Henry Feeser's Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) journey

We started Tuesday with a call from a nurse at the surgical facility we will be going to tomorrow to have the permanent spinal cord stimulator installed. Everything was boilerplate until she mentioned the timing; we had previously been informed that the procedure was to take place at 1400. We were now told that we had to be there at 10:30 for the procedure at 11:30. My wife had set up our dog walker to take care of him in our absence, and we had worked out when we had to get up and leave for the drive to Eulis. Now, all of this planning, in one fell swoop, was out the window, and we had to regroup. Additionally, the nurse informed us that the doctor’s office had no idea when the surgery would be scheduled and just put a number in their computer as a placeholder. This folks is the epitome of medical curve balls that seem to happen frequently. As patients, we are merely objects for doctors and their schedulers to toss around at will. In this regard, we are, as patients, rarely, if ever, asked about scheduling but are told. At this point, there seems to be no recourse, but once the fat lady sings, it will be over. Have the follow-up on Friday, and we will be rid of this stage short of complications.

By my nature, I dig words. I have been an avid reader since, like forever, even as a small boy. In the news about the Kirk saga, I ran across the words “stochastic terrorist act,” which were new to me. I understand stochastic from my advanced statistics courses at Purdue University, and terrorist acts from my military course on terrorism. But putting them together is a new discourse for me, so I did some digging with the following results:

A “stochastic terrorist act” refers to an act of violence that is statistically predictable but individually unpredictable, incited indirectly by public rhetoric rather than explicit instructions or direct coordination. Unlike traditional terrorism, stochastic terrorism involves the use of mass communication or media to demonize or vilify a group or individual in such a way that it motivates random, lone actors to commit violence.

Definition and Characteristics

• Stochastic terrorism describes a process where influencers or leaders use hostile, inflammatory, or coded language in mass media to incite others to commit violent acts against targeted groups, but the specific acts, perpetrators, and timing remain unpredictable.
• The perpetrators—often “lone wolves” without formal links to terrorist groups—are inspired by repeated public rhetoric, not direct orders.
• The link between the rhetoric and the act is statistical: increased hostile campaigns raise the probability of violent incidents, even though no particular event can be predicted in advance.

Real-World Examples

• Instances such as the 2021 US Capitol attack or hate-motivated lone wolf assaults are often analyzed as likely outcomes of stochastic terrorism: the rhetoric by influential figures creates an environment where violence is statistically probable, though each specific act is random.
• The term is frequently used in contexts involving demonization and dehumanization on social or traditional media, where “virtual incitement” is intended to provoke action, creating legal and ethical dilemmas for free speech and accountability.

Key Points

• A stochastic terrorist act is triggered not by direct command, but by the public environment of hatred and suggestion, which statistically increases the odds of violence.
• Actions can range from threats and harassment to physical violence, all provoked without explicit incitement, making perpetrators and instigators legally disconnected but causally related.

In summary, stochastic terrorism describes how public demonization or coded rhetoric by influential figures can lead to unpredictable but statistically probable acts of violence, offering the instigator plausible deniability while fostering real-world terrorism.

So now you too know what stochastic terrorism means. Hot dog!

While in the US Navy, I was deployed to somewhere involved in the Vietnam Conflict. Twice, it was on a spot in the Gulf of Tonkin named PIRAZ (Positive Radar Advisory Zone), and the last was a tour in-country as Ordnance Advisor to the Brown Water Navy. We often had time on our hands to think about what was going on back home.

I graduated from high school in 1956, and in 1957, a duo named Johnnie & Joe recorded a hit named “Over the Mountain, Across the Sea.” This song got stuck in my mind, and while I could only recall the lead lyrics, when thoughts went to “back home,” to this day, those times (perhaps mild PTSD), places, and thoughts are still with me. So bear with me while I’m over the mountain and across the sea with my thoughts, thinking great things about my family, what they might be doing, and how, at that time, I missed them beyond description, and how grateful I am now to have a warm bed with my wife of 63 years by my side. See the song embedded below, please!

Going to be a somewhat busy week for us. Here’s what’s coming down:

Monday: Third estimated IRS tax payment due. I already made it. Have a 1315 audiologist appointment in Stevenville. Have these every quarter courtesy of the VA, wherein the doc checks out my VA-provided hearing aids and my ears to ensure all is proper. Worth the trip.

Tuesday: Pentec should make our weekly delivery of IPN supplies for the next seven days. This requires a fair amount of manual labor on the part of my wife to unpack the boxes, place the contents in the provided refrigerator, and set the boxes up for the next week’s trash.

Wednesday: 1400 travel to Eulis to have “permanent HFX device installed. That is the Spinal Cord Stimulator, after which I go on pain and antibiotics meds and am refrained from lifting over 6 lbs for some time, and am also restricted from taking a shower, during which my body can get a little r

Raunchy is embedded in the song below.

Thursday at this point is a free day.

Friday: 1100 follow-up with the doc who installed the spinal cord stimulator, this time on Pennsylvania Ave in Ft Worth.

We’ll see what else jumps out and is added to this schedule.

