I have to tell you I feel a lot more relieved today than I have in the past few weeks.
My mother in Brazil is recovering from surgery to remove an aneurysm from her aorta.
She is very meticulous about going in for doctor checkups. And it was during one of those checkups that the aneurysm was found.
When she called and told me, I was shocked. My mother, thank God, is in very good health. She does not have problems with blood sugar; she is not overweight and doesn’t have high blood pressure.
Douglas Heizer
I don’t know if she’s healthy because she sees the doctor regularly, or she sees the doctor regularly to remain healthy. It’s really the same, and either one is a routine everyone should follow.
When my mom called about the aneurysm, of course I wanted to jump on a plane to be with her. But she said, “You’re not a doctor. What can you do?”
So I remained in the United States. But I kept my passport close by in case I had to fly off in a hurry.
It’s ironic that the Thursday before my mother’s operation (on April 4), Boca Raton Regional Hospital conducted a program called “Aortic Aneurysms: It’s Really a Matter of Life & Death.” I seriously considered going, but in retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t. I’ve been tense enough as it is.
The other day, when I was telling my managing editor, Dale King, about what happened to my mother, he told me another unusual story about an aneurysm.
About 10 years ago, he said, his sister-in-law was dating a man (Arthur) in Rhode Island – a wonderful man who really cared for her. He also had an aneurysm, but because of his age, there was a question about the health risks of an operation.
Dale told me he and his wife had dinner with her sister and Arthur just before he moved to Florida (his wife came down later). That night, Arthur gave Dale a birthday card. He said he put it on the front seat of his car which he then shipped to Florida.
A few days after he arrived in Florida, Dale said he received a call from his wife. She was crying bitterly and said Arthur had died when the aneurism burst.
A week or so later, when his car arrived, there was the card, signed by Arthur, on the front seat.
Both of these stories show the importance of guarding your health with regular exams. Even people who don’t have any symptoms should visit their doctors at least every six months. My mother said she didn’t have any symptoms either, yet her doctor found a life and death situation.
If you or someone in your family has been neglecting their doctor visits, they have to get back on track. Not every ailment causes pain. And it’s the little things that can become critical.
My mom is home and recovering quickly. She said she wants to get better soon to visit her family here in America.