I Just got done with Cardiac Bypass surgery - yep, the whole sternal deal. The last few years I've beeen shooting a 375 - in my mind the greatest caliber for elk ever devised. Wondering if anybody out there has gone through this and been able to return to shooting big bore rifles. I hate to put a brake on it or hang it up after just dressing it up. Just in case I found a Ruger No 1 in 7x57 for this fall. Would appreciate any experiences anybody could share on a similar situation. Thanks. PG

Are you on blood-thinners (Heparin, Coumadin, etc.)?

If so, it is imprudent to shoot any firearm that might cause bruising.

George

I certainly hope you are healing well and starting to feel in great spirits. I wish you a strong recovery.
I avoided the bypass again in February having only a "mild" heart attack. My cardiologist was able to open things up by inserting angioplastic balloons inside the two stents which collapsed.
I spoke with him about shooting and he said I had to wait for the effects of the hopital thinners to pass. After two weeks he put me onto plavix and said to simply watch carefully for bruising and/or headaches as George stated above. I have been slowly building up to practicing twice a week and had my .416 Rigby out again last weekend. So far, so good. I would certainly talk with the doctor before going out as your surgery was obviously much more severe than mine.
Good luck,
Frank

I had an aortic valve replaced with a prosthetic one about five years ago. The doctor allowed me to shoot .30-06 class cartridges in less than six months. Twelve months later, I was shooting .375 H&H.

I'm on Coumadin for life and simply ignore minor bruising. Your best bet is to ask your surgeon.

I have been thinking about have the laser eye surgery to correct my vision. I never thought about this until this post. I'm going to Zambia this Aug and then to Botswana the following Aug.I shoot big bores once a week. Any does or donts? I'm not sure how long the eye heals its self. Thanks steve

Guys it gives a man great encouragement to read that you still want to get out there and do it.
Good Luck to you.

AKA,

That lasik surgery is NOT for active outdoors people. Which is stange - beacause that's why I got it. I'd give anything to go back to my glasses.

You will not ever be able to see as well at dawn, dusk or dark as with your glasses. Perfect results get you 80% of your former night vision.

Those flaps they cut in your eyes never really heal - they just sort of stick there after a while. If the Dr wants to adjust the lasik prescription he just grabs a corner of the flap and lifts it up. This could happen with a twig or with water skiing, etc. Not good if it happens in the field in Africa!

I had it done, and according to the Dr. I am a raving success. 20/20 and 20/25, but I cannot see small things like I once could. When a rabbit stops moving he is invisible.

At night I can't read road signs due to halos on top of the fuzziness.

My eyes are dry all the time and I have to use drops - as often as every 30 minutes in dry air.

I just THOUGHT I hated my glasses...

I had a aortic valve replace with a little piece of cow 20 months ago. As MichiganScott said I was allowed to shoot my 280 after 6 months. After 9 months he allowed me to work up as long as I wasn't feeling any pain. After 12 months I was shooting my 8# 358Norma. The 375 is getting bedded right now so it will go out next week.

Key thing is follow the Dr's advice. Mine was a hunter so he had an Idea on recoil. Let the chest heal and don't rush it and you will be fine.

I had a quad bypass in Dec 2002. Talk about a change of life!!! No more back/jaw/arm pain. It's wonderful!!

Just let your chest heal and follow the Dr's advise. Walk lots and and don't stretch the chest muscles by reaching for things.

Oh, and the wire in the chest can set off airport scanners!!

I was shooting my .35 Whelen within 4 months with no problems.

A lot of what happens now depends on the physical condition you were in before surgery and how hard you work to rebuild your strength now.
A big weight lifter friend of mine has 4 bypasses done and 6 months later he was bench pressing 300 lb again. Another point here is that exercise is not a cure all. One must still control food consumption.

Good Luck and with a strong will you should do fine.

