An anniversary of sorts...

Archer
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Well, 10 years ago today, I had a very bad day - probably the worst of my life. I had a heart attack, nearly croaked in the ambulance going from one hospital to another, and received some new hardware (stents). I've just read through the thread from back then (first time I've done so in 10 years) and I have to say this is such a great community. The well wishes I received in that thread, and the advice I received from some of the docs here via PM, were truly fantastic.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/wanted-to-let-everyone-know.17125/ Archer
Thread '* Wanted to let everyone know...' ·
We'll just thought I should let you guys know that if you have a watch with me for service there will be some delays. On Saturday afternoon I had a heart attack, and I'm obviously still here, but...
Archer ·

Of course there was some pisstaking, which makes the thread that much better. Some names I see there that are no longer active, and people I certainly miss, so it brought back some great memories.

This is a special place, as this thread (and the previous one) shows:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/please-consider-donating-to-help-fellow-of-member-aroxx-alex-recover-from-a-devastating-stroke.176874/ gbesq
Thread 'Please Consider Donating To Help Fellow OF Member Aroxx (Alex) Recover From A Devastating Stroke' ·
We are seeking to raise funds to help our friend and fellow OF member, Aroxx (Alex) and have set up a GoFundMe page for him at the following link: https://gofund.me/931c3991. The past...
gbesq ·

Fortunately, living where I do I didn't have any of the serious financial challenges that Alex has had. But even so many of my US customers who had watches in my shop, offered to pay me the full service amount up front to assist with any financial stress that was happening. It wasn't needed, but it was certainly appreciated.

The only cost to me (aside from my wife paying for parking when she visited me at the hospital) was a token $45 charge for that ambulance ride. Two EMT's and a nurse from the first hospital (who saved my life) were included in that $45, so quite the bargain!

So just wanted to say thanks again for this place, and please donate to Alex's go fund me if you can.

Cheers, Al
 
JwRosenthal
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This is very kind of you, Al- and I’m so glad you made the life changes you did to drop your stress level and get to a healthy place.

The reason Greg and I have been so vocal about Alex’s plight- for those that haven’t been active here long- is that we have broken bread with him. He’s attended the last several Mid Atlantic events (which Greg has been instrumental in growing), so it’s gone from getting to know someone online and feeling a kinship, to being in their presence and putting a human to the text. It feels more personal when you can recollect their laughter, their wit and their presence- even if you don’t know them outside the context of a social gathering.
We all have struggles in life and they are are equally as important as anyone else’s (because they are our own), but the fact that so many who have never met Alex have been willing to help speaks to a greater desire to be connected to another person’s plight and shelve our own shit. It gives me some hope for humanity.
 
gbesq
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There's not much that I can add to James' post other than to echo his thoughts and to thank Al for his very thoughtful post and for his long service to the OF community. I can't think of a single instance in which I've PM'd Al with a service or parts related question -- and there have been many -- when he didn't promptly respond with an answer or sound advice that saved me both time and money. He is exceedingly generous with his time and knowledge and I consider him to be one of the top contributors to OF. I've also had the pleasure of discussing some other matters with him online and we see eye to eye on many topics. Perhaps some day we can lure him to the Mid-Atlantic G2G as it would be my great pleasure to meet him in person. All of that being said, I'll repeat Al's suggestion to donate to Alex's GFM campaign if you can. Alex is one of our own and we look after each other on OF.
Once again, here is the link: https://gofund.me/931c3991 Thanks to all, -Greg
 
DaveK
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The cat in your avatar…how’s it doing these days?
 
Archer
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DaveK DaveK
The cat in your avatar…how’s it doing these days?
Very energetic - it's going flat out...
 
JwRosenthal
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Archer Archer
Very energetic - it's going flat out...
A friend of mine had twin cats. He was leaving for Europe and the morning of his departure one of them died. It was January and the ground was hard as a rock, so he stuck the dead cat in the freezer and made a mad dash for the airport with his wife.

