Did you ever stop to think how the power of suggestion can alter your way of thinking? I have read about the placebo and nocebo affects that, through the power of suggestion, unlikely results can occur. A recent event that happened to me brought home the power that suggestion can have. One day not too long ago I went to work at my office in the city and had to bring some outgoing mail to a building several blocks away. I noticed that walking was becoming more difficult for me without taking frequent rest breaks. My calves were painful, the right one more than the left. I thought that the sedentary life style of working from home was another consequence of the pandemic.
I like to walk so I decided to go to my primary doctor to find out how to get rid of the pain. Now here is where it gets a little disconcerting. I was advised to take a CT Calcium Score test, as well as, get a sonography done on my lower legs. I was waiting for the doctor to call with the results but instead I received a call to come into the office to discuss the results. I thought that was odd and went in the next day for the results. The test results showed that I had a 90% chance of having one or more clogged arteries. I was on the verge of having a heart attack. I was advised to see my cardiologist as soon as possible and not to exercise or walk too far until I did.
Here is where the power of suggestion kicked in. I went from feeling normal to being afraid to do anything. I had no pain in my chest until it was suggested that I had an issue. I then started to feel things that made me think that I could feel the arteries constricting. Now as you may know the internet can be a friend or a foe. The things I read about the calcium score were out there in abundance. I should have keyed in on the reliability of the tests because now I was resigned that I would be having a stent put in and what that meant. It looked like my interest in longevity was questionable.
I went to my cardiologist and after doing a few more tests I was told I was fine and to keep walking. How could that be? Clearly the CT score had me on the verge of big problems. I went to another cardiologist and was told that the CT score was not always indicative of a blockage but ordered to see what was up. Four tests later, the last a nuclear stress test, showed that I did not have a blockage and had normal blood flow to my heart. That was relief. The problem was varicose veins which means I have valve issues in my lower legs. The corrective action for this issue is compression socks.
So although I was convinced through the power of suggestion that I was going to need a bypass I was going to be okay. I went from being seemingly healthy to having a heart problem to being okay again. I guess it is best to err on the side of caution. I will say that it was an eye opener and I have been working on my blood pressure, exercising more and keeping an eye on my sodium intake. Crazy how things work out, right?
AgingwithHennessey 