If You Only Read This, I'd Be Happy

I hope that some of you have received a little enjoyment from my blog.  While I don't have a lot of readers, I hope to improve that as time goes on.  Today will be a different story - not gun related at all, but I'm sure I'll get some guns in here somewhere!

My topic today is a little more grim.  Something that all of us men don't really want to talk about.  No, not ED or that kind of thing.  Not that the local WalMart is completely out of ammunition, or that Taylor Swift is getting married.  My topic is heart attacks.  Yep, good old fashioned heart attacks.  The kind that have killed a lot of good people, and much more dangerous than Nancy Pelosi's personal AR15 automatic, clip-fed assault rifle. (See, I told you I'd get guns in there somewhere!)

I'm 44 years old.  I'm overweight, but in fairly decent shape.  I don't work out, but I do watch what I eat and living on a small farm I probably get more exercise than most men my age and with my occupation.  A heart attack was the furthest thought from my mind.  I was worried about the normal stuff - wife, kids, bills, house, etc.  Then it happened.

I was out breaking ice mounds away from the mailbox.  I live out in the country, and with all the snow we've had, our county road snow plows had built up a pretty good mound of snow around the mailbox post.  I received a nasty little note from my mail lady that she couldn't get to the mailbox, so I went out to clear it out for her.  After shoveling for about ten minutes, I felt really worn out.  I mean REALLY worn out.  I felt like I had just ran a marathon.  Not really short of breath, but really weak and unable to do any more.  I went back to my truck and sat for a while, thinking that this would go away.  It didn't.  It got worse.  I called my wife who is a nurse, and told her what was going on.  She said she'd be home in about ten minutes or so, so I continued to sit in the truck and relax.

When she arrived home, I went into the house with her, and decided it might be a good idea to lay down for a while.  I was feeling worn out and a little sleepy.  She convinced me to go to the hospital, and that probably saved my life.

She drove me, in my truck, to the hospital.  About five minutes from the hospital, I started feeling worse.  I started feeling ill, and started sweating all over.  When they got me into the emergency room, they put me on an EKG, and I could tell it wasn't good when they put in IV's and got the ambulance ready to transport me to the main hospital.  Let me tell you this - for a person that gets car sick easy, a ride in the back of an ambulance; IV's hooked up and lots of blood-thinners in my body, it is the worst ride anyone could ever have!

When I arrived at the main hospital they immediately put in a stent and cleared a clot.  99% blockage in the main artery.  A few minutes late to the hospital, and I would have been dead.  No question about it.

I have since recovered, and feel much better even a week later.  The situation did make me think about a lot.  What would have happened if my wife didn't come home until later?  I, like most men, tend to be a little bit on the stubborn side.  If she wouldn't have come home, I would have probably went in the house and laid down on the couch.  And probably would have died.  If I were out hunting, fishing, or just been working out around the yard or farm, I probably would be dead.  Yep, dead.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Funny thing is, my wife had asked me to go in to the doctor to get a heart scan months ago.  Had I listened to her, I wouldn't have had to have that long ambulance ride.  I have a family history of heart disease, but I knew (and my tests showed) that my blood pressure was low, my cholesterol low, and I had no other health issues.  What I didn't know, is that it really doesn't matter - it can happen to anyone.

What I've learned is two very important things.  One, my family and friends are there for me.  I don't have to be Superman all the time.  Second, that heart disease can affect anyone at any time.  There were NO warning signs for me.  None of the classical chest pain, arm pain, or other symptoms you hear about all the time.  I just felt BAD.  No real way to describe it other than I just felt really bad.

My advice to ALL of you, especially over the age of 40, is to go get a heart scan, and NOW.  Today.  Not next week, not next month, and not next year.  NOW.  Most health plans cover it, and some hospitals charge as little as $50.  The test is nothing more than putting a few sensor pads on your chest and hooking you up to a machine for about ten minutes.  No needles, no pain, no nothing.  This little test could have saved me from having a heart attack.  More than likely, if I had listened to my wife and did the test months ago, I would not have had a heart attack.

Don't think that you are in too good of health that it won't happen to you.  Don't think that you are too young, or that you work out, or that you eat right.  Go get the test.  Trust me, it's much easier than the alternative!