Jobs Health Concerns Related to Food Absorption, Not Cancer?

[freebooter]

He'll still have his usual say in the big decisions, I assume. He said, after all, he was leaving the "day-to-day" operations to his replacement.

If he's not gravely ill, this may be a good thing. By that I mean he can: step back and smell the roses a bit, spending time with his family, etc.; refresh his mental batteries; gain a different perspective on Apple and the general business trends of his industry and the economy in general; and come up with some new ideas--maybe something beyond the usual neat gadgets. Also, the cultists and stock watchers can get used to the idea of an eventually Job-less Apple.

Best of luck, Steve.

 

[jak1502]

guys he celiac disease. It basically means he can't have anything with flour in it. I mean he has the signs the most important being rapid weight loss. Celiac disease basiclally means your body can not absorb gluten (flour products) and you feel full all the time. Thus you don't eat a lot and you start to loose weight fast. celiac info. His pancreas is shot from the pancreatic cancer. It is responsible for producing several important hormones and digesting food. I think his pancreas is dead and he has celiac disease.

Now while you are correct in what Celiacs Disease is (i myself have it as does my father) and it does make you loose a lot of weight, it is not hard to diagnose (blood test, and then a rather unpleasant camera down ones throat, and not hard to treat (a gluten free diet would be implemented and weight would be regained quite quickly) So i doubt this is the problem. I wish him all the best through.

 

[andyring]

Celiac sprue?

The New York Times reports that the health issues that have resulted in Steve Jobs taking a medical leave of absence from his role as Apple's CEO stem from a problem with food absorption and not from a recurrence of cancer.

Actually this sounds a lot like celiac sprue. My mom has this. It's a gluten intolerance (gluten is a component of wheat, rye, oats and barley). What happens is, the small intestine is no longer able to properly absorb food nutrients into the bloodstream. There isn't any form of treatment or cure, all you can do is modify your diet. When my mom was finally diagnosed several years ago, it did take quite a few months for her to be back to normal. It's somewhat rare, estimates are around 1 percent of the population may have it, although a lot may not know it.

 

[iPhoney:)]

If he wants to get healthy, he should start eating some fish. Fish contain essential oils such as Omega 3's. I don't think a Vegan diet is healthy for anyone but especially not for someone who has undergone something like Pancreatic cancer surgery.

Actually, Steve is a pescitarian, not a vegan, he's still able to eat fish http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pescitarian

 

[preservative]

Look at the trends, look at whats been happening, etc.

Health issues aside, hes an aging man who probably wants to relax...
It would not be to unrealistic that he never resumes the role he once 'showed' to the public.

Best to you steve - have a break, and enjoy your rest.

Peace

dAlen

We only see him once a year. How do you know that he isn't 'basking under the Maui sun' the rest of time?

 

[pprior]

my biggest question is why didn't these problems arise sooner after Steve's surgery? he had the surgery performed in 2004, but it wasn't until last year when you really saw the rapid drop in weight. There has to be something else that is causing the weight loss since it is so sudden and out of nowhere.

EXACTLY. All of the "it's just an absorption problem" people don't understand physiology and anatomy. Any such problem would have occurred in the immediate post-operative period and been progressive as it's the anatomic modification from his surgery that creates it. the fact that it only began in ernest in the last year is clear evidence that such is not the case.

How would you like it if the whole world knew what diseases and conditions you have? His health os none of our business. Just like my health is not yours and yours is not mine.

Don

Unlike you, he is the CEO of a multibillion dollar company and a very special one at that (i.e. just the rumor of declining health is enough to send share prices tumbling). Therefore his health IS a matter of public importance, especially to those of us who have significant money in AAPL. Furthermore, any attempt to mislead the shareholders by being less than honest may very well cause Apple significant legal bills in the future, so I really (really!) hope they are not being stupid enough to lie.

Everyone keeps trying to dance around the most reasonable and obvious explanation - that he has progressive / recurrent cancer. He looks like it, his health is declining, and the changing story does not inspire confidence in any other explanation.

