Forum Topics Health companies, healthy humans
Randy
Added 2 months ago

@nessy your post and the courage and willingness to be open about your recent health challenges is both greatly admired and appreciated.

While i don't currently share your lived experience, i am also north of 50 and do my best to stay active and reasonably physically healthy.

Although I must confess I probably stick my head in the sand a little with respect to the old ticker and other plumbing, figuring if I can run 8kms and handle a gym class i'm A-OK.

Your message to your Straw Family is a timely reminder to take nothing for granted, get regular check-ups on the age appropriate stuff, and never go so far down the stock worm-hole that you neglect your greater wealth of your health. One is basically meaningless without the other to be able tk enjoy it.

Thank you for having the courage to put it out there and renmind us fellow middle-agers what matters and what's important.

Really hope the orocedure goes well for you mate.


Cheers @Randy

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nessy
Added 2 months ago

@Randy I was running 5 and gyming plenty! Even got a couple of podiums at park run. Worth the getting checked!

Nessy

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jcmleng
Added 2 months ago

@nessy , thanks for sharing and the reminder that goes with that sharing. Hope that all goes well and continues to go well for you thereafter.

"My message to my fellow Strawpeople is to make sure you don't just do a deep dive into the companies you are investing in, but also into your own health so you can really reap the rewards of that good investing way down the track."

That should be simple common sense, but permanent execution, not just a one-off focus when drama happens, is not as simple to do ..

Post Covid, decided that I needed to treat my body like the machine it is, and apply all best practices for preventive maintenance of this machine. The ugly reality is that unlike a physical machine, there is no such thing as a backup machine or hot spares or redundancy. And so, active execution of preventive maintenance is paramount ... I find I act better and more decisively when I put things in the context of things I understand from work ...

Have since gone on a regime of an annual medical, blood test, calcium score every few years, do whatever tests that are needed etc. Then regular exercise, eating and sleeping well etc. And in parallel, collect all the day-to-day data to help identify anomalies and course corrections. The same thing as I do for my investments, plus minus, as similar to investing, that is all I can control and focus on ....

Stay healthy everyone!

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nessy
Added 2 months ago

I am angry!

And I am grateful.......

I am a 58 year old male, have exercised more than regularly all my life, eat well (my wife is a nutritionist) and live a fairly low stress life. In short, I think I have looked after myself. However, I wasn't returning to running fitness after a knee problem as quickly as I thought I should. So, given I am a health professional I did a deep dive on my own "company". As a result, I am lining up for an angioplasty and 2 stents. For those who don't understand this, my heart vessels are somewhat calcified and narrowed and need to be opened wider so I can continue to LIVE! I am still in the angry phase because I don't think I should have to put up with this shit, but genetics don't always give you that option.

My message to my fellow Strawpeople is to make sure you don't just do a deep dive into the companies you are investing in, but also into your own health so you can really reap the rewards of that good investing way down the track.

To everyone, be merry, be safe and enjoy your family time this Christmas. I am joining a club that I never thought I would have to join, the Statins & Stents club, but I am still alive which is better than the alternative!

Nessy

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Strawman
Added 2 months ago

That's rough @nessy. I hope it all goes well and am sure you will compound the 'capital' associated with the procedure at a high rate for many, many more years to come!

Let me also double down on your message -- health really is the ultimate wealth. And for those of us that should be investing more on that front, remember Ben Franklin's assertion that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Jimmy
Added 2 months ago

@nessy agree that the diagnosis and timing sucks but I bet the prognosis will be in no doubt bright. I can empathise as it was 3 years ago I had a aortic heart valve replacement and without going into all the detail it was tough to endure but nonetheless here I am 3 years later and feeling great.

I most definitely agree attention to detail when it comes to our health cannot be underestimated.

Take care....

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topowl
Added 2 months ago

Oh, that's terrible @nessy

You're not alone, lot's of superfit people still get that issue.

The things they don't tell us....very frustrating.

I had a family member with the same thing, I can't recommend enough getting the two types of heart scans....one's the calcium one, and there's another one you need a referral from your GP for and it's bulk billed. They do them at the same time. You just need to say you've got a family history of anything related to heart, cholesterol, stents....

All the best..

Reminds me I need to book in a colonoscopy.....yikes

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lowway
Added 2 months ago

Thanks for the post @nessy and I hope all goes to plan with the stents, etc. I know from personal experience (Renal Cell Carcinoma & Prostate Cancer) that speaking out to friends, family and yes, SM members, is both helpful to others and cathartic for the soul!! E.g. every male past 45ish (maybe younger if a family history is evident) should get a PSA test done annually and if the result is greater than 3, get advice from a Urologist, not just the GP.

Currently I'm void of all cancers and strangely enough did my first CT Calcium test last week that came back all zeros, so one less thing for me to worry about!!

Wishing you all the best @nessy and great to see you are being proactive with something that, while a pain to deal with at the time, is better that the horizontal option. Kick back and have a fun, family Xmas all!!

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Arizona
Added 2 months ago

@nessy All the best

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Rick
Added 2 months ago

@nessy Twelve years ago I was about to prepare some breakfast. I felt like I had indigestion, which was odd when I hadn’t eaten! The indigestion turned into heartburn and then into pain. My wife took me to emergency. I skipped the triage queue and went straight to the consultation room. On the second blood test the doctor confirmed I was having a heart attack! Wow! This could be it!

After getting permission the doctor administered a thrombolysis treatment which is designed to systemically dissolve blood clots. Within seconds the clot in my artery had cleared and I was pain free. The next day I had an angioplasty and stent inserted (Now this is the first treatment).

Under light sedation I watched the whole procedure on a monitor! I was 55 years old and came out of it with zero heart damage and as fit as a fiddle! I was lucky! I felt grateful for science, modern medicine, for living near a good hospital, and the government ads that were running on TV at the time explaining the early symptoms of heart attack! Only for these ads I don’t think I would have known these were the early signs of a heart attack!

Like you @nessy I had no precursors! I’d never smoked, I had low blood pressure, low cholesterol, I exercised, was fit and ate reasonably healthy. I put it down to too much sugar. Now I try to reduce carbs and avoid sugar. Like a Mediterranean/Keto diet. Protein and healthy fats!

Anyway, 12 years later I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was on to that early too having had yearly PSA checks since my heart attack. Ten months following a prostatectomy my PSA levels are still zero. I think I’ve dodged another bullet here and I’m grateful once again!

The moral of the story is looking after your health and having regular medical check ups is far more important than investment research. In fact spending time researching good health and fitness and then acting on it is also more important than investment research. You can’t take your wealth with you!

I wish you all the best with your procedure @nessy. It’s painless and non-invasive these days, and you get to see a reality TV show while they do it!

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lowway
Added 2 months ago

Well said @Rick , even if you did reveal your old (i.e. the same as me) age!! Couldn't agree more, Health followed by Wealth in all cases.

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