In their haste they had forgotten to call the person cat sitting. When they finally got to the hotel they called. Before they could get a word in, the cat sitter broke down in tears and was hysterically apologizing and hyperventilating- saying she thought she had seen both cats, must have accidentally left the freezer door ajar, the cat got in and then she must have closed it without noticing. My friend had to yell at her on the phone to get her to stop panicking and said “I put the damn cat in the freezer!” The girl went silent and then just hung up the phone.

They had to call someone else to go check on their remaining cat for the rest of their vacation.
 
Archer
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
A friend of mine had twin cats. He was leaving for Europe and the morning of his departure one of them died. It was January and the ground was hard as a rock, so he stuck the dead cat in the freezer and made a mad dash for the airport with his wife.

In their haste they had forgotten to call the person cat sitting. When they finally got to the hotel they called. Before they could get a word in, the cat sitter broke down in tears and was hysterically apologizing and hyperventilating- saying she thought she had seen both cats, must have accidentally left the freezer door ajar, the cat got in and then she must have closed it without noticing. My friend had to yell at her on the phone to get her to stop panicking and said “I put the damn cat in the freezer!” The girl went silent and then just hung up the phone.

They had to call someone else to go check on their remaining cat for the rest of their vacation.
Well, my wife does agree to look after the neighbour's cat when they are away - yes THAT cat...
 
DaveK
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
A friend of mine had twin cats. He was leaving for Europe and the morning of his departure one of them died. It was January and the ground was hard as a rock, so he stuck the dead cat in the freezer and made a mad dash for the airport with his wife.

In their haste they had forgotten to call the person cat sitting. When they finally got to the hotel they called. Before they could get a word in, the cat sitter broke down in tears and was hysterically apologizing and hyperventilating- saying she thought she had seen both cats, must have accidentally left the freezer door ajar, the cat got in and then she must have closed it without noticing. My friend had to yell at her on the phone to get her to stop panicking and said “I put the damn cat in the freezer!” The girl went silent and then just hung up the phone.

They had to call someone else to go check on their remaining cat for the rest of their vacation.
When living in Toronto I used to volunteer to rescue migratory birds in the spring and fall. Each year in the US and Canada, up to 1 billion birds die by colliding with windows, so we’d go to down to the financial district at about 4:30am to pick up the injured birds before they died or the gulls ate them, and brought them to a rehab facility. We’d also collect the dead for study by the Royal Ontario Museum. I’d drop the deceased at the museum on my way home from work, so they’d spend the day in a brown bag inside a ziplock bag in the lunchroom freezer at work. One day around noon I heard a woman banshee-scream in the kitchen. Shame on her for trying to eat someone else’s “lunch”…. It was a bit difficult to explain a bag of songbirds, but easier than explaining the attempted lunch theft 😅
 
YY77
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DaveK DaveK
Shame on her for trying to eat someone else’s “lunch”…. It was a bit difficult to explain a bag of songbirds, but easier than explaining the attempted lunch theft 😅
🤣 Karma
Edited:
 
sheepdoll
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In most places it is illegal to kill or possess dead songbirds.

When I was more active with the mechanical birds, I learned that no one sells the feathers. We have quite a few birds that live in the yard, so when I found a dead humming bird I stuck it in the freezer. Eventually I used a steam kettle and blanched the feathers off.

Probably should take a photo of those mechanical birds.

The main use of feathers is in fishing lures. These now are mostly made from dyed chicken feathers. Now that is a hobby one does not see to much of. Hand tying the lures. I think it was Tandy leather which had a section of stuff for this. I miss the walk in Tandy leather stores. (and the electronics spinoff Radio Shack.)
 
Speed2Sea
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Wishing you many, many more anniversaries and good health.

Due to illness, I nearly lost my life at 22 years old and again at 50. If you hold a grudge, resolve it. If you are thinking of calling someone pick-up the phone. If you're on the fence get off it. Live everyday as if it's a gift, because it is. Life is precious.
Edited:
 
DaveK
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sheepdoll sheepdoll
In most places it is illegal to kill or possess dead songbirds.

When I was more active with the mechanical birds, I learned that no one sells the feathers. We have quite a few birds that live in the yard, so when I found a dead humming bird I stuck it in the freezer. Eventually I used a steam kettle and blanched the feathers off.

Probably should take a photo of those mechanical birds.

