# Future



## stinger608 (Jul 8, 2011)

Hi fellow crunchers!

About 3 weeks ago I was having some real odd feelings and pains in my upper chest area. I was a little concerned at this however I did not really worry to much about it until about a week ago when it would not stop and had black spots appear in my eyes. The short of the story is, I was diagnosed with a fairly common problem called Atrial Fibrillation. Normally this is not a huge deal, and millions have it, and many do not even realize they have it. 

Now my specific issue is that it really has done some pretty serious damage to the ventricles in my heart and I have to go into the hospital tomorrow afternoon for an electrocardiogram to find out the extent of the damage and where the damage is actually located in the ventricles. After this procedure they will then prepare me for heart surgery sometime in the very, very near future. 

Now here is the dilemma as it stands; I will be totally out of work for at least 2 months with very limited part time for at least 4 to 6 weeks after that. I am filing for temporary disability through SSI but I will be on a very tight budget for several months by the sound of it. This will, most likely, cut down on my internet usage and probably my ability to crunch 24/7. 

I will know more after tomorrow but it looks as though my full time crunching days is very limited for several months

I just wanted to apologize for having to slow down, or even stop crunching for awhile. I just wanted to let my fellow team know ahead of time as well. I will at least let CP know for sure before I just stop crunching. 

I am so proud of being a part of this awesome TPU team, and only hope that when everything is all said and done that I will be able to come back and crunch full time once again for this kick ass team!


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## digibucc (Jul 8, 2011)

good luck man


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## Delta6326 (Jul 8, 2011)

Good luck, hope everything gets better.


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## twilyth (Jul 8, 2011)

Why do you think you will need surgery?  My mom had mitral valve prolapse which can cause a lot of the same symptoms and they were able to manage it with drugs.  It was a bit more complicated and I won't go into the details, but I read the Mayo Clinic Web site on atrial fibrillation and it sounds like there are a whole range of possibilities in terms of treatment.

Here are the treatment options they list - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/atrial-fibrillation/DS00291/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

There is only one procedure there that requires open heart surgery.  In the other cases it only involves a catheter to do some rewiring.  Not trivial certainly, but not too scarey.

I hope they are just being overly cautious and trying to prepare you for the worst.  I don't really understand how they can be so pessimistic though before even doing the ECG.  My doctor likes to scare the crap out of me every chance he gets, so hopefully that's what's going on here.

The main thing to ask them about is the possibility of clots.  You'll probably need to take one or more blood thinners to reduce the danger of this.  That's what eventually got my mom.  I wish she had let me get her the medical monitoring service I wanted to get for her.  Even if you live with someone, that's something you should definitely get.

I know I sound preachy and pedantic but I don't want you to worry any more than you have to.  And since I've been through things like this with myself and my family, I wanted to let you know I'm here to help if you need anything. 

Good luck and let us know how it goes.


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## Mindweaver (Jul 8, 2011)

Good luck!


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## qubit (Jul 8, 2011)

Eek, sorry to hear about this dude. 

Thanks for letting us know and I hope you make a speedy recovery.


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## KieX (Jul 8, 2011)

Good luck Stinger, hope the ECG has some good results and no surgery is needed.

Keep us posted, and let us know if we can do anything for you bro


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## stinger608 (Jul 9, 2011)

Thanks guys!

@Twilyth: It has nothing to actually do with the A Fib to be honest. However due to bad A Fib it has caused damage to the Ventricles in the heart.


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## twilyth (Jul 10, 2011)

stinger608 said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> @Twilyth: It has nothing to actually do with the A Fib to be honest. However due to bad A Fib it has caused damage to the Ventricles in the heart.


OK.  Didn't mean to play doctor.  I just didn't understand.

Well, hopefully it won't come down to surgery.  There are drugs that can increase ejection fraction (a measure of the heart's pumping efficiency) and other drugs that will help stabilize you in a normal sinus rhythm.  Of course the facts in your case are what will dictate your treatment.  I hope things go well and that you have some decent options.

Please keep us informed, and the very best of luck to you.


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## stinger608 (Jul 10, 2011)

Hi WCG team!

