Learn from my mistake-to my Viper friends

[viperdrummer]

I hesitate to write this and seem like I am preaching. I also realize it may not be on topic but I hope it can stay here a couple of days before being moved since it seems like this forum gets the most attention.

I have been here since the start of the board . Got my first Viper in my 30s and this year turned 50. I have always been in good health ( which I attribute in part to putting 75,000 miles on 3 Vipers) But lately I had been working too hard , gaining too much weight and ignoring my blood pressure. I have great genes and thought I was bullet proof. That is , until about a month ago when I awoke with what is known as tia , essentially a small stroke. It scared the hell out of me and I was in ICU for several days with all sorts of issues I won't bore you with here .


I am back at work now (on varioue meds) and in generally good shape. One of the first things I wanted to do (after hugging my kids and kissing the ground) when I got home was drive one of the Vipers , but my wife had the good sense to hide the keys for a couple of days. Since then I have logged about 1000 miles.


The point of the post is take care of yourself . If you don't know your blood pressure, or you are overweight, etc see the doctor . Don't take the foolish risks I did . And, enjoy your Viper---it is the best stress reliever I know. TERRY

 

[99 R/T 10]

Great advice Terry! If we don't take care of ourselves, nobody else will. Gotta be there for the family as long as the man upstairs allows, but help him help you. Exercise!

 

[Yellow32]

Amen,

What do you recommend to take care of yourself? Work a little less? workout more? watch the diet? any tips?

-J

 

[Bob K]

Terry,
Glad you are back on your feet. I too saw the light recently and have made some big changes. Although I haven't had any health scares, I have noticed how easily I get out of breath with the slightest exericise. I had a normal heart scan and got the OK from my cardiologist to start a workout program. I joined a health club and instituted some big changes in my diet. I plan to lose about 30 pounds and be physically fit by summer. Now if I could only break myself from sitting in front of this computer!

Bob K

 

[CitySnake]

Being that we are the same age, thank you for scaring the bejezus out of me this morning!!!

OK, OK...I hear ya!

But seriously, great to hear that you're fine. Shouldn't take such a serious health issue to get one's head on straight. Great advice.

Happy Holidays!

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Great post Terry and thanks for the advice. I'm 45 and have lost 5lbs so far.

 

[agentf1]

Excellent advice. I hope you are feeling better.

I was diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer when I was 38 tears old and can definetly say it changes your whole outlook on life.

 

[Mike Red 97 GTS]

Terry,

Thanks for the great advice! I would also like to add that it is important to have a colonoscopy as you reach 50; I know it does sound pleasant, but I didn't find it to be that bad. Had I done it when I turned 50 I wouldn't be fighting colon cancer today. I wouldn't wish anyone to have to go through the hell of radiation and chemotherapy and if by having colonoscopy detects and removes polyps before the turn to cancer it is well worth it.

Mike

 

[viperdrummer]

Viper32-- I had high bp, bad choresterol, had put on 25 pounds, was working a lot , drinking a little more than I should but not a lot. I had all the warning signs except smoking (which is a big one) and family history. I am told (and I have now seen the top neuro folks) the keys are exercise, eating, drinking in moderation, and stress reduction. But everyone is different. The key is to know where you stand re: your BP etc don't take it for granted.

 

[Warfang]

Glad you are ok... seeing how I'm in my 30's now and just got a Viper, I am walking your trail. Thanks for letting me know what NOT to do when I get to 50. The time sure does go fast...

 

[97 Viper GTS]

Glad it was just a TIA and not a stroke. Make sure they evaluated your TIA adequately- should involve an MRI/MRA of the brain, echocardiogram (not EKG) of the heart, hypercoagulable studies (lab tests), and possibly even a cerebral angiogram. If all that is OK, make sure you get your cholesterol as low as possible (via meds, diet, exercise), and keep your blood pressure low (systolic less than 130). Eating healthy and maintaining an ideal body weight is important, absolutely STOP smoking (if you smoke), and consider taking an aspirin (325mg over the counter) at least once a day.