The main use of feathers is in fishing lures. These now are mostly made from dyed chicken feathers. Now that is a hobby one does not see to much of. Hand tying the lures. I think it was Tandy leather which had a section of stuff for this. I miss the walk in Tandy leather stores. (and the electronics spinoff Radio Shack.)
We’d have to get licensed by the federal govt to do this work. But more importantly… mechanical birds?
 
Walrus
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I am always happy to hear anyone recover from a tough medical situation. But just to clarify something there are millions in the US who don’t pay a dime for open heart survey, brain surgery, cancer treatment, ambulance, lifestar helicopter and the list goes on. Not one penny for medS that cost thousands. Once you are on state or federal insurance for a disability or poverty you are completely covered. It’s kinda the middle class who get pinched a bit in febuary I had 4 unexpected surgeries being on the edge of death was in ICU for a month I think my total bill after insurance was 1,300 dollars and since I met all my deductibles I don’t pay anything for medical care until the new year. I am not saying we have the greatest set up but you are going to get that care if you can afford it or not and hospitals write off billions of bills a year. I think catholic hospitals alone wrote off 10’s of billions.

So it’s not all doom and gloom it’s a little tough right now as the influx of illegal immigration is putting a strain on some hospitals as they are forced to use the ER as primary care, I just deal with this at work daily and talk to the docs and nurses who are trying to make it all work.

So good on Al for a successful recovery and remember Aroxx (Alex) will have many unexpected bills outside of medical care as he builds back his life.

I have a funky type of arthritis that makes me more prone to infection but I knew the chances I was taking when I chose to work during the Covid lockdown I paid for it but made it through that’s all that matters in the end. We make our best informed decisions and make our choices hoping they are right but I have no regrets. I was getting calls everyday from facilities that were short staffed it was a once in a generation occurrence (I hope) and didn’t want to sit home when my colleagues were stuck doing 72 hour shifts.

I was ok financially fortunately honestly my broken hand years back put me in a worse place. So even if Alex gets 90% of his bills covered by insurance he is going to have to rebuild his life and that isn’t cheap. I had to do so after breaking my hand in a work accident. Good luck and health to all.
 
JimInOz
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DaveK DaveK
When living in Toronto I used to volunteer to rescue migratory birds in the spring and fall. Each year in the US and Canada, up to 1 billion birds die by colliding with windows, so we’d go to down to the financial district at about 4:30am to pick up the injured birds before they died or the gulls ate them, and brought them to a rehab facility. We’d also collect the dead for study by the Royal Ontario Museum. I’d drop the deceased at the museum on my way home from work, so they’d spend the day in a brown bag inside a ziplock bag in the lunchroom freezer at work. One day around noon I heard a woman banshee-scream in the kitchen. Shame on her for trying to eat someone else’s “lunch”…. It was a bit difficult to explain a bag of songbirds, but easier than explaining the attempted lunch theft 😅
Humans have so much to answer for.

I was shocked to see this.


when-worlds-collide.jpg


Story here.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/bird-photographer-of-the-year-2024-1.7332480

We have native birds sharing our environment (bird baths etc) and I've put bird strings over the outside windows after witnessing a couple of honeyeaters hitting our front windows.
Since fitting them we've had no more bird strikes. It may not look like architectural purity, but who cares.
 
lillatroll
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Glad you are fit and healthy and still with us.
i would like to share a cautionary tale if its okay?
One Tuesday last December, my friend and colleague Robert, was complaining of pins and needles as well as a loss of feeling in his left arm. The feeling came back after a few hours, so he carried on as normal.
I told him he should go to the doctors. He told me to stop being so pathetic, he was fine. I kept telling him to go to the doctors and he kept telling me he was fit as a fiddle.
On the following Wednesday we went out for a few end of term beers. Normally our friend from a different school would join us. But he did not come along on this particular occasion. We made arrangements to meet up after Christmas.
I flew home for Christmas on the 23rd of December. I got a phone call on the 24th from our drinking mate, that Rob had died of a heart attack a few hours previously.

Rob was tight fisted, argumentative, and worst of all, an Everton fan. I miss him every day.

Men tend to think everything will be fine, and most of the time it is, but it's also important go pop along to the doctors for a check up to make sure everything really is fine.
 
