I have a friend - in fact, he's my Stephen Ministry care receiver - who just went into the hospital early Thursday morning. He was experiencing some chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Turns out he was suffering from atrial fibrillation (but not a heart attack). His blood pressure had been elevated when he first went in.
I visited him in the hospital today. Except being desperately in need of a shave, he looked pretty good. They put him on blood thinners and are monitoring that along with his blood pressure to get a good balance on his medications. He should be released tomorrow. Then in about three weeks he'll go in to get his heart shocked into the correct rythym. The blood thinners are being administered to ensure that if he has any blood clots, they'll get dissolved. Shocking the heart can dislodge blood clots and cause more problems.
Today's visit reminded me of how fragile my own health could be. O is only a couple of years older than I; I've always thought he was healthier than me. Yet I'm a diabetic who just started having high blood pressure in the last six months and now I'm being treated for high cholesterol. Makes me think a little harder about taking care of myself.
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