Dear Bernard,
I thank you for your response and I shall answer you once again as follows. You stated “If you re-read my post, you will see that what I found amazing is what the FDA had to say:”
The following is what you quoted from the PC document:
“The FDA also raised questions about the role of the VNS device in sudden death. “There is a concern that this might be due to cardiac events due to the direct vagal nerve stimulation,” said the FDA’s Dr. Schlosser at the Advisory Committee meeting. “Could this be causing a cardiac event that led to sudden death?” he asked. ...”
I read your statement and I shall repeat for you because you may have missed my presentation of information:
“There have been no deaths attributed to the VNS in any depression subjects and for that matter there also have been no deaths attributed to the VNS Therapy in any Epilepsy patients and if my memory serves me correctly the dates covered were from 1987 to 2004.” – Herb
If my memory also serves me correctly this same question was posed by Mr. Malisow and answered the same or the next day. There have been 524 deaths to date of recipients with the VNS Therapy and none of those deaths have been attributed to the therapy. Now in your amazement would you kindly be “brutally honest” and direct me to information to the contrary.
“You shouldn't talk down to people.” - Bernard
As is sometimes my nature by suggesting sources of information to become informed and educated as a response to one’s suggesting and/or making blatant statements is your perception of “talk down to people” then maybe you should research and read and take the time to talk to me in kind. I on the other don’t have the same perceptions or misperceptions as you based upon my knowledge and I personally don’t find it condescending when others share personal experiences and/or direct me to information to educate myself or in presenting another viewpoint.
“This is a discussion forum Herb. Perhaps the medium is unfamiliar to you, but people are free to ask questions and discuss topics here without pretense of being an expert.” – Bernard
Message forums are a medium I am extremely familiar with and have greatly benefited from and it is through one of these sources of information, the original Cyberonics Message Forum and the sharing of experiences and knowledge by the Epilepsy participants that we originally formulated our decisions to enter the study program for depression. While on the subject of that message forum, in which I participated for over 4 years and read every single posting, not one support person reported the death of a love one to further answer PC document and your FDA quotation and Malisow’s assertions and your amazement.
If your criteria for your exclamations are based upon the Malisow and PC document then I am inclined, in my opinion, to believe you are extremely naïve and not well researched on the subject as it appears obvious to me. [edited comment] There is information available on the subject matter and by way of definition:
“Expert -
Noun: a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully,”
http://www.onelook.com/?w=expert&ls=a
Have you had the opportunity to collaborate with the researchers knowledgeable about the VNS Therapy? I have and still do. Why not contact them and ask your questions and report back to this forum?
In keeping with your definition of this medium “people are free to ask questions and discuss topics here without pretense of being an expert.” I am a lay-depression expert to my spouse and I would hope that you understand my knowledge, as opposed to your perceptions, based upon research, collaborations and knowledge and your innuendos, based upon two documents with questionable expertise and your statement “your attempts at innuendo to discredit the source I quoted is comical” is in fact not comical to me as you would rather base your exclamations upon the lack of your research and information and you would rather spend the time discussing my personal attributes and personality.
That being the case I shall share with you the fact that I was a former entrepreneur, principal and business executive who ran a multimillion dollar organization and although the door to my office was open to anyone, at any time to discuss any matter there is point at which I would question “where is this going.” You’re certainly free to maintain whatever perceptions you wish to maintain regarding the VNS Therapy. I have made an attempt to accumulate the resources and information unbiased in one location on the subject matter for many reasons and share with those challenged by TRD. I might also point out and once again correct any of your misperceptions. I advocate for education first and all treatment options and informed and un-coerced medical decisions by the patient and/or support persons in collaboration with trusted, compassionate, knowledgeable and licensed health care practitioner(s). It just so happens that I may have a little more knowledge than others as it pertains to the VNS Therapy for depression.
Lastly you stated:
“And this is how I see it. You come off as someone who is heavily vested in Cyberonics. You are blind to all criticisms and substantive issues surrounding VNS Therapy.” – Bernard
Your statements again obviate the fact you never bothered to look for the answer(s) and/or information when the source(s) was given to you but are more comfortable making exclamations without knowledge or understanding. I wonder who really is condescending and talking down to others. I on the other hand will only attribute your misperceptions to the lack of research and information.
Warmly,
Herb
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