Not So Fast!
While I wish I was logging in this morning to write a #wednesdaywalk post sponsored by @tattoodjay, that isn't the case. It would seem I am dropping the ball all over the place this week. First no Three Tune Tuesday post, and now no Wednesday Walk post. To be fair, I have a very good reason...
Just a little over a week ago I went to the podiatrist (foot doctor) to have a wart looked at on my foot. This wart and me go way back, something like thirty years to be honest. For the better part of three decades this wart has been right on the bottom of the heel of my foot.
I had tried various treatments over the years, but nothing ever seemed to have much of an impact on it. In fact, just recently I spent close to a year having them use liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart and then pare away the layers hoping to get to the root of it. Just when they thought they had it, it seemed to come right back. The funny thing is, sometimes it would hurt, but more often than not it wouldn't, which is why I probably let it go so long.
Anyway, this past Monday, I finally decided I had dealt with it enough, so when I went into the doctor I told him to go ahead and cut it out. The fact that we have already met the deductible on our insurance, so this elective procedure is basically free didn't hurt either.
The doctor jabbed a really painful needle right into the bottom of my foot a couple times, and after it was numb enough, he cut the whole thing out. I went home with a nice hole in my foot about the size of an American Quarter (and probably about as deep). I just had a follow up this past Monday and he is really happy with the way it is healing. Technically, I should probably be on crutches, but I have just been hobbling around making due.
Believe it or not, this post isn't really about warts though.
As the doctor and I were talking, he asked what I do for a living. I mentioned that I work in technology and he started telling me about all of the technical challenges he has had. Actually he seemed pretty tech savvy given his age.
As I was saying, he was telling me his tech problems and one of them just happened to be with Google Ad Sense. He logged into his website one day to find that Google Ad Sense (or whatever it is) had removed all ads from his site. I'm assuming he was counting on the ads for some kind of revenue or to advertise his own business, so it was kind of a big deal. He dug into it a bit and after spending a good deal of time on the phone with Google, he finally discovered the reason.
Apparently on his website he had a very small little blurb (maybe a paragraph) about a procedure he offers called PRP. PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma and it is an injection where they take a concentrated solution of platelets from the patients own blood and they inject them into the injured or damaged area to promote healing.
This technique is being widely used for sports injuries and other similar injuries, but there is one caveat. According to the doctor, this is still considered a form of experimental medicine and as such, Google has strict rules in their terms of service about experimental medicine.
It turns out because he had that small blurb on his site, Google shut down his account and it wasn't until he removed that part about PRP that they turned things back on for him. Pretty crazy right?
I think what is interesting about this is not only how strict they are about what they allow on sites, but also how quickly their algorithm can catch something like that to flag it and shut things down. If you were still under the impression that Google or any other major tech company isn't watching all your data, you are fooling yourself.
Hopefully PRP isn't something I ever need, but if I do, I guess I know where I can get it. As much as I hate needles, it seems to be a pretty interesting piece of medicine that might have some really great uses if it ever gets past the experimental stage.
As for my foot... My hope is that by this time next week I will almost fully healed and walking like normal again. I'm starting to feel a bit of a bum sitting around so much!
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
Google is a nefarious company, and they are seeking more and more information and power. With that comes more revenue... It's why I avoid them in every possible way, I don't want them profiting off of me. In the case of the doctor, he has to have ads up on Google to keep attracting new business. Just because Google thinks a procedure is experimental doesn't mean it doesn't work, and since when did Google have a license to practice medicine? The more I think about it the more it disturbs me...
I do hope that foot heals up quickly and you'll be back to "fighting" shape by next week. It's miserable to have to hobble around. The sad part is with those types of wounds they heal best when you aren't active on them, so it's a good thing you aren't required to walk miles a day for your work! lol
Yeah, that's why I said I should probably be on crutches, but I don't think I could handle that. The biggest problem is I have to walk funny to avoid putting my whole weight on the heel, so it torques the rest of my body. I have a feeling it's going to take a few weeks to get back to normal even after my foot is better. I'm pretty heavily invested in Google as a platform. I was one of the early adopters for Workspace when they launched it for schools. There is a lot of things they do right and really well, but there are also a lot of questionable things. Apple really dropped the ball on the management side of things otherwise I likely would have taken us in that direction.
Yikes! That sounded painful, having bit of your foot cut off, even if it wasn't to grow there in the first place!
At least your doctor was lucky he found out what the issue was with AdSense. Google just stopped the ads on my YouTube channel and refused to tell me what the issue was. Luckily I was earning pennies so no biggie, just very annoying
Yeah, it has been a little over a week now and it still hurts. Oh wow, that is too bad about Google doing Google things. I am sorry you were in the fallout!
children in the picture, are they yours?
No, niece and nephew. Just ours for that weekend of camping.
We have been watched for years, I am surprised that they stopped the ads on his site though. I understand why, but considering what they don't stop ads for is bizarre. Hope you back to no hobbling soon and it is all cleared up once and for all. 30 years is a long time!
Thanks, I hope so too. Yes, I would have thought it would take a lot more than that for them to stop ads. Seems pretty lame if you ask me. Everyone is surprised when I mention it has been that long. My fault for letting it go.
That can also be a problem with AI and algo, it is very easy just to blame it now I think. Yes very lame though.
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Good time to do medical procedures, not only because you met your deductible, but also because medical coverage is getting worse every year as insurance companies are renegotiating with provider networks...
Yeah, it is getting totally out of hand! I don't even want to think about what it is going to be like in five years.
That story is why I will never use Google adsense and why I resisted using big ad networks back in the day, when my website got enough traffic to justify using one. At that time I went the hard way and would sell ads for my site myself. I don't have the time to do that again, but I'd think of something if I started getting more traffic. I can't abide giving up control to a company like Google.
Hope your foot gets better!
Thanks, it is getting there! Hopefully by the weekend I will be able to walk normal. We will see though. Yeah, part of me wonders if the hassle is worth it with those ad companies. I mean clearly they work for some people, but I just don't understand enough about it.
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