Haven't been around much lately and there's a reason...

[o1d_dude]

As some of you may know I have a problem with a heart arrhythmia, especially in extremely hot weather. What you may not know is that having an irregular heart beat is really scary even when it's not life-threatening. As a matter of fact, anxiety is one of the symptoms used in evaluating heart attacks. :y:

After a visit to the emergency room (mostly so the doctors could take an EKG while I was in the arrythmia...and it worked), multiple visits to cardiologists and arrhythmia specialists, the opinion is that my condition is not life-threatening, just annoying/uncomfortable/anxiety producing. A good news/bad news scenario: The bad news is that my anxiety over the occasionally ragged heart beat makes the arrhythmia worse or more frequent. Swell.

Anyway, that's my story.

Now you know why I tell folks my rockets are bright pink so I can see them on the ground and I wear a bright orange construction vest when flying so folks can see ME on the ground. :wink:

Rocketry is part of my anxiety therapy program so I plan to be hanging around here a bit more than I have in the past month. c:

 

[Wayco]

Although it sounds scary, I like your treatment. Go out and fly rockets! You might want to take someone with you when you're doing a recovery, or at least have a FRS radio to stay in contact with someone.
My mother had a similar problem with brief periods where her heart stopped, they installed a pacemaker and she no longer has an issue.

 

[troj]

Hmmm... Rocket Therapy. It makes you happy, it helps you relax.

Sounds like a plan, to me!

You look a bit anxious; time to buy another rocket.

-Kevin

 

[Scotty Dog]

Hey old man.
Thats interesting. Ive been a high a anxiety type all me life and have been told I have a wierd (not sure the name) heart beat. Very interesting indeed.
Anywhoo---I was just talking about you a couple weeks ago at work.
I quit smoking last Jan-2013 and I put on the usually weight most quiters do.
Last March I figgured it time to lose some and strat to get back in shape..anywhoo--trying to keep this short...I got on the subject of "planking" and mentioned a couple years ago I was able to "plank" with just my body being supported by a log in my mid section.
Anyhoo again..that got me talking about you and the shape your in at your age.
Your an inspiration to me to get back in shape.
Im 55 years young..

 

[Zeus-cat]

Now you know why I tell folks my rockets are bright pink so I can see them on the ground and I wear a bright orange construction vest when flying so folks can see ME on the ground. :wink:

Now that me smile. :grin:

 

[Peartree]

Rocketry is part of my anxiety therapy program....:

So does that mean that your health insurance will help pay for your L2 cert rocket?

 

[robbdm]

Glad to hear from you again...

 

[gdjsky01]

Kit
Having been in sort of your situation, being nervous out there. I just ask someone to watch for me. I have a couple of cell numbers of people at the launch so if I was in trouble on the playa, I hope I can call them. It's like having someone I can call for help. Or pay a kid to recover it.

Hope all goes well... I am a medium anxiety person. Hopefully evolution puts some anxiety into all of us as a survival mechanism.
Jeff

 

[T-Rex]

My Dad has a similar issue. Has been fine with it for the last few years. Hope you are back on the range soon.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Glad that you got a favorable (given the options anyway) diagnosis, and that you will be back at it. Rocketry as therapy, I like that...that could prove useful. "Honey I had to buy another rocket, it's for the good of my heart you know. Dr. said it's therapy!"

As for on the range safety, the person who does our registration writes her cell phone number on the back of everyone's badge, and she takes down our cell number too. A very wise precaution on a 100+ degree day, or any day really, if you can get someone willing to be the hub for such a system. It's also helpful when you find a small rocket in tall grass...you can call back to her and she calls the person wandering aimlessly in the heat and lets them know it's been found.

 

[K'Tesh]

Welcome back! Glad to see that it's not as bad as you feared...

As for therapy... I'd say you need to get your hands on a Velociraptor and work through the issues :wink:

God Bless!
Jim

 

[CZ Brat]

So if you have Glaucoma: Smoke weed.
If you have Arrhythmia: Fly rockets.

Either way, you get high.

 

[iter]

Anything that helps you get out to launches :=)

Here's to flying many rockets together with you Kit.

Ari.

 

[ChrisAttebery]

Kit, I'm sorry to hear that you've been having problems. Hopefully we'll see you at a launch again soon.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

So if you have Glaucoma: Smoke weed.
If you have Arrhythmia: Fly rockets.

Either way, you get high.

Anxiety is the intersection of Glaucoma and Arrhythmia, because both therapies are beneficial. Just maybe not at exactly the same time....

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Kit, I hope you feel better and can take it easy. Did they offer any techniques to help you settle down if you feel anxiety coming on? I would think there might be some breathing tricks that can help to calm that feeling. Once this drought breaks (hopefully this fall), I hope to see you at Snow Ranch. Take care.

 

[Stan]

Kit, I have the same issues. In 2010 I had open heart surgery and had my mitral valve rebuilt. I occasionally have those days of irregular heart beat and plunging blood pressure and I know how much they scare me. These days my wife won't let me go anywhere remote without somebody to keep an eye on me. I don't complain though, I want to be around for quite awhile. Restricting solo adventures also gives me more opportunites to get out of my shell and socialize. Probably a good thing.

 

[rcktnut]

Arrhythmia's, palpatations, skipped beats, murmers, whatever, I've had on and off for 20 years. Nothing to fear as long as you have no dizzines, pain or shortness of breath, and problems spelling!!

 

[o1d_dude]

Kit, I hope you feel better and can take it easy. Did they offer any techniques to help you settle down if you feel anxiety coming on? I would think there might be some breathing tricks that can help to calm that feeling. Once this drought breaks (hopefully this fall), I hope to see you at Snow Ranch. Take care.

Breathing techniques are at the core of almost all anxiety coping strategies. When people get tense or anxious they tend to breathe shallowly or hold their breath...all without realizing it. Oxygen deprivation makes you feel worse. Breathing from the diaphragm is the recommended remedy. It really does work if one has the presence of mind to do it when needed.

Looking forward to putting some rockets up, too.

 

[o1d_dude]

Kit, I have the same issues. In 2010 I had open heart surgery and had my mitral valve rebuilt. I occasionally have those days of irregular heart beat and plunging blood pressure and I know how much they scare me. These days my wife won't let me go anywhere remote without somebody to keep an eye on me. I don't complain though, I want to be around for quite awhile. Restricting solo adventures also gives me more opportunites to get out of my shell and socialize. Probably a good thing.

I did not know that, Stan. You should probably invest in a bright orange vest, too, like I did.

 

[o1d_dude]

Arrhythmia's, palpatations, skipped beats, murmers, whatever, I've had on and off for 20 years. Nothing to fear as long as you have no dizzines, pain or shortness of breath, and problems spelling!!

Yeah, I've been having heart weirdness for the past 12 years and have been repeatedly told "not life-threatening" by cardiologists and arrhythmia specialists. Scary but not life threatening.

The occasional dizziness for the past 30 years doesn't seem to be related to anything heart-wise.