Tuesday, February 9, 2010

When things don't work out as planned

It was the last morning of our annual fishing trip. I caught 4 Musky during the 5 day trip,I had a one fish lead over Lee in our unspoken fishing tournament. It may have been a competition in my mind only,the other members of our group are what I call casual fishermen.They do not display the patience and persistence it takes to catch Muskie's. They do a variety of fishing tactics where they can relax,have a few beers,and see how many ounces one can pee in the plastic urinal as they wait for there bobber to go down or watch there fishing rod tip while drifting.Nothing wrong with that but I stood and cast for a"real" fish the entire trip,I am not interested in catching pan fish or small walleye's and I have a small bladder!For three days I fished hard with no strikes or sightings of a Musky. Finally on Saturday I caught one musky followed by 3 more on Sunday,one in the morning and two during the evening. Lee is a force to deal with and a real Musky fisherman,he carries 4 musky rods tipped with hot lures and possesses a massive tackle box filled with musky lures.I have one musky rod and only a few lures.
I had the perfect plan for the last morning fishing trip.I knew the whole fleet was going to the small lake where I caught fish the previous day. Papa Smurf and I went to another hot spot on a different lake and had the whole area to ourselves.As a group we agreed upon a time to fish until leaving us enough time to get the cabin cleaned and still be on our way home by noon.With only a couple of mins. left to fish I caught a small northern.I was holding the fish out of the water with my left hand about 15 inches above the fish.I had a pliers in my right hand that I was going to use to dislodge my lure from the fishes mouth,as I approached the fishes mouth it shook violently sending my lure up in the air snagging my left thumb with one of the heavy hooks....fortunately the fish was free because I was in enough pain,just think if the fish was still flopping around with a hook in my thumb!Ouch!After a short while as we both calmed down I taught Papa Smurf how to drive the tiller of the boat because it was difficult for me with this huge lure attached to my thumb and we head for the cabin.


Once back at the cabin Doug offered to drive me to get the lure detached from my thumb.To the west 13 miles away is Park Falls and they have a hospital there.We headed east towards Minoqua to a bait store called "Rollie and Helen's "as I walked into the store a squeamish clerk saw my problem and handed me a bolt cutter especially designed for cutting the heavy hooks of musky lures.As Doug stood by my side cheering I began the surgery without a shot of Jack Daniels!First I cut the hook close to my thumb freeing the rest of the lure,then with a pliers I grabbed the barb portion on the other side of my thumb on began twisting the cut hook through my thumb.Doug was shouting"It's working,It's working..almost...It's out!"If we would have went to the hospital in Park Falls there would have been emergency fees and so on....the real reason I did not want to go there is because at the hospital they have a rule that they get to keep the removed musky lure and it becomes part of a "shrine"a wall filled of lures removed from fisherman.That Squirrely Bert cost me 20 bucks!
That asshole Lee ended catching a Musky that final morning tying my total of 4 .I then had to pull out my Pike ,Round lake Musky Rule Book.It clearly states in "Rule RJ-3...number of fish caught...in the event of a tie the fisherman with the LEAST amount of fishing equipment shall be declared the winner."I WON!!!!
My 6 month treatment for my kidneys has not gone as planned and results have been good for shit!It has been very frustrating,upsetting,disappointing,discouraging,etc.Tests galore a lot of them painful but I introduced some very powerful chemicals into my body for nothing!During my treatment I have had mouth sores,food did not taste right,tooth paste and brushing my teeth was the worst...something with the chemo.My eyes felt funny and I had blurred vision at times.The tips of my fingers and my left heel became numb and tingly for some reason.My "BOYS" swelled to the size of golf balls and were more sensitive than usual from the steroid.My weight fluctuated from 180 to 206...up and down...up and down...up and down.I spoke about my "clown hair"in a earlier post ,I did not lose it but it is very thin and stringy .My immune system is at a all time low ,I have been really sick with a bad upper respiratory infection for over three weeks.Tests revealed a very low white blood cell count,I am anemic ,and I have been on antibiotics for over a week and still have it!Gotta love that chemo...that is why I have not updated this blog...it has been a very rough 3 weeks!
You heard the saying...when the going gets tough...the tough get going!I could ask why,why,why,cry,cry,cry,whine,whine,whine some more but that does not do me or you any good.I must stay in my circle of influence ,focus on what I can control and do not waste energy on things I can not change.First check my attitude as I have been feeling sorry for myself.My life has been crumbling for over a year,today(FEB 10th) is my one year anniversary of my ruptured appendix.When I think about it I have not received any good news in regards to my health and the doctors still do not know what is happening to my body.(I meet with my oncologist today)Boo hew,boo hew,whine,whine and then I realized....Hatti crumbled in 35 seconds changing the lives of thousands in that time frame!I will stop complaining of my small issues and feeling sorry for myself...each day is a gift!
I have done some research on the computer and there is things I can do to improve my immune system.First foods I should eat,omega3 found in fish like tuna and salmon twice a week(I have a freezer full of salmon caught last year)Lots of vitamin C and E,eating whole grains,brown rice,eggs,cottage cheese,white chicken meat,pasta and garlic,6 to 7 servings a day of fruits and vegetables special interest in cauliflower and broccoli. No soda,alcohol,fried foods and avoid meats with too much fat.Regular exercise and at least 8 hours of sleep a night,I must get rid of this upper respiratory infection so I can start exercising once again.For the most part I am doing the rest but I need to step it up a level and build my "Cape of invincibility "surgery is on the horizon!
So that is my plan,check my attitude,go to church every Sunday,eat healthy,get lots of rest,exercise and vent through my blog and stay the course....I sure would not object if I have some wing men or wing women along the way!!
The night after my colonscopy before I got my cold I went to open baseball practice for the high school students at south where they can throw,field,and get in the batting cage.Coaches are to refrain from teaching due to wiaa rules but you can still make small comments or suggestions to them. About 4 years ago well before my current problems I wrecked my right throwing shoulder trying to start a old lawn mower,I kept pulling and pulling and pulling until it started.My whole life in one form or another there was always baseball and I never had any problems with throwing a baseball my entire life...so go figure a old lawn mower get's me! A MRI showed nerve damage and the doctor said there was nothing that could be done and it will just take time. I had a huge ball of muscle on the top of my shoulder and my blade "winged"out like a angel and I could not throw a ball.
With all my other medical stuff going on I forgot about my shoulder.Well I stretchered out my arm,found a partner and began playing catch. I was amazed at how painless and fluid I threw the baseball.I was very accurate in my throws but had no where near the velocity I use to have,but that can be worked on.I do not know how to explain it but this small act has brought me some much needed hope!If I can throw a ball again I can do anything,I can beat anything! My arm is healed and it has given me comfort and peace and is a sign that I am going to be alright!!

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