Little Update
- Thread starter Nick Clayton
- Start date
Thank you for the update, @Nick Clayton. You know that we are all pulling for you (and not just for selfish, albacore-related reasons....
). Regardless of the impact on your captain's license, stabilizing your health is so essential. And knowing your determination, I'm confident that you will continue to make the changes to manage diabetes and return to the amazing life that you (and we) love.
Best wishes,
Steve
). Regardless of the impact on your captain's license, stabilizing your health is so essential. And knowing your determination, I'm confident that you will continue to make the changes to manage diabetes and return to the amazing life that you (and we) love. Best wishes,
Steve
Thanks for the update Nick. I'm glad things are trending in the right way and you have made some kick ass positive changes in your life. I know your dying to get back out there but the reality is the changes you have made with getting your A1C down and some significant weight loss will net you positive days on the water in the long run. I firmly believe that. You will be back back on your feet and kicking ass in no time!
RCF
Legend
Nick, you are also very fortunate that fish is a part of your life. It is also a great part of a diabetic diet. Bon Appétit.
From someone that has diabetes 2 with A1C now down to 6.1 after life adjustments to lifestyle. BTW no drugs for it now. Added years to my life. It definitely worth life changes...
From someone that has diabetes 2 with A1C now down to 6.1 after life adjustments to lifestyle. BTW no drugs for it now. Added years to my life. It definitely worth life changes...
Last edited:
Like everyone else here, I'm a big fan... though I've only met you once up at Lynnwood. You sir, are a flyfisherman's flyfisher. Much as this may seem like major suckage in the short run, it is extremely good news that you are on your way to dealing with this major health issue. Now I want to get out on the water with you more than ever! Hang in there, and keep up the good work!!!
Do you still need a captains license if it's unpowered? I would bet that maintaining a 4 rod troll spread while rowing at 6 knots would keep your blood sugar plenty low. Not quite certain how to manage the logistics of getting out there though.
Might work for SRC in some places. You could be the first SRC guide service in Puget Sound on SUPs for the next 90 days. (Yes, that's for a chuckle, sort of, but I would totally go fish that way with you. I think I have seen power poles on SUPs)
Good luck with the treatment and I too hope you lock down a stellar medical report and get re-licensed soon. On the bright side of life, please do try to greatly enjoy the only spring and early summer you might have the time and space to fish somewhere other than Westport. This is your guide sabbatical year, generally a great time to learn something new!
Might work for SRC in some places. You could be the first SRC guide service in Puget Sound on SUPs for the next 90 days. (Yes, that's for a chuckle, sort of, but I would totally go fish that way with you. I think I have seen power poles on SUPs)
Good luck with the treatment and I too hope you lock down a stellar medical report and get re-licensed soon. On the bright side of life, please do try to greatly enjoy the only spring and early summer you might have the time and space to fish somewhere other than Westport. This is your guide sabbatical year, generally a great time to learn something new!
Thanks so much everyone for all the kind words and support. It means a lot to me.
This whole situation sucks, but no doubt I contributed to this by neglecting my health over the years and not always making the healthiest choices. All I can do now is insure I don't keep making those same mistakes. As big of a drain as this has been on me mentally, it really is awesome to be feeling so great physically. As mentioned above, I'm glad to have caught this when they did. Who knows how much worse things may have gotten.
I did manage to get out on the canal a week or two ago with Ira and had a truly enjoyable day on the water. We ended up having some pretty dang good fishing, and I got to watch Ira catch a pile of src on one of @Billy Gloater patterns under an indicator. That was a great day and was good for my soul.
This whole situation sucks, but no doubt I contributed to this by neglecting my health over the years and not always making the healthiest choices. All I can do now is insure I don't keep making those same mistakes. As big of a drain as this has been on me mentally, it really is awesome to be feeling so great physically. As mentioned above, I'm glad to have caught this when they did. Who knows how much worse things may have gotten.
I did manage to get out on the canal a week or two ago with Ira and had a truly enjoyable day on the water. We ended up having some pretty dang good fishing, and I got to watch Ira catch a pile of src on one of @Billy Gloater patterns under an indicator. That was a great day and was good for my soul.
Really glad you posted, Nick. I know a lot of us were wondering where you'd been.
Sorry to hear about the challenges. Sounds pretty rough. But it also sounds like you've got a plan and are busting ass to get things sorted out. That is awesome. You'll be back on the water in no time.
I suspect any of us who have lived past our 20's have learned that life comes with some number of these tough times. I've been there and I expect many here can say the same. Some days you eat the bear, and some days, well, the bear he eats you. Do your best to keep your head clear and put one foot in front of the other and you'll be out of it in no time.
We're all cheering for you.
Sorry to hear about the challenges. Sounds pretty rough. But it also sounds like you've got a plan and are busting ass to get things sorted out. That is awesome. You'll be back on the water in no time.
I suspect any of us who have lived past our 20's have learned that life comes with some number of these tough times. I've been there and I expect many here can say the same. Some days you eat the bear, and some days, well, the bear he eats you. Do your best to keep your head clear and put one foot in front of the other and you'll be out of it in no time.
We're all cheering for you.
Just chiming in with the choir here to say I appreciate you checking in and updating us, and I'm really glad to hear things are on an upward trajectory and your outlook seems extremely positive. That is great. Hope to be on the water with you again sometime soon. You'll be all fit and stuff so let's go ahead and plan a footrace for that time.
