So, why aren't you dead yet?

[Barb_]

While doing ancestry research I realized something.  If one escaped infant mortality, childhood accidents, childhood diseases, death from poor sanitation, bacterial infections, death in childbirth from hemorrhage or need of a c-section, hypertension and heart disease, one could actually live until their 80s or 90s.  My ancestors routinely lasted into their 70s, 80's or even 90's once they got through childhood and early adulthood.  It was all the tragic deaths of young people who pulled down the average life expectancy.  Thinking about it, I realized that 50 years ago my kids would likely be motherless.  80 years ago they'd be orphans.  I'm not even counting the two times my midwife saved me from bleeding out with a shot of oxytocin.  About 8 years ago, I nicked my finger while cutting green peppers.  It was such a shallow cut--it didn't even bleed and it barely stung.  Two days later my oldest convinced me to have it looked at because it had gotten stiff and puffy.  The ER doctor told me the streaking that had developed up my vein and past my elbow halfway to my shoulder showed I had developed sepsis and that left untreated the cut would likely have killed me in a day or two.  Thank you, antibiotics.

 

My husband developed a bad case of diverticulitis earlier this year that left him on the floor passed out in a puddle of blood with a pulse of 35.  An ambulance ride and blood transfusion later, he was back to health and was sent home with instructions to eat more fiber.  Thank you modern technology.  

 

I figured a lot of us on this board would have stories of how modern technology or medical advances have saved us.  I'm curious to hear yours.  

[fairfarmhand]

After a miscarriage, I would have bled to death without a d/c. Also would have bled out after one of my childbirths.

[Mrs Mungo]

Well, in trying to save money on utilities, we have been leaving the a/c off and letting the breeze blow through the house. It has culminated in terrible sinus problems for me. We had to shut up the house and turn on the a/c last night. I tuned an air purifier on in my room. I woke up feeling like a new person. I know why there are more people with allergy issues now-their bodies used to kill them.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I was born with a VSD (a heart defect), it was a large hole, needing to be sewn and patched.   I wouldn't have made it to my teens without surgery.   

[Loowit]

I probably wouldn't have made it through pneumonia when I was 10.  I was very sick.  If I had made it, then I would have likely died in childbirth with my oldest.  But going back even further, without modern medicine I probably would never have been born because my mom had meningitis when she was an infant and almost died.  Without antibiotics should would have died.

[KathyBC]

I have hyperthyroid - I don't know if I would be dead, but I would definitely be crazy.

[eloquacious]

Allergic asthma caused, among other things, by animal dander. The worst offender? Horses. Try avoiding those prior to the 20th century!

 

Two Cesareans which might not have killed me, but might have been still births instead.

 

I'm sure there are others that I've forgotten. :)

 

And of course, that doesn't count all the diseases we didn't get because we were vaccinated.

[Mandylubug]

I would have died as a child from severe dehydation. I was hospitalized for a week after a horrible stomach virus. If I had survived that I would have died probably during childbirth of my twins. They were both breech, I had very high blood pressure and super low iron levels. DH would have died from appendicitis before my first son was born, though.

[Dandelion]

The closest I've come to something that could have resulted in death in the previous century was a kidney infection.  Antibiotics took care of it in a few days.

 

DH developed a strange infection a few years ago while we were on a family trip in Yellowstone.  It started out as elbow pain, and then a red streak developed that went from his elbow to his underarm lymph nodes.  The swelling and pain increased and he became extremely lethargic.  We went to the clinic at the Old Faithful Inn and they immediately gave him an antibiotic injection.  The doctor said if he hadn't come in when he did, he might have died in the next 24 hours.  Wish I could remember the name of the infection.  So again, thank you antibiotics.

 

DS stopped breathing a few minutes after he was born.  I don't know exactly what the doctors and nurses did to help him start breathing again, but there was a team of about 6 people working on him.  He might have died right after birth had he been born in earlier times. 

[albeto.]

omg, this is a hypochondriac's worst nightmare thread!

 

 

[Pawz4me]

Oldest DS and I probably wouldn't have made it through his birth.