Archer
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lillatroll lillatroll
Men tend to think everything will be fine, and most of the time it is, but it's also important go pop along to the doctors for a check up to make sure everything really is fine.
Agreed. When I had my heart attack, I had been through first aid and CPR training countless times. I knew all the signs and symptoms, and one is denial. Before it became undeniably apparent that I was actually having heart attack, I noted all the symptoms, but then thought it "wasn't happening to me." I caught myself thinking "Am In just in denial?"
 
JwRosenthal
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Agreed. When I had my heart attack, I had been through first aid and CPR training countless times. I knew all the signs and symptoms, and one is denial. Before it became undeniably apparent that I was actually having heart attack, I noted all the symptoms, but then thought it "wasn't happening to me." I caught myself thinking "Am In just in denial?"
At 45 years old my father wasn’t in the greatest of health, he was a smoker, drank a pot of coffee a day, he was a surgeon, so ate what was available in the nurses lounge. He had been having awful heartburn for several days and was popping Malox like it was candy. He and my mother were running late to meet friends at the symphony and as they were half way up the stairs she looked back to see him gripping the handrail and trying to catch his breathe- but he was “fine”, just a little winded. The next day he was performing surgery and as he was wrapping up he looked at the nurse and said in his very calm surgeon voice “I’m going to need you to close- I’m having a heart attack, please call my wife”. He ended up needing 2 stints put in as his arteries were almost completly closed up.

Sometimes our bodies give us warning signs- we can choose to pay attention or choose to ignore them. But it will demand your attention whether you want it to or not.
 
Archer
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
At 45 years old my father wasn’t in the greatest of health, he was a smoker, drank a pot of coffee a day, he was a surgeon, so ate what was available in the nurses lounge. He had been having awful heartburn for several days and was popping Malox like it was candy. He and my mother were running late to meet friends at the symphony and as they were half way up the stairs she looked back to see him gripping the handrail and trying to catch his breathe- but he was “fine”, just a little winded. The next day he was performing surgery and as he was wrapping up he looked at the nurse and said in his very calm surgeon voice “I’m going to need you to close- I’m having a heart attack, please call my wife”. He ended up needing 2 stints put in as his arteries were almost completly closed up.

Sometimes our bodies give us warning signs- we can choose to pay attention or choose to ignore them. But it will demand your attention whether you want it to or not.
Similar to what my father went through. He had indigestion for a week, couldn’t sleep, and my mother told him several times to see a doctor. He was a lifetime smoker, and was overweight.

He finally went to the doctor, who told him to go to the hospital as he thought he had a small heart attack. I was working a part time job on weekends, and he stopped by to tell me, and then to go home and get some things. He went to the hospital and they told him he had several small heart attacks. I saw him that night, but then the call came at 2 am. My mother woke us up (my sister was visiting with her husband), and rushed there and managed to see him before he died, but we didn’t make it.

This was a few years before stents were used on humans, so honestly I don’t know what treatments he was given.

Pay attention when your body is trying to tell you something...
 
pdxleaf
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Walrus Walrus
I am always happy to hear anyone recover from a tough medical situation. But just to clarify something there are millions in the US who don’t pay a dime for open heart survey, brain surgery, cancer treatment, ambulance, lifestar helicopter and the list goes on. Not one penny for medS that cost thousands. Once you are on state or federal insurance for a disability or poverty you are completely covered.

My family in the states has good health insurance. In spite of that, I paid $2000 for an ambulance ride after I passed out (dehydrated mostly.) It was a surprising bill.

Glad to hear Al is okay 10 years on. Keep doing what your doing.
 
Walrus
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My family in the states has good health insurance. In spite of that, I paid $2000 for an ambulance ride after I passed out (dehydrated mostly.) It was a surprising bill.

Glad to hear Al is okay 10 years on. Keep doing what your doing.
I agree with u on that during my long covid I was having seizures. Had one on a walk. Ambulance ride was 10miles tops. I forget the bill but it was close to yours. Had to battle insurance to pay. What a mess our system can be. But at work we have ambulances and cops daily, no one on disability sees a bill, or on state insurance.
 
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