Don, everyon responds to the surgery w/ diff. results. I had radial K. before lasik was around. I have had few if any problems. Friends of mine, including one PH had lasik & rave about it. I'll never know for sure but your single experience shouldn't put off others w/ poor vision.

paul garrett ----- I shoot extensively and have for a long time. I have also hunted extensively for years. In 2001 I have a stent put in and one year later it had grown up and I had a four bypass surgery, no heart attack or damage, just got lucky and found the trouble first. Went through rehab with flying colors and did a post rehab stress test. My doctor felt it necessary because I had an upcoming Alaskan hunt and I was pushing him to tell me if I should go or not. My heart fibrillated ( I simply passed out for a split second on the table still hooked up to the EKG machine) and he sent me to a defibrillator doctor to see if I was a candidate. He asked if I wanted to shoot and hunt the rest of my life and I said certainly. He stated if I wanted to do those things he would give me a little insurance and installed the defibrillator. I did not go to Alaska that year but I went to Colorado on my annual Elk hunt and got me Elk, drssed it myself and loaded it on my four wheeler myself and brought it down the mountain. I did pick one I could handle with the aid of a winch on the four wheeler. Since I have hunted Alaska, Alberta, Africa (walked 15 miles one day after Buffalo) and Colorado yearly and still shoot 3000 plus rounds per year with some big rifles, up to .416 Rigby. I do have some brakes, and I use a system that works for me. ----- Bottom line, Don't give up your shooting and hunting, just do it a little wiser and with smart preparation. Good shooting.

Thanks gentlemen. I feel some better now, after going through three days of atrial fibrillation and being put on coumadin (hopefully temporary) and digoxin, also hopefully temporary. I am hoping to be in good enough shape to hunt this fall - elk at 10 grand. We road camp and use horses to pack out critters. Still will be on beta blockers and statins likely for life. I can't wait to get back out there. Lots of good stuff here on the 7x57, probably the cutest rifle I ever saw, much less owned. Best wishes to all of you.

The captains and the kings depart, Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, an humble and a contrite heart - RK.

Don_G..Thanks for your input. I didnt mean to get so far offbase but I viewed this post as a medical type posting. I will keep my glasses..thanks again..steve

DonG how long ago did you have your LASIK done.

Paul, the most important thing you can do is strengthen your attitude about your recovery. Your attitude will dictate your altitude and the heights of success you enjoy.
Watch carefully the meds as I found them to be as much of a hurdle to overcome as the procedures. Stay in touch with your doctors and start small on the recovery process but aim for big results.
Frank

Don,

Please consider starting a thread in regards to LASIK surgery. I would like more pro and con on this topic in regards to the outdoorsman as I am about to make an apointment with the othamologist to explore this procedure.

Thanks

My Dad in may 1993 had a heart valve replacement .He went fishing the day before he had it.He went fishing about 3 weeks after it.I had given him a Browning 300 win mag to deer hunt with.He shot two eight pointers that fall and dragged them out with a deer carrier be fore I could get over to help him.I could not believe that he could come back so fast.He was also using a climbing deer stand again in the fall .I helped him with his stand and put both of our stands on the deer carrier.I helped him for about two years until he could do it on his own.He shot the 300 win mag just fine.I might weight a year or so before I shot the 375.I would get a 338 with a good break.My 338-378 weatherby with the accubrake kicks less tham most 270s to me.Yes you will go hunting again just take a hunting buddy along and take it easy for a while.

Looked for a eye thread but didn't find it.
First to Paul my wish is that you get back doing what you want quickly.

On the eye thing, As a professional pilot my eyes are very important to me. In the beginning, after a trial period, the FAA was fully indorcing LASIK. I read several articles that my flight Dr. gave me when I asked about it.
Now however, the FAA has cooled on their previous stance. They still allow it as a procedure but there are much mre warnings in their findings. My own friends that have had Lasik done run a cross section from wildly loving it to those that have had trouble. The ratio is more than I personally what to deal with.
There is another procedure that I'm considering called ICL. I've had a friend that has had this done. His was probably worst case that I have seen. For ever he wore the old hard non-gas permiable contacts. Due to the lack of oxy and moisture his eyes actually formed voids and hard spots and got to be virtually uncorrectable.

