If i could change one thing about myself physically to be a better hunter.. (flat feet, bad knees, back, eyesight, etc)

[SecretSpot]

For most of my life I've struggled with pretty severe depression. Not to the point of suicide attempts though. Cognitive therapy and prescriptions haven't ever really helped, so I've become accustomed to just dealing with it, which makes it really hard to actively work on improving it. The best medicine I've found is eating healthier and running in nature most days of the week. Unfortunately I'm at the point in life where things get busier and more hectic and that makes it harder to keep up with the two things that help most.

It's one of the biggest issues in society today and one of the least talked about.

Yeah that sounds rough, my brother deals with the same issue. Unhappy and doesnt know why. The unhappy hole he is in seems impossible to get out of, keeps him inactive, and compiles his issues. Ive tried for years to give him a "push". yet more and more i am realizing what he deals with doesnt work like that.

 

[Rangerpants]

My wife struggles with mental health issues too. I feel for you, and all the other folks that have to live with it, as I know how much of a daily struggle it can be. This year hasn't made it any easier between isolation, stress, and uncertainty going forward. Like others have said, exercise, eating right, and as much social stimulation as we can safely do right now is the best medicine!

 

[TheGDog]

I'd magically fix my foot that's got a few screws in it. Doesn't bother me most of the time, then I will randomly feel the screw heads banging around. All-in-all, I can't complain too much, at least I am walking and can still put in the miles, even with a little discomfort now and again.

I soo feel you on "screw heads" brother... my wrist...

 

[Rangerpants]

Woo! You've got it worse than me-that looks like half a hardware store! Hopefully you've got a good story. All I did was get my foot tangled up in a gate as I was closing it. Busted a couple bones that were so buried among other bones they didn't show on an x-ray. Took an MRI and 6 months to figure out what was wrong.

 

[TheGDog]

For most of my life I've struggled with pretty severe depression. Not to the point of suicide attempts though. Cognitive therapy and prescriptions haven't ever really helped, so I've become accustomed to just dealing with it, which makes it really hard to actively work on improving it. The best medicine I've found is eating healthier and running in nature most days of the week. Unfortunately I'm at the point in life where things get busier and more hectic and that makes it harder to keep up with the two things that help most.

It's one of the biggest issues in society today and one of the least talked about.

The ones that don't have it... they just don't know man. They can't even conceive of what this state of being is like. Like... feeling horribly alone while somewhere literally full of people.

So yeah... somewhere around mid twenties I realized the depression has always been there for me. But like you say... you learn things to do to combat it.

For me it was extreme sports. DirtBikes, MTB, StreetBikes. And training aggressively. The extreme sports thing, I figured it out by like the 30's. The thing of it is... it makes you focus! You focus soo intently on the task at hand you're dealing with, because it's life/death... that it's a refreshing break from the constant thinking/thoughts. And the Adrenalin/Dopamine rush helps too.

 

[HighUintas]

The ones that don't have it... they just don't know man. They can't even conceive of what this state of being is like. Like... feeling horribly alone while somewhere literally full of people.

So yeah... somewhere around mid twenties I realized the depression has always been there for me. But like you say... you learn things to do to combat it.

For me it was extreme sports. DirtBikes, MTB, StreetBikes. And training aggressively. The extreme sports thing, I figured it out by like the 30's. The thing of it is... it makes you focus! You focus soo intently on the task at hand you're dealing with, because it's life/death... that it's a refreshing break from the constant thinking/thoughts. And the Adrenalin/Dopamine rush helps too.

True. That's what I get from trail running on some really rugged mountain trails. Extreme focus where nothing else is there.

At some point in my life I'd like to find and fix the root cause rather than treat my systems.

 

[TheGDog]

Woo! You've got it worse than me-that looks like half a hardware store! Hopefully you've got a good story. All I did was get my foot tangled up in a gate as I was closing it. Busted a couple bones that were so buried among other bones they didn't show on an x-ray. Took an MRI and 6 months to figure out what was wrong.

Day after Xmas 2015. Rdin' high off the feeling of getting my first deer. I'm looking for Beer... in Angeles. Going back into a place where I'd seen good sign in the Summer.

