Rushed to the ER, his heart was racing out of his chest. He had an arrhythmia that could turn fatal. Medications were given with no resolution. I was called and we gave another medication that aborted the bad rhythm.
Our patient had been well, but days before, his son and the son’s girlfriend were getting drunk and doing drugs in Dad’s front yard. The girlfriend said something about the son’s previous wife, and laughter turned into violence. He kicked her until her jaw and nose broke. Dad tried to run after his son, but fear whispered its caution. Police were called and his son was incarcerated.
Despite dad’s faith and happy disposition, his heart tasted a moment of jagged despair. The calm in his heart turned into a troubled storm and a hospital admission was required. Once stabilized, he was released.
Moments before, I had visited another patient in the ICU with a stroke in his young 50s. He could not move his left side nor articulate his thoughts. He wore a nicotine patch, which was a sign of his smoking history. His clothes had a stench which signaled heavy smoking. His family was crushed.
At the end of the day, I was speaking to one of my patient’s wives. She stated that his legs were cramping. I had already opened up his leg arteries with stents and advised him to stop smoking. He continued to smoke. My patient asked why he had the pain. “You’re ruining your life with your smoking.” “They blame everything on smoking,” he said. “Yes, and whoever they are, they’re right,” I said.
Decisions over a split second or a lifetime can adversely affect a person, families and communities. Drugs mess up someone’s heart, brain, and body. Affairs mess up families. And lies mess up relationships. This is not a judgment. It’s simple life-mathematics.
No college degrees are needed to figure out this math. If a farmer sows for watermelons, he won’t run out to reap corn at harvest. This life-math doesn’t add up; it multiplies. Lies hurt many. Drugs hurt families. Decisions slash the hearts of communities. Get out your calculators. It’s time to take an inventory of the seeds we sow, toss out the bad, and cling to the seeds of patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.
For further information on your cardiovascular health, contact Dr. Kojoglanian at 661-259-1711. The Mender of Hearts is located at 24868 Apple Street, Suite 103 in Santa Clarita. You may also visit online at www.drrap.com.