How Much Would You Pay To Regain Your Health?

“If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.“–Chuck Pagano

I know a gentleman, Bob that’s in his 60’s that suffered from hearing loss for years due to decades of being around noisy machinery.  Talking with him had to be one on one and you always needed to be loud enough so he could catch what you were saying. He knew he was in need of a hearing aid but after the sticker shock of the price tag he couldn’t justify the cost and continued to live with his impaired hearing. Meanwhile other purchases were made to improve his home, enhancements to his car, and pursue his hobbies. Years later he finally buckled down and bought a hearing aid. He’s in a new world now with the ability to talk with people and contribute to group conversations. 

 How do you put a dollar value on regaining your health or an ability that you lost? In Bob’s case there was a solution to his hearing loss and it wasn’t something he needed to live with if he didn’t want to. It’s a sense that allows you to engage and connect with people and adds quality to your life. He had the means to pay for a hearing aid but chose to make other purchases instead. 

Paying for health isn’t always about paying with money, sometimes it’s about paying with time.  Years ago I dealt with  hamstring tendonitis. It was a constant irritating pain in my upper left hamstring that I ignored hoping it would resolve itself. After months of dealing with it, I made an appointment with an orthopedist and got the diagnosis of tendonitis which sent me on a journey of physical therapy for months. It cost time to go to the appointments and I was tasked with doing certain exercises daily on my own. While the exercises weren’t hard to do, adhering to the routine for the long term was harder than I thought. It took the discipline to carve out the time and I had to convince myself that what I was doing was helping me. The months I spent tolerating was time I could have spent getting it diagnosed and treated. 

On the other side of treatment was getting my quality of life back. I could enjoy running and exercise without feeling the constant pain in my hamstring.  Bob getting his hearing back made interacting with loved ones more enjoyable. It’s hard to a put a price tag on that.  When faced with a a high cost of a treatment or large time investment to get rehabilitated, think about what you will gain by getting your health back. 

Taking the time to do preventative check-ups and getting health issues addressed is an investment in you, your health and quality of life. I can’t think of many things I can purchase that increase my health and well-being like an appointment with a doctor to address health concerns and stave off any possible health issues. It’s one of the best uses of time and money. If you’ve ignored a health issue what are you spending your time and money on instead? Is that really more of a priority than your health?