Some things known.

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I now know where my friend is, which hospital.  In SLC, of course.  What is going to be done, or not done, I don't know.  It is a valve in his heart.  While his family said the doctor hadn't put the nub on the surgery because of smoking, it seems as if that isn't true.  I have a second source that seems to confirm that side of the story.  The surgeon may simply be refusing to do the surgery because my friend smokes cigarettes.  I'm not, myself, convinced there is any connection, especially since the valve problem seems to be congenital/genetic, and not due to smoking.  It is medicine deciding to to kill and who to try to save based on external factors.  If he was overweight by forty pounds, and the doctor refused to treat him, it would be similar.  And, trust me, they will come for all of you, for this or that, if they get away with this.  Drink coffee or tea?  Eat "health food" that the doctor doesn't approve (potentially even "organic" food)?  Eat junk food?  Eat meat?  Are a vegetarian/vegan?  Any of these could be a basis, more so as the government is adding bureaucratic layers, and depending where you live and what the local "norms" are.  Just something you best be considering.

The other thing to note, is, as people live longer, there is less concern by the medical field for the elderly.  Some will argue that this is practical.  And, maybe, it is.  Faith in God, however, isn't practical... on a purely science based world, either.  Then again, neither is science, since most even it has to be taken on faith since none can know even enough to be sure about the practices in their own field, even if they are the top of their field.  I would rather put more faith in life, and take the risks, and treat seniors, children, and others, than to just surrender.  Unfortunately I have no access to medical ethics panels, aka death panels.  They were already being put in place before Zerocare.  Zerocare just gave those the Stalinist stamp of approval to murder whoever they saw fit.  Damned practical.  God damned, as well.

In any case, there is a chance that a visit might be figured out Monday.  If they will be doing the operation, probably, that would happen Wednesday.  (All according to what I have heard, which is second or third hand, perhaps more, depending on how you count things.)  Still, there is some hope.  I would just figure out how to drive down, but there is a good chance they wouldn't even let me visit him without family clout.  Yes, there are ways to work around even that, if weekends make that much more difficult.  Bleh.  A bit frustrated, but at least it looks like a plan is coming together.  Just that he is still alive, and in some sort of supervised care, leaves some hope about how things will turn out.

Ah, the computer has been just sitting there as my mind has been elsewhere and my body has been repairing... I haven't been walking as much.  Oh... and I realized, finally, that I haven't been taking medication since I dropped that one recent time.  I wrote that I would be getting back to it, but that never happened.  I started medicine again two days ago, minus insulin so far, mostly.  Bleh.  I'll keep at it.  But that does explain some things.  Sometimes that hurts terribly, but being broken up and interrupted, as well as not having much and resupply lines being highly questionable, it's... it's been difficult and I was already suffering so it mostly went unnoticed.  Yeah.

Later.