First off, I need to apologize to another succulent woman, Sherlock7437, for not replying to her post here. I can’t honestly say that I forgot, because this had been rankling around in my mind for some time. Truthfully, I find it difficult to talk about my health problems, because I grew up in a family where that was the common ground—people competing with each other for attention as to who was “the sickest” and therefore most deserving of pity, manipulative efforts, etc. I’d rather actually die than become like that, so I tend to go overboard the other way and find it hard to admit when I need rest, care, etc.
However, a valid question was asked, and for the past few weeks, I have been starting to own the fact that this is not a ‘phase’ or something I am doing just to please t’Knight, but rather it IS a process, indeed! I guess it was a little scary to admit that to myself, for fear of failure or just not doing it “perfectly”.
The baseline: I have PCOS, which stands for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is technically a fertility and hormone/endrocine problem, but one of the side effects can be weight gain and insulin resistance. Untreated, it can lapse into diabetes, which can be quite serious. I take Metformin for this which is a common diabetes medicine, even though praise the Lord I have not been diagnosed with diabetes. The treatment is aggressive for this because the complications can be quite damaging. Unrelated to the PCOS, I have asthma which at times in my life has been life-threatening. I am on a daily steroid and most times that is all I need to keep breathing and sailing through my busy life. Sometimes, I do have attacks that restrict my lung function for days or even weeks at a time.
A further complication to the lung issue is that I was chemically burned as a consequence of post-storm cleanup after Hurricane Charley in August 2004. A gallon of muriatic acid broke open, and although I quickly called 911 and vacated the house with the animals, my dog Jake went back in and I had to try to save him. Because of debris and storm responses, the hazmat team was delayed in reaching me, and I was already back in the house but unconscious on the floor in a puddle of acid. I am very lucky that most of the burns healed up quite nicely and by now, they don’t look disfiguring at all. One of my eyes was burned, but that healed and I have full vision it. My lungs were severely burned and became edemic, which on top of the asthma and storm conditions, resulted in a lot of problems. I’d like to think that I am mostly healed from that injury, but sometimes I do wonder….
Ugh, now I am all depressed, just listing those two, when really there are more issues … see what I mean?
The mission: To avoid health complications, get fitter, improve lung function, and have more energy. If I lose a size or two, so much the better but that is not the most important part of this agenda.
The process: Getting more active and making better choices, and also managing emotional fallout that interferes with the above mission.
- Food: I’m not a food nazi and I never will be; I can’t give up everything I love, not even for a day. What I am trying to do is be more honest with myself as to what I consume, portion sizes, and making better choices. There are a variety of approaches to this, and I don’t know if mine are valid so I hesitate to share them.
- Information: I am seeing a nutritionist on Tuesday afternoon. I wouldn’t try to fix my car myself, so in this I also want a professional to advise and guide me. Cost: $38, don’t know if insurance will pay or not, don’t much care.
- Exercise: As I have mentioned, I go to Curves. This is a women-only program, which I like. I try to go three (3) times a week, but sometimes I only get there two (2) times a week. The website link shows what the program entails. Often, you can find a special and join with no startup fee, or get a week’s pass free, etc. I pay $29 a month for my membership, and I am out of contract so I could stop going with 60 days notice and be done with the payments. Right now, this program is for me. If I were married, I might prefer to attend a gym that allowed my husband to come with me and work out, but I will cross that bridge when and if the situation arises.
caiti cheered this 5 years ago
