Public Service Announcement

[oldfart]

Okay, this is one of those “gun related” Public Service Announcements the moderators will probably pull but I have to try.

Most of us on this forum are men and – like men everywhere – we’re TOUGH!! We look at our own eventual demise with the same sort of Wagnerian philosophy made popular by ‘Rambo,’ ‘The terminator’ and before them, countless western heros, not the least of whom was John Wayne. We’re ready to meet Death out in the street and if we do go down it’ll be after one heluva fight.

Well let me tell you a little secret guys; except for an infinitesimally small number of us, Death won’t look like Jack Palance with six-guns slung low on his hip. But he isn’t going to come to us dressed in a robe with his face hidden and a lethal-looking scythe in his hand either. He’ll look more like Ronald McDonald when he comes to take you away. Instead of plugging your heart with a lead slug he’ll do it with a bunch of grease and a salt shaker.

And you’ll welcome him.

I’ve been away for a couple of weeks. I don’t post a lot so I doubt I was missed but I missed you. I had a heart attack, five by-passes, a couple of infections and a whole lot of time to reflect. I figured I was a tough as any of you until I woke up, unable to talk, with my wife standing over me wearing a hospital issued plastic smile and tears in each eye. The Doctors told me that recovering from open-heart surgery is the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do but they’re wrong; it’s much harder to admit that your inconsiderate actions have hurt someone else, someone you promise a long time ago to protect from this sort of pain.

Well, I’m going to survive for a few more years but here’s where guns come into the story. In order to get to my heart, the surgeon had to run a circular saw up my sternum so he could spread my ribs. The edges of that bone are now being held together with a couple of feet of stainless-steel wire until they knit. Until that knitting is complete, in about three months, I can’t shoot. The recoil would rip the edges apart again and reset my clock for another three months. So if you enjoy your range time (and we all do) watch what you eat.

By the way, I don’t need sympathy – I need my ass kicked.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

I, personally, am going to leave this open for a bit. The other moderators might not agree, and that's fine. They can close it, no hard feelings.

You know why? My father is laying in ICU right now. He's 80 years old and had a triple bypass and two new valves two weeks ago. First time in his life he's ever been sick.

Yesterday the doctors found out that one of the valves is leaking, and they'll probably go back in tomorrow. I hope he's strong enough to survive this time.

 

[oldfart]

Thanks Larry. I know that prayer helped me so I'll say one for him now.

 

[highorder]

my wife works as a nurse in the Cardiac ICU. I hear all the stories, uplifting and horrible.

People that shouldn't make it do and vice versa. Take care of yourselves and at least we'll have a fighting chance.

 

[Nightwing]

Wow.
Seriously.... I'm praying for you man. Not just saying that, and I'm not doing it for me.
I hope you get some comfort, and I hope you live a long life. I hope that modern medicine can help to save you form some bad choices you made.
Enjoy your time of rest and don't be afraid to receive some comfort from those around you. It doesn't make you weak....... you're just 1 man.
The world is hard. God knows I don't see a point in life in general some times.....but we gotta press on. If this short life we have is truly pointless, then do everything you've got in your strength to make it worth while in some way. If not for yourself, than for another person struggling through what you're going through.
Get healthy, and share your life with someone else. Maybe you can keep them from doing the things you regret.

In all seriousness... my prayers are with you and I celebrate your quick upcoming recovery

 

[rust collector]

Glad to have you back, OF! Thanks for the reminder that thoughtlessness hurts not only us but those we love.

You may be a little hard on yourself, as heredity and other factors play a part in the drama. Nonetheless, if we want happiness in whatever days we have left, we've got to do the right thing. Ronald wouldn't have that sheep-eating grin on his face if we weren't buying what he's selling in a major way. The really sad part is the number of kids eating at those places.

I hope you're healing OK.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Wow, I'm glad you made it through and wish you a speedy and full recovery.

My grandpa went through that a couple years ago, and he's pushing 91 years young in a couple months. Shot (compact 1911) for the first time since before the surgery over this thanksgiving at the house and he still makes me look bad! Hang in there. Maybe you can crank out a few thousand rounds (if you reload) while waiting to heal

 

[Autolycus]

Well my new years resolution is to lose wieght. I am overweight and this is just more motivation. I quit smoking 2 years ago, now I will start to lose weight.

Hope all of you have a good start and good luck with your resolutions.

 

[dhoomonyou]

get well soon, maybe try shooting 22LR whike you heal.

