We are meticulous machines...

This is of course just my opinion, but I want to share it in case it resonates with someone else. 

First of all, I believe in a higher power, a creator, a being that is bigger than us. Religion and politics aside, I don't think we "just happened." With that in mind, I also believe that nothing happens without a reason. Our bodies are a finely tuned machine, given the right input of nutrients, sleep, emotional support, fluids... etc. Every single blood vessel, organ, muscle, and bone, has a purpose. Nothing (even the appendix) is without purpose. (Although the jury is still out on that one.)

So, when we are predisposed to heart disease like in my case, or if we damage our heart somehow, or if an unknown factor pops up to throw a wrench in our plans, our body is still a machine. It needs the same elements to keep functioning properly. Elements that get overlooked by many, including doctors. 

I often feel sorry for the medical profession, it's somewhat like being a detective. They don't always know what the problem is, and without a complete history, it's difficult to make an educated guess about what it "could be." Not to mention that a lot of patients are not exactly forthcoming with their symptoms or lifestyle choices; making it even MORE difficult to get the right diagnosis. 

Then someone like me comes along and questions their every move, which (by the expressions I've seen on their faces, they are not exactly thrilled about) adds a whole new challenge to their already difficult job. Now they must answer more questions, reassure us, make it "all make sense." 

I honestly don't believe my shockable episode was random. I really don't think anything is random. My body was crying out for something, whether it was a fluid imbalance, vitamin deficiency, sleep, ..... who knows. But it reached the tipping point and acted the only way it knew how. My heart was just trying to function properly, as it still does every day with nearly impossible odds. BUT... it is functioning. And I don't believe my heart is all that weak. The things I've been able to accomplish this last few years is amazing. (Don't panic, I DO realize my heart is weak, I just don't believe it's on it's final lap around the track.)

The bottom line is, we all have to believe whatever we need to so this chapter in our lives isn't so scary. We need to focus on the things WE CAN DO ourselves to improve our situation, and we need to make peace with the things we don't understand. 

It became clear to me a long time ago that the doctors don't know everything. They used to sneak off somewhere to "Google" things and now they do it right in front of us with a laptop. LOL! My primary doctor is super cool; she always asks me what I think is going on, gets a rundown of my symptoms and thoughts before she tries to tackle what the problem might be. She never makes me feel like it's just anxiety or "in my head." And I am always rather proud of myself when I leave her office because 9 times out of 10, my diagnosis was spot on. (I do my  homework!)

If you are having symptoms, there's a reason. There's always a reason. So take heart, if you are persistent, you will find the root cause (hopefully) and be able to contribute to your own health in a positive way. 

 

3 Comments

Such depth and personal understanding

by Gemita - 2023-12-18 04:15:07

I saw your message earlier yesterday and I thought is this message really coming from our Janene.  To hear you saying things like . . . “I’ve been able to accomplish so much these last few years . . . I DO realize my heart is weak, but I just don't believe it's on it's final lap around the track”, gives me cause to hope that your positive thoughts are really beginning to make a difference. 

I agree nothing happens randomly or without reason.  An illness usually has a trigger but finding that elusive trigger is not always easy because it is never only due to one thing alone.

Yes doctors don’t always have the time to treat the whole person which is vital if we want to make a full recovery.  Your body was indeed crying out for something when the shock occurred but unless we are being intensively monitored, it is hard to know when electrolyte abnormalities or other conditions might be present and in need of immediate treatment.  This is why it is so important to listen to what our body is trying to tell us and to get to know what is normal for us.  If we ignore the early signs of distress and dis-ease, then we do so at our own peril.

I will never stop giving up the search for safer ways to manage complex health conditions that do not always respond so well to aggressive powerful meds or other invasive treatments.  A balance always has to be sought between gentler/harsher treatments and we have to try to always treat the whole person, not just the disease present.

Higher being

by piglet22 - 2023-12-19 07:22:17

I'm afraid I don't share the thought that there might be some force out there, but that’s just the scientist talking.

What I do think is that we have little regard for our being, our planet, our fellow creatures.

It amazes me that people rush around but look no further than our Moon and you realise how lucky we are. Just a few miles of atmosphere separate us from desolation.

Where I will agree is that something, maybe a fortunate combination of molecules, water, sunlight gave rise to what we call life, the ability to replicate.

I think we are on the road to self-destruction. If we don't stop exploiting the planet and our fellow animals and plants, it's going to end in tears.

Uniquely, we have the means to survive diseases and other disasters. If elephants run out of water, they die. We desalinate seawater. We get Covid then develop a vaccine.

Population growth and consumption will be our undoing and maybe nuclear destruction.

The planet, the ants, cockroaches and wood lice will survive to start all over again.

We need to stand back and see our place in the universe.

Yes, we are the product of millions of years of evolution and every bit of us is carried in the code called DNA.

The gift of life, a strange thing indeed.

Response to Piglet22

by R2D2 - 2023-12-19 16:25:45

Science is awesome, and I love learning about everything from rocks to trees and every creature. But if I didn't have a solid belief system that includes life after death, I wouldn't feel like bothering with any of this. While there may not be enough scientific proof that warrants believing in a spiritual existence, there is definitly positive proof that believing in something bigger than us prolongs our lives. 

I'm 58 years old, was raised Christian and have since cleaned my belief system slate and now consider myself mostly pagan but I don't attend any church or meeting. I just go with the flow. I won't go into details of what I believe or don't believe, but I will say this; Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing. 

I watched my dying dad in the hospital describe things on the wall behind him that he couldn't possibly see... in great detail. How did he do that? He was tickled because he got a room that had pictures of fishing stuff like trout and lakes. There was a fishing creel behind him in the corner, on the other side of a curtain where another bed was, and my dad described it. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? Well... who knows. There were no mirrors in the room. No one told him about the pictures because he started describing them right after he got in the room that he entered backwards. He was too weak to turn his head. For weeks before he passed away, he described the sensation of leaving his body, and returning to it. And I've shared that same experience. We can write it off as a chemical reaction in our brain, but I'd prefer to think of it for what it is. A spiritual life beyond our earth suit existence. It's more interesting, soothing, and fun. Fun is good. Fun makes us live longer. I'm all for that. 

You know you're wired when...

You forecast electrical storms better than the weather network.

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