And then there was the time my husband scared me to death.
During our talk, our really good talk, it came out that Jason had been having chest pains. For three weeks.
There was an incident about three weeks ago when he had severe chest pains that lasted about a minute. Ever since then, he would feel pressure in his chest whenever he took a deep breath.
Considering his father, who passed away recently from a massive heart attack, had is first massive heart attack at a relatively young age (52), I was immediately worried, scared, and yes, angry that he hadn't told me. Upset that he didn't seem to be taking it seriously.
It's possibly I may have over-reacted, simultaneously sobbing & raising my voice, accused him of being selfish & stupid & prideful.
It's possible this is a little close for comfort.
So the next chance I had I scheduled an appointment with our family doctor. We got in same day. I left work to go with him.
They checked him out. Listened to his story. Did an EKG.
Everything appears normal. They believe it was an anxiety attack.
Now that he's been checked out, I will concur. The entire family has been under an enormous amount of stress since his father's passing, with both his mother & brother showing signs of depression. Jason was the only one who seemed unaffected.
But I knew it was all for show.
We did get a talk about Jason getting more fit. He has a strong family history of heart issues, and needs to take precaution.
The truth is that I do as well.
Our doctor recommended more physical activity to be the priority, with eating better a close second. He said when it comes to heart health it's much more important to be fit than to be thin. Will you lose weight if you do those things? Probably. Is that what you should focus on? Not so much.
Get more fit. Get your body in shape. Healthy. Strong. That is the focus.
The truth is, the whole situation scared the crap out of me. Holding-back-the-tears scared. Terrified.
Because the truth is, good or bad, hurt or healed, when it comes right down to it, I want him next to me. He's the one I want. Forever. And I'm not ready to let go of him just yet.
4 comments:
Ace's family has a history of heart problems. When he did his physical before he started the academy back in 2004 his chol was THROUGH THE ROOF. He's been under a doctor's care since then, but unfortunately one that pushes drugs not lifestyle changes (and I can only push him so far, I work out and eat well because it makes me feel good, I can't force him to eat or exercise). But the scary fear of not having him beside me anymore, even as a passing thought, yup, it's the hold back tears, take a deep breath and carry on thought. I'm not sure what it is going to take for him to take better care of himself.
Oh, that is so scary...
Nothing like a wake-up call to get under our skin.
I hope you are all well and feeling less stressed.
I think some people, especially men, think if they ignore the symptoms, then everything is fine. I tried getting my husband to go see our doctor because of his family history; only after his brother had to be air-lifted to the hospital because he "died" while shopping at Walmart did he finally see a doctor. He still ended up having double bypass surgery less than a year later, but things could have been much worse if he hadn't already been seeing a doctor. Better to prevent it than try to fix it afterwards!
Isn't it amazing how the stress we hold on to can effect our health and well-being? I hope he uses this to improve not only his physical health, but also his emotional health as well.
Now, as a cardiac ICU nurse (who cares for people after open heart surgery), I have to make a couple comments about this. #1, an EKG will only show old damage to the heart, not detect heart disease. I get really worked up when I hear people say "My EKG was fine." EKGs do NOT detect blockages in the arteries like other disgnositc procedures do. And as we all know, blockages cause heart attacks. #2, FireMan needs his cholesterol checked, as well as a treadmill stress test and/or cardiac cath. With his strong family history, his risk of heart disease is much greater than that of the general population. #3, he needs to keep a close eye on his chest pain and if it comes back AT ALL, he needs to go to the ER. Chest pain is a sign that the heart is not getting enough oxygen to meet its demand; if it continues, that indicates his arteries are narrowed and/or blocked.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox now :)
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