Motives?

I participate in a forum for those who encounter irregular heartbeats. I have learned a great deal, not only from reading medical materials but from the many members of the forum and their personal experiences. Over the year and a half I have participated there seems to be a pattern. A person typically has some large stress event in their life, they become conscious of the irregular heartbeat, they are extremely frightened by the experience and find the forum where they get reassurance they are OK. The person undergoes what I now recognize as standard tests, EKG, Stress Echo-Cardiogram, Holter Monitor, perhaps an cardiac catheterization, and other tests that check out the structural integrity of the heart. They are almost always told they are OK, the irregular heartbeat is benign and they should try to ignore the sensation. Eventually everyone seems to come to terms with the condition.

You do find the occasional person who says they are not overwrought by the problem, but take a logical approach trying to determine first what causes the onset and second what they can to do prevent the onset. I have found many of these people seem to underestimate the impact of stress on our lives. I find some people who are dead set against any form of medication. I also find persons who seem to be on a never ending quest for some natural solution, zinc imbalance, potassium, magnesium, omega oil, and on and on. I end up feeling bad for these people. It seems as though they find meaning in life by searching for a cause/cure. I am convinced irregular heartbeats are benign and will not hurt me, so I've chosen to get on with my life. Others seem to spend endless energy in their search when there may be no answer.

I've recently seen another behavior I wonder about. I have encountered some people who talk about exercise and workouts that seem to be intended to stave off aging instead of enhance the quality of their life. I recognize the last statement could be considered a contradiction of terms, after all if I do stave off aging am I not improving the quality of my life. Normally I would say yes, however I find there is a possible difference in the motive. I find my exercise routine enhances my enjoyment of my daily living. A few people I've encountered seem to look down the road past today and be wrapped up in exercise as a means of creating immortality and forget to enjoy the daily life experiences. I wonder if they ever come to terms with that drive.

ProActive Health Care

I am fortunate in that I have gotten my weight under control, my blood chemistry, and glucose levels back into normal readings. However, is it too late? I do not think so. Perhaps if I had started when I was 45 I might have a greater chance of living to 90. However, how long we live is not within the realm of choice. What is within the realm of choice is how well we travel the road.

I have a brother-in-law twenty-one years older than I. Recently he encountered two small strokes that have left him with some weakness on the left side of his body and a little forgetfulness. He will be hospitalized to undergo some rehabilitation work and hopefully go home and live out his days among loved ones. I hope for everyone's sake, his included, that some day in the future when his time comes that he goes to sleep and simply goes on from there. Up until that time I hope he is able to do things that are meaningful to him and not just passing time waiting for the inevitable.

With that in mind, I think all of us need to do things that help the quality of our life. My brother-in-law had severe leg problems about three years ago that resulted from blockages of the femoral artery. A Dr. recommended surgery, however warned that if there were complications they could be rather severe. Finally a Dr. at Mayo's told him that before any other procedures were to be performed he needed to start a walking program. The Dr. wanted him to walk one hour a day. My brother-in-law worked his way up to the suggested time frame and literally walked himself back into a good state of health. He went from limited mobility to playing golf again after several years of inactivity. So we can do things that improve our quality of life. My brother-in-law had a very enjoyable summer, played golf once a week with some friends, walked daily, and enjoyed an active social life. Now, things aren't so good, but perhaps he will be able to resurrect his health to the degree that he can again walk some distance and feel good about himself. He may not play golf again, I hope he can, but I give him credit for making a stand and trying.

Our health is not the responsibility of the medical community. It is our responsibility. I hope all of us live up to that responsibility and do all that we can to insure the quality of the time we have left.