Crappy start for 2011

[66KingFisher]

For me anyway.....Been havin nuthin but heart troubles the past few days, and its got me more then a little worried.....Had a real scary episode and called for an ambulance but then I called it off as my wife was on the phone with 911 operators, because I started feeling better and I didn't want another bill for an ambulance ride. I have Medicare, but it doesn't cover everything, and I'm already in debt over my head with previous doctor and hospital bills that I can't pay for as it is, and now I need to go see the docs again, but I honestly can't afford it....not to mention my heart doctors office is 70 miles away, so any trip becomes an all day ordeal and costly by the time you figure in 140 miles worth of expenses.....its tough on poor folks......Some times I wish this amazing country of ours had some sort of health care plan that would cover everyone the same...rich or poor.

Not sure whats gonna happen next, but I wanted to at least let you guys know, just in case the worst happens and I dissapear from the forum suddenly. But then again, who knows....I've already far out lived what several doctors thought, so I may have alot more time left, but then again the reality is, I've got a damaged heart, so I have to accept that and deal with it a day at a time....or at times like these, i'm dealing with it minute by minute, and that realy drains me mentally, as well as physically, but i've never been a quiter, so I do my best to keep my chin up and enjoy my time with my family the best I can....be as productive as I can.....plus do as much fishin as possible when I'm feelin up to it....lol

Anyways, you guys have been good to me in the past, and a few of you are more like personal friends then just some text on a forum thread.....so I feel like I needed to share this with my internet fishin buddies here at BF.com....I know 2010 was a bad year for loosing some of our buddies from this forum and its not one of those good things you wanna share with your pals, but I kinda felt like I needed to say something.....Just in case.

This place and you people are great.

[carolina-rig-01]

Man Michael I just don't know what to say. Obviously I am concerned for you and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I know that times can get tough but money is just money whether you have it or not, but your health is without a doubt more important than any amount of debt. I really hope you will get to a Dr. and get everything checked out. I pray that the good Lord takes you to be with him, but I pray it's a long time from now because we aren't done with you yet. You are a great friend and I value your friendship as much as anyone can. You need to be around for that granddaughter buddy, she doesn't care how much debt grandpappy is in so I beg you for her sake to get checked out. Take care buddy and I will be praying for your health.

[bcklash]

Michael You are one of the people that makes this a great site. Please get yourself checked out. Praying for ya.

[keithdog]

First and formost, I'll be sayin a special prayer for ya buddy. I plan on seeing you around here for a long time! I had no idea you had heart health issues. It runs in my family and it is what took my father, so I fully understand. My brothers have both had two attacks so far. Knock on wood, I havn't yet. It really sucks that your so far from your cardiologist. The cost of health care is hard on everyone, but especially those of us on modest means, which I can also relate to. Hopefully you'll have a year free of anymore heart related troubles. God bless ya my friend.

[bamabassman]

Damn,damn,damn!!!

[BigBassin144]

Michael, we'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Keep us updated!

BB

[bamabassman]

sorry micheal...............had to just scream for a minute buddy. i too will be praying for oyu man. like ron said, YOU MEAN MORE TO US THAN YOU REALIZE! GO TO THE DOCTOR PLEASE!!! never mind about how much it costs.....if they want money, tell them to call obama for it. YOUR HEALTH means more than a lousy bill.
this is killing me.
sorry again man, i know this ain't helping oyu any and i am SO SORRY. olease call me when oyu can buddy.

[woody]

Praying for ya, Michael.


-Mark

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Michael we will be praying for you.

[tarpon120]

Kingfisher, I want to express my thoughts and prayers as well and get to the doctor, your family and friends deserve it.

[rrw4258]

Wow, this has certainly been a rough stretch for bf.com. I am praying fot you buddy...

Ryan

[66KingFisher]

Thanks for the prayers and the kind words guys. Lord knows I'll take all the prayers I can get. In fact I'm pretty sure my Mother and her huge church congregations prayers are the only reason I've survived this long....lol.

