Do you like my Wizard of Oz analogy?

I’m sorry about your diagnosis. The analogy sounds about right and works for my MS diagnosis as well.
My niece was diagnosed with A-Fib right out of high school and is now off at university.
It has been a few years and she seems to be doing ok.
They passed on surgery and she takes a medication. Understandably, it was/is a scary time for her and her folks still.
I hope you are doing alright too.

I like the analogy. It could apply to many circumstances.

@lucillelucillelucille I’d be screaming bloody murder at such a young age.

A-fib is a crippling and life threatening condition. People develops blood clots and have strokes even while taking anticoagulants. That is terrifying to me.

I was 50 when my heart developed a-fib. I have “lone a-fib” as there is no detectable other thing wrong with me that is linked to the cause of my a-fib. They’ve done several echo cardio grams that just show a structurally normal strong heart.

I’m doing OK. My heart has been in persistent a-fb since 10–10-2019. A cryo balloon catheter ablation is being considered. I want it done ASAP.

There are 4 chambers, of the heart. They work in synchronization. The meds for heart issues, work well.
Take your meds, and try not to think about it.
We are ALL going to die, of something. Even if you didn’t have your issue.
I personally, have had a deep vein thrombosis. I had it in my early 20’s. Basically, I could die, at any moment. The spot, where it happened, hurts every day. Fuck it. 20 years later, I’m still going. I have no insurance, so, it goes unattended…
You’ll be okay.
My brother was born, with a hole in his heart. He’s still kicking, at 46.
I think the main thing is that people listen to their doctors, and stay active. Never give up. Never surrender.

Get that new kite board, and live.

@gondwanalon_ I am not sure if any surgery is on her agenda but it has to be scary at any age.

@lucillelucillelucille If the medications are working and are tolerated well then hold off on the ablations.

@MrGrimm888 do you still have a large clot in you leg vein? After all this time I would bet that your body has eliminated it.

A hole in the wall that separates the right and left sides of the heart is very dangerous also. It’s a stroke waiting to happen. Just a matter of time.

I took the meds designed to maintain normal rhythm for the first 8 years until they all stopped working. The most powerful drug did more harm that good. My cardiologist called it “the atomic bomb of cardiac drugs” (Amiodarone) as there is considerable collateral damage. Then the surgeries began. They bought me 8½ years of normal heart function (NSR). Not cheap. Thankfully I have my ruby slippers. The insurance companies have payed over $500K to support my quest for NSR. One huge plus for me is that even when my heart is in a-fib I don’t need to be on anticoagulation therapy because the place where clots form (left atrial appendage) has been completely removed from my heart.

@gondwanalon -Makes sense.

I still have a noticeable bloodt clot, in my left leg . It’s nasty, and I wish it could be removed.
But, no health insurance…

@MrGrimm888 Eventually your body should either break down the clot or perhaps wall it off. Six years ago I had pulmonary embolism (PE). Sent me to a 2 week stay in the hospital. I was told that the clot formed in my leg and traveled to my lung. It only took 3 months for my body to break down the clot. For much of that time my life was all about pain.

Yeah. A DVT, can travel to the heart, lungs, or brain. It can kill you…
My leg, still hurts, there. But I can’t go getting ultrasounds, every day.

I decided to ignore it. If I have trouble breathing, I go to the ER, and make sure I don’t have any clot, that traveled. Otherwise, it just is what it is…

@MrGrimm888 A blood clot from you leg can go to the right side of the heart and then to the lungs. It can’t go to the brain unless there is a hole in the heart (hole in the atria septum) like what your brother has.

You may be in danger of pulmonary embolism but not an ischemic stroke.

True. But, I have lead a life, of running the odds. I beat them, at every turn.
The “odds,” don’t apply to me…
I am simply hard to kill…It doesn’t matter the scenario. I fought 13 bikers, by myself. I fought 5 bouncers, and came out bloody, but came out.
I have survived crazy storms, at sea. I have lived with the blood clot issue.
I.have been shot at, stabbed, punched, kicked, whatever life can through at me. I’ve been through dozens of Hurricanes. I have been in countless physical encounters, with dozens of people.

I am VERY hard to kill.

I don’t even carry a gun, anymore.

I’ve been neck deep, in shit, a thousand times, but here I am.

I’ve swam right past huge alligators, and worse. I am not afraid of much. Or, more accurately, have the ability to overcome, most of life’s killers.
That’s a foolish ascertain, in most cases… But, I’m a very capable being . I have knives, mma training, special forces training, and a body, that can absorb most attacks…I have plenty of scars, to prove it.

