Everyday I feel worse, but it's just my imagination......right?
Last week I was told it was my imagination and I bargained with myself, okay....maybe it is just my imagination.
The last 3 days I have steady been feeling worse even though I have been trying to ignore it and do the daily life stuff. Today I can't ignore it anymore. The headache, nausea, constant bm's. I have never felt like this before. Guess I will just go lay down because its just my imagination.....right?
I think it is inappropriate
I think it is inappropriate to entertain these hypochondriacal posts. If someone were to actually experience genuine symptoms associated with radiation exposure and posted them that would be acceptable,but pychosomatic indulgences only obscure and confuse.
However, it makes humourous reading and reminds rational people that all people are truly not well.
How is the air up there on
How is the air up there on that high and mighty judgmental throne? Probably not so good, 'cause you can't even tell that your poop DOES stink.
We have an f'ing serious issue in Japan. People are scared, and they should be. Even more so now.
And they are smart to be second guessing symptoms "just in case". If they seem hypochondriacal to you, Dr. Anonymous, then go on to the next thread, or perhaps you could respond to them with some compassion to ease their hearts and minds. That's how we help each other in a crisis. Not by demeaning people or ignoring their fear.
Has anyone heard anything
Has anyone heard anything about how Hawaii has been affected? Other regions near Japan? It seems like there would be reports of illness in other parts of the world closer to Fukushima...I've felt the same way the last few day's. My first thought is it has alot to do with stress...all of us posting on here are reading the same terrifying facts over and over again. That sort of thing can take a huge toll on the body. I have relations in the military on the west coast and none of them have heard a word about Rad sickness.
And again...
...I feel the need to say: If ACTUAL RADIATION SICKNESS begins cropping up here in the States, then we're ALL screwed. If five thousand miles won't insulate you against ACUTE, symptomatic radiation exposure, there's pretty much no hope for the species, and possibly the planet. It's "On the Beach", and even I don't think THAT's possible -- unless ALL FIVE reactors, PLUS all the spent fuel pools, AND the common storage facility, AS WELL AS all the wastewater and toxic detritus there, catches fire. Which is certainly still possible -- one goes, they're ALL gonna go, since no one will be able to stay on-site, or even within fifty miles, so you can kiss Fukushima (II) Daini's multiple reactors bye-bye, too.
It's not even worth considering at this point, folks. Once pets and people start falling over, nevermind the frozen food, the imported fruit or the filtered water -- get to a church, or a synagogue, or a mosque, or a temple, or a shrine, or a mountain with a pretty view. There won't be anything else to do at that point but wait for God to show up.
I don't think this is a rational concern... UNLESS the "doomsday scenario" I outlined above actually happens. Relax a bit.
(Anything to contribute, here, BRAWM / UCBNE? Back me up, do a brother a solid. IF I'm right, that is.)
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com
Strange symptoms
Starting around the 20th of March I've been feeling strange. First I was having a raspy sore throat and voice with bouts of nausea and light headedness. On the 5th of april my nose started running and a sinus infection set in. Ive been hacking up phlem since some wth small amounts of blood from my throat. My sinuses have cleared up now but my sore throat and dizziness persist. My throat still feels like ive been sucking on a cars exhaust pipe(the best way I can explain it). I live on the Northern California coast about a mile from the ocean. I hope its just a flu bug or strange cold but???? I usually don't get sick and when I do it doesn't last this long! Im very angry that the Japanese authorities have been lying about the severity of this disaster since day one. I PRAY OUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT DOING THE SAME! If you are experiencing the same symptoms plz post about them here, peace...
Symptoms:
Lungs feel heavy when outside for awhile.
For 2 days, front leg muscle so painful that it hurt to walk. Never ever had anything like that before. Not a sprain, not an over-exertion...
Can't explain the above, just relaying the facts.
I had the same thing that my
I had the same thing that my lungs felt sore when being outside for longer than a few minutes, Anybody else with a feeling of soreness in your legs or a slight metallic taste in your mouth?
I am on the East coast where there have been measurable
amounts in milk and water etc of radioiodine and cesium
the same rain plumes that fell over you also fell here
I spoke with two close friends in the last day who both said they were feeling dizzy or lightheaded. It was kind of unusual and one of them said "I don't think it has anything to do with the radiation" but still...
Getting a dose of something you are not used to can mess up your metabolism and immune system.
