The Ides of March Came Calling

It is unusual for me to not write something for an entire month. My last blog on the dumpster fire that was the Academy Award nominations was a turning point of my 2023. After that date, a lot of things happened. Here is a quick summary:

Went to Houston via Oklahoma City for some real estate shopping.
Went skiing at Lee Canyon outside Las Vegas.
Saw an AHL minor league hockey game in Palm Desert (Coachella Valley Firebirds) and an NLL Lacrosse game (San Diego Seals) in San Diego.

It has been a busy month. But it got more complicated just before my trip to Houston.

I have been very healthy through most of my life. I never really had an issue with drugs or alcohol. I can change my diet immediately due to my self-discipline.  Besides my three to five times a week Diet Coke or eating at a few too many fast-food joints during the week (Usually two or three), I live a pretty healthy life. In late February, I got up in the middle of the night coughing up blood. My family rushed me to the hospital where I was diagnosed with an ulcer. This completely changed my mindset overnight. All my little vices,

Wine Tasting
Whisky
Carbonated Soda
Spicy Foods

, were gone in a second. Despite my diagnosis, I still participated in all the social events mentioned above. But I also don’t want to bore you with the details of my social activities over the past couple of weeks. The details the medication given to me for ulcer treatment is a much more interesting blog to write.

After diagnosis, I was given two medications: Protonix (Pfizer), a proton pump inhibitor, and Sucralfate, a medication that coats and protects the stomach lining (Ulcer) during food digestion. On my first evening of taking Protonix AKA Pantoprazole, I got all the side effects but none of the benefits. Without getting into too disgusting of a description, the medication was in my trash within 12 hours.
A quick note: I FUCKING HATE PFIZER. Their bullshit COVID-19 shots don’t work so why did I think their copyrighted ulcer medication would?

I did some research and settled on Nexium. Both Nexium and Prilosec are proton pump inhibitors, but the former seemed to have the best score with the least amount of side effects. So I began taking it.

As I got better, the side effects of the Nexium started kicking in after two weeks. Some fun things like headaches, diarrhea, and muscle aches in random places around my body. I decided to lower my dosage and get off the medication while continuing to use the Sucralfate, the only medication I took that had no discernable impact on me. Writing this blog, I am on my way to recovery. But, the medication also makes you susceptible to bacterial infections. So I am fighting a nasal infection for the past two weeks that just won’t go away. But in terms of my stomach problems, my body is on the mend.

Here is the point I want to make.

If I had done a little more research, I could have probably healed my ulcer on my own with a proper diet, exercise, and rest. The medication really tore my body up. Sitting up late at night shaking with chills and getting piercing migraine headaches was not worth whatever the positives of the medication happened to be. I feel like my life was shortened between six months to a year while I was fighting this ulcer with modern day medication. I later found out that H2 blockers like Pepcid caused me an allergic reaction after stopping the proton pump inhibitors. So these were just as dangerous. The only thing that actually gave me temporary relief turned out to be the antacid Pepto Bismol which has been consistently working for dozens of years with millions of people around the world taking that pink goop after a bad pizza.

But here is my main point. The American people need to start doing something about these pharmaceutical companies. Historically, the chemists and pharmacists besides coming up with “Snake Oil” type cures were always looking for a way to heal illness. In the 1950s, Jonas Salk invented the polio vaccine which basically wiped the disease off the face of the Earth. The amount of innovation that occurred in the medicine field over the past 100 years is mind-blowing. The global population has exploded and there is a generic medication that works wonders on illnesses in every country. Antibiotics have been one of the most amazing discoveries of our time. But over time and as these companies gained power, it feels like everything that has been invented over the past 40 years is different. The medications seem to resolve the current ailment that you have but it helps to create another one through the medication’s side effects profile. These companies do not seem like they are interested in curing you of any disease. They are only interested in turning you into a permanent customer until the Grim Reaper finally comes calling. I will not make this mistake with these medications again.

My last bit of advice. If any of my readers comes down with a medical condition or illness, do your homework on everything that the medical doctor prescribes for you. Like investing, we have reached an era where the professionals in charge can not be trusted. They maybe compromised by money, industry pressure, or government regulation. I do not want to say that they are always wrong. Many doctors are concerned about their patients and generally wish for them to get better. But these medications have gotten so complicated and the information regarding them online is so muddled, that it is very possible that they are unaware of the dangers of these medications. It is up to you to protect your life in the best way that you can. Until next week!