ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 24, 2001

I am home for most of the month of September (what a concept!) There are lots of projects here that I need to work on and it will be nice to have some time to do it. It also works out well for the reason I will outline below.

DON'T BE A HERO . . .
That was the thought that struck me as I lay in bed in a Pittsburgh hotel last Monday night with a dull ache in my chest. It felt like something was stuck in my throat -- more of a discomfort than a pain, but annoying. After about 15 minutes of trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, I said to myself, "Self, you are a 56-year old male who could stand to lose weight and get more exercise. Chest pain is something that you ought to have checked out." Since I had no history of any heart problems, I figured I would just take a cab over to the local ER where they would look me over, tell me that it was nothing to worry about and I would be back in bed with plenty of time to get rested up before my afternoon seminar.

By the time I got dressed, I had broken out in a sweat but it still didn't feel all that serious to me. The front desk said there was no way they could let me leave in a cab and called an ambulance. On the way to the hospital the EKG confirmed that I was, in fact, having a heart attack! After some emergency work at a suburban hospital, I was flown to a larger hospital in Pittsburgh where they fixed a 99% blockage in one of the major arteries to my heart. After two days of observation, I was able to catch a flight for home . . . with no damage to the heart and a prognosis that the odds of a recurrence are slight, provided I take my medication and do a few other simple things that I needed to do anyway.

I pass this story along as a reminder that these things happen. The only reason this situation was not more serious is that -- for once in my life at least -- I decided not to be a hero and tough it out. I listened to my body a little better and when that little voice in the back of my head said to get it checked out, I listened. I was getting professional medical attention within 45 minutes or so of the time the symptoms first appeared. But for that . . . who knows?

My point here is that a lot of people are depending on you . . . not the least of whom should be you! I was lucky but it does not always play out as easily. Back in the days when I was a member of the National Ski Patrol, we even had an 18-year old skier with a heart attack, so it can happen at any age. Pay attention to what your body is telling you and do not take a bet you cannot afford to lose. Oh, and if there are lifestyle changes that you know you need to make, you might want to make them sooner rather than later!

LET'S MAKE IT EASY
Over the past several weeks, I have mentioned that I am making a change in the way I am packaging my Home Remedies newsletter (it has a different content than EHC) and other services. Many of you have sent me your addresses to receive the one-time mailing that will go out in a few weeks. It just occurred to me that I can get you an advance copy of the information easier than trying to collect addresses and so I have put a PDF flyer of the offer on my website. Take a look and see what you think. If you sign up before the mailing goes out, I will toss in an extra book as a bonus!

PS: MIS subscribers will get an even more interesting offer shortly. Watch for it.

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