One thing that I had been planning on mentioning before this is that one group of things that is VERY susceptible to mutation of genes and dna are virused and bacteria.
While radioidine can mess up the thyroid and damage the endocrine, metabolic and immune system (even if it doesn't give you cancer), the fast evolution of viruses and bacteria means they will be latered and mutate into new strains which we have no resistance to on TOP of our compromised immune systems.
wwhile we tend to focus on cancer and especially thyroid cancer, we neglect to consider that new viruses and bacterial strains will occur as the result of radiation exposure.
Andrei Sakharov predicted this in the 1950's and said their would be pandemics due to this (which is why he opposed nuclear tests, even though he was the "father' of the soviet H-Bomb, and became a dissident and as punished for this by the Societs).
Stress, fear and anxiety also takes a toll on the immune system. But when we KNOW there are damaging radioisotopes in the air, water, milk, spinach, mushrooms, all produce exposed probably, then it is not a stretch, in my opinion, to feel that our bodies are being assaulted and the integrity of our bodies is being invaded by this deadly toxic product of corporate greed and avarice. Our bodies are sensitive to things that we may not be conscious of - pheromones, for example, or subliminal suggestions.
If you are feeling ill it MIGHT be these "low" doses and it Might not be and only its the stress and fear.
Best thing you can do is be informed, take care of yourself and eat safer foods and avoid the contaminated ones. Bolster your immune system with things like turmeric, blueberries, vitamin C, bananas, oranges (things from the southern hemisphere) and foods proven to fight the effects of radiation (from safe uncontaminated sources.
Listen to your body and heal it as best you can while you protect it.
Ignore those who say it is fantasy and take the proactive steps you need to feel better. The body can heal IF you take the steps necessary to protect yourself from radiation and/or the effects of the exposure you likely suffered.
Peace back!
a puzzler:
try this
google this site, this forum
site:nuc.berkeley.edu/forum (I used the Advanced Search)
and put in most search words and you get a decent-looking result
BUT put in any of these words
headache headaches dizzy dizziness nausea cough symptoms sore throat sinus phlem [sic] phlegm exhaust (?)
and you get:
"Your search - {_insertwordhere_} site:nuc.berkeley.edu/forum - did not match any documents."
and yet those words are right here on this page.
The words "worse" brings it up, gets this page as a result in Google, but none of the above get any result. OTH, the words "funny" or "coast" get results but not apparently this page.
wtf ?
Maybe others' results will vary? Maybe somebody who is an expert on googling can explain this.
[THE REASON FOR THIS: I was trying to find a way to search this forum for info -- as it is hard, very hard, to keep track -- and this 'odd,' rarified topic seemed a good test of the google site-search feature, but the results are puzzling.]
Yeah...
...One nagging thought I've been having these last few weeks is, with all the current focus on how this radiation in the environment will affect HUMANS, there's been NO discussion about how it will all impact EVERYTHING ELSE, from viruses to bacteria to bugs to bees to birds to livestock to plankton to plants to trees to pets.
It stands to reason that, if OUR bodies are under seige from being exposed to and taking in and absorbing and rubbing up against all this crap, and are prone to suffering terrible, systemic consequences from same, wouldn't the effects POTENTIALLY be far greater on less-complex, less-hardy, less-massive organisms?
Interesting that these stories about that West Coast (in the main) "superbug" started up just before the nuquakenami (yes, I just thought of that). How, I wonder, might next year's influenza bug(s), for example, be affected by its exposure to massive amounts of radiation, widely dispersed?
...This is why I try not to think about this.
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com
I've seen this claim of
I've seen this claim of radiation sickness on 6 different forums now. Each time the person gives the same list of ailments and says they just know something isn't right. They say they are going to the doctor and they will post their test results right away. No one ever posts any results. No one ever goes to the press exposing this horrible thing. Why do you suppose that is?
Option 1: they didn't have radiation sickness and felt foolish after swearing up and down that they knew better than everyone else.
Option 2: they died immediately!
Option 3: they were whisked away to an as yet unknown FEMA camp to be quarantined with all the other victims of stateside radiation poisoning, ensuring their silence.
Critical thinking people!
The doctors do not know.
The doctors do not know. Think there's some kind of tell-tale sign your GP can easily see? Common sense. They're human too.
