By Hollis Wormsby
This column will be more personal than most I’ve done because there is no impersonal way to tell a story that needs telling. Nearly 17 years ago I lost one of my best friends, the late Oliver (OB the Master) Brewer to a massive and fatal heart attack that could have been easily prevented if he had used his Blue Cross Blue Shield card to schedule a simple heart exam. For much of the time since that time I hosted radio programs that included health segments that encouraged others to get their regular check-ups. And yet for the past 15 years I failed to go myself.
So, a few weeks ago after months of feeling off, and fearing that I had symptoms that could represent something awful, I finally went in for a complete physical. The thing that motivated me to finally go was that I was having symptoms associated with colon cancer, and knowing that colon issues run in my family, I grew progressively more concerned over the months, but still hesitated to take action.
When I finally did make myself go see a doctor and schedule a full exam, things did not go well. My blood pressure presented at 160 over 105, or according to the doctor just below stroke levels. He couldn’t believe that I was actually walking around untreated with blood pressure that high. I was immediately put on high blood pressure medicine and am pretty well stabilized on that issue for now.
But since I had my first experience with high blood pressure I did a little research and here is some general information that may help some of you struggling with the same issue. Of the list of factors that contribute to high blood pressure I found the following relevant to me: overconsumption of sugar; overconsumption of salt; being dehydrated from not drinking enough water; overconsumption of alcoholic beverages; poor diet and lack of sleep. Okay, yeah those were pretty much everything on the list, but some were surprising. For example, I knew about salt, but I would never have thought about sugar being a high-risk factor.
So after learning these facts about high blood pressure I am taking the following steps immediately: eliminated my habit of drinking Coca-Cola all day and initiated the habit of drinking a half gallon of water a day instead; making an effort to eat a more balanced diet and eat on a more regular schedule; increasing my walking efforts and trying to get more sleep. Some of you may have noted that I didn’t say anything about reducing alcoholic consumption. All I can say is you can’t do everything at once.
The issue that drove me to seek medical assistance was fear that I had let myself develop some advanced form of colon cancer because I had ignored colon symptoms for so long. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy for that issue. On the morning I went in for it, I had the most forlorn look on my face in the surgery prep area, because I just knew in my heart of hearts the morning was going to end with them telling me I had colon cancer, fortunately it did not. It did not end without incidence either though, as they told me they had discovered two growths in my colon, a small one that they were able to remove and a larger one that was too large to be removed in that procedure. Oh, and on the large one I would have to wait a week for biopsy results to determine if it was cancerous. That was one miserable week, but in the end my lucky streak prevailed, and the doctor called to say the growth was benign.
So, for the most part, other than facing what the doctor called a more invasive procedure than should have been necessary to remove my “huge” growth, with a little work I can get back to being in pretty good shape. However, the point of this article is that either of the issues could have proven devastating if left untreated for much longer.
So I say to my fellow black men, I know that we have a history of being tough and resistant to pursuing medical treatment, but that is also one of the reasons we have one of the shortest life expectancies of any group in America. Somebody reading this column, pull out that Blue Cross Blue Shield card you have not used in years and call and make an appointment for a complete physical. Believe it or not, you are making a difference in someone’s life that they would miss if you are gone.
At least that’s the way I see it.
Hollis Wormsby has served as a featured columnist for the Birmingham Times for more than 28 years. He is the former host of Talkback on 98.7 KISS FM and of Real Talk on WAGG AM. If you would like to comment on this column you can email him at hjwormsby@aol.com.
