Much of January and February was spent in an effort to set myself up for success through this year, and beyond. Habits changed and systems put in place to address issues that had become out of control. One of those issues is my health.
I have a great and powerful force in my life - a secret weapon. Her name is Beth. She is small yet mighty. When she tells you to do something, you do it. In February she told me to book a flight to Tucson and plan to spend 10 days away from my family and dedicate some time to getting healthy. That is exactly what I did.
I just returned from spending 10 days focusing on my health. I did more things in those days than I had in the last 10 years! Between an awesome doctor and his team of nurses, nutritionist, therapist, exercise physiologist and amazing acupuncturist, I have a baseline, a diagnosis and a new direction.
One thing you do not want to hear, ever, is "you are very ill". Trust me. How do I know? I just heard it. To the point where right after getting the results a prescription was written and a bottle of medication was waiting for me by the time I returned to my room at the end of the day. The flip side of that is the relief and validation that courses through me when I realize the suffering - emotionally and physically - of the last few years could have been avoided if my doctor was not so insistent that my health issues were due to laziness or lack of will.
I have Thyroid Disease. The numbers are, and again I quote, "off the chart". I was told I should be at least twice the size I am now and that it is a wonder I am as energetic as I am - I have no outward indicators of the disease. That, according to my new doctor, is force of will. I am certainly not lacking in that department. (I cannot express adequately how much I love Dr. Brewer who is so kind, knowledgeable, honest and progressive in his approach.)
I went from my test results review and final meeting with the doctor over to the nutritionist who repeated the phrases "you are very ill" and "off the chart" a couple of more times. I don't know if she was afraid I didn't understand the severity of the disease or maybe it was a result of her own complete surprise and then finally understanding of my frustration. The good news? I already eat well. The better news? If I follow all of the instructions (from the exercise physiologist and nutritionist) I can eat almost triple my normal caloric intake. Crazy. Oh, and if I do that, I'll lose weight.
In 10 days in Tucson:
- I walked, a lot.
- I ate, a lot.
- I swam, a lot.
- I talked, a lot.
- I laughed, a lot.
- I sweat, a lot.
- I learned, a lot.
- I moved, a lot.
- I planned, a lot.
I am still absorbing it all and putting a plan together to incorporate all that I learned into a workable routine in my house, with my kids on board.
The bonus? If I do all these things and manage to lose some weight, I'll be able to do more than just buy some nice new clothes (after my 2+ year ban on new purchases that will be a welcome experience!) but the other health issues that have been negatively impacting my daily life will be addressed: poor sleeping, food intollerances, psoriasis and frozen shoulder. Everything is all tied in together which, without the benefit of these tests, I never would have known.
Now that I'm armed with good information and the bones of a plan, I'm looking forward to the months ahead. For the first time, in a long time.
Thank you Beth! You're the best sister, evah.
