Open Heart Surgery, emotional impact, COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vax 

I was reminded by an anti-vax Twitter post promoting a conspiracy film. "People hospitalized with covid in the US are murdered using the deadly drug Remdesivir and ventilators."

I would have to get actual data on Remdesivir, but a person I knew who had Covid, recovered under the drug, then Covid came back seemingly worse... I'd have questions, but I'd get answers from people I can *sue* if they screw it up. But I'm sure as hell not going to take advice from someone tweeting crap on the toilet.

That said, I *do* know something about ventilators. In 2008, @mikmaqpeek was having "odd symptoms that could be heart related." We went to ER, no enzymes showing heart damage. They kept her overnight, then had her do a treadmill test to see how the heart responded. It did not respond well.

She half-fell, was half-pulled off the machine. They began a panic consult while I was in the waiting room not suspecting anything was wrong. A nurse bursts into the room, "You need to come with me *RIGHT NOW*!"

Moments later, it was all a blur. The doctors consulted with us both while I maintained calm for the terror my wife was in. They begged pardon for invading her privacy, but they needed to shave her groin for an angiogram during the consult while getting permission to *do* the angiogram. They were in a hurry to pinpoint a block they knew had to be there and determine how likely it was to kill her within the next few minutes.

They did pinpoint the block, they determined the extent of it and if a stent would work. In that particular position, it would not. Days later under careful watch, she had the surgery. She was intubated to force her lungs to breathe through the trauma just done to her rib-cage to get access to her heart and the block for a "CABG" bypass.

After the surgery, I was there to see her as she came out of the drugs so she would have people she knew. When I first saw her, that wasn't my wife. It was an animal, terrified, but there was no thinking person, not the woman I loved, and it was hell. But she was alive, and she was in good care I trusted.

That's what I know of intubation... her wrists restrained to keep her from yanking the tube out... a button to press to help her with pain relief so they could gauge her status. While she was coming out of the drugs, I went to phone family with the situation. Her son & daughter were already there to be with her while I was away.

"Hospitals ... murdering people through the ventilator."

Go to hell. Go directly to hell. Yes, I'm aware of doctors and nurses, administrators acting like people do, as they are people.

But when I last visited ER because my wife was sick, they specifically had to ask if either of us had weapons, something they didn't have to do before. We get the reports of medical professionals being murdered for doing their job by these IDIOTS. I have very raw anger at the misinformation and contempt these morons have for the medical profession charged with keeping them alive.

I do not wish them violence or harm. But I do stand against them. There is data, there is cause for concern, and *ANY* procedure has risk, even life-saving ones. But... the lies have to go along with the hate and fearmongering. Let the data show what it shows, let honesty and integrity win, let people make informed decisions based on proven risk data and personal assessment.

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Open Heart Surgery, emotional impact, COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vax 

@Romaq @mikmaqpeek

I am so sorry you went through all of that. All of the hate and violence that's directed at people just trying to do their jobs at hospitals, schools, etc. is so wrong and unnecessary. Thank you for sharing such a personal story.

Open Heart Surgery, emotional impact, COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vax 

@BE I have no regrets for being there for @mikmaqpeek. I signed up for it. She was the one in agony, potentially dying. But the people peddling hate and misinformation do get my knickers knotted.

As a note, a few years later my wife was in ER triage while I parked the car for possible cardiac symptoms. As I came up to join and support her, the nurse asked in a snotty tone, "Are you the husband?"

Exhausted, worried, trying to mask all that so @mikmaqpeek could have calm support, this thing just sorta fell out of my mouth: "Well, I used to be her hired goon, but people looked at us strange so she married me instead."

My wife turned to look at me with shock as it registered, then chuckled despite the pain and fear. The nurse went on about her business but my wife remembered the other nurses chuckling also.

A sense of humor goes a long way to fight back the fear, pain, and terror.

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