Scared Healthy

Things not to do when you are 41

• Have a stroke
• Die
• Have carotid dissection disease
• Have an inoperable blood clot completely blocking your carotid artery

Unfortunately, I am writing this memo a little too late for my boyfriend.  He has managed (barely) to avoid only one of the things on my list.  Granted, it is the most important one since dying would have left no second chance to get healthy.  Trite, but true.  
As I write this, he is home recuperating from a stroke that landed him in the hospital for six days. 


Six horrible, terrifying, prayer and tear-filled days.  


Our objective is to lower the possibility of this happening again.  There are several factors involved when it comes to stroke and some can be avoided and others simply can't.


Some Avoidable Factors:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure - this technically falls under both categories, but early detection and treatment can lower your risk significantly.
• Being Sedentary
• Stress - of the undue variety

Some Unavoidable Factors:

• Genetics
• Race 
• Gender
• Having a disease

Having spent the last week in the hospital (literally) right by his side, I am exhausted and worried.  Hopeful, but, at the same time terrified that I will have to rush him to the ER once again; or, worse, call 911.


Our lives have now ceased to be about the future, but about the present.  Not even the day-to-day present.  Minute-to-minute, pulse-by-pulse, meal-to-meal.  We will make it through this.