My reason for thinking it was the coumadin was the pain increased immediately after a shot and decreased steadily until the next shot. Seemed logical but a doctor would surely know better!
Desperate to help my wife I called the drug company who makes coumadin, I got their medical advice line (for doctors). I didn't identify myself but let them assume, after all the reading I had done I could talk the talk. Regardless after 3 hours on the phone with a doctor and pharmacist from the drug company (longer then our doctor had ever spent with us). They diagnosed my wife with a rare reaction to coumadin known as 'Purple Toe Syndrome'. They faxed me 30+ pages of case studies, documentation, etc. to back up their diagnosis. I read through it all, it was correct.
You know what the doctor did when I called him with the evidence? First he wouldn't get on the phone. I told his secretary he had 3 minutes to call or I called the administrator with the proof (he called in 2). He refused to believe me or the drug companies documentation saying well I have never heard/seen such a thing! Despite my wife recovering exactly as the drug company described, the doctor to this day still refuses to acknowledge he was wrong.
This is who you are dealing with Patrick. I hope you have someone to help you fight since it takes as much energy to get good health care as it does being sick.
God speed on your recovery, continue to ask questions, you are intelligent and more interested in your care then the doctors are.
Remember when you leave their office/ward, the doctor see more patien
Those are very kind words... and I appreciate them greatly.
One of the reasons I stay in a teaching hospital is so I will not be pressured by the marketplace to see X number of patients per day.
Sometimes I see 4 in a morning... sometimes I see only one or two patients. I am in a unique position.
By the average person allowing HMOs, insurance, and the government to try to control medical costs... the system is now completely broken. Fossils like me hide out in teaching colleges where, for now, we have some insulation from the marketplace.
Quote: "One can have that without elevated ESR."
:)
m d= Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9108181
I completely agree... thanks for clearing that up. I'll even support your clarification for you.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?c
The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of C-reactive protein (CRP) elevation compared to erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leucocyte count and thrombocyte count in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE). It was designed as a prospective study of suspected episodes of IE in adults in tertiary care at a university-affiliated department of infectious diseases. In 89 episodes of IE, CRP was available from the start of treatment. Median age was 66 years, 45 were men and 44 women. Median CRP concentration was found to be 90 (range 0-357) mg/l with only 4% normal values. Episodes involving native valves had higher CRP than episodes occurring with prosthetic valves. Staphylococcal origin, short duration of symptoms, short duration of fever and highest recorded temperature all correlated to higher CRP levels. The CRP response was also prominent among patients > 70 years old. Among non-responders, a few cases with simultaneous cirrhosis were noted. ESR was less sensitive than CRP, with a normal level in 28% of the episodes. It was concluded that CRP determination is superior to erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leucocyte count and thrombocyte count in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis.