. . . because this whole "stress" explanation for major surgery seems a bit unlikely:
In the letter read by his secretary Carlos Valenciaga, Castro said he had suffered gastrointestinal bleeding, apparently due to stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba, and had to undergo an operation.
Let's take a look together and see what Google has to say about this, shall we?
Ah, the Washington Post has a promising headline: "Castro: Numerous Medical Possibilities." (You mean we're not taking the dictator's word at face value?)
WASHINGTON -- Although U.S. doctors can only speculate on Fidel Castro's health, his self-described symptoms could signal severe ulcers, a colon condition called diverticulosis or, an outside possibility, even cancer.
Bingo!
Let's continue reading, shall we?
Whatever the cause, major abdominal surgery in a soon-to-be 80-year-old is risky, made more so if Castro is indeed weakened from prolonged bleeding. Pneumonia, blood clots and other life-threatening complications can crop up in the critical first days of recuperation.
Castro was said to be recovering "positively" on Tuesday after intestinal surgery to stanch what was described as sustained bleeding. In a statement attributed to Castro, the Cuban leader blamed stress for "an acute intestinal crisis" that would require complicated surgery and weeks of recovery.
"Complicated surgery and weeks of recovery?"
U.S. specialists dismiss the stress comment, saying that couldn't be enough to trigger serious bleeding.
A-ha! So I rest my case on that point. This isn't surgery for "stress."
But a whole list of conditions can cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. It's impossible to know the true culprit without knowing where the bleeding originated: the stomach, small intestine, colon.
Still, only a few disorders are likely to cause enough bleeding to spur urgent surgery, and a condition called diverticulosis tops that list, said Dr. David Weinberg, director of gastroenterology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
Diverticula are balloon-like sacs that form along the digestive tract's lining, usually in the colon. These weak spots become very common with increasing age, and sometimes intersect with an artery _ allowing blood to drain straight into the intestine, then out of the body.
Yick. That sounds pretty awful.
Another suspect: ulcers, which are most commonly caused by bacteria called H. pylori or by medications, including aspirin and other anti-inflammatory painkillers.
In the United States, surgery for bleeding ulcers has plummeted in the last decade, thanks to acid-blocking medications.
But when surgery is needed, it can be complex, requiring removal of a part of the stomach, explained Dr. Parag Bhanot of Georgetown University Hospital. If that's what Castro underwent, Bhanot predicted a seven to 10-day hospital stay and, barring complications, two to four more weeks of recuperation.
Bleeding can be a symptom of stomach and colorectal cancer. But sudden, obvious bleeding is uncommon from cancer, cautioned Fox Chase's Weinberg.
So what is the truth? I guess we'll find out soon enough.
Or maybe not. With these dictators, you never really do know the whole story, do you?
But if Castro undergoes chemo and radiation next, that should be fairly obvious to anyone who sees him. He can hide from the public, but the truth will presumably leak out from someone . . .
. . . who doesn't mind risking his/her life if they are caught telling . . . .
Never mind.
I guess the point is that it's unlikely this surgery is all just about "stress." Maybe it's cancer, or maybe not, but certainly it's something serious.
As for Castro's life expectancy, we can assume that it is reduced at this point, but that he could also survive all of this for some time.
Sad, isn't it, that the fate of an entire nation may rest on what happens to one man? That's what a communist dictatorship is like.
And here's another thing that's been bothering me:
If Fidel Castro is very chummy with Venezuela's anti-American president Hugo Chavez . . .
. . . and if Hugo Chavez is very friendly with Iran's president and mullahs, having just received Iran's highest honor for supporting Iran in its nuclear ambitions (Chavez remarked, "Let's save the human race, let's finish off the U.S. empire") . . .
. . . does that mean that nuclear-weapons-arming Iran is also chums with Fidel Castro?
Well, apparently yes.
In fact, Castro has previously visited Iran, and Iranian officals are planning to visit Cuba later this year. Or were planning to attend, at least, prior to Castro's illness.
And that means that any nuclear weapons Iran is feverishly developing right now could conceivably find their way to Cuba.
That would make the routine chants of "Death to America" in Iran an even more specific concern for the United States, wouldn't it?
But not to worry. The U.N. is working on it. (Ahem.) Why, the U.N. recently set another deadline for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment or face the possible "threat" of sanctions!
I'm sure that will work.
What? It's worked so far, hasn't it?
Hello?
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