I had the privilege of speaking at the Nines conference on the topic of health in ministry. That got me thinking that I needed to re-post something I wrote right after my surgery 4 months ago. My hope in re-posting this is that it may challenge someone to take a step toward physical health.
FROM MAY 17th, 2011
I want to thank all of you that have been praying for me. In case you were not aware, I had a recent physical (which I passed with flying colors), but kind of in passing, my Dr. suggested I have a Cardiac Calcium Score test done. I had never heard of this test before, but I figured, I may as well make an appointment. The test took 5 minutes and cost $99. The lower the score the better. Unfortunately for me, my score was high.
I was then sent to a cardiologist who scheduled me to have a heart cath done this past Monday. The idea was, if the cath showed no sign of any plaque build-up, I would be given a clear bill of health, if not they would install a stent in my arteries. Unfortunately I had 2 blockages (1 was 80% blocked, and the other was 75% blocked), so they put in 2 stents.
The surgery took about 3 hours, and other than me keep waking up and having to get more anesthesia, it was pretty easy. I stayed overnight at the hospital, and will have to take it easy for a week, but then I can resume my regular pace.
I am thankful that my Dr. recommended the test. Keep in mind that I am not overweight, don't smoke or drink and exercise regularly. My cholesterol is just slightly above normal, I don't have high blood pressure and eat pretty well. I had no symptoms of any sort. Not even during strenuous exercise. That's pretty scary.
Here is what I am hoping this post will do. I hope you ask your Dr. about scheduling to have this test done, and get it done. If everything is clear, you're only out $99, and you have some peace of mind. If not, then maybe you can catch a possible heart condition before something tragic happens.
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