Pictures in the Article

I had a post about the pictures in the original article I read in 1995, but evidently I thought it necessary to delete it. I think that was wrong, as to me, the vividness of the pictures in my memory is one of the main reasons I trust my memory. So, here is what I recall, in no specific order:

Picture 1: The guy that lived the longest with the condition. He was standing, being supported by someone on one side. His stance was stooped. He was emaciated, shirtless, and unshaven for what was obviously a long time, but his beard was thin and wispy. The description of the picture noted he was the longest survivor. It described how dedicated he was to doing the things that would prolong his life. These included not drinking for an extended period of time in the end, eating only protein, not bathing, and not going to sleep for a long period. He may or may not have had a limb tied off.

Picture 2: A couple patients with limbs tied off. They did this to preserve circulation to their stomachs for as long as possible. As the condition is severely volume-depleting, eventually the circulation to the stomach is cutoff. Tieing off a limb was done to reduce the circulatory area. As the flesh is apoptotic, necrosis was less of a factor and infection was not an issue for some reason due to changes in the immune system and macrophages that would consume necrotic tissue.

Picture 3: A very healthy-looking guy doing chin-ups on a bar with many people cheering him on. The description for this picture emphasized that exercise during the final period was very detrimental. Any increase in heart rate further damaged the heart. I specifically remember how it said this subject died 23 days later.

Picture 4: Patients sitting up in what looked like horse-troughs surrounded by empty ice-cream containers. Some patients were deceased.

Picture 5: A naked man in a prone position with an erection. The caption for this picture discussed how despite all the circulatory changes, patients' sexual abilities were not hindered at any point and some patients due to their young, fit appearance were known to be popular with the ladies. The condition makes it impossible to gain new fat cells after the initial transition, and during the final phase the patients would have the body they had 25 years earlier when they were initially treated.

Picture 6: Men hanging out, leaning against a wall outside of a bathhouse. The caption noted that the men would spend all day there during the final phase, as the warmth of the sauna or baths was comforting.

Picture 7: An indoor scene of a restaurant or pub with many men and lots of food on display. The caption noted that during the final phase, after suffering through much pain and intestinal issues, the men would enter a 2-month phase where they could eat anything without gaining weight or suffering from the meals. I'm in the middle of that phase now.

Picture 8: A very dark outdoor scene with a campfire. The caption said it was the only photo taken capturing a one-time event that happened for each patient. On this occasion, after a hot bath, the patient would transition how energy was supplied to their muscles. During the first few hours, they would walk with a robotic gate. I experienced this last April or May and noted it in my journal at the time. It was quite odd, if I just tried to walk across the room, my steps were very mechanical. If I put thought into my movements I could cause them to be smooth, but as soon as I stopped focusing on exactly what I was doing and let my subconscious make my movements, whether it was walking or raising an arm, it was very mechanical. I essentially rocked stiffly side to side with each step.

Picture 9: A guy standing wrapped in ice packs. The caption noted that the ice relieved the burning sensations but that once the skin was iced circulation did not return to the skin in that area. I've used icepacks many times to relieve the burning in my flesh over the years. During the transitions, the candidiasis is able to return due to pH changes, I think. Then the system recompensates and the pH changes again or salts increase and the Candidiasis is forced back into hiding. I've had the benefit of antifungal cremes which I found to relieve the burning somewhat even though it was subdermal.

Picture 10: A number of corpses. I'm simply not going to be overly specific about the caption of this. It was a disturbing description of post-mortem requirements.

Other things about the article I remember that aren't overly symptom-related. It discussed how during different phases of the illness patients were vulnerable to exacerbation from elevation changes, blood loss, and viral infection. It spoke about how traveling to the mountains could be used early on to reset or effectively extend the time to the next transition. I believe I did this in November of 2012 when I traveled to Pike's Peak. Doing so brought on a host of symptoms I had not experienced on two previous trips in my teens.

The need/desire for alcohol during the next to last phase was also discussed. During this phase, dilation of the blood vessels leads to a high that the researchers guessed was an interaction between candidiasis and the cannabinoid system effectively "feeding" the candidiasis which was embedded in tissues with little circulation thereby increasing the rate at which the candidiasis could create additional potassium and accelerating the time to the next transition. I believe THC has a similar effect in this stage as I craved it during 2020 and 2021 in the late afternoon and evening. Hot showers had similar effects.

The article also talked about how the patients suffering in beds would cheer when they heard that another patient had reached specific one-time milestones. I've spoken of this before, given the protracted course of the overall condition - decades - the fact there were enough patients in this final phase simultaneously to have them all housed in a large warehouse means that the number of patients treated with the experiment was large. It would have to be hundreds if not more. This really upsets me, as it means the knowledge of this experiment should be present somewhere online, but it is not, or at least I have been unable to find it.

Given everything I recall about the article, all these nuances, and the medical items I discuss elsewhere, I know the article and condition are real just as surely as I know I have the condition.