The Glorious Return of Michael

Missed me? You see, I was in the hospital since Wednesday, confirming just how unrealistic the details of hospitals in Hantsuki are recovering from a seizure that I suffered right smack in the middle of class. (Family Therapy class, no less.) Apparently, my calcium levels were dangerously low and phosphorous levels were dangerously high, and plus I was under lots of stress due to school. But for the several days I was at the hospital, I had greater fears that my childhood epilepsy had returned and that it meant I would no longer be able to drive, among other things, and that I would be really dependent on others for basic tasks for the rest of my life. Fortunately, that was not the case. It was just a nutritional and electrolyte deficiency according to the doctors. I have to see an endocrinologist in a week.

This was a real wake up call for me: to take much better care of my body, especially in the areas of diet, sleep, and exercise. I’m taking calcium pills, swearing off alcohol and soda altogether, and going to try to get 7.5 hours of sleep a night minimum. I have to, because my body just sent me a serious warning, and fortunately it was at a relatively young age rather than later, when it’s much harder to correct. To any otaku who are reading this who had similarly unhealthy habits to me (not enough sleep, staying up real late, eating junk food a lot and drinking)…your body cannot take everything. It’s got limits. And you may end up hitting those limits without warning and when it’s least convenient. That’s what I learned the hard way. Don’t let it happen to you, especially if you have a history of poor health in your childhood, like I did.

I’d like to thank my friends and family for taking good care of me–calling me, visiting, checking up on how I’m doing. I felt really cared for while I was in the hospital and am deeply touched and grateful. Y’all rock.

Things will be back to normal for me on this website starting next week, though from now on, my bodily needs are going to be more important even than this endeavor. I won’t have to stop altogether obviously, and I have no desire to, but I will be sure to spend some time in the evening exercising and no more late night posting.

Author: gendomike

Michael lives in the Los Angeles area, and has been into anime since he saw Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1999. Some of his favorite shows include Full Metal Alchemist, Honey and Clover, and Welcome to the NHK!. Since 2003 he has gone to at least one anime convention every year. A public radio junkie, which naturally led to podcasting, he now holds a seminary degree and is looking to become Dr. Rev. Otaku Bible Man any day now. Michael can be reached at mike.huang@animediet.net. You can also find his Twitter account at @gendomike.

10 thoughts on “The Glorious Return of Michael

  1. Ouch, man, that sucks. Take care. Quite relieved to hear you’re fine, since sleep deprivation really isn’t a good thing, and I’m glad my daily usage of contacts tires me out more than my glasses had — I sleep at midnight nowadays, tops. Don’t overdo it!

  2. Glad to hear your ok Michael. But yes taking care of your body, exercise, and eating right is important. I got pretty sick during AX 2006 and ended up in the hospital a few days after AX. My blood pressure was super high and I was having chest pains. I come to find out that I had a reaction to my allergy medication and my potassium levels were really low.

    Then I got really sick with my blood pressure again at the start of this year. The reason this time was stress. My doctor told me my cholesterol was super high for my age though. So I had to give up caffine completely and only drink soda with no caffine as well as cutting down on all those cheeseburgers and fries that I love so much. It’s hard to eat grilled chicken and salads since it’s less filling and not as satisfying, But I felt so much better after I started eating differently. It’s a good thing that I don’t drink alcohol for religious reasons. I could only imagine how much more messed up I would be if I did drink alcohol.

    Exercise works wonders for stress though. I try to exercise at least 30 min. every day. Take care Michael.

  3. Thanks for the well-wishes everyone. I’m glad to be back and I’m going to take much better care of myself from now on. My parents used to nag me about my diet and my lack of exercise and that never worked. A seizure and a long hospital stay sure works a lot better. And (Zhong), I have once again foiled the attempt to carry out a coup d’etat to take over this website! BWAHAHAHAHA! (And no, I’m not dead yet, I’m not dead yet, I’m not dead yet, la la la <---shared love of Monty Python))

  4. Alas, Mikey is human after all. I had my doubts, as he seemed to pull of superhuman feats of daring editing, writing, running this site, co-organizing and school. He actually seemed to have more to do than myself. I’m just glad you’re okay bro. You were missed though. Take care and perhaps you might have a few tips about living a more healthy living for myself as I am currently sick due to overstressed immune system from lack of sleep among other things. Blah! Glad to have you back.

  5. Mike, it’s very important to stay health. You’re not a college kid any more, and these days, even teens can get really sick, so like stay healthy! Oh, and get that bullet proof vest! XD

  6. Damn, it’s good to hear you’re better now and are back to your usual speed-demon self with the posting. Maybe it’s the time of year because a number of bloggers have been down and out just lately…too much work, not enough sleep, it sure does take it out of you. You don’t usually realise until you’re already feeling like seven shades of crap with a ‘to do’ list as long as your arm. *sigh*

    Anways, take it easy! 🙂

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