I guess that ICL is similiar to cataract where the lens is removed through a very tiny opening and another is reinserted. No corneal flap to heal or deal with and a very quick heal.

He uses cheaters once in awhile but I noticed last night he was reading a menu at an eatery with no problems and he loves the results. He's retired, a hunter/shooter and an RV'er who drives a lot at night and feels like he can see like the 20 something fighter pilot he used to be.

I am looking into this one.

Sorry to hijack but didn't find anything else on this.

Don

stdon,

Yours is no hijack, in any way. All of this is good and most informative.

DB

Don't know if your cardiac surgeon know much about shooting, but this one does. I mostly do kids now, but have extensive experience with the adult patients. My advice-wait about three months for your sternum to heal (probably a bit more than you really need, but I'm adding a bit of fudge factor), start slow, and work your way up. Ultimately you should have no limitations in regards to shooting, so if that 500 Nitro Express is calling you, go for it. Recently had a 13 year old patient who's a real hunting nut. He's back at it again-planning to go elk hunting throught the Hunt of a Lifetime program. And for gawd sakes-no muzzle break!

Thanks again for the good info. I am fired up! There's a Ruger #1 in 375 that is calling me from the local gun shop. I really covet that rifle. Hate to sell a horse to buy it tho!

Mr. Garrett,

Yes, by all means return to shooting big bores. As others have said, wait several weeks and work up to it. Needing a bypass is a painful reminder that none of us have unlimited time here. Get to doing what you enjoy doing. The bypass hopefully bought you several years of life so enjoy it (But don't forget to control your blood pressure and cholesterol).

Wes

The docs are constantly reminding me that surgery is not a cure to CAD - it just gives you a chance to mend your ways. I guess making the bars, chasing women, and drinking all night are out. That leaves shooting and hunting! thanks again to all those who responded, both on the public forum and privately. PAG

The captains and the kings depart, still stands thine ancient sacrifice, an humble and a contrite heart. - RK

I have had a triple bypass on Feb 3, 2006. I have never felt better since my 30's. I would not take the advice of anyone except my cardiologist and no one else. He is the only knows my body and heart condition. The sad thing is I have quite a collection of English double Big Bore Rifles. 600, (2) 577, H&H 465, 470, 400 3", and a 8 Bore Tolley double rifle. A bolt action 585 Nyati, all of which I may never shoot them again. But that is life, I can still take them out of the safe and fondle them and think of times past. The most important think is that I am alive and recovering great. Please take no one's advice except your cardiologist.

In Novembr of 2005 I had a triple bypass. The doctor told me not to shoot for three months. I did not for 9 months. I am diabetic also. Am not taking blood thinners. Total Cholesterol is 111.
Oh, I had a rotator cuff problem also. Now after exercises its fine. I also walked 4 miles a day until heel spurs bothered me....mopw recovering from that. Where there's a will there's a way.
Blessings in your recovery.

Gentlemen of the Forum,

Rather than start a new thread, I'll add to this one.
I've been keeping a bit quiet about this situation of mine, but soon will need to let the cat out of the bag at work, too.

Here's my story:
It starts a few years ago with arthritis in my thumbjoints due to driving a Bus for a living.
Labor & Industries covered the surgery for the left thumb repair just this last June 1st. I'll be off for 3 1/2 months and return to work for the Fall work schedule.
Next Summer; the right thumb gets fixed.
So far, so good, except for this next little glitch...

Last year I went in for a sleep study ( another nightmare story! ) and it was discovered that I had a 'heart murmur'.
The murmur is actually a congenital heart condition known as Mitral Valve Prolapse.
In other words, I was born with it.
Along with this condition, several symptoms I'd had began to make sense...they're all tied together.
NOW, during the recovery of my hand surgery, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy --- one of the prizes a Man gets when he turns 50!
The night before the consultation for this event, I start to have EXTREME breathing problems.
The day of the consultation, the Doctor decides to get a current echocardiogram.
Sure enough, I've got a problem.
The MVP Syndrome is advanced.
Many medications; blood draws; X-rays; and EKG's later, it is determined that I have to have an angiogram prior to open heart surgery...

