The embedded video above, made with the assistance of ChatGPT4 and Pictory.AI, captures the essence of the USNavy SEAL’s code of “leaving no man behind” as applies to those of us on Dialysis.
Tag: Navy (Page 41 of 47)

The Fresenius Liberty Cycler is the machine I use to conduct Peritoneal Dialysis EVERY night. In general, although noisy in its operation, it gets the job done. EXCEPT the other 75% of the time when it wakes me out of a sound sleep to tend to drain alarms. By getting out of bed and standing upright, the alarms may mitigate to the point that eventually, I can go back to bed and sleep for another two hours until my sleep is interrupted again. And on and on.
This has been going on for months and months with no resolution on the horizon.
None of the common tactics to alleviate this situation work so according to Fresenius Tech Support, I’m stuck with it. No help there. No Cycler replacement. No love. Just live with it.
I’v gotten to the point where it’s almost laughable. I have been reading about ChatGPT’s ability to write stories, so I thought I would put it to the test to write a story based on my situation. I wrote the following Prompt and submitted it to my ChatGPT3.5 subscription with the following story. Concluding remarks are at the end.
Prompt: Write a 500-word or so fictitious story about a science fiction realm where a patient on dialysis battles with his Fresenius Liberty cycler over alarms.
ChatGPT
In the distant future, medical technology has advanced to the point where people suffering from chronic kidney disease are able to undergo dialysis from the comfort of their own homes. The Fresenius Liberty cycler is the latest in a line of cutting-edge dialysis machines that have made this possible. However, for one patient, the Liberty Cycler has become the source of constant frustration and anxiety. (That’s me for certain, and a host of others!)
Jared had been on dialysis for years, and the Liberty Cycler had been a lifesaver for him. But as time went on, he found himself becoming increasingly annoyed by the constant beeping and flashing lights that seemed to accompany every dialysis session. The cycler was designed to alert patients to any issues or abnormalities during treatment, but for Jared, it seemed like every session was plagued with false alarms.
At first, he tried to ignore it. He would grit his teeth and try to tune out the beeps and blips that filled the room as the cycler worked its magic. But over time, it became harder and harder to ignore. The beeping grew louder and more insistent, and the flashing lights seemed to pierce his eyes like lasers.
Jared became obsessed with the alarms. He would spend hours poring over the manual, trying to figure out what was causing them. He experimented with different dialysis settings, adjusted his position on the bed, and even tried to meditate his way through the beeps and blips. But nothing worked.
As time went on, Jared began to feel like he was battling the Liberty Cycler itself. He would glare at the machine as it beeped and blinked as if daring it to give him another false alarm. He became convinced that the cycler was out to get him, that it was deliberately trying to drive him crazy.
And then, one day, something snapped. Jared had just settled in for a dialysis session when the alarms began to sound. As usual, he tried to ignore them at first, but they only grew louder and more insistent. He leaped out of bed and rushed over to the cycler, determined to silence it once and for all.
But as he approached the machine, something strange happened. The beeping and blinking seemed to grow more intense, almost as if the cycler was angry at him for trying to shut it down. And then, without warning, the machine sprang to life.
Jared watched in horror as the cycler’s various arms and hoses began to flail wildly, almost as if they had a mind of their own. The beeping and blinking grew even more intense, and Jared felt like he was caught in the middle of a storm.
He tried to fight back, but the cycler was too powerful. Its arms and hoses wrapped around him like tentacles, squeezing the breath out of his body. The alarms blared in his ears, drowning out all other sounds.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The cycler went still, its arms and hoses dropping away from Jared’s body. The alarms fell silent, and Jared was left gasping for breath on the floor.
For a long moment, he lay there, staring up at the ceiling in shock. And then he started to laugh. He laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face. He knew it was crazy, but he couldn’t help feeling like he had just fought a battle with the Liberty Cycler and come out victorious.
From that day on, things were different. The alarms still sounded, but Jared was no longer afraid of them. He had faced his fear head-on and emerged stronger for it. And although he would never forget that fateful dialysis session, he knew he would always be able to face whatever challenges came his way.
Closing Remarks: Back from the realm of fiction to the here and now. My Liberty Cycler and I are NOT on speaking terms; at least 75% of the time, I am awakened from a sound sleep to tend to the needs of the Cycler. It has a life of its own and, as such, takes precedence over mine. It requires me to tend to it while I hope and pray it will tend to me. And the world is worried and concerned about Artificial Intelligence and their livelihood. I wish beyond wishing that the Liberty Cycler and the people concerned with its deployment had some modicum of AI themselves. Any “Intelligence” in this area would be a breath of fresh air, which is totally lacking at this point!
The lead picture was created by Microsoft’s Bing using the prompt: Using the Fresenius Liberty Cycler as a basis, create a creature with hoses and pipes and sounds coming out of it
I am constantly on the lookout for new tools to use in editing this blog’s content. The use of AI is very much in the news now, and AI tools to provide video content are at the head of the pack. I use Pictory.ai to make many of the videos for the blog. I use Grammarly to assist in my editing. I use ChatGPT for ideas and content. I use text to pictures, and illustrations for some of the graphics. AI makes life much easier for bloggers such as myself.
Recently I tried out a newcomer – to me at least – named WiseCut. You provide an mp4 video, and it does all kinds of wonderful things to the provided video, like take out pauses, provide audio-to-text overlays, background music, and other purported magic. It does not work for me. It is sluggish, slow, and does not faithfully transcribe audio to text. Granted, you can go through and clean up the text, but Pictory.ai does a much better job. Rendering is slow. It’s just slow. I was running the free version, which might have something to do with this but…. The video output from WiseCut is embedded below — you can see for yourself what AI video editing can do. I’ve included a screenshot of what WiseCut purported to have done to my source video.

