No warning signs
You can imagine my shock upon hearing that a dear friend had suddenly undergone an emergency heart bypass surgery.
My dear Jahni? Who danced tango 5 nights a week, paddle-boarded every weekend, and hiked several times a week? Jahni, who ate healthy, home-cooked meals and consequently, was in fantastic physical shape for his age?
This came out of nowhere. Seemingly.
He shouldn’t be alive right now and there’s only one reason he is.
…
Okay, there was one sign
He had noticed that lately, he was fatiguing a little more than usual during the fast tango dances. Perhaps it was him getting older, feeling stressed, or being overworked. But he didn’t think much of it. He is a super active guy after all — and in great health.
Two weeks ago he decided to do an annual check-up with his doctor. He had skipped the last few years after the lockdown and realized he was overdue for one.
That visit saved his life. Literally.
Although he walked in expecting a quick check-up before going out dancing that night, it turned out he wouldn’t be going anywhere.
The doctors admitted him to the hospital immediately and performed an emergency bypass on him the next day. His heart had an artery that was 95% blocked.
It was a miracle he even made it into the doctor’s office that day.
…
Make no assumptions
Even if you think you are in great health, super active, eat well, and are in good shape, don’t assume that you can skip those annual check-ups or brush off a weird change in your body.
It might be a genetic or hereditary issue that developed. There could be environmental factors impacting you.
Don’t assume a clean diet and good exercise make you invincible.
I’m sure a lot of people skipped their annual physicals over the last few years and instead, limited their doctor visits for emergencies only.
Here’s your call to action and I hope you act on it.
Get a check-up now if you haven’t done one lately.
I’m also a fan of doing a live blood analysis, which may catch things your doctor may not screen for during a routine visit such as nutritional deficiencies and abnormalities in the blood that may indicate something is amiss. Every bit of data can help identify a problem before it becomes one.
If you have an issue, have it checked out and find out what’s going on.
Get your routine check-ups. And if something seems off, have it looked at.
That one action can literally save your life.
…
Whispers & Knocks
I want to leave you with something I hope you never forget. The kind of thing that could also save your life.
They say that problems whisper at first… then knock… and knock again… and when you don’t respond they’ll blow that door down and force you to face them head on.
So when you hear the whispers, don’t disregard them. Even if you think you are in perfect health.
It can mean the difference between life and death. ❤
🙋🏻♀️ I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments — chime in!
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Aron Visuals on Unsplash