Which brings us to the present.
The angiogram will determine EXACTLY what type of repair/replacement will be needed.
This will all happen in the next TWO WEEKS.

ASSuming I survive one or both procedures...I'll know if I can pursue my BIG BORE dream or whether I need to adjust my current inventory to something that will be more appropriate to my new limitations.

Time will tell.
I felt it was the right time to look up this information and share my story.
Wish me Good Fortune, BIG BORE Friends.

Sincerely,
BusMaster007

quote:

Originally posted by BusMaster007:
Gentlemen of the Forum,

Rather than start a new thread, I'll add to this one.
I've been keeping a bit quiet about this situation of mine, but soon will need to let the cat out of the bag at work, too.

Here's my story:
It starts a few years ago with arthritis in my thumbjoints due to driving a Bus for a living.
Labor & Industries covered the surgery for the left thumb repair just this last June 1st. I'll be off for 3 1/2 months and return to work for the Fall work schedule.
Next Summer; the right thumb gets fixed.
So far, so good, except for this next little glitch...

Last year I went in for a sleep study ( another nightmare story! ) and it was discovered that I had a 'heart murmur'.
The murmur is actually a congenital heart condition known as Mitral Valve Prolapse.
In other words, I was born with it.
Along with this condition, several symptoms I'd had began to make sense...they're all tied together.
NOW, during the recovery of my hand surgery, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy --- one of the prizes a Man gets when he turns 50!
The night before the consultation for this event, I start to have EXTREME breathing problems.
The day of the consultation, the Doctor decides to get a current echocardiogram.
Sure enough, I've got a problem.
The MVP Syndrome is advanced.
Many medications; blood draws; X-rays; and EKG's later, it is determined that I have to have an angiogram prior to open heart surgery...

Which brings us to the present.
The angiogram will determine EXACTLY what type of repair/replacement will be needed.
This will all happen in the next TWO WEEKS.

ASSuming I survive one or both procedures...I'll know if I can pursue my BIG BORE dream or whether I need to adjust my current inventory to something that will be more appropriate to my new limitations.

Time will tell.
I felt it was the right time to look up this information and share my story.
Wish me Good Fortune, BIG BORE Friends.

Sincerely,
BusMaster007

Your warranty runs out at 50 I told a lot of my friends but they didn't believe me until they hit the 50 they're believers now been in cardiac care,etc.Leaking mitral valve is very common about 85% of the population has it w/o knowing it.Since 04 I've had 5 operations:hernia,colectomy & 3 left eye ops for lens replacement and facing another this month,they put the wrong lens in can't see crap but I'm about 72.

"...warranty runs out at 50..."
Too true.

Make sure your surgeon has extensive experience with mitral valve repairs. Repairs require anticoagulation for a few months, replacements require lifetime anticoagulation. MV prolapse can usually be repaired, although of course I'm speaking generically-I don't know what your echo looks like. Anticoagulation and big bores don't go together well, so if your valve is replaced your big bore shooting days may be limited. If you have a repair you're good to go once you get off the coumadin. Upper Left Coast-if you are in the Seattle area, Ed Verrier at UW would be a good choice. There are others as well who could get the job done right.

quote:

Repairs require anticoagulation for a few months, replacements require lifetime anticoagulation. MV prolapse can usually be repaired, although of course I'm speaking generically-I don't know what your echo looks like. Anticoagulation and big bores don't go together well, so if your valve is replaced your big bore shooting days may be limited. If you have a repair you're good to go once you get off the coumadin. Upper Left Coast-if you are in the Seattle area, Ed Verrier at UW would be a good choice. There are others as well who could get the job done right.

