Listen to Your Body
Fall is defiantly in the air. We just got our first taste of cooler temperatures, people are getting ready for Halloween, hayrides and corn mazes are starting and how could I forget about apple cider or hot chocolate.
This article I am going to talk about taking care of ourselves. As many of you know I had a cardiac moment at my residence on October 2nd, I was experiencing shortness of breath and I ended up driving myself to the hospital . I know I should have called for EMS but my stubborn firefighter self-came out that morning. So fast forward a little bit, I ended up with a slow heart rate of 23 that morning and ended up at St Lukes Hospital in Kansas City. I spent a couple of days in the hospital and had a pacemaker placed in my upper left chest.
Today I am being paced at a heart rate of 60 and feel fine and since have returned to work.
My message to you is simple. Listen to your body it tells a lot of what is going on. Don’t be stubborn like me, you could be in a life threating situation and listen to your family and friends, they could possibly save your life.
The reason I am bringing this up, I finally listened to by friend James Jones of the Calhoun Fire Department and told him of my symptoms that morning. He was worried about it and talked me into going to the ER as I thought I had fluid on my heart and they needed to up my dose of Lasix.
James was actually working in the ER that day at Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrenburg. He went out of his way to treat me , got me a room at St Lukes in Kansas City , set up my ambulance ride and even called the memorial committee to let them know I would not be in attendance. He even contacted my close friends and family. Thank you James for talking me into going to the ER, you saved my life.
If the FFAM can be of any assistance to you or your department please reach out to your director or assistant director. If they cant be reached you are free to email me at grant_oetting@yahoo.com or call or text me at 660-229-4525.
Since this is the last article for the year, I wish to wish our members a Happy Thanks giving Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Until next time, Be safe my brothers and sisters….
FFAM
