The day started out pretty normal. Hubby was out doing errands, and was to pick up a few groceries for me on the way home. I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago, and am still not able to drive. So when I got a call from my daughter, asking if I was dressed to go out, I was perplexed. I had not planned on going out that day. But then she said the words that pushed me straight into action.
"Dad collapsed in the grocery store. They have rushed him to the ER."
By the time we arrived in the ER, hubby was hooked up to a saline drip and patched all over for an EKG. What had happened? Hubby just said he felt that everything drained out of him, and he went down. And of course, the medics and Dr's first thoughts were heart attack.
After a couple of hours and a few tests, the ER doctor came in, declaring that except for a little elevated sugar, hubby was in good shape..... for his age. And then proclaimed how when we get older, things don't always work as well as they did when we were younger.
My hubby is not yet in his seventh decade, but in today's world, 70 is the new 50. My father in law was 95 when he passed away, yet he was still working in his yard and bowling once a week until his health declined a couple of years before he died. 90 is the new 70.
Many people are living well into their 90's. And living it well. John McCain's mother is 106 and still looks very vibrant, even though she buried her own son. In 2012, the UN estimated there were 316,600 living centenarians worldwide. That number could likely be increased in the last six years.
So my hubby will now be going through a battery of tests, mostly to determine if he does have an underlying heart condition. But please let it be known, that we do not need to be under any kind of label. Whether you are 20, 40, 60, or 90 years old. You can be as young as you feel. No matter what your birth certificate says. Enjoy life, and don't let labels hang around your neck.