MSM Follies, pt 1

The Sonic-Mate made a funny tonight. His comment on how the MSM will cover the passing of Ariel Sharon:

"Ariel Sharon is dead. No. Ariel Sharon is alive. Everyone else is dead!....
No. Scratch that. It's just Sharon. We repeat, Ariel Sharon is dead.... but there were unconfirmed reports of alleged cannibalism".

I added the bit about cannibalism in homage to the Katrina coverage.

PS. Please don't take this the wrong way and think we take this lightly. We hope Sharon pulls through. But Greg's dad had the same type of bleeding stroke last year. Though it was not as severe as Sharon's, and he has recovered nicely, Greg's dad nearly died due to the complications from his stroke. During recovery, stroke victims tend to form blood clots around the heart, which can dislodge and travel to the brain, causing an ischemic stroke (clot blocks blood flow to part of the brain). Doctors normally use anticoagulants to try and prevent this. Problem is - you can't give anticoagulants to victims of hemorrhagic stroke as that will thin the blood and in many cases lead to more hemorrhagic strokes. Greg's dad formed clots in his lungs, and though this is not likely to cause another stroke, it did cause him to suffer severe hypoxia. The clots were interfering with his lungs abilities to absorb oxygen. He almost died from anaphylactic shock, caused by medication given while he was at Stanford Medical in San Jose. There was more stuff that happened, but I listed the most severe to make a point. Many people who survive the initial stroke die from the complications. Given the experience with Greg's dad, I don't think Sharon has much of a chance of pulling through. Here's hoping that I'm wrong.

PPS. The brain damage suffered by Greg's dad was moderate, if that. No slurred speech or droopy face. He can walk, for short distances, with out assistance. He was very, very lucky the stroke didn't do more damage.