[ADULT - Medical Update] Angelsboi Q & A

[Angelsboi]

I was thinking about getting back into Ravenloft.

 

[Monster Manuel]

Quick, Ryan, multiclass to paladin. *weak smile* I'm guessing you're not getting too terribly much gaming in nowadays, but is anything I could get for you? Magic cards? Pokemon? Nude pictures of David Boreanz?

Because I can handle the first two of those.

I bet you could handle the last one too. Seriously though, Angelsboi; keep us posted. Godspeed.

 

[Numion]

Take care and keep fighting. You can beat the odds. I have done it a couple of times. The first time was a 93% chance of death, the second was 3 in 10,000 survive. Obviously, I was one of the 3. I have also beaten a half dozen 50/50 situations, most of them a result of the 93% episode of my life.

Statistics don't apply to individuals.

Remember: there are no odds.

 

[mythusmage]

You Can Beat It?

Folks, I know you're trying to encourage Ryan and all that, but he aint gonna beat it. No way. He may be able to survive it for awhile (many years I do hope), but eventually it will contribute to his premature death.

We might find a cure. We might develop a vaccine. We may not do either. After all the disease fighting measures we've developed over the years we are facing the very real possibility of a disease we can't fight effectively, that will decimate the human race, and which will take generations for us to adapt to. In AIDS we face something we may well have to learn to live with, much as our ancestors had to live with Smallpox.

We may find a cure. We may find a cure soon enough to save Angelsboi. But the odds are against it. So, please, no more, "You can beat it." Because he can't. It's time to face facts and admit Ryan's odds aint that good. Let's enjoy his company while we can, for the morrow may see him gone.

The world is not something you can control, any attempt to do so eventually leads to frustration and despair. The world is to be experienced, the good and the bad, with calmness of heart and steadiness of purpose. Then and only then can you find peace in the darkest of times.

 

[Numion]

Re: You Can Beat It?

Folks, I know you're trying to encourage Ryan and all that, but he aint gonna beat it. No way. He may be able to survive it for awhile (many years I do hope), but eventually it will contribute to his premature death.

Positive thinking helps to survive longer, even if you were right. I guess thats what people are trying to do here. Aren't there pretty healthy people with aids? Or am I confusing that with hiv?

But you're right, mythusmage. Heck, it's not like any of us will beat death.

Again, my best wishes for you Ryan.

 

[Rel]

Re: You Can Beat It?

We may find a cure. We may find a cure soon enough to save Angelsboi. But the odds are against it. So, please, no more, "You can beat it." Because he can't. It's time to face facts and admit Ryan's odds aint that good. Let's enjoy his company while we can, for the morrow may see him gone.

Bull.

You just said yourself that we may find a cure. You just said yourself that we may find it in time to save Angelsboi. You just said yourself that "the odds are against it". That means there's a chance.

While there a chance, you damn well fight.

Virtually every great success story is the result of somebody who beat the odds. But nobody ever did who didn't believe they could.

So to hell with giving up and resigning yourself to that fate, Angelsboi. You fight this thing knowing that you are not alone. When you are in doubt and despair, we will believe in you. When you are tired, we will carry you. When you are in pain, we will comfort you.

Just don't give up.

 

[mythusmage]

Rel, the late Robert Anson Heinlein once said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No sense in making a fool of yourself."

Twenty years with the virus under control, that's optimism. Beating it with good wishes and positive thinking, that is foolish. There are times to fight against the drawing of the dark, and times to let the shadows whelm the day. When all's said and done, nothing will keep the cat from walking on your keyboard if he's really determined to do so.

 

[Rel]

mythusmage, I've got nothing against you and I have no intention of getting into any sort of back and forth argument in this thread. But this advice:

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No sense in making a fool of yourself."

is all fine and dandy when you are talking about trying to walk across a balance beam, ride a horse, or make a combat effective Bard. When your life is on the line I think a bit more tenacity is in order.

Nobody is suggesting that Angelsboi fight AIDS armed only with happy thoughts and a sunny disposition. We're suggesting that he fight it with everything he's got. That happens to include happy thought and a sunny disposition.

If you care to disagree with that attitude (and I suspect you will), that's fine. But I'm not sure that fatalistic view has any place in this thread or others like it. Angelsboi is free to contradict me on that if he so chooses.

 

[Echohawk]

Re: Re: You Can Beat It?

Heck, it's not like any of us will beat death.

Hmmmm... I don't agree with this statement. Technology and medicine is developing rapidly enough, that it is quite possible that some of the people alive today will never die.

It is at least conceivable that we will find some way to store human beings in another form (non-biological) during our lifetimes, or perhaps during the lifetimes of our children. One possibility is that some people will be uploaded into machine-storage, and continue to live their lives virtually. While it may turn out that it isn't possible for humans to exist independently of our bodies, I think we have reached a point in history where it is no longer possible to state with complete certainty that everybody will die.

Thinking along similar lines, sufficient research into the HI virus is being undertaken today to make me believe that there will eventually be a cure, or at least a way of keeping the virus in check so that it doesn't contribute to anyone's premature death.

Since I'm thoroughly an optimist, I'm going to choose to believe that Angelsboi will be with us long enough to see both of these advances take place, and can look forward to a long future of role-playing in virtual space.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Rel, the late Robert Anson Heinlein once said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No sense in making a fool of yourself."

While I'm fond of Heinlein's writings and philosophy, there are some problems that you don't stop attempting to solve.

In the meantime, Alan, I hope that you can develop some, well, hope. I've got a great deal that AB can beat this current crisis and get himself into a more stabilized condition that can last a great deal longer. I'd hope you could be a little more positive, as well--at least publicly.