 

[RoadkingLarry]

OldFart - I was on the other side of that "hospital issued smile" last December wondering if my 44 year old wife was gonna make it to our 25th anniversary in May. She also had to undergo bi-femoral bypass which was for her a lot worse than the double bypass. We have also started on a path to healthier living, she didn't know it at the time but she had smoked her last smoke about 20 minutes before her heart attack. I gave up my snuff in April and am still "clean". Its a long road but we got lots of time (I hope).
Hang in there and listen to your doctor and wife.

 

[okienate]

Nice post OF. You're in my family's thoughts and prayers as well.

This hits home pretty close out here in Oklahoma. (Went through a similar situation of my own doing earlier this year. Your advice is welcome and something we all need to embrace. ) Kinda hard to take care of those you love if you haven't taken care of yourself well enough to be around to do it! Its easy to overlook taking care of yourself when you're focused on caring for those around you....

God speed on your recovery.

 

[doc2rn]

On the way

My prayers will include old and larry's dad tonite. Prayer is as helpful as therapy in my oppinion. I aughta know I had 4 months of it for shrapnel wounds. I would recite the 23 Psalm through the whole workout. My therapist would bring me in last usually. He said my drive was disturbing to the other patients. Don't remember much about them but I knocked 2 months off my therapy.

 

[dm1333]

OF,

Hang in there and remember it is almost never too late to change your ways when it comes to diet and exercise. I haven't had the problems some of you have mentioned here but I do have a story to relate.

My father died of liver cancer at 67. He had prostate cancer a few years earlier. The doctor thought that diet had a lot to do with his cancers. My uncle (his brother) was 72 when my dad died. My uncle is now 80 and looks 60. He had an operation a few years ago that went bad and nearly killed him. At one point the doctors had to cut a muscle in his leg and lead it in the opposite direction to plug a hole in his bowel. To look at him now you would never think he had been at deaths door.

What was the difference between my uncle and my dad? Uncle Pete had high cholesterol and blood pressure back in the 70s and my aunt and he have walked 3 or 4 miles a day and eaten a high fiber, low fat diet for over 30 years.

 

[Phydeaux642]

Get well soon, oldfart. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes because my Dad died two years ago this month of a massive heart attack and it's still hard to deal with. There are many days where I wish we could have some "range time" together but, of course, that is never going to happen. The last two years have been particullarly bad for me considering lifestyle choices (bad food, no exercise, etc.) trying to get through this. Shooting and buying my "toys" have helped a lot.

________________

"Phydeaux, bad dog....no biscuit!"

 

[Diamondback6]

Much T&P all around, y'all.

 

[george29]

I was writing something similar to post for this community, I only started and then saved it for later. I wanted to tell you guys about my personal struggle getting the pounds off and the things I have learned in the process, it has been roughly 4 - 5 years since I started this current method and it may help others. I'm going to make this as short as possible.

Roughly 4 years ago I topped the scales at close to 400lbs. I am 6'1" in my stockings am very large boned and have always ben stocky. 400lbs of course is ridiculous and I suffered from sever hypoglycemia and an underactive thyroid, I am also lazy. My waist topped out at a size 56 (American sizes) and a 58 chest, my trunk is longer than my legs so finding 4XTL was difficult except specialty stores. My inseam is 31".

Of all the methods that I used (cutting to the chase to make it less boring), the only one that really works for me is staying out of fast food joints which includes most sit down diners as well (IHOP, Village Inn, Ruby Tuesday etc), they all use the same types of manufactured food that my Russian Bubby (Granma) would never touch (and she lived to 103 and only the last year was problematic). If I didn't make it, I didn't eat it was the rule for me and I hate cooking, am living alone and can't afford to pay someone to cook for me (one cure to my laziness perhaps). The only other rule I have about food is that I no longer buy processed food, prebaked, precooked only add water throw in your microwave type food. My exception is the Yogurt section where I occassionally will buy a Strawberry LowFat Yogurt, and Bread, always the more expensive multigrain type.

From cans or jars, usually very simple items like Sauerkraut, peas and greenbeans.

