I used to have a boyfriend who, one day after some exertion, suddenly looked gray and was short of breath. I told him he needed to see a cardiologist, and he pooh-poohed me. “I’m not going to argue with you,” I said. “I’m not your mother.” (He did eventually have a heart attack, although not for another couple of years.)
One of my nephews just had a heart attack. Two major blockages, two stents. He’s only 46. Heavy smoker, workaholic — was working seven days a week at his chef job when he didn’t have to. I’ll bet there were signs long before.
Damn, men. Take care of your health.
— Bruce Bartlett (@BruceBartlett) March 5, 2023
I was working ten to thirteen hour shifts at a job that was high stress and started at midnight in 2008 when I had a stroke that left me permanently disabled. I’m lucky I didn’t die, but mostly I was just dumb. “How long you think that you can run that body down?”