well after seeing the "...Winona" thread I thought I'd give you a bit of an update.

After months and months of not taking care of myself, doing too many drugs, smoking way too much, eating shitty food, and not exercising...my lifestyle finally caught up with me. It's tough being in the entertainment/nightlife industry sometimes...everything is just too readily available and then your free time is spent recovering before the next gig. Still, I never missed a night and was enjoying myself so I let everything slide.

The Friday before last I started having chest and stomach pains, I thought it was indigestion from a ham sandwich and I thought at worse I'd just go out like Mama Cass. Got so bad I called out from my gig (something i NEVER EVER DO) and just tried to rest it off, got even worse in the morning so I called my parents and we went to the ER. Turns out it was a severe case of pancreatitis, so severe had I left it alone much longer I might have died.

oh, and now I'm also a diabetic.

Anyways, I've basically spent the last week being pumped full of drugs and fluids...its only been a day or so since I've been able to eat and skip dosages of pain medication. This whole thing is a major wake up call and I'm cutting out MOST of the bad stuff (quitting smoking, hard drugs) though I'll still likely smoke some pot. I've vowed not to have a drink until I lose 20 pounds.

I have to watch my diet and exert a fair amount of will power for my DJ nights, so much so that I plan on actually leaving a couple of the worst offender clubs.

Anyways, felt good to type this, I know most of you saw it on FB but I think some of you might have been in the dark...and if you want to be cynical about it go right ahead.

Thanks for the update, boss. I've noticed the pics on FB and keeping you in thoughts, prayers, and such. Be good to you; you're worth it.

Glad to hear that you are taking care of yourself better, Dave. You will start to feel better as a result.
Thoughts are with you, brother.

No cynicism, just happy you got a warning shot. Make some rules and stick with them. Chin up.

Damn. My good friend is in his second month in ICU for the same ailment and will probably still be in the hospital for another 2 months. He had three brushes with death over this period and still hasn't been put on solids. Crazy disease I didn't know a damn thing about beforehand.

pancreatitis aint no fuckin' joke

most painful and traumatic experience of my life thus far, surprised I'm doing as well as I am

Good luck to you, man. Being disciplined about it will pay off.

well, being at home with 2 diabetic parents definitely helps. I probably couldn't do it alone but I'm gonna stay here while I recover.

My brother-in-law just went through this, but not as severe. He quit drinking for life, so far. Glad you're on the mend. Sounds like you 've got a good head about it, too. Keep with it.

I am sure Harry would agree (about the warning-shot), as do I.

It's been nineteen months or so since my surgery, eighteen since the injury, & I am better than ever. & mostly, it's just making a point to do the gym daily (since April '11; three days a week, then four or five, the first few months of membership), even if only fifteen or twenty minutes. (Usually, I do thirty-five-to-forty-five minutes.) Have dropped ten pounds from my pre-surgery weight (which was already 30 pounds less than the year before that), & gotten taken off the blood pressure med (Benazopril (trade name, I think)) that kept the tear from manifesting for fifteen months. Still on the Metoprolol (sp?), but that's prolly for life, since it controls heart-rate more than BP, &, well, with a graft in there, I kind of need to keep the heart from pumping too fast.

So, basically, Dave, hit the gym. Not to condescend or be mean. Diet -- especially if you're diabetic -- will be crucial, too, but you might have more liberty for (legal) substances if you're extracting the excess more regularly.

& having the chance to stay with your parents during the (initial) recovery -- good on it.

I was at home for seven or eight weeks; caught up on Jersey Shore, Mad Men, & Man v. Food. Good times.

... Read a bit, too.

Keep on, keepin' on!

Okay, cheezy time here...
They say that "a positive attitude is the best thing that you can have." And, as a guy with MS and seizures, I have come to know this as true.
Why?
Not because a positive attitude, itself does anything magical, but because that positive attitude makes you realize that your health is something that you do have some control over. That leads you to doing the right things for yourself. And doing the right things for yourself leads to a better outcome. So, just realize that you are the one in control.

That is all.

Cheezy or not, it's the truth.
Much love, Dave.

how the fuck could you watch anything about food?

Damn Dave. Scary stuff man. Great to hear you're on the mend.

Sounds like you already knew that lifestyle couldn't last forever and are already taking the right steps. Good to hear.

Although it's tough to find sometimes, there is a happy medium out there and as with most things, moderation is key.

I know it's soon in the process, but I'll say that exercise can be addiciting if you're really serious about it. One of the better addictions one can get into.


Take care man.

yeah, I definitely plan on using the money I was spending on drugs to go back to the gym. at the moment I'm way too weak to do anything...a trip with my dad to the store landed me the best sleep I had all week.

dang!! so glad you're okay dude!!

similar thing happened to our drummer when he was much younger... now he can't drink without screwing up his pancreas so he hasn't done so for the past 10 years.. but he seems grateful that it happened to him because it forced him to clean up and become a weed only addict.

good luck on a speedy recovery.

glad to hear your on the mend Dave.

being a DJ has it's perks, almost 100% are bad for you. i've been there. while it is fun, consider this a good time to maybe find a different line of work.

glad you doing better Dave.

This.

Also, how did you guys make out in the tornado? It basically hit right on top of the office park where my office is which I know is pretty close to your parents' crib.

I was wondering about your office...I know it hit right at providence...street was closed at that spot

nothing on my street.

Power was out (and thus, our server down) for +/- 30 hours. Some minor damage in the complex but our office was fine.

Glad you guys escaped as well. Some folks in that area were not so lucky.