Take it from a neurosurgeon- you don't want to EVER have to see me

Take care-

Shawn

 

[Bernard]

I was driving at Button Willow in June when I experienced "heartburn and shortness of breath". There was no pain in the arms, just the above symptoms. I went to the paramedics who were at the track and asked for oxygen. 1 1/2 hours later I went into surgery for an angioplasty where it was discovered that one artery was 100% blocked. The surgeon said "1 hour more and you'd have been gone". It was cleared and a stent was inserted. I am 51 years old. I smoked for 30 years and drank like a true "Brit". I'm now the proud owner of a Bowflex and a treadmill, but still enjoy my beer now and again.

 

[RX VIPER]

I'm 35 now, but my father passed at age 49 when I was 18. He wasn't overweight but was a smoker. He had CAD and HBP and died due to a heart attack. He never got to see me graduate from college, meet my wife, or ever see any of his grandkids. (Oh how he would have loved them!) Anyway, God willing I'll live to see these things in my kids lives. I still get the big steak, drink, etc, but in moderation. So many of the health related problems today are related to diet.

Ok, now time for my shameless plug. I take a product called Juice Plus- dehydrated whole fruits and vegs in capsule form. When someone told me about the stuff I shrugged it off because I'm a pharmacist and nobody was going to tell me about a product that I'd not heard or read about; much less seen their clinical studies. However, he was a friend so I said I'd look at it. The more I looked the more I liked. I'm really into research and I was impressed that it was all done by 3rd parties hospitals and universities and not funded by the makers of the product. Check out the web-site and see the med schools that have tested it; even better than the B's and Folate for reducing homocystine levels and free-radicals in the blood stream and boosts the immune system.

I was so impressed that not only did I buy some, I became a distributor. I told a lot of my friends and family about it an have them taking it as well. Even if you don't buy it thru my web-site, I highly suggest you take it. MD's out there, if you haven't heard of it- check it out. I've got many physicians from oncologists to pediatricians taking it and recommending it to their patients as they were just as impressed as I. Most of them admit in their medical profession and even in college they focus on cure and not on prevention of disease. That's what this is all about. PM me if you have any Q's or interested in ordering it. I'm so glad your alright.

www.juiceplus.com/+mk75581

Best,

Michael

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Terry, sure sorry to hear of your situation, but you have taken the wake up call and seen fit to spread the word. You are blessed and many of us are so pleased to hear you are doing better. The Snake can be a major stress reliever for many of us, and we do tend to leave issues behind when out cruising. May not be what some Doctors order, but after quality time with the family, these machines do awaken alot of us to how lucky we are. Your timely topic is good for alot of us, and thanks for sharing this Holiday Season --- glad to have you back on the Board , regularly.

Sounds like this will be a special Holiday Season for you and yours!

 

[garolittle]

This is a good lesson for all of us. I have found that driving the Viper is an excellent stress reliever regardless of the pressures that life is putting on me.

 

[FinalEd357]

Terry,
Sorry to hear of your recent troubles, but glad to hear you're getting back to 'normal'. I appreciate your advice and share in your thoughts that life is too short to be spent worrying over unimportant things. God, family, friends, Viper, work. Those priorities sound just about right to me. Merry Christmas, Happy all holidays that you celebrate.

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

The health of the driver behind the wheel is definitly Viper related. Good luck.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< Had I done it when I turned 50 I wouldn't be fighting colon cancer today. >>

Good luck with this Terry. May I wish you the best, and you are in my prayers.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Sorry to hear about that. Glad to hear that you are okay. Be safe and THANKS for the wishes.

