[We interrupt this program for the following Public Service Announcement.] I just made an appointment to see a doctor. This note is to let people know why, with the thought that it might stimulate a few of you other gents to do the same.
A coworker of mine, whom I will call Fred, was a very senior programmer; most would say he was brilliant, well known in the field (at least on the East Coast), and he was an all around Good Guy as well, well liked by all; what's more, he was a rather good bridge player. And about two weeks ago, while setting up the barbeque, he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. He will be sorely missed, by family, friends, and coworkers. And it turns out Fred hadn't been to see a doctor in *15* *years*. Just kept putting it off, I guess. Now it happens that heart attacks usually give some warning signs in the form of high blood lipid levels and/or high blood pressure, and five minutes after sitting down with a doctor, there's a very good chance Fred would have been diagnosed as having a heart problem. What's more, things have changed since 1850, when the probability of benefiting from an encounter with a doctor was something less than 50%. These days, there are actually quite a few things doctors can successfully treat, and that includes some forms of heart disease. And even many stubborn middle aged dudes who won't exercise or change their diets can be helped, at least somewhat, by modern drugs. If Fred had been to a doctor, there's a pretty good chance he'd have lived long enough to retire. If you haven't been to a doctor, is it possible you have a problem you don't know about, but which a doctor could diagnose? Sure! And you can't tell unless you go. And what's more, consider this: Even if you go to a doctor, you *still* can ignore what he says, if you don't happen to like it -- so, it's a no-lose proposition! Errr.... actually, that last one isn't quite right; sometimes you don't get a choice. I had another coworker, many years ago, who went to a doctor because he was feeling a little short of breath. He was on a business trip at the time, IIRC, when he started feeling kind of poorly. Doctor diagnosed it as a collapsed lung. In that particular case, they wouldn't let him go home -- it was straight off to the hospital with him so they could do whatever it is they do for a collapsed lung (put a patch on the puncture and pump it up? -- not sure). Anyhow we don't need any sudden deaths on this list. And I *know* a lot of you guys are well into the "heart attack years". So, if any of you freethinkers have been putting off your annual checkups for the last 10 or 20 years, I'd like to suggest you think a bit about Fred. [We now return you to our regular programming.]