First up, results of yesterday’s dialysis team meeting. On all three lab results I previously commented about bringing up during this meeting, the results indicated in my blog are the same. That is to say, the results of Albumin going down to 3.2 from 3.5 while taking IPN are conflicting, and it was implicit that after a couple of more months with no improvement in this area, it is on the table to discontinue IPN. The second area, Kt/V going up resulted in an agreement that we would continue to watch this adequacy value for a couple more months and not move forward at this time with the installation of a fistula. The third and last lab area was my phosphorus being at the lower bound. It was agreed that I would cut the binder back to one pill vice two at breakfast.

With my background in the US Navy involving engaging all things with missiles, it is natural that I have an interest in drone warfare. I have been reading most of the available stories of how drones are being deployed, how Ukraine is assembling its own, and how we just dumped billions into this area through the Big Beautiful Bill. I decided it’s time to get off the sidelines and invest in US companies that are involved in one aspect or another of drones for the military.

Sitting here with a blank sheet of paper, I first ascertained the players in this basket of companies, then instructed Perplexity to rank order them with the following results:

Here is a ranked table of the cited drone sector companies, integrating “efficacy as an investment” for a private investor with $10,000. The ranking considers product significance for modern conflict, company momentum, and market standing (as of 2025), and exposure to pure-play versus diversified defense. A higher rank means a higher recommended portfolio weighting, although diversification helps lower risk.

Rank	Ticker	Company Name	Drone/Defense Products	Investment Efficacy (2025 rationale)	Example Allocation
1	AVAV	AeroVironment	Switchblade tactical drones, P550 eVTOL UAS, LOCUST laser C-UAS	Major pure-play military drone supplier, strong US/ally contracts, innovative laser/C-UAS; high warfighting relevance	$2,000
2	KTOS	Kratos Defense	XQ-58A Valkyrie stealth combat drones, target drones	Leader in cost-effective loyal wingman/attritable combat UAVs; strong DOD interest, scalable manufacturing	$1,700
3	DRS	Leonardo DRS	Counter-UAS (C-UAS) laser and kinetic defense systems, maritime C-UAS	Advanced multi-layer C-UAS for mobile, ground, maritime; essential for counter-drone, growing need	$1,500
4	RCAT	Red Cat Holdings	Defensive drones, tactical parachute-delivery drones, AI software	Large-cap, top-tier counter-drone and drone component supplier, diversified	$1,100
5	LHX	L3Harris Technologies	Counter-drone sensors, comms, guidance & payloads	Large cap, top-tier counter-drone and drone component supplier, diversified	$1,000
6	ONDS	Ondas Holdings	Drone autonomy, comms, industrial/military systems	Mid-cap, key infrastructural enabler for drone networks	$850
7	AIRO	AIRO Group Holdings	Military-grade autonomous drones	Prominent new IPO, high-growth, riskier, notable US government contracts	$700
8	UMAC	Unusual Machines	Engines for military and commercial drones	Niche player, pure-play, less liquidity, high risk-reward	$500
9	DPRO	Draganfly Inc	Public safety/medical drones, tactical/rescue drones	Pure-play, expanding into defense, smallest cap	$350
10	NOC/BA/LMT	Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin	Strategic drones, Loyal Wingman, integration, systems	Lower volatility, drones part of diversified product mix, suitable for conservative exposure	$1,300 combined

I narrowed this list down to companies that appealed to me because of their product, market(s), and closeness to being a startup. For the four stocks shown below, less than a week ago, I bought 100 shares in each. Here’s where they stand now:

Since purchasing into the military drone market less than a week ago, here’s where I stand with the four stocks I bought:

1. AIRO up $99.22/5.28%

2. ONDS up $85.00/15.57%

3. RCAT up $234.01/26.73%

4. UMAC up $107.42/10.88%

Total gain in less than a week: $525.65. This is approaching something other than chump-change. (Nothing here is meant to be advice concerning investments. I’m just a guy with a computer and AI by my side. You, the public, are on your own in this regard.)

Yesterday was one of those days with lots going on.

It started with our dog walker taking our Golden Retriever, Dickens, for an hour-long walk. She found a job in Nashville in the music industry and will be leaving us at the end of September, so we’re in the market for a replacement. Yesterday was also order day for Fresensis supplies, so I put in an order online. Yesterday, the PenTec IPN supplies arrived a day late with no explanation of the lateness. These supplies are a real PITH to deal with! I had ordered new tires for my wife’s BMW 330xi and was informed they were in, so I had them installed. BTW, here 2023 XI only has 27+K on it. Seems early for new tires, but here old tires were down to the tread wear indicators. In the evening, I cleaned the rims on the BMW, took Dickens for a golf cart ride, and did a little weeding in our many flower beds. I also watered the two Roma tomato plants that went in the ground on Monday in an attempt to see if we can get another tomato crop here in North Texas. I bought four stocks to get into the exploding military drone game, and sold four others that were underperforming.

Thought I’d share some stats about blog traffic. Below are two screen grabs. The first indicated the top ten countries that have visited the site. The second shows traffic for September, with the peak being 77 page views and yesterday being 37.