I see cancer patients frequently, and the ones that are dealing with progression of a terminal disease look just like SJ does. I also see celiac disease and other digestive disorders and they do not have the same appearance. That doesn't prove anything, but given the overall situation, it makes a lot more sense.

 

[sushi]

BRING BACK WOZ

The Woz would be a bad choice.

And he would be the first to tell you that.

I deleted the rest of my comments.

All I am going to say, is that there is so much speculation going on right now. Crazy speculation.

 

[marknicholls.au]

My Turn

I wish Steve Jobs a speedy recovery. What ever happen he has left the mark on the advance of stable computer integration into our daily life. For that and everything thank you.
Dr Mark Nicholls
Sydney

 

[HitchHykr]

I wish my wife had a food absorption problem, as long as it's not fatal of course.

But, I do hope that Jobs gets better and not just so that he can come back to Apple. He's revived the company and I'm thankful for that.

 

[Stately]

This doesn't really mean much. Doctors could tell you to take time off for various reasons and various time frames depending on the severity of the issue. I won't speculate as to jobs' specific illness, and it certainly may be very serious... but your reasoning (that there's a timeframe, therefore it must be cancer) is flawed.

(and I am a physician)
arn

Uh-oh . . Let 'em know Arn !

 

[Stately]

The mans fine, Apple will succeed. If food is not absorbing properly, where's the nutrition? Hence, health issues. It's pretty simple.

 

[Maxington]

Steve Jobs has stress?

 

[guzhogi]

I wish my wife had a food absorption problem, as long as it's not fatal of course.

But, I do hope that Jobs gets better and not just so that he can come back to Apple. He's revived the company and I'm thankful for that.

I hope your wife isn't reading this

Anyways, best wishes for Steve. However, I think too many people see Steve as "godly" and IS Apple. So when Steve leaves for good, Apple stock & marketshare will tank. While I believe Apple WILL survive w/o Steve, I don't think Apple will be as prosperous. Look what happened when Steve left last time.

 

[dang75]

Now while you are correct in what Celiacs Disease is (i myself have it as does my father) and it does make you loose a lot of weight, it is not hard to diagnose (blood test, and then a rather unpleasant camera down ones throat, and not hard to treat (a gluten free diet would be implemented and weight would be regained quite quickly) So i doubt this is the problem. I wish him all the best through.

i was diagnose with celiac disease about 6 months ago but had digestive problems since i was a kid, i'm now 33. all my life i've also had bad stomach pains and the doctors never could figure what was wrong with me. then when i hit my 20s i began vomiting almost every meal. i constantly felt ill all the time. then this just past year i felt i was going to have a bowel movement all day long. my vomiting problem was getting worse and i started to miss a lot of work. i was still eating the same but i lost over 25 lbs in a few months. i seriously thought i was dying. my doctor had no idea what was wrong with me so he sent me to a digestive disease specialist. and he had no idea what was wrong with me either. i ask him about celiac and he said i didn't sound like that was my problem. so, on my own i started cutting back on things that i was aware of that had gluten in it and i started to feel better. i told my doctor about it so he finally tested my for celiac and it came back positive. it took me a couple of months to figure what food i can eat. its not as simple as just not eating bread. now my weight has steady and i feel a million times better. anyways, my point is celiac disease is easy to test for but hard to diagnose at least in america because not that many people have it here although it is on the rise. on the other hand, in europe, people and doctors are well aware of this disease and have strict food labeling laws because of it.

 

[errol]

I wish my wife had a food absorption problem, as long as it's not fatal of course.

Hahah

 

[Dave00]

My mom had the very same operation to treat pancreatic cancer. Malabsortion is a very common result, and you could in fact call it a "hormone imbalance." Insulin is a hormone. The pancreas produces insulin. When you remove a good portion of the pancreas, which is what happens in a Whipple procedure, there a good chance of malabsorption. My mom has to remember to take pancreatic enzymes 30 minutes before each and every meal.

