We have a Berkey water filter in our kitchen and it seems to be empty whenever I’m thirsty for a glass of water, so I’m used to filling it back up. It takes three full blender pitchers to fill it, and it’s just one of those little things that I take for granted. Like a good night’s sleep, or walking up three flights of stairs or having a lunch with my good friend of 40 years.
Five months ago, I had unexpected heart surgery, and, after a week in the hospital post-op, I went back home. But, since I wasn’t allowed to lift anything heavier than a half-gallon of milk, I couldn’t fill the Berkey water filter. And it wasn’t just doctor’s orders - physically I couldn’t do just about anything that I hadn’t thought twice about doing before the surgery. I couldn’t even put my own socks on by myself. Talk about feeling like getting hit by a truck. That first month after surgery was primitively tough.
The heart surgery was unexpected because I was pretty much asymptomatic. The thing that caught my attention was the four or five times I got short of breath while walking the dog. When I felt it, I stopped walking and waited a few minutes until it went away. But I have a family history of heart failure and for years I’ve fit the profile of a likely candidate.
So I said something to my doctor about my shortness of breath. This was very out of character for me. For most of my life, I would notice an ailment – physical or emotional – and just ignore it. If it was ten years ago, I would have just been macho and pushed through the shortness of breath. I have a strong physique and a pig-headed streak. But for some reason, this time I said something.
I don’t think just having ten additional birthdays automatically makes anyone wiser. I do think that aging with intention – not just out of habit - offers the possibility of getting closer to being the person we’d like to be. As we age, the things we think are really important can change. As we age, we can tend to slow down, to contemplate and to reflect. Saying something to my doctor probably saved my life. I can’t pinpoint exactly what made me speak up for myself, I’m sure there’s a variety of factors. I said something because I had changed as I’ve aged.
After I said something, my doctor said “take a stress test”. After the results of the stress test, my doctor said “have an angiogram”. Before I was even off the angiogram table, my doctor said “tremendous blockage, you need to have surgery right away”. And a week later I did.
If I’d still been my former macho-man self, there’s no-telling what would have happened. After the bypass surgery and the new valve, my heart’s good for another twenty years or so. That doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed another twenty years of life, but I’m still alive for now, and I’m appreciating many of those little things that I used to take for granted. And, at the same time, this afternoon I filled up the Berkey water filter without a second thought, already taking it for granted again.