Two years ago, I took a walk and felt a very mild twinge…and chose to go straight to the local clinic to have it checked out. You don’t fool around with a family history of heart disease! As it turns out, I didn’t have a heart attack, but was at risk and did get some preventative cardiac work done.
Now compare this with Darksyde: he felt chest pains, found that they eased with antacids and prilosec, and figured it was just heartburn, and so skipped going in to the doctor. Wrong move! It turns out he actually had a heart attack (a fact that gives Christians and libertarians cause for glee, apparently).
Actually, it doesn’t mean I’m smarter than he is — you know he’s learned a lesson with this event. The real difference between us is that I have very good health insurance and can afford not to hesitate when symptoms strike…while he is less well insured and is more likely to be reluctant at the expense. And that difference can cost someone their life.
There are two lessons here. One is that it is a wasteful injustice that we don’t have reasonable universal health coverage. The other is that you shouldn’t try to second-guess chest pains and other symptoms, you middle-aged and older people!