 

[Gerald Levin]

Want to increase your chances of survival? Spend less than $1k and get yourself a defibrillator. I bought a defib and a defib trainer (identical to the defib but does not deliver a shock and is used for training purposes) on ebay for $700 total. Came with a training video. Dummy proof. It talks to you and tells you what to do. You cannot deliver a shock if it is not needed. Increases your chance of survival many many times over CPR. The statistic is your chance of survival decreases 10% per minute when a defib is needed but not there. When the EMS guys arrive after 5 min. you have a 50-50 chance of survival. If your local EMS guys are on another run and the next guy takes ten minutes to arrive, your chance of survival is nil. CPR when a defib is needed is not worth jack. You could be a defibrillating expert in just a couple hours of training and practice. Buy one, train yourself and your family members on how to use one and thank me later. Your welcome.

 

[VPRVENM97]

The point of the post is take care of yourself . If you don't know your blood pressure, or you are overweight, etc see the doctor . Don't take the foolish risks I did . And, enjoy your Viper---it is the best stress reliever I know. TERRY

Terry,

Those are some great words of advice. Even though most of us already know it. It's nice to be reminded every now and then. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of life makes us forget the important things. Things like slowing down and enjoying life.

The Viper is a great stress reliever. Sometimes it can also be a great cause of stress. I see it as a cheap form of thrill and therapy.

Take care of yourself and thanks for the reminder.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Terry,

First glad your have made your way back to good health. Hope you manage your health to maximize your life.

Your advise is great and to be taked seriously. There is no second act!

Take Care!

 

[slaughterj]

Terry, I'm glad to hear you are okay, and try to keep the foolish risks to your Viper driving, not your health!

 

[CitySnake]

Great post Terry and thanks for the advice. I'm 45 and have lost 5lbs so far.

Yeah, as if you care about loosing weight for purposes of health.

Fess up TVC! If you can loose 20 pounds you KNOW you'll be able to take you lap times down a half second!

Happy Holidays Bud!

 

[GT40DOC]

Terry, thanks for the post. We all need to stop and think about priorties. I didn't and ended up in the coronary care unit with a heart attack. I had to have coronary bipass done. I didn't have time to worry about smoking, no exercise, terrible diet and high stress levels. WELL, I took time and made some MAJOR changes in my lifestyle. Everyone needs to do a personal check of their habits. If we don't stay healthy, someone else will be driving OUR vipers. My .02

 

[got one]

I am 27 with high blood pressure, bad cholest. and other such problems. I have been trying all kinds of things. Stress relief/excersize and eating properly should help. Trust me as well, I have been near death and not expected to live, it drastically changes your life and your perspective on every day. LIve life to the fullest folks, but be sure to do what you can to make it to the next day

 

[viperdrummer]

This has been an amazing thread. I could never have expected these responses. It seems as the Viper community ages we have some common health issues obviously no different than anyone else. It looks likes most of you are taking care of business and doing the right things. And, others , after reading these responses, are at least focusing on it, which is what is important.


I have seen several doctors, but little did I know I would get some of my best advice about neurology on the Viper board!--turns out Shawn ("97 Viperidae GTS") is a neurosurgeon. We truly have all walks of life here.


"Got one"--hopefully you are seeing a good Dr. In my case Lipitor drastically reduced my cholesterol. But everyone's different.


OK, enough of the Lawrence Welk stuff, go drive your snakes. Board administrators, feel free to move this one.

 

[Jcoopacr2000]

Great thread. I would hope everyone who reads this would follow through with the promises you are making about your health. But most will find their way back to the old bad habits .Gotta try hard! Get scared more often.I will be 65 next month, enjoyed good health most of my life, Physical EVERY year on my birthday,dont smoke, exercise, blood pressure always perfect.Last January my Physical showed my PSA had gone up to 4.4 from 1.8 one year before. Prostate cancer. Thanks to the good lord, the doctors and staff at Duke University,I am cancer free for now. I take the Viper on trips more often now. value every sunrise and sunset. Ill cut this short by saying add the PSA test to whatever your health program is, it could save your life.

 

[Autoformsteve]

Thanks for the advice Terry. Glad to see you are doing better now.

 

[Matt M PA]

Good advice indeed.

A number of years ago, I realized I was entirely too heavy and lost somewhere around 70 pounds. I still cannot believe I carried that much weight around.