I wonder what genetic flaw makes men stupid? I know about the male “jumping up to touch something” gene that offsets the female “shopping for whatever” gene, but, what is it that makes us men so stupid about our health?
I’m talking from personal experience. For most of my life, I tried to transform a body that was perfectly designed for scrabble and quilting into one that lived for basketball, martial arts, weight-training and adventure sports. Concussions, broken bones, and ligament tears were commonplace. I never really lost consciousness (well, not that I remember or anyone appeared to notice) from a concussion even when my jaw was broken. Injuries and scars were badges of honor and a mark of toughness. And that’s a cool thing when you are young but it comes back to haunt you later. As resilient as the body can be, it has an unforgiving memory. At this time, I am recovering from surgery for herniated discs in my neck. We have already ruled out scrabble as the culprit.
Our Deputy City Manager, Dave Rivera, is a good friend. He has been cautioning me for years to modify my workout routine to something less intense. Dave has surprising wisdom for a guy. It is generally suspected that he gets it from spending a lot of time in meetings with women. How else would he know?
I am now proud to say that a couple of years ago, I did a non-guy thing. Early one morning around 2:00 am, I thought I might be having a heart attack or stroke and I was “concerned” – not scared of course. My wife, Cathy, was more concerned and asked if I wanted her to call 911. And I actually said – yes. A highly professional team of Parkland/Coral Springs paramedics came quickly and transported me by ambulance to Northwest Medical Center where I was thoroughly examined and determined to have heartburn from overeating. So now I can laugh about it. But I learned some very important things.
Guys, don’t let your egos prevent you or your wife or daughter from dialing 911 if there is a concern about your heart or any serious health issue that “concerns” you. Shut off the selective hearing switch for once and listen to the women in your life. They are much better at this care-giving than we are. If you are right and it is nothing, so what? You are still alive. If you are wrong, you could be dead. The longer the delay, the greater the risk of your dying or needing long-term care by you-know-who. And don’t argue with the paramedics. They are well-trained and know their business. They have the responsibility to take you to the nearest hospital (not necessarily the want you want) to get you stabilized. Accept it for what it is - an emergency transport! It is not a transport of convenience. Shut up and let them do the job designed to help save your life.
And – Do not try to drive yourself or have someone drive you. You really could be having that heart attack and end up killing someone else in an accident. If you somehow manage to walk into the emergency room, you are just another walk-in. As such, you will need to get in line, register, submit your identification and insurance and wait. If you arrive in an ambulance, you go to the head of the line and have already been getting top-notch medical care from the paramedics.
I distinctly remember sharing my story with Margate City Manager Len Golub and his words to me were: “John, you did the right thing.” Less than a year later, Len refused to make the timely call that could have saved his own life. As a result, he died six months later. This past weekend, my neighbor Harvey across the street woke up spitting blood and yet argued with his wife and daughter not to call 911. Fortunately they ignored him, thereby giving him an opportunity to argue with the paramedics about his hospital preferences. He made it home and will need continued medical attention for awhile but I made it a point to let Harvey know that he should let the women in his life run the show when it comes to his health and 911. All of us should.
Slainte!