e-Patient Dave

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Criminal investigation of Facebook begins

Chances are you’ve heard about this already but the news coverage hasn’t been saying what I think is significant, so I’m posting. The New York Times piece starts thus:

Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook struck with some of the world’s largest technology companies, intensifying scrutiny of the social media giant’s business practices as it seeks to rebound from a year of scandal and setbacks.

I heard about this while out for pizza with my chorus buddies after a performance. Friends on Twitter were talking about #FacebookDown, so I popped open my phone’s browser and got this: Facebook was down.

“Something went wrong” indeed. :-)

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More about Facebook’s privacy and security

This is a quick update on the status of Facebook’s issues. I could have written several such posts as the weeks have gone by since I posted that I quit FB on January 7, but this will do. 

I’m bothered that this isn’t in the news more about healthcare, but it is in the news for high tech and investors, especially since the Feb. 5 publication of the new book Zucked, by Roger McNamee, who was an early advisor to the company and continues to be a big fan. It might sound like a tell-all scandal book (and “catastrophe” in the subtitle is certainly scandally) but I’m listening to it on audio and the book itself is not, at least so far. The guy believes that Zuck (whom he personally coached) and COO Sheryl Sandberg (whom he recruited to join FB long ago) have just gone too far in their belief that they’re not responsible for what anyone does with their software.

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Facebook, I’m out. Your irresponsibility with patient groups has gone too far.

I have stopped participating on Facebook.  I’m leaving my account live (so that my post about why I’m leaving is visible), but everything will be shut off as much as possible, and the rest will be ignored. No Messenger, no more posts on my timeline, no notifications, no tagging, etc.

I’ll be spending more time on LinkedIn and Twitter. I hope you’ll follow those pages, or use the Subscribe form on the right side of my blog page.

This isn’t an easy decision because it will be harder to keep in touch with everyone in my life, not least my family (including famous daughter and grandchild) and the many friends I’ve made in my travels. But I’ve decided we must stand up.

The rest of this post explains why; if you don’t need that info, ignore it – but  please keep in touch.

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Evolution, year 1: 2007 – cancer & recovery

First in a series of posts about the ten years since my diagnosis.

In 2007 I felt like my life was cornered into “Game Over.” Instead, it said “Free replay!”

Earlier this month on Twitter, health futurist @Berci asked which books I’ve read recently. It reminded me that for the past several years I’ve wanted to blog about how my views have changed as I’ve learned more about healthcare, which saved my life yet which has so many extraordinary malfunctions and disconnects, even as it accomplishes more and more apparent miracles. Even disconnects and malfunctions among very smart and conscientious people.

As I dug out the facts for this retrospective – my Amazon buying history (in print and audio and Kindle) and reviewed my travels (1.1 million miles to 500+ events) I thought wow, this has been an amazing trip, with some significant turns along the way. So I’ve decided to blog the odyssey and evolution year by year.

In this post, for 2007, there’s not much blogging, and no speeches, but a lot of terror, facing mortality, redemption and joy.

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Gin-knee-versary! A year since my wife got her unbelievable new knees from @HJLuks

Ginny at Half Moon restaurantThis is a verbatim copy of an extraordinary blog post last year, which I updated several times.

It was a year ago today that orthopedist Howard Luks @HJLuks replaced both my wife Ginny’s knees in one day, and as you’ll read, his method is so incredible that not only did she get no transfusions, her bandage didn’t even need to be changed until the follow-up visit weeks later. And as you’ll see, the progress of her recovery was extraordinary.

Want new knees? Read how Howard does it. Know anyone who’s considering new knees? Share this with them, please! I even gave it a memorable URL: bit.ly/ginnyknee

July 7, 2015

On Facebook Friday I posted this picture of my wife Ginny, saying “There is an astounding story behind this photo. Details Monday.” Well, it’s Monday.

As you read this, bear in mind, your mileage may vary – everyone’s different, this wouldn’t be appropriate for everyone, and Ginny herself played a big part in it.

The astounding story:

In this photo we were out to dinner, nine days after Ginny had both knees replaced. She walked into the restaurant using only canes – no walker, no wheelchair. The surgeon is Howard Luks, the social media orthopedist (@HJLuks), whom I met on Twitter in 2009, and the surgical approach he used is called muscle-sparing (or “quad-sparing”) minimally invasive surgery, part of a larger package of methods he uses, described below. Bottom line:

  • None of her muscles were cut
  • She had no transfusions
  • She has not needed to have any of her dressings changed
  • She left the hospital on day 3, was discharged from rehab 8 days after surgery, and today on day 12 we’re returning to New Hampshire, to continue outpatient physical therapy from home.

Of course she’s still on pain meds, tapering down, and her endurance is of course limited. But she is basically functional and able to live on her own if she needed to, or rehab wouldn’t have discharged her.

Here’s a video of her walking around the hospital floor – 500’ – with a walker for balance (not leaning on it), less than 48 hours after leaving the O.R., and on the right, at rehab, walking with just canes, a week after the surgery:

She was discharged from rehab after demonstrating (among other things) that she can safely walk up and down a full flight of stairs … six days after the surgery. She can get herself into and out of bed, into and out of our Prius, etc. She’s not speedy at any of it but she’s functioning reliably.

(Of course I have Ginny’s permission to talk about all this. Also, I’m an e-tool geek and she’s not, so I’m the one using the tools discussed here.)

Again, everyone, please read this: your mileage may vary – everyone’s different, this wouldn’t be appropriate for everyone, and Ginny herself played a big part in it.

The part Ginny played, as an activated, engaged patient

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