Since I just paid the August 2025 bill from PenTec Health of their August 2025 billings, I thought it might be enlightening to share it with you. The actual bill is included as a PDF below with my Medicare credentials blotted out. You can see that our out-of-pocket cost for August on IPN was $1137.13. Let’s do a little math:

1. In August 25, there were four Tuesdays, the day we receive shipments.
2. Pentec delivered seven IPN treatments, each delivery, on average
3. Total IPNs August = 4×7-28
4. Our August billing/cost = $1137.13
5. Cost/IPN = 1137.13/28 = $40.61/bag.

For comparison, filet mignon is about $22.00 per pound. So we could almost buy two pounds of filet for daily consumption compared to what the daily IPN is costing us. What’s wrong with this picture?

One of the data points we must face at least once a month and every quarter is the results of our labs. They are an unbiased look into what’s going on with our systems. I am always extremely honest about them and in no way attempt to alter the results. They are what they are.

Last week, we accomplished an Adequacy Test, which resulted in a Kt/V measurement that I have reported in depth on in previous blogs. See below for my most recent results. They are a bit complex. My Kt/V was on a downward trend, leading to my dialysis nurse recommending we start prep for the installation of a Fistula before switching over to hemo dialysis. As you can ascertain from the graph below, with a Kt/V of 1.99 (Fresensis rounds this to 2), the current reading is acceptable. It will be a point of discussion for our team meeting on Thursday.

The second point of discussion with the team is my Albumin reading. I am replacing one of the two main bags on the Cycler with a bag that has been infused with protein with the understanding that such action, at my expense by the way, will improved this reading, in due course. We are now in at least the second month of using an IPN infusion and the readings are going the wrong direction, down from two months of 3.5 to the current reading. See the specific lab result for Albumin below.

The third and last lab reading that IMHO is worthy of note is that of Phosphorous which has fallen from mid-range to on the cusp of being too low at 3.0; it is at the lower acceptable boundary. I take two Velphoro tabs with my breakfast each day to bind this element. Perhaps we should back off to one tab to bring it back up?

The remainder of the labs, to me, are consistent with prior results.

To leave you with something to remember, below is the song Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys. Get your stomp on!

Jumble of thoughts for Friday’s blog.

Yesterday, bright and early, we showed up at our local hospital in Granbury, TX, for my vein mapping appointment, the first step in having a Fistula installed in my arm.

An AV fistula is a direct surgical connection between an artery and a vein, most commonly created in the arm for long-term hemodialysis access in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), also known as kidney failure. Its primary counterpart is the AV graft, which uses a synthetic tube to connect the artery and vein when native vessels are unsuitable.clevelandclinic+3 Research has indicated that, if possible, the AV fistula is superior to the AV graft, so that’s what I’m hoping my arm will support.

The napping took about 12-13 minutes per arm. The tech used a sonic device, like what’s used to look inside pregnant women to look at their pre-birth child/children. She made notes from time to time on the resulting echogram. Toward the end, she asked me if I was diabetic, to which I responded in the affirmative. I asked her why she asked, and she stated that it was apparent from the procedure that I was.

For those who would like to know more about this procedure, here’s what Perplexity provided:

Vein mapping is a key, painless preparation procedure before surgically installing an arteriovenous (AV) fistula for dialysis. It utilizes ultrasound imaging to evaluate veins and arteries in the arms, guiding the surgeon to the optimal site for fistula creation, thereby improving the likelihood of successful and long-lasting dialysis access.

Purpose of Vein Mapping

• Assesses veins and arteries in the arm to determine if they are suitable for fistula creation.
• Helps the surgical team select veins that are large enough and have optimal blood flow for a successful AV fistula.
• Reduces the risk of early fistula failure, infection, or post-surgical complications.

The Mapping Procedure

• Vein mapping is performed using an ultrasound (often a Doppler ultrasound), which sends sound waves to visualize the arm’s blood vessels.
• The scan typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour and is painless, without the need for anesthesia or recovery time.
• A digital map of the veins and arteries is produced, showing their size, depth, and blood flow.
• This information is used by the surgeon to choose the optimal location to place the AV fistula and to predict potential challenges that might arise during surgery.

Benefits and Outcomes

• Studies show preoperative vein mapping is associated with a higher rate of successful AV fistula creation, especially in the forearm, compared to procedures without mapping.
• Mapping helps avoid less preferred options like graft placements if a healthy vein is available.
• Patients with preoperative vein mapping have improved outcomes, including higher rates of access patency (long-lasting functionality) and fewer secondary interventions.

Practical Considerations

• Vein mapping is especially helpful for patients with a history of vascular problems or those at higher risk of complications.
• The procedure is non-invasive, convenient, and can be completed in an outpatient vascular lab setting.
• Results guide both patients and surgeons in planning and optimizing the fistula creation procedure for hemodialysis.

In summary, vein mapping is a simple, effective way to maximize the chances of a successful and durable AV fistula, improving dialysis outcomes and reducing complications.

I’ve embedded a video below to explain the results of the required change of events leading to hemodialysis.