On "After the Catch" last night I didn't see Phil smoking? He sure was giving his chewing gum a workout. Maybe he has quit? I hope so. Phil - hang in there and be tough - you can do it.
It looks like Phil is trying to quit smoking. The gum he was chewing on ATC may even have been a nicotine replacement gum for all we know. I wish him luck. It is very hard to quit. I quit only 3 months ago after 32 years of smoking and it was very hard for me, and I don't have a stressful job like he does.
I AM PRAYING FOR THE BEST FOR CAPT. PHIL. HE NEEDS TO REST AND RECUPERATE SO HE CAN GO BACK TO WHAT HE LOVES AND DOES VERY WELL. I ENJOY HIM AND HIS SONS. ENJOY THE SHOW A LOT.
Originally posted by TexasGal: On "After the Catch" last night I didn't see Phil smoking? He sure was giving his chewing gum a workout. Maybe he has quit? I hope so. Phil - hang in there and be tough - you can do it.
check out the chat that was posted last night.. many questions were asked and answered about his health.. he's cut down dramatically on smoking and is trying to quit.
Originally posted by Big red2: Actually if Phil is a dead man walking so is every other captain that doesn't take the time to move out of the captains chair at least once per hour.......
Bingo...
Although smoking cigarettes does decrease the clotting time (the blood more quickly forms clots), nonsmokers also get PE.
Well kudos to you, lonebeagle! A 50-something year old non-smoker in perfect health. Be careful crossing the street while you're jogging. I'm sure Phil took one look at your sermon and was immediately enlightened. Smoking -- not healthy?? Duh... no kidding! NOT that you shiv-a-get, but a higher percentage of heroin addicts are able to kick their habit than are smokers. It's not just a matter of knowing that it's bad for you, smokers are not completely clueless, nor are they just selfish or inconsiderate of their loved ones. It's an addiction! You work in the health care field and you don't "get" that?? Good thing you work with children who are innocent, because grown folks have all kinds of faults. And if you think smokers are the reason for the health care crisis, you're more ignorant than your comments!
Phil, ignor this know-it-all preacher. You know you should quit (as should we all). If the gum doesn't quite get you there, check into getting a prescription for "Chantix". It works by blocking the nicotine receptors in the brain, and it sure helped me. Good luck, and I'm so glad you're doing ok!
Sign me... A 50-something year old ex-smoking RN with 30 years in ICU who prefers to care for people rather than preach to them.
Hi, I have been a surgical as well as cardiac RN for many years. It IS not that unusual for a 50 yr old man to get a blood clot in his leg...so it follows that if that is so...the clot CAN travel to the heart and lungs. YES, he does have risk factors...but the biggest risk in this case is Phils sitting in one chair day and night. I've seen men in thier 30's get blood clots (or as we call it..deep vein thrombosis) on overseas flights, especially if they tend to be a little dehydrated. Another issue is DENIAL. Phil as well as alot of folks just can't believe they are as sick as perhaps that little voice is telling them. It was not unusual for Phil to assume his problem was a possible rib (s) fracture. It made sense at the time, in fact...it is not unusual for hairline fractures to not show up on Xray shortly after an injury..and won't show up till actual healing of the fracture occurs. Every fracture my active son had over the years...was not seen on the initial xrays, at least on the inital MD's view. The radiologist generally found them days later and we would get called in to get casted. When I first saw the clots Phil coughed up...I was a little suspicious this might be a more serious issue. But due to the editing and timeline of the show...well it did seem that at least a few of them were OLD blood clots. At a point...his facial color after going back to work awhile was definitely showing this was probably more than what he thought it was. I don't know if his getting whacked in the ribs contributed to the sequence of events...but anytime a person has an injury that initiates the body's response to that injury, a whole set of issues come into play concerning clotting. This did not cause his DVT in his leg, but perhaps it tipped the tide and jostled that clot loose, or clotting hormones just bumped things into play. I think if it was me...I'd rather have a fractured rib and a locally collapsed lung than a large traveling clot entering my heart and lungs. You can re expand a collapsed lung usually with a chest tube and let healing start. But if a clot or clots block the "tubes", then there is no way to get air exchange below that blockage. The clots have to dissolve or be reabsorbed...in the meantime..tissue can die if the blockage is large enough. I had a young nurse working with me drop over one day from blood clots that went to both lungs. She was in her 20's. She survived...but it helped she was in the hospital when it happened. She was lucky for she looked dead. She was in hospital for 2 months.
I think the Phil Harris is like so many of us, our loyality runs deep. I am so glad that he got treatment and hope that with treatment and on going medication he will return to his crew. This is a great show with a lot of great men.