I'm not sure about the mitral valve but I had my arotic valve replaced 2 years ago this week. I opted for a tissue valve. No anticoagulants required. Currently my tissue valve life is running about 90% still in place after 25 years. But it has only been available for 25 years. So the Dr said each year the expected life goes up. After doing a lot of talking to my surgeon who hunts and reading I opted for tissue. Feeling that a chance of a second surgery in 20+ years was a better option than blood thinners and all their problems. I'll let you know in 25 years if the decision was the correct one.

"The Duke" did well enough with a pig valve to live long enough to develop a second primary cancer. RIP.

Mechanical valves require heavy anticoagulation, and would be the end of some heavy kicker shooting.

I thought the incidence of MVP was more like 15% than 85%, and yes many have it so mildly as to be hardly detectable and never cause a problem, unless deteriorating after warranty expiration.

Live long and prosper y'all. (Sounds like the cardiothoracic surgeons will prosper as the boomers' warranties expire.)

Paul you need to get in touch with "JudgeSharpe" and have a private chat with him he's going through the thing you are. Compare notes. Hope they can get you off the Coumadin.

I hope that you come through everything and return to good health.
I have a torn retina in the left eye and there is nothing that can be done for it!

Paul,

My prayers for your full recovery.

I am in triple threat class, having just hit 50 this year. Overweight, high blood pressure and slightly diabetic.

I had a hell of a scare about 4 years ago. Got off a 5.5 hour flight from the West to the East Coast, and went to bed feeling drained. Got up early the next morning not feeling quite right. I went to take a shower, thinking that would help. I noticed that the feelingof the water hitting me was on a "delay".

I went downstairs and asked my wife to take me to the hospital - I knew something wasn't right.
On the 15 minute drive there, I was losing feeling on first my left side, and then my right.

I could barely walk into the ER. The right side of my face drooped and no feeling on my left side.

They put me on massive thinners then and there, and scored me a 6 out of 7 on the stroke scale. Within 2 hours, I was fine, and felt like I imagined the whole thing.

Turns out, since I was having symptoms on both sides, there had to have been a clot in the brain stem - not the place to get a clot.

But whatever they used in the ER dissolved it (confirmed after 5 days of damn tests). Since there was no clot, it was classified as a TIA.

If this had happened 20 years ago, and I was not married to a woman who turned a 40 minute trip into 15 minutes, I would not be around.

Medicine today can give us all hope. And the kind of surgery you had is routine today. And you will probably be better than new after you recupperate. Just listen to your doctor.

As for Lasik, I had it done after they came out with interlasik (they use lasers to make the cut as well as reshaping the eye).

I saw halos and had the problem seeing small things for about a month before that started to gradually disappear. I have no issues today, and am glad I had it done. I was restricted from shooting for 6 months, so I gues that must be the outside healing time.

My solution was to start reading the hunting classics.

If I could not hunt or shoot, I could live vicariously. It is a habit I still can't break today!

Best of luck to you. Think of it as a second chance, or a second lease on life. Most men I know that have been through what you just went through are in much better condition today than they were well before their surgery.

And if you don't reload, nows the time to get into it. You will never regret it. And there is a hell of a lot of satsfaction in rolling your own and hunting successfully with your own mix.


Jim

While this thread started out about the effects of coronary surgery and shooting big bore rifles I'd offer two different takes on some the issues that have been or need to be discussed ...the first concerns the effects of shooting after radical eye surgery.

January 2000 I had a catastrophic accident and had a piece of metal penetrate and cut across my left eye from the tear duct, across the center of the iris, past the outer white of the eyeball. My fault and just a stupid home accident. When we got the ER my iris was ripped up and outside the surface of the eye. Without going thru the whole magilla of the 3 surgeries and problems that resulted in a both a lens replacement and a cornea transplant...I have permanent stitches under my new growth skin covering the donor cornea, and I've had couple of them removed when the cornea "wrinkled" during the settling period but was released for "any normal activity" after about 6-8 months.
The eye restoration was/is a total success except for the medicene creating a orange peel like burn on my new skin growth over the donor cornea as the result of my developing a toxic reaction to the preservative in the predneslone...and I am functionally & legally blind in that eye even though I had 20/40 vision in the eye the day they took the wraps off and before my new skin grew back over the corneas as was planned. I was told that I would need a technique called radio wave "polishing" to cut the burned cells off the surface of the eye one layer at a time. I ain't been back yet as radio wave sculpting is just now becoming common place in Dallas and the the next step is the polish job I need.

