The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
How important is preventive health care?
I recently lost my health for about a month. Did losing my health indicate that all my efforts to be as healthy as I can be as I approach my 80s are a waste of time?
No. I say this because most folks believe their health is fine even though they put forth zero effort, which means that to some, I’m a fool for investing so much time and effort and not doing any better than they are.
There are so many things that can influence our health, and some are beyond our control, like genetics or being exposed to a potent virus or bacteria that grabs us by the throat.
However, I stand by my lifestyle as worth the effort. Wearing a seat belt won’t prevent a car accident, but if that should happen it may save you from disaster. Another example — we know that 80% of heart attacks are preventable, and that begs for a healthier lifestyle. Other scary chronic diseases, including stroke, cancer, and diabetes also are highly preventable. Therefore, if I can slant the odds in my favor when it comes to the major causes of disability and death in the U.S., I stand a much better chance of avoiding disaster.
With that said, I view my recent episode of losing my health as a blessing, because it reinforces how valuable health is, and without it, life is a total misery and not worth living. In turn, this bolsters my efforts to be as healthy as I can be, and to keep up the good fight as a change agent trying to convince others to do the same.
Can you still get COVID after getting the vaccine?
OK, what happened to me? I was in Florida visiting a friend and doing some consulting work. He had what he described as a cold, but he was almost over it when I got there. I made it through the week till the last day when I felt something bad taking hold. Big deal, I’ll have a cold, even though I haven’t had one in the past few years.
Wrong! When I got home the next day, I got walloped with not only what seemed like a severe head cold, but incredible fatigue.
Normally, I’m out of bed after a good night’s sleep, my mind spinning with all I want to accomplish that day, but not this time. The fatigue was overwhelming, unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I sat around, napping off and on and feeling sorry for myself. As this progressed with no sign of let-up I decided to take a COVID test. Bingo! It was positive. Was I surprised? You bet! I had the series of vaccinations and coupled with my healthy lifestyle, I was convinced I was invulnerable.
Thankfully, COVID fatigue lasted only about a week, but when it passed I was left with a nasty sinus infection. I hadn’t had one of these in quite a while, but there it was and, frankly, it was worse than COVID. Eventually, I was able to obtain a powerful antibiotic that knocked it out. All clear?
Nope! Next was a stubborn urinary tract infection. If you have never experienced this you have no idea how it rules your life, but it does. I experienced strong symptoms for days, but then they disappeared entirely. I had relief for about a day and a half before the symptoms returned, worse than ever, and this cycle was repeated again and again.
All in all, I was ill for about a month which gave me plenty of time to think and reflect.
How important is preventive health care?
What if I had something more serious that robbed me of my health and I wasn’t going to get over it in a month? What if I were in bed suffering from a heart attack or stroke? If that were the case, and I am a typical American, I could likely offer up a litany of things I should have done differently to avoid this tragedy.
Are you investing in your health? Or is your attitude about your health typical of the average American, meaning you take it for granted until it’s gone? In other words, it’s good until it isn’t. In the meantime, you likely believe you are getting away with it because you have no symptoms, and all is well with no need for changes. Unfortunately, that’s a very bad assumption because symptoms associated with heart disease and stroke, if they occur at all, typically do not occur until the process is very advanced and disaster is right around the corner. If you have been a regular reader of my column, you know this is a familiar theme of mine.
If the above resonates with you, why are you not acting on it? You’d love to be healthier but who has the time with packed workdays, commuting, parenting, household chores, watching TV, etc?
Are you too busy? I suggest picturing yourself in bed having lost your health and then asking what price would you pay to get it back. I’ll bet you’d be motivated to finally take action, thankful for a second chance doover like George Bailey in the classic Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But this time your health would be a priority and no doubt you would find all the time you need for healthy practices to avoid such a disaster.
It’s something to think about.