Feeling unwell, too
I've been experiencing dizziness, heavy lungs, coughing, sore throat, headaches, intermittent low grade fever, sore muscles/stiff neck and strange prickling sensations (like many pins being stuck into my body), and a similar, burning feeling in mouth when I go outside off and on since March 18th. I've never felt the pinprick feelings before. They seem to come when the beta and alpha levels are higher than normal.
I'm aware of what higher radiation feels like, as I live in the mountains of Arizona with normal CPM 8-30 this is entirely different. No, I have not gone to the doctor. These symptoms only last for a day or so, then goes away. They come in waves. After the first few "waves" I looked at the Beta counts for Phoenix and it seemed to correlate with them. Like today - a moderate amount of pinpricks today. Sorry, I'm not big on doctors, nor do I have health insurance to pay for tests.
For the record, I'm extremely sensitive to 1)electricity 2) EMFs 3)chemicals, so I suppose I could also be sensitive to spiking radiation. One gets used to the higher gammas here in the mountains and even used to the higher alphas due to the radon levels. This is quite different.
Due to the continued, and more intense, releases of radiation from Fukushima, I've be recommending people consume more anti-oxidants and cell protecting foods. Less or no sugar, and less or no dairy (altho I bought last year's canned milk for my tea!) :-)
Most of my friends think I'm crazy, because I don't go outside during the densest clouds. My roommate says I'm the canary in the coal mine. I'm guessing the people who are experiencing health changes are sensitive types. The more hardy, or less body-aware, people may scoff, but don't let others say you're crazy. You know your bodies. Trust yourselves.
We're ALL canaries in the same coal mine, now... [nt]
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com
I'll just say this...
No way it's Option [3].
Option [2] would be pretty hard to conceal for more than a few days. In most of America, coroners' offices and funeral homes are pretty "wired in" with the local authorities and governance. If death rates DO begin to tick up, it'll hit the elderly, infants / children and the already-immuno-compromised first... Old people KNOW people, and their relatives do, too. Sickness in places like nursing homes spreads like wildfire, and people gossip over bridge and bingo and breakfast at Denny's. Parents will freak the heck out if more than a handful of previously reasonably healthy children die in any community. As for the weak and feeble... Those will be harder to identify.
But before you see ANY of that, you'll see pets, and probably bees, and birds. And, again, people will be talking about it.
God, this is morbid. I hate this crap. This IS a bad -- not to mention, extremely common / familiar / cliched -- science fiction story.
Option [1] is far more likely. ...And I'll say this, too. IF radiation sickness -- ACTUAL RADIATION SICKNESS -- starts showing up on this continent, we're ALL screwed. AND we've all been lied to, by EVERYBODY.
I don't think it's terribly likely, though. I am removing this from my list of things to worry about today, and until PROVEN otherwise.
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com
972-746-8575
Some of it may be anxiety,
Some of it may be anxiety, but if you are in doubt seek a doctor's opinion.
Anxiety create the symptoms you are describing, but I believe there is no doubt that the Westcoast has been exposed to enough radiation that it could potentially cause symtpoms, for example, the xenon.
I personally had 2 experiences at night when I thought I was short of air and during the same night my roommate passed out.
That was at the height of the fallout when it was raining a lot and I am convinced it was the radiation, I am guessing the xenon as it is used in medicine to induce unconsciousness.
Headaches, dizziness and
Headaches, dizziness and nausea are common with exposure to radiation. I have experienced bouts of intense headaches that seem to only last an hour or two, sometimes two or three times a day. I have also experienced the dizzy feeling but no nausea. This has been ongoing for the last few weeks.
Please keep an open mind. A situation like this has never happened before in most of our lifetime and for those of us on the West Coast we are likely exposed to more fallout than those on the West Coast of Japan because of the wind currents and the concentrations in the rain-outs over us.
I strongly urge everyone to post any similar symptoms that they or their family members may be experiencing.