Yesterday I got an EMail from a friend I have been like a brother to since we were kids in high school. He stunned me with the news that at 63, with no prior history, he had been diagnosed with male breast cancer and had had surgery last Thursday. This morning on a 2 hour phone call that I will share a little of, since this is a very rare cancer. Men get breast cancer just like women do...only it is much more aggressive. He found it very early by accident...he scratched at an itch without looking for anything, it was a small 2mm tumor next to a nipple that felt new and out of place that caught his attention. No pain, no swelling ..just a fleshy but small solid lump and thats why men ignore this kind of a lump typically for several years...the dangerous ones usually don't hurt is what the doc told him. He caught his very early and the doc sez they got all of it with an est'd 90%+ survival rate...but most men don't pay attention if something doesn't hurt enough to make then stop and look at something thats not bleeding... and their survival rates are very poor as a result. He told me he was one of only about 1200/2000 men a year to get this super dangerous cancer. They did a "modified men's version of a radical mastectomy...but not only will he most likely survive but live to hunt and fish with me again...and race his collection of beloved Triumph TR7's this fall....successful enough that his chemo is optional though I know him well enough that he won't take the gamble and not go thru it...even though the Chemo may be the worst part for him.

Sorry to hijack the post but I felt it was important...OBTW I have been shooting stuff up to 12 gauge 3" pumps that hurt the most, 300WMg's and 9.3's and hunting again now for years ...and have more trouble with the disc problems in my neck and lower back than anything else. Someday I'll look into seeing what new technology has come up with for a polish and lube job on the eyeball because it works good when the surface rust is not there...thank God it was not my dominant shooting eye because God only gave me a left arm to wear watch with and for balance...otherwise I would nigh on to being helpless.

Like I told my bud when we said goodbye...old age is not for the faint of heart. LOL!
Ron

BusMaster: All I can say is hang in there and best wishes. 5 mos post op and I am feeling pretty good. Went to Florida and played 5 sets of tennis one day with my wife, son, and his teen age buddy, kept up ok, so my cardiac condition is good so far. Got antsy and went shooting about 10 weeks post op = a 7x57 felt like it was a 300 magnum. Last week shot 06 and 7 Rem mag with full loads and a magnum Past pad - no problems. The docs think they want me on warfarin the rest of my life due to Atrial fibrillation. So far it hasn't inhibited my shooting, and I think I can go for the 375 this summer with a Past pad on, but likely will sell it anyway and downsize slightly = just not because of recoil. Maybe a 9.3 x 62 would be nice on my Husky action. I still have some chest numbness from the incision, and some back and shoulder pain, but that is minor and I can live with it. I can walk as far as needed, have no problem lifting as much weight as needed, and in general things have greatly improved. Looking forward to elk season, and after that bird season and dog training. My son and I have a good hunt lined up - just the two of us, and he shot a couple one inch groups last week with his 7x57.

I have a couple horses to train tis summer and feel like I can handle it fine. Hope I can still handle the shoeing as a farrier in these parts can get expensive! Now for the cataract surgery and I am good to go.

You have the best wishes of everyone on this forum, FWIW. May God look after you in this trial, bless you with good results, and allow continued enjoyment of the out of doors and shooting pastimes. Like the man said, pay attention to your docs, do what they say, and be conservative - but I expect you know those things anyway. Come on out to Colorado some time and I'll try to show you an elk. Good luck.

BTW, if you haven't done the angiogram yet, not to worry. I was scared of it when I went in, but is actually pretty cool - you're awake and can see everything. I was lucky and had a good surgical team that made it seem like walk in the park. The actual coronary surgery is definitely NOT a walk in the park, but you WILL survive it and recover sooner than you think, just take your time and make haste slowly.

quote:

Originally posted by BusMaster007:
Gentlemen of the Forum,

Rather than start a new thread, I'll add to this one.
I've been keeping a bit quiet about this situation of mine, but soon will need to let the cat out of the bag at work, too.

