Anyone else think Rush Limbaugh's "chest pain" story has a balloon boy flavor?

[mzmolly]

After all, we now know Rush's so called chest pain, was not due to a heart attack.

"The pain was real, and they don't know what caused it," Limbaugh said.:eyes:

And, what do you know!? He's suddenly an expert on the US Health Care system! :think:

"I don't think there's one thing wrong with the United States health system," Limbaugh said.

Source = FAUXNEWZ


I have to say, after listening to Limbaugh talk more about health care, than his supposed health scare, I'm thinking he's FOS.



Edited to add Cetacea also posted on this subject HERE I ran a search, but missed the original thread. :blush:

[virgogal]

1. No I don't.

[mzmolly]

3. What convinces you that he's being honest?

:shrug:

I saw him talking about his so called health issue today and the timing is curious to say the least.

[virgogal]

7. I have no reason not to believe him. Can't stand the guy but if

he said he had chest pains then as far as I'm concerned he had chest pains

I don't see conspiracy/deviousness around every corner.

[mzmolly]

8. I didn't consider this until I saw him speak today. He seemed smug

and frankly like he was full of sh*t. He didn't seem relieved to be alive. He simply took time to politicize his trip to the hospital.

Did he ever consider what such a trip to the same hospital for a like matter, might cost an uninsured person? Of course not!

:hi:

[virgogal]

10. For heaven's sake,he's always smug. Ignore him.

[mzmolly]

11. Yes he is. But, I don't intend to ignore him.

;)

[Skittles]

23. um.....mzmolly?

that bastard is ALWAYS "smug and full of shit".

[mzmolly]

32. LOL

Oh I know ... But I thought a brush with death would humble him for at least a week, ya know? ;)

[Xipe Totec]

2. It could be real; they forgot to do a mammogram n/y

[Maru Kitteh]

4. We're talking about a man who confuses illness with weakness so I'd say no.

He's far too egotistical to admit "weakness."

I think if he could have gotten away with hiding his hospital trip he would have. I think we'll never know how bad it actually was or what he had done.

[Synicus Maximus]

5. It happened to me once and to my father a number of times.

He had heart disease and fairly often would have cheat pains that turned out to not be a real heart issue. I'm not a Rush fan but having been there done that I'm not going to second guess him, especially without any additional information.

[mzmolly]

6. I would not be inclined to second guess him if he didn't take this moment in time

to grandstand about how fabulous the health care system in the US is, KWIM?

[jberryhill]

9. Wouldn't Surprise Me In The Least To Find Out

....that a boy was helplessly trapped inside of him.

[Martin Eden]

12. Too bad it didn't have the flavor of ...

... embalming fluid.:nopity:

oops ... did I say that? :hide:

[tridim]

13. I think he OD'ed and covered it up so he wont be arrested for parole violation.

[Raine]

14. Definitely ...

YES ... it sure doesn't pass the smell test. x(

[Posteritatis]

15. 58-year-old in imperfect health with drug issues in his past? Occam suggests something happened. nt

[mzmolly]

20. The test results would suggest that a heart attack was not that something,

however. ;)

[Posteritatis]

22. Probably not, though there's certainly a number of possible somethings. (nt)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

26. They ruled it out. Cardiac enzyme levels and angiograms are conclusive tests for AMI.

Any number of conditions can mimic heart attack symptoms.

[JoeyT]

16. It's impossible to say either way.

But I'd guess he probably did go in with chest pains.
There are a lot of really minor conditions that can make you think something is seriously wrong in that area...And if you're in that bad a shape, smoke, and used drugs heavily to boot, any pain anywhere near your chest is automatically going to make you think "Heart attack!".

He's smug because he's an evil shithead and now that his trouble has passed he can go back to making trouble for everyone else.

[ThoughtCriminal]

17. I'd guess that the chest pains were real

Given his personal and drug habits, I'm surprised he doesn't get this all the time.

I do know that for most people, if you are going to Hawaii for a vacation, you are not going to want to spend any part of it in a hospital for fake chest pains and a meaningless sound bite. Hmmmm - time at a warm beach in December, or a couple of days undergoing medical tests for no reason? The food at that hospital had better be pretty freaking irresistible.

[mzmolly]

18. He makes lots of money to promote his agenda.

Hawaii was probably a work related venture?

[devilgrrl]

19. I think it was a total hoax

eom

[Snotcicles]

21. Wag the HOG. A total distraction. nt

[David Zephyr]

24. Your photos are wonderful.

Thanks.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

25. It may have taken a balloon that big to do angioplasty on him.

[mzmolly]

33. "Balloon boy" does have a double

meaning in this case, no? ;)

[Canuckistanian]

27. I think the pain was actually minor

But he enjoyed the attention and the power that only HIS kind of money could buy. He's an attention whore, plain and simple.

And his "best health care in the world" statement was just more showmanship.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

35. Chest pain in an overweight man his age shouldn't be ignored.

Especially in someone who takes painkillers regularly.

[Canuckistanian]

38. No, of course not

But I think he realized he wasn't in any danger fairly soon. And he milked it for all it was worth.

Just my opinion.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

39. It doesn't really work that way.

If a man his age and other factors comes in with chest pain they'll draw blood then give him medications to make the chest pain go away and then run lots of tests to see if they really had a heart attack. He could have signed out against medical advice but usually only poor people who can't afford the bill do that. Someone's chest pain going away with the administration of nitroglycerin or morphine is what you would hope for. Of course if you are a woman you will likely get much different care than I have described, we have a lot of education to do in those regards.

