Life Expectancy

When your sick and feeling like crap one thing to not do, which I did do, is a life expectancy calculation. I tease sometimes about being in the twilight years of my life according to my family genetic structure. And there is a lot of truth in the fact that long lives run in families. So does short lives.

I took care of a man who had a strong family history of heart attack at a young age. In their 40's. His parents had been very pro-active with him and instilled in him since a very young age the importance of a heart healthy diet, exercise and keeping his cholesterol in a good number. He ran every day. Ate healthy, had regular check-ups and maintained a healthy weight. While running one day he had chest pain and fell to his knee's unable to catch his breath. He had had a heart attack. And boy was he ticked. He had done everything right from day one.

So in his case maybe his very strong family history had more pull then lifestyle. But... He survived his heart attack which many of his family members had not. And with good medical care should be able to live a longer life then his family members who had died while having their heart attacks including his father who died in his mid 40's and a brother who smoked and was overweight. So will combined life-style changes and medical intervention change the genetic tendency to die from heart disease at a young age? Will he be buying his children and their children more time on the life expectancy chart? Time has proven that we can improve life expectancy to a point.

So getting back to the chart. My mother was 52 when she died. I had a brother who was 37 and my father was 64. No one in my family has lived to be 70 that I know of. I am 54. My mother had encephalitis. When she first got sick did she know it was something serious? Did she know she had caught the illness that would kill her? When my brother had his final heart arrhythmia event did he know it was the end? My father certainly knew he had cancer, but was mean enough did he ever think it would kill him? Or were all these things unexpected surprises. Oh! this is how it will be......

So being a glutton for feeling as miserable as humanly possible I did the chart. And according to the chart I have 27 years left to enjoy my life give or take. Now to a 20 year old that sounds like a long long long time. To a 54 year old who can remember giving birth to her oldest like it was yesterday it seems like tomorrow. But it is longer then I had mentally given myself. And who knows. I may get lucky. Like I am today. For today I woke up and am feeling better. It hasn't gotten me this time. It won't be today.

I think the point is, if there is ever a point to my rambling posts, is to enjoy each day. Because tick tick tick.

The clock of life is wound but once
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.

Robert H. Smith, copyright 1932, 1982