The Russian occupation. Popular science.

20221207

I got another report from across the river from Kherson

M*****’s mother reports constant artillery and rockets from where they are towards Kherson. The Russians claim Kherson is Russian. No one contradicts the narrative publically, private conversations are far different for example: Ukraine will be in Crimea in spring. Whatever the UAF operation is on the spit must be effective as more Russians are leaving with their equipment. The local hospital is now totally closed, all medications removed, all medical staff (doctors, nurses, technicians, paramedics and support staff) are gone and nobody really knows where they went.

A family acquaintance had a prostate flare up and could not release urine. Lots of pain, they finally found someone to drive them 25 miles to a town with a working medical centre and they only had beds for Russians finally they did catheterised the bladder to drain it and sent him home with no treatments and made it clear not to return.

B***** called his babushka and called M***** upset after because at times he could not hear her due to the noise of explosion from incoming Ukraine artillery rounds. The Ukrainian government is very quiet on current operations but there is frequent automatic fire across the river and on the roadways outside of the town. No one knows if it is UAF or partisan engagement with Russians. 

It is interesting that the Nervous Nellies among the conservative movement find it frightening that Ukraine is defending itself by shooting up the airbases from which Russia is launching airplanes to bomb Ukraine. How stupid can you get? Doesn’t the Castle doctrine apply? If we are getting shot at, shouldn’t we have the right to shoot back?  It appears Ukraine is doing it with homemade rockets, or upgraded equipment left over from the Soviet era. Good for us!

Unraveling an interesting mystery on the medical front

Facts: Eddie sometimes throws up for reasons we don't understand. He sometimes feels weak and goes to bed. Eddie's best friend Artem has been diagnosed with lactose intolerance. Artem's mother is a food nut.

Putting these facts together, it followed that as night the day, that Eddie has lactose intolerance. Oksana brought him to get a test which confirmed it, and thrust upon me the problem of arranging medications and diet for him.

I got on the case. Quite reluctantly. There were more facts to be gathered.

First of all Eddie doesn't think he has lactose intolerance. Milk, cheese and other dairy products don't bother him, at least to his knowledge.

Second, per the Mayo Clinic and the book I bought, there are five symptoms of lactose intolerance: gas, nausea, cramping, bloating, and/or diarrhea. Eddie has none of them.

Third, the three symptoms Eddie does have, throwing up, low energy at times, and headaches are not associated with lactose intolerance.

Fourth, I learned through the Internet and from the book that there are two standard tests for lactose intolerance. They give you glucose and then after an hour or so either (1) give you what's called a hydrogen breath test, or (2) take a blood sample and measure the glucose. They did not do these tests. Instead they gave him a genetic test to see if his DNA predisposes him to lactose intolerance at some point in his life.

What do we learn from this? Anecdotal, folk medicine is unreliable. The medical community will play along. You have to do your own research.  In the meantime, Eddie is going to continue to enjoy pizza and ice cream.

That’s the brief word from Lake WeBeGone, where the strong man is getting this post out while we still have light and before taking Zoriana to kindergarten. The good-looking woman is catching up with her mail, and Eddie has already watched the war news from Denys Davidov and is reading something. I hope it is schoolwork, but the fact that he is reading is comfort enough.

Graham