The bad news is, I can't go to the doctor till I give them some money....plain and simple, they won't see me till I do.....So were gonna work on that a little harder, but thats still tough when your on a fixed income, and my airbrushing hobby hasn't generated much cash lately...not to mention I haven't felt like working on anything the past couple of weeks even if I had a paying project....So that becomes a catch 22 situation for me. I do have a speck of good news though.....The wife and I went thru our debts today and unless we've overlooked something, we realized we don't owe as much as we thought.....So in some small way that made us fell a little better, if ya know what I mean.

I've been on heart meds since 95, and stomach meds long before that....I've always been bad about taking them endlessly......I get to feelin good, and I get sick of all the "side effects" so i'll back away from taking them for awhile.....Usually, something like this will happen and scare me back into taking all this crap again....Which is where I'm at now.....Since I've started to take everything again, hopefully some of my issues will settle down or go away....(fingers crossed).

The reality is, I made stupid decisions when I was young and lived off drugs/cigarrettes/alcohol & Junkfood, all while working a high stress job and living a fast paced personal lifestyle.....I was invincable.....Or so I thought till the evening of Nov 19,1995 when I stepped out of my racecar and begin to suffer a massive heart attack. I was 38 years old, and for the most part in extremely fit condition, but my heart couldn't take everything I threw at it.

Not knowing what was happening to me, I gathered my two daughters up, and started a long 20 mile drive home....Its only by the grace of God, that I didn't drop dead at the wheel and crash and possibly end my daughters lives that night......I made it home to find my wife gone to the local casino to play bingo with our neighbor.....I managed to make one phone call to tell her to come home now....my oldest daughter who had just turned 11 the day before made the next phone call to 911.

To make a long story short, I went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance about 4 miles from the hosipital.....the EMT on duty in the ambulance tried chest compressions first then hit me with the defibulator to kickstart my heart into beating again......I died twice more on the operating table that night before it was said and done. In the end, the efforts at angioplasty failed, and a large section of my heart muscle died.

I died three times that night, and it changed me in ways I never expected....Mentally far more then physically.....Its like I died and came back someone else....Someone I don't know....My habits changed...my tastes changed....in fact it seemed everything changed as time went on and I ended up in a shrinks office wondering whats next. I ended up loosing my career of 26 yrs in the printing industry....suddenly nobody wanted a guy with heart and/or mental problems. No job, no insurance....so the depression set in.

Turning back to some things I loved and had gotten away from pulled me from the deep dark place I was in, and gave me a reason to live again....my children, my art, fishing and motorcycle riding......I've come along way on the first three, but still working on the last one.....lol. As of today, I'm realy a happy guy....I love my family and my friends....I'm a soft hearted guy now where I used to be a stone cold hardass.....I love the simple things in life and I've learned to slow down and enjoy all the little things around us that so many overlook.....Life really is good.

[WatterBoy]

Thanks for sharing your story, Michael. More prayers being sent from MN also and will continue to do so. Keep the faith!

Dean

[bamabassman]

thank you micheal. that is what EVERYONE needs to read and re-read.

[carolina-rig-01]

Michael that is an amazing story, thank you for sharing. I pray that you start feeling better soon and catch a break financially and get some breathing room. It was nice talking with you on the phone yesterday and please don't be afraid to call me anytime so we can shoot the bull a bit.

[Ebbetsguy]

Hey Michael, I will keep you in mind while I pray. Listen I was 439 lbs at one time, after i got clean and sober, needless to say I switched over to food, which is not hard for an Italian. What I did not know was I had a bad valve and diabetes. I had bypass surgery for the heart then a while later bar- iatric bypass, went to 189, leveled off at 210.
All was good, a few hernias, nothing big. Then I decided to finally quit smoking, now up to 251, my sugars are up to the doctor i go this Thurs. Diabetes meds back on the way, and my blood work showed the need for a biopsy of some kind. So here we go again
What I admire about you is your continuing attitude of gratitude, it inspires me to stay positive. I just gotta say I HATE DOCTORS!!!!!!!, thanks for your positive example

[woody]

Thank you Michael for sharing your story with me. I found myself reading it, over and over again. You've got a lot of heart, Michael!

Michael, I've been praying for you and your family, but I want to be able to do more. Let me know where I can send, some of what I have to you, so that you can get your medical attention. Please let me do this for you and your family Michael... alright.

