Christmas Eve was fabulous! I had a television interview about how to stay healthy during the holidays. I went to Christmas Eve mass with my family and in the church that I was married in. And, I had a great dinner with family and opening of gifts. Little did I know that things were going to turn poorly and quickly.
It was the early morning hours of Christmas, when I had an ongoing pain in my abdomen area. I’ve been prone to stomach problems in the past, specifically what they call “stomach reflux” in which there is too much stomach acid produced. Usually in the past, I would take an antacid, and my symptoms would get better, but not this time.
At around 3am on Christmas morning, it was time to go to the emergency room at the hospital. I cannot say enough great things about about the emergency department physician and the ED staff in my care over the next few hours, and they tried to figure out what was going on with me. As I was being wheeled up to my hospital room, we heard a voice down the hall, calling us back to the ED, because they found what the problem was. In the course of my testing, it was found that my gallbladder had many stones, and lots of inflammation. This meant that I would need emergency surgery on Christmas Day to remove my gallbladder.
The last thing I remember was being wheeled into the operating room and seeing my surgeon telling me that everything was going to be all right. When I woke up, what I remember was being late into Christmas night and having pain, but not as much abdominal pain as when I was in the ED.
In the next few hours and days would be my recovery. Like many other people who have been in a situation like that (after major surgery), it serves as a “wake up call” for me. It’s no secret that I could be taking care of myself in a better way, when it comes to my physical health. It’s also no secret that many health professionals keep everyone else first, instead of taking care of themselves. This is why you’ve seen and heard and read a lot about physician burnout in the past few months.
Now, that it’s a week later, I have made some changes in my lifestyle. I’m eating better and doing things like meal planning for the day and week (something that I’ve never done before), I’m blocking out time for exercise (something that I seldom did in the past), and I’m using a smartphone app to try to keep myself accountable. As far as what I’m eating these days, I’m following most of what is known as the Mediterranean Diet as recommended by the American Heart Association.
There are three lessons that I have learned that I want to pass along to all of you. First, all of us, even physicians, will be come patients some day. We are not invincible, and sometimes denial is a very powerful tool to help you ignore your health. This leads me to my second lesson: Listen to your body. I know that this sounds simple. If something feels wrong, you need to have it checked out. Finally, seek help when needed. Many people are afraid of what will be found, like cancer. Without seeking out your Family Physician, how are going to really know. And, not knowing, sometimes is the worst thing.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to my friends and colleagues at Salem Regional Medical Center. Their care and attention and listening really helped my wife and I navigate through and got me on the road to recovery. I hope to continue to share my recovery story in the days and the weeks to come. Feel free to reach out to me on My Facebook Page. It’s definitely a Happy New Year for me, and I hope for you as well…