Back in June, I was told I had suffered a heart attack. I had two stents put in my heart, and was given a rather strict diet and exercise plan to follow. I was sent to a wellness program to do cardio exercise. All was going well for a while. While some days I didn't want to do the cardio work, it was an appointment I had to keep. A commitment if you will. That is, until my insurance said they would no longer pay for the program.
Oh yeah, I promised my therapists that I would stick to my diet and do exercise at home. And, when it came time to do my exercises, well, it seemed like there was always something more important to do. Laundry needed doing, or I had to go to the store, or my gardens needed harvesting on City of Wonder (a Facebook game). Yeah, always something more important for me to do.
As far as my diet went, well, I stuck to faithfully for the first few weeks. The doctors all said I could "cheat" once in a while, as long as I didn't overdo it. One doc said I could cheat once a week safely. But what started happening was my weeks were getting shorter. So, on a Monday I would say to myself, "It's okay to cheat as long as I don't for a week." But Friday would come around, and I rationalize that Monday was 4 days ago, and that's like a week. I think you're starting to get my drift...
So the next thing I know, one day I start having a not so good feeling in my chest. Not a pain, but just not normal. After a while, I start having a little trouble catching my breath. Uh-oh. This is how the heart attack started. I debated for a bit about whether or not I should go to the hospital. But my insurance requires a $200 co-pay to walk in the door, so I decided on laying down. A couple of hours later, I had legitimate pain in my chest, and difficulty breathing. I remembered that the doc had giving me a prescription for Nitroglycerin pills. With some hesitation, I took one. Miraculously, my symptoms improved within 5 minutes. I went back to bed.
When I awoke for work the next morning, I was quite fatigued, and still not 100%, but I tried to get through my day. I didn't make it. I ended up going home early and went straight to bed. An hour later, I felt exactly the same as the day I had the heart attack. So I took another Nitro. It's been 24 hours, and I feel okay now. Granted I haven't done anything strenuous, but I feel okay. But that last 48 hours was pretty scary.
So, this slow learner has finally grasped yet another obvious lesson:Listen to your doctor. While I am a guy, and most guys don't pay much attention to the doctor (or maps, bosses or wives), there is a reason they are doctors and we are not. It is because they have spent a great deal of time learning about how the body works, and what helps and what hurts it. It is simple to disregard the advice of someone we only see occasionally, but such ignorance can be detrimental to one's health. Hell, it could kill you.
As a result of this little episode, I am back on my diet and will start my exercise regimen tomorrow with a hike through some of the historical sites around Lexington and Concord. It was there the first Americans died fighting for their right to freedom.
I'd hate to think I died for the right to have a Big Mac. Kind of puts it in perspective, doesn't it?
