Why I Have Not Been Streaming (And What Happens Next) - Channel Update
365Not everyone has access to YouTube Community Posts or maybe some of you haven’t been aware or keeping up with it, but basically, I haven’t beend doing much lately because I’m sick.
A little over a month ago, I started experiencing pain in my kidneys that would come and go. Come to find out, I have a kidney stone.
Normally, these things can pass on their own, but sometimes they get to be too big, and once they reach that point, they have to be surgically removed.
Mine is at that point.
I have my good days and my bad days. Some days I don’t feel much pain, while others, it’s some of the worst internal pain imaginable, and that’s sadly not an exaggeration. Some compare the pain to that of giving birth which I would know nothing about but…look it up, kidney stone pain.
You may have noticed I’ve tried to stream here and there, but sadly, each time I’ve done this, I’m low on energy and also doing so is a dangerous gamble to my health.
Heck, during one of my streams, I ended up breaking out into a fever—which is one of the symptoms—and had to end early. The symptoms aren’t something I can predict sadly when they happen.
So what’s the plan?
Long story short, I was supposed to have surgery on April 27th, but upon arrival at the hospital, I was informed that the surgery would cost $11,000 and my insurance wouldn’t cover that until after May 1st.
So on the spot, while I was there, I had to make the tough call of absorbing the entire cost, or rescheduling while continuiong to be in pain and further being away from doing what I love to do, spending time with you all and working on my channel.
So now, my surgery is set for May 12th at 1:00 PM US EST.
Afterward, there will be a bit of a recovery period, but I’m hopeful that sometime near the end of May, I should be back in full swing to doing daily streams and making content for you all.
With that in mind as well, a lot of people have wanted me to start a GoFundMe, but I’ve decided instead, I’ll be doing a Fundraiser stream sometime after my recovery.
Not to complain or play the worlds smallest violing, yet simply to give you all some insight, April hit me hard financially. Very hard.
My understanding is the insurance will cover $8,000 of the surgery cost. Yet I’ll also have to cover previous appointment, x-ray, and MRI scan costs which are arouind $2,000.
That’s $5,000 out of pocket. Yet not only that, I was also hit with self-emplyment tax which caught me off guard. I was able to pay it off, but it was also a whopping $6,000 and I just wasn’t expecting that at all.
Add all that together and the fact that I haven’t been able to make much due to lack of streaming…and I’m looking at the biggest financial setback I’ve experienced happening all at once.
Had it not been for my insurance, this would have been a $20,000 hit.
I’ve been very smart with my money and all the donations and memberships leading up to this point, but even with my timidness to spend, this whole experience has nearly wiped me out.
So as much as it pains me to ask for help, I figure at least with a fundraiser stream I can feel like I’m working for it, and also maybe I can provide some community incentives for you all.
Also PLEASE, this isn’t a guilt trip. DO NOT feel obligated to donate if you can’t afford it or aren’t able to.
I don’t know a date yet, but I’ll schedule it after my surgery when I have an idea of how long my recovery period will be.
Anyway, I know I’ve talked a lot but I wanted to fill you all in on what’s been going on. If you’ve been keeping up with the Community Posts, Discord pings, or my Twitter, you probably already knew this.
If not, make sure you:
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatBaldGamer
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/ThatBaldGamer
Check YT Community Posts: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThatBaldGamer/community
Nobody hates this more than I do. My channel is my life…for the past three year’s it’s been my purpose for waking up. I don’t have a family, I don’t have any children…this is my child and you all are my family.
It’s been painful both physically and emotionally. I’ve had moments where I’m in literal tears not just because of the pain, but because I’m not able to do much…I haven’t been able to exercise, I’ve put on a lot of weight again, and this whole experience has been very draining.
However, I’m hopeful that, when it’s all said and done, we can rally together and I can come back stronger and better than ever.
As always, I promise I have big plans for the channel. While, sadly, my plans for Pokemon Snap have been thwarted, there’s still so much more I want to do and I really hope you all will join me for the ride.
In the meantime, I’m sorry this has happened. I feel guilty even though I know I can’t help it, but just know that I’ll be back soon…please keep having faith in me and don’t stop believing.
I’ll keep you all posted on my social medias, but until then I’m That Bald Gamer, and I’ll catch you next time, take care.