I know that most food today is already grown with so many chemicals that
I prefer not to add anymore by allowing some For-Profit Company making the decision for me what other chemicals I put in me (Dyes, emulsifiers and preservatives as well as all the hidden sugars under names like corn starch or natural fructose). A simple method of knowing that you are eating good food is how few the ingredients contain. My can Whole Tomatoes ingredients lists tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, calcium chloride and citric acid. Do a Wikipedia on calcium chloride. This is just Whole Tomatoes. My Del Monte can of Peas is Peas, Water, Sugar and Salt. My Chicken of the Sea Jack Makerel contains Jack Mackerel, Water and Salt. Last here is my Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and it contains a list so long I couldn't make out the print.
Imagine what goes into premixed, preheated, prepared food?

To recap:

1) No Fast Foods (Grilled steak, baked potato and a side of veges is fine)
2) Nothing ready made or premixed or with added ingredients
3) Nothing even partially cooked by unknown entity (me)
4) Absolutely no soft drinks, especially not so called diet drinks
5) Nothing with chemicals if I can help it
6) Canned foods are for emergencies.

I still swill a six pack a day and am down to a 46 waist and 300lbs, no exercise, just from doing what OF said, no fast food....ANYWHERE.

 

[bogie]

Hoss, don't matter if you can hang onto that boomstick or not. When you feel a tad bit better, head to the range with someone, and teach 'em to shoot. Get a bit of pleasure from other folks' actions... Or volunteer to be a safety monitor. Something like that for a while...

 

[-terry]

Thanks, Mods, for leaving this thread open. I too had a double BP, an Angioplasty, and 9 stents. Not overweight, don't smoke, reasonable shape. Go figure.

 

[mpmillen]

Oldfart,

You may get a lot of relief from this product while you heal.

http://www.hearthugger.com/

this is a great and very reasonably priced product.

Ask you doctor about it.

Mark

 

[MikePGS]

Sorry to hear you had the bypasses OF, but glad your here to tell us about it. Keep getting better and absolutely stick to what your doctors tell you. My uncle had a triple bypass some years ago and didn't exactly stick to doctors orders. Last year he had another heart attack and thankfully the closest hospital was Beamont of Troy, which has a revolutionary medical treatment called Arctic Sun which literally froze him down a bit and slowed down his body functions so the doctors and his own body could repair the damage. If it weren't for this I don't know if he would still be around. I need to lose weight myself and this is only more of a reason to do so. Take care Of, and thanks for the information.

 

[hankdatank1362]

We’re ready to meet Death out in the street and if we do go down it’ll be after one heluva fight.

I'm hoping for more of a "lying in my bed at home, surrounded by many great-grandchildren" kinda death.


I guess most of us are.


Here's wishing all of you dealing with illness in one guise or another a speedy recovery and a healthy new year!

 

[kingpin008]

Stuff like this is exactly why I stopped smoking, and then recently joined Weight Watchers.

I'm only 26, but I was smoking 2 1/2 packs a day, and at my heaviest, I weighed 444 lbs.

I've since quit smoking COMPLETELY, using the cold-turkey method. I saw a pulmonologist shortly before I quit, and she told me that I had lost at least 10% of my lung function, with no guarantee it would return even if I did quit.

Been on WW for 20 weeks now - and I've dropped 55 lbs. I'm still eating plenty to satisfy me, I'm just doing it to live, rather than just stuffing my face with junk.

Being engaged to the most amazing girl I've ever known in my life is what woke me up. I realized one day, that if I kept up doing what I was doing I was going to die before I turned 50, and I would never have a chance to see her face ever again. Nothing is worth losing even a second of time with her, so I quit the bulls**t and got my act together.

Oldfart - Glad you're still with us, Sir. I don't think we've had any particular personal contact on here, but that doesn't matter. You had a hell of a scare, and are changing the way you live for the better. Sometimes that's what it takes, for us hard-headed critters.

Hope your recovery continues to go well, and you're back to normal (improved?) soon.

 

[eagle45]

OldFart - Good post and a great reminder to all of us. Thanks mods for leaving it open. This is a great reminder for the beginning of a new year. I'll add a reminder for those of us who have to deal with diabetes each day too - watch your diet, exercise and get those feet and eyes checked each year. It's hard to get to the range if you have trouble walking and seeing. OldFart you are in our prayers.

 

[Phydeaux642]

Mods, thanks for letting this thread go for a bit. It may not be about guns but it is about the lives of those who love guns, and I feel I know a few of you a little better after reading this thread.

May we all go on to live healthier, happier lives.

__________________

"Phydeaux, bad dog....no biscuit!"

 

[eliphalet]

Oldfart,
Here;s to a fast and speedy recovery and that well before hunting season rolls around again your out shooting whatever ya like.
In the mean time hows about a 22 or handguns?