Really shameful someone would name Phil a "deadman walking" guess it got my attention though so shameful yet effective. My family loves the show, we watch together and each have favorite boats and captains we pull for in the catch competition. None of these captains appear to be particularly concerned with their health. We don't tune in to wath them jog and eat salads. Millions of Americans smoke, are overweght or have other risk factors for health issues-- we all have problems, really can't believe so many people are so judgemental of others. Why would people celebrate a PE diagnosis? uh, because it's not a death sentence. There's clearly treatment he's receiving. People would celebrate this lesser diagnosis for the same reason we watch the show every week. These guys are characters and by watching you get to feel like you know them and most compassionate human beings support each other and offer words of support in this type of situation. Its too bad the rest of you perfect, self rightous, judgy people can't swing by a convenience store and buy some compassion.
Phil, you do what you gotta do to take care of yourself knowing you have the support of many. Good luck!
Originally posted by -seahorse-: lonebeagle1, what is your problem. How on gods green earth could you make a thread with this kind of title! Shame on you!
HELLO, what's the name of the show? "DEADLIEST Catch".
People watch the show because of the dangers crab fishermen face--they sometimes DIE on the job. You and everyone else are drawn to this show because it is dangerous and someone might get killed. Not all the dangers come from the sea, though.
Some of you are treating Phil like he's a little kid. He rants and raves about being tough and getting the job done to his crew and sons, yet he's not adult enough to be responsible for his own health.
The BIGGEST danger to Phil's life is his LIFESTYLE, not the Bering Sea. That's why my post it titled the way it is.
It's not just about his smoking--on a previous show he was in a clinic and his blood pressure was extremely high and it was clear that his hypertension was not in control. His hypertension is so high that he might suffer a stroke at any time. I had a friend whose hypertension was out of control and he suffered a stroke when he was 50. It happens all the time.
Phil has MULTIPLE serious risk factors for heart disease, stroke, COPD and cancer. From the previous blood pressure episode it is clear that he has a denial mentality.
He could stroke out at any time or suffer an MI (heart attack)--he's hardly out of the woods. Many people make the fatal mistake in believing that you can ignore the doctors warning and when you do get sick, medicine will fix you.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Phil was not physically fit to go to sea and he was putting other lives at stake. Being a skipper of a crab boat is a stressful job and is full of responsibilities. His health resulted in the CM not having a skipper and that's inexcusable. What's going to kill many of these men on DC before their time is NOT the Bering Sea--it's there own obstinence to acknowledging the reality that their lifestyle choices can make them sick and kill them.
Quit treating Phil like a kid--if someone would have kicked his butt 20 years ago he wouldn't be in the sorry shape that he is today. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE SMOKING! It's his complete denial of everything related to his health.
Many people are like Phil and our hospitals are full of them and they die prematurely every second of everyday. For every person in Phil condition that turns their lifestyles around and go on to live a relatively long time, there are 20 that die before their time.
This is serious business and on this show is called DEADLIEST Catch. However, there was more action going on in the Anchorage hospital than was occuring on the decks of the crab fleet.
Phil should quit being a whimp and grow up for crying out loud.
Originally posted by lindsfam: Really shameful someone would name Phil a "deadman walking" guess it got my attention though so shameful yet effective. My family loves the show, we watch together and each have favorite boats and captains we pull for in the catch competition. None of these captains appear to be particularly concerned with their health. We don't tune in to wath them jog and eat salads. Millions of Americans smoke, are overweght or have other risk factors for health issues-- we all have problems, really can't believe so many people are so judgemental of others. Why would people celebrate a PE diagnosis? uh, because it's not a death sentence. There's clearly treatment he's receiving. People would celebrate this lesser diagnosis for the same reason we watch the show every week. These guys are characters and by watching you get to feel like you know them and most compassionate human beings support each other and offer words of support in this type of situation. Its too bad the rest of you perfect, self rightous, judgy people can't swing by a convenience store and buy some compassion.
Phil, you do what you gotta do to take care of yourself knowing you have the support of many. Good luck!
Well isn't that just lovely--you care so much about these guys even when they are playing Russian Roulette with a revolver with 5 rounds in the chambers. Compassion? Phil doesn't need compassion--he needs a swift kick !
That's the way he treats his sons and his crew when they don't measure up. And if you CARE so much about Phil, what good is compassion if he just goes on and on with the habits that are going to lead to his early demise?
No one is being judgemental of Phils--I'm just pointing our some obvious facts. And as I have said, his lack of action to make sure that he was physically fit put more than his own well being at risk.
If more Americans thought about their responsibilities to look after themselves (and their loved ones), maybe we would have less people dying of heart disease, cancer, COPD and a whole lot of other preventable conditions.
Maybe we'd have fewer people getting killed by drunk drivers, too.
Oh I forgot, that's an addiction--you get a pass and "get out of jail" card.
This is a nationally televised show and Phil and his health problems are part of the show. If Phil or any of the captains were shown recklessly handling their boats and putting their crew's lives at risk, there would be people howling on this board.
But make a comment about Phil's complete denial of everything related to his health and you all throw a Captain Keith hissy fit!
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I don't think we have as much control over our own destiny as we like to think. People who "do everything right" by eating healthy, exercising regularly, not smoking, still get sick and still get cancer. As an example, one of my friends just got diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and she never smoked, she eat healthy almost all of her adult life, exercised regularly, etc.