I'm sure there are others willing to help too.


-Mark

[keithdog]

Thankyou for sharring that with us Michael. I firmly believe that God sometimes allows us to experience something life altering such as you did, knowing it will change us for the good. If thats indeed what happened to you, then rest assured your pretty important to the man upstairs. I'll be praying for you Michael, and your wife and kids. It's the kind of thing that will effect all of you. God bless you my friend.

[Abbeysdad]

A fella I worked with for over 25 years found himself in a tough spot. His wife of many years lost a long battle with cancer a couple of weeks ago and passed away. I knew he was having a hard time dealing with her illness and even offered the simple advice to be strong for her, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I thought he was prepared, but I guess he couldn't handle the grief ... the day following following her death, he took his own life. Rest in peace Ann and Steve Rood.

I'm sorry things are tough for you and I wish you well. Each day is a gift and I hope you savor each and every one of them.

[nofearengineer]

66, your story was very enlightening as to what makes you the way you are. Thank God you got a second chance (I'm sure you do frequently), and it doesn't sound like you have wasted it. Let me tell you, when people are on their deathbed, nobody ever wishes they had spent more time at work or made more money. They always wish they had spent more time with their family or been able to tell them how they felt. It sounds like you figured out what was important, despite your problems. Life is funny like that, as in the old saying "youth is wasted on the young."

I'll pray for good health for you, at least in body, because it sounds like the mind and spirit are already well-cared for.

[66KingFisher]

Guys, its been a pleasure to share my story with you.....When the heart doctors told me i'd died 3 times, and that the heart attack survival rate for guys that age was 5%, I knew right then the good Lord had allowed me to stay here for some reason, and by sharing my story with others, I never know whom it might affect, and possibly help them somehow. At least thats what I tell myself....lol. So even though I don't like to talk about my health problems, I feel the need to share it with others occasionally such as I did here.

Woody.....God bless ya brother for your offer, but as I told Kory on the phone the other day, I didn't start this tread to get any sympathy or to seek help and donations. You find folks came to my aid almost 2 years back when the tornado hit us and I lost all my fishin tackle by tapping into your own tackleboxes and sending me your surplus.....You don't know how much that ment....In fact, I wouldn't have been able to do any fishing this past year had it not been for the tackle you guys sent me. But sharing a little excess tackle is one thing, while giving of your hard earned cash during an already strapped economy is another. I'd much rather earn your money by airbrushing some lures or paint a canvas or jacket, or helmet or Harley, or something in exchange if'n ya know what I mean?

Ebbetsguy......Nobody has a love/hate relationship with doctors and nurses, more then I do.....I've seen all types...the good/bad and the ugly....lol. Most know their stuff, but have pisspoor bedside manners, and they are ALL over worked and over loaded with patients so I guess thats why....lol. Just remember it takes a special person to seek a career in health and medicine....I admire those folks that desire to help the sick and helpless....I'm not one of them, and I could NOT do their jobs.....But I thank the good Lord that they have the desire to do them....Cause the rest of us would be screwed if they didn't.

I want to thank each of you for your comments, kind words, and prayers. I value them more then you probably realize.

God bless you all.
Michael

[woody]

Michael, I can understand and do respect your decision towards "wanting to earning it." I'll send you some lures that I would like for you to paint, could you PM me your mailing address?
God Bless you too, Brother!


-Mark

[Vegasspider]

Can I send you something to airbrush and then aution it off here or eBay? I will pay all the shipping and you for your work. Maybe a nice airbrush job with Bassfishin's logo or something with all the brothers that are not with us anymore? Or whatever you want.

You and I spoke in a PM and you know what it is. (The item that is)

The time you took to answer me about my daughters hoppy was more than kind, it was real kind.

Words to live by:
You can be as tough as you want, but don't be mean".......An Old Cowboy saying.

[Ebbetsguy]

Excellent Idea. if I can help support this in anyway let me know

[66KingFisher]

Vegas, thats not a half bad idea....Although i'm still kicking around design ideas for the item you mentioned, but I could paint up something "Bass" specific and offer it up for auction....I'll work on some ideas, and let you know what I come up with and we'll go from there.

Woody, I'll send you a PM....Thanks buddy.