GET YOURSELF CHECKED!!!

Thanks!  Yea, I got this. 

    thx for sharing, and do keep up with the insights! great to have your POV

I had my yearly physical last week. Thank goodness everything is OK. I had a tetanus and shingles shot that were both due. Stay healthy guys.

Hey Jerry

Missed your thread. Sounds like you've been through heck and back. I'm confident you will be back skiing Sierra next season. Probably leaving me in your powder/dust !!! Keep punching back my friend.
Warmest wishes
Kirk

Just wanted to keep this thread going, and hopefully remind us to check in with each other.  Part of taking care of ourselves is taking care of each other.

It’s super easy to justify and overlook red flags while masked and distanced.

Bump, as we all need this reminder at times.  Love for all my brothers, be sure you take care of yourself and see your doctor like Joel said! I finally started taking my health seriously, and thank goodness I didn't wait too long.

I've had quite a few health issues over the past couple of years...

My liver functions and other bloodwork were in pretty bad shape...after going totally sober for 2.5+ years all that is better and I have also dropped a fair amount of excess beer belly.

Then I started having some pain in my right hand and noticed an odd bump and a lack of strength...turns out I have a benign tumor (called an osteochondroma) there that is pressing on some nerves and stuff and causing pain and affecting my strength...no more strong handshakes for now...hand specialist says it can be removed but will be out of the water for a few weeks so will wait until winter time  .

https://www.bonetumor.org/tumors-cartilage/osteochondroma

Then I had a few disturbing episodes of migraines with visual symptoms called scintillating scotoma....felt like I was having a flashback from the party daze, then followed by a vicious headache....no fun.

https://www.healthline.com/health/scintillating-scotoma

Doc did a CT scan and didn't see any weirdness...hasn't come back in a few months so hopefully just isolated occurrences caused by work stress....

Then a few weeks ago I started having really bad ringing in left ear...I've been diving a bunch (cuz its that time of year) so thought maybe an infection even though ears equalizing fine...audiologist yesterday said no sign of infection or trauma but in addition to the tinnitus I have moderate to mild hearing loss in that ear...they gave me a course of prednisone cuz I guess that can help with sudden onset deafness, and I will be seeing ENT on Tuesday.

https://www.webmd.com/connect-to-care/hearing-loss/sudden-hearing-loss-recovery

Maybe all these things are just part of me getting past 45...kind of a PITA but I guess better than the alternative, and glad I have been seeing doc when these things come up....

Here's some pics of the scotoma stuff and of a few 2022 fish for fun.

Hope you are all doing well and staying healthy and taking care of yourselves.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Hey Jim,
When I was about 25 I failed a hearing test at the lumber mill.
They set me up with a doc and after looking in my ears asked me if I was a diver. With amazement I said how do you know.
He said I had surfer’s ear From being in the cold water all the time.
It was a condition known as Exostosis .
He said if it gets too bad they can drill the bones that are growing together.

Good life and stay safe
-4est

Thanks 4est!

I asked audiologist about surfers ear, but she said she didn't see any signs of it...was kinda hoping that was it cuz would make sense with how much time I spend underwater....

Will ask ENT again on Tuesday...

If surfers ear, my medical group has a doc that is a specialist so would be in good hands:

https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/ear-nose-throat/surfers-ear

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Hetzler is not just the BEST, he is the guy who invented the latest and most effective surgical  technique for the surfer ear surgery.
He's done both my ears, one of them twice.  First surgery was with the old technique, basically using a drill to clear the bony growths  closing ear canal. Next two were his new technique that kind of 'chisels' that bony overgrowth.  Much less invasive and fewer side effects.  If you're surfing or diving in cool water, always wear earplug's (Doc's are the best I think) 

I have suffered from debilitating vertigo in the past, and likely cause is the losss of blood circulation for my inner ear caused by capillaries closing after that first surgery.  If you can getHetzler for that surgery go for it.  Otherwise most of those surgeons use his technique thesedays.  You gotta ask though to make sure .  Good luck with all those pesky symptoms Jim, what a nuisance!

Bushy

Another health issue for me…

Went into afib on Friday while out on the water and it didn’t go away.

Have a family history of afib and have had it myself in the past but not for about 10 years and never this bad..

After 10 hours of it, mom told me to go to er.

Heart rate was all over the place from 159 to 140 and back…

They ended up putting me under and zapping my heart. Worked well, and got discharged Saturday AM.

Official diagnosis was Afib with RVR.

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atrial-fibrillation/afib-rapid-response

Pretty worn out and depressed right now. Will be calling cardiologist in AM to see what next steps are.

On a side note ran into Nathan sharkbait in the ER. Guess he cut his foot on a filet knife on e2g boat…Not sure how but I bet it involved a shirtless handstand 

Thanks for sharing...yikes...glad you're on the mend...praying for ongoing improvement and strength...

C'mon sharkbait.  Quit goofing off around knives.

Heal up Jim.  That's rough.

Thats scary stuff Jim!
I too had some heart issues, mine a bit different just a fast heart beat.
Cured it with a SVT ablation, meaning they went in thru a vein near the groin  up into the heart  with a catheter, camera and lazer,
Found the electric node  , zapped it with the lazer to shrink it and now my heart beats normal! Trippy huh?
It’s amazing what they can do in the medical field now!
 Hope the fix u up!

Like my Dad used to say “ Getting old ain’t for sissys!”
 Good Luck Big Jim!!!

Scotty

 

You look like you have a few dives left in you. 

Wishing you well Jim .

Haven't read this thread for awhile.   Hope thing's will turn out OK for you Jim.  You're still a young man and a good person so God will look out for you.