[DragonFaerie]

Well, let's see.  I had a torn uterine artery while in the recovery room from having a hysterectomy.  If my nurse had been even 10 minutes longer in alerting the doctor, I would have died  As it was, she was quite on top of things and figured out what was happening while I was still mostly unconscious.  By the time the doc got me back into the OR, I'd lost 90 percent of my blood into my abdomen.  Thank you for smart nurses, the ability of doctors to get going on surgery super fast, and the Cell Saver machine, which kept me from needing a blood transfusion.

 

Before that, DS was breech and born via C-section.

 

Before that, I was breech and born via C-section.

 

Modern medicine is a fabulous thing. :D

[*Michelle*]

Childbirth a few times over, if I'd made it past the severe childhood asthma.

[freesia]

I hemorrhaged with 2 of my births. My third son had difficulty breathing at birth and needed 3 days in the NICU. My youngest had an abscess in her throat at 10 months. Dh has had an anaphylactic allergic reaction. So only 2 of my children would have survived and they would have been orphans before they were 5 (I would have passed with the birth of the second). EEK!

[wonderchica]

I'd probably be dead without anti-depressants. Talk about life saving!

[Barb_]

Whenever I begin to wax nostalgic about living in simpler times, I'll think of this thread :D

[unsinkable]

not thinking of childhood, but...

 

DD's shoulder was engaged and she was sunny side up. If I was being cared for by a midwife, she maybe would have been able to push DD's shoulder back up so she could come out?!?! It's hard to know. I had a c-section.

 

DD would have died the first time she experienced status epilepticus.

[EKS]

When I was 22 I had a ruptured ovarian cyst and would have bled to death if I had chosen to go home and go to bed instead of stopping by the clinic first.

 

It's also possible I would have died in childbirth with my older son.

 

 

 

 

[Word Nerd]

It's hard to say whether any of it would have killed me, but I've had gall bladder disease that required surgery, childbirth that led to surgery immediately afterward to control bleeding, and pneumonia that required hospitalization as a child as well when I was a teen. Overall, I've been blessed with good health thus far.

[Ottakee]

I was born with a VSD (a heart defect), it was a large hole, needing to be sewn and patched.   I wouldn't have made it to my teens without surgery.

HEY KIM----I had VSD as well. When did you have your surgery? Mine was in 1974 in Grand Rapids MI. I have the Dacron patch which was very new at that point. I also had PDA--patent ductus arteriosus (however you spell it). The basic "blue baby" thing.

[myfunnybunch]

I would have died in childbirth, twice.

 

Other than that and a couple bouts of strep and pneumonia that required antibiotics, I've been pretty healthy. I would, however, probably be tired, depressed, ill due to hypothyroid.

 

Cat

[Mom in High Heels]

Sheer luck?

 

Let's see, I have had terrible asthma since birth and have gone into respiratory arrest twice.  I probably wouldn't have survived those.  I was a carrier of strep, and while I never got strep (my poor mom did though), I dehydrated every time it flared up though and was constantly having to get fluids.  I've been hospitalized for bronchitis several a few times.  I'm sure there are more, but these are the few that come to mind.

[Galatea]

I would have died with my ectopic pregnancy 6 years ago without modern medical care. 

[elegantlion]

I would have died at age 5. I quit breathing and was turning blue. I still remember the blanket my mom wrapped me on the trip to the hospital. I still own the stuffed orange dog I got while spending a week in the oxygen tent. 

 

If somehow I would have survived that, I would have died at 26 of cancer. If you've seen October Sky, the teacher that died, that's the kind of cancer I had. That was what the 50s? Not so long ago.  

 

If somehow I would have survived cancer, I would have died in childbirth at 30 as scar tissue from my cancer surgery threw me into early labor. I ended up having an emergency c-section after being in the hospital for almost 3 days. It's quite possible if I'd had cancer 10 or 20 years earlier I would have never had kids as the treatment was different and would have left me unable to conceive. 

