
Rush Limbaugh wears bilateral (both sides) cochlear implants to hear. His deafness resulted from his long-term abuse of OxyContin and other prescription narcotics, which is a well-known and highly-documented result of their abuse. In October 2003, he opened up about his years-long deliberate abuse of opioid pain relief medications which dated back to the mid-’90s, around the same time he discovered cigars.
In 2006, following an extensive 3-year investigation, he was arrested by Palm Beach Law Enforcement Officers and charged with a single count of prescription fraud for “doctor shopping” to obtain thousands of opiate analgesics (pain relievers).
Earlier, on October 5, 1995 on his short-lived teevee show, Limbaugh said that, “Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. … And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.”
After his arrest, he then went to rehab for about a month, and was given a sweetheart deal by prosecutors – an expunged record – if he stayed clean.
Limbaugh has a long history of venomous vitriol and drug abuse, and became infamous for his mocking derision of women as “feminazis.” He had twice checked into drug rehab programs in the last 6 years, which he sarcastically described as “a wonderful process … as important as the first grade and maybe the second grade.” He added that, “I’m not a role model. What I did, I did knowingly. What I did, I did because I wanted to do it, but I knew it was wrong the whole time.”
The irony of his hypocrisy hasn’t gone unnoticed. When Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia died, Limbaugh openly mocked tributes to the renown musician, saying, “Jerry Garcia destroyed his life on drugs. And yet he’s being honored, like some godlike figure.” And in 1995, around the time he started abusing OxyContin, Limbaugh said, “Too many whites are getting away with drug use. The answer is to find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them up the river.”
UPDATE Wednesday, 05 February 2020:
In the State Of The Union Address last night, the President stated in part that Limbaugh “…just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news…” He is correct. Limbaugh has a literal death sentence on his head… or, more accurately, in his chest/abdominal cavity, and elsewhere. Stage 4 cancer means that it has metastasized (spread to other body parts/organs/systems). Lung Cancers are divided into 2 types – Non Small Cell (NSCLC), and Small Cell (SCLC). NSCLC is the most common, is diagnosed in stages I-IV, and accounts for approximately 84% of all lung cancers, while SCLC is staged as limited, or distant, and is most strongly associated with smoking. Stage 4 lung cancer survival rates are in the single-digit range, less than 5%. The average age at diagnosis is 70, and the 5-year relative survival rate for NSCLC is 24%, while SCLC is 6%. The American Cancer Society states this about NSCLC treatment options: “Stage IV NSCLC is widespread when it is diagnosed. Because these cancers have spread to distant sites, they are very hard to cure. Treatment options depend on where the cancer has spread, the number of tumors, and your overall health.” They state this about treatment options for SCLC: “If cancer growth in the lungs is causing symptoms such as shortness of breath or bleeding, radiation therapy or other types of treatment, such as laser surgery, can sometimes be helpful. Radiation therapy can also be used to relieve symptoms if the cancer has spread to the bones, brain, or spinal cord. If you are in otherwise good health, treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy (chemo), targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy may help you live longer and make you feel better by relieving symptoms, even though they aren’t likely to cure you.”
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Today, Rush Limbaugh, a controversial political talk radio show host well known as a “conservative political shock jock” and lighting rod for criticism, announced that he has “advanced lung cancer.”
“Advanced” means it is probably late stage 3 or more likely, stage 4, which is metastatic, meaning that it has spread to other organs and body systems.
Limbaugh, known for his 31-year history of caustic commentary, radical right-wing views, and vitriolic remarks which alienated numerous sponsors, cost him millions, and widespread loss of respect, wrote in part that,
“I have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, diagnosis confirmed by two medical institutions back on January 20th. I first realized something was wrong on my birthday weekend, January 12th. What led to shortness of breath that I thought might have been asthma or — you know, I’m 69 — it could have been my heart. My heart’s in great shape, ticking away fine, squeezing and pumping great. It was not that. It was a pulmonary problem involving malignancy. So I’m gonna be gone the next couple days as we figure out the treatment course of action and have further testing done. But, as I said, I’m gonna be here as often as I can.”
Some credit Limbaugh’s Read the rest of this entry »
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