THINGS THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!

 In order of probability:

Most likely: Messiah will come in my lifetime!

Not very likely: My back will heal so that the pain will go away!

Highly Unlikely: Each of the kids will call once a week to see how I'm doing & maybe send a friendly e-mail now and then!

Bye-Bye Bikur Kholim!

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A GREAT TV AD IDEA FOR AMGEN

Practically every time I turn on my television I see one of Amgen's ads where someone (usually a woman) has fallen or is in a position where she might slip and fall.  Then comes the message for Prolia.  

You can see these "make-or-break-moments" ads here:

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dQeF/prolia-make-or-break-moments

Well, I can top this!  Since I already have Prolia-related macular degeneration in both eyes (dry macular degeneration in one eye and the more advanced wet macular degeneration in the other*) here's an idea for the next generation of Prolia ads:

The lady in the ads above visits her doctor, who gives her Prolia.  

And then she falls down because she is BLIND and cannot SEE!

It would be a perfect O'Henry kind of "Gift of the Magi" sort of story and get a lot of great publicity!  Maybe even a feature in Advertising Age!

*http://www.joansbackbonedisaster.com/2021/05/lame-and-blind-revisited-eyes-have-it.html 

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AMGEN'S ANNUAL REPORT AUGUST 3, 2021

Here is a link to the Press Release accompanying Amgen's financial report for the second quarter of 2021.  

https://www.amgen.com/newsroom/press-releases/2021/08/amgen-reports-second-quarter-2021-financial-results

Amgen Reports Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Aug. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2021.

The "highlights" in this report include a 5% increase in revenues to $6.5 billion, with product sales increasing 3% globally.  

Here were one of the highlights most relevant to this blog:

• Prolia sales increased 24% year-over-year for the second quarter, driven by 20% volume growth as new and repeat patient volumes continued to recover from the pandemic. With osteoporosis diagnosis rates remaining at approximately 90% of pre-COVID-19 levels in the quarter, we are focused on driving patient growth and are optimistic about Prolia's continued strength in the second half of the year.

And for Evenity - -a drug much like Prolia and with many of the same issues:

• EVENITY^® (romosozumab-aqqg) sales increased 30% year-over-year for the second quarter, driven by 32% volume growth. U.S. sales nearly doubled year-over-year, driven by 97% volume growth as we continued to focus on new patient activation. Rest of world (ROW) sales decreased 15% year-over-year due in part to the timing of purchases by our partner Astellas during the first half of 2020.

The URL above has the charts with all the bells and whistles. 

The point here is that Amgen appears to be doing quite well with these dangerous products and yet cannot seem to summon the resources to adequately warn consumers -- and health care providers as well! -- about their hazards!   

As I sit here in tremendous pain from the fractures occasioned by the medical mismanagement of Prolia (which I might have been able to avoid with more information) and threatened with blindness by this drug as well, I wonder what it would cost Amgen to take the same steps to warn of the hazards as to boast about the benefits of this dangerous drug.

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GOOD NEWS FROM KETTLE AND FIRE

 I like Kettle and Fire broths -- they add a lot to any meal and a great pick-me-up at anytime. 

But I was concerned about gluten and casein -- they have so many varieties and it is hard to find this info when ordering online.  

So I wrote the company  and here is the response I just received from support@bonebroths.com

"Aside from the allergens listed specifically, our Soups are allergen-free. All of our soups and broth are certified gluten-free. They are also free from tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, shellfish, and soy (unless specified on the ingredient label.)

We also have rigorous cleaning and safety protocols in place to ensure we go above and beyond what is required by law to further ensure our customers' safety. Ingredients are packed and stored separately to minimize cross-contamination."

Good News indeed!  

(Since I cannot get out to shop much because of my broken back I appreciate these broths that I can get online!)

(Posted at https://joanscovid19blog.blogspot.com as well.)

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF PROLIA FRACTURES

Now, during this horrendous COVID-19 epidemic sweeping the land, my Prolia fractures are keeping me safe!   

The pain of walking, standing or even sitting upright for long periods of time is such that travel, shopping, or even getting together with friends is not at all enjoyable.  

Because of the pain from my Prolia-mismanagement related fractures, the only forays I make out of the house these days are short walks and necessary (and, because of these fractures, painful) doctor visits -- including appointments for shots in my eye to treat the (possibly)  Prolia-related retinal disease discussed elsewhere in this blog!   

This confinement may be protecting me from exposure to COVID-19!  

So maybe I should be thankful to Prolia's manufacturer, Amgen, and also to the University of Chicago for its mismanagement of this drug!  

Perhaps they should both get Nobel Prizes in Medicine for the potential of this drug to keep its victims safely at home during this frightening epidemic!

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CHRONOBIOLOGY NOTE -- DR. FRANZ HALBERG

I am posting this tribute to the scientist who is arguably the father of modern chronobiology as my Backbone Disaster has left me so unable to engage in usual activities that I am losing my sense of time.

This link features Dr. Franz Halberg, born in Romania in 1919, but most recently at the University of Minnesota until his death in 2013.   

http://halbergchronobiologycenter.umn.edu/home/franz-halberg

I had the honor of hosting Dr. Halberg many years ago when he was on a speaking tour.  Many others have worked in this field (for which he coined the term "chronobiology" now in general use today) but none as extensively as Franz Halberg.

Franz Halberg: July 5, 1919 - June 9, 2013

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LOOKING FOR A SAFE OFF RAMP -- STILL LOOKS TOO DANGEROUS!

I have been scouring the internet for any information about how to get off Prolia safely.   I could find little online about this, but a solitary recent example is here:   

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330483705_Stopping_Denosumab 

(Keep scrolling down for full text.)

Hopefully pdf file is at this link, and I have pasted the abstract below.

Here you will find a complex protocol involving other drugs.  I certainly would not have the ability to carry out this protocol on my own, and living with the pain of my bones already broken because of the medical mismanagement of Prolia would be afraid to try it in any event -- at least not without a lot of information about the experience of others who have tried it!  

Basically it purports to get you off Prolia safely and onto another osteoporosis drug, a bisphosphonate. But the last line: "Studies are urgently needed to to define the management of denosumab [Prolia] discontinuation" definitely rings true for me!  

Here is the bibliographic information:

And here is the above abstract a bit more legibly:   

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THE PROLIA SAVINGS PLAN!

Now that my Prolifrax (my name for the fractures related to Prolia and its mismanagement by the University of Chicago) have rendered me largely disabled,  I see that they are actually saving me some money!   

For starters, driving was so dangerously painful because of the Prolifrax that I got rid of my car.  This saves me a great deal of money on lease payments for the car, licenses, upkeep, fuel, maintenance, the indoor garage required in my dense high-rise neighborhood, and especially insurance (which even with a great driving record was astronomical at my age).  

This saves me LOTS of money that I could spend on fabulous vacations!   

(The cab rides for doctor visits do not come close to the expenses of owning a car in the city!)

But OH, I FORGOT --  Prolifrax (fractures associated with the mismanagement of this drug) renders getting to airports, getting on and off planes, sitting upright or standing and walking for long periods of time, handling luggage and all the rest of it --  much too painful.  So that's off the table too.  

But how about using the money I save by not having a car on great season tickets to cultural events and expensive memberships in museums and galleries?  

Yes the money is certainly there now since I no longer have a car, but again, the pain from the Prolifrax pretty well strips the enjoyment from these activities. 

Right now everyone else is getting a taste of this medicine because of COVID-19.  Hopefully that epidemic will be over in due course.  But I'll likely be dealing with my Prolifrax for the rest of my life.  

But think of the money I'll save!  

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