two Saturdays ago I was sitting at my desk at the computer and it was 6:30 Am I was hit with 700 volts , you see I have difib unit with the pace maker. I had been feeling very bad and could not figure out what it was , I found upon going to the ER that I had Pneumonia . It had changed my heart beat so much it started to run away and hit 200 beats a minute before the difib went off,. I had a cath planned for the 21st of November and they decided to do it while in the hospital . They found a blockage but they did nothing as I had grown a better one around the blockage and nothing was needed to be repaired. I had the nurses laughing all the time just making jokes and such but I found I was in the midst of a bunch of real caring people . The chain of events could not have been more comical . Almost sold my banjo because it wore me out just to hold it . Now I am ready to take it up again. Upon coming home Wednesday I found the main drain was stopped up and I had a very important appointment with another doctor and so I washed up as good as I could and bear in mind I am not allowed to drive for the next 3 to 6 months so my wife would have to drive me there, she fell and hurt her knee again and she could not drive, good enough we laughed it off and she is fine now . I managed to redo the appointment so that was good . What I am getting at is this : enjoy what it is you are doing and do it often . life is but a short here and we should make the most of it . I think I laughed my way well . Life is good and I like Drguitars saying “people are about as happy as they want to be” . so be happy, enjoy your practice and the playing, try harder if you need to . I am on the mend and getting energy back so I will try harder and enjoy it more. The shock was not that bad actually felt refreshing LOL. Now where is the nearest socket I can put my finger in ?
It is good to be alive
Thank God you are here and thank God for you Welder! You are right about laughter. Sometimes I think I joke too much but it’s just me and I like to have too much fun. Anyway… I agree with your outlook.
Proverbs 17:22
We are here all to short of a time and we need to be less serious . yes joke and joke often . I will be fine and I amnot looking for any sympathy at all I have outlived my self about 6 time thus far LOL . Man I love this music ,…
Somewhere I am trying to connect the dots between the electric powered pick you posted about and the 700 volt defib machine, but I just can’t quite get there… 
There’s gotta be a good joke in there somewhere.
I’m ecstatic you are feeling better!
— Begin quote from "jbsjr"
Proverbs 17:22
— End quote
That’s interesting… not to get too personal, but I’ve but having these recurring things happening. For example, three times in one week in totally unrelated conversations, pain med addiction came up. Then I find I have two friends who are recently recovering from addiction to them after receiving them for medical purposes… back to your verse. Just three weeks ago the message was on “choosing joy” (Pastor was in Philippians). In leading into a song I talked about joy being contagious. The verse I quoted… Prov 17:22.
The oddest collision of unrelated conversations involved clowns on motorcycles (twice in two days).
I don’t care who knows I am on pain killers been on them for 23 years . and I am treated like a criminal by my state . talk about invasion of privacy and stepping between you and your doctor . after five blocks because I can’t spell epidural and no results just made it worse I opted for a laminectomy and that worked for about one year and it came back with a vengence . so I was told if I did not have L5 and L4 removed and ray threaded gages put in I would be in a wheel chair later on . Of course I had the surgery. what I have to go through to get a thirty day supply is ridiculous . I do feel for the ones who are addicted and in no pain but if you have pain so bad you want to cry (grown man) then you will take them. I am so used to them there is no high it just masked the pain good enough I get through a day with out looking like a baby or sounding like one. I have good insurance so cost wise I am fine . I am what they call physically addicted not for the high . What I do for a high is learn to play another tune or song , hey I am 70 and soon to be 71 so I am not going to try and get off of them . I would just spend the rest of what time I had left hurting ,. They sure stopped the pill mills but they sent the ones that were addicted to the streets and now we have a heroin epidemic . so instead of dying at home or the hospital they pick them up off the street or ally with a needle stuck in their arm dead as four o’clock. The fusion was a success in keeping me mobile but not in killing the pain it actually got worse . No one on here might not want to converse with me any longer but I just felt I had to say something. Play your instruments and have the time of your life folks. And joke often and laugh out loud,.!!! As J. Cash said play your banjo well and if you have political convictions "keep em to your self " Have a good day Mike.
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones true very true .
Got no problem with you venting a little on the forum Welder. Sounds like you’ve been through the ringer. Besides, I always felt like we were all buddies here. Best of wishes to you!
I can sympathize with your back pain welder although mine was much less severe. I don’t think anyone can rightly think less of someone who uses medicine for what it was made for. My back is what got my recent multiple coincidences with pain meds (hydrocodone in my case) going. It is pretty great that we live in an age where we can have pain meds that allow people to live pretty normal lives with conditions that not too long ago would have them confined to bed. The meds are far more effective for me than the tylenol 3 (codeine) that they typically prescribed just 25 years ago.
Stay healthy and keep on the sunny side!
I value each and every one as a friend here . I just posted that to maybe help someone who is having a difficult time also am very out spoken to my senators and Governor about this law they passed by exec action . Years ago heroin was normal and you could buy it at the drug store . whew if they had only known. with all the new tech stuff seems like they could invent something that was not addictive and killed the pain. If the only thing I am guilty of is having pain I feel like my life has been very honest. I also wanted to point out that many people are in pain and there is very little that can be done about it other than pain killers .