family dizzy
HiI 3wks after the nuclear accident in Japan I been feeling strangly dizzy.My son and 2 sisters have had a cough that is like non we have had before (it is worse at night , with no mucus just really graps you inside ) Strange we cough say twice,a big cough and thats it. My son has, on and off been so dizzy he has to sit dowm. My mother is scared to go out as she becomes so dizzy she thinks she is going to fall over.I myself feel a strange dizzness and my sisters also. We have no other symptoms. We have all been to the doctor several times (not together as we live seperatley) My son has had 2 lots of antibiotics and myself also, for the cough which has still not gone. My mother has had antibiotics.Mum also has a strange hot burning feeling on one side of her head for about a month.I and my son had a metalic taste in our mouth which has gone now but was strong a few wks after the Japan disaster. We live in nz and the doctors have treated us but we still feel dizzy with a strange cough. also feel really tired at times. I do worry about radiation as we have all have unusual symptoms that antibiotics cant heal. the doctor said to mum he has no idea what is wrong with her, said her thyroid is a bit over active and blood preaure a bit high. All of us have had good health prior to this and havnt been to the doctor for yrs. Doctor wants my son to have a chest xray but I dont because of the radiation from them also as we all have the same strange cough.Non of us have had antibiotics for 5 yrs prior so you
would think they should help. I just thought Id share this with you as it is most unusual.
How are those chemtrails
How are those chemtrails over NZ? More likely the result of that contamination being purposefully dumped into the skies. Tests have shown very high presence of aluminum and barium, to name a few.
If you haven't yet, look up "what in the world are they spraying?" and related info. It sure opened my skeptical eyes.
I have seen no evidence to
I have seen no evidence to even remotely suggest that it is possible for you to be experiencing radiation sickness. Not only does all data collected refute this, but you would not be a "special case". If you had radiation sickness, then everyone on your street would have it. You are not a unique snowflake. I got soaked to the skin during the first huge rainstorm post 3/11, and haven't felt ill in the least.
I know that the fallout we are receiving will most likely cause long term problems for many people. I don't have my head in the sand. But I genuinely believe that either you have some sort of viral bug, or you have stressed yourself out about the radiation to the point that you have made yourself physically ill. Please do not even bother trying to argue that you cannot "think yourself sick". There are mountains of research supporting my position on the internet, so you can inform yourself if need be.
I don't worry about radiation sickness, because I can look in my backyard and see my hummingbird feeders. Tiny little creatures, zipping about happily, certainly not showing signs of illness. Now if you believe that a human being is more susceptible to immediate radiation poisoning than a bird that weighs 3-4 grams and lives outdoors (yes, even when it's raining), then I've a bridge I'd like to sell you.
1.2.7 Biological impact Some
1.2.7 Biological impact
Some nuclides have a more important biological impact than others because of the way that the human body processes them, generally as radioactive isotopes of elements that are either important to human physiology, or are chemically similar to such elements. This behavior leads to a biological half-life that characterizes how long an element stays in the human body. Some radioactive nuclides move quickly through the human body, with little time to cause any harm, while others accumulate in the body for time scales similar to their radioactive half-life.
http://brc.gov/library/commissioned_papers/Wilson.fuel.cycle.comparisons...
Which one of us will be the lucky ones that come in contact with the nuclides?
I suppose you know the answer to that also?
I don't know who you think
I don't know who you think you are coming off like you are some expert in the field of MY BODY. And I do not need anyone to tell me that it is within the human "psyche" to think themselves ill.
I have worked in the medical field for years. I know whats normal for my body and what is not. This throbbing headache is not. This stiffness in my neck is not. As I said earlier, I will give it one more day and if its the same or worse I will seek medical evaluation. The only thing I do know is that I felt fine until about a week after the heavier rains we had. And its steady been getting worse.
And for you to assume that we have all been exposed to the same amounts of radiation, blanket, up and down the coast or even across the states is just plain ignorant. Further more if someone were to say already have cancer, an exposure such as this could exacerbate it. So you cannot put everyone in the same "risk" box.
If you work in health care
If you work in health care how come you haven't already asked a doctor about it? You should have one right there handy dandy. What kind of a dummy would claim they had radiation sickness but not talk to a doctor when they worked with one?
tests
ask for this test and post your results then we would have science not speculation... bioassay, usually by urinalysis. As with most cases of internal contamination, the sooner the test is taken after ingesting or inhaling the contaminant, the more accurate the results will be. Most major medical centers should be capable of performing this test.
(sourced from epa fact sheet .)
What sth said. Until you do
What sth said. Until you do this, all you are doing is spreading disinfo. Once you get this test done, come back here and spread the word. Go on TV. Blow the liars out of the water. I'm not holding my breath tho.
Expect us
Expect us
Am looking in to it
Am looking in to it
Interesting
Interesting that you mentioned the stiff neck along with the headache, I have also experienced this. Please post here the results of your physicians visit. I also commend you for stating your feelings on a public forum.
I really wonder who these posters are who are debating and downplaying your personal feelings and symptoms; that is interesting in itself.
