Little Things Part I (2/6/2012)

 I've been told since I was in my 20's that I have high cholesterol.  

I suppose I should have heeded the warnings and worked harder to improve my numbers.  

But when I see these pictures of blockages, 

I think it looks like there is still a lot of room for blood to flow.  

How bad can it be?

Of course it is easy to think that 

when you are in your 20's and you believe that

there are many years ahead of you 

and that you have time to worry about your health later.

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But then little things can stop you short.  

In fact, they have the ability to stop you completely.

When Joel started complaining of chest pain, shortness of breath, and excessive fatigue

I knew something was wrong.

This was so out of character for him.

This is the guy that does heavy lifting all day at work 

after a morning workout at the YMCA, 

and then caps off the day with a 50 minute evening run

All of this was caused by one little artery that was 95% blocked.

That was all it took.

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And this is all it took to correct it:

Isn't science and technology amazing?

I am so thankful for the little things:

That my man knew that things weren't right

That his doctor listened, despite tests that said things were fine

For tiny little stents that open blockages

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So I'm getting my cholesterol levels checked again.  

And if my numbers are still high,

it might just be time to do something about it.