 

 

[Jennifer in MI]

I hemmoraged with ALL of my births.  Yup.  All of them.  My oldest would have been an orphan without methergan (sp?) and the youngest three wouldn't have existed.  But, ds3 would have died due to his allergies anyway!  Ds2 had to have his appendix removed.  When, in history, did people survive appendectomies?  

 

Dh would have died 3 months after we married due to diverticulitis.  So, the above children wouldn't have existed!!!

[ElizabethB]

I think I would be fine, but my brother and son have a disease that might have killed them many times over by now. However, many people with the disease in my brother's generation died because of tainted blood products. He had a good friend that might have survived 100 years ago but not during the exact era during which he was born, he had a very mild form of the disease.

[Stratford]

I was a breech baby who needed a c-section, so if I had survived that.....I had pretty severe asthma as a kid.  My appendix might have killed me in my 20s (it was gangrenous when they took it out.  Eewww.)  If I made it through all those things, baby #4's birth might have done me in, unless I had a super-duper midwife with me.

 

I feel kind of fragile now.    

[Cinder]

Appendicitis at 18yo. Actually I probably would never have been born as my father also had appendicitis at 18yo.

[Mrs Mungo]

Whenever I begin to wax nostalgic about living in simpler times, I'll think of this thread :D

I never do that. I <3 refrigerators and year round produce and tampons and hair products and peeing inside in the middle of the night and all sorts of modern conveniences.

[Pretty in Pink]

Childbirth four times over. It looked like a water hose gushing blood after my second was born. I remember my husband asking if I was supposed to be bleeding that much. The bed was soaked and it was dripping onto the floor.

 

My ds10 has asthma and was hospitalized for a week due to breathing related complications at age 4.

[unsinkable]

I was a breech baby who needed a c-section, so if I had survived that.....I had pretty severe asthma as a kid. My appendix might have killed me in my 20s (it was gangrenous when they took it out. Eewww.) If I made it through all those things, baby #4's birth might have done me in, unless I had a super-duper midwife with me.

 

I feel kind of fragile now.

I liked this because I was breech but my mom delivered me vaginally. I was a frank breech and my mom said she'd straighten out my legs for weeks after I was born.

[Kakids]

Let's see, I could have died of pneumonia at 12 or 13. If that didn't get me I wouldn't have made it past the appendicitis in my 20's and would not have had any kids.

[unsinkable]

I never do that. I <3 refrigerators and year round produce and tampons and hair products and peeing inside in the middle of the night and all sorts of modern conveniences.

Ice from a machine.

[Jennifer in MI]

I liked this because I was breech but my mom delivered me vaginally. I was a frank breech and my mom said she'd straighten out my legs for weeks after I was born.

I have a brother who was footling breech with a prolapsed cord!!!!  Born vaginally.  He was born oxygen deprived, but he survived.  39 years ago!

[unsinkable]

I have a brother who was footling breech with a prolapsed cord!!!! Born vaginally. He was born oxygen deprived, but he survived. 39 years ago!

Wow. These days we both would have been scheduled sections.

[Melissa in Australia]

Me- I would possibly  have died in childbirth with my first child. I was in active labor for 3 days. He was completely stuck. Interestingly my great grandmother had basically the same thing. she was in active labour for a week. then they partially dismembered the baby to save her.

 

I would have died for a nosebleed. I bled for over 24 hours and was in intensive care for 4 days.

[Hunter's Moon]

An asthma attack as a child. Or Pneumonia. I got that every single winter from the age of 5 to the age of 12. If I didn't have my nebulizer, I really think I would not have made it. 

 

I was just thinking recently about the increase in persons with life threatening food allergies. I am sure a huge part of that is modern medicine and the ability to walk around with my own epi-pen. 

[JudoMom]

All of this might be moot, because my Dad is a type 1 diabetic.  He might've died before I was born.

 

I had Scarlet fever as a child, but that was about it.

It's quite possible I would've died in childbirth with my oldest (emergency c-section after 24 hours of labor).  I also had preeclampsia with him. 

