The word that constitutes my blog "title" for today is not pronounced, as I would have thought, "syn - cope." How to cope with sin is a worthy subject, and one to which I have alluded before - calling upon Bob Dylan, in fact (not so unusual for me), to provide me with some guidance. I am, personally, convinced that external assistance is virtually always required, when the topic is how to cope with sin.
External assistance is likely going to be required when dealing with "syncope," too.
The word "syncope," today's title, is not necessarily familiar to everyone, and is pronounced "SINK-a-pee." That word, a medical term, means an unexpected spell of fainting.
I became familiar with the word "syncope" a little over a month ago, by experiencing the phenomenon directly. I went to sleep at home, awakening during the middle of the night. I didn't feel very good, and I decided to take a Covid test. I had been at a large public gathering a few days earlier, where I might have contracted Covid.
Did I have Covid? I thought maybe I did, so I hauled myself out of bed, and took the test, but not at all! The test was negative, but I remember the events following that negative test result as rather confusing. I put away all the testing detritus. I remember that. Then, I went back to my bedroom, to return to bed, and then I "woke up" as I was being put into an emergency vehicle, for a quick trip to Dominican Hospital's Emergency Room. After a sojourn there, I took another trip, this time to the Trauma Center at Natividad Hospital, in Monterey County, where I was under observation for three days. Many thanks to the emergency responders and medical personnel!
So far, there is no real explanation for my episode of syncope. The result was something like nine broken ribs, NOT something I would like to recommend to others.
Despite the unexplained syncope, and the broken ribs, I am teaching my class in "Property And The Law" to Legal Studies students at UCSC, and that turns out to be lots of fun (even with the broken ribs). The "Memento Mori" implications of suddenly fainting dead away, in the middle of the night, has not been lost on me. However, I recommend other ways to keep yourself aware of your own mortality!
Broken ribs really hurt!
Image Credit:
https://www.jems.com/operations/ambulances-vehicle-ops/advances-in-ambulance-design-safety-technology-protect-patients-providers/
Syncope's cause is difficult to diagnose. I experience near-syncope often.
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