I have worked with the same employer for eight years now and consequently have made a lot of friends and acquaintances. You know... there are people that you immediately click with... enjoy... and ultimately start getting together outside of work. And there are those you work with that you have the same connection... however... they may be in other areas of the country... so your friendship is long distance and primarily or exclusively by phone. I have people like this that I talk to on a daily basis... for work purposes... but when they take a vacation... or take anytime off... you miss them. Well... one of those acquaintances was recently out for quite some time and we wanted the scoop as to where he was... in the tropics? Europe? We found out the guy was hospitalized for Aortic Aneurysm Surgery! What the?
First we did the "Aortic Ana... what?" Never heard of it. It was like the game telephone and as each person spread the news to the next... the name got all blotched up. "Oh... so and so? Yeah... he's in the hospital with some kind of burst valve in his head." You think aortic... you think valve. You hear aneurysm... you think of your brain. I get it... but still it was grossly inaccurate.
An Aortic Aneurysm is a bulge in a persons aorta which is the blood flow away from your heart. You can get one in your abdomen or your chest cavity... but either way... if it bursts you can die.
Those at the highest risk are older men who smoke and who have relatives who have had an aortic aneurysm. High blood pressure and high cholesterol also put you at risk. Unfortunately... my acquaintance... fulfilled all of these risks. I am glad to say he has recovered... and has changed his lifestyle considerably. I hope it lasts.
This post brought to you by NYU Cardiac.
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