Bassmaster TV analyst Davy Hite suffered a ruptured appendix that required emergency surgery Friday, and he’s expected to remain in a South Carolina hospital until at least Wednesday.
Despite the scare, Hite is still holding out hope he can make some sort of appearance when Bassmaster LIVE debuts in 2018 Friday for Day 2 of the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin presented by Econo Lodge.
“If I feel decent and it ain’t real, real rough, I want to come and try to do my job,” Hite said from his bed at Self Memorial in Greenwood, S.C. “I’ve fished 23 years and never missed a single day of practice or tournament. Dang, I don’t want to miss a tournament on my sophomore season with the crew.”
Mike McKinnis, producer for Bassmaster TV, said Hite’s long-term health takes precedence over any appearance on LIVE. He told Hite, a two-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Classic champion, it would be best if he stayed home and fully healed. It was suggested that Hite, if he felt up to it, could skype reports from home.
“Everybody said I was crazy if I tried to go out there. Mike told me health is the most important thing, and they’ll work through LIVE,” said Hite, who has high hopes he recovers quickly.
Hite’s wife, Natalie, said they’ve had “quite an interesting several days, and going on several more.” Davy left for a two-day fishing/hunting trip to Santee Cooper on Wednesday, but a dull pain in his stomach worsened and forced his return home to Ninety-Six on Thursday.
Natalie said they initially thought his symptoms pointed to the flu, but after consulting with her sister, a nurse, things didn’t line up and that he should see a doctor if not better Friday morning.
The Hites contacted a gastroenterologist friend early Friday, but he was in surgery and told them to come in at 11:30 a.m. The doctor then sent the Hites directly to the hospital for a CAT scan and blood work, which took much of the afternoon. Only 10 minutes after they got home, they were summoned back for the appendectomy Friday evening.
The appendix is a thin four-inch tube at the junction of the large and small intestines. According to WedMD, it’s believed to store good bacteria but others think it’s a “useless remnant of our evolutionary past.”
At some point, Hite’s appendix ruptured, requiring a laparoscopic appendectomy. Doctors told Hite he needed to remain on strong antibiotics until Wednesday. Normal recover time is one to two weeks.
Natalie said Davy is still only allowed clear liquids – he had a Popsicle and chicken broth Monday – and that he hasn’t really eaten anything since last Wednesday.
“It was spooky,” Davy said. “It was spooky because I thought I had stomach flu. All you hear from everybody is how bad the flu is … You can’t go to the emergency room every time your stomach hurts.
“Geez, it wasn’t good, but it could have been real bad.”
Appendicitis can be life-threatening.