Thanks. You know, I was
Thanks.
You know, I was thinking about that also. What would be the motive for that?
Yeah, headaches still as bad. My kids are moving out of state and leave Friday. Trying to spend as much time as I can with them, I will probably wait till after dinner and just go up to the hospital.
"I really wonder who these
"I really wonder who these posters are who are debating and downplaying your personal feelings and symptoms; that is interesting in itself."
Stockholders.
Yes because only
Yes because only stockholders don't believe every random person on the internet looking for attention. :eyeroll
If you are concerned, go see
If you are concerned, go see your physician. You may have a bug or another condition. Stress can also cause what you are describing. Try to relax a bit more and see if that helps.
Be well.
Yeah, I may go tomorrow if I
Yeah, I may go tomorrow if I feel the same. I know my body pretty well and this is not a normal "ill" feeling. Think I may ask for them to test radiation level in my thyroid since I am there anyways. Cant hurt.
Thank you
Please take a video of that
Please take a video of that and post it on youtube. Thanks!
It's called stress!
The mind is a powerful thing. Keep your head up and be positive. A doctor is going to diagnose radiation sickness and it's a long shot that you have any symptoms of it, unless you live Boise, ID.
Sounds like allergies to me.
Sounds like allergies to me. Suggest you move to Patagonia to remove yourself from all the fallout.
I do have allergies. Every
I do have allergies. Every year. This isn't an allergy headache
tests
tests
Submitted by sth (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 15:19.
ask for this test and post your results then we would have science not speculation... bioassay, usually by urinalysis. As with most cases of internal contamination, the sooner the test is taken after ingesting or inhaling the contaminant, the more accurate the results will be. Most major medical centers should be capable of performing this test.
(sourced from epa fact sheet .)
»
So.... I am feeling better.
So....
I am feeling better. No headache today and the funny thing is that the days I was feeling the worst coincide with days that the Beta and Gamma Range 10 CPM were higher than normal for my area. 3-4 of the days were in the 120-200 range for Beta and 60-70 for Gamma. I am in Los Angeles County, Long Beach to be exact so feel free to check the dates.
We are back in the norm of 30-50 Beta and 40- 50s Gamma now.
sick feeling
I'm glad you are feeling better. I think we are really fortunate to have several independent entities monitoring radiation--this site from UC Berkeley, University of Washington, and Radiation Network to name a few. There is no reason to think they are making light of their results, unlike those who may have a stake in the nuclear industry, including all politicians. As far as I can tell, fluctuations in radiation to date have remained within the range of natural variation for the most part, but we have no way of knowing how long this may continue (months certainly) or whether we will experience a random higher exposure. The less exposure, the better. That said, I really think we need to consider it in context with all the other, more prevalent, carcinogenic substances we may be in contact with on a daily basis (pesticide residue on foods, leaching plastic food containers, air and water pollution, etc.).
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/indexAZ.asp#C
Common sense would indicate that it is a good time for all of us to improve our health habits--that is probably the most powerful thing we can do. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables are full of substances that promote health--buy frozen if you are worried. Use rice or soy milk for now. Eat low on the food chain and if you eat meat, eat small amounts of grass-fed lamb or beef, fish that doesn't have high mercury levels, organic eggs. Eat fats that are good for you--nuts, olive oil, coconut oil. Exercise, and reduce intake of milk and dairy products, processed foods, and bread products. I believe it would be much more valuable for all of us to do what we can to improve our overall health than worry too much about the radiation (so far). I am NOT discounting the dangers of low levels of radiation; just being realistic. I live on the west coast too, and this entire event is very frightening and discouraging.
I think that's really solid advice, Percy...
...and I'd also like to add my relief and joy that the OP is feeling better.
I don't want to discount the OP's observation, either, that he / she felt worse during high Gross Beta Count or high general CPM days. There's plenty of variation day-to-day, even hour by hour, in most historical analyses of background (or "natural") radiation just about everywhere you look. People have "good" days, and "bad" days, and usually there's really no "one thing" we can point to to firmly establish causality. Who can say, really, why one day you feel tired, or snappish, or have difficulty concentrating, or have a nagging headache, or a sore throat? And how certain is ANYBODY that "symptoms" like these AREN'T, on some level, at least nominally influenced by that day's rad count? ...Unless folks have been keeping VERY detailed personal health & welfare "logs", and corroborating them over a period of YEARS with verifiable, accurate daily count records, I don't think it's possible to conclude ANYTHING.