Here's my story:
It starts a few years ago with arthritis in my thumbjoints due to driving a Bus for a living.
Labor & Industries covered the surgery for the left thumb repair just this last June 1st. I'll be off for 3 1/2 months and return to work for the Fall work schedule.
Next Summer; the right thumb gets fixed.
So far, so good, except for this next little glitch...

Last year I went in for a sleep study ( another nightmare story! ) and it was discovered that I had a 'heart murmur'.
The murmur is actually a congenital heart condition known as Mitral Valve Prolapse.
In other words, I was born with it.
Along with this condition, several symptoms I'd had began to make sense...they're all tied together.
NOW, during the recovery of my hand surgery, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy --- one of the prizes a Man gets when he turns 50!
The night before the consultation for this event, I start to have EXTREME breathing problems.
The day of the consultation, the Doctor decides to get a current echocardiogram.
Sure enough, I've got a problem.
The MVP Syndrome is advanced.
Many medications; blood draws; X-rays; and EKG's later, it is determined that I have to have an angiogram prior to open heart surgery...

Which brings us to the present.
The angiogram will determine EXACTLY what type of repair/replacement will be needed.
This will all happen in the next TWO WEEKS.

ASSuming I survive one or both procedures...I'll know if I can pursue my BIG BORE dream or whether I need to adjust my current inventory to something that will be more appropriate to my new limitations.

Time will tell.
I felt it was the right time to look up this information and share my story.
Wish me Good Fortune, BIG BORE Friends.

Sincerely,
BusMaster007

Hello, Gentlemen.
It's been almost two weeks post-op for the heart surgery.

I'm still sore and not sleeping too well, but I'm HERE!
We're going to get out a bit and do some walking today.
The heat has been miserable for the Pacific Northwest, and it's kept me from doing as much as I should or would like to do.

They repaired my mitral valve; used a 'MAZE' procedure to re-map the electrical path in the heart; and sewed up a pocket that could potentially collect blood clots.
So far, I'm not of the need to take Coumadin or such things.

As would figure, I'm already planning on changing my inventory to less THOR-like hammers; and I've decided I won't wait to get the Harley-Davidson Road Glide I've wanted.
Life's too short!
I may have to reduce the inventory and work some overtime, but I'll be able to 'SHOOT & SCOOT' in style!

Thanks for the good wishes!

quote:

Originally posted by xgrunt:
Don,

Please consider starting a thread in regards to LASIK surgery. I would like more pro and con on this topic in regards to the outdoorsman as I am about to make an apointment with the othamologist to explore this procedure.

Thanks

I don't know diddly-squat about Lasik, but I'm going to throw out a couple of remarks that apply to me, and whoever cares can figure out whether they apply to him.

When I joined the U. S. Navy many years ago, I had to sit through countless hours of safety films. I eventually noticed that I was ignoring most of the content, because about 90% of it was about putting out your cigarettes under certain circumstances and wearing eye protection in the others, and they didn't apply to me, because I never smoked and always had glasses with hardened lenses on.

By the time RK came around, I was shooting pretty regularly, and had gotten pretty used to eye protection. When I found out that compatability of RK with SCUBA diving had not been confirmed, that kind of settled it for me.

Again, I know squat about Lasik. But if you're a shooter, aren't you wearing safety glasses anyway? I'll bet that even prescription safety glasses are a lot cheaper than Lasik, and a lot less risky. What, exactly, are you gaining with Lasik?

I only have one eye with good vision, now (central serous maculopathy, right smack dab on the fovea, in my formerly dominant eye), so I would never even consider elective surgery, but even those with two eyes should perhaps consider the value of good eyes with good vision (albeit refractively-assisted), and not find out the hard way that the enemy of "good" is "better."

BusMaster007,

Welcome back. Get strong, shoot more, and scoot carefully.