For the most part, I feel ready, in almost every situation. I don’t put myself in places, I’m overmatched. That helps .

If an animal kills me, it will never forget what I did to it .

I have a high view of my personal defense. That may be stupid. But, so far, I haven’t underestimated, my self…

@MrGrimm888 You live an incredible adventure life. Do you keep a journal? Your adventures would make a best seller book. You remind me of Steve Irwin.

I’m a wimp compared to you. It’s always safety first with me and then fun.

^Ha! I’m not as stupid, as Steve was… Most of my life, has evolved around people. And it’s like 3–5 different scenarios, repeated. And it isn’t so interesting, when you are the one living it. It’s full of pain, frustration, misery, and failure. With a mix, of crazy luck….

I have almost pissed myself, in many cases. When the scenarios are over, my hands are shaking, and I often vomit.

I kind of cheat, through most situations. When I fought the bikers, I was doing a lot of things, that should have gotten me fired. I was throwing elbows, and hitting throats. I kicked a man, ,in the balls, for the first time. Anything to buy time. I targeted livers, and spleens. I hit one guy, I thought might die, from the blow. That’s not how a LEO, is supposed to do things. I was outnumbered, and they, had knoves, and chains, and bandannas, with locks on them. I didn’t fuck them all up, but forced them to retreat. I took heavy damage. But I lined them up, to reduce their efficiency. The whole thing, took about 3 minutes. I moved quickly, and landed punishing blows, to even a couple females. When the dust settled, I could barely stand, and I spent about 5 minutes throwing up, after, before I could clean all of the blood off of me, and inspect my own wounds. My hands, were shaking, and my feet. I needed multiple stitches, and valium.

I lucked out, with the hurricanes too. Tucking myself, into corners, and getting hit, with debris. But ,I lost almost everything. I don’t understand why I was not struck by lighting. It was all around me. I literally saw it, hitting all around me, and I was hip deep, in water…

When I was shot at, it was from a drunk guy, with a weapon, that appeared to have a two inch barrel. I didn’t think, he could hit me. He didn’t. He shot the side of my building up, but I was thinking, he’d have to be a great shot, to hit me. He shot, out of his truck window, and from about 25 yards away. An impossible shot. So. I stood there, pulling people inside. He was eventually caught, and is still in prison.

My expertise, is understanding the situation, and statistics. The rest, is pure luck…

I’ve definitely swam past, some huge alligators. But, I guess, they already ate that day, and I’m a bit out of their target radius. They’ll kill, a 120 lb deer, but won’t go after a 270 lb man… I just tried to remain calm, and not disturb the water. Then, I get to some sort of protection. A downed tree, or, some barely dry land. Then, I’m good…

No journals. Just telling you guys, about what happened.
I figured, it must be worse, for people living around Crocodiles. And, they’ve been doing this for centuries…

@MrGrimm888 I want you in my canoe when the unexpected happens. No matter what happens you will find away to survive.

The scary thing that’s my goal in 2020 is learning to windsurf and putting a sail on my 31 foot long 3-man canoe and sailing/paddling it in the Columbia Gorge this Summer (extreme wind and surf). I have friend who’s an expert at sailing who said he’ll help me.

I’ll be 69 in January. Life is short. We can’t just sit around the house and remember the old days. We have to keep living, experiencing, growing and dreaming.

I have a YouTube channel with over 100 videos of my last 6 years of adventures (mostly canoe races). You may check them out. 2 of them get pretty wild. In 2016 we were forced by the Coast Guard and race officials to abandon our $20K canoe in the channel between Maui and Moloka’i. Crazy extreme conditions! This year we had a desperate battle for 3rd place in the 41 mile race from Moloka’i to Oahu. There was quite a bit of canoe ramming in the last 100 meters. Lucky no one was injured (that’s how broken arms typically happen). We won by 4 seconds. All captured with my GoPros (I put 4 GoPros on our 6-man canoe and controlled 2 with a remote).

Merry Christmas buddy!

@MrGrimm888 Check out this video I made last October fro the Molokai Hoe race (New Hope 60’s men).

Check out my Pailolo Challenge 2018 race where we were forced to abandon our canoe. Crazy!

“Surrender to me and I will let you live!” – The Sea

WOW! Intense. I loved the videos. Very interesting canoe. That sea skirt, helps. Smart , to push yellow vessel’s bow. Lol. Yall are in the water, more than me! Good effort…

VERY cool…

Merry Christmas to you too bro.