Like the last 12 tuesdays I had my Anatomy & Physiology class and lab at TMCC. I showed up a little later than I have been mostly because I can't wait until the end of semester. I know, I know I am to old for schoolitis but some things seemingly never change. Anyways I have been hearing about how bad excess weight is on your body for numerous reasons that both Candace and I have heard through most of our lives.
I went to lab expecting to do finish our pig dissection from last thursday, however it seemed like my instructor knew that Candace and starting this journey to better health because he decided to do cadaver work today instead. I don't normally mind doing cadaver work, just a bit of Vick's vapor rub and I am good to go. At the beginning of the semester they received a new female cadaver but it wasn't prepped for education until recently.
The cadaver was a 65 year old woman that passed away a few months ago. By looking at the condition of her internal organs it was seemingly a miracle that she lived that long. It was obvious just by looking at her skin that she was morbidly obese, the adipose tissue was at least 1 inch thick over her entire body, her heart had a much thicker than normal layer of fat covering her heart. Her stomach was much larger than it should be, her heart was much larger than it should be and the instructor was able to make her arteries "crackle" for the lack of a better term from the atherosclerosis she was suffering from.
It was a rude awakening to me, realizing what is going on to both my new wife's and my own body right now. I don't want to imagine what her quality of life was like being as obese as she was. I want to be active and healthy with my lovely new wife for a very long time. I want to be in my 50 and 60's and still be reasonably active and not need a oxygen tank to go out of the house.
I knew all this information back when Clinton was still in office, but as the years have gone on I forget it. This day made me relearn this information in a rather shocking way. Now I don't want all of you to think that I will always be this graphic or overly serious but it reminded me why I really want to live better. I have married a wonderful woman that I want to spend many years with, preferably more healthy than sick.
Kurt,
ReplyDeleteReading your blog was a blast to the past. I remember the cadaver I worked on in college and she too had an extra thick layer of adipose tissue connected to her skin and organs. I remember talking about how uncomfortable and unhealthy she must have felt. Sometimes when we start a new journey things keep popping up to remind us to keep going! Love you both. Carol
Glad to see that you and Candace are supporting each other with this adventure. Seeing cadavers in my class (we've got 4 this semester) really does help understand what we're up against in this wonderful life. Age, stress and all the wonderful food works against our bodies. There's only a few things that we are in control of, but age just ain't one of them! Good for you two.
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