In this video, I draw on the US Navy’s Code of Conduct for its SEAls and apply it to those on Dialysis.
Those of us on Dialysis have to keep life in perspective. Compared to many other endeavors, we have it pretty easy. Keep a steady pull. Never ring the bell.
There is a widely circulated story about “putting down the glass.” The story goes like this:
A psychologist was giving a lecture on stress management to a group of students. As she raised a glass of water, the students expected her to ask the typical “half full or half empty” question. Instead, she asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”
The students shouted out answers ranging from a few ounces to a couple of pounds. The psychologist replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
The lesson of the story is that we must put down the glass of water to give our arms a break. This applies to stress management as well. We all have stress in our lives, but it’s important to put it down for a while and give ourselves a break.
This lesson is particularly relevant for those on dialysis. Dialysis patients have to deal with numerous physical and emotional stressors, such as the time commitment of dialysis treatments, dietary restrictions, and potential complications. These stressors can take a toll on a patient’s mental and physical health.
To reduce stress, dialysis patients should practice self-care and engage in activities that bring them joy and relaxation. This could include exercise, meditation, spending time with loved ones, or pursuing a hobby. I do this by writing this blog, making what I think are cool videos, and taking care of our 1/2 acre part of heaven. It’s also important for patients to communicate with their healthcare team about any concerns or stressors they may be experiencing. I have found mine to be always open, caring, and interested in my well-being.
In conclusion, the “glass story” teaches us an important lesson about stress management. By putting down the glass and taking a break from stress, we can improve our mental and physical well-being. This lesson is particularly relevant for those on dialysis, who face numerous stressors in their daily lives. By practicing self-care and communicating with their healthcare team, dialysis patients can reduce stress and improve their quality of life.
Speaking of self-care, I’m off to take my evening shower.

Today’s blog will look into recent medical developments for those interested in Dialysis regardless of viewpoint.
This past Sunday’s The Wall Street Journal, in a front-page article titled “ChatGPT Doctors Will See You Now” by Nidhi Subbaraman, reported that already, in California and Wisconsin, Open AI’s GPT is being used to scan patient messages and draft responses from their doctors. Such use is being rolled out as we “speak.” Here’s the kicker: ChatGPT scored better than real doctors at responding to patient queries, according to a study posted in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal, a peer-reviewed source. The use of Artificial Intelligence is coming like a freight train. Be prepared to get onboard or get run over.
Recently, Garmin, the GPS/navigation people, rolled out the Dexcom Connect IQ app for Garmin devices. This app supports tracking glucose levels on a Garmin Smartwatch or bike computer. Remember that you need the watch and a Dexcom G6 or G7. Using the app, users should be able to glance at their watch while bike riding to ascertain their current glucose level.
In an article by Robert Hart on April 28, 2023, titled “One-Hour Diabetes Procedure Offers Fresh Hope For Ditching Insulin,” in Forbes, it was reported that a single outpatient endoscopic procedure provides glucose control, a potential improvement over drug treatment. They don’t know why it works at this time, but blind tests are encouraging. The procedure is nonsurgical and involves flexible tubes, lights, and cameras that aid doctors in seeing inside the body, and patients are discharged on the same day as the procedure. Sounds almost too good to be true. Standby.
Lastly, Fierce Healhcare in an article published in Digital Health on April 26, 2023, by Annie Burky titled “DocGo aims to bring kidney care the final mile by partnering with Fresenius Medical Care” to include remote patient monitoring, chronic care management, and urgent care services. Since 2019 DocGo has been FMC’s preferred medical transportation partner. The new service aims to “offer a solution for nephrologists to help patients truly manage their chronic conditions.” Centering around the analysis of “Big Data,” DocGo suggests it will catch trends before they become life-threatening and greatly aid patients toward the “really needing help” end of the spectrum. We’ll see. I already feel that I have more than enough of “Big Brother watching me.”


It’s been an interesting week from many perspectives. (Graphic above from Designs.AI’s Illustrator. It reminds me of my Dialysis nurse for some reason.)
- Our Granddaughter, who lives in the Seattle area, visited
- I got tangled up in ExpressScripts bureaucratic nightmare.
- My Fresenius Liberty Cycler continues, on a random basis, to illicit drain alarms and, this week, one fill alarm. For the past 15 nights, seven have had no alarms (47%), and eight have had alarms (53%). Disregarding the fourth and last drain, when I am always up and moving about, 15X3=45 possible drain alarms, of which I have experienced 10, or 10/45=22%. So more than half of the time I go to bed, my sleep is interrupted by Cycler alarms. Remember that Fresenius’ tech support is oblivious to this fact, telling me to shut off the alarms as a “fix.” What BS!
- I can’t seem to articulate to my GP’s script person that I want all scripts written for a 90-day supply. Why is this so difficult to understand?
- At one point, our Fresenius stock was up $5.00 per share from our by-in price. Not too shabby.
- My GP script person sent a prescription to CVS for a Libre 3. But it was sent in for three, not six, covering 90 days, more or less. My CVS app shows they have been working on it since 4/13/2023. Why is it that I can buy direct from HealthWarehouse.com, which I am, and receive Libre 3s like clockwork, but the large government-contracted agencies cannot? What’s wrong with this picture?
- I have a normal monthly meeting next Thursday with my Dialysis Team. I’ll share my going-in discussion points with you next week.
- Our goose eggs hatched with six little ones that have been seen paddling around in our local ponds. Life does go on, even on Dialysis!
I used AI to generate the feeser.me ad is shown below, which I then posted to Facebook and Linkedin. Enjoy what AI can do for you if you can 🙂