...But neither would it be wise to dismiss such an interesting "co-incidence" out of hand.
One more thing: The harder you look for something, the more likely it is you'll find it... Or, at least, that you'll CONVINCE yourself that you have. Keep an open mind, but if possible, a rational one.
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com
Trust your gut feelings.
Check out this link...
http://www.radiopharm.com/PDF/msds/XenonLantheusComplete.PDF
That sounds so much more
That sounds so much more serious then the news reports, and that's less than 0.1% Xe-133.
I think its funny that
I think its funny that people assume that I think I think I am dying from radiation lol. I never said that. What I am saying is it is having an effect on us physically and denying it is just as ignorant as it would be to say I am now sentenced to death by radiation.
I have worked with terminally ill cancer patients for 7 years so I know what causes cancer and I know what cancer looks like all too well. Cancer has become epidemic and we WILL be seeing more people dying from cancer than ever before now. And if there is one person here that can tell me that they have not lost someone they love to cancer I would be very surprised. And what causes cancer people? DNA mutation, damage, restructuring. What causes that to happen?
Think with your common sense, not just the numbers thrown out there by math heads and govt. What do YOU SEE.
For sure the effects of this tragedy will not affect us monumentally today or tomorrow. But we ARE going to lose more loved ones to cancer in the coming years. I am not so much concerned for my health as I am of the little ones.
The rad levels have gone down for now in my area and I feel better, at least for today. Its sad that so many deny that we are adversely affected by the pollution we have in our environments. If you think it doesn't, you are lying to yourself. Which is why its acceptable to keep on adding more.
Remember me when this event DOES affect your reality. And eventually, it will.
huh
funny that I am just now finding this thread as I have had a puzzling headache and stiff neck since yesterday and all day today. I think I am feeling a bit better now. I live in Berkeley but have no idea what the levels have been lately. Somebody feel free to show that there is no connection, please.
Did you read this link? There is a connection!
http://www.radiopharm.com/PDF/msds/XenonLantheusComplete.PDF
Well, no, it's NOT "funny", actually...
...But I think I get your meaning.
It's important to remember, I think, that for many of us, this is really our first experience thinking seriously / critically / extensively about radiation. Speaking for myself, I wore dosimeter badges for YEARS, and never thought about it this much. It just wasn't "real" -- it was a hypothetical, something I needed to learn a little bit about to pass a few pretty basic tests, then deal with a few times a year during short-duration training, exercises and drills. I've learned far more about radiation, radioactivity, and even the workings of nuclear plants than I EVER knew before. That's a sobering thought, in and of itself: I have spent my whole life around this, and only now, when I feel that I'm directly threatened or impacted by it, do I bother to educate myself. Ignorance was bliss.
A few people here are clearly way ahead of the curve. I am most certainly not among those. Playing catch-up is tough, and there's really no time to weep for our former misbegotten confidence or this particularly striking and permanent loss of innocence.
I can personally vouch for the continued "physical effects", quite apart from what CAN'T be seen (or, for most of us at present, measured / quantified), this experience can and does have. And, I too have seen cancer up close and personal. You're right: It ain't pretty.
I think you have a point, too, that "common sense", as you call it -- or "faith", as in "confidence in the evidence of things not currently seen or measured"; or gut feeling; or just vague, insistent suspicion -- stands in contrast to "the numbers" at present. Even those who are used to dealing with those numbers must be overwhelmed by data, the limits and limitations of same, and unknowable variability right now. I know I am.
"I am not so much concerned for my health as I am of the little ones." Ditto. It's a helluva world I'm leaving to my kid... Assuming she doesn't precede me, which frankly I don't have the heart to think about much.
"The rad levels have gone down for now in my area and I feel better, at least for today." For whatever it's worth, I'm glad. I hope you continue to feel better and suffer no additional distress / illness.
"...[W]hen this event DOES affect your reality. And eventually, it will." Again: Sobering. But I do believe you are correct. I can't promise I'll remember you; if and when this rough beast slouches into the midst of us, I'll almost certainly be pretty self- / family-absorbed. But I can promise you this: If and when, we're ALL pretty much going to be in the same boat. We will be united by our common circumstances. There might be a little comfort in that. Then again, perhaps not.
But I refuse to give up hope and simply "embrace the horror". I do that, I'm no better than a sadist, myself.
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com