Ok, this is personal, and a confession of the pastor who is confessing to at least one and perhaps many of the shortcomings of the male of the species.
On Saturday October 14th of the year 2023 I was admitted to Inspira Medical Center with a blockage of the artery well known as “The Widow Maker.” I thought I was having a sinus problem.
But men, this is not about my thinking I had a sinus condition and that I had no reason for going to either Urgent Care much less the Emergency Room. As I told the receptionist at my new GP’s office, I confess to being a classic male who is ‘stupid and stubborn’ and at times considers himself to have ‘Superman-like powers’ that do not require intervention by anyone other than me.
And I will include my brother in this listing so that I have family company in my stubbornness, stupidity, and ‘we could have died’ experiences.
Neither of the Delaney boys ever went to the doctor. Nada … no visits and yes, I know I am only 31 years old, but Mark is much older. Yet neither of us had been to the doctor’s office in literally a decade plus until we stepped into the ERs. And that was even with COVID’s realities … nope, no doctor’s visit for either of us because we felt great, worked hard, and we both had endless energy!
Last summer when Mark had his AFib, he went to the Urgent Care because he was out of breath going up steps. No pain in his chest but he was frustrated and wanted a pill to take. He went directly to the ER where they told him that if he had not decided to stop by the Urgent Care he more than likely would not have lived two more weeks and would have never enjoyed his granddaughter.
In my case … I was sure I had a sinus issue. I was tired of people telling me to see a doctor (I didn’t have one) so on a rainy Saturday I drove to Washington Township for an appointment with Urgent Care. They were wonderful and caring, but the doctor said “which ER do you want to go to? Jefferson or Inspira?”
I didn’t want an ER … I didn’t need an ER … and then he asked me if I wanted him to call an ambulance. Wait, I am healthy … my BP is top rate, I am energetic and able to leap children’s benches in a single bound … but I wasn’t. My life was in danger …
So today I am good. Mark is living a healthy life and is good. We both have doctors and we both have medicine to take the rest of our lives.
We also know if we had not gone into those Urgent Cares that our hearts were not going to carry us through without care.
We men are worse than women when it comes to taking care of ourselves. We don’t go to the doctor. We put ourselves at risk, which means we put our families and friends at risk of losing us.
Pastor Dave