I think that some people just rather do things they enjoy even though they increase their chances of dying young because they'd rather live a short happy life than a long miserable one. After all, we all are going to die some time, in some way.
Originally posted by crabbyabby: I don't think we have as much control over our own destiny as we like to think. People who "do everything right" by eating healthy, exercising regularly, not smoking, still get sick and still get cancer. As an example, one of my friends just got diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and she never smoked, she eat healthy almost all of her adult life, exercised regularly, etc. I think that some people just rather do things they enjoy even though they increase their chances of dying young because they'd rather live a short happy life than a long miserable one. After all, we all are going to die some time, in some way.
I totally agree with this. My aunt lived the healthiest of lifestyles, ate veggies every meal, exercised daily, didn't smoke, and was the first of my Dad's siblings to die (in her 50's) of cancer of the duodenum. Sometimes God will take you, no matter how well you take care of yourself. Everyone of us lives with a death sentence over our heads so enjoy it while it lasts!
Originally posted by teegr: I've seen men in thier 30's get blood clots (or as we call it..deep vein thrombosis) on overseas flights, especially if they tend to be a little dehydrated.
i noticed it mentioned last night on the show also.. about plane flights. How would laying i bed all night be any different than sitting in a chair for a few hours? i'm not arguing, i just don't understand this.. is sleeping a danger too?
Okay..I've stayed out of this fight far too long. Prepare for rampant bloviation. First, in regards to the original poster, is anyone else concerned that someone who says they work at a childrens hospital with cancer patients has so little compassion for Capn' Phil? At the risk of sounding like a teenage girl in Salem, Mass. crying "witch", I am also beginnng to really wonder if the original poster was just another troll trying to get everyone here riled up. I'm not saying it IS so, just wondering, especially with such a troll-esque heading like Phil Is A Dead Man Walking. If the OP (lonebeagle1) is legit, then perhaps they're one of these "health Nazi's" trying to enforce their views on other adults (you know the type, banning smoking everyhere, even bars...trying to ban fast food, etc.) I've never smoked but I respect Phil's right as a free American to make that choice. Same with all the Red Bulls & other caffine. All I have for him is total empathy, for I have been in a very similar health situaton. I've had multiple DVT's (blood clots) in the legs, but thank God cumaden therapy prevented them from going through my heart. However I know the pain he felt, as I had a six-inch piece of tubing from my permanent i.v. (a porta-cath for you medical types) break off, go through my heart, and lodge in my pulmonary artery. The pain was beyond any scale. I don't know how Phil kept from passing out with his clot, which was probably bigger around than my tubing. He's just a super-tough dude. Instead of us all bickering and fighting, lets all pray that his recovery continues to go well, regardless of whether he gets to go back to sea or not. Okay, sorry for the long post, my spleen is now vented.
What in blue blazes do you do at this children's cancer research center?? Mop floors?? I hope you don't have actual patient contact with your attitude. Whatever it is, there's one more reason for us to hope our children don't get cancer -- YOU.
I can't even begin to address all the ignorant comment you've made, but one you mentioned is stress. His job is too stressful so he's putting himself at risk. Are you kidding me? You think instead, maybe he should work at a children's cancer hospital where there's NO stress?? I imagine he's doing what he knows how to do, and doing what he has to do to make a living, and I don't recall him asking anyone for their compassion. I heard him say "tough guy... not so tough..." admitting his frailty.
I suspect you're spewing all this just to incite people, get a rise and a response. I hope the hospital you work at isn't St. Jude's. That's way too close to me,.
My wish for you? -- that when you get sick or injured at age 125, you have someone care for you with every bit as much compassion as you have for others.
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shadowofthelittleflower: in response to your question about sleeping versus sitting, it's a gravity thing. When you're sitting for a long time the blood has to work harder to get back to the heart. Eventually, it can form a clot, which can break off and travel and, well, you know. So sleeping isn't a risk, assuming you're in bed. And now for my two cents worth: I've watched the show from the start, and it's not just the fishing and related dangers that keeps me watching. It's the fact that these are REAL people, not some scriptwriter's idea of whom we ought to like or dislike. They have REAL faults, and REAL virtues. Just like all of us on the boards. Personally, I'm grateful these guys have the courage to let themselves be taped, warts and all, for the entertainment of the rest of us. Phil, we love ya! Do take care, and I for one, will be watching as long as the show is on -- then I'll break down and buy the DVDs!
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And now for my two cents worth: I've watched the show from the start, and it's not just the fishing and related dangers that keeps me watching. It's the fact that these are REAL people, not some scriptwriter's idea of whom we ought to like or dislike. They have REAL faults, and REAL virtues. Just like all of us on the boards. Personally, I'm grateful these guys have the courage to let themselves be taped, warts and all, for the entertainment of the rest of us. Phil, we love ya! Do take care, and I for one, will be watching as long as the show is on -- then I'll break down and buy the DVDs!