Well it looks like I may even have to sell some parts to help pay for this crap! My insurance will cover all but about 2 grand worth and I just can't afford that at the moment. 

So I will be listing this stuff in the for sale area fairly soon, but figured I would give the descriptions here for anyone that may be interested.

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair IV Extreme $200 shipped

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T $175 shipped

RAM: GSkill RipJaws X DDR3 1600 2@4gb=8gb $55 shipped
         GSkill RipJaws DDR3 1600 2@2gb=4gb $35 shipped

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB drive $50 shipped

2@ EVGA GTX460 EE Superclocked 1GB video cards $85 each shipped or $155 shipped for both

I will be adding more as I figure out what I am selling and what I hope to keep.


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## AltecV1 (Jul 10, 2011)

stop eating those damn cheeseburgers you bastard


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## qubit (Jul 10, 2011)

stinger608 said:


> Hi WCG team!
> 
> Well it looks like I may even have to sell some parts to help pay for this crap! My insurance will cover all but about 2 grand worth and I just can't afford that at the moment.
> 
> ...



Ouch, losing that lot has gotta hurt? Sorry to here that dude. What will you be using in its place?


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## stinger608 (Jul 10, 2011)

qubit said:


> Ouch, losing that lot has gotta hurt? Sorry to here that dude. What will you be using in its place?



Well for awhile I will have to use my laptop. It is one of the Gateway P7811FX models, so at least I can do some mild gaming and crunching.


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## KieX (Jul 10, 2011)

Sorry to hear that dude.

What was the results of the ECG? Gotta have surgery?


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## stinger608 (Jul 10, 2011)

KieX said:


> Sorry to hear that dude.
> 
> What was the results of the ECG? Gotta have surgery?



Yep. Had to take time off of college and work. I filed for temporary disability but my god I will only get $768 per month

jeez, that doesn't even pay my monthly bills!!! I have no idea what I am going to do


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## hat (Jul 16, 2011)

Oh come now, there's no need to apologize for slowing down or even completely stopping your efforts when it comes down to something like this. You do whatever it is you need to do, and keep us informed. TPU has been known to be... generous in the past.


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 16, 2011)

Last I recall Crunching/Folding is voluntary not mandatory...


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## Jetster (Jul 16, 2011)

How old are you if you don't mind me asking. Im in my 50s and try to eat right and exercise. This would be my worse nightmare. Hang in there


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 16, 2011)

in another topic he said he is i believe 53


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## Jetster (Jul 16, 2011)

Ya that freaks me out. I'm 53 also. Good thing I quit smoking 5 years ago. why cant we be indestructible like we were when we were 20.


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 16, 2011)

Jetster said:


> Ya that freaks me out. I'm 53 also. Good thing I quit smoking 5 years ago. why cant we be indestructible like we were when we were 20.



You Think at 20 your indestructible, Lmao, no such thing.


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## stinger608 (Jul 16, 2011)

Jetster said:


> How old are you if you don't mind me asking. Im in my 50s and try to eat right and exercise. This would be my worse nightmare. Hang in there





eidairaman1 said:


> in another topic he said he is i believe 53



Yep that is correct. I go in this coming Monday for the final decision from the Cardiologist on whether I have to have surgery or not. As of this moment they have me on 50mg's of metoprolol. It has stopped the A-Fib, which is good, as that was one of their main concerns to avoid any more damage to the ventricles.  



Jetster said:


> Ya that freaks me out. I'm 53 also. Good thing I quit smoking 5 years ago. why cant we be indestructible like we were when we were 20.



 Yea no shit man, "10 feet tall and bullet proof."


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## Mussels (Jul 16, 2011)

to use a saying i overuse a lot...


Life happens.


good luck with it all.


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## stinger608 (Jul 17, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the support!!! Man, I have my fingers and my virtual fingers crossed for 

Monday........Something just bothers me when it comes to busting my chest bone in half and 

F'n with my ticker!!!


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 17, 2011)

eh ull be fine


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## qubit (Jul 17, 2011)

Ya, y'all be good. My thoughts will be with you on Monday.


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