It's probably pancreatic insufficiency, which does make sense in the setting of his health history. However, this is not a hormone imbalance and has nothing to do with insulin. The endocrine (insulin, glucagon) functions of the pancreas are different than the exocrine (digestive enzymes) ones. Depending on the severity of the problem and the length of time one has been nutritionally deprived, 6 months is probably a good time period for recovery, especially since Type-A personalities (I take care of a number of them) often neglect mealtime. A pancreatic cancer recurrence at this length of time after his original diagnosis would be very unusual.

It's unfortunate how this has snowballed for the company; investors tend to like consistency, and don't like uncertainty. So when you come out with one statement, then change things right away, that'll hit your stock like a brick through a window. However, it's probably the culmination of Steve finally listening to some good advice about taking care of himself, and hopefully he'll be able to hit the ground running when he does come back. A good buying opportunity if you've ever wanted to own AAPL stock; but more importantly, a good sign to me that Steve is finally going to take his health seriously. Maybe he'll spend some time playing with his Apple TV, and turn it into more than a hobby.

 

[Spades]

Wait, as far as i can see, the problem is the same with what it is reported now.

That's what I was thinking. The question mark on the title is weird, because I thought that was the exact statement he was making in his previous letter.

And for crying out loud, do you people really still believe this is all lies and that Jobs is on death's door? Would you mind pointing out the inconsistency or hole in this story that makes you doubt that it is true?

 

[Dave00]

my biggest question is why didn't these problems arise sooner after Steve's surgery? he had the surgery performed in 2004, but it wasn't until last year when you really saw the rapid drop in weight. There has to be something else that is causing the weight loss since it is so sudden and out of nowhere.

Not true at all. In fact, it's a common time frame for development of pancreatic insufficiency. Especially if he'd had episodes of pancreatitis prior to his development of cancer. Of course, he could have something else and simply not be divulging this to the public. But pancreatic insufficiency is a perfectly reasonable explanation in this setting.

 

[kingtj]

Yep ....

I would never claim to know what his personal feelings are, but it's well known that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have gone out to dinner together and so forth. They may not really be "good friends", but they consider themselves "two peas in a pod", in the sense that they both ran companies that sell the two most widely used commercial computer operating systems on the market. We know that Bill Gates has already decided to step aside as CEO of HIS company. Why wouldn't Jobs feel likewise?

When Jobs stepped back into the CEO role at Apple, it was originally just a "temporary" thing - but he turned the company around so drastically, it was almost unavoidable he'd be promoted to full-time official CEO. His mission is pretty much "complete" now. He rescued Apple from a downward spiral, gave them an entirely new product line to work with, and put them on a very profitable course.

Look at the trends, look at whats been happening, etc.

Personally, I dont think Steve is coming back.
His highlight was the i-phone, and he even admitted it.
Usually people step aside after their 'prime' baby is born...to be remembered by their accomplishment, and not the down turn of a company.

Health issues aside, hes an aging man who probably wants to relax...
It would not be to unrealistic that he never resumes the role he once 'showed' to the public.

In fact, I would highly doubt it...
Hes not there just to show off pretty objects, but new objects which he will be remembered for - and there may not be to many iphone type deals up his sleeve for in which would put him in the spotlight, as it were.

Does this mean he will not be involved at all...of course not...but the days of 'god' Steve are over, a transition has and is taking place now.

Best to you steve - have a break, and enjoy your rest.

Peace

dAlen

 

[jak1502]

i was diagnose with celiac disease about 6 months ago but had digestive problems since i was a kid, i'm now 33. all my life i've also had bad stomach pains and the doctors never could figure what was wrong with me. then when i hit my 20s i began vomiting almost every meal. i constantly felt ill all the time. then this just past year i felt i was going to have a bowel movement all day long. my vomiting problem was getting worse and i started to miss a lot of work. i was still eating the same but i lost over 25 lbs in a few months. i seriously thought i was dying. my doctor had no idea what was wrong with me so he sent me to a digestive disease specialist. and he had no idea what was wrong with me either. i ask him about celiac and he said i didn't sound like that was my problem. so, on my own i started cutting back on things that i was aware of that had gluten in it and i started to feel better. i told my doctor about it so he finally tested my for celiac and it came back positive. it took me a couple of months to figure what food i can eat. its not as simple as just not eating bread. now my weight has steady and i feel a million times better. anyways, my point is celiac disease is easy to test for but hard to diagnose at least in america because not that many people have it here although it is on the rise. on the other hand, in europe, people and doctors are well aware of this disease and have strict food labeling laws because of it.

