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Steve Jobs Issues Update On His Health
i4u writes "Rumors about Steve Jobs' health have been flying high again after Apple announced that he will not be holding the keynote at the Macworld 2009. Today Steve Jobs issued a letter with a rather personal update on why he was losing weight in 2008. The reason for losing weight in 2008 is a hormone imbalance that has been reducing proteins. The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward according to Jobs.
Steve and his doctors predict that he will have normal weight again by Spring. So stop the rumors and enjoy Macworld 2009."
from the can't-believe-this-is-news dept
When many people believe that the continued success of a large company depends on one individual, his health becomes news.
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Being that he had pancreatic cancer, he's probably on a special diet. A fatty diet causes a pancreas much grief.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
dad?
Don't you mean "father"?
"male parental unit" would be acceptable too.
Find a company or product that will not immediately collapse when its founder dies or retires.
Except that there was a long period of time between about 1985 and 1998 or so that Jobs was no longer associated with Apple. That's what? Almost 15 years?
Apple didn't immediately collapse and the Macintosh line existed and was largely successful in niche markets without Jobs.
No, Apple doesn't need Jobs, but I think that without Jobs, Apple would lose its sense of direction.
My blog
I am a physician and I have actually performed a few Whipple procedures in my training. I can say that upon reading this letter, I immediately smelled big-time BS.
There are some treatable medical causes of cachexia (profound weight loss) but they are not difficult to diagnosis. If he had pancreatic insufficiency following his pancreas resection, this should have been quickly noted because it is common and his newfound symptoms of diabetes are easily recognized.
Hyperthyroidism is another cause of weight loss, but any doctor worth his salt would have screened for this right away. Celiac disease is another possibility but again this is not a difficult diagnosis because of the GI symptoms (lots of diarrhea).
The most likely cause of weight loss in this setting is cancer, cancer, and cancer. It can sometimes be very difficult to find where exactly the cancer metastases have recurred, and this can delay the proper diagnosis.
The main thing that Jobs has going for him is that this weight loss was first publicly noted some time ago now, and he does not have other signs of cancer that we know of. Jobs does not seem to be the type to hide it if he knew he had cancer. At least, he didn't hide it the first time, right?
shellac.
I shouldn't reply to this ridiculous posting, which implies that somehow because I am both a doctor and a geek I am not allowed to have an opinion on a media report on a medical issue. But fine, I will take the bait.
I am not Steve Jobs' doctor and I am not trying to be. The OP solicited a doctor's opinion and I gave mine with the little information I could guess at from a media report.
COMMON SENSE would dictate that I am not making an ironclad diagnosis from a media report, but apparently it is because of people such as yourself, who are lacking in this capacity, that people have to post disclaimers at the bottom of their comments and email or whatever that they are only giving their opinion and not a professional service.
Before I posted my earlier message I had a discussion about the media report with one of my colleagues. It would seem then that you would prefer doctors to keep such talk to ourselves. You are quite free to block my comments or refrain from reading them from now on.
shellac.
Trust me, once you've heard the words "It's cancer," suddenly the words "it's a type with a very high survival rate" make you feel incredibly lucky.
Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
From what I've read in various places, consulting doctors for health advice isn't his primary strategy. I've heard the Whipple was only after everything else (quirky diets, 'alternative' healers) failed. Though I suppose there must have been some testing in there to have a diagnosis in the first place.
I don't know what's going on, I'm just pointing out that the doctors you presume are there may not be (at least regularly), nor would they necessarily have a good patient.
My God, it's Full of Source!
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