[Jamastiene]

28. No, not really.

Well, yeah, technically, he probably just had gas that didn't pass as easily as his normal windbag obnoxiousness.

BUT...

If you take this quote into consideration: "I don't think there's one thing wrong with the United States health system," Limbaugh said.

Rush Limbaugh is saying there is nothing wrong with nearly Universal Health Care. Check out this article on HuffPo:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/04/rush-limbaugh-inspired-by_n_410702.html

So, socialist medicine is fine with Rush, eh? :evilgrin:

Quite the opposite: This thing's got legs and we know how to use them, don't we?

[mzmolly]

34. Yep. It would appear Rushbo chose a good spot for his fully

insured fat ass to have a gaseous episode. :P

[TicketyBoo]

40. Exactly.

My nephew lives in Hawaii. He e-mailed me a month or so ago and told me the main reason he's living there is because of the health care in Hawaii. He's in his 50s and probably could not be covered anywhere else with the kind of work he does. If he could qualify, he couldn't afford it.

Maybe we should all move to Hawaii? Sounds pretty good to me (especially at this time of the year).

[Jamastiene]

41. We could greatly reduce our heating bills and get respectable health care

in one move. :thumbsup:

[madamesilverspurs]

29. Nope.

Because three weeks ago I was in the same situation. Spent a couple of days in the cardiac unit at the hospital, admitted with all the classic symptoms of heart attack. Nitro under the tongue (three of them) and the chest pain abated, leaving a headache in its wake. Had EKG, CTscan, blood tests (several), chest Xray and stress test. Conclusion - no heart attack, no evidence of heart disease. Now we begin the process of determining the cause of the symptoms; I'm told that there are a number of possibilities.

So, I'm left with a kind of morbid similarity with the man, and it doesn't allow me to think he's hoaxing. But it's guarandamnteed certain that it is the only similarity we will ever share as I have yet to be convinced that he's of the same species as the rest of us.


---

[JI7]

30. i totally agree, if he hadn't said the things he did i might not

but if he really was having chest pains i would think he would still be trying to figure out what happened. he has enough money that he could get a second opinion with another doctor.

or maybe feel relief it wasn't something too serious.

but from the way he is speaking it doesn't seem like he was having pain in the first place.

also how he just happened to be in hawaii when Obama was there . not that it coudln't happen.

but the whole thing just seems so fake now.

[mzmolly]

36. That's exactly

what I thought J. Something seems off to me as well.

[Cleita]

31. Something is weird.

I don't think we are getting the real story somehow, but I don't think it was a publicity stunt. I don't think Rushbo's ratings are in the crapper, but then I don't follow stuff like that.

[mzmolly]

37. I don't think his ratings are poor

but his agenda is flailing a bit. ;)

[daa]

42. He just signed a new $50 million a year contract

you don't get that with bad ratings. His agenda is stalled but not his ratings.

[Orsino]

43. Since the doctors aren't saying anything about drug use...

...I tend to assume that Mr. Limbaugh just took too much of something (again).

I guess I'm glad he's relatively okay, but am sad that he is able to use the incident to sell US health care as the best in the world, which it patently isn't.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

45. By law the doctors aren't allowed to say anything about his medical condition.

Unless he gives permission for them to do so.

[Orsino]

49. Yes. He judged that authorizing a doctor to speak...

...would be counter-productive.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

54. Could be or he might just want his privacy.

Really a lot of possibilities exist. He might be one of the crab people from South Park.

[graywarrior]

44. He either has gallbladder disease or syphilis

I wish he had syphilis because it's so Rush, but my guess is that he's dropping weight too fast and his gallbladder is forming stones. I've been there. It feels like a heart attack. My guess is that there will be more suffering in the future for Limbaugh.

[mzmolly]

46. LOL

"I wish he had syphilis because it's so Rush"

:rofl:

[librechik]

47. Rush likes the most quasi-socialist healthcare system in the States!!!

Hawaii has had a public option since the seventies. Everyone gets the same care.

Shut up Rush! You are helping the liberal cause!

[Turborama]

48. It couldn't have been a heart attack.

He hasn't got one.

:hi: and a happy new year to you and yours, mzmolly.

[mzmolly]

50. Good point! Thanks T.

Happy New Year to you and yours, also. :pals:

[City Lights]

51. Considering he's a publicity-seeking entertainer, I'm inclined to say he faked it.

Fake, fake. Fake, fake, fake.

[DemoTex]

52. Elizabeth!

[spin]

53. I've went to the hospital with chest pains ...

I called my doctor in extreme pain and he advised me to go to the emergency room.

The pain was easing so I decided to drive myself to the hospital which was about one mile away. The staff ran a bunch of tests but couldn't find anything wrong. I was in the hospital for several hours and had spent no time in a waiting room (amazing, but than it as a small hospital).

They gave me some pain killers and I told them I was going home to enjoy a couple of beers and a cigar. The nurse smiled and told me, "We all have our little vices."

When I went to my chiropractor the next day, he suggested that I might have popped a rib rolling out of my water bed. That was a better answer than I got at the hospital. Who knows what caused the problem, but it wasn't a heart attack.

I did learn that hydrocodone makes you feel really good. I decided to avoid ever taking it unless really necessary.

I know an ex-cop who went to the emergency ward with chest pains that turned out to be indigestion.