I live in England so is probably easier to diagnose yes. My dad was diagnosed after he became very ill, and it was one of the first things that a blood test showed up, so was taken further. When i was ill a few years ago i had a lot of blood tests and due to my dad having it (it is believed it can be passed down through generations) was tested fully for it and it came up.
I know it is a different story in the US but I'm sure they would have tested for it by now, he has been loosing weight for the past year now.

 

[hailthehamster]

Futile

I have been reading with interest the postings again concerning Steve JObs health. As a medical professional it is all rather tedious. I'm bored of looking at coeliac's disease as a differential diagnosis. Lets think logically about what's happened. In 2004 Mr. Jobs had pancreatic cancer and subsequently a Whipple's procedure. So we know his pancreas is not good. There is a very real possibility of further pancreatic damage and deterioration. It could be diabetes but he's told us something specific already. This leads us to trypsin, an enzyme released by the pancreas to allow protein absorption. Diagnosing a deficiency in this would indeed involve a sophisticated blood test.

There are a multitude of other possibilities, including cancer and (I suppose coeliacs-an autoimmune disorder). Tell me if you were his doctor how would you approach this? You'd look again at his pancreas due to his medical history and start there. I must at this point congratulate the New York times for their cutting insightful writing, "Might not be cancer, problems absorbing food". That's not very useful at all. We know this as he's told us this himself. That's an amateurish piece of writing. He's had a gastrointestinal problem in the past. He's now lost weight. Start sensibly and work your way to more obscure things.

As for the time he's taken off and how specific it is. I assume he'll need a new routine which incorporates whatever treatment he now needs. This will take time to adapt to. As will he need time, with family and away from the stresses of this multi billion dollar company, in order to put some weight back on. Can we just let the cancer go for now?

One last thing. When people in the forums are suggesting "he has stomach pain like I did and therefore its coeliacs disease" thats not exactly scientific and rather anecdotal. Please enough.

Good luck Steve

 

[Bickley]

How many of you would....

A week/month/year ago, how many of you would have traded lives with Steve? And now today, how many of you would trade lives with Steve?

The next CEO of the company has some tough shoes to fill. I'm willing to speculate that there is almost nothing Steve's successor can do to meet or exceed expectations, and will be the scapegoat for any of Apple's "misses" going forward.

Nevertheless, I'm sure Apple will be just fine. Best of health and recovery to you Mr Jobs.

 

[ppnkg]

How do you 'cut down on stress'?

 

[farmboy]

I don't believe this for a second. I base this on the amount of deception that has already taken place over the past year regarding Job's health and i am starting to seriously question the statements coming out of apple. Apple and Steve are playing all of this way to close to the chest and this continued cryptographic BS is furthering the idea that the company can't function without Steve. Steve should just leave the company entirely and if he gets better in a year or two then let him come back. Either that or disclose all of his medical records so that we can put all of this posturing behind us. I believe apple can function without steve but they really need to prove it and now is the time.

So you agree he should take a leave of absence, just don't agree on the timeframe. Second, why should he disclose his medical records? It's not legally required, even if you info-tards feel you need to know.

 

[Tallest Skil]

How do you 'cut down on stress'?

Stop working? Thus Steve's break from Apple?

About 8% of my hair is white from stress. It's almost to the point that it looks like highlights. I'm 19. I've had some of them since I was 12.

You have to take a break from pushing yourself so hard.

Look at presidents. Look at their inaugural photo and then look at a photo of them at the end of their 4-year term. ALL of them have whiter if not completely white hair, even the ones that are only in their 40s.