A
Anonymous member 148
Guest
Sounds like you got a plan in place, are you able to get any unemployment? The one thing that bugs me about this situation is they are able to strip you of your livelihood so quickly. Being a captain and in charge of other people's lives is obviously serious though. I drove delivery trucks for 10 years and had something similar happen. We had to get our state DOT driving physical every couple of years, pretty strait forward except I accidentally mentioned I get migraines. Well that day turned into fighting for my job, after a while I convinced her, not only do I have medication, but I can just pull over if I get one and she reluctantly signed the form. Stressful day for sure.
You are a great guy who has just hit a bump in the road and you have paid attention to it. You have made changes for the better and see the future and I am quiet certain you will come out of all this much the better. Your sharing of so many facets of your life in relation to the industry, reviews of vises, often input of significant value and just an overall GOOD GUY. I have never met you but always enjoy what you have to say about so much on this forum and I am glad you are continuing to improve your health and just stay with it. My wife has some issues with pre-diabetes and gain in size over the years. I understand some of that and know that the members of your family are pulling for you.... and it shows the members of this fly fishing forum consider you a member of this family. An incredible outpouring of appreciation by so many really should show you how great a guy you are. Hang in there and know a lot of folks are cheering for you and having this change is going to help you in the long range. I wish you continued progress and daily patience with yourself in the return. We are lucky to have such a selfless bastion of information and good character to share our interests and joy of fishing.
Sorry to hear about the license but looks like you got the health stuff on the right track. You are correct to take that seriously, you got this Nick!
JayB
Steelhead
Take care of yourself, Nick!
I have a pretty average frame and recently discovered that I'll needed to go on statins to reduce my cholesterol, so I think health problems come for all of us in one form or another how we're built. That, and turning 50 soon with relatively young kids, have had me thinking about some overdue changes that I should make and it's tough terrain to navigate on your own in a rational, effective way.
In an ideal world this would be the sort of thing that any doctor could coach you through but in reality that's only something that you could get in a fairly specialized niche of concierge medicine. Maybe there's already an app that can guide folks down that path but if there is I clearly missed it.
One person that I've been pretty impressed by once I've started looking into this topic a bit more seriously is an M.D. named Peter Attia. If you've got the time and the inclination, I'd recommend taking some time to check out his content if you're interested in learning more about health and longevity and things you can do to improve both.
I'm inherently skeptical of most people pitching health-advice because it tends to fall somewhere in the space between "gimmick" and "fraud" - but I've been very impressed by how careful and restrained he is when interpreting the research literature and presenting his findings to the general public, and his no B.S. "I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears, and sweat" approach when it comes translating high-quality research into actionable advice that anyone can use to improve their health/fitness and improve their odds of increasing their "healthspan."
There's paid content for anyone that wants it on his site, but there's an awful lot of good stuff available for free on his podcast, or for a pretty modest price in his new book called "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity." Some of the content is a bit esoteric and some of the recommendations are outside the scope of anything I'll be able to implement, but there's a fair amount of low-hanging fruit there that anyone can benefit from when it comes to diet, exercise, useful clinical tests, sleep, mental health, etc. Part of what I like about the book is that even though he's a super-successful guy with impressive credentials, he's honest about his own struggles in all of these domains and the actions he took to overcome them.
I realize that this is starting to sound like something from a pitchbot that mated with Chat-GPT4, but this is one of the few resources that I've found that I've actually found valuable enough to share with people in my circle so I figured there'd be no harm in sharing it here too.
peterattiamd.com
I have a pretty average frame and recently discovered that I'll needed to go on statins to reduce my cholesterol, so I think health problems come for all of us in one form or another how we're built. That, and turning 50 soon with relatively young kids, have had me thinking about some overdue changes that I should make and it's tough terrain to navigate on your own in a rational, effective way.
In an ideal world this would be the sort of thing that any doctor could coach you through but in reality that's only something that you could get in a fairly specialized niche of concierge medicine. Maybe there's already an app that can guide folks down that path but if there is I clearly missed it.
One person that I've been pretty impressed by once I've started looking into this topic a bit more seriously is an M.D. named Peter Attia. If you've got the time and the inclination, I'd recommend taking some time to check out his content if you're interested in learning more about health and longevity and things you can do to improve both.
I'm inherently skeptical of most people pitching health-advice because it tends to fall somewhere in the space between "gimmick" and "fraud" - but I've been very impressed by how careful and restrained he is when interpreting the research literature and presenting his findings to the general public, and his no B.S. "I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears, and sweat" approach when it comes translating high-quality research into actionable advice that anyone can use to improve their health/fitness and improve their odds of increasing their "healthspan."
There's paid content for anyone that wants it on his site, but there's an awful lot of good stuff available for free on his podcast, or for a pretty modest price in his new book called "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity." Some of the content is a bit esoteric and some of the recommendations are outside the scope of anything I'll be able to implement, but there's a fair amount of low-hanging fruit there that anyone can benefit from when it comes to diet, exercise, useful clinical tests, sleep, mental health, etc. Part of what I like about the book is that even though he's a super-successful guy with impressive credentials, he's honest about his own struggles in all of these domains and the actions he took to overcome them.
I realize that this is starting to sound like something from a pitchbot that mated with Chat-GPT4, but this is one of the few resources that I've found that I've actually found valuable enough to share with people in my circle so I figured there'd be no harm in sharing it here too.
The Peter Attia Drive Podcast - Peter Attia
The Peter Attia Drive features guests and experts that offer advice and insight to help you optimize performance, health, longevity, critical thinking, and life. It’s hosted by Stanford M.D., TED speaker, and longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia, founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with...
peterattiamd.com