Crossing a creek...on a 32F morning. Last rock before reaching opposite bank... bootslips out from under me faster than instantly! Musta been thin sheen of ice on that stone just below the moving waters surface? So ya know..you fall... so you immediately stretch out your arms to catch yourself... you can't not do it even if you wanted to.

The tippy-top of the head of the Radius bone... salms right into the apex of a stone embedded into that opposite bank of the creek!


So all 230 Lbs of me... my heavy pack.. and my rifles weight... all slam down on that one point and POOF! The head of the radius split apart into I think he said 4 petals.

And I learned something very interesting that morning. Just how useless a big heavy .30-30 lever action is when you're one-handed! I remember instantly realizing just how vulnerable I felt!


With lots of experience in falls from Dirtbikes.... and a little bit of experience with broken collarbones... I knew from the intense pain something was broken in there... (don't think I've ever had something hurt so intensely before), I knew to not try to move right away. So at first.. I lightly checked to make sure I have motor-nerve connection... ok, could move the fingers normally, that's a relief. (I'm a Software Engineer, so I gotta be able to type..ya know?) Then I gingerly tried to move the arm... and the arm quickly told me "Don't Do That!"

So I got up and slowly rose to my feet, letting that arm hang straight down so the bone wouldn't have any pressure on that break.

But then as I was regaining my wits about me... I realized... aw shit... I'm going to have to do all those creek crossings again going back out of here! So I told myself... if one of them starts to seem to sketchy to just say to heck with it and walk right thru the water slowly and carefully if I have to. The thought of potentially falling again onto this same area really struck a fear in my heart because I know it'd really jack it up if that happened!

So hiked the 4 miles back outta there to the truck. And I'm no dummy, been in an accident before so I know how medical professionals like to just cut clothing off your body and I'll be damned if I'm having all this hunting gear get cut thru! So slowly get all that off. Then have to drive outta there to get reception.

I pulled over to call Mama, but first I thought about things. If I get care here by the mtns... they're gonna have to drive out here and sit with me... and then... have to wait with me until I'm possibly sobered back up enough to drive my damn car back home. So I was like... Aw shit... I realized how this had to go down. So instead... I pull out my insurance card and called Mama and explained what happened, gave her my card info and told her to call around and find a place nearby the house for us to go to.

I then proceeded to drive back down out of Azusa... little 210...ALL of the 605 Fwy.. a little bit of the 405 Fwy to get me back to Valley View exit to head back home.

I carefully rested my arm in the seam where leg and groin meet. But oh yeah man... everytime the fwy went up and down over an overpass?... or when the fwy would veer and turn for a bit..causing centripetal force and that arm would move a bit? Whooo lawdy! I was doin' some breathin' lemme tell you.

I was proud of myself too. We get to emergency, they do Xrays, and they're about to attempt to partially reset the bones closer to their normal positioning. One dude is grabbing at my elbow joint.. and another dude is about to manipulate those wrist bones.

So non-chalant I say to Mama "Mama... could you please take Connor and go over into another room for a second?" Because I knew full well what was about to happen.

I was proud of myself too... they start to pullin'... and I mean really having to pull.... and I'm keeping it together you know.... just baring it. But then... you know their afraid of people all passing out on 'em and stuff so he's like "Breath! Come On! Breath! Scream! I need you to let it out!" - To which I slowly started to let out a gutteral "FFFFFFFuuuuuuuUUUUUUU......!!!!" and I controlled myself and never finished the end of that word, and then "CUH-RRICK!!" the bones snap back into a bit better positioning so they could do the temp cast.

 

[TheGDog]

True. That's what I get from trail running on some really rugged mountain trails. Extreme focus where nothing else is there.

At some point in my life I'd like to find and fix the root cause rather than treat my systems.

That's just it man. You... your chemistry... just IS.. this way. It's not going to change. The best you can do is learn to recognize in yourself when this mode of operation is currently happening and you're letting it take over too much, and adjust, take a step back, accordingly.

 

[TheGDog]

Nothing much,just being bald lol,thats whats i'll love to change

Naw man... gotta embrace the skinz Ma' Brutha!