If those didn't kill me, I'd be dying now from Autoimmune Hepatitis.  When it was discovered I was one stage from cirrhosis.  So thankful for meds that have, thus far, saved me from cirrhosis.

 

 

[MedicMom]

If I survived my anaphylaxis, I would have died in childbirth with my second child. Freak uterine rupture.

But it's a moot point. DH had a VSD and would have died in infancy. As it was he was very sick till they fixed it.

[Ipsey]

My first child and I would be dead if it were not for an *emergency* c-section. Yep, I'd have never passed on a gene. :)

Plus, my brother has never been able to have biological children. 

 

Genetic dead-end for my parents it would have been.

 

 

[ErinE]

Three macrosomia babies and one was breech. Thank goodness for modern medicine.

[Barb_]

I never do that. I <3 refrigerators and year round produce and tampons and hair products and peeing inside in the middle of the night and all sorts of modern conveniences.

I big, fat, puffy heart peeing indoors.

[scholarly]

I was born via emergency C-section due to placental abruption. I came very close to dying as it was. However, that is my only potential death scenario. Neither of my kids have had any problems and I think my DH would be safe as well.

[nd293]

Placenta previa would have got me aged 35.

 

Pre surgery (or reliable surgery or geographically accessible) DS would have died from the results of intussusseption aged 6 months. (Of course, he didn't actually make it past birth in between the placenta previa or the breathing difficulties of a 36.5wk newborn).

 

I wouldn't have bet on dd's chances with appendicitis aged 7yrs.

 

Dh has avoided major medical interventions, but I'm not sure that any of those minor cuts with various bits of dirty fishing equipment would have served him well 100 years ago.

[shawthorne44]

My appendix was close to bursting when they removed it while I was in High School.  Probably would have died then. 

[Tap]

Ds19 was an uncommon breach that would have likely left him stuck in me. He still hadn't engaged when I was 2 weeks over due. He was delivered by c-section.  They said that it is unlikely that either of us would have survived in another century.

 

DD14 was in an incubator for low blood sugar for a day or two after delivery.  It was an easy fix and they had to supplement her, but it is hard to say how that would have affected her then.

[Carrie12345]

Emergency appendectomy and emergency laparotomy for ruptured ectopic pregnancy.

[ErinE]

omg, this is a hypochondriac's worst nightmare thread!

 

I liked your post because it's so true! However, the conditions described were and are very real killers for so many. Whenever people wax nostalgic for the "good old days", modern medicine tops the list for the many reasons why I'm grateful to live now.

[Halftime Hope]

About some of the diseases mentioned above:  they were not always fatal.    My dad had scarlet fever as a child in the mid 1930s.  His mom quarantined him per doctor's orders and they made him comfortable at home.  He survived and never had any ill effects until a scarred heart valve that he did not know about finally "blew" in the 1990s.  Not everyone died from it at the time.  However, when his heart valve failed, he would have died from congestive heart failure without a replacement.  (He was in his mid-60s and otherwise extremely healthy.)

 

Someone else mentioned a baby with a stuck shoulder, and wondering if a midwife could have delivered it--I think yes for a reasonably experienced and decently trained one. 

 

Ds#3 tried to arrive before the midwife, with a nice case of big baby/shoulder dystocia, and with the cord wrapped twice around his chubby neck, although apparently that happens so commonly, my midwifes and childbirth educators didn't consider it a big deal at all.  Dh, remembering the instructions from our childbirth classes before child #1, told me to breath and not push, manipulated the baby further back inside to relieve the dystocia, then caught/delivered him.  When the midwife got there, she was quite shocked, partly b/c she missed the birth by about three minutes, and partly because of how he had come into the world.

 

 

 

 

[Wheres Toto]

Let's see....

-severe bleeding following a tonsillectomy when I was 5 (seems I have a slight coagulation defect)

-severe kidney infection was I was 9 - bad enough that it attacked the muscles in my legs so I couldn't walk, and they thought I had leukemia.

-emergency c-section with my son where I was blacking out during labor

-severe allergies so I definitely need meds and air conditioning

 

I guess that's it.