Tomorrow may be too late

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Author:   LapBand doctor in Texarkana, TX.

This past week I visited a colleague of mine whom
I haven’t seen in almost 2 years. I’m not
sure how much it meant to him, because he can’t
talk and he can’t move. But it meant a lot to me.

A little bit about my friend. He was a practicing
physician who was very good in his field. Several
decades ago starting on the path to becoming a
doctor as a medical student, I held the belief that the
greatest compliment you can give another physician
is to have trust in that physician with the care
of your family.

This colleague of mine was that type of doctor. I
never had the occasion to, but I would trust him to
care for my family, or myself, if that were ever necessary.

Outside of medicine he was an active guy and an inspiration
to me. He is about 7 years older than I am, but was always
in much better physical shape than I was.

He was an avid soccer fan and an avid recreational
soccer player. He was in great physical shape, and
could compete with men half his age.

About 2 years ago, one Sunday afternoon, my friend
got in a car wreck. His car, as can be seen by the photo,
was mangled. He hardly had a scratch on him, and was
brought to the emergency just a couple of miles away.

tomorrow-is-too-late

The good news is that he did not suffer any life threatening
injuries. He had no broken bones either. Tragically however,
he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

He has never been the same since that day. He was
transferred to a facility that specializes in head
injury patients, but there was nothing they could do.

He has since transferred back to his hometown, where he is in a nursing home.

I saw him for the first time in almost two years. He couldn’t
talk. He couldn’t move his arms. I wasn’t even sure if he
could hear or understand my conversation with him.

It was very difficult visit for me, but I hope he got something
out of it and I will visit him regularly from now on.

So know I am thinking: We make all these great plans
for tomorrow, but tomorrow may be too late.

Tomorrow?

  • It may be too late to enjoy the sunlight and the surroundings
    around us.
  • It may be too late to let our family or friends know that we
    appreciate them.
  • It may be too late to improve our health by
    changing how we eat, and how we move.

That last point is something to which I as a weight loss
physician can relate and something I think about with
any LapBand patient that is not moving forward with their
weight loss.

Are you eating unhealthy food and telling yourself that
you will change the way you eat tomorrow?
Tomorrow may be too late.

Are you never exercising and telling yourself that
you will start exercising tomorrow?
Tomorrow may be too late.

If you are seriously overweight you are at risk for
(or might already have) high blod pressure, diabetes,
sleep apnea, asthma, infertility. Being seriously
overweight increases your risk for cancer of the
breast, uterus, colon, esophagus, pancreas,
kidney and prostate.

If you don’t take better care of yourself today,
tomorrow may be be too late.

Tomorrow you might have a stroke. Tomorrow you might
have a heart attack. Tomorrow you might get cancer.

I hope my friend who suffered a brain injury in a car wreck
didn’t leave anything until tomorrow.
I hope I don’t leave anything until tomorrow as well.
I hope my patients won’t leave anything until tomorrow.

Tomorrow may be too late.

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